The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Foundation thanks Beaverton Toyota for their generosity. With their partnership, we are raffling a gorgeous 2010 Toyota Prius!

The 2010 Toyota Prius was recently chosen as Consumer Reports’ Green Car of the Year—and no wonder: this car gets an amazing 51 m.p.g. in the city. In addition to earth-friendliness, the Prius boasts a sporty look and lots of great features, most notably: Hybrid Synergy Drive System; 4 Cylinders; 51 MPG (city); Bluetooth; Side Curtain Airbags; Remote Keyless Entry and Push-Button Start; AM/FM/MP3 CD Player with 6 Speakers; Auxiliary Audio; Cargo Mat; Power Heated Outside Mirrors; Anti-Lock Brakes; Power Locks and Windows with Automatic Up/Down. Retail value: $23,718.

The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Foundation abides by the rules set forth by the Department of Justice:
Purchaser and/or winner must be at least 18 years old. Winnings are subject to federal and state withholdings. Purchaser must be in the State of Oregon at time of purchase. Confirmation of purchase and ticket numbers will be mailed to purchasers. Tickets are not available for purchase online, but you may print a ticket order form here.

Ticket prices are $50 per ticket; only 1,000 tickets will be sold. The winning ticket will be drawn at the close of the Valley Catholic Auction at approximately 10:00 pm on Saturday, April 17th 2010. The auction will be held at the Valley Catholic Athletic Center in Beaverton, but the winner does not need to be present to win. If the winner is not present, our emcee will call the lucky winner that night.

Good luck to all who purchase a ticket, and thank you for supporting Valley Catholic School!

Come and join in the fun! Still not sure what this event is about? Read our FAQs. You can also purchase auction tickets online. See the invitation pictured below for event details. See you under the Big Top! Read the rest of this entry »

Sister M. Callista (Geraldine) O’Connor was born on May 5, 1927 in Washburn, Iowa. She attended elementary school for grades 1–7 in Rapidan, Minnesota before her family moved to Stayton, Ore. where she graduated from St. Mary’s Elementary School. She graduated from St. Mary of the Valley High School (now known as Valley Catholic).

Sister was received as a novice by the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in 1943 and became known as Sister M. Callista. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisc. in 1962, a master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Portland in 1969.

Music coursed her veins and energized Sr. Callista throughout her life. She could play the theme of the “Magificent Seven” as a waltz, polka or a march! Sister Callista had a zest for life and believed in possibilities while thinking outside the box.

Sister’s teaching career began in 1945 at St. Mary of the Valley. In the years that followed, when not a student at Alverno College, she taught music, served as head of the Music Department, or as Music Coordinator for the Community in these schools: Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Agatha, Holy Cross in Portland; St. John the Baptist and Christ the King in Milwaukie; St. Boniface in Sublimity; St. Mary’s in Stayton; Sacred Heart in Tillamook, St. Francis in Roy; Visitation in Verboort; St. Matthew in Hillsboro; and St. Cecilia in Beaverton. Her last teaching assignment was at St. Lucy School in Long Beach, Calif. where she taught while also serving as the caregiver for her mother.

Even when she retired in 1991 she continued to share her love for music with Valley Catholic School 7th graders who visited with her as part of their Middle School program. Sister Callista was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but continued to exercise by swimming until recent months. Sister died at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon on March 14. May she rest in peace.

Memorial offerings may be directed to the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon Retirement Fund.

May she rest in God’s embrace!

Thanks to all of the parents who have made a tax-deductible gift to the Valley Catholic School Annual Fund, participation has reached an all-time high at nearly 50% overall!

Check to see how your class is doing. At the end of February, Kindergarten was in the lead with 64% participation and third grade was close behind at 60%! Don’t forget you can conveniently make your tax-deductible gift to the VCS Annual Fund when you register your child for the 2010-2011 school year. Indicate the amount you want to give or pledge on your Financial Commitment Agreement and choose how you’d like to pay.

Help bridge the Gap for Valley Catholic Students. It all starts here!
Questions? Contact Melissa Maxwell at 503-906-1139 or giving@ssmoministries.org

Make your gift online.

Nearly 125 alumni from the classes of 1943-2009 and their guests turned out the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 28 for the 5th Annual Alumni Reception and Valley Catholic musical performance: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. With more than double the attendance this event has seen in previous years, the afternoon was lively and full of laughter, colorful desserts and guests from all ages!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, hailed one of the world’s most popular musicals and the biggest production in campus history, brought together the entire K-12 school in a fresh and exciting production. As one alumna said, “The performance was energizing and highly entertaining! We appreciated the opportunity to see how our school has changed and grown since [my sister and I] were students there. Thanks again for this opportunity.”

