Home Care In Gwynedd Valley, PA

SPRINGFIELD >> “We’re not done yet.”

That was Gwynedd Mercy Academy’s mindset throughout their District 1-2A quarterfinal game against Springfield Montco Tuesday afternoon.

The Monarchs weren’t done when they trailed by two goals in the middle of the second half and they weren’t done when they took a one-goal lead with 45.7 seconds left. They certainly weren’t done when Springfield had the ball in the offensive end in the final 15 seconds.

After Audrey Beck gave the eighth-seeded Monarchs a lead in the final minute, they made a defensive stand at the other end to close out an 11-10 win over the top-seeded Spartans at Springfield Township High School.

“We don’t stop,” Beck said of the defense at the end. “We don’t get tired. Our defense is unmatched, it’s incredible. I think that they are one of the biggest reasons why we are where we are.”

“We’re more of a second-half team,” GMA’s Ellie Verrill said. “We always come out strong and we just really made sure to focus on the little things and piece-by-piece put it all together and communicate. We knew if we could hold them for those 13 more seconds we could get it done.”

Keira Cassidy forced a turnover with a little over a minute to go to get Gwynedd Mercy (14-6) possession with the score tied, 10-10. Beck earned a free position opportunity and converted to put the Monarchs ahead late in the game.

“I just knew we had to get it done,” Beck, who credited her teammates, said of the game-winner. “It just had to be done in order for our team to be able to make it to the next step.”

Springfield generated a few scoring opportunities after winning the draw, but couldn’t find the back of the net. GMA goalie Jenny Keagy made six saves in the second half and came up big in the final minutes.

“(GMA) did a really good job crashing on our shooters and their goalie came up very big in the second half with some really good saves at point-blank,” Springfield coach Casey Murray said. “I think we had some good looks, but they just did a really good job getting on our hands and we didn’t get much behind the shots.”

The Spartans led, 7-6, at halftime and scored the first goal of the second half to take an 8-6 advantage. The two-goal difference was the largest lead for either team in the tightly-contested game.

Verrill answered the two-goal deficit with three straight goals in 42 seconds. The third goal of that sequence gave the Monarchs their first lead of the game with 16:26 remaining.

“I just knew we had to get a lead on them,” Verrill said. “So many great assists coming in to get those goals. After my yellow card I knew I had to turn it up and change the momentum of the game.”

“I think every time Ellie makes a great play it builds up the entire team,” Beck added. “Not just the offense, but the midfield and defense.”

The opponents alternated the next three goals. Springfield’s Fiona Rizzo tied it 9-9, GMA’s Madeline McFadden made it 10-9 and Springfield’s Emma Yoder evened the score, 10-10, with 4:21 to play.

Verrill led the Monarchs with four goals while Cassidy and Malley Connor each added two.

Rizzo netted a game-high five goals for the Spartans and Yoder added two.

The win secures Gwynedd Mercy Academy a spot in the PIAA-2A state playoffs and sends the Monarchs to the District 1-2A semifinals. They’ll face No. 5 Bishop Shanahan, a 10-7 winner over No. 4 Strath Haven, Thursday.

“We knew we were underestimated and I think that was our main goal – to prove them wrong, prove everyone wrong,” Beck said. “Here we are going to states and on our third round of districts.”

Springfield’s season ends with the loss. The Spartans went 18-2 overall this year and won a share of the Suburban One League American Conference.

“Our goal was to win the league this year and we did that with a 17-1 record,” Murray said, “which was the first time in like 12 years for the school to be able to do that. That was a huge win for us. This was bonus lacrosse a little bit. We love districts and states, but we really tried to focus on the regular season… We would’ve loved to have gotten to the states if we could’ve, but I still think it’s a successful year. Hurts right now, but still a pretty good year.”

Gwynedd Mercy Academy 11, Springfield Montco 10

Gwynedd Mercy Academy 6 5 – 11

Springfield Montco 7 3 – 10

Goals: GMA: Keira Cassidy 2, Ellie Verrill 4, Malley Connor 2, Colleen Mullin, Madeline McFadden, Audrey Beck. S: Emma Yoder 2, Fiona Rizzo 5, Maddie McDevitt, Stella Nelson, Shannon Silvius.

Gwynedd Mercy University’s graduate and undergraduate Class of 2023 was celebrated at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks over the weekend.

On Friday, May 12 Gwynedd Mercy hosted the annual Baccalaureate Mass to kickstart Commencement weekend and bless the current graduating class.

