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Give Back through Give NOLA – May 7, 2019

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Give NOLA Day, is an initiative of the Greater New Orleans Foundation.  It is a one-day online giving event. For 24 hours, everyone who loves our region can support their favorite local causes by donating to one or more of the 700+ participating nonprofit organizations.  Once again this year the McDonogh35 Alumni Association will be participating in GiveNOLA Day.  Here is where you come in.  We are asking every McDonogh 35 alumni, parent, spouse or sibling of an alumni or friends of an alumni to give to the McDonogh 35 Alumni Association.  These funds allow us to support the students of McDonogh 35 High School.  This year the alumni association provided over $7,000.00 for the Scholars Program and will award over $9,000 to graduating seniors in scholarships.  We would like to do more but we need your help.
There is a $100.00 challenge to all alumni but any amount will be welcomed and appreciated.
Please log in to GiveNola.org on May 7, 2019 with your tax deductible donation. All Give NOLA donations will go to school and student support and scholarships.
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Roneagle in Spotlight: Dr Calvin Mackie

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Dr Calvin Mackie – Class of 1985
Article courtesy of The New Orleans Agenda publication – June 26, 2018

Governor John Bel Edwards announced his selection of three leading Louisiana advocates of STEM preparation to represent Louisiana at the inaugural State-Federal Science Technology Engineering and Math Summit to be hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in Washington, D.C.  The Louisiana attendees for the June 25-26 summit will be Dr. Calvin Mackie, founder of STEM NOLA, AT&T Louisiana President Sonia Perez and Susana Schowen, director of workforce initiatives for Louisiana Economic Development’s LED FastStart program.

The State-Federal STEM Education Summit will convene a diverse group of state STEM leaders, including officials from governors’ offices, educators, workforce and industry representatives, state policy experts and non-governmental organization executives. They will participate in the development of a new federal five-year STEM education strategic plan in compliance with the America COMPETES Act of 2010.

“I am extremely excited to have been chosen by Governor John Bel Edwards to represent the State of Louisiana at the White House for the inaugural State-Federal STEM Summit along with two other leading advocates, Sonia Perez and Susana Schowen” said Dr. Calvin Mackie. “I would like to thank Governor Edwards for supporting the effort to expose our children to the careers of the future and providing the motivation for their dreams.”

Alongside the White House in planning and carrying out this summit are the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Smithsonian Institution. STEM leaders from all 50 states, as well as U.S. territories and tribes, will attend the summit to illuminate and advance state-federal STEM alignment.

Dr. Calvin Mackie is an award winning mentor, inventor, author, former engineering professor, internationally renowned speaker and successful entrepreneur. Dr. Mackie is the founder of STEM NOLA, a non-profit organization founded to expose, inspire and engage communities about the opportunities in STEM. In 5 years, STEM NOLA has engaged over 18,000 low-resourced K-12 students in hands-on project based STEM activities in New Orleans communities.

Mackie graduated from Morehouse College earning a BS in Mathematics in 1990 and was simultaneously awarded a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, where he subsequently earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. He served on the engineering faculty at Tulane University for 12 years. Mackie has won numerous awards including the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in a White House ceremony and curre

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2018 Queen Zulu

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Congratulations Troye Madison Washington Class of 1978 – Queen Zulu 2018!!
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2018 Career Day

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Over 30 alumni participated in Career Day on February 23, 2018.  The alumni were escorted through the halls by Cheerleaders.  They shared stories of their time as students and why they chose their careers.  A general assembly was held and Attorney Gregory Lacey, Class of 1985, was the keynote speaker.
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McDonogh 35 Wall of Fame Celebration and Library Dedication

