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Magnificat High School Announces New President
Renata J. Rafferty

Renata J. Rafferty

(ROCKY RIVER, OH) – Magnificat High School’s Board of Directors, with the support of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, is pleased to announce the appointment of Renata J. Rafferty as the next President of Magnificat High School effective July 1, 2013. She succeeds Sister Carol Anne Smith, H.M. who announced in late 2012 that she was stepping down at the end of the current school year.  Click here to read more.

 Sister Carol Anne Smith, H.M. Announces Final Year of Leadership

‘Time is now–at such a point of strength–to look to the next era.’

(ROCKY RIVER, OH) Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reflect upon and give thanks for the blessings we have received. In this spirit of gratitude, Sister Carol Anne Smith, H.M., President of Magnificat High School, chose this morning, the day before Thanksgiving break, to announce to her faculty, staff and students that she will step down as President of the school at the end of the school year. Click here to read more. 

April 14, 2013:  Search Committee Update on Behalf of Kelly Tompkins and Tom Richlovsky:
Our search for the next President of Magnificat is entering the final phase. After reviewing numerous qualified resumes and conducting telephone interviews, our search firm brought forward a dozen candidates for the Search Committee to review. Our Committee selected eight candidates, all of whom had been thoroughly screened by Carney Sandoe to be sure they met our statement of qualifications, for one-hour telephone interviews during the week of March 18. From there, we identified five candidates to be interviewed by the Committee in person. We conducted these in-person interviews during the week of April 1. Each candidate was interviewed by the Search Committee for two hours. From that process, we identified three finalist candidates to be brought on campus for a two-day visit with all key stakeholder groups. In addition to a very full two days of meetings on campus with Sister Carol Anne, faculty, students, parents and Board members, each candidate will have had an off-site dinner with the Leadership Team to give both parties a chance to really get to know one another as this working relationship has to be right. 
 
At this point in time, we are very blessed to have three highly qualified and very different finalists from which to choose our next President. Each of these three women brings a strong faith, a passion for our Mission, a superb education background with highly relevant advanced degrees and a track record of extraordinary and varied leadership. Briefly, consider that we have one candidate who is currently completing her missionary work in China with the Maryknoll missionaries, having spent much of her career teaching and counseling a myriad of non-profit and faith-based organizations around the world. Our second finalist brings a Ph.D. in Education and is uniquely knowledgeable about 21st Century learning and technology as she is currently with a large and well-regarded faith-based school in Pennsylvania. The third candidate is a CEO of a large teaching hospital having spent much of her career teaching inside and outside the nursing field, and brings a tremendous record of compassionate leadership within the complex and rapidly changing field of health care.
 
As we move through this week and early next, we continue to seek your support through prayer as we seek discernment and judgment to best serve Magnificat’s future. If all goes well, the Search Committee is expected to present its recommendation to the Board, subject to the approval of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary.  Our goal remains to have the new President ready to be announced by mid-May. 
 
With appreciation,
Kelly and Tom

… Previous Posts … 

March 19, 2013:  Search Committee Update
Our search for the next President of Magnificat is well underway. Impressively, our entire community has responded with your opinions and recommendations. We are most grateful to those who completed the President survey and met with us in person. Your thoughtful input has allowed us to speak with candidates with confidence and authority.

 We are pleased to report that the Search Committee, with the able support and guidance from Tim McIntire and Marlene Shaw of Carney Sandoe & Associates, has been busy over the past several weeks. Last Saturday, we reviewed an attractive and diverse pool of accomplished candidates with whom we have arranged telephonic interviews. Following our interviews, we will meet with candidates in person, and thereafter bring finalists to meet our community. As we interview, our search consultants continue to seek other excellent candidates until we have found the right next leader for our school. With this in mind, please continue to check the website and the Magnificat Messenger ENewsletter for additional information as this all-important process unfolds. To see the position description click here.

