Cincinnati, Ohio, March 26, 2018 – Saint Ursula Academy surprised senior Laura Wiedemann ’18 of Anderson Twp. with the Respect the Game of Life Award at the spring school pep rally. This award honors a member of the Saint Ursula Academy community who displays good sportsmanship, ethics and integrity in high school sports and/or co-curricular activities. The recipient does not have to be an SUA athlete. He or she could be a student, coach, parent, an employee or even a person from outside our SUA community.
The sportsmanship committee chose Laura as the recipient of this award, describing her as a person who shows great love, dedication, and admiration for Saint Ursula’s fine arts programs. She is conscientious, sensitive to others and wants everyone to be a part of a family at SUA. She has a contagious smile which spreads positivity throughout the campus.
Some of her accomplishments include:
• choreographing a number for the Saint Ursula Academy Dance Ensemble (SUEDE)
• helping with auditions even when she couldn’t be involved herself
• acting as a leader in the Theatre Department
• serving 1 year as an officer in Saint Ursula Players club
• getting involved in Student Council, SUAVE, and Music
• performing in Decision Height, Cinderella, Meet me in St. Louis, Miracle Worker, Wizard of Oz, and Steel Magnolias.
“In our ongoing effort to promote sportsmanship and point out examples of positive behavior, the SUA Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Committee developed this special award in the fall of 2009,” said Saint Ursula President Lelia Keefe Kramer ’77. “We are so proud of Laura and all she has done to make a positive impact at Saint Ursula Academy!”
Music teacher Katherine Jennings ’09 shared, “Laura is a selfless leader in Student Council, a role model in the Theatre and Music Departments, and a creative choreographer for the Dance Ensemble.”
Dancer Alexandra Fredrick ’21 agreed, saying, “Working with Laura has really been so amazing. She is not afraid to challenge us and pushes us to challenge ourselves. I’ve learned a lot, things I didn’t think I could do. Working with Laura has been a pleasure and I am so happy for her!”
Theatre Director Allison Hinkel added, “Laura is a student who can make an impact on any activity in which she takes part. She is the epitome of a “can do attitude”: She handles a tough workload, many in-school and after-school activities with tenacity, hard work and planning. She is a student who can make a genuine connection with each person around her.”
Kathy Backherms ’74, Music Director, offers this reflection, “Laura is devoted to the Saint Ursula Academy Vocal Ensemble (SUAVE), serious about her responsibilities to the group, and helps to set the standard for all who are striving to become better performing artists.
The criteria for a Respect the Game nomination is as follows:
• The recipient demonstrates a high level of sportsmanship every day.
• They understand the importance of high school co-curriculars as valuable and as such it is worthy of respect.
• The person acts with courtesy, dignity and pride.
• They demonstrate the importance of putting others ahead of themselves in an ongoing effort to practice the importance of teamwork.
• The recipient’s attitude is able to sway others to follow her and her methods of demonstrating good sportsmanship.
SUA is committed to ethics and integrity in athletics, clubs, student organizations and all co-curricular activities and rewards good sportsmanship. The school has a formal Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Committee that sets the standards and selects the award recipients.
The student sportsmanship committee members helped give the award. They are Margaret Lyon, Kristi Kuhn, and Emily Olson. They were joined by Ms. Jennings, Ms. Hinkel, and Mrs. Kramer in presenting the award. Laura’s parents, Tom and Mary Jo, along with several family members attended the presentation as part of the surprise.
To learn more about St. Ursula Academy, please visit www.saintursula.org.
Saint Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 90 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Academy is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2017 earned college scholarships totaling more than $21-million.
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