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On February 23, 2018, the McDonogh 35 Senior High School Centennial Celebration Committee honored a number of graduates – for their personal and professional achievements that represent the legacy for which McDonogh 35 Senior High School is noted. The Wall of Fame plaque is prominently displayed in the school lobby. The names of 100 distinguished alumni are on the plaque, 52 of whom were honored at our 75th anniversary celebration and 48 whose names were added for this centennial celebration. Many of the current honorees,their families and friends were present at last Friday’s celebration..
The school library was dedicated to Ernest N. Morial (Class of 1947). Morial’s son, Jacques, gave a very apropos speech thanking the committee for honoring his father and sharing what he remembered about the contribution McDonogh 35 made to his father’s life and the educational values he instilled in his children, Later, during the Wall of Fame ceremony, Morial’s daughter, Cherie, brought greetings and comments on behalf of the family. There is a plaque in the library denoting the commemoration of the naming of the library on honor of Morial.
In addition, in honor of its 50th class reunion, the Class of 1967, presented the school with a check for $1967.00, a ceramic replica of the Rampart St. school, and a plaque with the names of the class members. The Class of 1967 challenges all other class to do a commemorative plaque and gift to the school upon its 50th year celebration.
We are grateful to the committee for the planning and execution of these important events. A special thank you to all alumni who were present and enjoyed the festivities.
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July: Roneagle in Spotlight

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Ms. Gertrude A. Ivory (Class of 1967) is an independent educational consultant who currently serves as an  Instructional Leadership Coach in the Greensville County Public Schools. She served over 10  years as the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in the Charlottesville City   Public Schools. For more than 30 years, Ms. Ivory has served in a large, urban school district  as a teacher, principal, Administrator for Literacy, Director of Extended Learning/Summer  School Programs, Director of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, and Curriculum  Coach for a high school reform model program. As a veteran educator, Ms. Ivory has been  involved in all aspects of leading a school division including the oversight and supervision of all  curricula, instructional, assessment and professional development decisions and initiatives. She  has designed and presented numerous professional development experiences for teachers,  administrators, school support staff, and parents, locally, and at the state and national levels.   She has a strong background in literacy and serving the needs of special education students.  Ms. Ivory loves to read, travel, and listen to music. She is the mother of three children and the  grandmother of three delightful grandchildren.

June: Roneagle in the Spotlight

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Omar Mason is a shareholder (partner) of the New Orleans-based law firm, Aaron & Gianna, PLC. He is a native New Orleanian.  After graduating from McDonogh No. 35 in 1992 and from LSU (Baton Rouge) in 1996, he attended and obtained his Juris Doctor (law) degree from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in 1999.  He then began his law practice with Carter & Cates, APLC, where he focused primarily on plaintiff personal injury matters, class actions and complex litigation.  He later joined Lynn Luker & Associates, LLC in 2003, representing business clients in the gaming industry and defending others against asbestos claims.
As a result of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Mr. Mason relocated to Houston, Texas where he practiced for over six years with the law firm, Johnson DeLuca Kurisky & Gould, P.C., representing business clients in the automobile sales industry as well as banking institutions and small businesses in litigation.  Realizing the strong potential and need for economic and social growth in his hometown, New Orleans, Mr. Mason and his family returned to the city in the early fall of 2012. Upon his return to New Orleans, Mr. Mason joined the law firm of Montgomery Barnett, LLP downtown.

Mr. Mason is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in both Louisiana and Texas, including the U.S. Court of Appeals – Fifth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, and for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. In 2014, Omar was recognized as a Super Lawyers® – “Rising Star” in the category of Business Litigation.  More recently, he was selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers® – 2016 and 2017 in the area of Business Litigation. Super Lawyers® only selects 5% of the licensed active attorneys in each state, making this a significant accolade. Omar has also earned an AV Preeminent Rating for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability from Martindale-Hubbell — another significant accomplishment.

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Hail King Zulu!

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Congratulations King Zulu 2017, Adonis C. Expose, Class of 1986.
Photo Credit: La Shonda Anderson

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Charter School Discussion with Supt. Henderson Lewis

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Supt. Lewis made a presentation  to the Alumni Association regarding the possibility of converting McDonogh 35 and the four network schools ( McMain, Bethune, Franklin Elem. and Mahalia Jackson) to charter schools authorized by OPSB.  Many alumni members asked questions and commented after the presentation. We will continue to stay engaged in this matter and discussions will occur to determine the best move for McDonogh 35, its students, and our legacy.
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Alumni Sponsored Field Trip

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The Alumni recently sponsored a field trip for 40 female students to see the movie “Hidden Figures”, the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – 3 brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history; the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. These students were engaged in discussions on the significance of this event and how opportunities are available to them and what they have to do to achieve them.