(Below) St. Charles principal James R. Lower holds a check presented to him by St. Charles Mothers Club Chairwoman, Antoinette Mongillo. 

The St. Charles Mothers Club had busy 2012-2013;

School year filled with annual events and new initiatives

                                                              by Antoinette Mongillo

At St. Charles, Mothers have always volunteered their time and energy in numerous capacities for the benefit of St. Charles.

A year ago, volunteer Mom, Antoinette Mongillo, and new principal, Jim Lower, looked at ways the St. Charles Mothers Club could help to better organize these efforts. They explored ways to make it easier for parent volunteers to share their ideas and get involved with the school.  They also wanted to acknowledge and recognize that St. Charles has a committed parent community that plays a vital role in making it the top notch school that it is.

The Mothers Club started by adding structure to its organization. It created a set of formal bylaws to ensure the group operated with consistency and continuity from year to year. It then went to work on improving such well-established Mothers Club events as the 8^th Grade Open House, Cardinal Christmas Auction and the Faculty Appreciation Luncheons.

The group also created several new committees – Social, Welcoming, Alumni Mothers Liaison, Communication, and Nominating – to help expand the club’s reach.  

The Social Committee was created to help coordinate the various social events Moms had been organizing throughout the year. It held a very successful wine tasting evening and brought back “Craft Night.”  The Welcoming Committee was given the dual purpose of welcoming guests visiting St. Charles and creating programs to welcome and support new St. Charles Mothers.  They acted as greeters at various school events including the community reception honoring former principal Dominic J. Cavello and the annual Borromean Lecture. For new incoming Mothers, they are planning numerous welcoming programs and events over the summer and early Fall.  The Club is also reaching out to alumni mothers through the Alumni Mothers Liaison Committee, created to increase opportunities for current and alumni mothers to come together socially. 

The Communications Committee was charged with getting the word out about all this new activity and the Nominating Committee searched out and found excellent volunteers to help lead the Mothers Club into 2013-2014.

The Mothers Club marquee event, the annual Cardinal Christmas Auction in early December, raised over $75,000.Combined with other funds raised this year, the Mothers Club presented a check to Mr. Lower in the amount of $80,000 at its May 15 meeting. This donation will be used to provide financial aid for qualified students and support the continued development of the Robert D. Walter West Campus. 

Look for Mothers Club news, updates and meetings schedule on the St. Charles website at http://www.stcharlesprep.org/parents/mothers-club/

St. Charles will hold its annual Platinum Reunion on Thursday, June 27, to honor the school’s earliest graduates as well as remember the school’s alumni and teachers who have died. The event is open to all graduates, former students and family members from the Classes of 1927-1962 from both the Prep School and St. Charles Borromeo College. Surviving spouses are especially encouraged to attend in tribute to their husbands.

*A special Mass will be held in Mother of Mercy Chapel at 10:30 a.m. (Alumni priests are encouraged to concelebrate!!) to be followed by a Complimentary lunch afterward in the Campus Theater’s Cavello Center. Tours of both the Main and Robert D. Walter West Campus will be given around 12:30 p.m.

Lunch is free – but you are still asked to reserve your spot by June 17 with St. Charles alumni director Louis J. Fabro ’83 to ensure we have plenty of food on hand for everyone. Louis can be reached by phone at 614-252-9288 ext. 21 or by e-mail at St. Charles at lfabro@cdeducation.org

*All areas are handicap-accessible. Please notify Louis at the number/address above

should you have any special parking or accessibility requests.

You are invited to be part of the 2^nd Annual B-STRONG Golf Outing on Saturday, June 22, at Bent Tree Golf Club in Grove City. This four-person scramble event begins with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m.  The $100 fee includes a B-STRONG bracelet, green and cart fees, range balls, drinks and dinner.  

Proceeds from the event benefit 1983 alumnus/ alumni dad and current parent , Brian Gilchrist (and his wife, Erin, and children Stuart ’08, Stella, Noah ’15, Lydia  (age 4) and Simon (age 3) ). He is battling stage IV colon cancer. In the event’s inaugural year, it raised $11,000 – with 100% of that going to the Gilchrist Family. This year we hope you can help us reach our new goal of $16,000! The event is being put on by his friends and family who state that “living with and battling cancer is an enormous burden and so are the financial pressures of pursuing treatment. Your support can help alleviate this stress for Brian and his family allowing them to focus on facing this fight with courage, with faith and with dignity.”

