PREVIEW: Northwest Film Center to Host 43rd Portland International Film Festival

PREVIEW: Northwest Film Center to Host 43rd Portland International Film Festival

by | Jan 31, 2020 | Events, Features, Lifestyle, News, nonprofit

Portland, OR. The Northwest Film Center will showcase and celebrate its 43rd international and regional storytelling through film. The 10-day festival will take place on March 6-15, 2020 at various locations. Some goals of the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) are, “to gather film lovers and makers, have people be open to new ways of creative expression, and shine a spotlight on artists who go against the status quo.” Disney Pixar’s Onward will have a free community screening at noon on February 7th. (More info below.)

A three-film opening night program on Friday, March 6th will feature an off-beat indie buddy film called The Climb. Below is a look at the film’s trailer:

Portland International Film Festival organizers hope that patrons will embrace the idea of Cinema Unbound for the first time. Through this concept, PIFF aims to challenge how cinematic stories are told. 2020 also features renowned visiting curators, esteemed guests, industry leaders, and jury members in attendance—all of whom represent major film festivals, museums, and distribution companies around the globe.

Here’s information about the festival from Northwest Film Center:

Ticket information listed below:

Advance Tickets: The Northwest Film Center, 934 SW Salmon St, Portland, OR 97205 Opens March 1 — daily from 12 noon – 6 p.m. Advance tickets by phone at (503) 276-4310

Festival Passes: Currently available for sale here

Members of the Northwest Film Center’s Silver Screen Club get discounts or free entry (at the Director level and above) to Festival screenings. To learn more about membership click here

Admission prices: $14 General; $12 Portland Art Museum Members, Students, Seniors; $10 children (12 years and younger); $9 Silver Screen Club Friends, Supporters, and New Wave.

Opening Night Film and Party: $25 general; $20 Silver Screen Friends, Supporters, and New Wave. PLEASE NOTE: Attendees can purchase tickets to Opening Night for either the Whitsell Auditorium or Cinema 21 location. Opening Night party to follow in the Portland Art Museum’s Fred & Suzanne Fields (Sunken) Ballroom.

Tickets to individual screenings will be available on February 7, 2020

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Thursday, March 5, 2020

The Eyeslicer Season Two by Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell

United States | 2019

7 p.m. | Whitsell Auditorium | 90 mins

11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Northwest Film Center

11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Movie Madness Miniplex

Recently featured in GQ’s Time Capsule for the 2010s, this bonkers-yet-thoughtful 13-episode TV show blends the boldest new American filmmaking into mind-expanding, mixtape-style episodes that feature work from over 70 filmmakers.

The Eyeslicer Season 2 – from theeyeslicer.com

 

Friday, March 6, 2020 Opening Night

Three-film Opening Night program features The Climb, as well as shorts America and The Giverny Document (Single Channel). One ticket includes all
screenings, which will screen back-to-back at both venues. Attendees are welcome to come to one, or stay for all three!

PIFF 43 Opening Night radically presents varying perspectives on what it means to be alive at this moment while reflecting on the past that’s shaped us. This multi-perspective Opening Night panorama dives deep into unexpected places, expounding upon notions of race, gender, time, and nowness. Funny, painful, powerful, and electric in equal measure, PIFF 43 Opening Night subverts the notion that any one film is worthy of “Opening Night” attention. Instead, we embrace the interplay between these three storytellers and their collaborators.

America Directed by Garrett Bradley

United States | 2019 | 29 mins.

A cinematic omnibus rooted in New Orleans, challenging the idea of black cinema as a “wave” or “movement in time,” proposing instead a continuous thread of achievement.

The Giverny Document (Single Channel) Directed by Ja’Tovia Gary

United States | 2019 | 45 mins.

Filmed on location in Harlem and in Monet’s historic gardens in Giverny, this multi-textured cinematic poem meditates on the bodily integrity and creative virtuosity of black women.

5:00 p.m. – Whitsell Auditorium & Cinema 21

Giverney document, photo taken from jatovia.com

The Climb Directed by Michael Angelo Covino

United States | 2020 | 94 mins.

