Genevieve DiBari's '18 commitment to excellence is paying off. Genevieve recently competed at the National Junior Olympics in Sacramento, CA. They won gold in the 15-16 Girls 4 x 800 relay. Fighting through 100 degree temperatures at race time, the girls ran a very competitive race drawing closer to the competition on each leg of the race.

On the final leg, Genevieve's team raced past everyone on the last straightaway finishing with a personal record (PR) time of 9:37.93. They were awarded All-American caps and rings that reflected their hard work, commitment, and summer training. Genevieve not only competed in the 4 X 800, she raced her best times in the 1500 meter and the 3000 meter, running a 5:01 which was equal to her SR school-record time from this past outdoor season, and an 11:01, respectively. She finished 13th in the 3000

Awesome performance, Genevieve! The entire SR community is extremely proud of you. #goSRgators #GatorStrong

Genevieve Thibodeau '20 competed at the USA Diving National Championships in Moultrie, GA, during the week of August 1. Genevieve earned personal best scores on two new high difficulty dives, at one point being in 3rd place. Genevieve competes for Montgomery Dive Club and is looking forward to diving for the Gators! Way to go, Genevieve!

#goSRgators #GatorStrong

Genevieve is in the tuck position in this photo.

Paige Kenny ’22 earned a spot on the Maryland National Brine Lacrosse Classic team. The Brine National Lacrosse program aims to deliver a one-of-kind lacrosse experience that enable middle school age players (Grades 7 and 8) with an opportunity to test and benchmark their lacrosse skills. Players demonstrating the highest level of potential are selected to represent their region and advance to the Brine National Lacrosse Academy. Congratulations, Paige!

#goSRgators #GatorStrong

2016-2017 Athletic Association President & Varsity Basketball Player Never Stops Improving

Whether mentoring younger Gators in the Girls on the Run program or setting up her teammates on the varsity basketball team to score, Karina Absalon '17 serves others. Heading into her senior year when temptation can lead some to seek the path of least resistance and focus solely on getting into their college of choice, Karina has taken the opposite path and continues to push herself out of her comfort zone working extremely hard to improve.

During a summer basketball tournament where over 4200 players on 350 teams from 28 states and 3 countries participated ,Karina caught the eye of one scout who wrote the following, "Karina could be missed at first glance, but for anyone that was willing to pay attention it didn't take long to see the talent. She is deceptively quick and a wizard in the open floor with her drives and no look passes. She attacks and finishes well and has a pretty sweet stroke on her shot." When you consider how she stood out, it's impressive given the staggering number of student-athletes. Add in over 800 college coaches and the anxiety of "auditioning" to play at the next level, what an impresses outcome. 

That's Karina, and under her leadership don't be surprised if the Athletic Association also steps up their game. Way to go Karina, the Stone Ridge community is so proud of you. #goSRgators #GatorStrong

Maddie Rodgers ’18 participated in the summer Sacred Heart Exchange program. She spent an amazing month in Bogota, Colombia, with the Vergel family. Now, the Rodger’s are anxiously awaiting Manuela Vergel’s arrival in early September. Manuela’s sister, Natalia Vergel, was an exchange student at Stone Ridge in 2014.

According to Kate Rodger’s, Maddie’s mother, “While so many things made Maddie’s stay in Bogota very special, one of the things that really stood out was the deep connection the Sacred Heart girls feel for one another when together.” Inez Ulz is a student at the Sacred Heart school in Vienna, Austria. She, too, came to Stone Ridge in 2014 on an exchange and met Natalia Vergel. They have remained in such close touch that Inez was also in Bogota visiting Natalia while Maddie was there staying with the Vergel family. On a day of sightseeing, the girls went to visit the Sacred Heart school in Bogota.

When Mrs. Rodger’s looks at the photos of the trip, she reflects “I think of the powerful connection the Sacred Heart network has provided for these girls as members of an international community. How very fortunate they all are.”

On August 25, Katie Ledecky ’15 returned to Stone Ridge, her high school home, to visit the younger students in the community. Katie just returned from the Rio 2016 Olympics where she dominated the women's swimming field, winning five medals (four golds and one silver) and breaking her own world records.

She started her day at Stone Ridge with an interview with PBS Newshour at the pool. Katie then made a surprise visit to the gym where our Lower and Middle School students were gathered for a special assembly. She walked in to the delight and cheers of her fellow and younger Stone Ridge “sisters.” The smiles on the students faces were priceless. Sporting her USA t-shirt, jeans, red, white, and blue boat shoes, and her five Olympic medals around her neck, she was beaming with pride and looked right at home.

Katie told the girls she was so happy to visit and thanked everyone for their cheers and support during the Olympic Games. Hands shot up from our youngest girls to our Grade 8 students for questions. Katie could have stayed for hours while the girls asked her a range of questions, “How does it feel to win a race by 11 seconds?”, “What is on the front of the medal?”, “How much do you practice?”, "Who is your inspiration?", “What do you think about when you swim?” ,“What will you do when you stop swimming?”, and more. The students and faculty will never forget this moment!

