Message from the Head of School

May is the month of celebrating the important women in our lives. It is a time to remember the women who have given us life, nurtured us, and shown us how to love and be loved.

Each year we gather on the first Sunday of May at Mayfield Senior School to honor and express gratitude for womanhood. Mothers and daughters, or women who have a special mothering bond come to Mass and share a small repast after liturgy. For the last several years a mother and daughter have offered a reflection about how their relationship has grown during the Mayfield years. In celebration of Mother’s Day, our students and those who have cared for them have an opportunity to ponder the blessing of their relationship and express gratitude.

In addition to our mothers, we find as we travel through life that there are many women who nurture us as friends, mentors, and extended family members. They offer their wisdom and wise counsel in joyful times and in challenging ones. Often these women seem to appear when we need them most. And, in turn, there are times when we ourselves become these women ready to lend a hand, share in a triumph, or provide a comforting shoulder.

And then there is our universal Mother who we honor in the month of May. Many of us remember the May crownings of our youth or the bouquet we offered to Mary on our wedding day. Or we remember our prayers to her before giving birth as we labored to bring a new life into the world. Mary is often with us as we sit beside the deathbed of a loved one opening the way to Christ. We are inspired by her as a loving mother who worried when her Child was lost on the way home, grieved at His suffering, and rejoiced in His divine promise.

As you gather with loved ones to celebrate the life-givers, nurturers, and mentors in this month of May, know that the Mayfield Senior School community rejoices with you. And, we rejoice with our Class of ’08 who are about to embark on a new life adventure. May the friendships they have made here and the experiences they have had support and guide them into a bright and happy future.

Yours in Christ,

Rita Curasi McBride
Head of School

The Animal Kingdom Comes Alive on Campus for Spring Art Exhibit

This year's Spring Art Exhibit was literally larger than life, with 34 giant paintings of animals—some almost 8 feet tall—displayed throughout Strub Hall, on the Pergola Lawn, and around campus for the exhibit's launch on Thursday, May 1.

Students collectively decided on two standard canvas sizes (7 1/2 ft x 3 1/2 ft and 4ft x 5ft) and each constructed her own plywood canvas and selected an image for inspiration.

The installation represented the gamut of the animal kingdom, from domesticated to wild, from familiar to exotic, and from beloved pets to ferocious carnivores.

According to Chair of the Fine Arts Department, Nancy Wall, students found inspiration in the sheer “awesomeness”—as they expressed it—of animals.

"[The students'] choices came from the heart, and concern for the animals of the Earth," said Wall.

The major objectives of the project were for students to explore the concepts of size and scale, and to express their artistic vision in pieces designed for a site-specific installation.

"We were dealing with the concept of juxtaposition of imagery in an unexpected location," Wall explains.

While some of the animals displayed were close to their actual size — and perhaps too lifelike for comfort, in some cases! — many students decided to push the boundaries of reality and scaled their subjects with mathematical precision into 7-foot-tall versions of their own pets.

All the acrylic-rendered animals are anatomically proportional to their real life counterparts, after students spent time in special math sessions to deal with proportion and scale issues.

Artwork Pictured:

Top (L to R on Pergola Lawn): Cat by Becca Franks (11); Golden Retriever by Elizabeth Ellis (11); Dachshund by Lauren Lee (10)

Middle (L to R): Leopard by Courtney Henderson (10); Hyena by Jeania Ree Moore (12);
Yak by Sofie Radin (11)

Bottom: Wolf by Monica Palos (10)

Creative Writing Conservatory's Annual Reading

And Publication Explore The Essence of Ephemera

Students in the Creative Writing Conservatory (CWC), who routinely give up their Saturday mornings for the love of language and written expression, were able to share their work with an appreciative audience of fellow students, faculty, parents and Mayfield friends on Thursday, May 1.

This was the first year that the event was held in Pike Auditorium, so students recreated their former haunt — the Strub Hall Living Room — on stage, using rugs and lounge chairs to evoke the Living Room's ambience.

This year's CWC publication, ephemera, explores the definition and the concept of the word: things that are intentionally impermanent. Creative writing instructor Nicole Haims said that the students were drawn to exploring transitory themes, and inspired to write about them, by the constant stream of impermanent images that appear wherever they look.

"They even thought of the act of performing in a reading as an example of ephemera," she explains.

