Since his graduation, Michael Russell '74 has been the President and Chief Investigator of one of the largest private investigation companies in the Washington Metropolitan area for 40 years.

Michael has been a licensed investigator since 1978, and is currently the President of Legal Investigations, Inc., and previously served as Regional Director of Council of International Investigators. He has conducted many investigations throughout the United States and has worked on more than 12,000 cases. For his dedication and commitment to his career path, Michael has been qualified as an expert in private investigations, family law investigations and child recovery. He received the Meritorious Service Award, Charles County for her service.

Michael says that Bishop McNamara High School is a focal point of pride in the community, and that the School provided him with an education that allowed him to follow a career of helping people. He has high praise for the School's community service programs and how they help our students get out of their comfort zones to try new things and support their communities.

He said he plans to "never retire, play more golf and make his family and godchildren proud." Michael said he would love to do more traveling, even to Antarctica!

"Work hard, make friends, be active in a variety of endeavors," Michael advised current students. "Don't be afraid to fail."

We need your votes for Caritas 2019!

Caritas, a Latin term meaning loving kindness towards others. It is linked to the generosity and helpfulness one extends to another; the act of self-sacrifice for the good of others; genuine charity motivated by love. Caritas is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit. Women and men honored with the Bishop McNamara Caritas Award exhibit these qualities and exemplify the values and vision of Father Basil Anthony Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

We are still accepting nominations for the following awards:

Distinguished Fine and Performing Arts Volunteer
Distinguished Athletics Volunteer
Distinguished Parents' Club Volunteer
Holy Cross Award

Alumni Awards:

Distinguished Alumni
St. Andre Medal
Distinguished Young Alumni

Nominations close on March 8, so be sure to make your nominations as soon as possible!

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 22-24

Spring Play

BMHS Fine Arts Theatre ● Time TBD

April 6, 2019

Military Appreciation Game

PG Sports Park ● 1 p.m.

May 9

Project PRIDE 20th Anniversary

BMHS ● Time TBD

May 30

Caritas Awards Ceremony

BMHS ● 6 p.m.

June 4

Graduate Return Day

Andy Mona Student Center ● 12 p.m.

June 21

Mustang Cup/Sip & Swing

Renditions Golf Course ● Time TBD

Join us for the 2019 Mustang Cup/Sip & Swing!

We know June is still a long way away, but we're so excited to announce our Mustang Cup/Sip & Swing officially has a date!

Join us on Friday, June 21, 2019 at Renditions Golf Course for an afternoon of golf in support of BMHS athletics! Or, if golf isn't your thing, join us for the Sip & Swing, which includes a wine pairing lunch, exclusive vendors and lessons with a Renditions Golf Pro.

Tickets will be available soon - if you have any questions now, contact our Director of Special Events Melissa Antonio Huar LR '91 for details.

Are you Ready for Pi Day?

Bishop McNamara High School is excited to announce our upcoming Day of Giving: Pi Day!

This BMHS Day of Giving (held on March 14, 2019) will be held in celebration of Pi Day, providing all members of the Bishop McNamara - alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends - the opportunity to make an online donation to support any area of Bishop McNamara High School.

Your gift can be directed to the Bishop McNamara Fund, which supports our areas of greatest need, or to the Bishop McNamara department, scholarship, or group that means the most to you.

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th every year. This day was created to celebrate the mathematical constant π. It falls on 3/14 as three, one and four are the first three digits of Pi. It is a holiday that has been celebrated large-scale since 1988 and has been celebrated by millions upon millions of math students and teachers around the world and here at Bishop McNamara High School for many years.

Please contact our Director for Mission Advancement, Dr. Robert Van der Waag, if you have any questions.

Volunteers Needed for Phon-A-Thon!

Do you need parent service hours? Do you want to help Bishop McNamara High School? We will be hosting our Phone-A-Thon from April 8-11, we could definitely use some help manning the phones! This is a great opportunity to get those parent service hours finished up, or to just help out Bishop McNamara.

Contact Director for Mission Advancement Dr. Rob Van der Waag for details.

Join us for our Military Appreciation Game!

We know it's a ways away, but we have an official date for our Military Appreciation Baseball Game this spring!

Join us on April 6, 2019 at PG Sports Park at 1 p.m. to support and celebrate United States military veterans and active duty military personnel. Bishop McNamara will take on Gonzaga, so help us cheer the Mustangs on to victory!

Admission is free and concessions are complimentary for all military personnel.

Calling all Project PRIDE Graduates!

