Moeller Windows - Spring/Summer 2008

M ELLERSPRING/SUMMER 2008 D e v e l o p i n g L e a d e r s h i p i n Yo u n g M e n

A C a t h o l i c S c h o o l i n t h e M a r i a n i s t Tr a d i t i o n

HOUSESPIRITTHE MOELLER

HOUSE SYSTEMCOMES OF AGE

principal’sdeskSoon we will celebrate our 50th anniversary. In five brief decades, Moellerhas accumulated an unprecedented record of achievements, which I’ve

chronicled on pages 14-17. And we’ve onlyjust begun.

It is our ultimate vision to lead Moellerto be recognized as one of the top 10Catholic high schools in the nation. InMarch we launched a strategic processthat will help us develop this long-rangeplan for the school. Our goal is to engageall segments of the Moeller Family —alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students,and supporters — in this excitingendeavor that will not only strengthenMoeller in every way but bring us to anhistoric level of achievement.

This strategic plan will be the catalystfor enhancing and growing what has always been the core of a Moeller Marianist education: forming young men in the Catholic faith(educating for

faith formation), challenging students academically and athletically (providing aquality, integral education), enhancinghealthy personal relationships (educating inthe Family Spirit), inspiring our youth to behumanitarians (educating for service, peace,and justice), and helping them build life-longleadership skills (educating for adaptationand change).

You are cordially invited to join us in this new millennium process — this goldenmoment in Moeller’s history. Greatness istruly within our reach, so we are reachingout to you to become an integral part of this plan. Please contact me atBBCCoolllliissoonn@@MMooeelllleerr..oorrgg. Your passion, combined with our own, will help Moellerrealize its fullest potential as a nationalleader in Catholic education.

Yours in Service,

Blane M. Collison, Principal

“It is our ultimatevision to lead Moellerto be recognized asone of the top 10Catholic high schoolsin the nation.”

Administrative assistant Beth Zilch, chair of the Development and MarketingPlanning Committee, serves as a scribeduring the brainstorming process.

cover story10 HOUSE SPIRITThe House System Comes of Age

departments2 FROM THE EDITOR

3 MOELLER WIRED

22 CRUSADER CONNECTION

24 TRACKING

contents

The 2008-09 House System leadership prepares for the upcoming school year.(See cover story on page 10.)

M ELLER

features14 PREPARING FOR GREATNESSMoeller’s 50th Anniversary

18 A RECORD FINISHDerby Main Event a Winner

20 FIELD OF DREAMS BECOMES REALITY

VOLUME 12 • NUMBER 2 SPRING/SUMMER 2008

www.moel ler.org

Field of Dreams becomes a reality.(See story on page 20.)

Main Event (See story on page 18.)

WHO ARE ‘THE MEN OF MOELLER’?Business leaders frequently talk in terms of “theend in mind.” They ask themselves, What is the“vision” of this company? What do we ultimatelyhope to accomplish? In education, we ask our-selves the same thing: What type of students dowe hope to graduate after four years? Who are these “Men of Moeller”?

MICROSCOPIC VIEW: One way we can answer this is by looking at theschool’s “Man of Moeller” recipient, for this award honors the senior who rep-resents the best overall vision of a Moeller graduate. Salutatorian Brent Suterreceived this year’s honor. He is a Harvard-bound school leader and two-sportvarsity athlete. His high school resume is more than impressive — it’s surre-al. We’ve profiled him on page 4, but the accolades only tell part of the tale.And every Man of Moeller recipient has been similarly impressive.

MACROSCOPIC VIEW: Another way we can view this is by looking at theclass as a whole. Moeller’s vision of a Man of Moeller is grounded in FatherChaminade’s vision inspired by Mary. He founded the Society of Mary(Marianists), who later consolidated his vision into five characteristics, calledthe “Marianist Charism.” Using this Charism as its foundation, Moeller aspiresto (1) graduate young men who are academically accomplished by educatingtheir mind, body, heart, and spirit; (2) graduate students who are grounded intheir faith; (3) cultivate an interdependent community, called “educating in theFamily Spirit”; (4) graduate young men who are committed to service, peace,and justice; and (5) develop students who can inspire and adapt well to positivechange in our ever-evolving world.

These five elements or “characteristics” define the type of graduateMoeller aims to develop: a Man of Moeller. More simply, we call it “developingleadership in young men.”

So, how do our students stack up against this measure? Qualitativelyspeaking, 97-99% of our students pursue postsecondary education, and 67% ofthis year’s graduates have earned scholarship and grant offers. Annually,approximately 90% of our students participate in co-curricular activities, andalmost half of our seniors spend part of their summer doing mission work.

Quantitatively speaking, the Moeller "Band of Brothers" is alive and well,with innumerable anecdotes of life-long connections. Most recently, I receivedan e-mail from Marcus Colosimo '90 about his Mike "Z" Zegarski Foundation.Mike Zegarski is a '90 grad who suffered a brain aneurysm in March 2006, soMarcus and other friends initiated a golf outing, with the proceeds goingdirectly to the Zegarski family to help defray medical expenses. Since then, theevent has evolved to become the Mike "Z" Zegarski Foundation, a non-profitorganization, which has been set up to assist other alums and students fromMoeller High School and Alter High School who are experiencing similar hard-ship. Their next event will be a golf scramble this fall, September 27, at WaldenPonds in Hamilton, OH. (Contact Marcus Colosimo at (513) 314-7467 or e-mailhim at [email protected] for more information about how to partic-ipate or to make a donation.)

As you read through this issue, I hope you’ll see a pattern emerge. I believeyou’ll recognize that Fr. Chaminade’s spirit is alive and well. His “end in mind”is fully embraced by our Moeller Family and embodied by our graduates, ourMen of Moeller.

Johanna KremerEditor, Moeller Magazine/Communications Director

fromtheeditor M ELLERMoeller Magazine is an official publication of ArchbishopMoeller High School for alumni, parents, and friends.Comments and questions are encouraged. Send your letters to:

MOELLER MAGAZINE EDITORArchbishop Moeller High SchoolJohanna Kremer9001 Montgomery RoadCincinnati, OH 45242-7780Voice Mail: (513) 791-1680, ext. 1330Fax: (513) 792-3343E-Mail: [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSNick Abele ’08Chris Albrecht ’77Ginny BauerBarry Borman ’64Mark Chalifoux ’03Blane CollisonTyler Frankenberg ’08, Crusader Editor in ChiefChris Anne GaierDebbie GeigerMark Gunza ’10Sally NugentPatty WilkinsRob Winterman ’80

CONTRIBUTING COPY EDITORSBill Balbach ’72Cindy Neuhaus

ADMINISTRATIONBlane Collison, PrincipalCarl Kremer, Dean of StudentsBro. Ron Luksic, S.M., Dean of Student LifeBill Balbach ’72, TreasurerBarry Borman ’64, Director of Athletic Operations

CREDITSLayout & Design: June Pfaff Daley, Daley Designe-mail: [email protected]

Printing: Larry Kuhlman ’81, Bramkamp Printingwww.Bramkamp.com

Distribution: Ginny Bauer and Chris Anne Gaier

©2008. All rights reserved. Archbishop Moeller HighSchool is owned and operated by the CatholicArchdiocese of Cincinnati and adheres to its policies.

VOL. 12, NUMBER 2 SPRING/SUMMER 2008

2 • SPRING/SUMMER 2008

moellerwired...for leadership

AT THE APRIL strategic planning session,Principal Blane Collison announced threenew hires who will be key to implementingMoeller’s upcoming strategic plan. “After an extensive and intensive search process, we believe we have hired three outstandingleaders with a vast amount of experiencewho will help propel our school to the nextlevel,” he said.

Alumnus Jim Stofko ’85 is returning to hisalma mater after more than 17 years in thebusiness world, including Cincinnati Bell,Sprint, and Sibcy Cline, to become Moeller’sdirector of development. He will be filling thevoid that Chris Albrecht ’77, current directorof development, will leave when he returns tothe business world to focus on his executivesearch and consulting business. (See page22.) Stofko comes to Moeller with an empow-ering management style and a reputation as a problem solver. “Jim’s management back-ground in competitive, service-sensitive envi-ronments makes him a good fit for Moeller,”said Collison. “We’re glad to have him returnto Moeller.”

Steve Ranieri will be Moeller’s director of institutional advancement (DIA), a newly

created position. Ranierispent the last two

years as DIA for

Archbishop McNicholas High School. Duringthat time he developed and successfullyimplemented the school’s strategic plan,which included increasing the alumni givingrate, exceeding revenue goals for the annualfund, increasing the number of donors,redesigning the communications and alumniassociation programs, and securing theschool’s largest donor gift.

Prior to McNicholas, Ranieri worked asdirector of alumni relations for Thomas MoreCollege, was assistant to the president at the University of South Florida, director ofmarketing for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and director of marketing for theUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ranieri has a master’s in public adminis-tration from the University of North Carolinaand a bachelor’s in athletic administrationfrom St. Thomas University in Miami, FL. He’sa graduate of St. Xavier High School.

Moeller’s new dean of academics will beChris Wilke. For the past six years Wilke hasworked for Purcell Marian High School in avariety of leadership positions. He currentlyserves as the coordinator of administrativeservices. His responsibilities include pilotingcurriculum development, coordinating theScholars Program, and serving as the directorof the Office of Student Success. In addition,

he has been PurcellMarian’s summer

school and transition program principal, socialstudies department chair, student govern-ment moderator, and intercession director forunique culture and service-learning trips.

As an educator, Wilke has taught AP USgovernment, world civilizations, economics,and issues of democracy and modern US his-tory, and he’s been the lead teacher fordeveloping the school’s technology-basedcurriculum. For two summers he was a

Xavier University staff member of theXavier Center for Excellence in

Education (XCEED). During thattime he taught social studies cur-riculum, methodology, standardsalignment, and content toteachers of students with special needs. Wilke has alsotaught at McNicholas HighSchool, Cardinal PacelliSchool, and Chaminade-Julienne High School.

Wilke has a master’s ineducational administrationfrom Xavier University and abachelor’s in history from theUniversity of Dayton.

MOELLER • 3

Principal Announces Three Key Leadership Hires

Pictured from left: Jim Stofko ’85,Blane Collison, and Steve Ranieri.

Pictured above: Chris Wilke, Moeller’s new dean of academics, sits in on the Academic Planning Committee.

SALUTATORIAN BRENT SUTER earned the school’s highest overall honor, theMan of Moeller Award. This fall he will attend Harvard University and majorin environmental engineering, working to find an efficient alternative energysource. He first became interested in this field after watching Al Gore’s movie,An Inconvenient Truth, and is considering pursuing ideas involving solar ener-gy. “Even if we disagree on the global warming issue, we all can agree thatAmericans need to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and be betterstewards of the earth’s resources,” said Suter. “I’m hopeful that college willprepare me to be part of the solution.”

