School News
St. Mary’s Celebrates 120th Commencement Ceremonies
On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Class of 2024 became the 120th class to graduate from St. Mary’s High School. These seniors are a group of remarkable young people who will undoubtedly go on to change the world.
Speeches by class president Teddie Osinski ’24 and valedictorian Madison Monaco ’24 reflected on the past four years and also looked forward to the future with words of wisdom.
Gwen McCarthy ’24 became the latest Lancer to win the Marian Award – the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a St. Mary’s graduate. Gwen was chosen as a nominee by her classmates, and then, ultimately chosen by the faculty and staff because she embodies the best of St. Mary’s and serves as an example for all of the students in the building to follow in terms of her character, work ethic, and overall demeanor.
After winning Teacher of the Year, Mr. Pete Herr served as the commencement speaker and left the graduates to ponder that they now have the ability to make choices – big ones and small ones – that will shape their futures in every way possible.
Dean of Academics Mr. Keith Junik concluded the ceremony by also speaking to the theme of choices, and how above all else, despite every ounce of adversity and challenge that comes our graduates’ ways, they should choose happy. Choosing to be happy can truly change your outlook on life and how you relate to other people.
As always, hosting graduation on campus makes Graduation Day one of the best days of the whole year.
Once a Lancer, always a Lancer.
Baccalaureate Mass Serves as Time of Reflection
The Baccalaureate Mass allows our seniors the chance to be together, as an entire class, one final time before graduation.
Led by Fr. Bob Owczarczak ’02, the theme of the Mass was “Lead Me, Lord.” Fr. Bob reminded our soon-to-be graduates that there will be many bumps in the road ahead, but God, their family, and friends will lead them through those tough times to calmer waters.
The seniors also received a gift – a St. Christopher medal. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, and we hope that our seniors will carry this medal with them along their many journeys.
We then celebrated many of our seniors with an awards ceremony. From scholastic and service awards to everything in between, the Class of 2024 is truly an impressive group of young individuals.
Congratulations to all!
Lancers Dance the Night Away at the Prom
On Friday, May 17, 2024, our juniors and seniors enjoyed a magical evening at Hotel Lafayette in Downtown Buffalo. Dinner was quickly followed by quite the party, as our students danced the night away.
Thank you to all of the class moderators and the staff for the most memorable of nights!
Lancers Participate in Walk MS
Earlier this month, members of the V.I.E.W. Club (Value, Innovative, Enrichment, Welcoming) participated in Walk MS. Walk MS unites the MS community in the largest gathering of its kind to raise funds and make a difference for everyone living with MS.
Community service is of the upmost importance at St. Mary‘s. Over their four years at St. Mary‘s, each graduating class serves over 10,000 hours in their communities and even abroad, in countries like Guatemala and Mexico.
Made with Love Club Gives Back to Children’s Hospital
The Made with Love Club has been hard at work making cards, friendship bracelets, and other crafts for those receiving care at Oishei’s Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. This new club meets a few times of month to do acts of service and kindness for those in need of a little love.
Athletics
Women’s Lacrosse Wins First-Ever Monsignor Martin Championship
On May 14, 2024, the St. Mary‘s Women’s Lacrosse Team took home the Monsignor Martin League Championship with a 13-12 win over Nichols in one of the best games you’ll ever see!
It’s amazing how far this program has come. The team then went onto compete in the State Championships downstate, unfortunately losing in the semifinals. Congratulations to all of the players and coaches on a remarkable season!
Reece LaCotte ’25 Notches 100th Goal
A special shoutout goes out to Reece LaCotte ’25 who tallied her 100th goal this season for the lacrosse team. That number will only continue to grow next season when Reece is a senior. As a member of the National Honor Society and many other organizations around the school, we are so proud to have Reece as a Lancer.
Congratulations, Reece!
Softball Wins League Championship
The championship train keeps on chugging along!
On May 21, 2024, the St. Mary‘s Softball Team defeated Nardin in the deciding game of a three-game series to take home the Monsignor Martin Championship. These young ladies then headed downstate to compete in the State Championships. After an impressive win in the semifinals, the team came up short to powerhouse St. Anthony’s to come in second place in the entire state. Congratulations, Lancers!
Stay tuned for future editions of the “St. Mary’s Monthly” to see just how impressive of a run our women’s sports teams have had this season. Spoiler alert – all of our women’s team sports have gone on to win championships this year – that’s 10 league and state titles in all!
Ruby Nowak ’25 Is Discus Champion
This past weekend, several members of our St. Mary‘s Track Team competed in the CHSAA Championships downstate.
Ruby Nowak ’25 is the NYS Catholic Discuss Champion with a throw of 110-8 and also took fifth in the shot put.
Maddy Powers ’27 took second in the pole vault, clearing 8-0, as well as 15th in the 400m.
Both Ruby and Maddy will now move onto the NYS Federation Meet in two weeks. Congratulations, ladies!
We also want to give a special shout out to Casey Black ’24 who finished his stellar St. Mary‘s running career with great times in both the 800m and 1600m.
Baseball Falls in Semis
The St. Mary’s Baseball Team had a great year and rode fantastic pitching and timely hitting to the semifinals of the Monsignor Martin where they ultimately lost to St. Joe’s. The Lancers have a relatively young team, so they’ll look to make an even deeper run in the playoffs next season.
