Loretto Academy - Laurel Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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When the year 1944 rolled around, so did Sr Mary Andre with the nacLdioi S ujjerl rli en the year 1944 rolled around here at Loretto so did Sister Mary Andre from Pennsylvania. (It was her first mission as a Sister.) One of her first big assignments was to take care of the little-girl boarders, which she fulfilled quite successfully. She was then transferred to managing the cafeteria until Sister Ann William, who was in charge of the kitchen, became ill. Sister Andre offered to take her place. All the Sisters considered this a joke, because Sister Andre was no bigger than the pans. But, in accord with Sister’s usual manner, ail came out quite well. It was an- other happening like that that led Sister Andre to take over the Snackshop around 1948. Once a music room, the Snackshop is now a Calorie Counter for Loretto girls. Its rapid success is a little hard to believe. Back in the good ole’ days the Snackshop was furnished with only a limited amount of school supplies. Today, the shop is equipped more to the immediate needs of the students. This of course means more fattening foods, including the thick, thirst-quenching malts and shakes, mouth-watering ice cream cones of various flavors, crisp, crunchy potato chips, a large variety of assorted candy, and the ever-so-lasting suckers. Besides fattening goods, the shop carries school supplies and gifts. Vo further enhance the appetizing food and tempting pur- chases, the Snackshop is cleverly decorated. (Actually the girls are a little spoiled by such luxury.) As the seasons change, so do the red-and-white and blue-and-white striped chair covers made by Sister Andre. Though good as new, the ice cream parlor chairs and tables are antiques. (They are fifty years old.) In fact several people have asked to buy them. lister is known throughout the school as smiley. Her personality was made to get along with everyone-shc does. No matter how long or strenuous a thing will be, she is always willing to help. A few of her many favorites are singing and working with children of any age. One of her pet peeves is the girls getting too loud and screaming in the Snackshop. All in all the Loretto girls have been fortunate in having twenty years of Sister Mary Andre's joyfulness and ability to take care of the Snackshop. 12 the loorelette

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Cherry is the kind of girl that even if you meet her only once, you'll remember her. It's not just her friendliness and concern for the freshmen (even if she does occasionally lock one in her locker), but everything she does—from emceeing'' the Frosh Orientation Assembly to planning the November Dance—is done with a sort of boundless enthusiasm and a deep sense of personal responsibility. If she doesn't find time for something, she'll make time—for her work in Drama and Sodality is done just as zealously as any class or school project. For her Sodality apostolate. Sherry is a candy-striper at St. Mary's. Ironically enough, she works alone in a fifth floor lab—but this arrangement probably saves the hospital a good number of skipped heart-beats, for letting Sherry loose with one of those little carts that most candy-stripers use would be more than in- viting mayhem. ffut there is still another side to Sherry. For a girl who 'never sees a stranger, adjectives like undauntable and in- comparable cannot begin to scratch the surface. No, there is one more quality without which nothing is meaningful, one more word to describe Sherry Ralston—loving. It's not just a love for Loretto or a love of family and friends, but a much greater love—a love of humanity, a love of giving. That is why Sherry wants to join the Peace Corps. And the Peace Corps will surely benefit from a person like Sherry, who has so very much to give. In her remaining years at Loretto, she will have many opportunities to prove herself a capable and selfless leader; but no matter what the future holds for her, you can be sure that whatever she is doing and wherever she is. Sherry Ralston will be loving—and loved. Janet Williams . . . Whatever she does, you know she'll do it well.” L 11 HI here are people who live their lives with a certain sense of responsibility, a deep-rooted conviction that they must trade until he comes. Janet Williams is one of these people. Most of us know1 her as someone to rely on, some- one who's always there when you need her, because she has been, ever since freshman year. Then, Janet headed com- mittees for the Christmas Breakfast and for the annual mission drive, and evolved as a strong and able leader which she has remained ever since. As soph class president last year, she received the Student Council award for the most up and coming lower classman. Janet is the type of person who takes over when every- one else has given up, for she's really an optimist at heart. When faced with the humiliating prospect that the sopho- mores had placed fourth in last year's laurelelte drive, in- stead of making excuses Janet announced Just wait until the Mission Drive. We waited; and they won. here are many things which can be said about Janet Williams, but perhaps the most down-to-earth statement is that she always does what she sets out to do, and she always does it