Last year’s graduating class was unanimous in telling the seniors to not hold back in school involvement when they reach college.

      “Don’t be afraid to branch out and try new things,” said Courtney B.

       The girls also gave current seniors advice for the academic side of college. They assured the seniors that college academics are quite different from those in high school, but that the adjustment is definitely doable.

       ”Really get to know your professors,” said Rachel H.

       When several girls asked about classes, jobs, and majors, the 2011 graduates told the seniors to choose their undergrad major because they enjoy it, not because of the possibility of a lucrative career.

       ”You will be successful at something you are happy doing, rather than something that just might make you money,” said Kelly C.

       Seniors also asked for advice on how to stay healthy and fit during college, especially freshman year. This is a concern for many, especially for those who are not planning to play a sport in college.

       “Take as many PE classes as you can, it’s a great way to stay fit and make friends,” said Courtney.

       Other girls asked about the possibility of homesickness, and how to deal with it. The 2011 panel were very responsive about this, saying that missing one’s family and one’s home is inevitable, and it can be hard to get used to the change.

       “I was still really caught up in high school, but you can’t be afraid of change; it’s inevitable,” said Mackenzie M.

       Things got better for last year’s graduates once they embraced the change.

       “You realize that that’s where you life is now and that’s where your home is now,” said Rachel N.

      But while looking forward to college is surely exciting as well as nerve-wracking, the graduates reminded this year’s seniors to make sure to have fun for the rest of their time at Ursuline.

     Musical houses have been spotted already since 2005 and are an upgrade to the usual decked out Christmas house. It’s a little extra for the holiday-ers who want a little more Christmas spirit and carolers.

    These eye stunning houses can be made from over 40 000 LED holiday lights and controlled with over five computerized lighting controllers. One person acts as an orchestrator, commanding the lights when to go on or off, fade or twinkle. Inside the house, the orchestrator has an MP3 player inside the controllers, playing the music.

     However, they’re not for everyone, when asked if she would ever try this on her own house, Marcelle C. ’13, brings up an important point, “I feel that it costs too much electricity.” These houses probably don’t light up all night, but the bill for the time they run their musical lights must make this an annual event.

Though many of us may never attempt to so extravagantly decorate our houses, we can still watch from the streets, or is there isn’t a musical house in your neighborhood, watch from youtube.com.

They can be easily found on youtube.com, but here are a few favorites from the staff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmgf60CI_ks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8AUsmse15o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hjtd__eEmA&feature=related

      The Descendents, a mix of comedy and drama, is about a man from Hawaii whose life is about to majorly change. The wife of Matt King, played by the famous and talented George Clooney, is not only in the hospital in a coma, but she was also having an affair with another man with almost everyone knowing about it, except Matt. His daughter, Alexandra, portrayed by Secret Life of an American Teenager star Shailene Woodley, is the one who tells him about the affair, explaining why she hadn’t been getting along with her mother before the accident. Oscar buzz has been given to both Clooney and Woodley for their heartwarming and expressive performances in Descendents, so it’s not surprise why this movie’s ratings have been A+.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1033575/

      After wonderful reviews from this year’s film festivals at Sundance and Toronto, Like Crazy caught many people’s attention and was put into theaters later in the year. When Felicity Jones’ character Anna falls in love with Jacob, played by Star Trek and Charlie Bartlett star, Anton Yelchin, they begin an epic romance with no turning back. But there’s a problem: Anna is only welcome to stay in America until her student visa is set to expire after graduation and instead she overstays, which only continues to cause more problems for the rest of the film. With comparisons to movies like last year’s Blue Valentine and Jane Eyre and the combination of Yelchin and Jones’s chemistry and likeableness, it is a sure Oscar contender.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1758692/

      Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based off the novel by John le Carré, is expected to have a solidified spot in the running for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars—and that’s based purely on the trailer and the amazing cast involved. Batman Begins and Harry Potter’s Gary Oldman plays George Smiley, a retired British Intelligence espionage expert is asked to return in the hopes of finding a suspected mole working for the Russians within the operation. Set during the Cold War in the 1970s, Smiley must find the difference between lies and truth in this impressive spy film with other leading actors such as Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hardy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1340800/

