January 23, 2026

Mary Ann Steutermann, Director of Mission Effectiveness 

Next week is Catholic Schools Spirit Week at Assumption as we celebrate both National Catholic Schools Week and our traditional Spirit Week! This week provides an opportunity for us to appreciate how much Catholic schools have been and continue to be an important part of our lives. Catholic schools have a 98.9% graduation rate, which is higher than other religiously affiliated schools, non-sectarian independent schools, and public schools. Similarly, the percentage of graduates of Catholic schools that go on to attend a four-year college is 84%, which is significantly higher than any other type of school. The National Catholic Education Association calls Catholic schools “a gift to the nation” because based on the average per pupil cost to educate a student in the public system, Catholic schools provide the U.S. with over $21 billion in savings every year. Our own Catholic high school is a fantastic example of the many benefits of a Catholic education.  With an average class size of 19, student-to-teacher ratio of 11:1, over 120 courses offered, 15 athletic programs, and over 65 clubs and organizations, there’s a place for everyone at AHS. These are just a few of the many reasons we have been identified as a Cognia International School of Distinction and been recognized as the best Catholic high school in Louisville. We have so much to celebrate!  

Each morning next week, we will have a special prayer that focuses on part of our community: alumnae, volunteers, and friends; archdiocesan grade schools; our current students; faculty and staff; and of course, our parents.  On Tuesday, January 27, student representatives will attend the Archdiocesan Mass celebrating Catholic Schools where we will also celebrate our very own President Mary Lang who will be receiving the Distinguished Catholic School Leader Award this year.  We are so grateful for Mrs. Lang’s nearly twelve years of service to Assumption and all that she does to ensure a quality Catholic education for young women at Assumption! 

Additionally, we will also be celebrating with some fun dress-up days each day next week to show our school spirit along with our Winter Sports Pep Rally.  We look forward to celebrating our Catholic school and everyone in our community! 

A Warm Assumption Welcome to Our Argentine Exchange Students

We are delighted to welcome seven students from our partner school, Colegio Santa Ethnea in Bella Vista, Argentina, as participants in our Mercy Ambassadors Program. Each student will be hosted by one of our Assumption families as they attend classes, join extracurricular activities, and experience daily life within our community.

In June, our Assumption students will travel to Argentina to spend a month immersed in life at Colegio Santa Ethnea, continuing this meaningful cultural exchange. This program is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our global connections and live out Mercy hospitality in a truly reciprocal way. We are grateful for the partnerships and experiences that make this possible.

FATHER-DAUGHTER DANCE: The Father-Daughter Dance will be held on Saturday, January 31, from 7:30-10:30 p.m. in the gym. This dance is open to ALL students— freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. We encourage all to attend and dance the night away with their fathers or father figures!  Tickets may be purchased in advance via GoFan or at the door the night of the dance. Tickets are $25 per couple and $10 for each additional daughter. The dance theme is “Great Gatsby Masquerade,” and guests are invited to dress for the theme, but of course, themed attire is not required.  Music will be provided by Assumption’s very own DJ, Jared Ramirez. Hope to see you there! 

ASSUMPTION PARENT PRAYER: Our parent prayer group will meet on Wednesday, January 28 from 8:15-8:45 a.m. in the chapel. Please park in any open space and enter the school through the main entrance.  We will pray for the Tullamore freshmen and sophomores. Please join us for any or all of these opportunities! 

PRAYER INTENTIONS: All Assumption parents and alumnae are invited to share prayer intentions. Periodically, we will include the line of “prayer intentions posted online by AHS parents and alumnae” as part of our morning prayer over the P.A. Likewise, feel free to include the intentions you find there in your own personal prayer. To participate, please follow this link.  

Next week, January 26-30, is our Catholic Schools Spirit Week. Our Varsity Club and Leadership and Engagement office have planned several different activities to show support for our students and all that they do to make us proud. All dress-up days and activities are voluntary, but we highly encourage students to show their school and class spirit by getting creative and participating in some capacity.  

• Spirit Week Dress-Up Days: Students are invited to dress up according to a different theme each day next week. Students have been emailed the dress-up day descriptions and rules, so they may begin planning their costumes. Costumes are all or nothing (no “partial uniform/partial costume” dress); students may not wear costume masks or face paint; and current school policies regarding shoes and hair color still apply.  On Monday, our theme is Pajama Day; on Tuesday, we will have “Dapper Dude Day” when students can dress up as a dude for the day; Wednesday is safari/camo day when students can wear safari-inspired gear or camouflage clothing.  Thursday offers an opportunity for students to dress up inspired by Soccer Moms or BBQ Dads, and Friday is a NEON day for our Winter Pep Rally (neon bobs are welcome!) with seniors wearing black for their Fly Girls performance. We can’t wait to see how students show their spirit during this fun week!  

