Remembering Father Deeves

Oh, how we at Ursuline cherished Father Deeves... I wanted to take time to remember Father Deeves here because losing him marks the end of an era for us at Ursuline - It's a significant moment in our year and in our lives. Our sweet Father Deeves was perhaps the only one among us who could be defined as both completly Jesuit AND completely Ursuline. Having known him since the 80's, I have countless memories of Father Deeves - from when he taught us cheers as "Ranger Jack", the Jesuit Cheer leading moderator, to recent times when he made us laugh with those crazy (endless) corny jokes at the end of every school Mass. I love thinking about the time that he sang Mr. Bo Jangles to us during the Christmas talent show and no one, I mean no one, was ever more enthusiastic about Galileo.

We are particularly grateful to Father Deeves for blessing our many student travelers over the years, both from UA Dallas and from our sister schools. He always wanted to keep us happy and safe. The photos of him here are with students from our sister-schools in Brazil and Peru. The top photo is the most recent one, from the FFC dedication in May, and he is with our lovely alum, Agnes Kasule.

God Bless you, Father Deeves! How lucky we were to have you! We will miss the twinkle in your eye, the smile on your face and the boundless love in your heart! Thank you for always making us laugh!

A little tribute....

----- Did you hear that Ursuline stopped ringing bells?

----- Yes, they are competing for the "No Bell" prize

Working, Teaching & Making friends at UA

Today was a busy workday for our friends from Brazil. First, they went to French class where they taught some useful Portuguese phrases to the students of French V and where they answered questions about the Brazilian Presidential election. At Midday, they attended their first Journalism class where they were invited to contribute to our fantastic UA publication, The Bear Facts. The group will work with UA journalism students to prepare a 2 page spread about their visit to Dallas. Also, the Brazilian students will contribute to our online Bear Facts.

The most challenging (and scary) part of the day came at the end of the school day when the students made a presentation in the Kiva. They presented information about themselves and their school but the main theme of the presentation was Biodiversity. Piedade, our sister-school, picks a theme every year and the theme this year is biodiversity. The students were very nervous about making the presentation but we assured them that they were among friends and that the presentation would be well-received. In the end, it was fantastically-received!! It was a HUGE hit and we congratulate the whole group. The presentation ended with our UA students learning a few steps of forró (a Northeastern Brazilian folk dance) as well as a few smooth samba moves. It was great - and it was a thrilling way to end our first week together!!

Brazil Delegation visits The State Fair of Texas

Today we took the Brazil Delegation to the mighty State Fair of Texas. It was a fabulous day filled with laughs, food and fun. After two days getting to know student life at Ursuline, we decided that it was time for a taste of Texas. So, Ms. Vander Linden, Mr. Smith and I (Ms. Nipp) put on our walking shoes and headed for the State Fair with the action plan for our guests- a plan built around important Texas highlights such as Fletcher's Corny Dogs, the Texas Truck Auto Show and of course, an official photo with Big Tex. We were especially happy to have the company of two of our distinguished seniors, Maggie and Sally. The girls were excellent guides and provided a much-appreciated student perspective of fair highlights (which led to several adventures on the midway rides). Thanks to all for for an awesome day!

UA Welcomes Brazil Delegation

On Saturday we welcomed our friends from Nossa Senhora da Piedade Ursuline school in Bahia, Brazil. We have 7 guests from our sister-school, 5 students and 2 teachers. So far, we are enjoying a wonderful visit. Today was the first day that the guests accompanied our students to class. Their first sight of Ursuline was the newly decorated Global Village - complete with a balloon palm tree and mylar monkeys which, we hope, have added a festive and tropical feeling to our school. Later, they enjoyed a tour of the school given by our very own Gaga girls. We decided that the guests should enjoy a real Dallas meal so we took them to dinner at Snuffer's restaurant before attending the Dallas Mavericks game at the American Airlines Center (yes, the Cheese fries were a hit!). Despite being shocked at how big everything is in Texas (the roads, the drinks in restaurants, etc.), our Brazilian friends are rapidly making themselves at home here in Dallas and we are thrilled to have them with us! Bem-vindos! (Welcome!)

USA Missing from Global Village!!

We interrupt this blog to bring you this rather alarming announcement ... The USA (puzzle piece) is missing from the Global Village!! As you can see, all of the other countries in the Americas remain and there is big hole where the USA should be. The DODGE is offering a generous reward (an international treasure) for any information leading to the recovery of the USA - After all, we can't really call ourselves global without it. We will keep you posted on this story as it develops...

Clubs at UA

Today the annual Club Fair was held in Haggar Cafeteria. Students had the opportunity to join clubs, explore new possibilities and to expand club membership. We were excited to see the excellent representation of so many diversity and global themed clubs. We are especially happy that our new GAGA (Girls Assisting Global Awareness) club has started just in time to prepare for the arrival of the delegation from Brazil. But no matter what club students select, it is rewarding to see so many girls choosing to celebrate different cultures and learn about our world through their club memberships!!

Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth

This month, the UA Global Book and Movie Club read Unaccustomed Earth, a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. This book presents us with lives that have been transplanted in the United States and the generations that follow. In our discussion of the work yesterday, we agreed that the themes are profound while the writing is crisp and precise. We discovered characters who are universal, flawed, intriguing and thoroughly unforgettable - to the point that they are still haunting us ... We invite you not only to read this wonderful collection of stories but also to view this segment of an interview with the author by journalist Charlie Rose.