Wacker and Wimsey
give St. Dominic’s a Kixx

By Diane Villano-Prokop
Times Staff Writer

St. Dominic alums Steve Wacker and Scott Wimsey returned to their former grade school last week to "Kixx" off the school’s Spirit Day celebration. The two are midfielders for the championship Philadelphia Kixx soccer team.
Wacker talked to students about making goals, but not those of the soccer variety.
"It takes hard work. Nobody’s going to hand it to you. This goes for school, work, whatever you do in life," he said.
He also told the students to expect setbacks along the way but not to call them a failure or to quit.
Wacker also talked to the younger versions of himself about living a healthy lifestyle. He called on students to offer ways to do just that.
The answered ranged from exercise, not smoking or drinking, to keeping your personal hygiene.
"Eat your fruits and vegetables," said one little girl, sporting pigtails.
They also discussed the importance of teamwork and working with groups of individuals to accomplish goals in school, at work, at home with brothers and sisters, and in the neighborhood with their friends.
Wacker then quizzed the kids to see if they were listening and offered red Kixx bracelets for those who answered correctly.
When the subject of high school came up, Wacker said, "North Catholic is the best high school."
Wimsey was All-Catholic at North’s rival Father Judge in his junior and senior years at the school.
Wimsey then played a few rounds of "head it or catch it" with students. If he tossed the ball to a player and said "head it," they’d have to catch it; if he said "catch it," they’d have to bounce it off their heads.
Each contestant earned a Kixx red plastic bracelet. Fourth-grader Mariella Martin, 9, won a homework reprieve for her grade, as did sixth-grader Taylor McCarthy.
When it came time for the faculty to play, the cheers for the principal and teachers were so loud that one little boy had to cover his ears.
Sister Mary Chapman, dressed in her veil and sneakers, expertly bounced a soccer ball off her head, beating out five teachers and winning no homework for the entire school.
Seventh-grader Melanie Kalesse, 13, enjoyed the assembly and thought it might help students to set goals.
"It was a lot of fun. I loved it," she said.
The two professional athletes enjoyed it, too.
"It’s exciting. It’s the first time I’ve been back to the school. Inside, it looks really small," Wimsey said.
Wacker agreed.
"It’s a great feeling. Day by day, I don’t think they think twenty years down the line," he said.
Wacker remembered when World B. Free visited the school when he was a student there.
"We were jumping up and down even though we didn’t know who he was," he said.
The two soccer players — Wacker’s from the Class of ’96, Wimsey is Class of ’98 — aren’t the only grads to return to the school. Seven of St. Dominic’s alumni come back every single day. Sister Mary Regina Battles, Dolores Gardner, Lori DeVincentis, Lisa Mertz, Linda McBride, Deborah Cash and Donna Sicilia all are teachers there. ••
Reporter Diane Villano-Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dvillano@phillynews.com