Summer Camp Registration Now Open
Looking for something for the kids and grandkids to do this summer? Sign them up for a St. Mary’s Summer Sports Camp! Learn from the best coaches and players in WNY and have a whole lot of fun at the same time.
The Arts
Varsity Chorus Competes in Festivals of Music
Over spring break, some members of our Varsity Chorus participated in the Festivals of Music.
The Festivals of Music was founded in 1982 as an educationally-focused music festival that provides school performing ensembles the opportunity to learn from exceptional conductors in the field of music education today. The events take place over multiple weekends in the spring in cities across the U.S. and Canada. The event is then culminated by a celebratory awards ceremony where all participants are honored for their commitment to quality in music education.
The Festival’s adjudicators grade choral ensembles with a rubric based on Tone Quality, Intonation, Diction & Pronunciation, Note Accuracy & Rhythmic Precision, and Musicality. The ranking system is Poor – Fair – Good – Excellent – Superior. This year’s Varsity Chorus received a rating of Excellent. Wonderful job, everyone!
The group also found time to do some sightseeing. They visited Symphony Hall for a concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and hung out in downtown Boston, exploring the Quincy Market, North End, Assembly Row, and more.
Well done to the following students who participated: Ethan Bookmiller ’25, Lieschen Burkhardt ’25, Brodie Carlson ’26, Caitlin Cone ’25, Nick Cox ’24, Gabby DeMarco ’26, Andrew Forys ’26, Shoya Hill ’25, Charlie Kasinski ’26, Jase May ’25, and Thomas Schroeder ’25.
Beauty and the Beast Receives Four Award Nominations
The Shea’s High School Musical Theatre Awards (formerly known as the Kenny Awards), celebrate the best of the best in Western New York high school theatre. St. Mary’s spring musical, Beauty and the Beast, participated in this year’s awards. Several judicators came to judge each performance of the show based on certain criteria to be eligible for different award categories.
St. Mary’s received four nominations, including:
Outstanding Hair & Make-Up Design & Execution
The Showstopper Award for “Be Our Guest”
STAGE Semifinalists: Nick Cox ’24 and Liam Dunne ‘25
The STAGE semifinalists represent the best male and female performers in lead roles. Only 10 male and 10 female actors were chosen across all of the shows in Western New York. The male and female winners of this award will then go onto New York City for a week of intensive workshops to compete in the Jimmy Awards, bringing together the best high school performers in the country.
Congratulations to all!
A Fall Musical!
After the smashing success of this year’s spring musical, Beauty and the Beast, St. Mary‘s will be performing two musicals each school year! This year’s fall musical will be… The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! Stay tuned throughout the summer for more information.
Alumni Information
Alumni Professionals Network
We are starting an Alumni Professionals Network and want YOU to be a part of it. We’re looking for people from all different kinds of industries and backgrounds to join us, network, and learn from each other.
The plan is to meet once a month for meetings, happy hours, and/or personal development opportunities. The kick-off meeting will be on Wednesday, June 12th at 6pm right at St. Mary‘s. Food and drinks will be provided.
If you plan on attending, please RSVP to Beck O’Connor at [email protected]. Hope to see you there as we continue to build up resources for our strong alumni base. Lancers helping Lancers!
Join Us on June 29th!
We can’t wait to welcome back all of our alumni and their families for this year’s LANCERFEST! Not only is there a big party on Saturday, June 29th, but there are also several other events happening right at the school that we’re so excited to invite all of our alumni to:
The Scholars’ Brunch – 11 am (free to attend)
- Calling all Valedictorians, Salutatorians, Class & Senate Officers, Marian Award Winners, and current named-scholarship winners & donors! We want to celebrate you at our annual Scholars Brunch. You can mix and mingle with other St. Mary‘s alumni and hear from our Head of School Kevin Kelleher ’89 about all of the exciting things happening at St. Mary‘s that have helped us to become one of the only private schools in the area.
Athletics Hall of Fame Induction – 4 pm (free to attend)
- Join us as we induct the running game from the 1983 undefeated St. Mary’s Football Team as well as the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008 Women’s Volleyball Teams into the St. Mary’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Performing Arts Hall of Fame Induction – 6pm (free to attend)
- Join us as we induct Brian Bernys ’99, Pete Herr, and Heather Ruhland ’01 into the St. Mary’s Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
LANCERFEST – 5-10 pm ($20 admission fee includes food and drinks)
- Come back home “where everybody knows your name!” Join us on Saturday, June 29th, for a tribute to YOU, our Lancer alumni, and all of the things that make St. Mary‘s High School such a special place. There will be food, drinks, activities for the kids, and live music featuring some of the best alumni performers we’ve got. See below for the details!
Sign up for any or all of these events here.
Reach out to Director of Special Events, Lindsey Fattey ’02 at [email protected] with any questions or for more information.
St. Mary’s Golf Tournament Set for July 1st
Join us on Monday, July 1st, for the annual St. Mary’s Golf Tournament at Lancaster Country Club. Individual spots and foursomes are still available along with sponsorship opportunities. Please reach out to Kevin Kelleher at [email protected] for more information.