Katie took time to take photos with students and let each student walk by her--some hugging, some giving high-fives, and some touching the Olympic medals. From there, Katie went to visit the Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten students. She sat on the floor with these youngsters and received hugs and hand drawn signs. One preschooler told her, “I like your hair.”

Katie visited the School's historic main building, Hamilton House, and took a photo with Stone Ridge legend, Mrs. Pat Cleary, the School's receptionist for 47 years! There waiting were many of her former teachers from high school. They gave her a round of applause and hugged her in congratulations of her amazing achievements. Her math teacher from freshman year, Ms. Jill Marks commented, “I taught her before she was famous. I had no idea this sweet, young girl was going to be an Olympic star.” Jill’s young children proudly wear their Team Ledecky t-shirts around town!

Katie concluded her visit to Stone Ridge with another interview with Chris Wallace from Fox News Sunday at our pool, which will air this Sunday at the end of the 9:00 am EDT broadcast.

Stone Ridge has been so blessed to be a part of Katie's education and witness her embrace the five Goals of a Sacred Heart education. She is one of the 700 reasons that Stone Ridge exists: to empower leaders to server with faith, intellect, and confidence. Good luck at Stanford, Katie!

Stone Ridge welcomes its first two Sacred Heart exchange students of the year. The Network of Sacred Heart schools in the United States and Sacred Heart schools internationally offer students the opportunity to participate in an exchange experience.

Klara Youssef joins Stone Ridge from her school, Sacre Coeur Wien, in Vienna, Austria. Klara is staying with Meghana Pai ’19 and her family until early October, which gives her time to learn from our Upper School teachers and experience living in the Washington, DC area.

Maria Alejandro Montoya Camargo attends school at Trinidad del Monte, a Sacred Heart school in Bogotá, Colombia. Maria will be staying with Amalia Marmolejos ’19 and her family until mid-September. Manuela Vergel, another exchange student from Trinidad del Monte, is hosted by Maddie Rodgers ’19. Manuela will be here until early October.

The Exchange Program offers a student an opportunity to broaden her horizons by sharing in the life of another Sacred Heart school and experiencing the cultures of other parts of their own country and of the wider world. The program aspires to prepare a student for living in the “global village."

One of the greatest, most memorable parts of being a Stone Ridge Girl is participating on the Blue or Gold team. While family legacy can determine a team assignment, all new students are placed on a team for which they will forever cheer!

Blue-Gold 2016 was officially launched during an all-school Blue-Gold Induction Ceremony-- the first one in Stone Ridge history--on Thursday, September 8. More than 100 students new to Stone Ridge gathered in the gym to learn what their new favorite color will be for the rest of their lives!

The ceremony is just the beginning of the larger Blue-Gold rivalry where teams pick up points at events throughout the year, such as PE class, attendance for Gator Game Days, and Father-Daughter Field Day, to name a few. The time-honored SR tradition of Father-Daughter Field Day is the conclusion of the yearly competitions. At the end of Field Day the winning team is announced to the wild cheers of one team. The winning team then raises their respective flag at Gator Field for the upcoming the school year. Gold Team currently holds the flag!! #TrueBlue #BoldGold

The Notre Dame Women's Lacrosse team will be playing the University of Delaware on Saturday, October 1 at 1:00 on Gator Field. Stone Ridge is truly excited to host one of the premier universities in the world. Our own Maddie Carr ’15 is a new midfielder for the Irish. Come cheer on Gator Field and enjoy a college lacrosse game!

Alumna Ellen Hamm Stuhlmann ’70 retires and transitions to the volunteer life at Ignatian Volunteer at Friendship Place in Washington DC. Ellen’s work at Friendship Place is in the AimHire division, which prepares people who are homeless or living on the margins for the job market through coaching, resume development, and personalized support. She leads the orientation program, carries a caseload of two to four participants, and has created a database of participants and others who are eligible – those receiving food stamps in DC – and reaches out to invite them to join the program.  She is working with the program supervisor to track program outcomes as well.

Ellen is a wonder example of living out the Goals of Sacred Heart education. Goal III, A social awareness which impels to action and Goal I, A personal and active faith in God, are very evident as Ellen embraces retirement through volunteering.

Read more about Ellen>>>

Stone Ridge welcomes its first two Sacred Heart exchange students of the year. The Network of Sacred Heart schools in the United States and Sacred Heart schools internationally offer students the opportunity to participate in an exchange experience.

Klara Youssef joins Stone Ridge from her school, Sacre Coeur Wien, in Vienna, Austria. Klara is staying with Meghana Pai ’19 and her family until early October, which gives her time to learn from our Upper School teachers and experience living in the Washington, DC area.

Maria Alejandro Montoya Camargo attends school at Trinidad del Monte, a Sacred Heart school in Bogotá, Colombia. Maria will be staying with Amalia Marmolejos ’19 and her family until mid-September. Manuela Vergel, another exchange student from Trinidad del Monte, is hosted by Maddie Rodgers ’19. Manuela will be here until early October.

