News

Registration for our summer sports and enrichment camps is now open! Click HERE for more details and to register.

With the spring sports season beginning soon, Mercy McAuley is pleased to welcome its new varsity softball coaches. Donald “Donny” Amrein will serve as the head varsity softball coach, and Josie Ogilbee will serve as assistant varsity coach. Joining them on the coaching staff will be returning coach Amy Feie.

Donny Amrein has spent the past 12 years teaching at the Red’s Youth Academy. He also spent four years as head softball coach at St. Ursula Academy, five years as assistant softball coach at Western Hills High School, and several years as a high level travel softball coach. He has also served as a clinician at numerous national softball camps in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. In addition, Amrein has been a pitching instructor for many years; two of his pitching students have won national championships. He had a career as a supervisor at the Hamilton County Juvenile Court as well as a career in drug testing for the NFL and NCAA. Amrein earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Cincinnati, is an Army veteran, and has two adult children, both of whom played Division II softball.

Josie Ogilbee has been coaching softball at the high school level for the past five years. She previously served as head JV/assistant varsity softball coach at Williamsburg High School and assistant varsity softball coach at Clinton Massie High School. She has also served as a hitting coach for young softball athletes since 2016. Ogilbee played softball at the college level at Bluffton University, where she received the honor of All-Conference player all four years, was selected to the NFCA All-Region team for three seasons and broke nine hitting records. She earned a bachelor's degree in sport management with a minor in coaching from Bluffton.

“Coach Amrein and Coach Ogilbee bring a wealth of softball knowledge and passion to Mercy McAuley,” said Kate Hoelmer, Athletic Director, Mercy McAuley. “I am excited to see how Donny, Josie, and returning coach Amy will take our softball program to even greater heights through their leadership, expertise and passion for the sport.”

Congratulations to the following Mercy McAuley students, who won Scholastic Art & Writing Awards! The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation's longest-running, most prestigious recognition initiative for creative students (grades 7-12) and the largest source of scholarships for young artists and writers.

Poetry Category

• Maggie Kiefer '24, Silver Key
• Ali Lewis '25, Silver Key

Personal Essay and Memoir Category

• Helena Hennessy '24, Silver Key
• Ella Davis '23, Honorable Mention

Art Category

• Ryleigh Fearn '23, Silver Key
• Katie Frazee '23, Honorable Mention and Silver Key
• Hannah Harp '23, 2 Honorable Mentions
• Maddie Hautman  '23, Honorable Mention
• Avery LaGory '23, Silver Key
• Adalaide Lindner '23, Honorable Mention
• Grace Schreyer ' 23, Honorable Mention & Silver Key 

The Scholastic Art Exhibition will be on display February 6 - 17 at  the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Gallery Hours are from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Sunday. All award winners will be honored at a celebration on Friday, February 17 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Congratulations to senior Adelaide Lindner, who has earned the prestigious Eagle Scout Award! As part of the process to earning this award, young people must complete a large community service project. For her project, Adelaide and her friends and fellow scouts refurbished the area on our school campus known as the "Land Lab" by cleaning, updating and repairing the wooden structures. Several of Adelaide's friends and teachers from Mercy McAuley were on hand to celebrate with her at the awards ceremony, and Adelaide honored our Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Jennie Olinger, with a mentor pin! We are so proud of Adelaide for earning this tremendous award, and we thank her for her service to Mercy McAuley!

Congratulations to Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Jennie Olinger, who was named Warm 98's Teacher of the Week! Warm 98 morning show host Amanda Orlando surprised Mrs. Olinger at school with the big news, and she also brought coupons for free Dewey’s Pizza for her and her Den students! Mrs. Olinger was nominated by junior Natalie Scheper, and her mom, Holly. 

Congratulations to the following student athletes who on November 9 signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level:

• Alexis Denman - Thomas More University - Lacrosse
• Jessica Drapp - University of Louisville - Volleyball
• Jocelyn Obszarski - Ohio Northern University - Volleyball
• Kylee Heidemann - University of Dayton - Golf

We are so proud of these Wolves!

Congratulations to senior Kylee Heidemann - Golf STATE CHAMP!

