Ms. Jennifer Tesoro '96 — jtesoro@smamb.ca

Mrs. Michelle Klus — mklus@smamb.ca

Mrs. Carol-Ann Swayzie (van Es ’80) — caswayzie@smamb.ca

Mrs. Joanne Steeves (Weight ’89) — jsteeves@smamb.ca

Our theme this school year is, Whose Voice Am I Listening To? At the beginning of the year and throughout the year we asked all of the students and staff to ponder this question. We challenged them to; think about how they hear God in a world that is full of distractions, consider how they make decisions and contemplate how they listen to each other. We also encouraged them to consider how they can open their hearts and minds. For some of us, the question of, Whose Voice Am I Listening To, is difficult to answer and, often there was not just one voice. Throughout the year, our students expressed the many ways they hear God’s voice in their lives. They shared how they can hear God in music, in scripture and prayer. Students also expressed how they can hear God in nature, in their parents and grandparents and in their friends. Others expressed how difficult it was to hear God’s voice in the world around us. That they really need to block out the negativity around them to be able to focus on the good. For some, our symbol of headphones was a reminder of all the voices that go unheard, and how they hear God’s voice as a call to action to fight for equality for all God’s children. To be the voice for the vulnerable, for those who live on the margins, the ones we are called to be advocates for. In all of these examples we truly learned: “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” Psalm 29

Junior Club L.E.M.O.N (Leaders Embarking on a Mission over Noon). Junior Club is a subsidiary club under the Mission and Charism umbrella. The mission of Junior Club L.E.M.O.N is to build community amongst our grades 7 and 8 students. The club is led by grade 10 students under the guidance of teacher advisor, Mrs. Gina Unger. The club gathered monthly and focussed each meeting on a different theme (for example, February’s focus was Valentine’s Day). Throughout the year students participated in a variety of activities such an SMA Amazing Race, creating greeting cards and a scavenger hunt throughout the school. Thank you to all who participated and led the Club.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the Mission and Charism Core Team and Reps under the guidance and support of co-leaders Anisha Khokhar ‘22 and Cyan Grace Gargol ‘23. These outstanding young people shared their gifts to lead a very inclusive and proactive team and did so with spirit, commitment and faith. We say thank you and farewell to our long-time reps and leaders, Anisha and Colleen McConnell ‘22 who have shared their many gifts and talents with us over the last four years. We pray for many blessings as these students embrace new opportunities at university. I am pleased to share that Cyan will continue in their role as co-leader and will be joined by Serena Soc '24 for the upcoming school year. In the new school year, we focus on our theme, “What do I Believe?”. For nothing is impossible if you believe. 

May we all be blessed this summer as we take time to rest and renew our body, mind and spirit. See you in September! 

For the second year in a row a group of St. Mary’s Academy grade 11 Religion students partnered with Water With Blessings to campaign for clean water in Kenya. This action was inspired by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) calls to action to promote universal access to clean water. The student group of committed young women wanted to create a positive change on the issue of the lack of access to clean water in the world. They wished to contribute to this action for change by raising money to provide water filters for families in Kenya. 

Water With Blessings is an organization that works to provide water filters to communities around the world who do not have access to clean drinking water. It takes $75 USD to sponsor one water woman and to provide clean water to four families in Kenya.

The team, consisting of Elle Wood ’23, Patresea Al-Hadidi ’23, Arabella Quezon ’23, Arianna Quezon ’23, and Nicole Sylvestre ’23, mentored by Kierra Wilfer ’22 and Mrs. Maria Marasco, aspired to raise $1,500 for Water With Blessings.

Throughout the experience, the team put in effort to raise awareness, advertise, and organize the many events they planned to meet their goal. The events that the team organized to raise money included a bake sale, casual day and an incentive called the Teacher Challenges. 

The bake sale involved different clubs who offered to help provide treats for the event. The Spark Newspaper, Yearbook Club, Mission Club, and Green Team all helped provide goodies for the sale. The generosity of the club members resulted in the team’s ability to host the bake sale on two separate dates and were able to raise $250.

