Student of Distinction
SPONSORED BY
Mary Mifsud
March 2020
Msgr. McClancy Memorial
High School
East Elmhurst, New York
While March has entered like
a pride of lions, Mary Mifsud, our
March Student of Distinction, is just
the one to tame obstacles on her
path to achievement. Among the
many adjectives used to describe
Mary are outstanding, mature,
special, unique, brilliant, caring
and well-rounded.
A well-rounded student is active
on the fi elds, in the science
lab, tutoring peers, and more.
Last year Mary was inducted
into both the National Honor
Society and the Italian Honor
Society. This is not surprising as
she was ranked among the top
fi ve students academically since
freshman year. Extra-curricular
activities and clubs include: being
elected Student Council President
2019-2020; named president of
the Library Club, in which she has
participated since freshman year;
participating in the Medical Club;
selection as part of the Middle
States, which allowed her to share
her voice on making McClancy an
even better school environment;
actively participating in Campus
Ministry and the liturgies on campus;
appointment as a Eucharistic
Minister, serving Mass on call; and
volunteering Sunday mornings at
the Lexington School for the Deaf,
where she coached young children
in soccer.
McClancy’s STEAM Coordina-
My is
Mary Mifsud
tor and St.John’s University Adjunct
Professor Ann Smith is enthusiastic
about Mary’s future. Smith recalls,
“When Mary was a freshman in
Biology, she was one of the fi rst
students in the country to have
worked on Sepsis Awareness labs
and activities that I wrote. Her
feedback and involvement in the
beta-testing of those labs was invaluable.
When she diagnosed her
fi rst case study and recommended
antibiotic treatment I explained
that, were we in the hospital, she
would have just saved someone’s
life. Those labs have evolved into
the curriculum that New York
State now mandates for all state
schools.”
STEAM programs are designed
to integrate science, technology,
engineering, arts, and mathematics
such that one learns across these
disciplines of study. More specifi
cally, STEAM’s most important
task is teaching students to think
critically and innovatively to solve
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.18 COM | MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2020
real-world problems.
Regarding the school’s STEAM
initiative, Smith adds, “Mary was
my Biology lab volunteer this
September at our Open House.
She spoke on my behalf to many
parents and potential students and
took the lead in running dogfi sh
shark dissections, a project where
she assimilated content from her
current Anatomy and Physiology
class. When Mary opened up the
specimen, she stated, “Ms. Smith,
I think it’s pregnant,” and it was. I
couldn’t have been more proud of
her that day! She is quite special.”
Mary’s love of Science has her
employing her free period assisting
Ms. Smith in the lab for AP Environmental
As a lab assistant Mary will help
to hatch, brood and release quail
into the wild in an effort to stop
the spread of Lyme and Powassan
disease through biological control.
During freshman year, she was
a student partner in the Trout in the
Classroom citizen science program
in conjunction with the NYS Department
Her project helped keep our
state’s Hudson River Watershed
clean, contributing to the health
of our own drinking water. She
also participated in the BirdSleuth
citizen science project with Cornell
University’s Lab of Ornithology and
won fi rst prize for a STEM lesson/
module, titled, “Full STEAM Ahead
with STEM: Urban Bird Watch.”
Smith also related that Mary
was able to work with the class
at the DNA Learning Center of
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.
“While there,” Smith explains,
"#$%
Science class activities.
of Environmental Protection.
“she was able to partake in DNA
Fingerprinting - detecting the ALU
polymorphism in human DNA lab.
She worked under the direction
of professionals learning new
techniques.”
There are other areas of interest
that have benefi ted from Mary’s
fi ngerprints. For example, in
athletic competition, she has set the
bar quite high. McClancy’s Director
of Athletics, Gerard O’Riordan,
enthuses, “She is a four-year starter
on the Varsity Soccer team. This
year she led the team to their
second straight New York City
Catholic High School championship.
Mary started her career as
a goal scorer but, as the needs of
the team changed, she has given
up on personal statistics for the
good of the team and adapted to
a more defensive role. During her
senior year her leadership skills
and willingness to set an example
resulted in her being named team
captain. At the culmination of her
senior season, Mary represented
the Catholic High School Athletic
Association in the New York City
Mayor’s Cup game against an
All-Star selection from the public
schools. She represents everything
that we try to instill in our students
here at McClancy.”
All her positive qualities and
achievements coalesce to paint a
picture-perfect future. Mary plans
to study Medicine and become
either a nurse or physician assistant.
She also hopes to continue
bringing her soccer skills to bear
on the college soccer pitch. We
are confi dent she will score big!
By Sherri L. Sanders
!