well. She's what can be called a subtle leader, never forcing her views on other people, but still guiding with a firm hand. Her dependability is a quality seldom found in one so young; and because of this she is much admired and imitated. And by just being someone to-be- imitated Janet has helped many people to take responsi- bility more seriously and thereby become responsible leaders. As secretary-treasurer of the Student Council this year, Janet is integrally involved with the Loretto that she loves. For to her, Loretto is not just a school but a living person, vibrant and full of spirit. I feel that it's an honor for me to go here, she says, and so much of her life is wrapped up in Loretto that she just can't imagine going anywhere else. Nor can we imagine Loretto without Janet. Besides being an avid member of the junior basketball team, Janet is a drama enthusiast. She likes drama because she can express herself. That’s something I normally find hard to do, but it’s so much easier when you use somebody else's words.” But Janet doesn't really need somebody else s words, for she has enough of her own to make people really stop and listen. TOUen she leaves Loretto, Janet hopes to study medicine. She feels that by being a doctor she will be able to help someone else. Whether she knows it or not—by just being herself—she's doing that now. Fall 1963 11

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A panel of four men heoded by Mr. Vezeou, S.J., of Rockhurst, presented the problems of prejudice in the Kansas City oreo Their focts and pleadings resulted in a cry for more prayer, more tolerance, more zeol in the field of social justice. Teenagers converge on l jretto to learn their part in Zottay’s Better World Wc look out and sec a world which has the power to destroy itself. We see a world in which daily . . . many people face physical insecurity, emotional insecurity, spirit- ual insecurity, financial insecurity. But a Christian can be secure in the midst of his inse- curities, Sister Gabriel, S.L., counselor and psychologist at Loretto Heights College, Loretto, Colorado, drew' to a close her keynote speech on You and a Better World.’ Two hundred Catholic high school students and teachers listened to her as she delivered the first speech for a youth day held at Loretto Academy on Sunday, September 29, that had for its theme A Better World. The day brought together youth from ten Kansas City parochial schools to listen and discuss and pray. It was designed to give those attending an awakening realization of what it means to be a Christian in these times, and the program dealt with current problems and insights into their solutions to make a better world. At the miserable hour of 8:30 in the morning. Sister Gabriel astounded and probably woke up some in the audi- ence with her statement that to make a better world is to increase my love of myself. When I ask you to increase the love of yourself I am asking you to work on this thing called self-concept. The self-concept—how we look at our- selves— is the greatest motivation force on the natural level. The only solid foundation for a proper self-concept is the spiritual truth that I am a child of God. I am loved by God, hence I am good. Having this proper self-concept, this proper self-love gives a person a feeling of strength, of well being, and finally, a feeling of freedom. ... I am receptive, I am objective—my energies are at another s disposal. This frees us to fulfill our basic duty as Chris- tians: to love one another. Sister summed this up Who is better able to know and understand his neighbor's behavior than the Christian who understands and is able to tolerate his own? and urged us to love our neighbor, to give him courage and creativeness that he can never achieve in any other way . . . fulfillment he can never attain alone.” This proper self-love, this love of our neighbor enables him to bring himself and his neighbor to a better world through the insecurities and tensions he faces. After Sister Gabriel's enlightening speech, those attending broke up into groups of 12-15 students and teachers to explore further the horizons of a better world. Under the guidance of a student leader, the group read, pondered, and discussed a meditation on the topic of Love and under- standing. It means we can win anyone with love . . we've got to reach these people who need to be reached, the leader read. Help me to remember, was the final reso- lution of the discussion, we cannot afford to be bench- warmers in this game of Christian Love. The students and teachers present got a good chance to get some specific application for the game of Christian Love in the next session they attended. In the auditorium, Mr Vezeau, S.J. of Rockhurst, headed a panel on interracial justice. Representatives of Negro, Jewish and Latin Ameri- can races presented their problems resulting from prejudice. M, Frank Smith, student at Central Missouri State Teach- ers' College, said that Negroes in Kansas City area face many problems in the area of social discrimination. He told of his ascent from a poverty-stricken childhood in a two- room flat on Sixteenth Street to his present position. All felt with him the hurt and confusion in a ten-year-old's heart when he first learned what it is to be a Negro, to be different. But this is part of my social inheritance, and Fall 1963 13