116 Girls Graduate From Merion Mercy Academy

Merion Mercy Academy, an independent, Catholic, private college preparatory school for girls that is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, graduated 116 seniors on Sunday at its Merion Station campus.

Principal Sister Barbara Buckley says she is proud of the outgoing class' accomplishments and is eager to see what they do next.

"Our Class of 2011 has done outstandingly well in the classroom, on the courts and fields, and most recently on the river, having earned a trip to the Henley Women's Regatta," said Sister Buckley. "They are scholars and athletes, musicians and artists. They perform outreach to those in need, locally and globally. They are a credit to Merion Mercy. We are proud of them."

The Class of 2011 boasts a staggering number of total academic scholarships: more than $9.7 million. While, in keeping with national trends, that figure represents a decline from last year's scholarship total (the graduating class of 2010 won over $10 million in scholarships) the school graduated 10 fewer girls this year and had a roughly similar dollar per student average.

Collectively, the class received 479 acceptances from 135 different colleges and universities and had three National Merit Scholarship Finalists: Stanford-bound Amanda Lorei; Lisa Bevilacqua, who will attend Boston College in the fall; and Mary Kate Crenny, who won the scholarship and will attend Fordham University.

Also collecting honors for Mercy was Carolina Ramirez, who was one of 1,000 students nationwide to earn a Gates Millennium Scholarship—a full-tuition merit scholarship for minority students with significant financial need. Ramirez, who will attend the University of Notre Dame, is the first in school history to win the award.

Merion Mercy communications director Kristina Cawley says the class will be missed both by the school and each other.

"It's a really unique place, the girls are more like sisters than friends," said Cawley. "They have worked hard to get where they're going, and they're also very fortunate to be in the position they are in. It's neat: they're reflective, and yet so excited for what's coming next."

Martha Pannapacker, who is headed to the University of Delaware, delivered the afternoon's keynote address after winning a class-wide essay contest for the honor (Merion Mercy does not name a valedictorian).

"We may not all hold public office or be the leader that is in the news but we will lead," Pannepacker told her class. "We will lead ourselves with the values you have taught us. We will always try to lead ourselves down morally right paths.We will step up and be a leading voice when someone is in trouble. We may lead a protest march or lead a child to a book for the first time.We may lead someone to recovery, lead a woman or man to a homeless shelter, or have a lead in a Broadway play."

Pannapacker said her high school years were ones in which her class "felt encircled and anchored."

"We learned to love ourselves as we are and accept each other as sisters," she said. "We will take all of our experiences and with our parents’ blessings, our teachers’ best wishes, our unbreakable bond, and God’s grace, it will always be clear that we are women who live mercy and seek justice."