OLA Continues Tradition Of Honoring Alumni

Published: August 19, 2004

ATLANTA—Continuing a 10-year tradition, Our Lady of the Assumption School welcomed back their graduating high school alumni at their annual Senior Recognition Luncheon.

Held on June 9 in the school’s cafeteria, the luncheon honored 2004 high school seniors, who four years earlier had graduated from OLA.

This year’s luncheon boasted an impressive group, including Sarah Rolfes and Elisabeth Rowley, valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, and Kelly McCall, the salutatorian of Marist School, Atlanta.

Joan Tiernan, principal of OLA, said that it’s an event “the faculty and staff look forward to all year.”

“It’s always exciting to see our former students come back as seniors. We are so proud of all of them,” she said. “The luncheon gives us an opportunity to personally congratulate them and wish them well in college.”

Sharon Black, development director at OLA, started the luncheon tradition 10 years ago, in an effort to acknowledge the strong ties that students have to the school.

“After observing how many legacies are enrolled each year, it made me realize what a strong bond most students and their parents have with their elementary school,” she said.

Black said that when sending the invitations out to the students, she encloses a questionnaire, updating addresses so that people can keep in touch in the future.

“On the questionnaire I also ask for their high school activities and favorite memory from OLA,” she said. “Everyone has cute, funny stories to tell (about) themselves … or their teacher.”

All the information collected from the questionnaire is put in a commemorative booklet that is distributed at the luncheon and mailed to those who responded but could not attend.

OLA’s Home and School Hospitality Committee also provides a wonderful array of food for the luncheon.

This year, two other archdiocesan schools followed OLA’s lead. St. Jude the Apostle School in Atlanta, and Holy Redeemer School in Alpharetta both held their first Senior Recognition Luncheon at the end of the school year and plan to make the occasion an annual event.