Monthly Musings

This is part of an ongoing series of informal communications with Portsmouth Abbey School's constituents. Current parents, alumni, past parents and friends have all expressed an interest in hearing more about our school, more often. It is meant to be one element among a number of activities designed to keep you better informed about the School, the Monastery and our community.

Spring sports are off to a great start!  The Girls Varsity Lacrosse team has had victories over strong teams such as Falmouth, Concord, and well-respected rivals Wheeler School and Moses Brown. The Boys Varsity Lacrosse team has had similar successes by defeating St. Thomas More and Hyde School. In addition, they played an excellent and physical game against Phillips Exeter Academy. Track and Field has had many athletes break school records in the first half of the season. Raoul Oloa, Form IV, moved to #6 in school history in the 200 and # 7 in the high jump. Ashley Hall, Form VI, tied the school record in the high jump and Third Former, Maggie McCarthy, became the 4th fastest 800 meter runner in school history. The varsity sailing team will be traveling to Seattle, Washington on May 14-15 for the National Championships for 420 dinghy sailing.
    Good luck teams for the remainder of the season! Click here to view the schedule on the school website.

The 2005 Haney Fellowship recipients have been selected by Bill Haney III '80 and his mother, Irene Haney, who were on campus to interview the finalists. This year's recipients are Fifth Formers Lauren Curren who will be attending "Theater in Britain" at Oxford University, Camilla Dorment who will be building homes in Costs Rica, Zach McCune who will participate in journalism programs at Penn State and Columbia, and Amanda Roderick who will attend the National Youth Leadership Conference on Medicine.
     Bill Haney created the fellowship in 1998 to honor his parents, Irene and William Haney Jr. who was at Portsmouth Abbey from 1968 to 1991 as a chemistry teacher, houseparent and golf coach. Irene and Bill Haney III read applications from Fifth Form students and choose the fellowship participants each year thus providing them with a unique educational experience during the summer before the Sixth Form year.

Equestrian Scholarship Program: 
A memorial fund has been established by the brothers of Thomas Kearney, Class of 1945,  to provide equestrian scholarships for students at Portsmouth. Throughout his life, Tom was a dedicated horse enthusiast who operated a farm in New Hampshire for racing and exhibiting. The purpose of the scholarships is to encourage an interest in horseback riding and the care of horses in those who have not previously had the opportunity to participate in this activity or those who have had some experience but would like to deepen their knowledge of horses. This year partial awards were given to Emily Hugo '08 and Liz Papi '08. This has enabled them to pursue riding in place of the spring sports program at the Carnegie Riding Center adjacent to the School and supervised by Ms. Julie Antis, who has directed the Center for four years and has been involved with riding for 24 years.
 
Ryana Barbosa wins the Aquidneck World Affairs Essay Contest
Writing on this year's topic "security," Ryana Barbosa '07 won first place in the Aquidneck World Affairs Essay Contest  sponsored by The Pell Center for International Relations, the Aquidneck Collaborative for Education and Salve Regina University's Connect to College Program. The results were announced at the annual symposium on April 25, 2005. Other finalists were Eli Leino '06, and Courtney Mitchell '06. Read Ryana's winning essay here on the website.

Saint Elizabeth Seton Lecture: On April 12, Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams spoke to the school on the subject of Abraham Lincoln, of whom he has written the book Judging Lincoln. He talked of his own interest in Lincoln as a young schoolboy in Cranston which influenced his decision by the age of 13 to become a lawyer, and he recounted stories of Lincoln's boyhood and career. He discussed the strength of the President's character and how it enabled him to handle the issues and crisis facing the United States at that pivotal time, creating a justly deserved legacy of greatness and courage. Justice Williams spoke for 45 minutes, and then answered students' questions, met with some faculty and then sat in on a history class during his visit. For photos, click here.

Dom Luke Childs Lecture III: Architect Sam White '64 delivered the third Dom Luke Childs lecture to the School community on April 22nd, entitled "The Context of the Architect". Sam, who has been engaged in architecture in New York City since 1978, talked about his interest in "changing buildings without really changing them" and emphasized the importance of understanding the context of a site while considering design. Click here for photos and here to read more about his presentation. 