The casual day was an immense contributing factor to reaching the fundraising goal. Team members took the opportunity to provide a short presentation to raise awareness of lack of clean drinking water in many Kenyan villages to students when collecting donations. The presentation sparked excitement among the students to donate for casual day. This event raised approximately $950.

The Teacher Challenges were by far the best campaign that took place. Many students watched the challenges take place in our gym. Some of the events that took place included a ghost pepper challenge, caterpillar eating, an eat-it-or-wear-it challenge and a raffle to “pie” a teacher in the face.

With heartfelt appreciation, the team extends a huge thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this a success, including several teachers, school club members for baking, and other volunteers who took the time to advocate the importance of safe drinking water. Most importantly, the team thanks all the students who actively participated and the SMA community who donated to give families in Kenya a future with clean water.

In total the campaign raised $1,561.50 for Water With Blessings. This allows for the purchase of 20 water filters, providing clean water for 80 families. We are blessed with such a caring and giving community.

(left to right) Kierra Wilfer ’22, Nicole Sylvestre ’23, Arianna Quezon ’23, Arabella Quezon ’23, Elle Wood ’23, Patresea Al-Hadidi ’23, Ms. Maria Marasco

Mrs. Sylvia Falconer (Bator ’01) — sfalconer@smamb.ca

The grade 11 chemistry classes used their knowledge of solutions and physical properties to make their own ice cream in the Legacy Rose Garden. Students had a great time putting their knowledge into action and tasting the result, all while enjoying the outdoors and each other’s company.

Mme. Marie Desaulniers — mdesaulniers@smamb.ca, Mme. Chantelle Deslauriers — cdeslauriers@smamb.ca, Mme. Alyssa Dotse — adotse@smamb.ca

Provincial French Speaking Competition

The Provincial French Speaking Competition recently took place virtually and SMA is proud to announce our winners:

Grade 7/8 French Communication & Culture-2nd place Olivia Vigier

Grade 7/8 Late Immersion-1st place: Valeria Villeda

Grade 9/10 French Communication & Culture-2nd place: Chinanuokum Onyiuke

Grade 9/10 French Communication & Culture, Extended-1st place: Jiyoo Noh

Grade 9/10 Late Immersion-2nd place: Abigail Chau

Grade 9/10 Francophone-3rd place: Anne-Charlotte Ponsin

Festival

In March the French Department celebrated Canada’s second official language with all students enrolled in a French or français course participating in week-long Festival events. Hé ho! Each day began with morning prayer said in French and activities over three days included creating a Voyageur tuque, a ceinture fléchée, snow painting, many Voyageurs games, singing en français, playing the spoons and learning how to Jig. And, we did not forget about the food, Academy Bistro served poutine and we enjoyed bannock and jam.

Suggestions for summer fun in French:

• Switch the language or enable subtitles to French on Netflix
• Keep up with Duolingo
• Visit https://ccfm.mb.ca/en/ for French events happening in Winnipeg
• Read or listen to a French book (Winnipeg Public Library on Provencher)
• Go to a restaurant or shop in St. Boniface and speak to the staff in French
• French Wordle to add to your vocabulary
• Check out some French artists on Spotify
• Make and take opportunities to speak in French

Mrs. Gina Unger — gunger@smamb.ca

Mr. Cole Snyder — csnyder@smamb.ca

It has been a busy year in the Art Department. Our students have explored a variety of mediums including collage, photography, watercolour, acrylic, oil, pastel and more. The biggest hit of the season was working with clay. Students from grades 8 to 12 and from the Art Club, each made a functional ceramic work and a creative piece. Altogether, that’s around 400 individual works! Enjoy a small sampling of their artistry.  