There are a number of ways you can also participate as an event sponsor: Title sponsor, $5,000; Beverage/Dinner, $1,000; Drive/Putt, $500 and Hole sponsor, $200.

To sign up your foursomes or to be a sponsor, please visit Bent Tree’s website at  http://www.shop.benttreegc.com/   to indicate your participation in the 2013 B-Strong Golf Outing. For those who wish to sign us as a single and be paired in a foursome, you are asked to please contact Ben Boyden by e-mail at sboyden@columbus.rr.com  or call 614-496-0272.

Click here to see a brochure for the event: Bstronggolfcancerfundraiser

The  Dominic Gregory Scholarship Golf Outing & Benefit Dinner  set for July1 at Pinnacle G.C.

The Gregory Family is pleased to announce that the 2nd Dominic Gregory Golf Outing & Benefit Dinner will be held at the Pinnacle Golf Course in Grove City on Monday, July 1, 2013. The day will begin with an 11:00 a.m. registration followed by a noon scramble event with a shotgun start. The Champions Grille will be serving hot dogs and chips starting at 1:00 p.m. A cash bar opens at 4:30 p.m. with a buffet dinner at 5:00 p.m. A silent auction will follow.

Dominic Gregory passed away unexpectedly on October 13, 2010 during his sophomore year at St. Charles. His family established The Dominic Gregory Scholarship Fund through St. Charles. It is meant to help students that may suffer from learning disabilities and who might otherwise not afford the opportunity to learn at St. Charles Preparatory School. Family and friends will never forget Dominic’s great heart, his willingness to help everyone, or his overall love of life. 

Cost per player for the outing is $110.00 per player which includes green fees, snacks and dinner. Also invited are those who don’t golf, but would like to join in for dinner ($45.00). Payment due by June 10, 2013. There are also several opportunities to serve as an event sponsor See attached iems for details and more information. If you have any outing questions or wish to reserve your person/foursome’s spot, please contact Sam Gregory by e-mail at gregorysk4@aol.com  or by phone at (614) 459-5407 / (614) 570-0238.

Click obn these live links to see the…

Event brochure:  SCDGregoryGolfOutingBrochure

Sponsoprship opportunities:  SCDGregoryGolfSponsorForm

If  you cannot attend but would still like to make a donation to Dominic’s fund, you are invited to mail your gift to St. Charles Preparatory School, Attn:  Mike Duffy, Development Director, and 2010 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH  43209-1665.

St. Charles Preparatory School will host several athletic camps this summer. They include:

–The St. Charles Youth Football Camp, for young men entering grades 1 – 8, will be held Monday, June 10, through Thursday, June 13, from 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. Cost is $100 per camper. Those who would like to sign up or need more information, please contact St. Charles varsity football coach Jeff Pharion ’86 at jpharion@cdeducation.org

Click here to see the camp brochure: SCfootballcamp2013

–The Cardinal Lacrosse Camp, for young men entering grades 5-8, on the evenings of June 10, 12, 17 and 19 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Cost is $100 per camper. Please contact St. Charles varsity lacrosse coach Mark Berndt ’97 by e-mail at maberndt@aep.com or phone at 740-816-9216.

Click here to see the camp brochure: SClacrossecamp2013

–The St. Charles Baseball Camp, for young men ages 7-14, will be held Monday, June 17, through Thursday, June 20, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Cost is $90 per camper. Those who would like to sign up or need more information, please contact St. Charles varsity baseball coach Ray Benjamin ’91 at benj33@aol.com

Click here to see the camp brochure: SCbaseballcamp2013

–The St. Charles Soccer Academy, for young men entering grades 4 – 9, will be held Monday, June 24, through Thursday, June 27, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. the school’s Walt Plank Field. The camp will be run by St. Charles varsity soccer coach Rick Ey ’94 and his staff and is $85 per person. Campers should bring soccer cleats, shin guards, soccer ball, plenty of water, and a snack. For more information contact Coach Ey at rey@cdeducation.org

Click here to see the camp brochure: SCsocceracademy2013

–The St. Charles Basketball  and Shooting Camps  are designed to provide each camper with an enjoyable and rewarding experience with the game of basketball. To enroll or ask questions please contact basketball coach Will Gruber ’06 by e-mail at wgruber@cdeducation.org or by  phone at 614-260-2303.  The camps will take place as follows:

Basketball Camp:

- July 8–11 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. for those in grades 5 -7. Cost is $100 per camper.