The Exchange Program offers a student an opportunity to broaden her horizons by sharing in the life of another Sacred Heart school and experiencing the cultures of other parts of their own country and of the wider world. The program aspires to prepare a student for living in the “global village."

Varsity Soccer Coach Spisak Adds to Her Incredible Sports Career

Nestled on our 35 acre campus it is often easy to overlook that our very own Kati Jo Spisak is one of the most accomplished soccer players and coaches in the entire U.S. Her humility is unmatched and you will never hear her bring up her storied career--a three-time All-American at Texas A&M plus her time on the U.S. National Women's Soccer Team (USNWT). According to AD Jason McGhee, "her passion, commitment, and impact on our students is incredible, and we are so lucky to call her a Gator." This Sunday, October 9, Coach Spisak will be on the sidelines as an assistant coach with the Washington Spirit to face the Western New York Flash in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship game at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas. The NWSL featuring 10 professional teams is the top women's soccer league in the U.S., and one of the top in the world featuring 69 national team players from around the world, 37 Olympians, and 19 members of the USNWT. Needless to say, she's coaching at the highest level of women's soccer including some of the best players in the world!

At SR, Coach Spisak brings a "hard hat" mentality as the Associate Athletic Director teaching PE and leading the development of the PE curriculum. In addition, she coaches the SR Middle School soccer "A" team as well as the varsity team. Tune in to cheer her on, and hopefully, she will bring home a professional sports team championship to Washington. #goSRGators #GatorStrong

SR Junior Is on Track For Record Year

Since starting at Stone Ridge, Genevieve DiBari '18 has been one of the schools most accomplished and gifted runners. This season is no exception and after joining the Firebirds club team over the summer, Genevieve's hard work is showing in all her results. Most recently, the junior standout athlete didn't let the wet conditions at the Salesianum (DE) Invitational slow her down. She picked up her first major invitational victory in the small school division, clocking an impressive time of 20:16.30 on the slow course. Along the way she also earned the state of Maryland cross country runner of the week! If all continues to go well, Genevieve, along with her extremely talented teammates, will have an impressive ISL performance in their future. Way to go Genevieve! #goSRgators #GatorStrong

SR Athletics & Gator Field Continue to Distinguish Themselves in the DMV

Despite a rainy morning and afternoon, the University of Notre Dame women's lacrosse program hosted two successful events on Gator Field on Saturday, October 1. The first event was a clinic led by ND coaches and athletes for almost 80 girls grades 7-12, including many SR student-athletes. The second event was an incredibly fast paced and entertaining college lacrosse game between ND & the University of Delaware that included a capacity crowd with standing room only. Making the day even more memorable for Stone Ridge was our own Maddie Carr ’15 playing midfield for the Irish. According to SR Athletic Director Jason McGhee, "Hosting a world class university such as Notre Dame on our campus is such an incredible opportunity for our community, and most importantly for our students. Gator Field is a premier facility in the DMV and has been transformational for SR since it opened. We've hosted the Washington Spirit women's professional soccer team, served as the home field for the Washington Spirit Reserve Team, and now played home to two top universities in the country. When Gator Field opened we knew it would elevate our athletics & PE programs but we also expected it to showcase our campus in ways that had not been done before."

"Moving forward, our goal is to continue to host annual events that provide opportunities for our community and prospective families." #goSRgators #GatorStrong

For the first Social Action day of the 2016-2017 school year, the Upper School enthusiastically welcomed back alumna Ms. Deirdre White ‘84. Ms. White assisted the Upper School in initiating the start of the Social Action year with an engaging presentation that left her captivated audience with an insight into the value of successful partnerships and a deeper understanding of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, this year’s Social Action theme.

Ms. White is the CEO of the DC based, non-profit organization Pyxera Global, an internationally recognized leader in the field of economic development. The organization brands itself as a “social profit organization” that seeks to reinvent the manner in which the public, private, and social sectors collaborate to achieve global goals, such as the U.N sustainable development goals. Ms. White attributes her success with the organization to her time here as a Stone Ridge girl, where she learned and experienced the value of living the Goals of Sacred Heart education, specifically Goal III, “a social awareness which impels to action.”

Ms. White’s speech served as an excellent introduction to our theme of “one heart growing for the common good,” which is rooted in the U.N. sustainable development goals.  She inspired the Upper School students to make a difference in our community by focusing our efforts on one specific problem as opposed to multiple. Ms. White shared with students her method of solving issues which involves identifying the problem, forming a positive and cooperative mindset, and finding the appropriate partners for assistance. Students left the assembly with a new-found confidence in their ability to address problems and were eager to begin their first Social Action day of the year. It was truly a pleasure to see an alumna living out the Sacred Heart Goals in her everyday life and she inspired students to make change in the world one step at a time.

Post was written by Cameron Leonard '17 and Ellie Stanislav '17.

L-R: Lauren Brownlee, Director of Social Action, Ceci Connolly ‘17, Maggie Quinn ‘17, Deirdre White ‘84, guest speaker, and Catherine Ronan Karrels ‘86 Head of School

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month