      A story of the relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and their studies of psychology is animatedly portrayed in A Dangerous Method. Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen and X-Men First Class’s Michael Fassbender, who play Jung and Freud, are expected to show how complex and interesting both their studies and relationships were during their time. Pirates of the Caribbean star Keira Knightley and Black Swan’s Vincent Cassel both also star in Dangerous Method, which has been generating Oscar buzz since the summer and will supposedly have a strong chance at claiming many of the awards this year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1571222/

Last summer, Sister Benigna was at Colegio Miramar School  in Lima, Peru when Ms. Bourgeois , Ms. Nipp,  Mrs. Frasco and her daughter,  Julia and several Ursuline  girls  visited.    As an Ursuline sister, Sister Benigna has served others all over the world, including in Rome at the Generalate, in Jamaica, and at other international  Ursuline schools.

Her next mission is to help the poor, particularly the elderly, at a Senior Citizen center in Laredo, TX.

Right after graduating from a secondary school in Holland, Sister Benigna trained to become a teacher. These skills became especially useful when she taught young children at Santa Ursula in Lima.

She continued learning throughout the years and now speaks six languages, although she says that she does not speak them perfectly.

Through her many experiences and successes, Sister Beniga has developed a philosophy of life.

“All that you learn, take it seriously and take the possibilities seriously, and then you will have all that you need to do the right thing in the future,” she  said.

            Students in Mrs. Vargas’, Ms. Rico’s, and Mr. Bakos’ Spanish I classes have been chatting with pen pals from our sister school in Chile, Colegio Santa Ursula, since October in a project called Mi Escuela, Tu Escuela. The purpose of the project is to compare and contrast schools, activities, and lifestyles between the UA girls and the CSU girls.

“When we hear about other countries in the news, we know it’s there but it doesn’t seem real,” said Alex B. ’15. “This project allowed us to see that girls in other countries grow up with similar music interests, family life, and friends.”

Through Blackboard’s discussion board, email, Facebook, and Skype, Ursuline girls send messages (written in Spanish, of course!) to their Chilean pen pals, who usually respond in English to practice their skills. Through these messages, pen pals have gotten to know each other, discussing topics ranging from food to boys to favorite subjects and sports.

“I consider my pen pal a friend and I hope to visit her someday,” said Rachel H. ’15.

The project culminates in early December with a MovieMaker presentation, integrating the grammar and vocabulary students have learned through the year, about the pen pal and her family, activities, favorite things, and other topics of discussion.

“Ursuline students learn not only about Chilean student life, but also about the culture and country,” said Mrs. Vargas.

And even more than that, Mi Escuela, Tu Escuela motivates Ursuline girls to use their Spanish skills for fun conversation along with the possibility of traveling with Ursuline to Chile.

     As the delegation moves to Uganda, they will make a visit to Bead for Life, a nonprofit organization that takes colored recycled paper and turns them into beads for jewelry. Bead for Life also features Ugandan women who make cosmetics and soaps from shea nuts. By selling either the jewelry or the cosmetics, profit becomes a source of income for deprived Africans throughout the continent.

     Not only will the delegation take time to visit Bead for Life while in Uganda, they will also spend time at the Empower African Children, offices and school site. For those who don’t know what Empower African Children is and were not here to see them during their Spirit of Uganda Tour to UA a few years ago, EAC is another nonprofit organization that provides an inventive and ground-breaking education for Ugandan children.

     Working with EAC has made positive ties to some of the delegates, especially Samantha F., ’12. “I’m most looking forward to visiting the Empower African Children sites because I remember their performance here when I was a freshman. They are an inspiring group and being able to visit where they work and go to school is very exciting,” says Samantha.

     The delegation to Africa will be one of Ursuline’s most culturally enriching and diverse opportunities to date and will hopefully be a sign of more trips and opportunities for future school visits.

During lunchtime, students were able to go to the Atrium and have a taste of some Spanish speaking countries’ food. Meanwhile, in Haggar, students could view an exhibition of posters about Spanish speaking countries.

     Micaela was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2010, just a short time after her senior snowball dance.  After spending Christmas, New Years, and her birthday at Children’s Hospital, Micaela was forced to bear a new lifestyle of daily treatment and constant pain.  Most would assume that, under such circumstances, one would thrive on negativity.  Micaela did just the opposite.