- July 15-18  from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. for those in grades 8 – 9. Cost is $100 per camper.

Shooting Camp: Players may enroll in both sessions. For those in grades 5 through 9: July 1 & 2. Cost is $50 per session.

- Session I runs 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 

- Session II runs 12:30 p.m. through 2:00 p.m.

 Click  here to see the camp brochure: SCbasketballcamp2013

–The St. Charles Volleyball Camp, consisting of a two daily sessions, will be held Monday, July 29, through Thursday, August 1. The morning session will teach fundamentals of the game to students in grades 4 – 6 and the afternoon session will cover advanced fundamentals for students in grades 7  -9. Cost is $90 per person. Registrations by mail are due by Friday, July 19.  For more information or to sign up, e-mail the St. Charles varsity volleyball coaching staff at vbstcharles@gmail.com

Click here to see the camp brochure:  SCvolleyballcamp2013

2013  ‘Combined’ Reunion Weekend: “Save-the-Date” Card to be mailed in April

The 2013 Combined Class Reunion Celebration will be held the weekend of  September 6, 7 & 8 2013 for the Classes of 1963 (Golden), 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988 (Silver), 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008. Currently efforts are underway to locate lost classmates and update e-mail and mailing addresses of classmates for upcoming/future reunion mailings.

Reunion committees met with alumni director Louis J. Fabro ’83 in January and are ready to announce tentative plans for their private class events. In April, Louis will be sending members of each class a postcard that includes this information as well as those activities being organized by the school:

Those tentative plans made by the school for the 2013 Summer Reunion Celebration include:

On Friday night, September 6, all classes are invited to the weekend’s Main Event: The All-Classes Stag “Beer-n-Brats” campus gathering from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. in the Robert C. Walter Student Commons. As part of the festivities, attendees will also be provided tickets to that night’s Cardinal home football game at 7:30 p.m. against Eastmoor H.S, just a few feet away at Walt Plank Field. Earlier in the evening class photos will be taken and principal Jim Lower will give a “State of the School” update.

On Saturday, September 7, there will be a morning bike ride along the Alum Creek Bike Trail, a campus tour from 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. and an All-Classes Mass in Mother of Mercy Chapel at 4:30 p.m. for alumni & spouses/guests.

On Sunday, September 8, the school will host the St. Charles Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Golf Outing — which had previously been held separately in late September. This year the event will be held at Riviera C.C. in Dublin. This way golf is built into the weekend so that classes don’t need to worry about scheduling it on their own. This should benefit those who have to work Friday or don’t make it in from out of town until Friday night. If a class wants to golf on Friday or Saturday morning and not participate in the alumni outing …that is perfectly fine, too!

Classes organize their own private activities around these collective events. This will allow several formal and informal opportunities to meet with your to reminisce about special teachers, deceased friends, and the athletic and academic challenges you overcame together as classmates.

Contact Louis at lfabro@cdeducation.org to join your class’ reunion committee of to answer any questions you might have.

Academic & Athletic Excellence

It’s “What We Do”

— 12 named National Merit Semifinalists —

In mid-September St. Charles was proud to announce that 12 members of its senior class have qualified as National Merit Semifinalists for the 2012-2013 school year. They earned this prestigious distinction based on their scores on the Pre-Scholastic Aptitude/National Merit Qualifying Test they took in their junior year at St. Charles. Only 16,000 of 1.5 million students who took the test qualified. The qualifiers, including those from St. Charles, are in the running for scholarships that total more than $32 million. The St. Charles semifinalists are:

Matthew Bernert is the son of David and Mary Bernert of New Albany. He attended Gahanna Middle East and is a member of St. Matthew parish. He plans to study mechanical engineering and has applied to the University of Cincinnati, Ohio Northern University and the University of Dayton (preferred). He is a member of the wrestling and Ultimate Frisbee teams and the National Honors Society. His volunteer activities include travelling to Nicaragua with the school on the service trip this past summer, is a member of Cardinals for Life, Dignity, and Justice, and he volunteers at Shepherd’s Corner.