The Man of Moeller Award is presented to the senior who best exemplifiesthe type of graduate the school aims to develop: a well-rounded student ofgood character and academic excellence who demonstrates a solid spirituallife and service orientation and who is actively involved with co-curriculars. In addition to being the Moeller’s salutatorian, Brent has earned numerousother academic honors: the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award in Math & Science, OHSAA Scholar Athlete Award, the Greider Memorial ScholarAthlete Award, the Award of Distinction, and the Mathematics and ReligionDepartments’ four-year academic excellence awards, just to name a few. He’sa member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Men’sChorus and Men’s Vocal Ensemble.

Brent’s service work includes tutoring, MACH 1 (Moeller Advocates ofCommunity Housing who rehab buildings in the Over-the-Rhine), CorryvilleBig Brothers Program, and summer mission work. The Pastoral Ministry

Department honored Brent with the Charlotte McCullough Award for outstanding merit. As a leader, the faculty and students elected Brent Vice Captain of the school, which is the second-highest honor in the student

governance system. He was also a Relay for Life captain and a Big Brothers program leader, and Pillar House honored Brent with its “Man of Moeller” and “Captain’s” awards.

Athletically, Brent played varsity basketball and baseball, helping both teams to four years of GCL championships and accruing numerousathletic honors. “Brent’s one of the finest all-around athletes we’ve had at our school for a long time,” said Carl Kremer, Moeller’s head basketball coach. “Not only does he have great athletic ability in both sports, but he’s also a tremendous teammate.” Brent was listed as a top100 baseball prospect for The Buckeye Scout, and he will play baseball for Harvard’s Crimson Team. He is the son of Michael & Shirley Suter ofCincinnati.


MICHAEL DICKERT, Moeller’s Class of 2008 valedictorian,received more than half a million dollars in scholarshipand grant opportunities. He recently accepted VanderbiltUniversity’s offer, where he will major in chemical engineering. Besides earning the school’s top academicposition, Michael was awarded the University ofRochester’s Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Awardand two four-year academic excellence awards by theMoeller Science and Social Studies Departments. He is a member of the Academic Team, National HonorSociety, Spanish Honor Society, Model APEC Delegation,Science Fiction Film Club, Corryville Catholic BigBrothers Program, Hamilton County Teen Court, andTennis Team. In addition, Michael has served as a tutor,tour guide, basketball referee, camp counselor, andsummer mission trip participant. He is the son of Tomand Mary Dickert of Loveland.

Valedictorian MichaelDickert ’08 with

parents Tom andMary Dickert.

Valedictorian Offered Half a Million in Scholarships & Grants

moellerwired...academics

Awardee Hopes to Find Alternate Energy SourceMoeller salutatorian Brent Suter, his par-

ents, Michael and Shirley Suter, andbrother, Troy, pose prior to the

graduation ceremony atLandmark Christian.

1. MICHAEL P. DICKERT will attend Vanderbilt University withgrants and an endowment from Vanderbilt’s EngineeringDepartment.

2. BRENT M. SUTER will attend Harvard University with aHarvard Faculty Scholarship.

3. ALEXANDER S. MARTIN will attend Loyola UniversityChicago with a Trustee Scholarship.

4. DANIEL R. YOUNG will attend Case Western ReserveUniversity with a President's Scholarship and the OhioAcademic Scholarship.

5. ALEX J. HOFRICHTER will attend Stevens Institute ofTechnology with a Presidential Scholarship and Edwin A.Stevens Scholarship.

6. JAMES R. HUBBARD will attend the University of NotreDame.

7. IAN J. KOWALSKI will attend The Ohio State Universitywith a Provost Scholarship.

8. GRIFFIN R. NAYLOR will attend the University of NotreDame with a Notre Dame Club of Greater CincinnatiScholarship.

9. TYLER S. FRANKENBERG will attend the University ofVirginia with a Jefferson Scholarship.

10. MARCUS M. KETCHA will attend Villanova University witha Proctor & Gamble Scholarship.

moellerwired...for academics

“WE’RE DONE. IT’S OVER. It’s hard to imag-ine we’re finished. But this is not the end,”said commencement speaker Nick Abele ’08.“Now we are to ‘crusade’ forward to our newbeginnings...”

While urging his classmates to celebratenew beginnings, Nick had much to cele-brate about his last four years. Besidesbeing chosen commencement speaker, hereceived Moeller’s highest service honor,the Blessed Father Chaminade ServiceAward, which is bestowed to the seniorwho has given service to the school, hischurch, and the community, and who hasdemonstrated leadership in service activitiesand programs. Nick has earned numeroushonors. He received the CharlotteMcCullough Pastoral Ministry Award, fouryears perfect attendance, four years academ-ic honor roll, three years service honor roll,and the “Mr. Eveslage” House Award. He is a

member of the National Honor Society,Spanish Honor Society, Pastoral MinistryExecutive Board, and St. Columban Youth

Leadership Team. Nick was elected HouseCaptain and served as a Ronald McDonaldHouse leader, Kairos 61 rector, St. Columban

Faith Formation Commission co-chair, ayell man, and the varsity baseball studentmanager. In addition, he’s activelyinvolved in numerous school activities,such as the Crusader student newspa-per, Squire literary magazine, CorryvilleCatholic Big Brothers Program, and theHomecoming and rally committees.

His service and social justice activitiesinclude March for Life, Relay for Life,

Moeller’s canned food drive, school liturgies,and summer mission trip work. In his sparetime, Nick plays piano and baseball. He spe-cialized in art at Moeller and will attendCarnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA,majoring in communication design and arthistory. Nick is the son of David andKathleen Abele of Loveland.

Highest Service Award

Moeller Seniors Offered 12.8 MillionMOELLER SENIORS received 12.8 million dollars in scholarship andgrant offers. Valedictorian Michael Dickert ’08 received more thanhalf a million in scholarship/grant offers.

Annually, 97-99% of the graduating class pursues postsecondaryeducation. This year, 144 of the 214 graduates — or 67% —received offers, with 141 of the scholarship opportunities offeredover a four-year period.

MOELLER • 5

WHERE ARE MOELLER’S TOP 10

GRADUATES HEADED?

Pictured from left: Steven Arnett (will attend the University ofKentucky and received UK's William C. Parker Scholarship);Tommy Armour (will attend the University of Texas at Arlington),and Alex Apking (will attend the University of Toledo).

moellerwired

MOELLER’S YEARBOOK, theTemplar, and student newspaper,the Crusader, earned 1st placeawards from the AmericanScholastic Press Association’s(ASPA) national competition. TheTemplar received 1st place withspecial merit, earning a perfectscore in creativity and a nearlyperfect score in photography.The yearbook staff included BrittRaymond (advisor), Joe McGinnis(editor), Steve Bohné, Mike Franz,Josh Jasso, Brian Powell, andEric Schaeper.

This is the Crusader’s fourthconsecutive 1st place award. SeniorPatrick McDonough’s illustration ofCoach Cameron for the newspaper’s first issue received a specialASPA award for “Outstanding Original Art.” The Crusader teamincluded Geoffrey Girard (advisor), Tyler Frankenberg (editor inchief), Luke Bishop, Zach Bortolotto, Joshua Emig, Mark Gunza,Matt Henties, Sam Osborne, Will Schneller, and Austen Verrilli.


‘Crusader’ & ‘Templar’Earn 1st Place

ALUMNUS BOB FISHER ’86, well-known as“SketchBob” in the art world (see SketchBob.com),spent a day with Moeller’s art students offeringwords of wisdom after spending years as a fineartist, entrepreneur, and marketing expert. True to his roots as an artist at Moeller, his training atcollege, then life experience, Fisher emphasized theimportance of keeping a daily sketchbook. “I carryit with me every minute of every day,” he said. “It serves multiple purposes: a visual journal, a repository of ideas. I experiment with materialsand techniques. It helps me stay in shape creatively. Like push-ups, repetition is a criticalelement of being an artist. If you want to get inshape, would you strive to do 50 push-ups a day orone perfect-push up? If you want to draw, whichwill make you more successful, five drawings aday or one absolutely perfect drawing? Theanswer is 10 drawings.” ‘Ske

tch

bo

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Imp

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YMCA Award

Coach Cameron illustration received aspecial award.

SENIOR BRENDAN FISCHER was one of 40 teens chosenout of hundreds of nominees throughout the Tristate areato receive the YMCA Character Award. To earn this honor,students must exemplify YMCA’s core values of caring,honesty, respect, and responsibility, and they mustdemonstrate leadership through service to their communi-ty. Fischer is a member of the National Honor Society andrecipient of the school’s Outstanding Service Award for the100+ service hours he accumulated. He is a Big Brother inthe Correyville Catholic Little Brothers Program and makesbi-monthly visits to tutor and mentor the kindergarten stu-dents. Fischer has tutored Moeller students, participatedin Relay for Life, rehabbed homes during a Louisiana hurri-cane relief trip, and worked in the St. Francis Soupkitchen. He is also is a member of Moeller’s Swim Teamand earned the team’s Crusader Award. At St. VincentFerrer Catholic Church in Kenwood, Fischer received theCitizenship Award because of his involvement in theschool and church community. For example, he taughtadult computer classes to the senior citizens and currentlyserves as a Eucharistic Minister and lector.

Seniors Exhibit WorkThe University of Cincinnati College of Design,Architecture, Art and Planning invited Moeller’ssenior art and photography students to participatein a high school art exhibition. The participantsincluded Vincent Palopoli, Matt Wilson, ChrisLefke, Ben Crist, Nick Faust, John Berry, Luke Effler,John Lavelle, Cameron Fields, Grant Nolte, andAlex Schneider.

A self portait by Vincent Palopoli (photo by Matt Wilson ’08).

...for academics

MOELLER • 7

...for academicsmoellerwired

MOELLER ENGLISH TEACHERGeoffrey Girard recently publishedhis third book in his Tales of…series, entitled Tales of EasternIndians, which contains 13 originalshort stories based on the historyand myths of the EasternAmerican Indians. “Within thepages…you will meet an unforget-table cast of timeless heroes andfantastic beings, dreamers andadventurers, daughters and broth-ers,” says one editorial review.“Revealing and authentic, engag-ingly written, steeped in Americanhistory, and at turns fun and dra-matic, Tales of the Eastern Indianswill charm readers of all ages todiscover, remember, and celebratethis unique culture and its storiedpeople of both yesterday andtoday.” * Girard’s two previousbooks are Tales of the Jersey Deviland Tales of the Atlantic Pirates.

A fourth book on the Americancolonies is scheduled for nextyear.

Girard wrote the book last yearin approximately three months, he told the Crusader, Moeller’sstudent newspaper, and he

worked in several Moeller namesand personalities. He said heselected the topic of Indiansbecause he wanted to learn moreabout the subject. “I probablyread about 50 books to preparefor this project,” he said. “Afterpirates and the Jersey Devil, Iwanted to study something a bitmore real and complex.”

Girard is also Moeller’s journal-ism teacher/Crusader advisor andmoderator for both the CreativeWriting Club and the Chess Club.In 2003 he was awarded theInternational Writers of the Futureprize for fiction.