Thank you to our students and employees, who raised a phenomenal $70,573 in our student Raffle! The Senior class came in first place, and every class achieved over 100% of its goal. Top sellers in each class were Bella Meyer, Molly Brunner, Lilly Finamore, and Josie Feldman. Top seller in the school was May Humpert. Big congratulations to the $10,000 Grand Prize Winner, Debbie Ward, and the $1,000 First Prize Winner, Connie Helmers. We are so grateful to our students for their tremendous school spirit! To all who supported our Raffle...THANK YOU!

Congratulations to Mercy McAuley seniors Lizzie Schloss and Lindsay Woodard, who have been named Semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit® Scholarship Program! Lizzie and Lindsay are among the over 16,000 Semifinalists across the country who now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

"We are incredibly proud of Lizzie and Lindsay for their tremendous academic achievement, and we can't wait to see what these bright and talented young women accomplish in college and in their careers," said Connie Kampschmidt, Principal, Mercy McAuley High School. "The National Merit Semifinalist honor reflects Mercy McAuley's commitment to providing students with innovative, challenging academics of the highest quality."

Lizzie and Lindsay entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of US high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

At Mercy McAuley, Lizzie is a Student Council Senator, a Student Ambassador, and a member of National Honor Society, Women Lead Medicine, Women Making History Club, Philanthropy Club, and Key Club. She is also captain of the softball team. Lizzie says she is considering chemical engineering as her major in college.

Lindsay is a member of National Honor Society, Women Lead Medicine, Philanthropy Club, Key Club, Women Making History Club, and is a Student Ambassador. She also plays basketball and softball. Lindsay plans to major in biology in college and also plans to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

Lizzie attended elementary school at St. James in White Oak. Lindsay attended elementary school at St. Ignatius in Monfort Heights.

Congratulations to Mercy McAuley seniors Olivia Duker and Brooke Hube, who have been named National Merit Commended Students! Olivia and Brooke received Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Olivia attended elementary school at Our Lady of the Visitation, and Brooke attended St. Ignatius.

The National Merit^® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year.

Mercy McAuley High School congratulates the following members of the Class of 2022 who were awarded the AP Capstone Diploma or the AP Seminar and Research Certificate during the 2021-22 school year:

• Taylor Bays, Christina Chu, and Rebecca Kelhoffer were awarded the AP Capstone Diploma by earning scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar, AP Research, and on 4 additional AP Exams.
• Jackie Nichols and Ellye Steinberg were awarded the AP Seminar and Research Certificate by earning scores of 3 or higher in AP Seminar and AP Research.

Taylor Bays and Jackie Nichols are currently attending The Ohio State University. Christina Chu, Rebecca Kelhoffer, and Ellye Steinberg are currently attending the University of Cincinnati.

The AP Capstone Diploma program helps students develop the critical thinking, research, collaboration, and presentation skills that are critical for academic success.

“We proudly recognize the achievements of students who participated in the AP Capstone Diploma program,” said Connie Kampschmidt, Principal, Mercy McAuley High School. “Our AP Capstone™ students and teachers showed extraordinary commitment while facing historic challenges. This is a meaningful college readiness program that will serve our students well after high school.”

Over 2,200 schools participated in the AP Capstone program worldwide during the 2021-22 school year. Approximately 14,100 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma, and 9,200 earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. 

Unlike traditional AP® subject exams with a single end-of-year assessment, AP Seminar and AP Research assessments are project based and evaluate skills mastery through group projects, presentations, and individual essays completed throughout the year. Instead of focusing on one specific academic discipline, AP Seminar and AP Research are interdisciplinary: students are empowered to create research projects based on topics of personal interest. Students are assessed on the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and presentation skills needed to complete their projects.

“I’m thrilled to congratulate these motivated students, who worked hard to earn the AP Capstone Diploma and AP Seminar and Research Certificate,” said Trevor Packer, head of the Advanced Placement® Program. “These students have enhanced the foundation for their future academic and professional careers by honing their ability to manage long-term projects, collaborate with teams, and deliver effective presentations on topics they’re passionate about.”

The College Board Advanced Placement Program gives students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school. A 3 or higher on an AP Exam has multiple benefits for students, including earning college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on AP Exams, saving them time and money. Research shows AP students are better prepared for and more likely to enroll and remain in college, do well in classes, and earn their degrees on time. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP Exams align with their high standards.