Our Lady Academy will graduate forty-seven seniors at its thirty-fourth graduation ceremony at 3:00 p.m. on May 24 at Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church in Bay St. Louis.
Amelia Simpson and Caterina Tran are the 2008 Co-Salutatorians, and Megan Gargiulo is the 2008 Valedictorian.
CO-SALUTATORIAN AMELIA SIMPSON
Amelia Finn Simpson, daughter of Robert and Lisa Simpson of Long Beach , is a 2007 Principal’s Leadership Award Nominee, vice-president of the OLA Monsignor Martin Maloney Chapter of the National Honor Society and a previous president of the National Junior Honor Society. She is also a member of the OLA Gregory J. Johnson Chapter of the National Latin Honor Society.
Amelia has attended Our Lady Academy for six years. She studied U.S. History, Calculus, and English III in the Advanced Placement Curriculum and Biology, Algebra, English II, and Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus in the Honors Curriculum. She has achieved the President’s Honor Roll since the seventh grade and has received the Pepsi Student of the Month award during her freshman, junior, and senior years.
Current president of the OLA Student Council, Amelia was a member in the ninth, eleventh, and twelfth grades and was 2nd vice-president as a junior. She is a two-year member of the OLA Student Ministry Retreat Team and a member of WOLA, the A.M. prayer/news announcers. As a freshman, she was a member of Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD). She participated in the Speech and Drama Night Presentation in 2007 and 2008.
Amelia is a 2008 Lindy Callahan Scholar-Athlete Nominee and a 2007 Wendy’s Heisman Nominee. A five-year letterman in varsity soccer, Amelia was captain in her junior and senior years. She played soccer on the team when OLA claimed the State Soccer Championship in 2004, 2005, and 2007.
In 2008, Amelia was named to the All-Star Soccer Team. In 2007, she was a member of the All-Coast Soccer Team and the All-District Soccer Team and a 110/120 Tournament Goal Keeper.
Amelia was a member of Bay Area Youth Soccer from 2001-2006. In 2005 and 2006, her team won the District Recreational Soccer Championship and 2nd place in the State Recreational Soccer Championship game.
A four-year letterman in cross country, Amelia was co-captain in her junior year. She ran in the State Cross Country meets in 2004, 2005, and 2006, earning ninth and tenth places in two of the state meets. She was named the Most Improved Cross Country Team member in 2004 and received the Most Valuable Player Award in Cross Country in 2006.
Amelia is a member of the Holy Family Catholic Parish (formerly St. Paul ’s Catholic Parish) in Pass Christian. A member of the Parish’s Youth Group (formerly SPY), she attended the Diocesan Youth Conventions in 2004 and 2008.
Within the community, she has performed volunteer service. She has helped at the St. Paul ’s Seafood Festival in Pass Christian and at the Crab Fest of Our Lady of the Gulf Church in Bay St. Louis.
She has volunteered at Our Lady Academy’s Chef’s Festivals and the OLA Food Festival in earlier years. She took part in the OLA Alumnae “Race to Rebuild” after Hurricane Katrina. She has participated in numerous OLA Student Council events.
An alumna (1994-2002) of Bay Catholic Elementary School (presently Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School ), Amelia plans to attend Louisiana State University , where she received an Alumni Association Scholarship, and major in Engineering.
Caterina To-Uyen Tran, Our Lady Academy’s 2008 STAR student, is the daughter of Khai and Lien Hoang Tran of Pass Christian.
Having attended OLA for six years, Caterina is an Alpha Honor Roll student and has taken both Honors and Advanced Placement Curricula. Her AP courses include English III, U.S. History, Calculus, and Psychology. Her Honors Courses were English II, Biology, Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, and Algebra II.
Caterina is a four-year member and current treasurer of the OLA Monsignor Martin Maloney Chapter of the National Honor Society, a member of the OLA Santa Teresa de Avila Chapter of the National Spanish Honor Society, and a former member of the OLA National Junior Honor Society.
A two-year member of the OLA Student Ministry Retreat Team, Caterina is also a two-year member of the OLA Math and Science Team and a member of the OLA yearbook staff.
In her junior year, Caterina was a member of the OLA Mock Trial; in her sophomore year, she was Class Treasurer. In her freshman year, she was a member of the Junior Youth Legislature and the Pass Christian Youth Leadership Organization and received academic awards in geometry, English I, Mississippi Studies, and physical science.