* Review from Amazon.com.Girard’s books are available inlocal bookstores and online atAmazon.com.

Brendan Fischer also received St. Vincent Ferrer’s CitizenshipAward because of his involvement in the school and community.

English Teacher Publishes 3rd book

MORE THAN 60 Moeller government students gathered at Willie’s in areserved section to experience the excitement of the most important roundof primary elections in recent history. The scene buzzed with the excitementof a major sports contest with spurts of heated political debate thrown in themix. “A year ago Hillary Clinton was a lock for the Democratic nomination,”Moeller government teacher Bob Tull said,” and McCain was dead in thewater…not just floundering, but already drowned. It’s interesting now thatboth McCain and Obama are not only competitive, but in positions to win.”

The Cincinnati community got a glimpse of Moeller’s political prowess onChannel 19’s 10 O’clock news. Seniors Nick Faust and Alex Sabo were inter-viewed, and the last few stragglers of the evening got to see the two on thebig screen hours later. Sabo noted the importance of getting students, agroup traditionally underrepresented in voter turnout statistics, out to thepolls. “I think the event is great because it’s promoting an interest in politics,”he told reports. Tull says he is pleased with the eagerness of Moeller studentsto become more politically involved. He hopes to hold a similar event nextNovember on election night.

Government Students Celebrate ‘Super Tuesday’By Tyler Frankenberg ’08, Crusader Editor in Chief

moellerwired...for service, peace and justice

FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, Moeller students have dedicated themselves tohelping the children of Uganda, and for thepast two years they have sponsored UNIFAT

School (Upper Nile Institute for Appropriate Technology).UNIFAT is dedicated to servingchildren who without a safeplace to go would likely beabducted by rebel armies as apart of an ongoing civil war.

As a part of the ongoing initiative, many Mentor Groups have

decided to sponsor children throughout thisschool year. Students have pulled togetherto finance their childrens’ education andsupport their basic needs. Recently, Unifiedfor UNIFAT, the student group organizingthe initiative, encouraged Mentor Groups tocreate care packages to send to their child.The care packages included pictures fromMoeller and Moeller t-shirts.

In February, Moeller welcomed DenisOkema, UNIFAT alumnus and advocate forthe school and its mission. At an all-schoolassembly, Mentor Captains were able to

meet Okema and give him the care pack-ages. “I cannot express enough thanks forwhat you all have done for the children ofUganda,” he said as he addressed the stu-dent body. Connie Ring (Unified for Unifatmoderator) and Eric Werner ’09 also pre-sented Okema with a $12,486 check, thisyear’s fundraising total from the Men ofMoeller.

On March 1, Unified for UNIFAT held itssecond annual Uganda Overnight experi-ence. Okema spoke to hundreds of studentsfrom high schools around the city whoattended the overnight to learn more aboutthe social justice issues that continue toplague Uganda. “This year’s overnight reallyopened people’s eyes to the injusticesoccurring in Uganda, but it also got manypeople excited about helping UNIFAT andgetting more involved with the initiativeswe are making,” said Eric Werner ’09, student leader in Unified for UNIFAT.

ENGLISH TEACHER/ZARAGOZA DEAN Mike Moroski was recentlyhonored by the Over-the-Rhine Community Housing organizationwith their Mary Johnson Award for volunteerism. He is picturedfar left during the ribbon cutting ceremony of Choices Cafe,which is a community gathering place for residents in Over-the-Rhine. This project was one of the latest rehab projectsspearheaded by the MACH 1 crew. Moroski is their advisor.


Teacher Honored by OTR Community Housing

Moeller Honors

Teachers & Alum with

Founder’s Day Award

During Catholic Schools Week, Moeller held its Founder’s Day celebration.Following Mass, the school honored two teachers and an alum with theFounder’s Day Award for their dedication to the Marianist philosophy of educa-tion: Gustavo Benedetti (Spanish teacher), Alberto Delgado (Spanish teacher),and Dan Leugers ‘77.

By Nick Abele ’08

Moeller Students

‘Unify for UNIFAT’

MOELLER • 9

...for service, peace and justicemoellerwired

THIS JUNE, a small group of Moeller students, faculty, and parents affiliated withthe dynamic service organization, Unified forUNIFAT, will undertake a ground-breakingsummer service trip to the war-torn andfamine-ridden Central African nation ofUganda. The trip will mark Moeller’s first visitto its Ugandan brother school, the Upper Nile Institute for Appropriate Technology(UNIFAT).

Those visiting Uganda include Billy Yates’08, Eric Werner ’09, alumnus Will Tardio ’07,Unified for UNIFAT moderator Connie Ring,religion teacher/alumnus Paul Kindt, andSycamore High School Unified for UNIFATstudent coordinator Megan Marth. ParentsChris Tardio and Tom Marth will accompanythe students on the trip.

The purpose of the trip is to strengthenMoeller’s bonds with the students at UNIFAT.This school located in Gulu, Uganda, providesa refuge for its students who would otherwisebe vulnerable to abduction by factionalarmies waging civil war. It also provides stu-dents with the highest-quality educationalopportunities available in the severely impov-erished African nation.

This year, 30 Moeller Mentor Groups spon-sored an individual UNIFAT student, payingthe $300 that cover school tuition, meals,

clothing, and schoolsupplies. Many MentorGroups have also sentcare packages with let-ters and badly neededpencils and paper, aswell as photographsand Moeller T-shirts.

The members ofUnified for UNIFAT will use high-definitionvideo equipment purchased from a grantfrom Moeller’s YouthPhilanthropy Councilto make an informa-tional video about UNIFAT and Ugandathrough which theycan better inform students at Moeller andelsewhere in Cincinnati about the school andits needs. They hope that this video will allowMoeller Mentor Groups to see the changethey have made through their donations andcare packages.

With proceeds from the Guitar Hero tournament, Unified for UNIFAT hopes topurchase a mosquito net for every student atUNIFAT. Mosquito nets are a cheap but effec-tive protection against nighttime mosquito

bites that often transmit deadly diseases likemalaria, which is rampant in underdevelopedAfrican countries.

Now, in only its third year, Unified forUNIFAT has become one of Moeller’s mostdynamic service organizations. “This has beena great year for Unified for UNIFAT,” Ringcommented. “We set a goal at the beginningof the year to raise $40,000 for UNIFAT, and we anticipate that we’ll be very close tohitting this mark.”

By Tyler Frankenberg ’08, Crusader Editor in Chief

Students of Abitimo Odongkara’s school in Northern Uganda.

Moeller Students To Visit Ugandan Brother School

‘Shantytown’ TeachesAbout Homelessness“WE ARE NOT HERE to simulate being homeless because that wouldbe silly,” said Mike Moroski, moderator of Shantytown and MACH 1(Moeller Advocates for Community Housing). “We are here to learnabout homelessness and be advocators for (the homeless) as well.”

From April 6-8, 30 Moeller students made and lived in cardboardshanties in front of the Brisben Center… In the end, Shantytownhad a drastic effect on most of the people who participated thisyear. Sophomore Brendan Nelson, who attended Shantytown and isalso active in MACH 1 said, “Shantytown has affected me so muchin a positive way, I will never look at a homeless person the sameway again.”

*Source: Crusader, Issue 4, page 3, by Mark Gunza ’10.


THE MOELLERHOUSE SYSTEMCOMES OF AGE HOUSE

Pictured, toPictured, toCamp Kern team-buildiPictured bethe Crusadeof "serious"

by Johanna Kremer, Editor

This fall will mark Moeller’s full implementation of one of itsmost ambitious and innovative projects to date: the HouseSystem. The House System is a British-style form of studentgovernance that Moeller introduced in the fall of 2005.Instead of homeroom divisions separated horizontally by

class year, Moeller students from all grade levels are now divided verti-cally into six “Houses.”

The House System is overseen by a “House Director,” and eachHouse is led by a “House Dean,” who is responsible for the overalldevelopment of his or her House. Within each House are “MentorTeachers,” who are faculty and staff members that are responsible for a“Mentor Group” of approximately 20 students (freshmen through sen-ior). Students within these Mentor Groups stay together throughouttheir years at Moeller.

Mentor Groups gather daily, like a homeroom, only the time isextended every other day (on B-Days), and the objectives are different.“Unlike the old tradition of homeroom, there is now time set aside forbuilding community,” explains Carl Kremer, Dean of Students. “Teachersand students are asked to turn off their laptops and participate in a vari-ety of activities that foster interpersonal relationships and community.These activities can vary from the Mentor Teacher checking on gradesto a group discussion to a video game tournament. But the ultimate goalis to bring the Mentor Group together.”

Overall, the House System accomplishes three important goals: 1. Builds strong interpersonal relationships among students, faculty andstaff; 2. Increases pastoral care to all students, and 3. Proactively devel-ops students’ leadership skills.

Enhancing Relationships“This has been a huge cultural change,” says House Director EdJamieson. “We’ve already seen positive changes, such as improved rela-tions between divisions of classes.”

Zaragoza House Dean Bruce Nelson agrees. “I believe the best resultof the House System so far has been the continued breaking down ofbarriers between the classes,” he says. “Each year I see more activitiesthat include all four of the classes working and playing together.”

“The best thing about the House System is that it has brought thestudents and faculty closer together,” says Mike Moroski, ZaragozaHouse Dean. “When our relationships are tighter, our goals becomemore attainable. The House System has indeed softened barriersbetween the students, barriers that have traditionally come to be associ-ated with ‘typical’ high school life. Additionally, it has softened the barri-ers between faculty, bringing them closer together over the commongoal of bettering our students’ high school experience. These relation-ships have always existed at Moeller, but the House System gave theman organization that serves to promote them in a self-perpetuating way.”

MOELLER • 11

SPIRIT

op left: The 2008-09 House leadership. op right: The Amazing Race held in May at

during Junior Leadership Week begins theng process among the new class of seniors. low: A culminating House System event iser Games, where Houses compete in a series battles of tug-of-war, dodgeball, and more.

“I think the House System has created real opportunity forstudents to develop genuine rela-tionships — social relationshipswith their peers and pastoralrelationships with significantadults in their lives (MentorTeachers),” says Eveslage HouseDean Karen Matuszek.

Improving Pastoral CarePillar House Dean Dan Shannonlauds the pastoral care compo-nent of the new system. “I reallynotice that the Mentor Teachers’relationship with their MentorStudents has been one of ongo-ing growth and pastoral care,” hesays. “There is a genuine loveand care displayed that once setin place perpetuates because ofthe way the system is.”

Jim Champlin, Trinity HouseDean, also believes that the pas-toral care component has been ahallmark of the program.“‘Pastoral care’ means focusingon and taking an active interestin the well being and needs ofeach student on a more individu-alized basis and from a moreholistic perspective,” he says.