In the book's introduction, Haims praised the promise and progress of the 17 student authors, and also acknowledged that students were amused by the irony of publishing work that celebrates impermanence.

She also applauded their dedication to writing whenever and wherever they can: "The students of the Creative Writing Conservatory write in stolen moments on computers, notebooks, torn paper, napkins, even their shoes. They write on trains. They write late at night when their parents think they are asleep. And then there are the text messages and emails.

"It is easy to imagine that even though today's Creative Writing Conservatory students have less time for writing, they still manage to write more often than the students of a generation ago."

Pictured: (above) Creative writing instructor Nicole Haims introduces her students; (below) Students listen to their fellow CWC members

Annual Mass Honors The Relationship Between Mothers and Their Daughters

A longstanding Mayfield tradition, which celebrates the special connection between mothers and their daughters, continued this year with the Mother Daughter Mass on Sunday, May 4.

Each year, at the end of the Mass, a mother and daughter reflect on their unique relationship. This year, the speakers were Maisie Hooper (11) and her mother, Jean Hooper.

Both spoke lovingly about their relationship, and Maisie explained that the bond she and her two sisters share with their mother comes from the common connection of being women in a Holy Child community.

"With this connection," explained Maisie, "comes an understanding that we are all here to serve, and we continue to live by the Holy Child motto of 'Actions not Words'."

Tee Up To Support The Booster Club At The 2nd Annual Mayfield Mini-Golf Open

Tuesday, May 20, 3:00pm—6:00pm

Play 18 challenging mini-golf holes on the Mayfield campus! The $5.00 entry fee includes golf, food and drink. (Sophomores–bring your Little Sister, and she can golf with you for FREE!) Trophies will be awarded for: Most Holes-in-One, Lowest Student Score, Lowest Parent Score and Highest Overall Score. Click here to view the event flyer, or for more information, contact Booster Club President Mark Lembo.

Pictured: Faculty, parents, students and Mayfield friends enjoyed last year's inaugural Mayfield Mini-Golf Open

CALENDAR NOTES:

Thursday, May 22:	Senior Tea, 4:00pm-6:00pm
Thursday, May 29:	Spring Music Conservatory Concert, 7:00pm
Thursday, June 5:	Awards Night, 6:30pm
Saturday, June 7:	Baccalaureate, 5:00pm Alumnae are invited to the Mass to present the Holy Child medallions. All are welcome.
Sunday, June 8:	Graduation, 6:00pm
Monday, June 23:	2008 Summer Institute begins (ends Thursday, July 24)

NOTE: This is the final edition of the Mayfield Messenger for 2007-08. Mayfield Senior School's mid-monthly online newsletter will resume in September 2008.

SAVE THE DATE: Homecoming Weekend & Class Reunions, October 3-5, 2008

Homecoming Weekend Schedule

Friday, October 3
— Welcome Reception: An Evening with Author Dr. Elliot Engel, 6:30pm
— Presentation: The World of Charles Dickens, 7:00pm

Saturday, October 4
— Cachet Club Luncheon (Graduates from 1936-1958): 12:00pm
— Class Reunion Dinners: 6:30pm
Reunion dinners will be held for the classes of 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003. Save the date cards with specific reunion plans are being mailed in the next few weeks, so please be sure we have your current contact information. If your phone number, mailing address or email address has changed, please send updates directly to data@mayfieldsenior.org

Sunday, October 5
— Mayfield Senior School Homecoming Mass and Picnic, 11:00am
All-American cuisine, campus tours, children’s play Area, Dixeland band, school store and much more. Family and friends welcome!
— Mass & Awards Presentation, 12:00pm

Cornelian Award Nominations Due June 1, 2008

Each year Mayfield Senior School presents its highest honor, the Cornelian Award, to an alumna who best exemplifies the Holy Child ideal of service, Actions not Words. The individual may be recognized for her family, civic or professional contributions. All alumnae are encouraged to submit nominations for this award to alumnae@mayfieldsenior.org. This year’s winner will be announced at Homecoming on Sunday, October 5, 2008.

Pictured at right: 2007 Cornelian Award co-recipients Molly Meyer Gervais '81 and Nicole Narden-Whalen '92.

Questions or comments?

Contact Anita D'Alessandro in Marketing Communications at anita@mayfieldsenior.org

Please send all contact information updates to data@mayfieldsenior.org