7:00 p.m. – Cinema 21

7:15 p.m. – Whitsell Auditorium

This buddy comedy starts with a simple premise—two lifelong pals struggle to bike up a French mountaintop—but what comes next is anyone’s guess. With incredible cinematic reinvention, ambitious long-takes, dramatic time-leaps, and a cappella interludes, the audience
is invited along for the ride, no matter where it leads.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Disney Pixar’s Onward Directed by Dan Scanlon

United States | 2020 | 91 mins.

12:00 noon – Whitsell Auditorium – Free Community Screening

5:00 p.m. – Hollywood Theatre – Silver Screen Club member presale until February 7, 2020.

Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers (voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae—the team behind Monsters University. Onward releases in theaters on March 6, 2020.

Trailer:

 

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Anthem: Homunculus Live Listening Party by John Cameron Mitchell

Time & Location: TBA

A creative, multi-media feast featuring a tangled story of visits to other planets, talking tumors, and song-filled telethons pitched to save the life of the protagonist, Ceann. This game-changing, audio-based story—performed LIVE—is based on Mitchell’s genre-busting
podcast by the same name and defies all conventions and expectations, with audiences experiencing a wild, 6.5-hour extravaganza of over 30 songs ranging from indie-rock to dream pop to avant-garde.

Featuring the vocal talent of Glenn Close, Cynthia Erivo, Patti LuPone, Denis O’Hare, Mari Moriarty, Alan Mandell, Ben Foster and Shalewa Sharpe.

Creator and star John Cameron Mitchell and guests in attendance.

Presented by Luminary.

Thursday, March 12, 2020

The Armory Presents: Off-Center Stage

9 p.m. – 1 a.m.

Off-Center Stage is a series of late-night programming that will feature unconventional performances from musicians, visual artists, comedians, dance, and open-format shows for the 21-and-over crowd. Each show will take place on the stages and other communal spaces in
the historic surroundings of The Armory.

PERFORMANCES AND PRESENTATIONS:

Reese Bowes — light/sound design and video projections

Auvie Sinclair — instrumental hip hop producer/beatmaker

Just Pretend — a live band featuring Darian Patrick, band member for Hedwig & The Angry Inch and In The Heights.

Disco Montana — live band fusing elements of pop, disco, country, and folk

Monday, March 9, 2020 | 7 p.m.

The Cinema Unbound Awards

Kridel Grand Ballroom, Portland Art Museum, 1119 SW Park Avenue

The Cinema Unbound Awards celebrates artists who are trying new things, thinking bigger, and pushing forward to transform filmmaking—and the world. We’ve assembled a small-but-mighty band of internationally renowned artists, creatives, and curators working against
traditional constraints of cinema.

Honoring:

Astonishing Auteur Todd Haynes (Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning writer and director; Carol, Far from Heaven, Mildred Pierce)

Creative Powerhouse John Cameron Mitchell (Tony Award-winning writer, director, and actor; Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Anthem: Homunculus, Hulu’s Shrill)

Documentary Doyenne Julie Goldman (Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer of over 50 feature documentaries, including Life, Animated, Buck, Weiner)

Immersive Maestro Michel Reilhac (Filmmaker, Experiential Artist and Head of VR, Venice Biennale)

Animation Arts Wizard Rose Bond (Internationally-recognized, large-scale, site-specific animations)

Curatorial Mastermind Rajendra Roy (The Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, MoMA)

Costume Designer Extraordinaire Amanda Needham (Emmy-winning costume designer; Portlandia, Shrill)

Friday, March 13, 2020

PIFF 43 Closing Weekend centerpiece film First Cow

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

United States | 2020 | 121 mins

8:00 p.m. – Whitsell Auditorium

Returning to the Oregon wilderness for her seventh feature, Kelly Reichardt continues her examination of the American expansionist myth via the Western genre. John Magaro stars as a loner cook who teams up with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) to create a new business—one
that is dependent on a wealthy landowner’s prize milk cow, but without his knowledge.
First Cow will open in Portland, Oregon, on Friday, March 20.