Increasing LeadershipOpportunities

In addition to improving thequality of relationships, QuirogaHouse Dean Connie Ringbelieves the best thing about theHouse System is the proactiveleadership development. “Theunity that we have seen betweenthe divisions is amazing,” saysRing, “as is the amazing numberof leadership opportunities thatare in existence now as a resultof the House System.”

“One of the core principles ofthe House System is that leader-ship is a choice, not a position,”says Jamieson,” and the systemoffers more opportunities thanever for students to pursue leadership roles.”

Specifically, in the old systemof student government, only oneperson could be president, with alimited number of additional

leadership roles. Now, there is aSchool Captain (1), two ViceCaptains (2), and two HouseCaptains for each House (12)who assume primary leadershippositions. Then each MentorGroup elects a Mentor Captain,and there are seven MentorGroups (42) in each House. Thatmeans there are approximately57 leadership roles in the HouseSystem alone, and this doesn’tinclude the vast array of co-cur-ricular and athletic opportunities.

Promoting School SpiritThe spirit of the House System ispalpable, especially in severalnew Moeller traditions. One suchtradition is winning the MarianistCup, as Bro. Ron Luksic, S.M.,Dean of Student Life, explains.“Throughout the year, Houses viefor points through many types ofcompetition, giving every studentin the school an opportunity toparticipate,” he says. “Compet-itions range from placing on theHonor Roll to tug of war. Thewinning House has their nameinscribed on the Marianist Cup. Itbecomes a matter of pride witheach student in the school beinginvolved in some way.”

Another new tradition is theCrusader Games, which are heldin May. This competition involvesall Houses, including Deans and

Mentor Teachers, in a series offierce battles, such as a scooterrace, a whipped-cream-and-gummy-worm face off, a flippers-and-goggles dash, and dodgeball.“The Crusader Games were initi-ated by the School Captains in2007,” said Jamieson. “The 2007class of seniors designed thisevent to be inclusive and involvethe participation of all the otherdivisions…that is the spirit of theHouse System! This is a culminat-

ing event of the Marianist Cupand loved by the students.”

During the last week ofschool, the House System holdsits Junior Leadership Week. Partof that week is spent at CampKern where primary team build-ing takes placewith a Housecompetitioncalled TheAmazing Race.“The AmazingRace is signifi-cant because itkicks off the

competition for the MarianistCup with the new class of seniorscompeting in an event whereunity and teamwork are essen-tial!” says Jamieson.

Ensuring SuccessfulFreshman Year TransitionOne of the primary beneficiariesof the House System is incomingfreshmen. “A recent school-widesurvey indicates that an over-whelming majority of our

younger students highlight howbeneficial the caring support ofour upperclassmen has been andthe huge difference this hasmade in their successful transi-tion into high school life,” saysChamplin.

“The students have a systemwhen they walk in the doorsfreshman year that seeks to pro-vide them with whatever theymay need to be all they can,”says Moroski. “The students havegained advocates in theirMentors. They have an adult inthe building that knows theirname and is aware of where theyare, what they do, and who theywant to be.”


“ ”When our relationships are tighter,our goals become more attainable.

MOELLER • 13

Strategic Planning Produces ResultsEach year the Deans conveneand determine a theme or strategic focus for the year. “Thetheme is to remind ourselveswhat’s most important and to

make decisions based on thosethings,” said Jamieson. This yearthe Deans dubbed “the year ofpastoral care.” Their goals wereto increase communicationamong administration and teachers, integrate more student-oriented House activities thatbuild camaraderie, and providestudents with more leadershipresponsibilities for planningHouse and Mentor Group events.

The outcome of their focusthis year was quantifiable. The Deans were able to show anoticeable improvement in atten-dance, an increase in the numberof students on the Honor Rolls,

and fewer detentions, saidJamieson. For example, toimprove communication with theDean of Students, the HouseDeans met regularly and wentover detention reports. TheHouse Deans would then report

back the data to the appropriateMentor Teachers.

This kind of constant commu-nication and intervention provedeffective. For example, the dataon detentions showed a 16%drop in detentions compared tothe same period of time last year.“There can be many factors forthis drop off,” says Jamieson. “Icertainly believe that the MentorTeachers and Deans constantlyholding their guys accountable ispart of it.”

In addition to pastoral care,the Deans focused on improvingstudents’ academic achievement.They provided Mentor Teachers

with at least one 30-minuteMentor Group dedicated to academic intervention, and theDeans also devoted House daysto academic intervention, provid-ing a 90-minute block of time forstudents to meet with theirteachers. “The structure of theMentor Group, combined withtime allotted during M-Blocks,provides more opportunities forteachers to intervene on thebehalf of students as it relates totheir academic performance andprogress,” says Principal BlaneCollison. “It is one method ofensuring that no student ‘fallsthrough the crack’ academically.”

To measure their progress,they monitored the number ofstudents who made the HonorRoll. “The number is up from1508 to 1547. This is an increaseof 4%,” says Jamieson. “Onceagain, this can’t be attributed tothe House System solely, but thenumbers are pointing in the rightdirection.”

‘Adaptation and Change’ChallengesMoeller’s Marianist missionensures that “adaptation andchange” is part of the evolutionof the school. Nevertheless, aswith any major change, therehave been challenges along theway. Ring said the original buy-infrom the faculty and studentswas difficult, “but every year thatchallenge disappears more andmore.”

Another challenge was reor-ganizing and integrating a diverserange of functions and activitiesinto the House System, saysChamplin. “For example, theDeans and Mentors are directlyinvolved with tracking studentacademics, discipline, servicehours, campus life participation,student government and leader-ship, pastoral ministry, retreats,co-curricular program, intramuralsports, the Main Event, evenmajor social events, such as theProm,” he explains. “While mostof these were considered when

the House System was beingplanned, incorporation of somefunctions and activities into theHouse System has been moreevolutionary.”

“Of course, any change worthmaking, whether personal orprofessional, is not seamless or comfortable,” said Moroski.“How-ever, there are no obstacles, only challenges andopportunities, and I believe theMoeller Family has weatheredthe eye of the storm and is moving steadily into the future.”

Bro. Ron recalls how far thisprogram has evolved. “When ourfirst exchange students toAustralia in 2002 reported ontheir experience, they talkedabout the ‘House System.’ Rightaway I felt it was the perfectcompliment to the MarianistCharacteristics of Education,” hesays. “Now, starting our fourthyear of the program, it hasexceeded my expectations. I am confident it will continue to grow.”

House System Revolution!The House System is only threeyears old, yet it has been a revo-lutionary school-wide change.Based on its current progress, thefuture looks bright. “There reallyis no better way to oversee thedevelopment of the students,”says Jamieson. “The HouseSystem places two significantadults in the life of every student.Amazingly, it works both ways. I think a number of our facultyhave benefited from more interaction with students.”

“The House System’s potential has not even yet beentapped,” says Moroski. “I foreseea day when the Mentors andDeans fine tune their skills sothat we truly are leaving no stu-dent unnoticed. I can see a timewhen all our students at least seetheir potential through an adult’seyes and understand that thereare resources available for themto reach that potential.” M

Pictured, top left: The 2008-09School Captains, from left — BrianVonderhaar, School Vice Captain;Patrick Blanks, School Captain; andSam Kornau, School Vice Captain.Pictured, top right: Eveslage Housewins the 2007-08 Marianist Cup!Pictured, bottom left: HouseDirector Ed Jamieson tallies up thepoints at the end of the CrusaderGames while referee Paul Kindt (farleft), School Captain TylerFrankenberg (middle left), andCrusader Games MC Doug Rosfeldawait the news. Pictured, bottomright: Pillar House watch theirmembers compete during one ofthe Crusader Games.


Preparing for

Our 50th anniversary is only two years away, yet consider how far we’ve come.

’60s ’70s ’80sThe first freshmen walked

through the doors of Moeller

in the fall of 1960. Within one

brief decade they would begin

to build a national reputation

for athletic excellence.

During the ’70s, as Moeller’s

football fame was on the rise,

the school was also on the

leading edge of curricular

innovation, successfully

launching the School-Within-

A-School and Humanities

programs.

One decade later, the administra-

tion founded Moeller’s first exter-

nal advisory board, the Education

Commission, who in turn formu-

lated the school’s first long-range

plan. Following their recommen-

dations, Moeller began a decade

of intensive fiscal growth, creat-

ing the Alumni & Development

Office, Annual Fund, and Main

Event Charity Auction.

Moeller’s first freshman class pictured above.In 2002, IBM selected Moeller as one of four schools in the nation with outstanding technology programs.

THE NEW MILLENIUMNow, as we approach 2010, wecan look at Moeller’s fifth decadeand begin to celebrate a schoolthat is becoming fully realized inmultiple areas of educationalexcellence. While our footballprogram first led us to nationalprominence, our athletic pro-gram now is multidimensional,with numerous sports being rec-ognized at the local, state, andnational level.

Academically, we have alwaysbeen committed to serving thewhole person — mind, body,heart, and spirit. This vision of a Marianist education is fully embodied in the fiveCharacteristics of a MarianistEducation or CMEs. Our imple-mentation of these characteris-tics, which form the core of ourculture, is the primary reason forour continued success. Duringthis decade we were recognized by the Society of Mary as being “apremier leader in Catholic education in the nation.”

MOELLER • 15

Greatness

’90sand beyond...The initiatives of the ’80s

provided a solid foundation for

the school’s second strategic

planning process one decade

later called “The Crusade for

Moeller.” During this campaign,

approximately 200 people

participated in a thorough

evaluation of the school’s

needs, called the CASE Review

Process. The result led to an

unprecedented evolution in

the ’90s, and Moeller’s most

ambitious dreams to date were

initiated: the student laptop

program; numerous capital

improvement projects, such as

the state-of-the-art science and

technology wing, the O’Connor

Center for Wrestling & Weight

Training, and the Brisben

Educational Center; and the

expansion of the Pastoral

Ministry Program. Because

of the school’s ministry and

mission initiatives during this

decade, the Catholic Campus

Ministry Association named

Moeller one of the top 10 high

school programs in the nation.

by Blane Collison, Principal

Last year Moeller was awarded the prestigious GCL All Sports Trophy for the stellar performances of its athleticprograms. Four sports earned statechampionship honors: basketball, swimming, wrestling, and volleyball.

Pictured above: Moeller’s Main Event CharityAuction was established in the ’80s.

Father Michael Leshney came to Moeller in1991 and spent nearly a decade enrichingthe school’s Pastoral Ministry Program.

Because “adaptation andchange” is one of our core CMEs,we have led the way in imple-menting technology throughoutour curricular programs. In doingso, we have been recognized as aleader in technology educationby IBM. This fall we continue ourcommitment to constantimprovement, and our freshmenwill be receiving state-of-the-arttablet computers.

While the ‘90s was a period ofexceptional growth in Moeller’sPastoral Ministry programs, withthe innovation of the HouseSystem, implemented in the fall

of 2005, we now have a structurethat enables the pastoral care of

every student. Each student isnow part of a Mentor “Family”for four years. During this time,he has an opportunity to developmeaningful relationships, whilealso enhancing his academic education. Research shows thatlearning to work well with otherswill be a key component in ourstudents’ lives. These MentorGroups help ensure that our faculty and staff have a betterunderstanding of our students’personal needs.