     “Micaela was always a complete joy to be around, even during her time in the hospital,” said Haley G. ’11.  “She never once complained about her situation, and although cancer took her body, it never ever took over her mind or spirit.  When we would go to Children’s, she always greeted us with her gorgeous smile and a hug.  Even if we weren’t technically allowed to touch her, she would always insist in that signature ‘Micaela tone.’”

     Micaela constantly had the support of her faithful Ursuline classmates, some of whom she had known for a number of years.  Seeing the immeasurable courage with which Micaela fought her battles only strengthened these friendships.

     “I’ve known Micaela since before kindergarten and the best word to describe everything about her is beautiful,” said Ashley S. ’11.  “Her personality, her smile, her attitude towards life: all of it was beautiful.  And she had the best sense of humor.  Even when she was having a hard and painful day in the hospital, she would be smiling and cracking jokes.”

     Micaela could not have had more supportive friends.  With its slogan, “Be Strong, Be Blessed,” Micaela’s Army did everything it could to support Micaela every day of her battle with cancer.  Yet it was Micaela’s own strength that equipped her army members with strength.  Ironically, she was the support system for her support system.

     “Micaela is my hero,” said Shelby T. ’11.  “She never gave up on her struggle and she never ever had a negative attitude towards leukemia.  She is my angel, and she is watching over every Ursuline girl.  I love her with everything I have.”

     Even before she was diagnosed with cancer, Micaela was an inspiration to many and a light for everyone she knew.

     “As a friend she helped me through hard times of my own,” said Molly O. ’11.  “She was the best listener and always had words of advice for me.  When my uncle died, I did not tell anyone and all of a sudden she had called me and said she was coming over.  And when it came time to say bye to her this summer, I remember staring at her thinking – she is an angel. I am best friends with an actual angel.”

     After a prolonged time of pain and suffering, Micaela indeed joined the angels. She continues to touch the lives of others, even people she had never known while on earth.

     “Unlike everyone else, I didn’t know Micaela personally,” said a student from Plano West named Jessica. “I was on the same transplant floor when Micaela got the infection in her central line. I have hodgkins lymphoma, and I was receiving a stem-cell transplant as Micaela was receiving her bone marrow transplant. I never got to see her smiling face, but she was the one keeping me going, knowing if she can do it, I can do it. The rest of my fight through cancer is for you Micaela White, since you never got to finish yours.”

     A beautiful inspiration, a beautiful angel, Micaela’s legacy will never die. She will live on forever through the lives of those she loved.

     “Even though the news explains it as ‘A Plano teen loses her battle to cancer,’ we all know the media always messes up the story,” said Alice D. ’11. “Because if losing means being in eternal paradise, or getting angel wings, or getting to be with all of your friends and family all at the same time, then I think we can all agree that we want to lose more often. Micaela beat cancer. Cancer is stuck here on earth while Micaela is having the time of her life up in heaven.”

Micaela’s parents have been left with extensive medical bills.  Not to mention all of the medicine and cost of Micaela’s bone marrow transplant, which can range from $15,000-$50,000.  They are accepting donations of any size.  You can mail a check to the following address, made out to the Micaela White Fund:

The Micaela White Fund

217 Cedar Tree Lane

Heath, Texas 75032

Micaela Monday will be held one more time on Monday, September 19^th in memory of Micaela.  We will start the day with a prayer in her honor.  Micaela’s Army Bracelets will be sold for $5.  Any student wearing one can wear free dress that day.  Students who have purchased one before can wear it for free dress and contribute more if they wish.  Proceeds will be donated to the Micaela White Fund.

The new dining service makes sure that no food served carries trans fat and aims to achieve tasty,  low calorie meals. There will be a daily salad bar with seasonal vegetables grown in house. Starting this year, Ursuline will begin growing its very own vegetable garden whose output will be served in the cafeteria.

            Other changes in Haggar this 2011 school year include a complete makeover of the cafeteria. The food area is now painted a warm red with a cleaner, more modern tiled aesthetic for the salad bar. The bulletin boards on each side of the cafeteria will soon be replaced with newer, tan versions.

            However, one of the more exciting changes for most students is the end to the cost of cutlery.  Haggar will no longer provide plastic forks and knives, instead silverware will be provided as well as blue trays, and, best of all, all are free of charge. Not only is the complementary silverware favorable to students, but it is also friendly to the environment!