The Madness of March (in January)

Hello! Here it is, the end of the third quarter of Luke's 8th grade year, and I haven't written in awhile. The passage and substance of time really do seem to change as life goes by.

I am grateful to Cathy Happ, for snapping the above photo. It is the last shot (and point) of Luke's basketball career at St. Mark's on January 30. Also the last shot of the 8th grade season, as the valiant Marksmen were defeated in this game by Limestone Walters, the eventual state champs in the IESA 8-1A division.

Luke was banged up in the prior game, on a hard landing, and so only got into this game during the last few seconds. Hard to believe it was his fifth year of wearing the blue and gold.

St. Mark's has a great basketball tradition. When I was cheering the Marksmen more than 40 years ago and John was playing 50 years ago (can it really be 4-5 decades since we suited up?), the Diocesan tournament was our Superbowl. Now, the Peoria Diocese schools participate in the IESA and usually play similar-sized schools, both public and parochial. St. Mark's, though, fields competitive teams, and we play in the larger school tournaments throughout the year as well.

John Stephens coached Luke and his teammates for the past five years. We are so grateful to him for all the time, effort, and teaching he has invested in the boys.

Here is the email Coach Stephens sent to the parents the last week of the season. Thank you, Coach Stephens!

We are having practice on Friday from 5 to about 630. I am getting the boys pizza at the end of practice. I told the boys but please remind them.

We play Saturday at 11:30 at Limestone Walters(Regionals). Our opponent is Holy Family.

I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to coach  your boys over the last 4 to 5 years. It has been a pleasure.

Over the years I can not tell you how many coaches and parents from opposing teams would come up to me and compliment on how hard they played and how much fun they were to watch as well as there sportsmanship.  

They were very successful in the Catholic tournaments.

5th grade they took 1st place consolation

6th grade they took 1st place for for small schools and 2nd place in the large school tourneys. 

7th grade they took 1st place in small school tourney.

8th grade they took 1st place consolation in big school tourney.

Not bad for a bunch of kids who were always undersized by height but never by heart, determination or effort.

More Athletic Connections at St. Mark's

See these two good looking Marksmen? They have quite the basketball pedigrees. And, wouldn't you know, their histories cross paths. Luke Carroll, the boy on the left, has a grandpa named Ed King. Judd Mathews had a grandpa named Don Mathews. Both of these boys' grandpas played basketball at Bradley University. On the same team. Here they are below.

Ed King is in the back row, number 41. Don Mathews is in the second row to the right of Ed in the photo. They both came to Bradley on scholarships from high schools that had gone to State in their senior year (Ed from Mt. Vernon and Don from Spalding.) In 1954, Ed and Don's senior year at Bradley, the Braves finished second in the NCAA tournament.

As if that isn't enough coincidence, Luke and Judd's fathers also both played at Bradley, though not at the same time. Above, number 21 is John Carroll in 1969. Below Eddie Mathews is in the back row, two players to the right of Coach Versace.

This is Luke's last year as a Marksmen. Judd is in 7th grade, so he will have another year. But he is a good player and plays up. So Luke and Judd are teammates, just like their grandpas.

As any parent will tell you, as far as raising children goes, though some of the days move slowly, the years whip by. It's hard for me to believe that Luke is in 8th grade. This basketball season has particularly gone fast. It's been a good one. I should know their record, but I don't. However, it contains far more victories than defeats, including most recently an exciting overtime win against St. Thomas for the consolation championship in the big schools Catholic tournament. (Ed: Found out from Coach Stephens that their record is 16-6.) Next up is regionals, and from here on they will keep playing as long as they win. No matter how long that is, it's been a great run of five years for Luke playing basketball at St. Mark's. And you know what they say. 

 Once a Marksman, Always a Marksman!

Ms. Ashleigh Koch: Music Teacher & Choir Director

The teachers at St. Mark's give so much of themselves to their students and the school. Ms. Ashleigh Koch, our music teacher and choir director, is a perfect example. 

Besides doing a fantastic job getting the students excited about music and singing, Ms. Koch is the choir director and music director of the spring musical. Below, she teaches the students the songs for last year's Seussical Jr.