INCLEMENT WEATHER REMINDERS: With inclement weather in the forecast this weekend, we would like to remind parents of our inclement weather policies. You may also refer to the STUDENT-FAMILY HANDBOOK 2025-2026. When the Archdiocese of Louisville makes a call about school closings due to inclement weather, we will send an alert through SchoolMessenger to those who have registered.  You may also listen to local radio and television stations for an announcement that all Catholic high schools in Jefferson County are closed or on a delayed schedule.   

• When the schools are closed, Assumption High School will declare a traditional snow day, virtual learning day, or a digital learning day via SchoolMessenger. The first snow day of the 2025-2026 school year will be a traditional snow day with no digital or virtual learning. Please note: since we have already had a traditional snow day this year, we will move to digital learning days if school should be closed on Monday. Student expectations for digital learning days were shared with students today for review and will always be emailed to students once a digital day is called.  When school is closed, all extracurricular and athletic events are cancelled (unless a special exception is approved by the president or principal).  

• When the school is on a delayed schedule, Assumption will be delayed one hour (from our traditional 8:10 start time) and will follow a 9:10 a.m. schedule, but all morning activities will be cancelled including detention, testing pool, and meetings.  In the case of a delayed opening, the school building will open, and before-school supervision will begin in the cafeteria at 8:10 a.m.  

This is a great time to check your parent preferences and information on SchoolMessenger, which you can access through your PowerSchool account.  Please note: this functionality is only available through the PowerSchool website and not the app.  

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR: Even as we continue to work to make this the best possible semester for your daughter, we are also looking toward planning for the success of our returning students next school year. Part of that planning process is registering for class for the 2026-2027 school year. Registration for current students for next school year will take place in March. More details will be shared as the time for registration approaches. 

ROCKET PARENT NETWORK (RPN) UPDATE: SAVE THE DATE The Rocket Parent Network invites you to “save the date” for their next speaker program on February 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the AHS theater. Their presentation will focus on helping your daughters through feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.  They will host the parents of three daughters and a local therapist.  This program will also be offered online with a link coming to the Rocket Report in the next few weeks.  

IMPORTANT HELP NEEDED WITH SAFETY & TRAFFIC FLOW PROTOCOLS: 

• DROP-OFF REMINDER: Students should be ready to exit the vehicle as soon as it comes to the first complete stop in the carpool line.  Students are not to wait until reaching the main entrance to get out of the vehicle as doing so causes disruption to the traffic pattern of the carpool lane.  

• DROP OFF/PICK UP ON TYLER LANE IS PROHIBITED: A reminder that students may not be picked up or dropped off on Tyler Lane, and cars may not wait/park on Tyler Lane at any time.   Picking up/dropping off students on any part of Tyler Lane violates our binding elements issued by the City and opens us up to additional traffic restrictions from the City if neighbors petition for it.  We have received complaints from neighbors recently that AHS parents are also making illegal U-turns in the middle of Bardstown Road in order to get in the queue line next for arrival and dismissal, creating a hazardous situation and blocking normal traffic flow.  Mr. Rob Owen, our Director of Safety and Security, will be monitoring Tyler Lane and directing any stopped cars to move.  Students have been notified that if they are picked up or dropped off on Tyler Lane, they will receive detentions. 

• REQUEST ON BEHALF OF STUDENTS WHO PARK AT STRATHMOOR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH & ST. RAPHAEL LOT: Please do not wait in the Strathmoor parking lot across Bardstown Road from Assumption or the St. Raphael lot to pick your daughter up at dismissal. Parents who do this are forming their own carpool lane of sorts, and this blocks our students who rent spaces at Strathmoor into their parking spots. 

PARENT SUPERVISION VOLUNTEERS: We are very grateful to the parents who volunteered to assist with supervision during new Rockets Taking Initiative (RTI) period which occurs from 10:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Parent volunteers are needed to serve as substitutes for our RTI supervisors when teachers are out of the building to go on retreat, to attend professional development, or for other personal/professional reasons. As the new semester begins, we want to remind our parents that whether you can volunteer once this school year or multiple times, we would love to have you join us in supporting this important work. Please note: All volunteers working with students are required to attend the Safe Environment Training provided by the Archdiocese of Louisville and to complete a background check with the archdiocese. If you have never attended this workshop and are interested in volunteering, see the schedule of trainings here:  Archdiocese of Louisville Safe Environment Training.  You can also click HERE for a link to the background check form to complete. If interested in volunteering, please complete this PARENT SUPERVISION VOLUNTEER QUESTIONNAIRE. If you have questions, please email Tatum Park.  Completed background check forms may also be emailed to Mrs. Park as well. Thank you in advance for helping us support your daughters and our teachers! 

SPRING DUAL CREDIT CLASSES: If your daughter is enrolled in a spring 2026 dual credit class, she may have already filled out an online application in December or will be completing this over the next few weeks and will need to have a parent signature on at least one emailed form.  If your daughter is taking DC Precalculus, DC Calculus, DC Public Speaking, DC English IV, DC Intro to Business, DC Personal Finance, DC World Religions, DC Foundations of Instruction, or DC Human Development and Learning, please talk to your daughter about any parent forms that you need to complete from your email and if she still has remaining KHEAA scholarships to pay for these courses.  She will be invited to an RTI session in February to fill out her KHEAA scholarship preferences for spring is she has not yet done so. She can log into her KHEAA account HERE.  If you have any questions, please contact Jenny.Friedenberg@ahsrockets.org. 