Trailer:

 

Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Directed by Armando Iannucci

United States | 2020 | 119 mins

6 p.m. – Cinema 21

The Personal History of David Copperfield re-imagines Charles Dickens’ classic ode to grit and perseverance through the comedic lens of its award-winning filmmakers—giving the Dickensian tale new life for a cosmopolitan age with a diverse ensemble cast of stage and screen actors from across the world. Emmy® winners and Oscar® nominees Armando Iannucci (In the Loop, The Death of Stalin, HBO’s Veep) and Simon Blackwell (In the Loop,
HBO’s Succession) lend their wry yet heart-filled storytelling style to revisiting Dickens’ iconic hero on his quirky journey from impoverished orphan to a burgeoning writer in Victorian England.

Photo by Geoff Robinson Photography/Shutterstock

 

March 14-16, 2020

Berio’s Sinfonia by Rose Bond | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OREGON SYMPHONY

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Animator and Cinema Unbound Award honoree Rose Bond presents a program of eye-popping experiential animation set to and illustrating Luciano Bario’s monumental musical-cultural portrait of New York in the late 1960s. An incredible visual and sound experience for cinema-goers,
animators, experiential designers, and music lovers alike.

Tickets available to the March 14, 15 & 16 shows via Oregon Symphony.

PANELS AND WORKSHOPS

Over the course of the two weekends, PIFF will host eight panels, three workshops, and one special
un-conference.  PIFF will also host multi-day happy hour networking events with industry professionals to provide assistance and services to independent filmmakers. Date, Time and Location TBA.

Docs on the Rise — Cinema Unbound Award honoree Julie Goldman and Academy Award nominee and Portland documentary filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky discuss opportunities for expanded creativity in emerging marketplaces.

The Sustainability and Ethics Un-Conference — A participatory town hall about fostering an inclusive and ethically conscious media-making community, with breakout sessions on topics such as power dynamics on-set, setting contractual boundaries, and practicing empathy in production.

Beyond Cancel Culture — Cinema Unbound Award honoree
Rajendra Roy and curatorial colleagues discuss approaches to critically engaging with problematic narratives.

Interactive Media Performance by Reese Bowes

An evening of multi-format audio and visual experiences courtesy of guest curator Reese Bowes. who will also present two short film works by Portland-based filmmakers: Remembrance, by Sabina Haque, and Spooky Girls, by The Hand and The Shadow production company.

Date, Time and Location TBA.

Why I Love and Fear VR

Presented by Guest Curator, Cinema Unbound Award honoree, and Head of Venice Biennale XR Michel Reilhac

Date, time & location: TBA

Guest curator Gina Duncan (BAMcinématek) presents:

Prince’s Purple Rain (1984) date, time and Location: TBA

About the Northwest Film Center:

The Northwest Film Center is a regional media arts organization offering a variety of exhibitions, education programs, and artist services throughout the region. The Center presents a program of foreign, classic, experimental, and independent works year-round at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in
the Portland Art Museum. For more information, visit www.nwfilm.org.

About the Portland Art Museum

The seventh oldest museum in the United States, the Portland Art Museum is internationally recognized for its permanent collection and ambitious special exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s holdings and the world’s finest public and private collections. The Museum’s collection of more than 45,000 objects, displayed in 112,000 square feet of galleries, reflects the history of art from ancient times to today. The collection is distinguished for its holdings of arts of the native peoples of North America, English silver, and the graphic arts. An active collecting institution dedicated to preserving great art for the enrichment of future generations, the Museum devotes 90 percent of its galleries to its permanent collection.

The Museum’s campus of landmark buildings, a cornerstone of Portland’s cultural district, includes the Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, the Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts, the Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art, the Northwest Film Center, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art. With a membership of more than 22,000 households and serving more than 350,000 visitors annually, the Museum is a premier venue for education in the visual arts. For information on exhibitions and programs, call 503-226-2811 or visit portlandartmuseum.org.

The Portland Art Museum welcomes all visitors and affirms its commitment to making its programs and collections accessible to everyone. The Museum offers a variety of programs and services to ensure a quality experience and a safe, inclusive environment for every member of our diverse community. Learn more at portlandartmuseum.org/access.