This year's choir has 30 members, including five 8th grade boys, which is amazing and gratifying to 8th grade parents and others. This level of participation is a tribute to Ms. Koch's ability to inspire the students about music and singing. 

The past month has been a busy time for the choir. They sang in an Advent program for the Heading Avenue Sisters.

Then they performed at the Mayors' Christmas Party held at Sky Harbor. The mayors demand that the choir return each year!

They also performed at the Peoria Area Civic Chorale's "A Family Christmas" at Five Points in Washington, along with students from 13 other schools. 

Ms. Koch also directed the amazing Christmas Program at the School. Below, she tunes a ukulele before the sixth graders start their number.

Did I mention that she directs a different class each week in leading the singing for the all school Mass?

And sings like an angel, herself!

Ms. Koch dedicates a lot of time outside of the school day for rehearsal and community performances. Thanks to her effort and instruction, our students represent St. Mark's in an excellent manner. Equally important, the students are learning the joy and value of music in the world, in their lives, and as part of their faith. She who sings prays twice! Thank you Ms. Koch, for teaching our children to pray so well!

Basketball Tradition at St. Mark's!

St. Mary's of Bloomington has a nice tradition of praying together with the opposing team, at home and on the road, after games.

The last part of the St. Mark's School motto is: Traditions Thrive. Talented, hard-playing basketball teams have taken the floor on Underhill for decades. For the fifth year, Luke is suiting up in the Marksman blue and gold.

The start of Luke's 8th grade basketball season was delayed a couple of weeks, due to some back pain and a respiratory infection. But he is back in the saddle now. Above he waits with his teammates before the start of the game against St. Mary's of Bloomington.

The boys have been fortunate to have Coach John Stephens mentor them through the years. 

They are a quick, hard working team and always give a great defensive effort.

The Marksmen won this evening.

I didn't get too many action shots. But I promise this won't be my only basketball post. :)

Our children are setting a great example for us!

Classroom Scheirer: PreK 3 & 4

Mrs. Antoinette Scheirer is our wonderful PreK 3 & 4 teacher and our English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. She has worked at St. Mark's for eight years. Luke did not have her for preschool. However, he has attended and helped at Camp S'mores, a fun and academics camp that Mrs. Scheirer and Mrs. Willi run each summer. Camp S'mores helps children continue to learn over the summer months.

Mrs. Scheirer has a great enthusiasm for teaching three and four year olds. As the first professional teacher many of her students have, she says, "I want to get the children excited about learning!" 

She does this in a number of ways. Funds of Knowledge, a program she introduced to St. Mark's, solicits parents and others interested in St. Mark's to come into the classroom and share with the students their area of expertise, whether it be career, hobby, or other interest. Above SMS dad and alum Tom Dwyer talks to the students about his job.

As part of the ESL experience, Mrs. Scheirer invites people into the school who can teach the students about the richness of other cultures. She helps Hispanic, Asian, and African students improve their English language skills.

Professional development is important for teachers. Mrs. Scheirer is doing graduate work at the University of Notre Dame. She is also a big help to parents and serves on a committee of the Education Commission.

We are very blessed to have Mrs. Scheirer as our Pre-K and ESL teacher at St. Mark's!

It All Starts With the Teachers

One of the things-the most important thing-that has made Luke's experience over the past almost nine years at St. Mark's so outstanding has been the teachers and staff. Most of the people in the photo above he has had as a teacher. Or if they haven't been his teacher, they know him by name. Because we are a family at St. Mark's. We know and care about each other across classes.

Throughout the months of this blog, I will introduce you to the wonderful teachers and other staff members at St. Mark's and some of what they have done to make St. Mark's such a great place for children to learn and grow in their faith.

Making the Streets Safe at Bradley and Underhill

I remember when I was a student at St. Mark's, how big all of the 8th graders seemed. Especially when they were in their role as crossing guards. As an 8th grader, Luke and his classmates have rotating one week shifts serving as guards through out the year. It's an important job as Bradley Avenue is a busy street, especially when school is getting out.

Here Luke and Ethan must be plotting crossing strategy, while Zach listens and learns.

Happy about another afternoon of helping students safely cross the street. . .

. . . from the best school in the world!