Moments at the Mount

A Student Spotlight …

Kate Shipley didn't originally plan on being a Mount St. Mary student. She attended Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School for her freshman and sophomore years, yet ultimately sought a change to her educational environment.

She sought her friends.

“I had many friends I had known from attending Rosary Catholic School from preschool through eighth grade who started high school at the Mount, so it was really my friendships that drew me in,” said Shipley, who first strolled the halls of Mount St. Mary as a Rocket as a junior, and now heads toward the finish of her senior year.

Since becoming a Rocket, Shipley has devoted many hours at practices, athletic events and competitions as a member of the Mount St. Mary Pom Squad. She said Misti Columbus, the team’s coach, has been a major influence on the team and, specifically, Shipley. 

“Coach Columbus is really big on the fact that incorporating our faith into everything we do, especially as shared members of the pom team, is vital to our development as young adults,” she said. 

One of Shipley’s favorite pom-related memories centers around the team’s annual massive Christmas party, featuring games of Secret Santa, the rental of a party bus and a trip to glance at the lights presented at Yukon’s “Christmas in the Park” while sipping hot chocolate. 

“That time is so special to me and the other girls on the team,” Shipley said, “because, by that point, we’ve endured such a challenging season of athletic events, early morning rehearsals for competitions, and the competitions themselves.

“The early morning rehearsals are tough, so we start snapping at each other in conversation. The Christmas season is so nice for us to grow in friendship and simply relax together. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the friendships I have on the team.”

In addition to pom, Shipley is an active member of the Mount’s respective chapters of National Honor Society and Key Club. Both organizations are service oriented, with opportunities to serve others arising within the MSM community and the local Oklahoma City area. 

“I don’t necessarily have a favorite of the two organizations,” she said, “but I think that’s because both allow me to do plenty of service to others with my best friends right at my side.” 

Shipley said that her favorite service opportunities are fundraisers and events at Rosary Catholic School and volunteering at Sister Maria’s Gospel of Life Disciples (GOLD). 
“I also really love when the Mount holds drives for Willow, a crisis pregnancy center, and the Women’s Sanctuary, because our aid goes directly to women and children in need within the Oklahoma City area,” she said.

“I find it so fulfilling to know that I, through my school’s efforts, am making positive effects on others’ lives locally.”

Shipley said she also relished the opportunity to be the rector for this semester’s Kairos retreat for junior and senior ladies from all three Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. After attending Kairos for the first time as a retreatant in fall of 2023, she returned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Camp this semester to be in a direct leadership role, overseeing the numerous student leaders and 30 retreatants. 

“I was ecstatic when I was offered the opportunity to be rector,” she said. “It was such a beautiful weekend filled with faith, love and friendship for which I’m eternally grateful.”

Bound for the University of Oklahoma to study speech pathology after graduation in May, Shipley said she’s most grateful for her strong friendships and the passionate teachers she’s encountered in her short two years at The Mount. 

“My favorite teacher is Mr. (David) Long,” she said of the AP literature teacher. “He’s so passionate about the way he teaches and what he teaches. I would've never liked English class if he wasn’t the teacher.

“At the Mount, I’ve been able to grow out of my shell and grow confident in my friendships and in my faith, which has been the greatest gift of my life.”

Emma Bowman is a senior at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School.

Photo: Kate Shipley. Photo provided.