Emilia Krowiak, (grade 8)

Jasnoor Gill, (grade 10)

Madisyn Makaruk, (grade 9)

Anika Nickel, (grade 11)

Ysabelle Tankeko, (grade 12)

Ms. Laura Davey ’05 — ldavey@smamb.ca

A lot has been taking place in the Performing Arts Wing. Our grade 7 students are finishing off the year working on Fractured Fairy Tales and our grade 9 students are gearing up for their presentation of The Diary of Anne Frank. In April, the grade 10 Drama students performed No Body to Murder and And Then There Was One: A Spoof, two hilarious murder mystery farces, which were suspenseful and entertaining for our first live audience in two years. Our grades 11 and 12 Drama students also worked incredibly hard on their final performance exam, a full production of Roald Dahl’s The Witches.  These students have put their hearts and souls into entertaining their audiences with this production – creating a magical story through their technology, sets, costumes and superb performances.  It has been a pleasure to watch all of our Theatre Arts students grow in their education and skills over the year, and we say a special “see you soon” to our graduating students who are moving on to their next act. Thank you for all of your work and talent. We hope that all of our students enjoy a restful summer and get ready for our school-wide Drama Production next year in March 2023 – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Stay tuned for audition information and ticket details in the fall.

Grade 10 Drama students -  No Body to Murder

Grade 10 Drama students -  And Then There Was One: A Spoof

Grades 11 & 12 Drama Students - Roald Dahl’s The Witches

Grade 10 Drama students -  No Body to Murder

Grade 10 Drama students -  And Then There Was One: A Spoof

Grades 11 & 12 Drama Students - Roald Dahl’s The Witches

Cadence Christie ’22 and Nieve DeGagné ’22, Green Team Co-Leaders

This school year the St. Mary’s Academy Green Team successfully operated our compost program for the second year. We held a bake sale in November to raise money to support the program and grow the number of items from the cafeteria that were able to be composted. In addition to this, the team was awarded a grant from Learning for A Sustainable Future to help with the costs. As a result of our efforts,  we were able to collect 1,945 kg of compost which is equivalent to a rhinoceros. A huge thank you to all of the students who helped by taking out the compost on a weekly basis and monitored the cafeteria recycling, composting and garbage bins to educate the student body.

Other Green Team initiatives throughout the school year included:

• World Water Day: the Green Team handed out free iced tea mix to students to encourage the use of reusable water bottles which cuts down on plastic consumption.
• Earth Day: the Green Team shared a prayer that focussed on this year’s Earth Day global theme: Invest In Our Planet.
• Pop can tab collection: For many years the Green Team has collected tabs for Pop Tabs for Wheelchairs, a non-profit dedicated to providing wheelchairs and other adaptive equipment to children. This year’s contributions are going to purchase a power wheelchair for Catie, a seven-year-old who lives with spastic quadriplegia. Catie is an eternal optimist and always seeks the good in life. She is very excited to be the 2022 recipient of a power wheelchair which will provide her with a new sense of ease and independence. Thank you to all who have helped with this endeavor.

A very special thank you to Ms. Sandra Martin (Academy Bistro), Mr. David Morrison and all of the maintenance staff for all of their support for our composting program.

Ms. Kelsey Jennings and Ms. Christina Janzen — kjennings@smamb.ca, cjanzen@smamb.ca

Durocher Library celebrated I Love to Read month with ‘Bookopoly’ this February. Students collected properties by completing reading and library related challenges to win candy, pin and sticker prizes and put their names in for draws for larger prizes. Congratulations to Ada Payment, Tara Jackson and Ysabelle Tankeko, who won gift cards from Academy Bistro, Chapters and Tim Hortons, and to Paige Almeida, who won the Game Night prize pack complete with a co-operative strategy game and a bowl full of snacks. Throughout the month, we had over 125 students playing along from all grade levels.

Since the winter break, we’ve added two new digital resources to our collection. ComicsPlus offers access to thousands of digital graphic novels and manga that can be read anywhere using a school email address and password. LingoLite is a digital dictionary that can help students learn key words in over 30 languages including French, Tagalog, Polish, Swahili, Farsi and more. It includes text in both languages as well as native speaker videos to help with pronunciation. Login information for lingo lite can be found here.