 

Project Helps Save Portland’s African-American Historical Structures From Demolition

Project Helps Save Portland’s African-American Historical Structures From Demolition

by | Jan 9, 2020 | Events, Features, News, nonprofit

Portland, Or. The Architectural Heritage Center announced an important update on a project that leaders say will protect culturally significant and historic structures within Portland’s African-American community from demolition. The Architectural Heritage Center has completed a draft of the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) form. The MPD will be reviewed at local, state, and national levels in order to protect important landmarks that have had a large impact in communities within downtown Portland and surrounding areas. The MPD form is available for public review and the Architectural Heritage Center encourages readers to contribute with their comments. Pictured above is Royal Palm Hotel, one of Portland’s first facilities to employ and accept African-American guests, which is listed on the MPD form. (Photo credit, Intisar Abioto)

Architectural Heritage Center. Photo provided by AHC’s 

Through a partnership between the Heritage Center and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning & Sustainability (BPS), the Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) form was created. This document is a National Register of Historic places that groups together resources associated with significant historical context so that property owners can easily list their property in the National Register.

The MPD includes a comprehensive list of different buildings and structures that were a part of the African-American community in Portland from 1865 to 1973. Some examples of the buildings are houses, churches, fraternal lodges, and more. Within the MPD record will also include photographs of selected African American properties commissioned from Portland artist, Intisar Abioto.

Golden West Hotel on NW Everett St., Portland
Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

Previously known as the All Nations Community Church in the 1970s, this church is now known as Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church on NE Rodney Ave

A message from the Architectural Heritage Center: 

The over one-hundred page MPD draft is made possible thanks to the hard work of a team of people over the past three years. In 2017, the Bosco-Milligan Foundation/Architectural Heritage Center was selected through a request for proposals process by BPS to partner on the MPD. This work was led by Cathy Galbraith, our organization’s founding director and known expert on Portland’s African American history. Sadly, Cathy passed away in November 2018, with the study unfinished. However, with assistance from historical consultants and BPS staff—and with financial support from the Kinsman Foundation and from BPS—the MPD draft is now complete.

The Architectural Heritage Center’s mission is to “inspire people to conserve the art, craft, and context of historic buildings and places to promote our cultural heritage as a vital element of livable, sustainable, communities.” We seek to preserve the historic character and livability of our built environment and to promote sustainability through the re-use of period homes and buildings. Owned and operated by the non-profit Bosco-Milligan Foundation, we empower people in the Portland region to preserve both landmark buildings and the regular “vernacular” vintage homes and storefronts that collectively define our neighborhoods, traditional downtowns, culture, history, and quality of life.

Photo by Brian Johnson.

Preservation does not mean being frozen in time. New isn’t inherently “bad,” nor is old inherently “good.” But we believe a vintage building shouldn’t be demolished without careful consideration of its architectural, environmental, and cultural value, or without exploring possibilities for re-use. We also believe that in-fill construction should be compatible with the character, style, and scale of traditional neighborhoods.

Public Review
The MPD and Billy Webb Elks Lodge (Williams Avenue YWCA) nominations are published here for public review As a next step, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission will review the MPD at its meeting on January 27. They will make a formal recommendation to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, which will meet on February 28. The State Committee will then make a formal recommendation to the National Park Service to accept the MPD.

Girl Scouts of Oregon Work to Educate Scouts about Women’s Rights

Girl Scouts of Oregon Work to Educate Scouts about Women’s Rights

by | Dec 20, 2019 | Events, Features, News

Portland, Or. The Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW Washington are working hard to help shape America’s future leaders. Now leaders say they could use your help with their year-end giving campaign. They need funding for programs like the organization’s upcoming annual meeting in Eugene. At the annual meeting, the Girl Scouts of Oregon will be offering, “Speak Up, Stand Up, Rise Up” an activity exploring the significance of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution 100 years ago. Girl Scouts will learn about the history of the fight for women’s right to vote, including how the Amendment discriminated against groups of women on the basis of race and did not allow all women in the U.S to participate at the polls. Girls will engage in activities to be able to evaluate disparity that continues to be prevalent in women’s rights today, while also planning steps towards action they can demonstrate in their local communities.

The local Girl Scouts are active year-round participating in activities like the Mock Legislature at 2019 Girl Scout Leadership Day at the Capitol.

Girl Scout Leadership Day with Oregon Governor Kate Brown

Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington serves members throughout Oregon and Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties in Washington. 40 volunteer-led areas called service units provide support for girls and adults in their area. The local council is funded through grants, donations, bequests, program fees, product sales, investment income and endowments.

