Celtic Newsletter Winter 2019

R OANOKE C ATHOLIC S CHOOL C ELTIC N EWSLETTER W INTER 2019

Congratulations to Celtics football and Coach Bob Price on winning three consecutive VISAA Div. III state championships!

message to those students, who will make the decisions about our earth after we’re all gone.” The lights are one part of a wider plan that began several years ago. In 2011, in response to the school’s concern over rising energy costs, diocesan real estate director Deacon Paul Mahefky visited to make suggestions for energy conservation. “Some of those old buildings, with 12- foot ceilings, were built in the 1930s,” he said. “It looked like a fortress, and there was a lot to do.” Since then, one project at a time, the school has replaced all the windows, exterior doors and exterior insulation. It has also removed many window air conditioners and added, among other things, two heat pumps to heat and cool the upper school gym; a giant, coliseum-style ceiling fan with 15-foot blades in the lower school gym for cooling without air conditioning; and ductless variable refrigerant flow (VRF) units in many classrooms, specifically designed for the school by Mitsubishi for efficient temperature control. The school has not needed any loans, Patterson noted, as all of the projects have been funded through donations and the school’s budget. Deacon Mahefky said that it’s “simple common sense” to reduce the school’s energy footprint. “Besides, the money saved can be used for scholarships, and it demonstrates that the school is actively trying to reduce its costs to keep tuition down and to run the school more efficiently,” he said. “As stewards of the environment, the church has an obligation to do this.” Patterson said the school is seeing significant savings on its electric bills. Before the upgrades, the energy cost was increasing by about 12 percent per year. By the end of last year, the increase was only about 1.5 percent, he said. “So even though AEP continues to raise its rates, we are reducing the amount of revenue we put into our energy use,” Patterson explained. “It’s just a drop of what we would be paying without these changes.” The next two projects are to replace the lights and window air-conditioning units in the high school. “This is our responsibility as faith-based people,” Patterson said, and the school is sending that message to students, whose ages range from 3 to 19. “You want those kids to learn that part of being a good Catholic Christian is caring for our environment.”

Roanoke Catholic project includes 803 LED lights By Karen Adams, Special to The Catholic Virginian | Jan. 30, 2019

the chapel, library, cafeteria and learning center. In some places, the bulbs fit into existing fixtures, which saved more money. The work was completed over three weekends in October. “LED is the greatest technological advancement in lighting since the 1930s,” said owner and president Bill Hunt, because it costs 90 percent less to run than fluorescent, the bulbs last longer and there’s no hazardous material — all of which cut waste and the environmental toll. “It’s good for business, for building owners and for the people in the building,” added Hunt, whose own children attended Catholic schools. He noted the lights often pay for themselves within a year. A $7,500 rebate from the Take Charge program offered by Appalachian Power (AEP) subsequently reduced the installation cost by half. It was facilitated by Todd Ewald, a local outreach specialist who works as a contractor with the utility company. Ewald noted that lighting upgrades are usually the easiest, fastest and least expensive projects, with immediate benefits. The new light at Roanoke Catholic is brighter and more like daylight, he said. It also doesn’t flicker like fluorescent light, which can cause headaches. He knows of studies that show LED lights even help improve people’s moods. “I think we’ve all become more conscious about our environmental footprint,” Ewald said. “In the school setting we’re giving this

C ARING FOR G OD ’ S EARTH IS PART OF THE DAILY curriculum for students at Roanoke Catholic School. For an illustration of what they are being taught, they need only look at the lights overhead. As part of its ongoing plan to cut energy use, Roanoke Catholic installed energy- efficient LED lights in many of its classrooms and common areas in October, replacing fluorescent tube lighting that had been there for years. The cost savings has been significant already, said principal and head of school Patrick Patterson. “But it’s more than that: reducing our carbon footprint is part of our mission as Catholics, and we teach in our curriculum how to be good stewards of resources,” he said. Fluorescent tubes use more energy than LED lights, he explained, and they contain mercury, which can be a health risk while the lights are working and afterward, as they are difficult to dispose of safely. The lighting project was made affordable due to the generosity of an anonymous alumnus who donated the 803 LED lights and fixtures. That gift was valued at $65,000. To install the lights, the school hired U.S. Energy Management of Keswick, which has done similar work throughout the diocese, after receiving its free audit and competitive bid of approximately $16,000 for the 72,000- square-foot multipurpose building. That area includes classrooms and hallways, as well as

RCS hosts first Career Day focusing on medical field, more to come

R OANOKE C ATHOLIC LAUNCHED A NEW VENTURE J AN . 31 during Catholic Schools Week: Career Day! Twenty-five professionals in the medical field — among them veterinarians, physicians, nurses, surgeons, pathologists, physical therapists, pharmacists and researchers — joined us for lunch followed by an afternoon of interactive, educational presentations to all RCS students. The rigorous schedule had our guests — all RCS parents — visit

importantly, students came away from Career Day with a richer understanding of what school is all about. Many seemed fearful of the path demanded of certain careers: college, graduate school, post graduate school, internships, fellowships, etc. Time and again, our presenters emphasized that they didn’t consider their educational journey to be “school,” but rather a fascinating journey that prepared

two Lower School classes followed by an Upper School assembly in which they presented to each of our 10 broken bones and stitching pig feet to resuscitating a “sim baby” and homerooms. From casting

them to become the best versions of their professional selves. We look forward to hosting more Career Days in the coming months that focus on Entrepreneurism, Arts, Engineering & Architecture, and Sports & Recreation. Meanwhile, we thank all who participated in our medical Career Day for the gift of your time and talent. We are a better school because of your service!