The Distinctive Mercy Graduates were deeply touched by Graduate student speaker Roberta Slawinski, and Undergraduate student speaker Olivia Dobson, as they shared their personal stories and hopes for the future.

As they bid their final farewell to GMercyU and embraced their future as Distinctive Mercy Graduates, the Class of 2023 shared many smiles, laughs, and tears.

Graduate Ceremony

This year’s Graduate ceremony featured Dr. Evelyn Nuñez-Lebron as its Commencement Speaker. Dr. Nuñez-Lebron currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools in the School District of Philadelphia.

Prior to this role, she held various positions in the School District of Philadelphia including Chief of Schools, Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Teacher Coach, and teacher.

Dr. Nuñez-Lebron has a deep commitment to ensuring all students receive a high-quality education by working collaboratively, creating partnerships, and building relationships.

She obtained her Doctorate Degree from Gwynedd Mercy in Educational Administration and Supervision in 2017.

Undergraduate Ceremony

This year’s Undergraduate ceremony speaker was Valerie A. Arkoos.

Dr. Arkoosh is currently leading the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, recently appointed by PA Governor Josh Shapiro. Prior to this role, she served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners for eight years, particularly as Commission Chair from November 2016 to January 2023.

Dr. Arkoosh played an integral role in Montgomery County’s fight against the pandemic, and her transparent leadership was praised by the county.

Learn more about Gwynedd Mercy University’s Commencement, including award winners and video stream on Gwynedd Mercy University’s website.

More about Gwynedd Mercy University.

WARMINSTER >> As the Gwynedd Mercy girls basketball team pushed its lead over Freire Charter into double digits in the third quarter, Hannah Griffin knew it was the right moment to put her stamp on the PIAA-5A first round contest.

“I just have the mentality that I just needed to take over the game,” Griffin said. “I know it’s obviously win and go home and it’s just that situation where ‘Oh my gosh, I need to pick it up.”

With the Monarchs already up 35-22, the senior guard collected back-to-back baskets while a Emilia Coleman two off a Bailey Balkir assist sent GMA to the fourth up 19 on the Dragons.

Griffin opened the final quarter with consecutive pull-up jumpers, extending the advantage to 45-22 and the Monarchs cruised from there, shaking off their offensive struggles in the first half and rolling to a 59-34 victory at Archbishop Wood.

“Obviously in the beginning I think I was worried about the team more as a whole, which I still worried about in the third and fourth quarter,” Griffin said. “But I also started worrying more about my game and how I can be very effective within our offense.”

Griffin scored 10 of her team-high 17 points after halftime as Gwynedd Mercy (21-7) earned a state tournament win for an eighth straight season. The Monarchs look to reach the PIAA quarterfinals for a third year in a row – the previous two in Class 4A – Wednesday against District 11 champ Bethlehem Catholic at a site and time to be announced.

The Golden Hawks, who topped Upper Moreland 46-36 in the first round, knocked GMA from states in the 2017 4A semifinals and the 4A second round in both 2019 and 2020.

“We know we have to continue to keep working hard Monday and Tuesday and we know we have to play better,” Gwynedd Mercy coach Tom Lonergan said. “We know we have to play for 32 minutes against Beca.”

Freire Charter, the second-place side from District 12, had just two players score but both ended up in double figures. Kylah Hargrove had a game-high 18 points – including all of the Dragon’s 12 second-quarter points – while Destiny Davis posted 16 points.

Balkir scored six points in both the first and third quarter in finishing with 15 points. Emilia Coleman recorded eight of her 10 points in the third as the Monarchs eclipsed 50 points for the first time in six postseason games.

“What I kind of reminded ‘em is relax, get some easy stuff and then the points will start falling,” Lonergan said. “But it’s the defensive end of the floor we had to really do something about. And I thought we were able to hold them to 22 for a long, long stretch and that allowed us to really open up the game, get some transition going and start to feel more comfortable out in the floor.”

GIRLS #BASKETBALL: @gma_basketball’s @hannahgriffin_5 with a steal then a bounce pass to @BaileyBalkir for a fast-break layup 3Q vs. Freire Charter. pic.twitter.com/2qBV7ZJIVO

— Mike Cabrey (@mpcabrey) March 12, 2023

Adding to the scoring struggles has been injuries and ailments taking its toll on GMA. Junior center Dylan Burke was lost to a knee injury suffered in practice during the District 1 playoffs. Lauren Drakeley, who returned in February from injury playing soccer, was unavailable Saturday due to strep throat.