On behalf of Valley Catholic students of all ages, a warm “thank you” for making this performance special through your support and attendance. We hope to see you back on campus soon!

Sr. Adele Marie shows some Alum Kids around the refreshment table	Guests enjoy refreshments far right: Miyuki Michelle Yoshida '85
Carol Spiering '60 (left) and her older sister, Sr. Joan Spiering, RGS '58 (right) share an afternoon out with friend Sr. Elizabeth Schille, RGS (center)

Two-time Olympic gold medalist, Mariel Zagunis ’03, was honored Sunday, Jan. 31 at The 58th Annual Oregon Sports Awards at the Nike World Campus in Beaverton. Mariel, who won gold in women’s saber fencing at the Athens Olympics in 2006 and at Beijing in 2010, took home Harry Glickman Professional Athlete of the Year award for women at the sold-out event.

Trail Blazers guard Roy took the Harry Glickman professional athlete honor for men for the third consecutive year. Other winners included Heisman Trophy finalist and Ndamukong Suh who won the Bill Hayward Amateur Athlete award for men, and Paul Allen, who is in his 21st year as owner of the Trail Blazers, who won the Merit award for longtime service.

The two-hour event at the Tiger Woods Center honors the Oregon’s top athletes, coaches and teams for their performances in 2009 or lifetime achievements. Bill Schonely, the Portland Trail Blazers’ founding broadcaster/ambassador, served as show ambassador.
Featured categories include the Bill Hayward Amateur Athletes of the Year (male and female), the Harry Glickman Professional Athletes of the Year (male and female) and the Slats Gill Sportsperson of the Year.

The Oregon Sports Awards began in 1948 as the Hayward Banquet of Champions. The event was discontinued after 1996 but returned in 2002 and has been held as the Oregon Sports Awards for the past nine years, with a new, stage-show format and many added award categories. The event is sponsored by Nike, the Portland Tribune, Comcast SportsNet, Les Schwab Tires, Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors, Portland Trail Blazers, Dick’s Sporting Goods and SportsOne.

All Valley Catholic, K-12 students got themselves pumped up at a recent assembly to sell raffle tickets for the new Toyota Prius donated by Beaverton Toyota. Owen Jones, president of the high school’s student body association, helped kick off ticket sales with a great video created by all the Student Body Officers from their visit to Beaverton Toyota. Thanks Student Body Officers for all your hard work!

• Owen Jones, President
• Pua Black, Vice President
• Emily Anctil, Secretary
• Devon Bathon, Treasurer
• Michaela Hanson, Publicity Manager
• Melissa Lynn, Publicity Manager
• Katie McAuliffe, Publicity Manager
• Emily Tait, Publicity Manager

Download the Raffle Ticket Form here. You can see the video below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nicole Krieger Libal ‘97, a senior research assistant in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine (APOM) laboratories, was recently honored as “Technician of the Year” by the Oregon branch of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (OAALAS). The annual award recognizes a technician from Oregon for “leadership, showing initiative, having good problem-solving skills, being a reliable and hard worker, going above and beyond his or her duties, being mature, trusted and well-liked as well as being a good team player.”

As a senior research assistant in APOM for over three years, Nicole (pictured at left in her senior yearbook) manages the department’s mouse breeding colonies and provides surgical and technical support for ongoing pre-clinical research. Investigators regularly comment on her “professionalism, productivity, communication and [her] sensitivity to their research needs.” Her research and work have resulted in system changes that have improved efficiency and information and protocols for grants. According to her nomination form, “Nicole learns and applies technical skills while subsequently improving animal care and research outcomes.”

Nicole was also awarded the Dan Wilkins Travel Award at the annual OAALAS banquet on Jan. 22. The travel award covers expenses for her to attend the District 8 AALAS meeting in Arizona this May.

Prior to coming to APOM, Libal worked at the OHSU-Oregon National Primate Research Center as a laboratory animal research technician II. She has a bachelor’s degree from Oregon State University in animal sciences.

OAALAS is one of nearly 50 regional and branch groups of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). AALAS is the premier forum for the exchange of information and expertise in the care and use of laboratory animals. Since 1950, the organization has been dedicated to the humane care and treatment of laboratory animals and the quality research that leads to scientific gains that benefit people and animals.