Conner Bowman is the son of Drs. Kevin and Mary Jo Bowman of Canal Winchester. He attended Fairfield Christian Academy and is a member of Violet Baptist Church. He plans to go into pre-medicine or pharmaceutical sciences and has applied to The Ohio State University(preferred), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Macalester College, University of Minnesota, University of Chicago, Wittenberg University, Northeastern University and Otterbein University. He is a member of the school’s track & field and cross country teams and is a member of the National Honor Society. His volunteer activities include travelling to Honduras, Nicaragua and Ecuador on medical service trips with the school and has volunteered with a youth group at his church.

Brandon Burdine is the son of Ivan and Leigh Ann Burdine of Westerville. He attended St. Paul grade school and is a member of St. Paul parish. In college he plans to biomedical or chemical engineering and has applied to the University of Notre Dame (preferred), Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Dayton. He is the captain of the football team and a member of the Engineering Team. His volunteer activities include serving as a core team member at St. Paul Youth Ministry, he travelled to Guatemala this summer with the school as a member of an international service team and he participated in a service trip to Cranks Creek, KY in the summer of 2011 through St. Paul Youth Ministry.

John Galden is the son of Dane (SC Class of 1984) and Jui-Feng Galden of Columbus.  He attended St. Catharine grade school and is a member of St. Catharine parish. In college he plans to study engineering and has applied to MIT, Columbia, the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University. He is a member of the cross country, baseball and Engineering teams. He participated in the Model UN program and volunteers at the Global Gallery.

Joshua Imbriani is the son of Rod and Lauri Imbriani of Dublin. He attended St. Brigid of Kildare grade school and is a member of St. Patrick parish. In college he plans to study computer science and has applied to the Rochester Institute of Technology (preferred), Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida. He is a member of the In The Know and Engineering teams as well as the National Honor Society. His volunteer activities include helping at Meals on Wheels and the Holy Family Soup Kitchen.

Neil Joseph is the son of Abe and Elizabeth Joseph of Dublin. He attended St. Brigid of Kildare grade school and is a member of St. Brigid of Kildare parish. He plans to study political science in college and has applied to the University of Notre Dame (preferred), Wake Forest University (preferred), Vanderbilt University, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the baseball and Engineering teams, on Student Council and the managing editor of The Carolian student newspaper. His volunteer activities include travelling to Guatemala with the school this summer as a member of an international service team, served as a volunteer at “Run the Race,” the MDA Camp and at the Miracle League of Central Ohio. He also participated at Gospel Road 2011-2012.

Daniel Loesing is the son of Norbert and Tracy Loesing of Columbus. He attended St. Andrew grade school and is a member of St. Andrew parish. He plans to study history and political science in college and has applied to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (preferred), the U.S. Naval Academy (preferred) and the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the basketball team, National honor Society and Student Council, serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Carolian student newspaper and participated in the United States Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar. His volunteer activities have included travelling to Guatemala with the school this summer as a member of an international service team, working at Shepherd’s Corner Farm and Ecology Center and being an altar server at St. Andrew Church.

Michael Lutter is the son of Drs. Kenneth and Kathleen Lutter of Columbus. He attended St. Timothy grade school and is a member of St. Timothy parish. In college he plans to study either medicine or law and has applied to the University of Notre Dame (preferred), the University of North Carolina, The Ohio State University, Duke University and  Georgetown. He is the president of Student Council, secretary of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society and a member of the basketball team. He volunteers as a School of Religion teacher for St. Timothy Church.

Tyler Reed is the son of Walter and Diana Reed of Westerville. He attended St. Paul grade school and is a member of St. Paul parish. In college he plans to study biochemistry and attend medical school. He has applied to Washington University in St. Louis (preferred), the University of Princeton and the University of Cincinnati. He is an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America,  works with Habitat for Humanity’s Greater Columbus ReStore and travelled to Guatemala this summer as a member of an international service team.

Benjamin Stechschulte is the son of Drs. Mark and Beth Stechschulte of Dublin. He attended St. Brendan grade school and is a member of St. Brendan parish. IN college he plans to study engineering or computer science and has applied to the University of Notre Dame (preferred), Carnegie Mellon University (preferred), Purdue University and Cornell. He is a member of the In The Know and Engineering teams and the National Honor Society, and is involved with the ongoing Nano fiber research project with St. Charles faculty member, Dr. Sarah Vandermeer. He has volunteered at Shepherd’s corner and with the Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis Walk.

