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Big Shoes to Fill
Sr. Antoinette Dershaw, S.N.D.
Sr. Antoinette was hired in 1995 as the CFO. She was in the role for two years before she was reassigned by her order, the Sisters of Notre Dame, to serve as the assistant to the provincial treasurer. She returned to Gilmour in 2000, serving as the controller and head of human resources. In 2006, she was again reassigned. This time, she was off to Rome to serve as the assistant to the order’s general treasurer. She returned in 2008 and has served as the Business Office associate/staff accountant ever since.
Looking back at her time here, she says, “Having gone to the University of Notre Dame for my master’s and having been educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame and then coming to a Holy Cross school, I felt very much at home here. I felt the commitment to education and it aligned with all my personal beliefs and goals.” She also mentioned the camaraderie and support she felt among faculty and staff.
Looking at her next chapter, Sr. Antoinette plans to volunteer and to study scripture, theology and other subjects. She says the looks forward to a pace of life that will allow her time to “stop and smell the roses.” Sr. Antoinette lives by the mantra, “If we all just make our own part of the world a little better, the world becomes a better place.”
Kelly Kearney
Kelly Kearney started at Gilmour in 1995 as the controller and moved to her current role as CFO in 1997. As CFO, Kelly managed the business office and all aspects of Gilmour’s finances including budgets, cash management, investments, contractual relationships and legal matters. She served as a member of the Finance, Investment, Executive and Building & Grounds committees. She oversaw the annual financial audit and her staff included all Business Office staff, the directors of information technology, auxiliary programming, maintenance, transportation, and the general manager of food services.
During her tenure, Kelly helped Gilmour transition to using AVI Food Systems for campus food services; helped launch the wellness program for employees, which increased employee health through the meal and exercise programs; and restructured retirement plans. But, the experience that impacted her most was developing and teaching the Finance, Economics & Ethics course with Board chair Fred Botek. She enjoyed teaching students how to prepare for future financial independence and to be fiscally responsible.
In her retirement. Kelly plans to spend more time with family and friends, tackle house projects and travel. She and her husband are kicking it off with a trip to California this fall and to the Bahamas over the holidays!
Mary Ann Mehling, I.H.M.
Sr. Mary Ann is finishing her 18th year of service to Gilmour. During this time, she has made many contributions to our community. Sister was a vital member of the religion department and touched the lives of countless students during her 15 years in the classroom.
Sister has served as a model of hospitality, offering candy and snacks to students each morning on their way to A Block and opening her office to any student who needed a listening ear. She also supported the wider Gilmour community whenever possible, chaperoning dances, assisting with retreats, accompanying students on service trips, and so much more.
As coordinator of the service program, Sister has arranged student service days, set up the spring service fair, and encouraged students to live the Gilmour mission. With her support, students were empowered to start the peanut butter and jelly club, collect hundreds of pairs of gloves for the homeless, and make a difference in our community by completing their service hours. Most notably, she has spearheaded our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, which, under her leadership, has grown to the incredible production that it is today - delivering full Thanksgiving meals to more than 300 families. We will all miss Sr. Mary Ann's hospitality and her passion for helping those less fortunate. We'll use Sister's famous line to describe her, "She's a star!"
Mary Poluse
Mary has been teaching math for 44 years. We are blessed that she has spent the last nine as a part of the Gilmour’s math department and has chaired the department since 2011. She taught Functions and AP Calculus AB all nine years. Mary says that she thinks she has become a better teacher in her nine years here because of the professional development opportunities and the support of her department members.
As a teacher, she says she has most enjoyed watching her students outside of the classroom – whether in drama, athletics or entrepreneurship – and is always amazed at their talents. She also says that she doesn’t think she’ll ever forget the sense of community experienced each morning in Convocation. She loved the opportunity to listen to a speaker, watch students perform, celebrate student successes and pray as a school community.
Mary looks forward to traveling; taking fun classes such as cooking, art and photography; catching up on personal and professional reading; and working on her house and her yard.
Theresa Stark
Theresa Stark has been teaching at the Lower School for 13 years and in that time, has taught first grade humanities, third grade humanities, self-contained (all subjects) third grade, and third and fourth grade math and science.
She has done so many engaging projects with her students over the years, but when asked to pick the ones that stand out in her memory, she had two favorites. When she was teaching third grade humanities, she had her students write letters to The Downtown Alliance regarding their plans to re-configure Public Square. She also had her third graders research a famous Ohioan. As part of the project, they sent letters to the Ohio Historical Society nominating their famous Ohioan for recognition. Last year, David Pfundstein ’25 wrote to Under Armour and Nike asking the companies to name a shoe after his famous Ohioan, Jesse Owens. He received letters back from both companies!
Theresa looks forward to relaxing, reading and traveling in her retirement.