Thank you for sharing your gifts!

Autumn Alvarez, PharmD Renee Beirne, MD Tim Beirne, MD Roger Boucher, PA Alfonso Brochero, MD Kathy Chandler, NP Jennifer Cleveland, PharmD Franco Coniglione, DO Ted Foster, DVM Julia Hemphill, MD Eduardo Lara-Torre, MD Misty Lenk, DDS, MS

Kelli Linick, MD Megan McNamara, RN Lora Nissen, NP Joshua Nowocin, PA Jack Perkins, MD Karen Perkins, MD Angie Reichardt, MPT Tina Renick, RD, CSP Kristine Safford, MHS Shawn Safford, MD Carrie Turnbull, DVM Robert White, MD

studying lab mice, the presenters went above and beyond inspiring our students, even offering them opportunities to intern or shadow with them in the coming months. Perhaps most

Be “cool” to Roanoke Catholic School on Roanoke Valley Gives Day, March 13

Tune in to our “CelticsThon” broadcast on March 13 on CelticsLive.com starting at 3 pm!

Help us raise $125,000 to install air-conditioning in our Upper School this Roanoke Valley Gives Day on March 13. Built in the 1960s, our Upper School has long been "cooled" by window units. With your generosity, we will be able to install new HVAC this summer. Roanoke Valley Gives Day is a 24-hour online fundraising competition among the region’s 165 leading nonprofits. Roanoke Catholic has been the most successful nonprofit since the competition’s beginning in 2016. Last year, we earned $17,000 in bonus prizes for raising the most money in one day: $109,610! With your help, we can win more incentive prizes to support our Upper School HVAC project. The air-conditioning initiative will complete the major

renovation projects to our campus, which over the last several years have included: • New energy-efficient roof, doors, windows and HVAC units in our Lower School. • New lighting, floor and roof in the Gillespie Family Gymnasium. • New doors, windows and EIFS building material in our Upper School building. • New LED lighting. • And, thanks to our 2018 Roanoke Valley Gives supporters, new air-conditioning in our Gillespie Family Gymnasium. Schedule your gift today at rvgives.givebig.org. Your donation won’t be charged to your credit card until March 13, but you’ll position us to win again Roanoke Valley Gives Day!

Celtics winter sports update: Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling

F OLLOWING R OANOKE C ATHOLIC ’ S THIRD consecutive football state championship Nov. 9, the Celtics have continued their winning ways this winter sports season. RCS girls swim team claimed the Blue Ridge Conference Championship Feb. 8 at Hargrave Military Academy. Celtics boys

this season.

Roanoke City and County public and private schools. Roanoke Catholic wrestling placed nine of its 11 wrestlers at Catholic States on Jan. 19 and finished third out of seven schools competing in the Virginia Independent Conference meet on Feb. 9. Returning to football, on Feb. 6 seniors James Carpenter and Alex Vaught signed their National Letter of Intent to play football at the collegiate level. Carpenter, a Roanoke Times All-Timesland 1st Team Defensive Lineman, signed to play at James Madison University. Vaught, an All- State tight end, will play at Washington and Lee University. Congratulations to these young men and

Varsity boys and

girls basketball teams — led respectively by coaches Shawn Good and Damen Johnson — ended the season with winning records, including milestone victories over Carlisle School and North Cross. Both squads

were poised to advance to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association state

tournament. Meanwhile,

finished 5th out of nine schools. Congratulations to the entire team and coaches Susan Bleecker and Shannon Hoopes for their outstanding performance

middle school girls basketball netted another undefeated regular season, beating all

coaches Bob Price and Joe Sweeney.

RCS drama club, choir and band preparing spring performances

KEEP US “POSTED!” New job? New baby? New move? Tag @roanokecatholic when you post to Facebook and Instagram so we can share in your good news. And follow all the happenings on “The Hill” … P LEASE , SIR , I WANT SOME ... O LIVER ! Our drama program is proud to present Lionel Bart’s acclaimed musical “Oliver!” on April 5-6 at the Dumas Center. Meanwhile, the Celtic Singers have begun rehearsing for their annual spring tour May 23-25 that will feature a visit to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at Mount St. Mary’s University; competion at

Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Roanoke Catholic’s band will also take their talents on the road March 8 to participate in a band adjudication at Blacksburg High School. All three groups will perform for Grandpals’ Day March 29. Choir and band will collaborate on a Spring Concert May 31.

Music in the Parks at Hershey Park; and a performance at the Basilica of the National

facebook.com/RoanokeCatholic twitter.com/RoanokeCatholic youtube.com/user/rcsceltics instagram.com/RoanokeCatholic And on www.CelticsLive.com