Student Standouts & Faculty Feature for September 23

Student Standouts: Podgorny ’23, Ray ’23, Rollo ’23, Kelley ’30, Cyclocross, Cheer, Football, and Girls Cross Country

Faculty Feature: Nardolillo

Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.

Ram Announces Commitment to Xavier University

This week, three Rams announced their commitments to compete in athletics at the college level. Eric Podgorny ’23 posted on Twitter, “I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to play baseball at Xavier University. I’d like to thank my family, friends, and coaches who have been there for me through this entire process.” Congratulations, Eric!

Ray to Run for the University of Tennessee

Julia Ray ’23 announced her college plans this week, as shared on MileSplit MO. On Twitter and Instagram, she shared, “I am incredibly excited to announce my commitment to running cross country and track at the University of Tennessee! I want to thank all of my coaches and supporters who have helped me. I can’t wait to be part of this new family. Go Vols!!” Congratulations, Julia! Go Vols, indeed!

Senior to Play Baseball in College

Congratulations to Jack Rollo ’23 who announced this week that he has committed to Denison University where he’ll be playing college baseball. “Thanks to everyone who helped me reach this point!” he exclaimed in his Twitter announcement on Wednesday. Go, Jack!

Fifth Grader to Perform in Shakespeare Fest Production

Our very own Rosie Kelley ’30 is in the cast as Meg for a Shakespeare Fest production, of Winds of Change. The production is September 22-24 at 8 p.m. at Bevo Mill. It is being put on by Shakespeare in the Streets, “an internationally recognized community engagement program.”

The location of the performance is significant. According to the stlshakes.org website, “Bevo’s rich history as a port of entry for so many immigrants since the city’s founding – from German settlers, to Bosnian refugees, to today’s Afghan families – will be explored with a large-scale Shakespeare adaptation featuring stories and performances from community members alongside professional artists.”

The performances are free to attend. See more information here. Break a leg, Rosie!

Cyclocross Dominates the Podium

On Sunday, September 18, members of the MICDS Cyclocross Team swept the podium at the SuperPrestige Cyclocross Series race in Alton, Illinois’ Belk Park at their first race of the year. Sawyer Merlin ’25 earned the top spot. Connor Paine ’24 came in second and Ash Falk ’26 rounded out the podium in third. The team is back in action next Sunday at Gordon Moore Park in Alton. Keep it up, Rams!

Cheerleaders Complete Over 750 Push-Ups as Football Team Continues Winning Streak

The MICDS Football team defeated Priory 45-7 in last weekend’s game, which means that the MICDS Cheer team was extremely busy doing push-ups. Did you know that every time the Rams football team scores, the Cheer team does the number of push-ups to match the new score? It’s no wonder the St. Louis Post-Dispatch highlighted this strong custom in its summary of the game. In the first four games, the squad has done over 750 push-ups thanks to a victorious football team.

The article mentions that this spread of 38 points is the largest point margin since 2004. The lead scorers were Steven Hall ’23 and Winston Moore ’23.

Girls Cross Country Runners Earn Medals and PRs Galore

Thank you to Girls Cross Country Coach Travis Menghini for submitting the following highlights from the Girls Cross Country Lutheran North Cross Country Invitational last Thursday at Spanish Lake. Way to go, Rams!

  • Grace Coppel ’25 won a 7th place medal, Abby Wyckoff ’24 won a 20th place medal, Annabelle Medler ’24 won a 30th place medal, Kate Williamson ’24 won a 35th place medal, Bridget Clennan ’24 won a 42nd place medal, Addilyn Farmer ’26 won a 43rd place medal, Amara Macia ’26 won a 58th place medal, Katherine Royce ’24 won a 62nd place medal, and Carolyn Clennan ’26 won a 69th place medal.
  • Medler PRed in the 5000 Meter Run with a time of 23:07.39 (26.81 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Farmer PRed in the 5000 Meter Run with a time of 24:23.09 (1 minute and 5.54 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Macia PRed in the 5000 Meter Run with a time of 25:14.01 (2 minutes and 6.59 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Royce PRed in the 5000  Meter Run with a time of 25:24.64 (22.96 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Medler PRed in the 5000  Meter Run with a time of 26:32.83 (1 minute and 27.57 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Hiba Zamir ’26 PRed in the 5000 Meter Run with a time of 29:06.17 (5 minutes and 25.83 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Narya Phatak ’26 PRed in the 5000 Meter Run with a time of 29:29.32 (28.48 seconds faster than her previous PR).
  • Norah Wright ’25 PRed in the 5000 Meter Run with a time of 29:45.54 (1 minute and 41.76 seconds faster than her previous PR).

Faculty Feature: Arts Chair to Perform with Chamber Project Saint Louis

On September 29, Dr. Jo Nardolillo, JK-12 Arts Department Chair and String Orchestra Instructor, will be making her St. Louis performance debut with the fantastic musicians of Chamber Project Saint Louis. “With a string quartet, harp, and flute, we will be playing a dynamic array of music, including pieces by two Venezuelan composers. If you’ve never been close to a virtuoso harp player, this is your chance!” she said.

You may have already seen a preview of their work on STL LIVE or heard about it on NPR.

All are invited to attend. Student tickets are only $5. Learn more and reserve your tickets here!