More recently, library staff worked with students on several displays. The focus for April was on humour with ‘Explain a Book Plot Badly.’ Students wrote short summaries on sticky notes and attached them to any book in the library for display. For May, we worked with students from the Asian Heritage Committee to design and create our tessellation display celebrating Asian authors.

We have enjoyed these opportunities to work collaboratively with different efforts that are happening at SMA: after-school Math and Science Tutoring, lunch-hour Student IT Support and Friday Gaming Club have all been available to students in the Library. We look forward to the creative ways where we can continue to connect with students and staff during the last few weeks of the 2021-2022 school year.

Ms. Amy Houston ’03

In late April our grade 10 student, Marissa Magsino ’24, participated in the Manitoba Schools Science Symposium with her project, “Behavioral modification of Tenebrio Molitor (mealworms) by toxins to maximize the biodegradation of polystyrene”. Over a four-week period Marissa utilized the SMA science lab to conduct her research. Her project revealed that when higher levels of toxic compounds are exposed to mealworms the more their ultimate goal of survival and reproduction plays a role in increasing the rate of styrofoam consumption. Marissa received a Gold Medal as well as the following Awards:
- Geoscientists of Manitoba special award
- Canadian Institute of Food Science & Technology special award
- SHAD Canada special award
- Best Overall Intermediate-level project.

With Marissa’s recognition as a Top Project, she represented Manitoba in the National Canada-Wide Science Fair (virtual event based in New Brunswick) from May 16 to 20. Marissa won the following awards:
- Silver medal award in the Intermediate Level
- Special Award: Sanofi Biogenius Canada Award, including a cash prize and certificate
- Grand Award: Sanofi International BioGENEius Challenge Award

As the sole Sanofi Grand Award winner, Marissa will represent Canada in person at the International BioGENEius Challenge held at the prestigious BIO International Convention this month in San Diego, California. This is the largest biotechnology event in the world.

SMA congratulates Marissa on this incredible achievement. Way to Hold High the Torch. We wish Marissa all the best at the International Challenge.

Adra Barnet '23 and Elle Wood '23

The Stu Clark New Venture Championships: High School Edition, hosted by the Asper School of Business, took place virtually on May 24 and 25. This competition is for high school students across the Province. Up to 16 teams are selected and each participate in an Elevator Pitch and Business Plan Presentation. Meet all of the teams at the following link www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftyERJWgHBA.

Seven SMA teams applied to the competition and all seven were accepted. Three of our teams were chosen for the final four with first place going to our student, Kate Beechinor ’22 and her company, Green Earth Totes. The third place finish went to Mckyla Bellingham ’22 and Shareen Simo-Villacres '22 for their company, MATBY, Makeup at the Best You and forth place went to Grace Cameron-Brandstrom ’22 and Riel Meyer ’22 for their sustainable jewelry company, GR Jewelry. Gemma Hauser ‘22, Vallerey Ogweno ’22 and Kate Thompson ’22 also won third place in the elevator pitch competition. All winning teams were awarded cash prizes totalling $4000. SMA congratulates all of our students for their entrepreneurial spirit and hard work.

On February 12 the Parents’ Guild hosted a virtual ‘Torch Talks’ on the topic of Disciplined vs. Disordered Eating with guest speakers Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, PhD, C. Psych, MPC (CSPA) and Jorie Janzen, Dietician. Both speakers presented research and professional and practical guidance on assisting youth with self-acceptance and self-compassion, identifying dysfunctional and disordered eating, strategies for prevention, treatment and recovery, possible unintended consequences resulting from nutrition conversations, and promoting positive relationships with one’s body, food and whole self. Participants had an opportunity to have their questions answered. This was a very informative session that answered tough questions.

Torch Talks are informative sessions for the SMA community, hosted annually by the Parents' Guild.