The physical plant improve-ments that were initiated in the’90s have continued through thisdecade. Most recently, we havecompleted the Gerry FaustAthletic Complex, which willbenefit our students and pro-grams in numerous ways. (Seepage 20 for more information.)

And more dreams are in theworks. A state-of-the-art trainingfacility will be completed inAugust to honor Dr. EdKremchek’s 27 years of dedica-tion as Moeller’s team doctor.This facility will provide our stu-dents with the very best care fortheir athletic injuries and physicaltherapy rehabilitation needs. Wewill hold a dedication ceremonyon Saturday, August 9, to cele-brate these two new projects.You are cordially invited to joinus as we officially dedicate the

Dr. Ed Kremchek Training Facilityand the Gerry Faust AthleticComplex.

TOP 10 IN THE NATIONAs we approach this golden milestone in Moeller’s history, we can honestly say we are onthe cusp of greatness: We arenow poised to take every funda-mental area of operation to thenext level. Our ultimate vision isto be recognized as one of thetop 10 Catholic high schools inthe nation. And it is within ourreach.


IN THE LATE 1990s, the Catholic Campus MinistryAssociation named Moeller’s Pastoral Ministry Programone of the top 10 high school programs in the nation.Social Studies Teacher Bob Tull said, “I think the ’90s sawtremendous change in the emphasis Pastoral Ministryplayed in the school: Father Mike, Kairos, mission trips,the change in Fall Raffle, the Corryville connection, andmore. It was interesting to watch the Pastoral MinistryBoard become as popular as Student Government.”

Bro. Ron Luksic, S.M., initiatedMoeller’s connection withCorryville Catholic Elementaryin 1992. Since that time theprogram has grown to includethe Big Brothers mentoringprogram, the Little Buddiestutoring program, andChristmas on Campus, which involves a ChristmasMass celebration, fun &games, a pizza party, and aspecial appearance by Santa.

Moeller’s Pastoral MinistryProgram Top 10 in Nation

EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH shows that establishingstrong, positive, collaborative school cultures is themost important key to a school’s success (Bower, 1966;Deal & Peterson, 1999).Moeller’s culture is ground-ed in the Society of Mary— or Marianist — visionof education, called the“Marianist Charism,” origi-nally articulated by thefounder of the Marianists,the Blessed William JosephChaminade, in the early1800s.

By the 1990s, the num-ber of vowed religious edu-cators was dwindling, sothe Society of Mary set upa national committee com-prised of Marianistsaround the world to devel-op a program that would enable lay administrators,teachers, and staff members to proactively implementthe Marianist vision of education. The end result oftheir efforts was the development of theCharacteristics of a Marianist Education (CMEs). TheCMEs simplified the Marianist Charism to the followingfive components, articulating the core values of aMarianist culture:

CHARACTERISTICS OF A MARIANIST EDUCATION 1. Educate for faith formation2. Provide a quality, integral education3. Educate in the Family Spirit4. Educate for service, peace, and justice5. Educate for adaption and change

During the following decade, an evaluation teamfrom the Society of Mary reviewed Moeller’s progressin implementing the CMEs program. In their finalreport, they concluded, “Archbishop Moeller HighSchool is a premier leader in Catholic education in thenation. A strong, clear mission and heritage guides (theschool)… The CME are strong, living characteristicsthat permeate every activity. Staff, students, parents,and alums value the Marianist Charism and affirm itsimportance… We commend the Moeller Family fortheir commitment to excellence in Catholic education— a commitment energized by the Marianist Charism.”

The Characteristics of a Marianist EducationThe Key to Moeller’s Success

MOELLER • 17

In March, we launched astrategic planning process thatwill ensure our vision becomes areality. Working with CEO FrankDonaldson of the Institute ofSchool & Parish Development,we are embarking on our mostambitious campaign to date. Ourgoal is to engage as many peopleas possible — alumni, currentand past parents, faculty andstaff, and friends of Moeller — toexamine every facet of our oper-ation. Once we’ve identified ourstrengths, weaknesses, opportu-nities, and challenges (known asthe SWOT process), we plan tocollaborate to create a strategy

that will address each area in acomprehensive approach to makesure our vision becomes a reality.

You are invited to join us inthis process. We will be meetingthroughout the summer. Please contact me [email protected] to offeryour feedback, your support, oryour participation in this collabo-rative endeavor. We also ask foryour prayers for all of us as weprepare Moeller for greatness:May the Father, Son, and HolySpirit be glorified in all thingsthrough the Immaculate VirginMary. M

In the summer of 2000, Moeller received permission to construct the south wing, pictured above.

Principal BlaneCollison withHonorary Chairs,Barb and CarlReisen, enjoyingthe success of theMain Event.

Pictured right:Trinity House DeanJim Champlin shows offhis Moeller Derby HouseHorse.

A Record FinishT


THE “RUN FOR THE RACES” Derby-themed Main Event Charity Auction was awinner! Once more Moeller’s premier event netted a record profit, raising morethan $263K for student programs, tuition assistance, classroom desks and projec-tors, and facility renovations.

“I’m amazed and grateful for the generosity shown by the Moeller Family,” saidPrincipal Blane Collison,” especially given our current economy.”

Auctioneer Lance Walker agrees that Moeller “beat the odds” in this economicslowdown. “That’s a huge amount,” he said, “but it’s also the quality of the eveningthat counts. Yours has an elegance and pizzazz. I travel all around the country

doing these events, and I do a lot for private schools. Yours is one of the best.”Collison attributes the auction’s success to the leadership of the event’sdirector, Debbie Geiger. “Debbie has

an extraordinary understanding ofwhat we’re trying to accomplish

with this event,” he said. “Thisisn’t just a fundraiser — it’s away for the Moeller communityto come together to celebratethe school and to support acause we all believe in. It’s away to build relationships and

connections in the spirit of ourMarianist principles. Her enthusi-

asm and energy inspires so manydiverse members of the Moeller

Family to get involved — from parents tostudents to faculty & staff to alumni — she

engages and embraces them all in a meaningfulway. Debbie has a way of bringing out the bestin others and allowing them to share their gifts.

“The MainEvent was a lotof fun, and itfelt great toraise moneyfor the school,”—Mark Nugent ’09, one of the

many student volunteers.

Moeller students had fun dressed as jockeyswhile they volunteered their time to theMain Event.

A Record Finish

Pictured above: Moeller mom Sue Leyman accepts a rose fromsenior Troy Stehlin during the Live Auction Romance Package.

Pictured to left: Guests David and Stacey Fuller. Stacey won theHat Contest.

PIctured to left: Ted Catino ’79 helps support Moellerwith his top bid for graduation seats.

MOELLER • 19

Derby Main Event a Winner

DERBY GRAND PRIZE WINNERS$9K Tuition Raffle WinnersKeith & Kim McCluskey

Key Club Winners(Diamond Necklace & Earrings fromWelling Jewelers)Tom & Char McGill

Car in the Live Auction WinnersPaul Clermont & Lisa Wolf

$36,700 Education EnhancementFund Winners and $263,000 NetProfit WinnersMoeller Students!

Grand Raffle Kentucky Derby TripBobby Henderson

HOUSE CAPTAIN AWARDSDonation AwardQuiroga House Captains Curt & Linda CurranTom & Liz Knipper

Participation AwardZaragoza House Captains Mike & Karen HaggertyDean & Jill Yates

Spirit AwardEveslage House Captains Bob & Judy Schmitt

Leadership AwardPillar House Captains Jim & Cathy HolmesPatrick & Laurie Joyce

Achievement AwardZehler House Captains Scott & Laura Williams Chris & Mary Morrison

Sponsorship AwardTrinity House Captains Dave & Peggy Schlueter

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONBeyond the Call of Duty AwardBetsy Morgan, Curt Curran, & Dean Yates

Win

ner’s

Circl

eFor an entire year, Debbie has put herheart and soul into every aspect of thisendeavor…and it shows.”

Geiger, on the other hand, attributesthe event’s success to the experienceand expertise of her massive army ofsupport. “Our volunteers have beenincredible,” she said. “Patty Wilken, myadministrative assistant, was invaluable.We couldn’t pull this off without herdedication. Carl and Barbara Reisen

(Honorary Chairs) worked tirelessly, andthe parent House Captains, ExecutiveBoard, and committee chairs reallystepped up and worked like a team.Also, the longevity and efficiency of ourvolunteer staff made everything easier.Almost everyone had two to four yearsof experience, and it showed from setup to shut down. Altogether, it was agreat example of the Moeller Spirit inaction.”M

I20 • SPRING/SUMMER 2008

Field of DreamsBecomes

by Barry Borman ’64,

Athletic Director

IN EARLY APRIL a former Moeller footballcoach of over 25 years who now lives inFlorida was visiting his family in Cincinnatiand decided to stop by to see the new fields.As he stood looking out at the fields, a tearbegan to stream down his cheek. The GerryFaust Athletic Complex is the fulfillment of adream of almost every coach who has evercoached his team on the back fields or track.It is as if all the hard work, sweat and painthat were spent over the past 48 years by ourcoaches and players have built these fields. Idon’t know if fields can embody a spirit, butthere have been several people already whohave expressed that they feel the traditionand the spirit of the past when they are on

the fields. How great would it be if everyfuture Crusader who plays on those fieldscould be inspired by that spirit.

Teachers and coaches are hailing the com-pletion of Moeller’s back field project. “I can-not possibly express how thankful I am tonow have a facility where our track and fieldathletes can work out every day in conditionsthat will provide them even more opportunityto continue to be one of the best programs inthe city,” said Kevin Kohls, head varsity trackand field coach. “We now have a facilitywhere we can practice immediately afterschool... We are able to walk out our backdoor and onto the track any day of the week,which gives us great flexibility for ALL of our

The DeTemple brothers (from left, Tommy ’07, John ’05, and Willie

’03) check out the progress of Moeller’s “field of dreams” while they

were home during Thanksgiving last fall.

MOELLER • 21

RealityDrive behind Moeller and the firstthing that will catch your eye is abright yellow goal post, a look that isquite different than the original metalstandard. But walking up the stepsand through the gates, more colorsabound — the brilliant green turfsurface of two playing fields, thewhite stripes outlining the competitionareas, and the vivid blue and gold ofthe Moeller “M.” The finest highschool athletic program in the nationnow has a facility that matches itsreputation. Its use is underway, sotake a look!

Dedication Ceremonyof New FacilitiesYou are cordially invited to attend theformal dedication of the Gerry FaustAthletic Complex and the Dr. EdKremchek Training Facility onSaturday, August 9, 2 PM, 2008.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:10:00 AM – Moeller vs. Oak Hills

JV Football Scrimmage

12:00 PM – Moeller vs. Oaks HillsVarsity Football Scrimmage& Moeller vs. OpponentVarsity Soccer Scrimmage

2:00 PM – Official Dedication of the Gerry Faust AthleticComplex & the Dr. EdKremchek Training Facility

3:00 PM – Football Meet the Team

athletes: sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, throwers and distance runners.”