Brian Vetter is the son of Dr. John and Patricia Vetter of Dublin. He attended St. Andrew grade school and is a member of St. Brigid of Kildare parish. He plans to pursue a pre-medicine track in college and has applied to the University of Notre dame (preferred), St. Louis University, Marquette and Villanova. He is a member of the track & field and cross country teams and is performing muscle physiology research at The Ohio State University. He provided GED tutoring at the Dominican Learning Center, volunteers as a counselor at the Muscular Dystrophy Association camp, travelled to Nicaragua with the school as a member of an international service team and volunteers at the Physicians’ Free Clinic.

John Zawada is the son of John and Elaine Zawada of Columbus. He attended St. Andrew grade school and is a member of St. Andrew parish. He is interested in several different areas of study, including engineering, science, music, law, psychology and political science. He has applied to the University of Colorado (Boulder), The Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati and Columbia University. He is a member of the ski club and writes for the school newspaper, the Carolian. He played hockey and tennis and volunteers as a tutor and in the school library.

— 7 seniors named Commended Scholars —

Seven St. Charles seniors were named National Merit Commended Scholars for 2012-2013 in late September. They placed among the top 5% of the more than 1.5 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT last year. While they don’t continue in competition for National Merit scholarships, some are eligible for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses. They include:

Charles Forrest is the son of Ronald and Charlene Forrest of Groveport. He attended Holy Spirit grade school and is a member of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal parish; Brandon Hoffman is the son of Steven and Cynthia Hoffman of Dublin. He attended St. Brigid of Kildare grade school and is a member of St. Brigid of Kildare parish; Alexander Jordan is the son of Mark and Joan Jordan of Dublin. He attended St. Brigid of Kildare grade school and is a member of St. Brigid of Kildare parish; Thomas Krajnak is the son of Peter Krajnak and Ann Croft of Columbus. He attended Bexley Middle School and is a member of St. Catharine parish; Oliver Sarko is the son of Thomas and Ursula Sarko of Columbus. He attended St. Catharine grade school and is a member of St. Catharine parish; Patrick Stinson is the son of Dane and Maureen Stinson of Dublin. He attended Karrer Middle School and is a member of St. Brigid of Kildare parish; and Christopher Whaley is the son of Russell and Mary Whaley of Westerville. He attended St. Paul grade school and is a member of St. Paul parish.

— It’s a Seven-peat: 100% on OGT again —

Results from the 2011-2012 Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) were reported in May and the 174 St. Charles sophomores who took the test all passed. It is the 7^th consecutive year the school registered a 100% passing rate — which also happens to be the same number of years the test has been administered in Ohio.

The OGT is divided into five sections covering reading, math, writing, science, and social studies. All students are required to pass all five tests as a graduation requirement. Ohio students take the test as sophomores and have six additional opportunities to take and pass all five parts.

St. Charles has a goal not only to have 100% of its students earn a passing rate, but to have each score at the test’s highest levels in each category. Individual scores are ranked in a hierarchy of five levels: limited, basic, proficient, accelerated, and advanced. For St. Charles students, 96.53% of them scored at the accelerated and advanced levels in writing while 99.42%  did so in each of the other four sections.

Class of 2012

St. Charles’ Hadad Earns Joyce Scholarship to the University of Notre Dame

St. Charles Preparatory senior, Matthew Hadad ’12, son of Christopher and Carolyn Hadad of Dublin, has received the Glenna R. Joyce Scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame. He plans to major in biochemistry with a premedical intent, is a member of St. Andrew parish and attended St. Andrew grade school.

Matthew holds a 4.24 GPA at St. Charles, earned the distinction of being an AP Scholar with Distinction and is the secretary of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society. He has been a member of the nationally-recognized JETS Engineering Team since his freshman year and currently serves as the team’s co-captain. Matthew is also a member of the science team doing nanotechnology research under the school’s physics teacher, Dr. Sarah Vandermeer and served on Student Council for three years.

Hadad, who is currently a volunteer at the Ohio State Medical Center, has worked as an engineering intern at Prater Engineering the last two summers. At the end of this school year he will begin working as a research aid at Nationwide Children’s Hospital where he was selected as a “Top-Five Student” in its Mechanisms of Human Health and Disease class in the summer of 2011. Matthew has played CYO Basketball the past four years.