If you know of potential candidates or have any questions, please contact Tim McIntire of Carney Sandoe & Associates: timothy.mcintire@carneysandoe.com. We will continue to keep you posted on the progress of the search and always appreciate your feedback. 

We can also use your support through prayer. Please keep our Committee, our consultants, and our entire community in your thoughts and prayers as we seek discernment and judgment to best serve Magnificat’s future. 

With appreciation,
Kelly and Tom

February 2013:  Magnificat has started the search process for its next President. 
The Board of Directors has appointed a Search Committee to oversee this process, and that team has unanimously agreed to engage the help of nationally recognized and education-focused search firm Carney, Sandoe & Associates.
To see a list of the members of the Search Committee, please click here.
To find out more about this position, or to recommend someone for this role, please email timothy.mcintire@carneysandoe.com or marlene.shaw@carneysandoe.com. 

Magnificat’s No Paper/No Pencil Day Covered by Local TV Stations

Magnificat High School celebrated Earth Day and Earth Week by participating in many different events and initiatives, as well as inspiring others to be good stewards of our planet. Here is just one example:

 Did you know the average per capita paper use in the U.S. is over 700 pounds? In honor of Earth Day, Magnificat participated in a No Paper/No Pencil Challenge. Printers were turned off for the entire day. Students took tests on personal devices, they made videos related to that day’s lesson plans, they used the parking lot as their paper and participated in paperless labs. The creativity was endless. WOIO-TV 19 and WKYC-TV 3 both covered the day’s activities, and you can see more by clicking on this link.

West Life newspaper also covered the story, and you can read all about it here.

The annual 24th Annual Endowment Gala was covered by Art Thomas of Currents.

Art Thomas and the April issue of Currents covered the 24th Annual Magnificat Endowment Gala. Click here to read the entire story.

Magnificat’s Spring Play Featured in Sun Newspapers–Anne of Green Gables Previewed

Sun Newspapers’ Rocky River Reporter Ed Carroll interviewed the director and cast members to discover the educational tie-ins when Magnificat mounts a production. To read the preview of Anne of Green Gables, click here.

Magnificat on WKYC-TV 3–Magnificat Offers Healthy Lunch Choices through Partnership with AVI Fresh

WKYC-TV 3′s Lynn Olszowy recently stopped by for lunch to see all the healthy food options Magnificat offers through its partnership with AVI Fresh. Click here to see the entire news segment.

Magnificat’s Macey Walker ’13 to Run Cross Country for Canisius College

Macey Walker has signed to Canisius College in Buffalo, NY and will compete on the women’s cross country team. She plans on going into pre-med at Canisius. To read the full story as seen in West Life newspaper, click here.

Magnificat’s Allie Corrigan ’13 Reaches for the Sky with Pilot’s License

4191318Read more about Allie Corrigan’s experience in becoming a pilot and mentoring other young women interested in aviation, as featured on Cleveland.com and in Sun Newspapers. Click here to read the full story.

Magnificat Announces 2013 Fantasy Creative Writing Contest Winners

wizard hatClick here to see a complete list of all the winners of this year’s annual seventh grade Fantasy Creative Writing Contest. Congratulations to everyone who participated!

Current Publications
Magnificat Named Fourth Fair Trade High School in the Country

Click here to read more in West Life newspaper.

Magnificat Students Go to State
  • Click here to see the success our students had during the 2011-2012 school year.
Magnificat’s National Merit Students

Click here to see the seven students recognized for 2013.

Magnificat Students Participate in Mock Election with League of Women Voters

Click here to read and see more about the recent Mock Election.

 Magnifibot Robotics Day for Girls in Grades 5-8 covered by Cleveland.com and West Shore Sun

Click here to read the story.

Mrs. McKenna named Sun Newspapers “Person of the Week”

Read more about Mrs. McKenna’s Master Teacher distinction.

 Magnificat Participates in AT&T’s No Texting & Driving Promotion

Click here to read the story in West Life.