Mike Cameron, PE teacher and formerhead varsity baseball coach, lauds the educa-tional and safety benefits to the students:“No more cancellations of activities becauseof wet muddy fields. We now have a playingsurface that will reduce the risk of injury, andfields that will always be properly lined andmarked,” he said. “The new fields and trackwill also serve as motivator for the studentsto participate in physical education sportsand activities.”

Tim Held, head varsity baseball coach,believes the fields have already given his pro-gram an advantage. “There have been numer-

ous times this spring where all the baseballfields in the area have been too wet to practice on, but because of our turf surfacewe have been able to go outside and have afull infield and outfield to work on,” he said.“I feel the program is ahead of where it hasbeen in the past because of all the extra workwe have been able to get in by utilizing theback fields.”

Lacrosse and soccer are reaping the samebenefits, and our youth sports camps will putthese fields to good use all summer as well.This project greatly enhances the MoellerAthletic Tradition for our current and future Men of Moeller, and we are alreadyexperiencing the results. M

Gerry FaustATHLETICComplex

THE

LET’S FACE IT… “Cincinnati Moeller” is arguably the most well-known high schoolin the country. That is quite an accomplishment, given the fact we are not even 50

years old as an institution. And we got that recognitionafter only 15 or so years of being in existence. Sure,football got us on the national map, but it was the dedi-cation, commitment to excellence, and the belief in theMarianist philosophy of education of all the people backin 1960 — faculty and staff, parents, and students —who laid the foundation for that success to happen. Notonly the success and recognition that came in 1975, butthe success and recognition we enjoy today.

In 1975, football gave us a reason to come togetheras a school and develop a sense of family pride for

what we accomplished. Today, we have even more reasons to be proud. From greatacademics, pastoral ministry programs, and technology initiatives to success in allsports, Moeller is even more worthy of being the most well-known high school in thecountry, especially as we remain true to our mission as an inclusive Catholic schoolin the Marianist tradition.

So, as we look toward 2010, we do it with a tremendous sense of pride.Regardless if you are an alum, parent, student, faculty or staff member, be dedicated, commit to excellence for Moeller, and believe in the Marianist philosophyof education. Be a part of laying the foundation for the next 50 years of success. It will not be without its challenges — we still have capital improvements that needto be funded, and we have to keep tuition reasonable for all families and have assistance available for those who can’t afford a Moeller education — but witheveryone’s help, those challenges can be overcome. And when they are, you’ll beeven more proud of Moeller, because you played a role in making it happen.

I informed Blane that I will not be renewing my contract next year, so I can refocus my attention on my executive search and consulting business. Looking backto when I was a student here, I wish I would have made more of a conscious effortto leave Moeller a better place. Over the past several years, because of your supportand passion for the school, Moeller iiss a better place for our sons, and I thank youfrom the bottom of my heart for all you have done, and for what I know you willcontinue to do, for “Cincinnati Moeller.”

Onward go, Crusaders!

Chris Albrecht ’77, Director of Development

crusaderconnection

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3RDAlumni Tailgate Party and Football Game

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4THGolf Outing, Mass, & Reunion

WE MEN OFMOELLERHIGH,Crusaders tillwe die…Profound wordsand a reminderthat still today,we are all partof Moeller HighSchool.

Over time, things have changed, and many of you have impacted thesechanges through your time, talents, andtreasure. I thank you and encourage yourcontinued support.

Great things are happening at Moeller,and the Moeller Men’s Club (MMC) is an active part. I invite you all to be part of the MMC. Your participation is welcomed. MMC activities occurthroughout the year. Look for the upcoming summer and fall events on ourwebsite (www.Moeller.org). Come join us.It is never too late to get involved!

God Bless,

Robert G. Winterman ’80Men’s Club President

P.S. Our next reunion will be October 3-4.Call Ginny Bauer, Associate DevelopmentDirector, for more details (791-1680, ext. 1300).

From the Alumni President


Classes of 68, 73, 78, 83,88, 93, 98, 03

MOELLER 2008 REUNION WEEKEND

October 3 & 4

MOELLER • 23

Moeller’s 2008 Hall of Fame

crusaderconnection

ON WEDNESDAY, February 20, well over 500 Men of Moellerenjoyed a “Guy’s Night Out” at the Annual Sports Stag. Theevening began with a cocktail reception in the Activities Centerand moved into the new gym for dinner. The program started witha tribute to the late Harry Oliver ’78, who passed away in August,2007 after a courageous battle with cancer. Although known for hislast second, game-winning 51 yard field goal in the Notre Dame —Michigan game in 1980, Harry was a true Man of Moeller — a mandeeply rooted in his family and his faith. Harry received a standingovation after a video replay was shown of “the kick.”

To show what kind of programs benefit from the proceeds generated from Men’s Club events, another video was shown thatrecently aired on Fox19’s Teen Driver Safety segment concerningthe “Buckle Up for Bessey” keychain program. Events like the Stagnot only support and impact the school, but hopefully will impactthe lives of our young men.

After the Hall of Fame Class of 2008 was introduced, Master ofCeremonies Dan Ledford took control of the evening and entertained the crowd, using his dry wit to turn the Staginto a Moeller version of the old “Friar’s Club Roast.” The Men’s Club, Basketball Coach Carl Kremer, and of course,our speakers, were not left unscathed.

Our Guest Speaker, former Bengal and current network broadcaster and Moeller dad, Solomon Wilcots, did aremarkable job tying in the issues troubling pro sports today with the positive influence Moeller has on the develop-ment of young men. Solly was genuine in his praise for Moeller and how much he and his son are enjoying theirMoeller experience.

Brian Kelly, Head Football Coach of the U.C. Bearcats, picked up where Solomon left off by explaining what theyare trying to establish in terms of the direction of the football program and what he looks for in a recruit — and thatMoeller is a great place to find those student athletes.

Thanks go to Ginny Bauer, Chris Anne Gaier, Joe Hodge, Phil Kreiner, and all the Men’s Club volunteers whomade the evening a success.

Moeller’s 2008 Stag

THE MEN’S CLUB INDUCTED the alumni pictured above into Moeller’s Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place inFebruary at a luncheon at Montgomery Inn.

In addition, Mike Habegger ’88 received a new award: The Moeller Student Service Award. During his four years atMoeller, Habeggar served his classmates and fellow students as a student manager in three sports — never taking a seasonoff — and he continues to be a tremendous supporter of Moeller athletics to this day. The Men’s Club will continue to includethis new award in their Hall of Fame presentations. The award will recognize former student managers who put forth thesame dedication and effort demonstrated by Mike Habegger.

Pictured above: FeaturedSpeaker Brian Kelly.

KEN HANSEN ’72Wrestling &Football

RICK BELL ’97Baseball &Basketball

PAT KENNEDY ’97Lacrosse

GREG ULLAND ’97Volleyball

MARCUS BLANKS ’01Football &Wrestling

MATTSYLVESTER ’01Basketball

By Chris Albrecht ’77, Director of Development

1960sLawrence Michael Heglin (’64)

received a BS from the Universityof Dayton and an MBA fromXavier University. He currentlylives in Florida with his wife,Suzanne (Hatcher), after spendingtime in California and Michigan.The couple recently celebratedtheir 39th wedding [email protected]

Don Apking (’68) is self-employed as a consultant forWater & Wastewater Industry andworks with government regula-tions and registrations (USPEAand FDA). He and his wife, Julie,married in 1980 and had a son,Brad, a year later. Brad graduatedfrom Auburn University in 2003and married Sarah in 2006. [email protected]

1970sArnie Engle (’73) recentlyran for Ohio House 54thdistrict and lost, but he said he will considerrunning again in 2010. He currently serves on the Fairfield Board ofEducation and is up for re-election next year. Engleand his wife, Susan, have a son, Josh, and live inFairfield. [email protected] (See picture above.)

Jay Rains (’74) was named the2007 Community Champion bythe Hall of Champions for hiswork to bring the 2008 US Opento Torrey Pines. Rains is a partnerfor DLA Piper. His focus is corpo-rate finance, venture capital,strategic partnering,

SEC registered public offerings,mergers, and acquisitions.

Paul Keels (’75) recently wasnamed the Ohio Sportscasters of 2007 by the NationalSportscasters and SportswritersAssociation.

Steve Melink (’76), founder andpresident of Melink Corp., ownsthe first building in Ohio that hasbecome a showpiece for energyefficiency. The building achieved agold certification under the USGreen Building Council’sLeadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design. Utilitycosts for the building are about 67cents per square foot, while thenational average is approximatelytwo dollars. He has also

developed a prototype for “solarpower in an hour” in hopes ofproviding the consumer with asolar power option.

Dan Neyer (’77) was featured inCincinnati.com’s BusinessTipsheet on December 14, 2007. It touted the growth of NeyerProperties as being “far fromdone.” One of his firm’s manydevelopments is Keystone Parkein Evanston.

Kevin McCarthy (’78) graduatedfrom the US Naval Academy andreceived his commission as anEnsign in 1982. He graduated fromflight school in 1984 and spent the next 16 years flying off Navyaircraft carriers deployed to theAtlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific,and Persian Gulf. From 1998-2000

he commanded a squadron on theUSS Abraham Lincoln deployed tothe Pacific and Persian Gulf, andhe spent four months during thattime flying over Iraq. From 2000-2004 McCarthy worked with Navystaff in the Pentagon. His officewas destroyed during the 9/11attack on the Pentagon. Since2004 he’s been running theDepartment of DefenseAntiterrorism Programs deployingantiterrorism teams around theworld. He is retiring from theNavy this year and is going towork for the Department ofHomeland Security running simi-lar antiterrorism programs. He andhis wife, Pam, married in 1989,and they have three girls: Jessica,Katelyn, and [email protected]

tracking

Wendy Ungard and Scott

Ostholthoff (’92), daughter, Elle, 2/15/08.

Colleen and John Bodin (’96),daughter, Winifred Mae, November30, 2007. (Photo)

Elizabeth and Erick Geers (’98),son, Sean Michael, 8/25/07.

bir ths

Moellerextends itsbest wishes tothe followinggraduates and faculty whohave/will “tie the knot”:


Rebekah and Andy Groeber

(’98) married in August 2006. (See picture to left.)

Amanda Hughes and Mark

Chalifoux (’03) will marry May 16,2009, in Cincinnati, OH.

weddings

Congratulations to the following couples:

Dino Richardson (’78)attended college at LakeForest, IL, then pursued abusiness degree at SanDiego State University.He has been an on-air DJ and radio announceron three stations in twodifferent markets and iscurrently the marketingmanager with the USDepartment of Defense.He and his wife, Susan,have two sons (Jordanand Parker) and are sending them to Catholicschool, “so they can getthe same educationalbenefits I received,” hesays. [email protected] (See picture to left.)