We are celebrating 20 years of success for this incredible program - have you updated your information with us? If not, please contact Project PRIDE Program Director Tia Bell.

Please join us on May 9 for our Project PRIDE Anniversary Event! We would love to see all of you and learn more about what you've gone on to do since graduation. This would be a wonderful opportunity for you to reconnect with classmates, and learn more about how the program has evolved since your graduation. Current students enrolled in the program could benefit from your experiences and wisdom.

You can connect with current Project PRIDE students in ways that no one else can. We hope you can join us for this celebratory event!

BMHS Class of 2009 Reunion

Calling all graduates from Bishop McNamara High School class of 2009 - it's almost time for your 10-year reunion!

The planning process has begun, and your classmates created a short survey to get some information in order to best reach and accommodate everyone in your class.

Click here to access the survey. If you have any questions, please click here to email the 2009 Class email address.

BMHS/LRHS Class of 1969 Reunion

The Bishop McNamara and La Reine Cass of 1969 50th Reunion planning is underway!

Please contact Charlene Cornu Shaw LR '69 or join the Facebook Group for more information.

BMHS Class of 1999

The Bishop McNamara High School class of 1999 is in the process of gathering interested individuals to help plan their 20-year reunion!

If you are interested in helping to plan the reunion, or if you have any questions, please contact Alkia Morris for details.

BMHS & LRHS Reunion Plans

Bishop McNamara is reaching out to the following Bishop McNamara and La Reine High School classes to help organize their upcoming reunions:

Bishop McNamara & La Reine High Schools: '74, '79, '84 and '89

Bishop McNamara High School: '94, '04, and '14

If you or any of your classmates have questions, need help or are interested in forming a reunion committee, please contact the Advancement Office.

BMHS and LRHS class of 1969, we would love to help you plan your 50th reunion! Please contact Dr. Rob Van der Waag for details and for more information!

CALLING THE BMHS CLASS OF 2018!!

JOIN US FOR GRADUATE RETURN DAY!

This year, the 2018 Class Graduate Return Day will be held on June 4, 2019 in the Andy Mona Student Center. The festivities start at 12 p.m., so be sure to stop by and reminisce with your former faculty and catch up with your classmates!

We' would love to see your college apparel to see who has traveled the farthest - but most of all we would love to see you. So be sure to join us!

Legacy of La Reine

Innovation lies at the crossroads of fields, disciplines and cultures. At Bishop McNamara, we are developing tomorrow's innovators today by committing to provide cutting-edge spaces and facilities that foster collaborative learning and a hands-on approach to the study of science and technology.

The centerpiece of our vision for the future is the establishment of the La Reine Science & Innovation Center at Bishop McNamara High School. This planned state-of-the-art facility will enable us to expand beyond traditional science offerings, build on highly-successful programs already in existence, and create new spaces for exploration, creativity and discovery.

For more information about the La Reine Science & Innovation Center, please contact Director of Development Sandy Mammano.

Click here to learn more about contributing to the #LaReineLivingLegacy.

Cecilia Penn-Diallo '99

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival coordinated with Ancestry.com to complete a documentary. Ancestry identified six people who had a common link: The Underground Railroad.

Among those involved and interviewed in the documentary was our own Cecilia Penn-Diallo '99, who got the opportunity to learn more about her ancestors, including her great-great-great-aunt, and the descendants of those who aided in the success of the Underground Railroad.

Click here for the full film.

CBS This Morning also did a short interview with Cecilia and two others who were involved with the documentary. Click here for the story.

Ricardo Durham II '06

On Nov. 11, 2018, Ricardo Durham II '06 celebrated his marriage to Erica Lawson in Baltimore, Md. with family and friends - many of whom were Bishop McNamara High School alumni!

Aaron Anderson '06, Jeffrey Anderson '06 and Howard Folkes '06 were members of the wedding party. Congratulations Ricardo and Erica! All of our love and prayers are with you as you start this new chapter of your lives together!

Krista Scanlan '09

Krista Scanlan '09 was recently named to the University of Maryland's 30 under 30 list!

Currently, Krista works as a teacher. Krista utilizes resources such as guest speakers to teach life lessons to her students. She stays connected with UMD as a Terrapin Club donor, men's basketball season ticket holder, and football season ticket holder. Throughout the year, Krista provides opportunities to her current and former students to experience sporting events at Maryland. She has helped her students realize that a college career at Maryland could be part of their future.

Click here for the full list.

