As a whole, the class of 2020 has had rough spring. With the disappointment of missing events like prom and Senior Skip Day and a final chance to say goodbye to their high schools, seniors are struggling to make the best of their final semester. The Montrose community has rallied around our girls to support them even in isolation, and the Looking Glass has featured our newspaper seniors in individual profile pieces highlighting their time at Montrose. As a student, writer, and most predominantly an athlete, Sports Editor Mary McManmon ‘20 has shaped her years at Montrose with passion and hard work.   

Best in the Field: Mary’s Outstanding Role in Montrose Athletics

She’s our sports editor, so you’ve got to figure they’re important in her life. And anyone who knows Mary sees her passion for sports every day. As a member of the Varsity Field Hockey, Basketball, and Lacrosse teams, Mary played a role in six championship seasons; the Montrose lacrosse team won the IGC championship every year that she was on the team. This spring, Mary would have competed in her 21st sports season as a Montrosian. Her favorite memory of her years at Montrose? “I was so shocked and excited when I made the varsity lacrosse team in eighth grade. It’s my favorite sport, and I really didn’t think I would make it.” 

Mary has excelled on Miracle Field, not only as a competitor, but as a leader and a friend. Varsity Field Hockey teammate Annie Bratschi ‘22 noted how Mary’s relationship has helped her. “I’ll definitely miss talking to Mary when she drove me home from field hockey. We laughed a lot, but she also gives great advice; I’m really going to miss that next year,” she said. After a hand injury that kept her from the IGC playoffs this past winter season, Mary became the loudest on the bench. “My favorite Mary moment was when, just hours after a surgeon screwed a few bones in her hand together following a basketball injury, she created a masterful presentation for our anatomy class, complete with her own x-rays,” remarked Upper School Science and History Teacher Mrs. Forsgard.  

Mary’s enthusiasm and drive as a field hockey captain rallied a largely new team to perform impressively against aggressive out-of-league competitors, and her love for the sport of lacrosse keeps her going all year long. “I’ve been looking forward to being lacrosse captain for as long as I’ve been at Montrose, so that definitely feels stripped from me,” Mary said. Despite a hugely disappointing finish to her Montrose athletic career, Mary has left behind a legacy of hard work and passion that will not soon be forgotten.  

Newspaper: An Unlikely Undertaking

“Coming into freshman year, I hated writing,” Mary reflected. But like many other Montrose girls, this aversion steadily became a motivation. “Mrs. Whitlock really urged me to join the newspaper because she knew I had the potential to be a good writer,” she said. At her teacher’s recommendation, Mary became a staff writer during her freshman and sophomore years and the Co-Sports Editor as an upperclassman. 

Mary’s enthusiasm for sports spills into every article she writes. “I get to write about sports, which is something I’m really passionate about, and I love interviewing other people and hearing perspectives of sports I’ve never played,” she said. As a sports editor, Mary covered nearly every championship and big game. Her personal favorite is the piece she wrote about the basketball championship Montrose clinched this past year; our team won by 1 point in the last 10 seconds! “The championship articles are just really exciting to write — it’s always big news,” Mary said. With both Mary and her co-editor, Maria Lennon ‘20 graduating this year, the sports section has some big shoes to fill. 

Being a Montrosian and What’s Next

After graduating this year, Mary will have been a student at Montrose for seven years. “The girl who walked into Montrose on that first day of sixth grade was much more reluctant and insecure than who I am now,” Mary commented. As Montrose’s athletics, traditions, and relationships made its way to her heart, Mary’s reluctance gradually shifted, and she became a crucial member of the Montrose community. Her most valued time at Montrose was spent with classmates: Christmas skits, M-Blocks, and Common Homerooms. “I already miss hanging out in the Senior Commons with my class, but we’ve made so many ways to stay connected: random Zoom calls, our Instagram page, things like that. It doesn’t really feel like we’re apart,” Mary said.

When reflecting on Montrose’s impact on her life, Mary emphasized Montrose’s role in fostering a work ethic and the ability to ask questions. “Now that I’m going to college, I’ll have the foundation to work hard within a big school environment — Montrose has taught me to love what I do and to be passionate about it,” she said. And that she has. Mary is headed to Clemson University to study business and marketing. Her priorities? “I wanted a big football school that was warm with great academics, so Clemson is basically my dream school,” she said. With her confidence, drive, and enthusiasm, we have no doubt that Mary will do great things. Mrs. Forsgard put it beautifully: “Goal orientated in all that she does, Mary gets the job done on the field and in the classroom. She has the ability to complete tasks with remarkable efficiency, be it creating a model of a sarcomere, or writing the analysis of a Federalist Paper, she gets the job done with skill, enthusiasm and a smile,” she said. We couldn’t agree more. Mary, thank you for all you have done for newspaper and the school; we will miss you!

Love,

The Looking Glass

Kasey Corra ’22, Co Assistant Editor-in-Chief

21kcorra@montroseschool.org