Tom Schroeder (’78) owns TrinityPrinting Co., started in 1995. Hehas been married to Patty for 18years, and they have two children:Jay (16) and Julia (13). [email protected]

1980sLarry Kuhlman (’81), co-owner ofBramkamp Printing Co. Inc., hasrelocated his business to BlueAsh. The move allows Bramkampto triple its size and continue togrow and explore additionalopportunities in the printingindustry. He and his wife, Karen,have three children and live inLoveland.

Bob Browning (’83)received a bachelor’sdegree in music from CCMand a master’s degree inorchestral conducting fromJames Madison University.Browning taught inIndiana and Tennesseebefore returning toMoeller in 1994 to leadhis alma mater’s bandprograms. In 2002 hewas listed in Who’s WhoAmong America’s Teachers.Browning has two children:Ashley (8) and Elizabeth(6). (See picture to right.)

Doug Giebel (’83) graduatedfrom Miami University in ’87 and moved to Cleveland in ’93.He currently works for HBMArchitects, LLC, and is a registeredarchitect designing publiclibraries. He married Eva Vitale in 1996, and they have two boys,Dominic and Anthony. The familylives in Lakewood, OH, and Giebel coaches his sons’ football,baseball, and basketball teams.

Larry A. Ray (’83) remarried lastMarch and currently lives inSykesville, MD, with his wife,Priscilla, and their children:Nathen Ray (18), Lindsey Ray(16), Justice Guthrie (13), andMackenzie Guthrie (11). He spent12 years (1987-1998) in the US AirForce doing satellite signals analy-sis at the National SecurityAgency (NSA) in Ft. Meade, MD,and Misawa Air Force Base inNorthern Japan. Ray providedsupport for the war in Iraq. Healso played on three militaryworld championship softballteams and was named MostValuable Player twice. For the last10 years he has been working as asoftware test engineer for the CIAand NSA in [email protected]

James Steele(’83) earned amaster’s degreeand is executivedirector ofHalom House,Inc. He says heis “still rockingand rolling”every weekend

with his new band TheVibe (www.vibeband.com),which features threeother Moe grads. He andhis wife, Christine, havefour children: Kelcey,Cassidy, Cian, and [email protected] (See picture above.)

Steve Ventre (’83) graduatedfrom Wittenberg in 1987 with abachelor’s degree in history andeconomics, then attended lawschool for one year before he realized that “neither the law nor additional school held muchinterest,” he says. SoVentre returnedhome and land-ed a job atCincinnatiFinancial Corpwhere he isdirector of proj-ect managementand just celebratedhis 20th employment anniversary.In his spare time, Ventre serves onhis fraternity alumni board, playsgolf, and spends time with familyand friends. He has been marriedto Kathy for 18 years, and theyhave three children: Corinne (15),Anna (12), and Joe (9). They areparishioners at St. Margaret ofYork in [email protected]

John Hartman (’84) was featuredin the 2008 Super Bowl Pepsicommercial. (He was the onecarrying the large flat screen TV.)

Bob Puthoff (’85) is a profession-al storyteller and voice actor inthe Cincinnati area. He is selfemployed as Bob the Voice Actor(www.bobthevoiceactor.com) andis married to Sangeete [email protected]

Nicholas Dopp (’87) is a clinicalapplications manager with theCleveland Clinic Foundation anda captain with the Ohio ArmyNational Guard (19 years). He andhis wife, Emily, have two children:Nicole (3) and Louis (1)[email protected]

Timothy O’Brien (’87) is a part-ner in the creation of E-velocity,which specializes in expert inte-gration services for Cisco Systems.The company works in partner-ship to configure and service net-working communication systems.New technology makes it possiblefor companies to use their computer system to link distantoffices. The company is listed byInc. magazine as number 563 onits list of the 5,000 fastest-growingindependent companies in the US.

Jeffrey Pawlow (’87)received his bachelor’sdegree in business adminis-tration from Creighton

University. In 1999 heformed The Growth

Partnership Inc., andit has grown to bethe only full-service,multidisciplinaryconsulting firm serv-

ing the accountingprofession. He currently

is the chief executive offi-cer and managing share-holder of the company, andhe was recognized as oneof Accounting Today’s Top100 Most Influential Peoplein the accounting profes-sion. Pawlow is the secondyoungest member of thisprestigious group. He hasbeen named one of InsidePublic Accounting’s “Most RecommendedConsultants” since 2004.Pawlow coaches youthbaseball, manages youthhockey, and is involved atSt. Teresa Catholic Church.He and his wife have fourchildren and reside inSwansea, IL. (See picture above.)

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MOELLER • 25

trackingGreg Huntington (’88) earned aneconomics degree and played col-lege football at Penn State (achildhood dream) with Moellerclassmate Bill Spoor. Huntingtonwas drafted by the WashingtonRedskins in the 5th round of the1993 draft and played six seasonsin the NFL with three differentteams (1993-1999): Redskins,Jaguars, and Bears. During thattime, he fulfilled a childhooddream of playing with the Steelersin their training camp. In 2000, hewent into full-time Christian min-istry, and a year later he marriedTara. They had their first child,Phoebe, in 2002 and their secondchild, Kate, in 2007. Currently,Huntington is pursuing a master’sdegree from Fuller TheologicalSeminary. The family lives inTallahassee, FL. [email protected]

Andy Kamp (’88) earned an A.A.in communications from theUniversity of Cincinnati, thenworked for various companies as aDJ and voice-over specialist. (Hestill freelances from time to time.)Now Kamp works with GSICommerce Solutions in Richwood,KY, the world’s largest Internet-based order fulfillment company,where he manages outboundoperations. He lives in Erlanger,KY, with his fiancée, Tracy, andtheir five children: Ciara (14),Taylor (10), Delaney (9), Cody (7),and Brianna (6).

Robert Medl (’88) attended theUniversity of Dayton from 1984-1988, then went to BinghamtonUniversity in Binghamton, NY, fora master’s degree in cognitive psy-chology. During that time, hebegan interning at IBM in SanJose, CA, and was hired in 1992 as a human factors engineer. Hestayed at IBM through 2000 andworked on a variety of softwareproducts. One of the data miningproducts that he worked on yield-ed four US patents on which hewas the primary inventor. In 2000,he left IBM and joined eGain inSunnyvale, CA, as senior usabilityengineer responsible for theusability of the company’s entiresoftware portfolio. In 2005, hejoined Microsoft in Redmond, WA,and stayed there until 2007, when he relocated to the GreaterCincinnati area to be closer to his family. Currently he is selfemployed as the owner of theOnline Casino GamblingDirectory, a website dedicated to providing information aboutonline [email protected]

Jeff S. Vollmer (’88) works forSmith Barney as a financial advi-sor. He and his wife, Tiffany, havetwo children: Jake (4) and Max (8months). [email protected]

Daniel JamesWilliamson (’88) works

for Ohio NationalFinancial Services as

a BOLI proposaland administra-tion technician.He marriedBrenda Lee,and they havetwo boys:Daniel James Jr.

(4) and RyanRobert (1). He

says that he is“enjoying life on the

farm, peaceful andquiet, except for the twowonderful boys.”[email protected] (See picture to left.)

1990sPete Rhoda (’90) is the develop-ment director for the CommunityFoundation of Bloomington &Monroe Company. He and hiswife, Jennifer, live in Bloomington,IN, and they had a baby boy inMay.

Greg Schnittger ('92)graduated from theUniversity of Dayton in1997 and works as a project engineer forMotoman, Inc. in Dayton.Last May he marriedJanet, a graduate of theUniversity of Marylandwho is currently studyinggraphic design at SinclairCollege. They live inOakwood, OH.(See picture above.)

JD Heilmann (‘93) works forXavier University as a recruitingcoordinator/assistant coach andlives in Batavia with his wife,Raegene, and their two children:Dax and [email protected]

Daniel Paul Gallagher (’94) is agraduate of The Ohio StateUniversity and the Christ HospitalSchool of Nursing. He works as aregistered nurse at Christ Hospitaland is attending the University ofCincinnati. Gallagher married AnnMarie Sherman in May 2008.

Justin Molloy (’96)received a master’sdegree in architecturefrom Columbia Universityin 2003. Four years later,he and his wife Rachelstarted HYALINE LLC, a boutique design andtechnology studio thatspecializes in motion,Web, & identity design,and technology, strategy, & processconsulting. Thecouple marriedin December2005 on theisland ofOahu, Hawaii(Rachel’shometown),and recentlyrelocated toCincinnati afterliving in Seattleand New York [email protected](See picture above.)

Andrew Hueber (’97) is a gradu-ate of Ohio University with adegree in international businessand communications. He is cur-rently building custom homes inthe Cincinnati area as vice presi-dent of John Hueber Homes. Heand his brother Marc (MoellerClass of ’99) are currently on theforefront of the green/sustainablehome building movement inCincinnati, achieving LEED forHomes SILVER designation fortheir Hyde Park infill projects.

Andy Groeber (’98) is a 2005 graduate of Wright StateUniversity and currently works forAmerican Honda Motor Companyas a national accounts coordinatorfor the Power Equipment Division.He and his wife, Rebekah, are living in Atlanta and expectingtheir first child. [email protected]

Michael Kaiser (’98) is selfemployed as partner/owner inKaiser Siding & Roofing [email protected]


Sean Scallar (’98) graduated fromIndiana University and spent thenext five years living in Bostonmanaging food and beverageoperations for Marriott. Herecently moved to Charlotte, NC,to take a sales role for [email protected]

Dan Shannon (’98) grad-uated from the Culinary

Institute of America,Hyde Park, NY,

in 2006. He cur-rently works asgarde mangéunder thedirection ofDan Barber,owner/chefof Blue Hillat Stone Barn

restaurant inSleepy Hollow,

NY. Blue Hill isranked #15 as a

must-eat restaurant in North America andEurope and ranked #38 inthe Top 1000 Things ToDo Before You Die book.In the kitchen, Shannon’sjob includes prepping allthe vegetables and creat-ing sauces and stocks. His job on the propertyincludes gathering pro-duce from the 22,000 sq.ft. greenhouse as well as raising the livestock(lamb, pigs, chickens)used by the restaurant.(See picture below.)

Michael Currin (’99) graduatedfrom the University of Daytonwith a degree in finance andaccounting and is working on anMBA from Xavier University. Hecurrently is a finance manager atLuxottica Group. Currin isengaged to Michelle Schindler,and they have planned aNovember 8 wedding.

2000sTony Buyniski (’00) received hismaster’s in education with a focusin guidance and counseling inJanuary 2007. He currently workswith the University of Illinois foot-ball team as an assistant videocoordinator.