Mr. Demetro Danyluk — ddanyluk@smamb.ca

Our Flames Senior Cross Country team captured the championship title at the Manitoba High School Athletic Association provincial championship race held at Spruce Woods in early May. The race was challenging and the course was daunting however, our Flames came through with a win making this our 11^th provincial championship. Congratulations to all of our runners! Special congratulations to our grade 12 student Cadence Christie ’22 for winning her second individual provincial championship and third time on the podium. Also, special congratulations to both Jasmine DeCaire ’22 and Cadence for finishing their high school running career as three-time provincial champions. Way to Hold High the Torch!

Mr. James Villa — jvilla@smamb.ca

On Friday, May 27, the Flames Golf Team claimed the Manitoba High School Athletic Association Provincial Championship held in Morden, MB. Grade 10 student, Addison Kartusch ’24, was the low female golfer of the tournament shooting a 2 over 75. Strong games from Elle Wood ’23, Emma Keryluk ’23 and Juliana Cerqueti ’23 helped the team clinch the provincial title. Congratulations Flames, way to Hold High the Torch!

Mrs. Carol-Ann Swayzie (van Es '80) — caswayzie@smamb.ca

SMA’s Flames Prep Hockey team is a sanctioned Hockey Canada Sport School Team, also recognized by Hockey Manitoba.  A proud member of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) since 2017, they compete in the western division. CSSHL game weekends resumed after a lengthy pause due to the pandemic. The team was excited to be able to return to the ice full time this year and continue to play the game that they love.

Our 18-member team, with players from grades 9 through 12, navigated this strictly regulated season with style. Travelling extended periods by bus for enhanced safety, the team formed a united and supportive alliance. While managing their extensive practice and competition schedule, these student athletes remained diligent and intent on their academic studies, setting a high standard for themselves and each other. All members truly embodied the words visible on a poster in their home dressing room: “You can always tell who the strong women are. They are the ones you see building each other up, instead of tearing each other down.”

Congratulations to the following players, who each achieved distinctions in the sport: In August 2021, Reese Chuback, Presleigh Giesbrecht, Tyla Turnbull and Charlotte Buffie were selected to Hockey Manitoba U18 Top 40, Program of Excellence. In October 2021, Presleigh and Charlotte were also selected as team members for the U-18 Team Manitoba. In January, Tyla was also named to Team Manitoba for the 2022 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, where they were the national gold medal champions with an undefeated record.

This year, the CSSHL piloted a new format for our league showcases, with each weekend as a tiered event with best-on-best competition. After each league showcase weekend, teams were re-seeded for the next showcase weekend. The Flames finished the regular season in third place overall. Our CSSHL league season drew to a close in March 2022, with the team competing in the Female U18 Prep Western Championships for the CSSHL in Penticton, B.C.

The Female World Sports School Championship (FWSSC) tournament, hosted by the SMA Prep Flames team, took place from April 28 to May 1 with twelve schools from across Canada competing. A huge thank-you to our amazing group of parent volunteers who, along with our tournament manager, put on a fantastic weekend of competitive hockey. Mark your calendars for next year’s dates: January 26-29, 2023.

As the year draws to a close, we wish our graduating players all the best in their next adventures. Reese Chuback has signed with Union College in New York and will play NCAA D1 hockey for the UC Dutchwomen. Tyla Turnbull has signed with Adrian College in Michigan and will play ACHA D1 Hockey for the Adrian Bulldogs.  Presleigh Giesbrecht has signed with Post University in Connecticut and will play NCAA D1 Hockey for the Post Eagles. These team leaders are to be commended for their leadership, both on and off the ice. Hold High the Torch as you continue your journeys next year.

Congratulations to our Flames Junior and Senior Track and Field athletes who competed in their respective provincial championships from June 8 to 12, 2022. Both the Junior and Senior teams competed at a high performance level and came away with many Top-10 placings and medals. Special congratulations to our Senior team for winning the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Provincial Varsity Girls Championship. Of special note, the Senior Medley Relay team broke the Provincial High School record coming in at a time of 4:11:12. Way to Hold High the Torch, Flames!