ROCKET SPECTACULAR BENEFIT DINNER AND AUCTION 2026: Saturday, February 7, 2026. The reservation deadline is Friday, January 23 and will be a SELL OUT! Reservations are subject to availability. Donations for our silent and live auctions and bourbon pull are still welcomed! For more information on how to help support the event, contact Sarah Brady @ sarah.brady@ahsrockets.org or call (502)271-2519 by January 30. Don’t miss out on our raffles: a limited number of tickets will be sold for various items!  Please visit this link for tickets and raffles. All proceeds from this event go to the financial needs of our students. 

GRADUATION INFORMATION FROM JOSTENS – GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS: There is still time to order graduation announcements. Orders may be placed online at Jostens.com or using the QR code on the flyer linked here: Josten’s Flyer 

If you have any questions, you may contact our Jostens rep at (502) 499-7100. 

SERVICE HOURS:  Juniors who are in Catholic Social Teaching this semester will have 15 service hours to complete as part of their class curriculum. Their service commitment form, which needs to be signed by a parent, is due Friday, January 30. This form, the syllabus with all the due dates and requirements, and a long list of approved agencies can be found on Student SharePoint. 

The Rocket Speech and Debate team who competed at the Shamrock Invitational tournament at Trinity High School last weekend. Overall, the team won the sixth-place sweepstakes award, and the debate team won the third-place sweepstakes award. Individual awards went to Harper Joaquin, Helen Wernert, Nora Mahmud, Addie Crush, Aryana Barlow, Kate Jarboe, PJ Harris, Lucy Thomas, and Lilly Buttes.   

The following visual artists who have received an award in the Regional Scholastic Art Awards. The silver key and honorable mention winners will have their work displayed at the University of Louisville and our Gold Key winner, Veronica Mattingly, will have her work displayed at the KMAC Museum and will be judged on a national level.  

Diving Delivers Excellence: Assumption Dive represented the Rockets with pride at the regional championships. Leila Macauley showed incredible toughness, pushing through an injury that nearly sidelined her and still fighting her way to a second-place finish. Elizabeth Browning also excelled, placing in the Top 9!  

Basketball Remains Among State’s Best: Congratulations to our basketball program for big wins over Highlands and Floyd Central. The Rockets remain ranked in the Top 3 statewide across multiple polls, continuing their strong season momentum.  

Volleyball Honors: A huge round of applause for Jillian Bohannon, who has been named the Metro AD Association Volleyball Player of the Year! This honor reflects her leadership, skill, and impact on and off the court.  

Field Hockey Athletes Earn National Recognition: We are excited to celebrate three of our athletes who have been selected to the USA Field Hockey U18 and U16 Women’s National Teams:  

• Monica Picciolo  

• Maddie Rousseau  

• Nola Dalton  

Additionally, Monica Picciolo and Maddie Rousseau were named to the MAX Field Hockey All-Region Teams, recognizing their exceptional performance and continued dedication.  

Archery Shines in Elite Competition: The Archery team delivered an impressive performance, finishing fourth overall behind Bullitt Central, Bullitt East, and Bethlehem High School while securing a strong win over Bardstown High School. Individually, Marilyn Shoemaker captured second place in the high school female division with a new personal best score of 284, and Margaret Kelly followed closely with a fourth-place finish and a score of 278. In what can only be described as remarkable, two of our archers placed in the Top 5 in what Lisa Pinkston proudly calls the “Archery Mecca” region one of the most competitive environments in the sport. This was an exceptionally tough tournament, and we couldn’t be prouder of our girls for the extra work, focus, and determination they put in throughout the week.  

Spring Sports Tryout Information: Please note: Sports physicals must be up to date before athletes are permitted to tryout. Please email christy.hulsewede@ahsrockets.org for questions.    

• Lacrosse: February 3-5 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.   

• Softball: February 10-12 after school   

• Tennis: February 17 at 3:45 p.m. at Louisville Indoor Racquet Club   

• Spring Track: early March, details to come   

Next Week: 

Friday, January 23  

• Basketball at Male 5:30 p.m.  

• Swim regionals at UofL 7:00 p.m.  

Tuesday, January 27  

• Basketball vs. TBD in the Louisville Invitational Tournament 7:00pm  

Wednesday, January 28  

• Indoor JV track Meet at Norton Center 4:30 p.m.  

Thursday, January 29  

• Cheer Nationals in Orlando, FL January 29 – February 2 

Friday, January 30- Saturday, January 31  

• Archery at Sacred Heart Tournament and St. Martha 3D Challenge January 30-February 1  

Sunday, February 1  

• Dance Send off for Nationals! 3:00 p.m.