The Monarchs, however, did get back sophomores Cara Lapp – out since a concussion in the Catholic Academies final – and Carsy Kelly, who had an Achilles injury. Lapp provided five points while Kelly chipped in three points.

“It’s been one thing after another,” Lonergan said. “But we know we don’t have Dylan, but I feel good that we have Carsy who’s back and she’s got some minutes underneath her. Lauren, now Lauren had some minutes against Bishop Shanahan (in the district third place game), so she played in Dylan’s spot against Bishop Shanahan, she played pretty well and then she got the strep throat and has been out since.”

Gwynedd Mercy got out to a solid start Saturday, a Griffin 3-pointer getting the Monarchs out to an 8-2 lead. A Balkir basket off a steal made it 12-5 with GMA ending the first quarter up 14-7 after a Kelly jumper.

Two Griffin free throws at 5:49 in the second quarter had the Monarchs up 16-7 but District 1’s fourth-place side registered just six more points in the half.

A Coleman three made it 19-12 but three straight points from Hargrove had Freire within 19-14. Lapp drained a trey, putting GMA up seven but a Hargrove basket cut the margin to 22-17 at intermission.

Coleman began scoring in the third with a putback before a Davis triple pulled the Dragons to within 24-20.

GIRLS #BASKETBALL: @gma_basketball’s @emiliacoleman_ connects on a 3-pointer off a Carsy Kelly assist 2Q vs. Freire Charter. pic.twitter.com/baKhbuTtUG

— Mike Cabrey (@mpcabrey) March 12, 2023

Balkir, however, connected on two free throws at 6:48 then hit a jumper while Coleman’s 3-point play in transition put the Monarchs up 31-20 at 4:48. A Balkir basket capped a 9-0 run, extending the margin to 13.

“Definitely our composure and definitely our way of just passing the ball was, I think, a lot better,” Griffin said. “We kind of started looking for each other more instead of just looking for ourselves and then we just kind of feed off of our defense as well. Our defense picked up in the third quarter and good defense creates good offense.

Davis scored off a drive to make it 33-22 but GMA collected the final eight points of the quarter – four of those from Griffin – to go up 41-22.

Griffin’s consecutive jumper had the Monarchs’ lead at 21 before Davis drained back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 45-28. Balkir answered with a three while a basket from Mary Kate Donahue pushed GMA’s advantage to 22 at 50-28. Gwynedd Mercy’s lead got as large as 26 at 59-33 in the final minute.

Gwynedd Mercy 59, Freire Charter 34 Freire Charter 7 10 5 12 – 34 Gwynedd Mercy 14 8 19 18 – 59 Freire Charter: Kylah Hargrove 7 2- 9 18; Destiny Davis 6 1-2 16; Totals 13 3-11 34. Gwynedd Mercy: Hannah Griffin 7 2-2 17; Bailey Balkir 5 4-4 15; Emilia Coleman 4 1-3 10; Cara Lapp 2 0-0 5; Carsy Kely 1 1-2 3; Carli Amos 0 2-2 2; Mary Kate Donahue 1 0-0 2; Kirsten Hassan 1 0-0 2; Megan McDonnell 1 0-0 2; Elisabeth Grabish 0 1-2 1; Totals 22 11-15 59. 3-pointers: FC-Davis 3, Hargrove 2; GMA-Balkir, Coleman, Griffin, Lapp.

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary has been named a National Blue Ribbon School for the third time by the Department of Education.

The Montgomery County school was one of 13 in Pennsylvania recognized as an “exemplary high-performing school.”

Anne Knapke, Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary’s head of school, said previous awards were in 2007 and 2017.

“We’re thrilled. This is our third time in approximately 16 years, and it just is a wonderful feeling due to the amazing efforts in collaboration with our entire school community,” Knapke said Wednesday.

The national designation spotlights excellence, with categories focusing on performance and closing achievement gaps, according to a U.S. education department spokesperson.

“Our focus is … preparing our students for the future, and the legacy that we have built with our graduates, and the amazing things they do out in the world,” Knapke said. “It’s very fitting and wonderful for our school community to be recognized in this way.”

Located at 816 Norristown Road in Lower Gwynedd Township, Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary employs 60 teachers and has 391 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades. The independent Catholic institution was founded by the Sisters of Mercy. The building previously housed the Spring House Public School, according to a school spokesperson, but was purchased by the Sisters in 1982.

“That’s where our legacy lies in Mercy and Catholic values with our students,” Knapke said. “We focus on service and developing leadership, so that they’re not only building a foundation to be academically successful, but our goal is for them to be able to positively impact the world around them in the choices they make.”