After a two-year hiatus, with great joy and enthusiasm we celebrated closing Mass and held our Awards Assembly on June 7. It was a blessing for all of us to be together again in Alumnae Hall. Presiding over Mass was Father Sam Argenziano who, in his unique and joyful way, shared the message that we are the light and salt of the earth. It is our charge to go out into the world and shine our light and share our unique flavour of salt with others. A special blessing was placed upon our graduating students who are about to embark on a new chapter as they leave SMA in body however, remain with us in spirit.  

After Mass our Principals, Mrs. Klus and Mrs. Swayzie, led our end-of-year Awards Assembly. The Assembly was action packed and chock full of recognition, accolades and passing the torch to next year’s student leaders.

Awards and recognition include:

Science Award: Marissa Magsino ’24

Math Awards: Anastasia Wilson ’27 (grade 7), Emerson Hart ’26 (grade 8), Jiyoo Noh ’25 (grade 9), Anahita Chakraborty ’24 (grade 10), Michell Kim ’23 (grade 11)

Athletic Awards
Sr. Susan Wikeem Service Award: Heather Lamont ’22 and Maia Ehman ’22

Sr. Mary Gorman Athletic Spirit Award: Ellie Ames ’22 and Ava Skromeda ’22

Junior Athlete of the Year: Sophie Sierhuis ’25

Senior Athletes of the Year: Emilia Banmann ’22 and Cadence Christie ’22

Olga Kruk Memorial Award: Gemma Hauser ’22

Friends of Hailey Award: Maylia Doan ’22, presented by Mrs. Janet Paterson (Debroni ’91)

Duke of Edinburgh International Awards: Sophia Krak ’23 (Silver Award) and Wynn Losielle-Shire ’24, Vanessa Rama ’23 and Elle Wood ’23 (Bronze Awards)

Congratulations to all students for Holding High the Torch!

Our Assembly also included a fond farewell to faculty who are embarking on new endeavours including Ms. Bohonos, Ms. Fennell and Mrs. Unger.

Concluding the Assembly was our traditional passing-of-the-torch from our current student Leadership Council to the new students who will assume Leadership roles in the 2022-2023 school year. SMA extends heartfelt thanks to these students who provide leadership to our student body. Blessings to those who are leaving and best wishes to those assuming the Torch.

For families who chose Plan C for 2022-2023 tuition payments, please remember that your first monthly payment will be withdrawn from your account on or after July 1, 2022.

For families who chose Plan A or Plan B, your next payment will be withdrawn on or after September 1, 2022.

Any families wishing to change their 2022-2023 payment plan or method of payment are asked to contact the Accounting Office by June 15, 2022. 

Questions? Please contact Mrs. Gilleshammer at the Accounting Office at cgilleshammer@smamb.ca or 204-478-6042.

Drinks Under the Dome for the Classes of 2020 and 2021

We are pleased to host the classes of 2021 and 2020 on June 15 and 16 respectively for our traditional Drinks Under the Dome event. Typically, this welcome event for our newest alumnae is hosted each December with graduates from that June in attendance. Unfortunately, we were not able to host this event in 2020 or 2021. We are eager to welcome these classes back to the Academy. Each class will enjoy time together visiting with each other as well as teachers and staff. During their time together, guests will sign memorabilia that will be saved for their 10-year reunion, they will tour the school and dome and take part in fun photo opportunities.

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Looking ahead to the fall, we are excited to once again be able to host Homecoming at the Academy. Please save the date, Saturday, September 24.

Homecoming day will begin with the Commemorative Years Brunch which will celebrate the of 1942, 1952, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1982, 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2012 Brunch will be hosted in our cafeteria. More information and tickets will be available later this summer.

The afternoon with kick-off with an Alumnae Association Annual General Meeting followed by Mass, unveiling of the Legacy Rose Garden and an afternoon of tours and tea. Everyone is welcome to attend afternoon activities. We hope to see you there. Details will be updated online at smamb.ca/events/homecoming.