Six Falcons Invited to Christian Athlete of the Year Banquet 2016
Six Bishop Dunne students—more students than any other school in Texas—were invited to meet Olympian Carl Lewis at the 27th Annual Christian Athlete of the Year Banquet held at the DFW Airport Marriott Grand Hotel Ballroom on Monday, March 21, 2016.
Proudly representing Bishop Dunne were: Daniel Esparza (football/soccer), Houston Little (football/wrestling), and David Rodriguez (soccer/wrestling), each nominated by their coaches for outstanding performance in their sports and in the classroom.
The three female Falcon representatives for Bishop Dunne included Ekatrina Boucher (swim/drumline), Marissa Ornelas (cross country), and Diana Santillan (cross country/wrestling team manager.)
Falcon Drum Line Leader Came from Afar
After playing in the marching band at a home Friday night football game last fall, Ekaterina Boucher was up early the following Saturday morning to work with a few Notre Dame Alumni for a "Hearts and Hammers" service project. She helped renovate and paint an old house for an elderly resident who couldn’t afford to repair his home.
As drum line leader for the Bishop Dunne Falcon Marching band, Ekaterina is used to helping others to learn the cadence, the music, and the steps for a half time program. As one of seven children, she’s also used to cooperating and helping out at home. Next fall, she hopes to be playing on a different football field, possibly in Indiana, marching for the Notre Dame band.
Born in Pscobe, Russia, she was adopted at the age of 10 months and remembers nothing of her time there, but is planning to major in Russian Language in college. Her parents, Lisa and Pete, adopted a total of seven children from Russia, including Ekaterina and her twin brother Michael.
She attended Smith Elementary up until the 4th grade, then tested out of there and right into the 6th grade at Bishop Dunne, skipping 5th. She immediately joined the band, although when she was asked to list three instruments she wanted to play, she replied “Percussion, Percussion, Percussion,” but was given a French horn to play. Three years later, when the new band director arrived, she asked again to play in the percussion section. Mr. Rhyan agreed, and she began with cymbals. Sophomore year she moved up to the snare drum, and she was chosen as captain of the drum line last year – the first female drum line leader in many years.
After seven years at Bishop Dunne, she can’t choose one particular game that she’s marched in that was her favorite, because she says, every time she picks up her drum sticks, she’s inspired and full of joy. With a 3.6 GPA and straight A’s this semester, Ekaterina is excited about the possibility of being in a college marching band. She hopes to visit the Notre Dame campus soon, and looks forward to seeing Nick Watkins, BD ’14, play football there.
One Falcon following another to the north, ready to soar into a future full of possibilities.
Bishop Dunne's 13th Annual Golf Classic will be Monday, April 4, 2016 at Stevens Park Golf Course with a shotgun start at 9:00 a.m. The event benefits the athletic programs at Bishop Dunne. To register online: www.bdcs.org/golf For more information contact Lydia Torres at ltorres@bdcs.org or call 469-291-1775.