Dave Candy (’02) graduated fromthe University of Pittsburgh inApril with a doctorate in physicaltherapy and is now working atGood Samaritan Hospital inDayton. He was the ban-tamweight class winner at the2007 NPC National BodybuildingChampionships, thus earning IFBBprofessional status. This followeda 2nd place finish at the 2007 USAChampionships, a 3rd place finishin the lightweight class at the2006 Nationals, and a 2nd placefinish in the bantamweight classat the 2005 Nationals. He isengaged to Alison Vernon, andthey plan a December 6 weddingin St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Mark Chalifoux (’03) graduatedfrom Ohio University’s ScrippsHoward School of Journalism andhas been working at TheCommunity Press since lastAugust after turning down a job

at the ArizonaDaily-Star (as anonline produc-er). He is also atalk show pro-ducer for ClearChannel (1530and 700 WLW)and writes NFLgame blogs for

Sportsillustrated.com. Chalifouxkeeps up his sports column forThe Athens News and has donefreelance work for espn.com,si.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer,The Baltimore Sun, and The Athens [email protected]

Greg Kelly (’03) played two yearsNCAA DI volleyball at St. FrancisUniversity, then coached twoyears. He returned to his almamater in the fall of 2007 and is amember of Moeller’s EnglishDepartment. [email protected]

Michael E. Ranochak(’03) attended theMaryland InstituteCollege of Art and stud-ied graphic design.During that time he par-ticipated in a three-weekstudy abroad course atthe Osaka University ofArts and The KoreanNational University ofArts. While in Japan he

wasawardedthe TashiTownCulturalAward by themayor of TashiTown forhis

exemplary work on acommunity service proj-ect. Ranochak earned hisbachelor’s degree inthree-and-a-half years,and he obtained a job asa designer before gradua-tion working for his cur-rent employer, TrahanBurden Charles (TBC), anadvertising agency andpublic relations firm.Some of his designaccounts include SmartBalance, Yellow Book,Consumer ElectronicsShow (CES), GaylordHotels, Singapore Tourism,and Maryland [email protected]

Mike Belza (’04) receivedtwo awards from theFarmer School of Businessat Miami UniversityHonors Day ceremony:the J. Belden DennisonAward (presented by faculty to recognize outstanding scholasticachievement) and theDelta Gamma Pi Award(given to the senior withthe highest GPA in theFarmer School ofBusiness). He will bereceiving summa cumlaude honors at MiamiUniversity’s 2008 com-mencement ceremony.(See picture above.)

Matt Krill (’04) is the communityservice chairman for Phi DeltaTheta at Ashland University. Hisfraternity was recently honored byAPPHA (the advocate of not-for-profit services for older Ohioans)with the Volunteer Service GroupAward for exemplary service,commitment, and positive promotion of older Ohioans and those serving them.

Gary Motz (’04) & Matt Meyer

(’04) became lay Marianists in a ceremony at the ImmaculateConception Chapel at theUniversity of Dayton. They arepart of a group of 17 studentswho have formed a new commu-nity named “the Embers.” Both

tracking

MOELLER • 27

Dan Shannon is pictured (from left) with hisAunt Margaret, his mother Lily, and his fatherDan (who is the Pillar House Dean and a biol-ogy teacher at Moeller).


Motz and Meyer completed asemester of formal formation thatincluded meeting for two hourseach week, listening to a varietyof Marianists, discussing books onthe founders, reading documentsfrom the international Marianistlay communities, building commu-nity with one another, and attend-ing a retreat. An integral part of the formation was time spentwith two vowed religious and one of the Marianist educationalassociates.

Tony Rudd (’04) is study-ing engineering at TheOhio State University andmarching in the band.After four years on thesousaphone (tuba) line,he had enough seniorityto “dot the I.” (See picture to right.)

Justin D. Barton ('05) is stationed in Camp Casey, SouthKorea, with the US Army ArmoredCalvary, 2nd Infantry Division. His job is a 19 Kilo, and he oper-ates the M1A1 Abrams battletank. Barton hopes to return tothe states next summer, but he’d love to receive e-mail fromhis fellow alums. [email protected]

Cris Reisert (’05) led the OhioDominicans to their first playoffgame victory in school history(Nov. 2007) and was named theNAIA Offensive Player of theGame.

Willy Balbach (’06) made theUniversity of Dayton baseballteam (fall 2007) as a pitcher. He ismajoring in mathematics and com-puter science, has remained onthe Dean’s List, and was recentlyinducted as a member of Pi MuEpsilon, a national mathematicshonor society.

Kyle Fabel (’07) was honoredwith the Chuck Pennoni DrexelAthletic Recruit of the Year schol-arship. As a Drexel Universityfreshman, he was placed in thevarsity rowing boat, and he contin-ues to hold a spot there. At the2007 Junior Nationals, Fabel’sgroup placed 8th. They also wentto England to row in the Royal

Henley, Marlowe, and Readingregattas.

Germaine Lindsey (’07), an OhioUniversity freshman, qualified for the NCAA ChampionshipTournament at the MACConference Championships heldat Kent State University. Lindseytook 3rd place, becoming the

second Moeller grappler to makethe national tournament this year.

We apologize for any omissions. If there is anyone who has passedaway or who needs to be remem-bered in our next issue of Moeller Magazine, please contact GinnyBauer, (513) 791-1680, ext.1300, or e-mail [email protected].

reunions

Ballman, Michael ’68Bley, Jeffrey Sr. ’67Brewer, William (past faculty)Brown, Daniel L. ’65Budde, NicoleBurns, Michael R. ’72Campbell, BrianChalifoux, Margaret WintersChristie, TheresaCox, JohnCrable, PatCullinane, JohnDaumeyer, Joe ’80Delgado, Celia Villalpando deDidinger, GaryDonnelly, Julia AnnFolchi, AdeloGates, Ann Schmidt

Grammel, LeonardGross, James ’76Guadalupe, CeliaHarrison, WarrenHerrlinger, Sally Holtel, GlenHuwel, Charlotte G.Johns, TimKagy, DonaldKoegel, Chris ’67Lawler, JimLobert, LouisMeyer, Glenn Morgan, David John ’86Schehr, Mark ’78Smith, Margaret FayWhite, Wilbur Williams, Mario

We express our condolences anddeepest sympathies to the familiesand friends of these and othermembers of the Moeller Familywho have passed on:

The Fall of 2008 reunionwill be for the:

Class of 2003-5 YearClass of 1998-10 YearClass of 1993-15 YearClass of 1988-20 YearClass of 1983-25 YearClass of 1978-30 YearClass of 1973-35 YearClass of 1968-40 Year

Please call or e-mail andupdate your information(i.e., current news, spe-cial events or activitiesand honors), so you don’tmiss out on any reunionmailing! Please contactGinny Bauer, (513) 791-1680, ext. 1300, or [email protected].

in memoriam

MOELLER NAMED former Roger Bacon Head Coach John Rodenberg as the school’s newhead football coach at a press conference (last December). He comes to Moeller afterone season at Roger Bacon and stops at Covington Catholic and McNicholas. Rodenberg is the fifth football coach in program history.

“We conducted an extensive search and looked at successful coaches in Ohio andbeyond,” Moeller Athletic Director Barry Borman said. “John was a guy who was just agreat fit for us. He’s a man of great faith; he’s a good family man, an outstanding foot-ball man, just a great fit for Moeller.”

Rodenberg coached at McNicholas High School for 11 years before taking a headcoaching position at Covington Catholic. He coached there for two seasons and his

team won the Kentucky state championship in 2006. He then spent one year as theRoger Bacon head coach where his team went 2-8. “I’m very excited to be stand-

ing here as the new head coach,” Rodenberg said. “We're going to keep thingshow Moeller wants them, with a commitment to faith and excellence… It’s a

great fit for what I believe in. It’s a chance to compete at the highest levelof high school football in Ohio. Certainly, the tradition catches you, sothere’s a lot of pressure there, but I'm excited for the challenge.”

Rodenberg replaces Bob Crable as the head coach. Crable, a Moelleralumnus, went 48-30 in his seven seasons as head coach. Moellerannounced in November that Crable's contract would not be renewed.Rodenberg will begin teaching at Moeller next year as aphysical education and health teacher.

Story and photo reprinted with permission of The Community Press.Reporter and photographer Mark Chalifoux (pictured to right) is a2003 Moeller alum and a 2007 graduate of Ohio University’sScripps Howard School of Journalism.

2008 ARCHBISHOP MOELLER FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DATE LEVEL OPPONENT/LOCATION TIME

Sat, Aug 23 V Princeton in Crosstown Showdown 8:15 PM

Sun, Aug 31 V Montgomery Bell (Tenn) @ Paul Brown 3:00 PM

Sat, Sept 6 V Centerville @ U.C. Nippert 7:30 PM

Sat, Sept 13 V Findlay @ U.C. Nippert 7:00 PM

Sat, Sept 20 V Mentor @ Mentor 2:00 PM

Fri, Sept 26 V LaSalle @ LaSalle 7:30 PM

Fri, Oct 3 V Elder @ U.C. Nippert 7:30 PM

Fri, Oct 10 V Cathedral Prep @ U.C. Nippert 7:30PM

Sat, Oct 18 V St. Edward @ U.C. Nippert 7:00 PM

Fri, Oct 24 V St. Xavier @ St. Xavier 7:30 PM

Check Moeller’s website for details on all of Moeller’s athleticevents (including Mapquest directions): www.Moeller.org(see “Athletics/Band” tab, then click “Athletic Calendar”).

Rodenberg New Head Football CoachBY MARK CHALIFOUX | [email protected]

PHO

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NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDCINCINNATI, OHIO

Permit No. 9931

M ELLERArchbishop Moeller High School

9001 Montgomery Road

Cincinnati, OH 45242-7780

FOR THE FIRST SEASON in 40 years, the Moeller baseball team will take the fieldwith a new coach. Longtime coach Mike Cameron retired after last season andone of his assistants, Tim Held, was tabbed to replace him. “Mike was one of thefounding figures of our school,” said Moeller Athletic Director Barry Borman.“He was just a legacy of his own... Mike brought tradition and stability and aconsistency year after year.”

A varsity assistant coach for six years under Cameron, Held said keepingMoeller's tradition alive is important to him. “Just seeing all the names in recordbooks of great players that have been here, they are going to wonder if I cankeep the Moeller baseball tradition alive and continue to grow it,” he said.

Growing the program is one of Held's goals as he tries to model the baseball program off of the successful basketball program at Moeller. “I want to take it to a national level where people are talking about it and I want us to get to the point where we can be ranked top 10nationally,” Held said.

Cameron feels confident that Held can take the program to the next level. He said Held “knows the jobinside and out” and that he had the ability to bring outthe best in the players. “I think he's ready for the job,and I think he's going to build on the tradition and legacy we have here,” Cameron said.

Story and photo reprinted with permission of TheCommunity Press. Reporter and photographerMark Chalifoux is a 2003 Moeller alum and a 2007graduate of Ohio University’s Scripps Howard

School of Journalism.

Baseball CoachV I S I O N

‘Build a Top 10 National Program’BY MARK CHALIFOUX | [email protected]

NEW

PHOTO BY MARK CHALIFOUX

Documents

Moeller Windows - Spring/Summer 2008