Brownie Girl Scouts lead a signature campaign to save a local park.

A Girl Scout Cadette follows the Path to the Ballot in her school.

Here’s a video explaining how Girls Scouts offer a lifetime of leadership:


From Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington:

Thanks to the generosity of people like you, Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington is able to deliver on the mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

One in four Girl Scouts in our council depends on financial assistance, so your gift directly impacts the lives of girls in your community.

Donate now!

Gifts of any amount go a long way. Every donation makes an impact in the lives of girls in our community.

  • Your $10 gift could provide three Girl Scout Brownies with their Programming Robots badges, inspiring even the youngest girls to dream big dreams.
  • Your $25 gift could furnish a girl with her annual Girl Scout membership, opening up a world of possibilities—camp, STEM, travel, building friendships for a lifetime, learning about the world, and taking action as a leader.
  • Your $50 gift could supply seven Girl Scout Ambassadors with “Your Voice, Your World: The Power of Advocacy” Journey books.
  • Your $100 gift could outfit 12 girls with their official Girl Scout sashes, to proudly display their hard-earned STEM and outdoor badges.
  • Your $250 gift could help 16 girls experience camp for a day, where they’ll try new adventures like scaling a climbing wall and paddling a canoe.
  • Your $1,000 gift could welcome three girls to Classic Camp, where they’ll build confidence in swimming, building campfires, cooking outdoors, paddling on the lake, and more. 

Donate to Girl Scouts OSW online or contact [email protected] to make a donation.

*Year-end giving is a sponsored story offering.

Adventist Health Unites Communities in Annual Celebration of Thanksgiving Concert

Adventist Health Unites Communities in Annual Celebration of Thanksgiving Concert

by | Dec 7, 2019 | Events, Features, Fundraisers, Lifestyle, News

Portland, OR. Nearly 2,000 people filled New Hope Church in Happy Valley, Oregon, on November 23rd. The community came together for a free concert supporting local community aid organizations. Adventist Health Portland presented its annual Celebration of Thanksgiving concert as an expression of gratitude for the community’s faith and support.  Adventist Health Portland includes Adventist Health Portland Medical Center in southeast Portland, a nonprofit, 302-bed acute care facility, offering a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. Clinically integrated with OHSU, Adventist Health Medical Group represents more than 100 primary care and specialty physicians who treat and admit their patients to Adventist Medical Center. Pictured above are people sorting out the generous food donations.

Dr. Terry Johnsson

Matt Maher performs for the crowd

The event opened with performances by a praise band made up of Adventist Health employees, including Joyce Newmyer, Adventist Health Pacific Northwest Region president. Headliner and contemporary Christian artist Matt Maher took the stage, Maher has written and produced nine solo albums and penned many well-known praise and worship songs.

People enjoying the concert

Joyce Newmyer, president of Adventist Health, shares a message of thanks with guests at the 11th annual Celebration of Thanksgiving concert.

Collecting socks for Portland Rescue Mission

Young folks donating food

This year’s guests contributed 1,900 pounds of food for Portland Adventist Community Services (PACS) and more than 3,000 pairs of socks for the Portland Rescue Mission in place of admission for the concert. The celebration of Thanksgiving has raised more than 12 tons of nonperishable food donations since its inception in 2009. More than 10,000 pairs of socks have been donated since this emphasis was added in 2016. Previous performers include Phillips, Craig and Dean; Point of Grace; Rebecca St. James; Selah; and Sandi Patty.

From Adventist Health:

Adventist Health services in Portland are part of Adventist Health a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 75 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii. Our compassionate and talented team of 33,300 includes more than 24,600 employees; 5,000 medical staff physicians; and 3,700 volunteers working together in pursuit of one mission: living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness, and hope. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in 19 hospitals, more than 280 clinics (hospital-based, rural health and physician clinics), 13 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies, and four joint-venture retirement centers.

