Nothing compares to the anticipation and joy of children in the days leading up to Christmas. School hallways are transformed with holiday artwork... classroom celebrations are planned... and concerts bring to life the sounds of the season. The eyes of students light up like the candles of the Advent wreath as they gather to raise their voices in prayer. And at this time of giving, our teachers, pastors, and parishes invite them to respond with generosity to those in need.

There is no greater gift than Jesus. The Lord of creation lays aside His divine glory to enter our cold and broken world. He doesn't come with fanfare or power, but in the most humble way possible, in the most unlikely place, to the most forgotten people. The greatest gift in the simplest wrapping - a helpless Child, swaddled in tattered blankets, cradled in a trough for feeding barnyard animals.

God's saving work begins in the tiniest ways. May the Lord show you the power and potential of small beginnings in this Christmas Season. At St. Mary Catholic Schools, we celebrate countless small beginnings, believing in all that God can accomplish in each one of our students. Know that those students - together with our staff and families - pray for you and your loved ones in this sacred time.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Grace-filled New Year!

Once a Zephyr, always a Zephyr... this publication is dedicated to you! We are eager to strengthen the bond between our alumni, our community, and the young people who are "on track" to a brighter future as the Zephyrs of tomorrow! We are proud to announce that our enrollment at St. Mary Catholic Schools is the highest it has been in decades, with more than 1,050 students grades Pre-K3 - 12.

Congratulations to our newest alumni, the Class of 2024! Help build community among Forever Zephyrs by updating any of your information or sharing your latest news! And for the most current news, JOIN & follow the SMCS Alumni group on Facebook!

January 26 - February 1 - Catholic Schools Week - celebrating the difference that SMCS makes in the lives of thousands of alumni, students, and families

January 31 and February 1 - ZCabaret - this Fine Arts fundraiser welcomes you backstage in the Jane Bergstrom Theatre, where you will be treated to top-notch entertainment from fellow alumni, students, and members of the SMCS community. Scroll down for more details!

February 1 - February 8 - St. Mary Catholic Schools kicks off its first-ever Giving Week!

Mark your calendars for Zephyrfest on Saturday, May 3!

There are so many Zephyr supporters to thank, and so many exciting developments at St. Mary Catholic Schools! If you are one of the many generous individuals who contributed to SMCS in the 2023-24 school year / fiscal year, please watch your mailbox for the latest news. Your dedication makes our mission possible.

We have transitioned our fundraising and database platforms, and we appreciate your patience as we work to ensure a thorough and accurate update. If you have any new contact information, please click here. If you have any other related questions, please contact Kathleen McCurdy, Director of Advancement, at 920-850-7691 or kmccurdy@smcatholicschools.org

You can also look forward to our first-ever "Giving Week", kicking off February 1-8.

Kevin Greif Making an "Impact" at Large Hadron Collider

Some people wonder what's on Netflix. Other people wonder what the universe is made of. Kevin Greif (SMC '16) is in the latter category. His natural curiosity and the early foundations in science that he got at St. Mary Catholic Schools led him to study physics at the University of Notre Dame. True to the holistic nature of Catholic education, he also completed a unique humanities degree offered at Notre Dame based on the "great books" that have shaped human history, philosophy, and the arts. The overlap between these two areas of study only increased his desire to search for answers to big questions.

Kevin is pursuing his Ph.D. through the University of California-Irvine, but in the meantime, his work has brought him to CERN near Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is the European Center for Nuclear Research, and it is home to the Large Hadron Collider, as well as other cutting-edge collaborative projects in particle physics, involving scientists from all over the world. Kevin was kind enough to share some insights into his research for this edition of Forever Zephyrs.

So what is the universe made of? "It’s a simple question to pose but quite difficult to answer!" remarked Kevin. "One way to get a handle on it is to collide very small pieces of matter together at very high energy, and then take a picture of the resulting collision. This is accomplished in the world's largest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, and the 'picture' is taken by something called the ATLAS detector. My piece of the enormous undertaking is to apply machine learning to all of the images captured by ATLAS, in the hope that they will tell us something new about the stuff that makes up the universe." The giant 27-kilometer ring of the LHC is an incredible engineering achievement in itself, allowing researchers to unlock the secrets and behavior of the smallest bits of matter. According to its website, the particles in the accelerator are so tiny that the task of making them collide is akin to firing two needles 10 kilometers apart with such precision that they meet halfway.

"The Large Hadron Collider accelerates protons to very near the speed of light," Kevin continued, "which is the maximum speed at which any object can travel. If you had a race between a proton in the collider and a light beam, the proton would lose by only a few meters per second to the light beam. Obviously all of that speed corresponds to enormous energy. If you add up the energy of all of the protons in an LHC beam, you get something similar to the kinetic energy of a typical freight train!" Sounds like an apt comparison for a dedicated Zephyr alum!

Eventually Kevin will leave the Alpine vistas behind, returning to the States to continue research at the Berkeley Lab in California. In reflecting on his time at SMC, Kevin made sure to give a shout-out to his STEM teachers like Marilyn Peterson and Michelle Jungbauer. "Their calculus and chemistry courses gave me an early love for math and science, and I can honestly say I still use a lot of what they taught me!" Thanks to the dedication and passion of faculty like them, and because of the support and pride of alumni like you, there's no telling what Zephyrs can accomplish next.