St. Charles’ Grodesky Selected to Attend West Point Military Academy

William Grodesky ’12, a graduating senior at St. Charles Preparatory School, has accepted an appointment to attend The U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The son of Brian and Martha Grodesky of Pickerington, he attended Lakeview Jr. High School and is a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish. He is an Honor Student with a 4.01 GPA, a member of the National Honor Society, a National Merit Commended Scholar and AP Scholar. He earned National Latin Club Magna Cum Laude distinction in his sophomore year and was the school’s 2011 representative to Buckeye Boys State where he served as the Director of The Department of Transportation.

William was a varsity letter-winner in swimming in all four years of high school, earning the distinction of being an Ohio High School  Distinguished Scholar Athlete each season. During that time he advanced to state competition twice, earning All-Ohio status. He won several Central Catholic League and District swimming titles as well. He qualified as an Ohio Junior Olympic Swimmer in his freshman year, qualifying for Junior Nationals with the New Albany Aquatics Club in 2010-20111 and 2011-2012. William also played football for three years serving as captain of freshman team and earned a varsity letter his junior year.

Grodesky is the second senior to receive an appointemnt to West Point this year. In February Stevyn Spees ’12 accepted an appointment to The United States Military Academy and will run track. He is a member of St. Timothy parish and attended St. Timothy School. Stevyn is an Honor Student with a 3.75 GPA, a member of the National Honor Society and the Treasurer of Student Council. Last spring at the 2011 Ohio High School Division 1 State Outdoor Track Meet he was a member of the school’s 4 X 800 M relay team which finished 2nd in the state and he also placed 11th in the state in the 400M. He is a 1st degree black belt and captain of both the track and football teams.

Upstart ‘Cardinalbots’ Compete at World Robotics Championships

As reported on the St. Charles Facebook Page (as this new website was being brought on “LIVE” and our old site “under repair”), ‘an ‘upstart’ student group, established just six months ago with less than a dozen members, ‘shot its way’ to notoriety by earning a spot in the FIRST World Championships that were held in St. Louis two weeks ago.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/stcharlespreparatoryschool to see photo albums dedicated to the team and its performance in the Regional and World competitions.

Known as the “CardinalBots,” the St. Charles Robotic team earned their invitation with a strong performance in the Buckeye Regional March 22-24 at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University. St. Charles took 5th overall at the competition which included more than 1,450 students from 59 teams representing four states and Canada. Out of eight other rookie teams, the Cardinals earned the “Rookie All-Star” award for its (and their robot’s) weekend performance and with it a merit-based championship bid.

At Championship, the “CardinalBots” had a fantastic finish –24th place in the ‘Curie Division’ that had 100 teams. The average length of experience for teams ranked #1 – #23 was 8.7 years. The Cardinalbots were only organized 6 months ago!!!At the event the team  record was 5-4-0 in the completion which featured robots that shot basketball into various hoops.

Visit the websites listed below to get more information on the team, their performance, and successes! You can also see photo albums of the regional and World events on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/stcharlespreparatoryschool

For more information:

-Mr. Steve Miller, Advisor, smiller@cdeducation.org (614) 252-6714

-Fast facts about FIRST: http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/first-at-a-glance

-CardinalBots web site:  www.stcharlesrobotics.com

-FIRST Robotics web site:  www.usfirst.org

Previous story on Robotics team:

The St. Charles Robotic team earned their invitation with a strong performance in the Buckeye Regional March 22-24 at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University. St. Charles took 5th overall at the  competition which included more than 1,450 students from 59 teamsrepresenting four states and Canada.

FIRST, an acronym of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway. The group’s website states that “the varsity Sport for the Mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.  It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.

Out of  eight other rookie teams, the Cardinals earned the “Rookie All-Star” award for its (and their robot’s) weekend performance and with it a merit-based championship bid. It joined the top three overall teams, the “Chairman’s” award winner and the “Engineering Innovation”award winner.  According to the FIRST manual, the “Rookie All Star” is “awarded to the rookie team exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST: to inspire students to learn more about science and technology.”

The FIRST Robotics competition, held annually since 1992,gives high school students the opportunity to play engineer by designing their very own robot that can accomplish specific tasks. This year’s theme is “theRebound Rumble” robotics game played between two Alliances of three teams each.