From The Portland Rescue Mission:

The Portland Rescue Mission has had a tireless commitment to breaking the cycle of homelessness, addiction and despair in the lives of hurting people in need. We offer emergency services of food and shelter at our original downtown location at the Burnside Shelter. And we’ve expanded those services to include 24/7 restrooms, showers, clothing, mail service, referrals and community activities in the Guest Care Center.Thanks to generous community support, we’ve expanded our ministry to include a wide range of programs designed to meet a hurting person at their point of need and help them toward their journey home. This includes our 3-month Connect program for men and women, and our New Life Ministries for men and women at The Harbor and Shepherd’s Door, respectively. Portland Rescue Mission also includes our Drive Away Hunger car sales and donations program and Mission Bar-B-Que catering. Proceeds support all of our programs to give hope and restore life to hurting people.

 

St. Mary’s Academy Tops Goal of $500,000 at Food for Thought Fundraiser

St. Mary’s Academy Tops Goal of $500,000 at Food for Thought Fundraiser

by | Nov 30, 2019 | Events, Features, News

Portland, OR. Nearly 700 people attended the St. Mary’s Academy 26th Annual “Food for Thought” luncheon. Organizers surpassed their fundraising goal of $500,000 which will support tuition assistance. The event on November 7th was held at the downtown Portland Hilton and attendees included Kelley Morrison Ogle ’94, Margueritte Vu Kim ’94, Rita Serralta-Poox ’20, Barre3 co-founder Sadie Lincoln, Jessica Hickox Meyer ’94 and Karis Stoudamire-Phillips ’94. Vice President of Development, 1986 graduate Emily Niedermeyer Becker, thanked donors. “We are so proud to announce we exceeded our goal of $500,000. This event has remained of the utmost importance to SMA each year, as every dollar raised allows us to continue providing exceptional education to young girls who deserve it.” The Food for Thought luncheon is the school’s largest fundraiser in support of tuition assistance. For the 2019-2020 school year, 42% of St. Mary’s Academy families were awarded over $2 million in tuition assistance.

Sam Romanaggi, Kathleen Dooney Niedermeyer ’83, Dr. Don Romanaggi

Gene Kim and Margueritte Vu Kim ’94

The luncheon was organized by graduates of SMA’s 1994 class, including Karis-Stoudamire Phillips, Joan Chaney, Margueritte Vu Kim, Jessica Hickox Meyer, Kelley Morrison Ogle, and Dr. Nundhini Thukkani. Sadie Lincoln, the keynote speaker and co-founder of Barre3, shared her message about wellness and finding confidence. She weighed in on her own personal struggles with self-confidence at a young age. Lincoln credits Barre3 with allowing herself to spread the message of internal resiliency to members across her studios, located locally and worldwide. “We can have a practice of being empowered from within, being confident, and standing up for ourselves,” she explained.

Another guest speaker was St. Mary’s senior and financial award recipient, Rita Serralta-Poox. She thanked her parents for their sacrifices immigrating to the U.S. in hopes of a brighter future for their family. She also thanked St. Mary’s for an array of opportunities during her four years, and allowing her to become her true self through its community, “St. Mary’s has taught me how to use my voice and I will never forget that. After high school, I plan to study law to become an immigration lawyer,” she stated during her speech.

Mary Mathews Stevens ’80, Virginia Mathews, Marilyn Whitaker and Molly Mathews Bjorklund ’85

(Clockwise from back left) Kellie Chauncey-Lance ’87, Tifani Jones Parrilli ’82, Melissa Abraham Hartnell ’87, Holly Abraham Safranski ’92, Alyx Abraham, Sara Parker, Melinda Lee

For the second year in a row, St. Mary’s Academy produced and debuted a video at the event. It focused on St. Mary’s wellness programs including athletics. In the video, current students and alumnae shared personal experiences and stories of how St. Mary’s empowered them both on and off the field.

A video about St. Mary’s Academy:

 

From St. Mary’s Academy:

St. Mary’s Academy, sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary since 1859, is a Catholic high school for young women, providing a challenging college-preparatory education in a vibrant learning environment. Guided by the values and charism of the Sisters, St. Mary’s fosters a diverse community, educates the whole person by nurturing spirituality, encouraging creativity, promoting justice, and inspiring a sense of global interdependence to prepare students for service and leadership. For more information, here’s a link to the SMA website: St. Mary’s Academy.