Can you believe that the 100th Anniversary of St. Mary Catholic Schools is coming soon? 2028 will mark this historic milestone, and we are eager to have broad engagement from alumni in planning a year of commemoration and celebration!

St. Mary Catholic High School grew from humble elementary school beginnings on 2nd Street in Menasha. Initially some classes were offered beyond 8th Grade, mostly to help train young people for roles in a business setting. Soon after, though, SMC evolved into a full-fledged secondary school to serve the growing Catholic community of St. Mary Parish and beyond. There were 14 graduates in the Class of 1929. The students published their first yearbook, The Renard, in 1930.

We have so many people to thank for the legacy of St. Mary Catholic Schools. We look forward to honoring their memory as we embark upon the next century of growing in faith and service. If you are interested in helping with planning, or have resources or memorabilia to share, please contact Steve Pable.

The SMCS Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1983 to celebrate the rich tradition of St. Mary Catholic High School. Members are mostly alumni of SMCHS, but also include former coaches and honorary alumni. After more than 40 years, the SMCS Athletic Hall of Fame continues to honor the accomplishments of our Zephyrs!

The nomination for induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame requires that the individual or team brought recognition to SMC through athletic achievement, is currently respected in his/her/their community, and models Christian values. The nominee(s) must have graduated from St. Mary Catholic High School at least ten years ago. Click here to view past recipients.

If you would like to nominate a person who meets the qualifications for Hall of Fame recognition, please contact Steve Pable, Alumni Relations, for details. You can use the downloadable form below. Using the same form, you can also nominate deserving alumni for other awards, including the Distinguished Service Award (past recipients), the Achievement Award (past recipients), and the Outstanding Catholic Christian Service Award (past recipients).

For more of the exciting things happening at St. Mary Catholic Schools... be sure to like, follow, and share our current Zephyrs on Facebook and Instagram!

Alumni know firsthand the difference that St. Mary Catholic Schools makes with family and community. So many of you already support our schools through volunteering, sharing good news about SMCS on social media, and being our best ambassadors in your circle of friends and family!

For those who are able to support SMCS financially, now is a great time to do so! Current matching gifts and end-of-year options make an enormous difference. We invite you to tell others about the Zephyr Way, and to be part of the good work of St. Mary Catholic Schools.

• The Annual Fund supports the yearly operation expenses for our schools, most importantly our teachers.
• We also welcome gifts to Athletics, Fine Arts, STEM, or any area of Zephyr life that you are passionate about!
• Tuition Assistance is essential for making sure that education at SMCS is accessible and affordable for every student now and into the future. For a limited time, all gifts designated for Tuition Assistance will be matched by a generous donor up to $40,000! *

Our Advancement Team is ready to help make your giving as simple, flexible and advantageous as possible, with options like Qualified Charitable Distributions, IRA, Stock Transfers, and more. Planned Gifts and the Endowment Campaign are ways to ensure the longevity of St. Mary Catholic Schools for generations to come. To learn more, please contact Kathleen McCurdy, Director of Advancement, at kmccmurdy@smcatholicschools.org or 920-850-7691.

*Matching applies only to Tuition Assistance donations at this time.

Step through the secret doors and into the glitz and glamour of the Roaring 20's at our speakeasy soirée, elevating the Fine Arts at St. Mary Catholic Schools. Discreetly share the invite with your adult friends, so you can sneak away for a fun-filled night of vintage-inspired cocktails, canapés, and *amazing* entertainment! Dress to impress in your Gatsby suits and flapper dresses for this swanky underground speakeasy (1920's attire optional), and get ready for an unforgettable evening!

Seriously, space is limited, so you'll want to make your plans NOW! Remember - it's a hush-hush affair... let's keep the authorities off our tail. We'll see you there... if you know where to find the entrance!

You've never experienced anything like ZCabaret, the one-of-a-kind Fine Arts fundraiser for SMCS, held backstage in the Jane Bergstrom Theatre. There are TWO available nights, 6:00 pm on Friday, January 31 OR Saturday, February 1. You'll be supporting Zephyrs of all grade levels, helping them discover their talents at St. Mary Catholic Schools.

Check out the attached invitation for more details, and get your tickets here.

Send us your news! Did you earn a degree? Get married? Welcome a baby? Bid farewell to a loved one? Start a new job or business? Look here for a round-up of what's happening in your Forever Zephyrs family!

Click here to share your story!

Congratulations to Presley Neuman (SMC Class of 2011), who recently married Carlton Dedering on September 21, 2024. St. Mary Catholic Schools and Forever Zephyrs wish you many blessed years together!

In Memoriam:

Janice (Massey) Johnson (SMC 1958)

Steven Reitzner (SMC 1969)

Richard Schierl (SMC 1960)

Randal Dorschner (SMC 1971)

Lawrence Casey (SMC 1952)

Wayne Noffke (SMC 1959)

Peter Schmalz (SMC 1945)

Class of 1965 - 60 Years!

Class of 1975 - is planning to celebrate 50 Years at an Alumni Reunion on August 9, 2025 at the Appleton Yacht Club. Contact people are Gina - gina.marie.kennedy@gmail.com and Cindy -cynthialbestor@yahoo.com

Class of 1985 - 40 years!

Class of 1995 - 30 Years!

Class of 2000 - 25 Years!

Class of 2005 - 20 Years!

Class of 2015 - 10 Years!