Congratulations Krista! We couldn't be more proud of you, this is an incredible achievement!

Omari Mandela Daughtridge '04

On Dec. 2, 2018 Omari Mandela Daughtridge '04 of Capital Heights, Md. was part of a team that won and set a record the Cayman Islands 4x4 marathon.

The competition featured 80 teams from countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, various states across the United States, as well as several other countries. Omari's team not only won the event but set a Cayman Island record in the 4x4 marathon relay in a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, and 28 seconds. The race started at 5:00 a.m on Dec. 2, Omari ran as the first leg and he ran a time of 35.08. Because this was a marathon relay, each team participant had to run at a distance of 6.5 miles. With 80 teams and 4 persons to a team, Omari had the best time of 320 runners.

Congratulations Omari! This is an incredible accomplishment, we couldn't be more proud of you!

Stephen Nagy '73 graduated from Yale and Berkeley Divinity Schools May 2018, and since last September, he has been in Rome, serving a post-graduate year as a missionary of the Episcopal Church at St Paul's Within the Walls.

Stephen has been documenting his experiences in a blog called Among the Saints in Rome, which includes several incredible photos.

"I am grateful for this fantastic opportunity to explore what God is up to here, to help out where I can, but mostly to be evangelized by the people and experiences of this place," Stephen said. "It is my hope that a photo or topic will spark a moment of grace for you."

Stephen welcomes comments to his blog posts. This is such incredible work that you're doing Stephen, keep it up! The Holy Spirit is indeed with you.

Amina Bright '17

Amina Bright '17 continued her student-athlete career as a cheerleader for Morgan State University during the 2018-19 athletic year. During her time at BMHS Amina was a four-year Varsity Cheerleading Team member.

Amina and her family would like to thank Coach Dawnica Green '01 and her staff for their hard work with the BMHS cheerleaders.

Congratulations Amina! We are so glad to hear that you've continued that Mustang Spirit at Morgan State University!

Jeremiah McCain '18

Earlier this month, the Lee University Men's Track & Field team completed a long weekend of competition with an eighth-place finish at the University of South Alabama Jaguar Invitational. The meet was held at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

The Flames started the weekend in Lexington, Ky., at the Rod McCravy Memorial hosted by the University of Kentucky. At Kentucky's Nutter Fieldhouse, our own Jeremiah McCain '18 set a Lee record in the 60-meter hurdles. His time of 8.58 beat the old standard of 8.63 that was set in 2017 by Derek Flatford.

Click here for the full story.

Congratulations Jeremiah! We can't wait to see what other records you break in the future!

Image courtesy of leeuflames.com

Congratulations to our very first McDonald's All-American: Jakia Brown-Turner '19!

Last night, Jakia Brown-Turner '19 was presented with her official jersey after being named as a McDonald's All-American, the first in Bishop McNamara High School history!

Jakia will compete alongside 23 other top female high school basketball players from all across the United States. Family, friends and the entire Bishop McNamara community will be able to watch Jakia play live in the 42nd McDonald's All-American Games, which will broadcast from Atlanta's State Farm Arena on March 27 starting with the Girls' Game at 5:00 p.m. ET and the Boys Game following at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

We could not be more proud of you Jakia, you are a true living example of Mustang Spirit! Congratulations on this well-earned honor!

BMHS Boys' and Girls' Basketball Teams to play in WCAC Tournament

This weekend our Girls' and Boys' Basketball Teams will be participating in the WCAC Basketball Tournament. Click here for the schedule of games, locations, and our path to the Championship on Monday! Come out and support the teams. Let's go Mustangs!

BMHS Students perform with The Catholic University of America Honor Band 2019

On Saturday, Jan. 19th, 21 of our Musical Mustangs participated in The Catholic University of America High School Honor Band. These students, along with high-achieving musicians from eight other Catholic high schools, were chosen to make up this year's honor band. The students gathered early in the morning on the campus of Catholic University and participated in rigorous rehearsals and clinics throughout the day.

Click here for the full story.

Two BMHS Students Sponsored for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

Congratulations to Chinyere (Chi Chi) Okonkwo '20 and Joshua Denegall '20, who were sponsored by The Rotary Club of Upper Marlboro for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) this past weekend.

Chi Chi's group came in first place, and Josh's ground came in fourth place out of a total of 14 groups.

Click here for the full story!

Imani Ezell '19 SCAD Rising Star Program leads to college acceptance and scholarships

Imani Ezell '19 was honored to have been accepted to The Savannah College of Art and Design SCAD Rising Star Program for 2018 last summer, and now she is proud of her acceptance to SCAD for the 2019-2020 school year.

