OLA's 2006 Valedictorian is
Molly Margaret Hadden
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John
Cornell
Hadden of Bay St. Louis and a member of Christ Episcopal Church.
Recently named a 2006 Coca-Cola Regional
Scholar by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation,
Margaret, as she is called, received a $10,000 Regional scholarship award. "Hadden
has shown a
solid commitment to educational excellence, leadership and service to the
school and community,"
said Sandy Williams, Chairman of the Board of the Coca-Cola Scholarship
Foundation.
A member of the National Junior Honor
Society, the National Honor Society and the Spanish
National Honor Society, Margaret has achieved the Principal's Honor Roll (all
A's) since her Freshman
year and has been an Honors Curriculum student in grades 11 and 12. She
received Academic
Honors (highest grade) in Trig/Pre-Cal Honors and Chemistry in grade 11; in
Spanish II, Biology,
English II, and Art in grade 10; and in Geometry in grade 9. She was
recognized as a Scholar Athlete
in grades 9-11, received a perfect attendance award in grades 9-10, and
received the May Student
Council Character Cup Award in grade 10. She received third place in the
Division II Math and Science
Quiz Bowl Competition.
Margaret is the president of the Crescent
Athletic Club (CAC) and Senior Class Secretary. She was
class vice-president in her junior year. A delegate of Mississippi's Youth
Legislature for three years,
Margaret was Chief-of-Staff and a member of the Governor's Staff for the Youth
Legislature during her
junior and senior years.
In other organizations, Margaret was a member
of Campus Ministry for two years, a Student Ministry
Retreat Team member for one year, a member of the WOLA Prayer/News Team for
two years, and a
member of the Prom committee in her junior year.
In sports, Margaret was a member and
letterman of the Varsity Soccer team for five years, the
Gatorade Rookie of the Year in soccer in grade 10, All-District in soccer in
grades 11 and 12, and
All-State Soccer Team in 11th grade. She was also a member of the
Cross-Country Team for one year
and the Sailing Team for one year. She was a member of the Seventh Man Club
(spirit organization)
for three years, and an Intramural Dance Team Member for four years.
Margaret is a member of her church's youth
group and a lector; she volunteered as a vacation bible
school teacher for a summer. She received a Community Service Award for over
50 hours of service in
grade 10 and has been involved in various community services.
She volunteered at the Boys and Girls
Club for a year; participated in the Mississippi Coastal
Clean-up for three years; organized and collected Pennies for Patients for two
years; collected goods
for Morning Star Pregnancy Center and Soup Kitchen for four years; and
participated in Cancer Walks
for two years. She was an Eco-Triathlon Organizer for an event, and
participated in a STAR Project for
Katrina Children in 2006.
Margaret plans to attend Louisiana State University. She is undecided about her major.
Salutatorian
Margaret Erin Casey is the daughter of Elizabeth and
Shawn Casey of Pass Christian
and a member of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Pass Christian.
A member of the National Junior Honor Society, the
National Honor Society, and the Spanish Honor
Society, Erin, as she is called, has maintained the Principal's Honor Roll and
Alpha Honor Roll during
high school. She was named Student of the Month from her class in grades
8-10. She received third
place in the Division II Math and Science Quiz Bowl Competition.
A member of the OLA Campus Ministry for four years, Erin
was elected president this year. She is
also a member of the OLA Junior/Senior Retreat Team, which directs the retreat
days for grades 7-9,
and the Diocese of Biloxi SEARCH Team, which conducts religious retreats for
teens of the Diocese.
In her junior and senior year, she led the school in Morning Prayer as a
member of the WOLA Prayer
and News Team.
Erin is the secretary of the Crescent Athletic Club (CAC).
She is a six-year member and four-year
Varsity Letterman on the Fast-Pitch Softball Team and a five-year member and
four-year Varsity
Letterman in Cross Country. As a sophomore, she was a member of the OLA Track
Team. She
received the Cross Country Athletic Award in her sophomore and junior years.
A member of St. Paul's Catholic Church Youth Group for six
years, Erin was a lector and
commentator at church services for five years. At the Catholic Youth
Convention in March, she received
the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi "Eagle of the Cross" Award for her "courage,
vision, and forbearance to
follow the path of a Christian leader."
As a senior, Erin was recognized for her volunteer service
with a President's Volunteer Service
Award presented by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. During
the summer of 2004
and 2005, Erin spent a week assisting in the mission at Saltillo, Mexico. In
2005, she traveled to
Klagetoh, Arizona, to assist at the Navajo Indian Reservation. Also in 2005,
she volunteered as a
coach for the Little League Fast-Pitch Softball Team and at the Special
Olympics. Erin plans to attend Mississippi State University and major in
chemical engineering.
Laura E. Kergosien, senior at Our Lady Academy, has been
named as STAR (Student-Teacher
Achievement Recognition) Student for the 2005-2006 school year by the
Mississippi Economic
Council's M. B. Swayze Educational Foundation, sponsor of the STAR program.
STAR Students are selected on the basis of academic
excellence. "The STAR program encourages
and promotes academic achievement among Mississippi's high school seniors,"
said Peggy Howard
of Jackson, director of the STAR program. Laura was honored with the STAR
recognition by achieving
the highest ACT (American College Test) score in her class.
Daughter of Drs.William and Carolyn Kergosien of Bay St.
Louis, Laura was also recently named a
2006 National Merit Finalist, a 2006 National Merit Scholar, and a candidate
in the 2006 Presidential
Scholars Program. In 2005 she served as the Youth Governor in the Mississippi
YMCA Youth
Legislature program.
A member of the National Honor Society, Laura has
consistently made the President's Honor Roll
and Alpha Honor Roll. She has received Academic Awards (the highest average)
in twelve different
courses taken at OLA.
Laura is the editor of the 2006 OLA Yearbook, "Tomorrow's
Past." She is a member of the OLA
Student Ministry Retreat Team, which directs the school retreats for grades
7-9. She is also a member
of the Diocese of Biloxi Search Team, a Catholic Peer Ministry Retreat Team,
which conducts retreats
for juniors and seniors in the Diocese.
In athletics, Laura is a four-year varsity member of the
Swim Team and was a Varsity Track Team
Letterman in Grades 9-10. In grades 9 and 10, she was a volunteer youth
soccer coach.
Laura will attend Princeton University and major in political science.
Each STAR Student is asked to designate a STAR Teacher,
the classroom teacher who has made
the greatest contribution to the student's scholastic achievement. Laura has
designated Stephen
Flannery, her junior English teacher, as her STAR teacher.
A teacher for 11 years, Flannery earned a BA Degree in
Journalism from Colorado State University
and a MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Colorado in
Colorado Springs. Flannery
has taught at St. Stanislaus College for eight years and currently teaches
English III AP, Language and
Composition. He was named "Faculty of the Year" at SSC for 2002-2003.