Episcopal Alum, Meghan O'Leary (03'), continues on her journey to the Olympics in 2016.  
Meghan reports:

Bonjourno from Erba!

I hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer. We arrived Thursday morning into Milan and traveled the short hour by bus to our pre-Worlds training site in the small town of Erba, Italy. We are staying in the "Leonardo di Vinci" Hotel where we've been enjoying the friendly staff and delicious meals prepared for us. 

After a little less than a week here in Erba rowing on Lago di Pusiano, we'll head to Aiguebelette, France where the 2015 World Championships will be held August 30-September 6th. The lake has restricted access until only a few days before racing begins so all of the national teams have been training in various areas scattered throughout Europe. We are currently sharing Lago di Pusiano with a small Team Cuba and the local resident Italian junior rowers. The training center is beautiful with a picturesque view of the mountains and perfectly accommodates all 43 Team USA athletes.

I'll be sharing our progress throughout the trip and results during competition as best I can. Results will be posted to the World Rowing website and the Finals will be live-streamed again as well. The venue is one of the most beautiful courses in the world and should make for some great racing. There are currently 25 entries in the Women's Double which is a near record number of boats. We are getting excited and feel ready to race against a deep and fast field of the best in the world.

Thank you again for all of the continued support, generous contributions and encouraging words. Go USA!

Every Day Counts.
Meghan

Follow Meghan's progress here.

At the beginning of each school year, the Upper School spends the day together in class retreats to build rapport and unity. The Upper School met first in the Chapel, offering students a chance to begin the day supporting each other spiritually while participating in Eucharist. Each grade level also devoted some portion of their day engaging in a discussion with the focus of “Need, Be, Give.” The intent of the discussion was to encourage each grade level to think about unity in the Upper School by identifying (1) what we need from others in the community, (2) what we want to be in the community on both individual and collective levels, and (3) what we can give to the community. The grade levels held small group discussions in their advisories and then came together as a class to decide what they wanted to report to the rest of the Upper School. Each of the grade levels have been reporting their findings during chapel, with the Freshmen and Sophomores speaking this past week and the Juniors and Seniors speaking this week.

After the “Need, Be, Give” exercises, each grade broke out for different activities:

Freshmen spent their morning engaging in community service at five different sites including Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, Melrose Elementary, BREC Bluebonnet Swamp, LSU Museum of Art’s Mid-City office, and The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank.

Sophomores enjoyed laser tag after the morning activities.

The juniors took part in an art  project composed of a tree made of their hand prints and inspirational words supporting the retreat theme of “Need, Be, Give.”  The junior class then gathered together at Cajun Lagoon, enjoying water activities and just hanging out with one another.  Finally, the juniors closed the day coming back together with their fellow classmates in Chapel.

The Class of 2016 went to Camp Istrouma where they worked together to plan the theme for homecoming. Later, they enjoyed various outdoor activities including swimming, basketball, a zipline, and a water slide.

It was a great day for the Upper School. 

We'll be tuning in!  Way to go, Kaylee!
Check out more here:
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/kaylee-hartung-sideline-reporter-thursday-night-broadcasts/

In a Lower School morning meeting this week, Hugh McIntosh, Head of School, said "good-bye" to summer and hello to a new school year with the hokey pokey. His message emphasized the importance of committing fully to what we do: "live the Hokey Pokey and you'll be living the instructions of Jesus. Let's agree to "put our whole-selves in" this year until May, and then we'll say "hello" to summer, "good-bye" to school, and do some more dancing!"

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) recently announced the state-by-state winners of its second annual High School Coach of the Year award for track & field. Episcopal's own Coach Cole took the honor for Louisiana! 

Athletic Director Myra Mansur has this to say about Coach Eddie Cole:
"It a good thing Eddie coaches cross country because he is always willing to go the “extra mile”.  Eddie’s expertise as a coach is evident in his team’s success…his generosity is in line with a marathon….he just keeps on giving….driving buses as needed, leading the MS annual fund, covering duties for others, playing harmonica or guitar at school and community functions while maintaining his role as teacher and lead story teller of the Physical Education Department.  Congrats Coach Cole, you deserve the accolades!"
 
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