Last year, Holy Name of Mary College School (HNMCS) became the youngest school to gain membership into the prestigious Conference of Independent Schools (CIS). This fall, for the first time, our middle school and senior school cross country team competed against other CIS Schools. The meets took place on October 24 at Centennial Park and Norval Outdoor Schools and our girls—Susie Irving, Sofia Raco, Julia Markson, Sophia Samoilescu, Elizabeth Najjar, Maya Slowikowski, Paige Johnston, Julianne Lima, Maria Dondas—showed grit and determination, with a number of personal bests and top 10 finishes over the course of the season. They also competed at the Private Schools’ Athletic Association Cross-Country Meet at Heart Lake, completing a strong season. Well done, girls!

The HNMCS Junior Basketball team welcomed Coach Cassandra Irving (mother of Susie Irving ‘26) for our first ever basketball season in the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA). Coach Cassandra is the founder/executive director of GameOnCamps.com and has been coaching basketball for more than 20 years.

The season may have been short but it could not have been more exciting. The enthusiasm and skill displayed during lunchtime practices carried over to game day as team members Olivia Coleman, Sara Rinomato, Genevieve Hordij, Sarah Bottrell, Ainsley Rix, Victoria Zhang, Clarisse Carcao, Samantha Stefan, Emilia Jankowicz and Julianne Lima took the field with confidence. On October 16, the team played four games at the Mentor Invitational Football Tournament and ended the day undefeated thanks to a tough defence and strong play by quarterback Olivia Coleman and receiver Sara Rinomato who scored multiple touchdowns. That skill was complemented by an energizing team spirit that was just as strong off the field as on. Great job!