The SCAD Rising Star Program is available to incoming high school seniors ready for a university experience - one which provides a challenging five-week program, awards two college-level-credit for classes taken and provide students with the opportunity to build or enhance their portfolios. SCAD Rising Star participants benefit from all of the perks of being a SCAD student — from the vast creative environments to the renowned faculty.

Click here for more details - congratulations Imani!

Winning Streak for Varsity/JV Cheerleading Teams

Click here Click here

Seniors Admitted to St. John's University

On Feb. 5th, the St. John's University representative came to Bishop McNamara High School campus to congratulate our nearly 50 seniors that have been admitted to the university. Ms. Christine Perrault, the Assistant Director for St. John's Office of Undergraduate Admissions, brought t-shirts for each of the accepted students who wore their shirts over their uniforms for the rest of the day.

Click here for the full list of 2019 students who were accepted - congratulations everyone!!

Teens in Action MLK Day of Service

Big thanks to Camp Fire/Teens in Action for organizing this incredible day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

More than 175 individuals participated in the Teens in Action MLK Day of Service. We had one program for young children in which our teens worked with them on inclusion, safety, emergency readiness and first aid.

Students broke into 14 different groups that rotated through a multitude of projects all of which will benefit our community in a significant manner. These included making and delivering sandwiches to Martha's Table, preparing scarves for shut-in senior citizens, responding to the need for students in some public high schools who do not have all of the toiletries they need by preparing crisis toiletry kits and delivering them to Anacostia High School, creating toys for shelter animals to be delivered to animal shelters in our community, writing letters to sailors, soldiers and coast guardsman.

Parents also had a workshop on helping youth plan service programs and supporting service learning.

Our partners for this day of service included Disney Foundation, Youth Service America, Jack and Jill of Prince George's County, Red Cross, as well as community businesses that donated hundreds of dollars in supplies.

Elenore Albright, mother of Jack Albright '70, Terry Albright LR '72, Ann Albright LR '74, Jim Albright '76, Margaret Albright LR '78, Joe Albright '80 and Julie Albright 'LR 82, passed away Dec. 30, 2018. Click here to sign the electronic guestbook.

Sister Lourdine Bielawski, long-time Secretary at La Reine High School, passed away Feb. 3, 2019. Her obituary can be found by clicking here.

Marc Christian, brother of Daylon Alexander '21 passed away Jan. 15, 2019

Richard J. Dilley '71 passed away Nov. 10, 2018.

Donna Marchick, mother-in-law of BMHS Director for Mission Advancement Dr. Robert Van der Waag, passed away Feb. 6, 2019.

Darnita Strong Massey '99, sister of Deona J. Strong '02, passed away Sept. 6, 2018

Deborah Tucker, wife of Stephen Tucker '84 and mother of Garrett Tucker '13, passed away Jan. 20, 2019. Click here for her obituary.

Alvin A. Turner, Sr., previous BMHS Board member and father of Alvin A. Turner, Jr. '74 and Matthew Turner '84, passed away Feb. 6, 2019.

David Van Dyke, father of Christopher Van Dyke '86, passed away Feb. 15, 2019.

Eternal rest, grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Memorial Garden

Our Memorial Garden, named in honor of student Terrell Edelen '14, is complete and will give our community the opportunity to honor other deceased loved ones, family, friends and/or teachers. For more information on how to purchase bricks or benches in the Memorial Garden, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement. Take time to come by for a visit to reminisce, or even just for quiet reflection.

QUICKLINKS

Make a Donation

Faith. Family. Future! Campaign

Athletics Calendar

School Calendar

You Shop Amazon - Amazon Gives to BMHS

Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to BMHS.
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service.
Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com.

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support BMHS every time you shop, at no additional cost to you. Amazon will donate a portion of your eligible purchase price total to BMHS.

Bernardine Sisters on Facebook

Bishop McNamara and La Reine alumni are invited to like the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Facebook Page.

Get the latest news on the Sisters from La Reine and see what incredible pictures and events they have posted.

The retired Brothers of the Holy Cross and Bernardine Sisters would love to hear from you. To contact them, use the information listed below. Thanks!

For the Brothers:
St. Joseph's Center
495 Maple Lane
Valatie, New York 12184

For the Sisters:
Sacred Heart Convent
460 St. Bernardine Street
Reading, Pennsylvania 19607-1737