This year, we welcome another freshman class, four teachers, and a world of learning, new friendships, and ideas. We asked our newest members and some of our veterans to tell us why they love Saint Ursula and what their first month has been like.

Mrs. Williams

Which class(es) do you teach?

Health, Contemporary Issues in Women’s Health, and Personal Fitness. What is your favorite part about Saint Ursula so far? My favorite part of SUA is the community, whether it's the students, faculty, or maintenance -- everyone is very friendly!

How is SUA different from your past experiences? SUA is different from my previous schools for a few different reasons. My last teaching position was at an elementary school teaching physical education to grades K-8. While I was passionate about encouraging young kids to be active, I love the relationships I am forming at the high school level. It was when I taught at Seton that I realized my love for an all girls school environment. I feel blessed to be back in this atmosphere and a part of SUA!

What are your expectations/goals for the year? Well, my first goal for the year was a flop since we didn't win the dodgeball tournament ;) My other goal is to develop as many relationships as I can and empower young women to be strong leaders.

Do you have a story about your first month that you’d like to share?

One memory was the first day of advisory when we were playing a name association game and one student said Halitosis for her name. I still refer to her as this in class. I love the creativity I see in so many of the students!

Tell us a little bit about yourself! I graduated from University of Dayton where I played softball and met my husband. We have three daughters who keep us very busy and wish to be future bulldogs!

Mrs. Minelli

Which class(es) do you teach?

I teach four Advanced Algebra 1 skinny classes and 1 Geometry class this semester. I will be teaching one Algebra 2 class in the second semester as well as Algebra 1.

What is your favorite part about Saint Ursula so far? My favorite part about Saint Ursula so far is the schedule. I have never taught anywhere before where they switch up the class periods throughout the week. It's nice that students don't always have to have the same class in the morning or last in the day. Not everyone is a morning person and many of us are worn out by the end of the day.

How is SUA different from your past experiences? SUA isn't a lot different from my most recent experience. Prior to coming to SUA, I taught at Mother of Mercy High School for six years. MMH is also a Catholic college preparatory high school for girls. I was glad to continue to work in a school with similar beliefs and core values.

What are your expectations/goals for the year? My main goal for this year is to be available to help my students grasp and understand math and its applications. I'm hoping that my students will feel comfortable asking questions and coming to see me for extra help.

Do you have a story about your first month that you’d like to share? During my first month at SUA, I was surprised to find out that my advisory, along with Mr. Stickel's advisory, had been three-time winners in the dodgeball tournament. Everyone was geared up for a "four-peat". I don't think I've played dodgeball in the last 40 years of my life. Needless to say, I was concerned that my lack of recent experience might jeopardize our winning streak. No pressure there! Thankfully, as a team effort, our two advisories pulled out the win once again and now I can relax a bit more.

Tell us a little bit about yourself! I grew up in San Francisco and then went to college in San Diego where I met my husband, who was a graduate of U.C. After getting married, we moved back to Ohio. We have been blessed with four wonderful children - two boys and two girls. All four have chosen to attend The Ohio State University. My sons have both graduated already. My daughters are currently sophomores and seniors.

Mrs. Woodall

Which class(es) do you teach?

It is my privilege to be teaching Mrs. Elsbrock's Social Justice and Church and Sacraments classes this semester while she is on maternity leave.

What is your favorite part about Saint Ursula so far?

My favorite parts of SUA so far are the girls -- so smart and curious and thoughtful!

How is SUA different from your past experiences? I worked at a grade school for seven years prior to teaching at SUA. I really love the little ones, but teaching in high school is something I have wanted to do for about 30 years, so this is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream!

What are your expectations/goals for the year? My goal for any class I teach is to inspire the girls to think deeply about their relationship with God and the place that relationship has in their lives.

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am blessed by my husband of 27 years, Jim, and my three kids - Jack, Katie and Bethie. I went to Victory, Mercy, UC and XU, and I have lived about half my life on the west side of town and about half on the east!

Ms. Hines

Which class(es) do you teach? Spanish 1 & Spanish 2

What is your favorite part about Saint Ursula so far? I really like the environment here! This is my first experience with private school in general and I am really liking it!

How is SUA different from your past experiences? Kind of what I answered for the previous question, but mostly school function and atmosphere. I went to a public school and a public university and loved them all, but I am really learning to love the things you can do at a private school.

What are your expectations/goals for the year? I think my goal this year is to adjust to this new job and do it to the best of my ability.

Tell us a little bit about yourself! I am from Zionsville, Indiana, which is a suburb of Indianapolis. I graduated from Miami with degrees in Education and Spanish and Latin American Studies. I love to travel, do things outdoors (hiking, camping, etc.), and I love to cook! My life goal is to live in Spain one day!

Kaitlin Cengia ‘21

How is SUA different than grade school?

SUA is different than grade school because we have so many more freedoms, and I feel like I am part of a sisterhood rather than just a class.

What are your expectations/goals for the year?

This year my expectations and goals are to be as involved as possible at SUA and to make many fun and lasting memories.

What is your favorite memory from the first month of school?

My favorite memory from the first month of school has been making new friends and going to the SUA mixer.

Kaley Worthley ‘21

How is SUA different than grade school?

SUA is different from grade school because we have more freedom, but we also need to study more.

What are your expectations/goals for the year?

I want to get good grades so I can still do cross country.

What is your favorite memory from the first month of school?

Dawg Day was my favorite memory from the first month of school.

Eugenia Campos ‘21

How is SUA different than grade school? I feel like, at SUA, we get a lot more freedom and more chances to make our own choices. We also get a lot more opportunities to get involved. I don't know about other people, but compared to my grade school, SUA’s school spirit is definitely much better.

What are your expectations/goals for the year? My expectations and goals for this year are to get involved so I can feel like a true part of the SUA community. I hope to become close to as many people as I can, and make many friendships. Since I play tennis for SUA, I hope that by the end of this season I will have improved both physically and mentally.

What is your favorite memory from the first month of school? My favorite memory from this first month of school was the first day of school when I met all my new teachers and got my first taste of what high school was really going to be like. It was so fun making new friends. Everyone was eager to meet new people, so I made friends with a bunch of people almost instantly. It was also very exciting getting to go to all my classes and learning about them.

Celia Nusekabel ‘19

What advice do you have for freshman to have their best year possible? My advice for the freshman would be to do as much homework during school as you can. We have a 50-minute lunch, so take advantage of it! You can still talk to your friends, but you're being productive while doing it!! A lot of the time you’ll have sports or something else after school and if you get home late, you may not have as much time to get everything done.

What is your favorite freshman-year memory?

My favorite memory from freshman year would most likely be freshman chorus as a whole. That was always the class that I didn't have to worry about. I really enjoyed going to that class and Ms. Backherms is awesome! I loved everyone in my class, and I genuinely had fun every day!

Madison Huber ’18

What advice do you have for freshman to have their best year possible? To have the best possible year as a freshman, you just need to relax and not take everything so seriously. Also, you’ll want to study earlier -- not just the night before.

What is your favorite freshman-year memory?

My favorite memory is the feeling I got walking through the halls, thinking how cool it was to be in high school at Saint Ursula.

Sydney Lapp ‘19

What advice do you have for freshman to have their best year possible? Branch out and try new things. Join clubs, meet as many people as possible, and have fun, because freshman year shouldn't be as stressful as it might feel!

What is your favorite freshman-year memory?

I liked the excitement of starting a new part of my life that was so different from anything I’d done before.