Published Faculty:  Fred Zilian, History Department Head, has recently published a chapter in each of two volumes of The United States and Germany in the Era of the Cold War, A Handbook. The books were jointly published by the German Historical Institute and Cambridge University Press. Volume I covers the period 1945-1968, and Volume II examines the subsequent years up to the unification of Germany in 1990.
     Dr. Zilian is one of many contributors to this extensive study that addresses five major dimensions of the U.S.-German relationship: Politics, Security, Economics, Culture, and Society. Dr. Zilian's chapters appear in the "Security" section and are entitled, "The Shifting Military Balance in Central Europe." These volumes were first published in German in 2001 by Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt and entitled Die USA and Deutschland im Zeitalter des Kalten Krieges, Ein Handbuch.

Winning Lacrosse for Girls written by English teacher and coach Becky Swissler has been included in the 76th Annual Books for the Teen Age compiled by the New York Public Library. This list of approximately 400 books selects the best of the previous year's publishing for teenagers, 12 to 18 years old. All the titles chosen have been read and reviewed by young adult librarians and recommended for this special publication. Books for the Teen Age titles are on display throughout the year at the Nathan Straus Teen Central space at the Donnell Library Center at 20 West 53rd Street, NY, NY.
     A copy of this list is available at the Portsmouth Abbey library. 

New Director Appointments
Science teacher and outgoing Summer School Director, Robert Sahms has been appointed Dean of Studies while Michael Bonin will take over as Director of Summer School. 
     The official start date for the Director of Studies position is July 1, but the transition has already begun. Duties include monitoring of student progress, helping to orient new faculty, and coordinating anything curricular and academic in the classroom. Learning takes place at many levels at the Abbey like the playing field, the dorm, and the church, to name a few.  One of Robert's goals is to unify those places of learning so they are not separate entities unto themselves. His job will be to continue the fine work that Bo Smith and Dan McDonough have done in the Academic Office. Robert's goals that are directly concerned with learning in the classroom are to center the Abbey education on the students and to emphasize learning by doing.
    Michael Bonin will continue as Englidh Department Head and, in the Fall, will assume the duties of promoting, enrolling and directing the ever-expanding summer program.

A Closer Look was a big hit with accepted prospective boarding students on April 1. The admissions office hosted more than 60 students with their parents at Portsmouth to get a second look at our School.
     After a Headmaster's Reception in the Winter Garden, the families joined the School community for a Murder Mystery Dinner in the Stillman Dining Hall, a festive and exciting performance that was enjoyed by all. The prospective students stayed in the dorms that night and got a taste of Tuck Time at the Student Center.
     The following morning included breakfast, a Concelebrated Mass, and Saturday classes. Father Luke Travers '75, O.S.B., Headmaster at Delbarton School in New Jersey discussed Benedictine education in a keynote speech to the parents followed by several question and answer sessions with faculty and students providing lively dialogue about all aspects of school life.
John White '80, Cara Gontarz '99 and Christopher Block '96 hosted an alumni panel in the Auditorium. A formal sit-down lunch in the dining hall was followed by a student panel represented by Ronan Babbitt '05, Paul Willis '06, Zachary McCune '06, Tyler Harvey '05, Adaobi Ibida '07, Lexi Gralton '05, and Camilla Dorment '06. With closing remarks by Mr. Tony Klemmer '73, the prospective students and parents were invited to attend athletic games and practices in the afternoon.
     This fall, we hope to see all of these faces as new students next September. Click here to see the photos.

With thanks to Courtney Mitchell '06, here's a report from the National Young Leadership Conference:
"During spring vacation I had the opportunity to attend the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in Washington D.C. along with nearly 400 other students from all 50 states. Over a week we participated in a model executive branch in which we dealt with a national crisis, a model Supreme Court, and a model Congress. In between these activities we were able to visit the sites of D.C., socialize with other students, attend a leadership workshop, and meet our Senators and Representatives or their staff. This was an experience I will never forget. NYLC teaches its students not only about the structure and function of the United States government but instills them with confidence and knowledge of their roles as citizens."

The Saint Thomas More Library at Portsmouth Abbey School library has just finished cataloging a donation from the Tierney family of Phoenix, Arizona (alumnus Michael Tierney, class of '84). Within the collection are works on the Jewish, Episcopalian, Methodist and Catholic bishops' responses to the potential of nuclear war, various treaty agreements, biographies of national leaders during periods of war, military budgets and atlases, pamphlets from the Asia Society on communism, capitalism, a divided Korea, etc. About 25 titles in the collection are not found in area colleges and universities libraries. For more information, please contact Mrs. Stevens in the library.