Knapke stressed how Gwynedd-Mercy “embrace(s) a holistic approach to education,” emphasizing attention to addressing the physical, social and emotional needs of students. She also touted the educational institution’s focus on smaller class sizes, with an average of 16 students per class.

In addition to core classes, the school offers elective courses, fine arts, languages and subjects focusing on “innovation,” with respect to science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM.

“We balance our academic rigor with an environment that nurtures the whole child,” she said. “We focus on the mind, body and spirit of our children, providing them with opportunities to engage with hands-on approaches and project-based learning and small class sizes … so that we’re building confident students that are prepared for whatever lies ahead in their future.”

Of the National Blue Ribbon school designees, a handful were located in the greater Philadelphia region. Other winners included Central Bucks High School-East in Bucks County; Saints Philip and James School in Exton, Chester County; Saint Philip Neri School in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia; and Saint Mary Interparochial School in Philadelphia. Other winners were located in central and western Pennsylvania. While the three aforementioned Catholic schools are affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Gwynedd-Mercy Academy is classified as an independent, private school.

“The honorees for our 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools Award have set a national example for what it means to Raise the Bar in education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement. “The leaders, educators, and staff at our National Blue Ribbon Schools continually inspire me with their dedication to fostering academic excellence and building positive school cultures that support students of all backgrounds to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.”

For those at the school in Lower Gwynedd, Knapke said “there’s been a pep in everyone’s step” since the news was announced.

“It brings energy to our school, and especially to our teachers, our students and our families — just the acknowledgment of our efforts, and our hard work, and the fact that we are … you know, shooting for the stars,” she said.

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.

See also:

North Penn School District Holding Community Conversations with Superintendent Dr. Bauer

North Penn Educational Foundation Seeks Sponsors and Golfers for Annual Golf Classic

North Penn Accepting Nominations for Class of 2024 Knights of Honor

North Penn Announces Early Dismissal for Middle School Students Thursday, Friday Due to Heat

St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has acquired a portion of Gwynedd Mercy University’s campus to start building a new home, the seminary said Thursday.

In all, as announced in April 2021, the seminary plans to pay Gwynedd Mercy $10 million for 15 acres and two buildings on the northern side of the Lower Gwynedd Township campus. The Maguire Foundation is giving Gwynedd Mercy an additional $3 million to supplement the price.

The first phase of the acquisition, completed Thursday, includes one building and land where the seminary plans to build a new chapel, and a student life center that will include a refectory for communal dining, classrooms, a library, administrative offices, a fitness center, and housing for seminarians and resident faculty.

The second phase includes a 204-bed dormitory called Alexandria Hall, now occupied by Gwynedd Mercy students, and is expected to be undertaken in the spring after students depart at the end of the semester.

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Gwynedd Mercy and the seminary will remain separate institutions.

The total project cost is $54.5 million, including the purchase of the campus. Construction is expected to begin next month. The goal is to start seminary classes on the new campus for the 2024-25 school year.

That price tag is up significantly from the original conception of $38 million, which did not take into account high inflation and features that were added as the architects fleshed out plans through an in-depth review of what the new campus needed, Bishop Timothy C. Senior, the seminary chancellor, said Thursday.

Added amenities include an auditorium as an additional gathering place for the entire school and a choir loft for the chapel, Senior said.

“Our alumni and the seminary community itself and I think the broader Catholic population in the archdiocese really wants a chapel that is worthy of our tradition,” Senior said. The new chapel will also feature stained-glass windows and the high altar from the Wynnewood campus, he said.

The seminary in 2019 sold its historic 73-acre campus at the intersection of City and Lancaster Avenues in Lower Merion to Main Line Health for $43.5 million, but continues to occupy the site under a lease. That sale was part of the seminary’s effort started 10 years ago to occupy a smaller footprint.

Senior estimated that $25 million to $30 million of the sales proceeds remain after the seminary contributed $10 million to the archdiocese’s reparations program for victims of sexual abuse by clergy and settled a lawsuit related to the sale.

“We believe we have in cash and pledges what we need” for the new campus, Senior said. ”It can’t get any more expensive.”

The seminary had overall enrollment of 133 seminarians, including 66 who intended to work in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the seminary said.

Main Line Health is working with Lower Merion Township on zoning changes required to start on its plans for the seminary site, which is across Lancaster Avenue from Main Line’s Lankenau Medical Center, a spokesperson said. Those plans include a mix of medical offices, senior housing, apartments, condos, and stores as well as a small hotel, Main Line and its development partner said in May.