Click here to read the story on Cleveland.com & West Shore Sun 

Elise Krueger ’14 Places 3rd in National Scottish Harp Competition

Read Elise’s story in the Sun Star Courier.

Magnificat’s SURROUND LEARNING® Center Featured on Cleveland.com & West Shore Sun

Click here to read the article. 

Magnificat’s Meghan Yonkof ’13 Named Sun Sentinel ”Student of the Week”
  • Click here to read about her summer internship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

 

Magnificat’s SURROUND LEARNING® Center featured on WOIO-TV 19
Magnificat was featuerd on Channel 19 for the grand opening of the SURROUND LEARNING™ Center.

 

Magnificat Featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business
Magnificat was featured in two stories in the June 18-24 “Prep and Parochial” Section.

 

Abby Davis ’12 in Plain Dealer “Tipoff” column
Abby Davis ’12 was interviewed by Plain Dealerreporter Michael McIntyre for his “Tipoff” column. Abby talked about how she was interviewed by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks before being chosen as a University of Notre Dame Hesburgh-Yusko Scholar. Mr. Sparks is a Notre Dame grad.

  • To read The Plain Dealer article that appeared on May 12, 20012, click here.

 

Mrs. Kate Minerd Named Metro West Kiwanis “Teacher of the Year”
Mrs. Kate Minerd has been selected as Magnificat’s 2012 Metro West Kiwanis Teacher of the Year for the work she has done inside and outside the classroom. Mrs. Minerd was recently featured on WOIO-TV 19.

  • To see more, click here.

 

Abby Davis ’12 Receives University of Notre Dame Scholarship
Congratulations to Abby Davis ’12 who has been accepted into the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program at the University of Notre Dame. Besides being only one of 25 selected for this exceptional program, Abby also receives an annual $25,000 scholarship and funding for unique enrichment experiences.

 
Abbie Marquard ’12 Featured in West Life Newspaper
Abbie Marquard ’12 is interviewed by West Lifenewspaper for signing a NLI to run for Duquesne University.

 
Abbie Marquard ’12 West Shore Sun “Student of the Week”
Abbie Marquard ’12 has been named West Shore Sun“Student of the Week” for signing a National Letter of Intent to run cross country and track and field for Duquesne University.

 
Magnificat Receives $10,000 Grant from The Veale Foundation
Magnificat High School is proud to announce that The Veale Foundation has awarded a grant in the amount of $10,000 for the expansion of entrepreneurship opportunities at Magnificat High School for the first year of the new Veale Youth Entrepreneurship Forum. The funds will be used to create an online 21st Century Entrepreneurship course and expand the Business Club’s Entrepreneurial Speakers forum and Blue Streak Bistro enterprise. Other schools who received this award include: University School, Benedictine, Hathaway Brown, Laurel, Gilmour, Saint Ignatius and Beaumont.

  • For WOIO TV-19 coverage of the story, please click here.
 
Lakewood Catholic Academy Dominates Magnificat Spelling Bee
Magnificat recently hosted its seventh annual Magnificat Spelling Tournament. The tournament was open to 6-8 grade girls in the Cleveland Diocesan area. A total of 16 schools and 100 students competed in the spelling bee. Frances Smith, a 7thgrader from Lakewood Catholic Academy, received first place in the Championship Division. Lakewood Catholic Academy was also the first place team winner.

 
Holocaust survivor Max Edelman speaks to students at Magnificat

Holocaust Survivor Max Edelman Spoke to Magnificat about his four years in a concentration camp, including being blinded by a guard. He was introduced to the school by Macy Nauman ’13 after she met him at a Guiding Eyes for the Blind event. She and her family raise pups for the organization.

Mr. Edelman’s appearance was covered by many media outlets, including WEWS-TV 5 and West Life newspaper.

  • For WEWS TV-5 coverage of the story, please click here.
  • To read the West Life newspaper article, please click here.