An Olympiaganza at UA!

Over the weekend, the Ursuline Academy Drama Club performed a hilarious version of The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza.

The 65-person cast made the audience laugh out loud throughout both performances, taking them on a tour though the Greek myths, with a few modern additions.  The Greek god Orpheus sang Justin Beiber's song "Baby" and on Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece, some of the sirens he met danced to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce.

After the matinee performance on Saturday, the community gathered for the annual Spaghetti Supper.  The Tea Room was transformed into an Italian restaurant, complete with an accordion player, as families enjoyed delicious spaghetti and meatballs prepared by a dedicated group of Ursuline fathers.  Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this event a success!

If you didn't make it to the play this weekend, or just want to watch again to laugh at your favorite jokes, check out the entire performance below!

Robots in Plaid

You’ve seen it on students walking the halls of UA, and even on a bear or two.  But the latest fashion plate to model the Ursuline green plaid is none other than a robot.

Ursuline’s Robotics Club, nicknamed the Robots in Plaid, is working to incorporate some of that well-loved green plaid into the design of their robot.

“We designed and built the robot from scratch,” said Haley, a sophomore and one of the founding members of the club.  “Then we program software so the robot can complete tasks, like knocking crates over or tossing balls, for our competitions.”

The girls work on their robot
at the Round 1 Qualifier on Jan. 14.

The UA Robotics Club competes against teams from area schools as part of the FIRST Tech Challenge.  Their Round 1 Regional Qualifier took place on January 14 and the Robots in Plaid finished in a seven-way tie for 5^th place out of the 20 teams competing.

Their achievement is all the more impressive because the club is only in its second year.  They started small last year but have grown to an enthusiastic 18-member group.  The girls are preparing for the Round 2 Regional Qualifier on February 4, with their eyes on a spot in the State Tournament.

By then they hope to have their robot proudly sporting the UA green plaid, said Alex, a sophomore and another founding member of the group.  She enjoys how robotics gives her practical experience for the future.

“This is what I want to do in college, and as a profession,” she said.  “And nothing gives you experience like robotics does.”

“I hope that by being in Robotics Club the girls can find applied uses for the concepts they are learning in school,” said Dr. Michael Ricard P ’15, one of the moderators of the club and an engineer at Draper Lab in Cambridge.

Two of Dr. Ricard’s colleagues at Draper Lab, Eric Nelson and Emily Vincent, also assist with UA robotics.  The girls in the club attribute much of this year’s growth and success to the influence of these three Draper volunteers.

Preparing the robot for competition!

“We were very excited that we got to work with the Draper team,” said Catherine ’12, another founding member.  “Our robot is much more sophisticated this year, and I attribute that to the Draper team’s help in taking our concepts and making them happen by guiding us with the right questions.”

And while the Ursuline girls are very grateful for their new mentors, Dr. Ricard sees benefits for both groups.

“Eric and Emily provide a different type of role model to the girls than a parent, and I also think it’s important for them to have female engineers like Emily as role models,” he said.  “And I can’t tell you how many times Eric and Emily have told me, ‘Thank you for getting me involved in this!’”

And whether the Robots in Plaid make the state tournament or not, it will still have been a great season.

“As a senior, I’m really proud of what robotics has done,” Catherine ’12 said.  “We were just a fledgling team last year and we’ve grown and improved so much this year.”

Looking Ahead to Second Semester

 Dear Ursuline Community,

Mid-term exams are over, the first semester has drawn to a close and the year 2012 is in full swing here at Ursuline Academy.

We are looking forward to our gatherings as a community in the coming months: performances of The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza during the last weekend in January, the Spaghetti Supper on January 28 and the Father/Daughter Dance on February 3.  We will also celebrate the Feast of St. Angela Merici, the founder of the Ursuline Order, in a liturgy on January 27.  Please join us as we come together to celebrate the Ursuline community at these events!

The Mass honoring St. Angela on the 27^th will lead into Catholic Schools Week, which takes place from January 29-February 3, 2012.  As we celebrate our Catholic identity, I thank you all for partnering with Ursuline Academy in the education of your daughters.

Throughout this season of winter, we will cheer on our Ursuline athletes and Robotics Club as they compete in their events, as well as support the endeavors of our other clubs and extracurricular activities.

We are also grateful for the many blessings we have here at Ursuline Academy.  Members of the Class of 2012 have been the recipients of much good news in the new year, with the class gaining admission to a total of 70 colleges and universities thus far.  And we continue to be blessed with a wonderful faculty, staff and parent volunteer community.  Thank you for all that you do for Ursuline Academy.

May God’s peace be with you always!

Sincerely,

Rosann M. Whiting

President

Class of 2011 Comes Home to Ursuline Academy

They walked the halls, talked to their teachers and classmates and snacked in the Tea Room, just like old times.  Last Friday, the Class of 2011 came home to Ursuline Academy for their Yearbook Signing.

“It feels like we never left,” said Shannon ’11, who attends Loyola University Chicago.  “I even looked for my old parking space when I pulled into the parking lot.”

It is a tradition at Ursuline Academy for the graduating class to return to their alma mater in January for their Yearbook Signing.  This year’s class was eagerly anticipating being together again and seeing their yearbooks for the first time.

“It’s good to see everyone and talk about the last five months of our lives,” said Dana ’11.  “We all missed each other.  You always want to go back to the people you’re close to.”

And not only do the girls miss each other, but they also miss their green plaid skirts!  The general consensus among the Class of 2011 was that they missed their UA uniforms.

Anna ’11, a student at Harvard and member of the Crimson crew team, said, “I miss the uniform, rolling out of bed and putting the skirt on.”

Tara ’11 attends McGill University in Montreal and enjoys the international setting for learning.

“I love being in a big city, and it’s very European,” she said.  “But I do miss the all-girls classes.  Boys tend to take over, so you have to assert yourself like an Ursuline girl.”

Tara also praised the small classes and teacher interaction at her alma mater.  “Don’t take it for granted while you are here,” she advised her fellow Ursuline girls, after taking a physics class with 700 students this past semester.

The Ursuline community welcomed the Class of 2011 back with open arms and was thrilled to hear about their college adventures across the country and the world!  Come back any time ladies; it was wonderful to see you!  You will always have a home here at Ursuline.

To see more highlights from the event, check out the Photos and Videos of the Week page!