The whole process started in January when teams received instructions and lists of parts for the competition. Teams had six weeks to design, build and practice with their robots. Then the machines, which must weigh less than 120 pounds, were sealed in plastic until they arrived in Cleveland for the regional competition. Teams from around the Midwest as well as several from Canada competed Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Participants take home many skills from the robotics competition, including experience with electronics, engineering, physics, programming, mechanics, woodworking, multimedia, marketing, sales, public relations and the ability to work under pressure. According to one of the young men on the team, the
Cardinalbots on Saturday morning huddled around their robot (named DC40) to asses why it’s arm wouldn’t push down the bridges. The ability to push down the bridge and balance on it was a crucial one, and the morning of a tournament is never the best time for the malfunction. After the St. Charles team worked
together through the short time frame, they managed to rebuild the arm and score several points because of it.

Individual teams were randomly placed into larger teams of three to form competing “red” and “blue” teams.  Students had a few minutes before each match
to talk to their new teammates—likely from another school or state—to come up with a game plan.  Teams earned points for each basket and for successfully rolling two robots onto one of the balancing platforms. In each case, one robot from the red team and one from the blue team had to balance together to earn “co-opertition” points.

During each 2-minute and 15-second matches, each ‘Tri-Alliance’ competed by trying to score as many of the basketballs in the hoops as possible during the. Balls scored in higher hoops score Alliances more points. Alliances were also rewarded with valuable seeding bonus points if they balanced on bridges at the end of the match.

After all of the seeding matches on Friday and Saturday morning were completed, every body’s scores were calculated through wins and “co-opertition”
points.  Earning a place in the finals, the Cardinals were given the opportunity to choose the two other teams it would partner with in the final round. SC, at that time in 4th place, selected Team 379 (RoboCats, Girard High School, Girard, OH) and Team 677 (Murphy’s Outlaws, Columbus School for Girls, Columbus, OH) for the semifinals. After an unfortunate break in the Robocats’ robot, St. Charles’ third teammate, shooter,St. Charles placed 15th in that round.  The Cardinalbots have been shadowing the CSG robotics team and its moderator, Dr. Kevin Sweeney, which has served as SC’s mentor since the team was established in the fall, providing a place to work during the build season and helpful veteran advice.

To learn more about the team, the competition, the FIRST program, and to see photos, we invite you to use the following links:

CardinalBots web site: www.stcharlesrobotics.com

Video of awards ceremony: www.go.osu.edu/SCRoboticsAward

FIRST Robotics web site: www.usfirst.org

From Mr. John Engle, a St. Charles parent, has posted a handful of photos he took at Cleveland. You can find those photos here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/johnwengle/CardinalbotsSampler?authuser=0&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/johnwengle/StCharlesCardinalBotsToolbox?authuser=0&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/johnwengle/StCharlesCardinalbotsFinalBuild?authuser=0&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/johnwengle/StCharlesCardinalbotsPrototypeRobot?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Good luck ‘Cardinalbots’ in St. Louis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

You are invited to visit his personal website at https://sites.google.com/site/stevynspees  which he created to highlight his many other athletic and academic accomplishments as well as numerous volunteer service commitments and leadership/volunteer activities.

February 1, 2012: Josh Padgett signed to play football at Fordham. Personal stats:  – DE – 6’2″ – 230lbs; Senior; 57 tackles, 4 TFLs, 5 sacks, 16 QB pressures, 2 fumble recoveries. Our best defensive lineman. He is a member of St. Timothy parish and attended St. Timothy School.

November 9, 2012:  Nathan Yankovich and Matt Moosavian signed with the University of Iowa and Georgetown University, respectively. Both were members of the St. Charles golf team which earned back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010 and a 4th place finish in this year’s District Tournament, missing out by just two strokes on returning to the state tournament and playing for its third-straight title.

Yankovich qualified for the Division I state tournament this year as an individual, and finished 12th overall. He was 1st team All-State his sophomore year along with 1st team All-District and 1st team All-CCL.  His junior year he was all-CCL, 2nd team All-state and 2nd team All-District. As a senior he earned 1st team All-District and 1st team All- CCL honors. he is a member of  St. Matthew parish and attended St. Matthew School.

Moosavian was 1st team All- CCL this year and excelled this past summer playing in a number of American Junior Golf Association events. He is a member of St. John Neumann parish and attended Olentangy Orange  Middle School.

