Pereira receives top honor at Mercymount
CUMBERLAND — Mercymount Country Day School recently announced Marisa Pereira, a sixth-grader, received its Catherine McAuley Award for the 2016-2017 academic year.
This is the 13th year that the award was presented by the school principal at the close of the academic year.
The award recognizes the fulfillment of the school’s mission by a student in grades 4 through 7. This student routinely exhibits Mercy in their actions within the school and community at large. Their character exemplifies the Mercy spirit of kindness, compassion and openness to everyone, serving as a role model for other students. Candidates are nominated by self or others, and complete an application process including two letters of recommendation which can attest to the character and merciful service of the candidate. The applications are reviewed by a five-member committee composed of the principal, one member of the school board’s Mercy Integration Committee, two faculty members, and the previous award winner.
Marisa participates in many extracurricular activities at school, including band, volleyball, soccer, Teens Living for Christ and is a former member of Friends of Mercy. She also plays lacrosse in the town of Cumberland program. She is known for her dependability and strong sense of justice, standing up for anyone who has been wrongly accused.
Marisa is a leader in her community. It is not unusual for her to request to go to the school chapel to pray, encouraging others to join her. She makes time to raise money with yard sales and lemonade stands for worthy causes such as the local animal shelter, veterans and mesothelioma (from which her beloved grandfather passed away).
She volunteers at Franklin Farms and the Happy Baskets Program in Cumberland. She embodies the true mission of Mercy and practices these values in her daily life.
Coach and family friend Christopher Daley said, “Marisa is an exceptional young lady, with a caring heart, a positive spirit and a genuine concern for others. She is mature beyond her years, and brings an energy and enthusiasm to everything she does that is contagious to those around her.”
Marisa is the daughter of Jose and Caterina Pereira of North Attleboro. She is a member of the MCDS Class of 2019; her brother, Aiden, also attended Mercymount and graduated in 2016. The Pereiras are members of St. John Vianney Church in Cumberland.
Christine Corio, her first-grade teacher, says, “Catherine McAuley said, ‘We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us,’ and Marisa does just that. Her positive outlook and genuine compassion for others makes her the ‘shining” candidate for the 2017 Catherine McAuley award.”
Mercymount Country Day School, a private Catholic elementary school (PreK-Grade 8) is sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy Northeast.