During March Break, the following students traveled to West Virginia to participate in the annual Appalachia Service trip: Nicole Beletsky '06, Liz Bergman '05, Isabel Burnham '06, Ali Chaplin '06, Laura Curren '06, Kate Dennis '05, Allie DeSisto '05, Camilla Dorment '06, Julie Dufrense '06, Jared Elliot '05, Elena Fedysyn '05, Rosie Fulton '05, Keith Hoffmann '05, Rachel Johnstone '06, Alex Leonard '06, Tom Lessard '06, Meg Macdonald '06, Ali Morgera '06, Caitlin Nicholson '05, Natalie Sharp '06, Carolynn Taddei '06, Adam Towler '05, and Rachel Wigton '05.
      Accompanying them were chaperones Clarence Chenowith, Dean of Students; Kelly Christopher, Asst. Dir of Athletics; Jennifer Klemmer P'04, '06 & '08; Marc Lavallee, Humanities teacher; John Platt, Math teacher; Kathryn Smith, English teacher; and Bruce Wigton P'05. During the week, the students rebuilt houses and retaining walls for residents of the impoverished area.

Win tickets to see U2 at the Fleet Center!  The Portsmouth Abbey School Parents' Committee is raffling four tickets to see U2, preceded by dinner for four at Radius, on May 24th.  Tickets are $25/ea or 5 for $100.  The drawing will take place on Monday May 9th at 8:15 a.m., you need not be present to win.  To purchase tickets please call 401.683.2007 or mail a check, payable to Portsmouth Abbey School, to the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, 285 Cory's Lane, Portsmouth, RI 02871, be sure to include your name and address with your check so that we can send you the tickets stubs.  All proceeds will be used to make improvements to the common areas in every dorm.

The Office of Development & Alumni Affairs recently returned from trips to Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. In Baltimore Jim and Deb De Vecchi, along with Nancy Brzys, joined alumni, parents, and friends to watch the Red Sox take on the Orioles. The Red Sox responded well to the overwhelming fan support in the stadium and won 8-0. In Washington, D.C. Adam Carter '83 hosted Portsmouth Abbey School faithful at the Metropolitan Club. The group at this event spanned many Portsmouth decades from some of the youngest alumni still in college to those made wise by years of living to current and past parents to long time friends of the School. Adam's introduction of Nancy Brzys, Assistant Headmaster for Student Life, was one of the highlights of the evening as he recalled for the group the elation with which Nancy was greeted on an all boys campus in 1981. Clearly, her ability to impress and connect with students was as strong then as it is now. To see pictures from these and other events, click here.  

The Portsmouth Abbey School is currently 8 weeks and $150,000 away from reaching its first ever $1,000,000 Annual Fund goal!  If you have not yet made your donation to the 2004-2005 Annual Fund, please consider doing so today!  Visit www.portsmouthabbey.org/makeagift or contact Polly Carter at pcarter@portsmouthabbey.org or 401.643.1204 to make your gift.

   
Upcoming Events: Please join us as Portsmouth Abbey School comes to your area.  To see photos from past events please visit the online photo galleries.
 
The Rhode Island Reception will be held on May 19th in the Winter Garden at Portsmouth Abbey School from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The Princeton Reception, hosted by John and Kimberlee Phelan, will be held on June 9th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For more information, or to RSVP, to any Portsmouth Abbey School event please contact Sarah McDonough at 401.643.1276 or rsvp@portsmouthabbey.org. We hope to see you soon!

Haney Fellowship Winners in the Past: Did you, or someone you know, receive a Haney Fellowship?  If so please contact us at communications@portsmouthabbey.org.  


Answer to the March Musings Question: How many countries are presently represented by our student body and faculty? There are 19. Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Cameroon, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Republic of Korea, Liberia, Mexico, Portugal, Scotland, Spain (and Basque Country), United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe.


The April Question of the Month:  In which year was the windmill that is now at Prescott Farm moved there from its previous location on the Portsmouth Abbey School campus?  Please email answers to communications@portsmouthabbey.org.


We welcome you questions, comments, and suggestions!