Seven Seniors named National Merit Semi-Finalists;

Twelve more named Commended Scholars

Seven St. Charles seniors qualified as National Merit Semifinalists for the 2011-2012 school year. They earned this prestigious distinction based on their scores on the Pre- Scholastic Aptitude/National Merit Qualifying Test they took in their junior year at St. Charles. Only 16,000 of 1.5 million students from 22,000 high schools who took the test qualified as semifinalists. The seven semifinalists are:

Chris D’Angelo, a member of St. Brendan Parish and attended St. Joseph Montessori School; Nicholas DeJaco, a member of St. Brigid of Kildaire Parish and attended St. Brigid School; Adam Henderson,  a member of St. Paul Parish and attended St. Joseph Montessori School; Rob LaTour, a member of St. Brigid of Kildaire Parish and attended Karrer Middle School; Anderson Speed, a member of St. Peter Parish and attended St. Joseph Montessori School; Michael Susa, a member of St. Agatha Parish and attended St. Brendan School; Peter Vilardi, a member of St. Michael Parish and attended St. Michael School.

Twelve other St. Charles seniors were named

National Merit Commended Scholars for 2011-2012

They placed among the top 5% of the 1.5 million students who took the PSAT/NMSQT last year. While they don’t continue in competition for Merit scholarships, some are eligible for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses. They include:

Benjamin Bowen, a member of St. Catharine parish and attended Columbus Academy for grade school; Daniel Cogan, a member of Immaculate Conception parish and attended Immaculate Conception School; William Grodensky,a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish and attended Lakeview Jr. High School; Erich Groezinger, a member of Church of the Resurrection parish and attended St. Matthew School; Eric Janczak,  a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish and attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help School; Brendan Lau, a member of St. Michael parish and attended St. Michael School; Christopher Mescher, a member of St. Brigid of Kildare parish and attended St. Brigid of Kildare School; Matthew Mignery, a member of   St. Matthew parish and attended St. Matthew School; Kevin O’Neill, a member of Church of the Resurrection parish and attended St. Matthew School; Alex and Patrick Travis, are members of St. Paul parish and attended St. Paul School; Michael VanVolkenburg, a member of Immaculate Conception parish and attended St. Michael School.

Seniors named Achievement Scholar

 and Outstanding Participant

National Merit Semifinalist, Adam Henderson, was also selected as a 2011-2012 National Achievement Scholar and Abel Negatu was named an Outstanding Particpant. The National Achievement® Scholarship Program is an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students and earn recognition based on the results of the PSANMSQ Test taken last year.

Water Polo Team wins 2nd Consecutive State Title

The St. Charles Water Polo Team repeated as state champions with a 16-6 win over Toledo St. Francis on Saturday, October 15 in Mason.  This was a rematch of the 2010 championship game, which St. Charles won by a 6-4 score. Seven different players scored for the Cardinals, with Josh Cohen, Daniel Cogan, Natty Patterson, and Chris D’Angelo scoring three goals each. Goalie Carl Calcara had 9 saves and 3 steals. The Cardinals defeated Upper Arlington 14-13 in overtime in the semifinals and concluded its season with a 28-6 season record. Congratulations!

Visit   http://www.stcharlesprep.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/calendar.pdf to see the complete calendar of events for the entire 2012-2013 school year.

Remaining dates of interest in for the 2012-2013 school year:

Thursday, April 25 – Annual Red Cross Blood Drive; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Any parent can donate along with students 16 years of age and older. Being held in the school’s Multi-Purpose Room.

Monday, May 13 – St. Charles Spring Band and Chorus  Concert; 7:30 p.m.; Campus Theatre; Free Admission.

Tuesday, May 14 – annual Academic Award Ceremony; 8:45 a.m. in the Robert C. Walter Student Commons. Parents are welcome to attend.

Saturday, May 18 – St. Charles Prom; Robert C. Walter Student Commons.

Sunday, May 19 – Spring Sports Award Banquet; 3:00 p.m.; Robert C. Walter Student Commons.

Friday, May 24 -  The Cardinal Scholarship Walk and Circus Day

Monday, May 27 – Memorial Day; Classes not in session.

May 29, 30 and 31 – Senior Exams

Thursday, May 30 – End of 4th Quarter 

Monday, June 3 – Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation; 6:30 p.m.; Robert C. Walter Student Commons. Tickets required, limited seating.

June 4, 5 and 6 - Second Semester Exams for freshmen, sophomores and juniors; Robert C. Walter Student Commons.

Monday, June 10 – First day of Summer School (through July 5)