Caterina is a four-year member and co-captain of the OLA Varsity Track Team. In 2008, the OLA Track Team won the Region 4 2A Trophy and finished first in the 2A South State Meet. Caterina was third in the triple jump in the Regional Meet and fifth overall in the South State Meet, setting a new OLA record in triple jump. In the Bay High Meet, Caterina won the triple jump and placed third in the long jump.
A member of Holy Family Catholic Parish (formerly St. Paul ’s Catholic Parish) in Pass Christian, Caterina is a church choir member and plays the piano at the Vietnamese services. She attended the National Catholic Youth Conference in 2007. In service activities, she participated in the St. Paul ’s Seafood Festival and “Christmas in the Pass”.
Caterina is an alumna (1994-2002) of St. Paul ’s Catholic Elementary School (presently St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School) in Pass Christian. She plans to pursue chemical engineering at Mississippi State University , where she received the Engineering Excellence Scholarship and the Academic Excellence Scholarship.
Megan Gargiulo, daughter of Robert and Jackie Gargiulo of Long Beach, is an OLA National Merit Finalist, a National Merit Scholar, and a recipient of an AP Scholar Award, having qualified by completing three AP Exams (English language, Psychology, and U.S. History) with grades of three or higher.
With a 4.0 unweighted GPA, Megan also took AP Calculus and Honor Courses which included Anatomy, Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, English II, and Algebra II.
Megan is a member of the OLA Monsignor Martin Maloney Chapter of the National Honor Society, the OLA Monsignor Gregory J. Johnson Chapter of the National Latin Honor Society, and a former member of the National Junior Honor Society.
In the National Latin Exam taken as a sophomore, Megan received a Maxima Cum Laude Award in Latin II. As a freshman, she received the Outstanding Latin Student Award in Latin I and the Outstanding World Geography Student Award.
Megan is a two-year member and senior class representative of OLA’s Campus Ministry Organization. She has been an OLA delegate to the Mississippi Youth Legislature for three years. In her senior year in Youth Leg, she presented a bill that was signed into law.
As a senior, Megan served as vice-chairman of the Long Beach Youth Commission. She also served as secretary in her junior year. Also, as a junior, Megan was the first runner-up, talent winner, and scholastics winner in the Harrison Country Junior Miss contest.
In the ninth grade, Megan was a participant in Junior Leadership Biloxi, treasurer of the Builder’s Club, a Student Council member, and recipient of the Student Council Advisor’s Pick Award.
An outstanding musician, Megan has played the piano for ten years. She received Pre-College Honors in grades nine and eleven, Piano Festival Superiors in grades nine and ten, and Piano Guild Superiors in grade eleven. She was a qualifier in a State Special Recognition Recital in grades nine through eleven. In a Sonata contest, she placed third in her senior year and received an honorable mention in her junior year.
Megan has also been a band member and has played the French horn for seven years. In grades nine and ten, she was a member of the Gulf Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra and first band in the Gulf Coast Band Director’s Association. Also in the ninth grade, she received Solo/Ensemble Contest Superiors. As a junior, she was in first band in State Band Clinic and won an Outstanding Wind Player Award.
Megan has been involved in the Gulf Coast church and civic communities. With church members, she has made two summer missionary trips to Saltillo , Mexico , and assisted the people of the ranchos. In the civic community of Biloxi , she volunteered at the Biloxi Regional Medical Center during her freshman year.& nbsp; She was a Summer Art Camp helper at MGCCC Perkinston during her sophomore and junior years.
In OLA’s Campus Ministry Organization this year, she spearheaded a collection of food items at Halloween for the Hancock County Food Pantry; contributed to the “Baby Shower” for Morning Star Pregnancy Center , and collected Christmas gifts for the Gulf Coast Women’s Center for Nonviolence, Inc.
A member of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach , Megan came to OLA in the tenth grade, following Hurricane Katrina. The daughter of a military father (Air Force), Megan received her elementary and junior high education in Massachusetts , Ohio , Texas , Florida , and Mississippi .
Megan has been awarded a National Merit Scholarship, an Academic Excellence Scholarship, and the Newman Carrier Scholarship from the University of Mississippi which she will attend to pursue a degree in English and a foreign language.
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