Visitation Academy junior Avery McLaughlin was getting in some practice at Bellerive Country Club in preparation for the upcoming spring and summer season when she picked up something truly remarkable - her fourth hole-in-one. Congratulations!

 

Click here to read the complete story in the online issue of West Newsmagazine.

Grace Fagan, Class of 2024, was named the 2024 Visitation Academy Post-Dispatch Scholar Athlete. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, which caps off a stellar four years on the Viz golf team.

Viz’s Women in STEM club launched a new speaker program this month. The first two lectures in this ongoing series, brought to fruition by club president Josie Janisch, Class of 2024, will feature Viz alumnae in the STEM field. Additionally, women scientists, representing both alumnae and non-alumnae, have been invited to speak at future meetings. Inaugural speaker Caitlin Hamill, Class of 2020, was on campus on Tuesday, March 19, to discuss her journey from Viz to St. Louis University (BS in Biochemistry) and the preparations she is making to begin her graduate program in a career in Medical Drug Discovery.

 

Coincidentally, Upper School AP/College Credit bio students recently were on the SLU campus to experience a day in the life of STEM students and had an opportunity to hear from Caitlin, who was on a panel of students selected to discuss their STEM experiences at SLU. Students also received a campus tour - with special emphasis on the Engineering and Science building - and attended the class equivalent to the college credit they are earning.

Congratulations to Sophie Burgoon, Class of 2025, who applied for and was accepted into Washington University Medical School’s prestigious Saturday Scholar Program. Accepted students attend five Saturday sessions in the spring (with a teacher), where they are immersed in lectures, gross anatomy lab sessions, and clinical patient experiences with Washington University medical students. Sophie was honored to experience this program and enjoyed her medical school immersion and the opportunity to discuss pre-med topics with Washington University’s Dr. William Ross and his students.

 

The five-week program culminated on March 16 with student presentations of a particular pathology selected by the Scholars committee. Sophie’s presentation was outstanding, and she represented Viz well.

Jane Kramer, Class of 2025, and Isabella Bradford, Class of 2026, received a 2024 Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois Affiliate Honorable Mention as part of the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing High School Awards. This recognition is a testament to their dedication, hard work, and exceptional skills demonstrated in the computing field. The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) aims to encourage young women’s interest and participation in computing. We hope their achievements serve as an inspiration for other Viz students to explore and excel in the field of computing.

 

In addition, Sarah Walsh, Vis Computer Science Teacher, also was named the 2024 NCWIT Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois Affiliate Educator Winner. Congratulations to all!

The Viz swimming and diving team had a great showing at the State Championship, finishing ninth out of 52 teams. Junior Ashlyn Canale took second place in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke and posted a new school record in the process. Ashlyn teamed up with freshman Mia Moore, freshman Maddie Mug, and sophomore Madison Seabaugh in the 200 medley relay, taking third and earning a new school record.

 

In all events, this small but mighty squad made a solid showing:

 

 

Congratulations to the entire team on a great season and for finishing strong.

Viz’s two Upper School CyberPatriot teams, the Cyber Hoots and Apple Cyber, shined at the state-level competition held in late January. The two teams placed first and second, respectively, in the Silver Tier Award category.

 

Congratulations to all the competitors:

Carmen Barreiro

Isabella Bradford

Katie Gasper (Team Vice President)

Ella Kadyk (Team President)

Gabrielle Reese

Olivia Thornton

 

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air & Space Forces Association to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.

Viz sixth graders Aarushi G., Kelsey H., Tess K., Idgie S., and Vada T., aka the Crypto Cats, were very successful at the FIRST LEGO League qualifier on January 6. The Crypto Cats robotics team, sponsored by Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, was awarded the 1st Place Champion’s Award for the best overall performance across all judging categories - Project, Robot, and Core Values. This award advances the team to the Missouri Regional Championship on Saturday, February 24. Additionally, the Crypto Cats won the Robot Performance Award for achieving the highest score during the robot game. Congratulations!