Monthly Musings
REVERENCE FOR GOD AND THE HUMAN PERSON
RESPECT FOR LEARNING AND ORDER
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SHARED EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY LIFE
This is the fifteenth in an ongoing series of informal communications with Portsmouth Abbey School’s constituents. Current parents, alumni/ae, 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.
Reunion: Only 3 days left to register for Reunion! Reunion weekend promises to be full of friends, great food, and excellent entertainment. If you have not already registered do so now, either online, or by contacting Kimberley Little at klittle@portsmouthabbey.org or 401.643.1288. We look forward to seeing you all.
The Fifth Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament : There are only 2 1/2 weeks until the Fifth Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament. On October 14th, several foursomes will hit the links to raise money for the School’s Scholarship Fund. In addition to playing 18 of the finest holes in golf at Carnegie Abbey, players and guests will enjoy a reception and silent auction. There are still some spaces left so please sign up Online, or by contacting Kimberley Little at klittle@portsmouthabbey.org or 401.643.1288.
From The Admissions Office: The Admissions office is excited to welcome the 115 new students to campus, eighty-seven of whom will be residential. For the first time in Portsmouth Abbey history, the incoming student group is made up of more girls than boys. The incoming girls outnumber the incoming boys by five. This group also represents nine different countries including Korea, China, France, Germany, Canada, El Salvador, Italy, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Welcoming New Students and Their Parents: New students were welcomed to the Portsmouth Abbey community by prefects and faculty at a picnic held at Green Animals Topiary Gardens. While the new students enjoyed meeting and learning about each other, their parents were treated to barbeque and a welcome program in the Dining Hall. The following day provided an opportunity for all students and faculty to mingle for fun, food and music during the All-School Picnic on the lawns overlooking the bay. For photos of these, and other events go to our online Photo Galleries.
Faculty Member Heads to Japan: In November, faculty member Aroline Seibert, a member of the Modern Language Department will depart for Tokyo as a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program. Ms. Seibert was selected to receive this honor from a national pool of over 2,500 applicants by a panel of educators. This program allows 200 distinguished primary and secondary school educators in the U.S. to travel to Japan for three weeks in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations. The group will begin their visit in Tokyo with a practical orientation on Japanese life and culture and meetings with Japanese government officials and educators. They will then travel to selected host cities outside of Tokyo where they will have direct contact with Japanese teachers and students during visits to primary and secondary schools as well as a teachers’ college. For more campus news, visit the News section of the School Website.
New Faculty Introductions: Nine new members of the faculty started at Portsmouth Abbey School this month. The English Department has gained two new members, Eamonn O’Brien ’95 and Suzanne Walsh as well as new Writer-in-Residence, Diana Spechler. Eamonn is also teaching Humanities. Joining him in Humanities is Daniel Hodes. Edith Racine has joined the School community to teach Modern Languages; Elizabeth Benestad to teach Classics; and Patrick Hart to teach Mathematics. Tara O’Brien is the newest member of the Science Department, and finally, Erica Schratzmeier joins us as Assistant Director of College Counseling. Portsmouth Abbey School is excited about the arrival of the new faculty, and pleased to see them settling into their many roles in the community. For contact information for all faculty, visit the Faculty Directory on our Website.
Campus Improvements: Returning students and faculty were greeted by numerous environmental improvements, both inside and outside of the classroom. The School computer lab located in the Science Center now houses 20 new replacement computers and boasts an upgraded T3 internet connection. A dashing new ‘Red Raven’ bus can be seen cruising the newly resurfaced and finished roads. Courtyard landscaping between Stillman Dining Hall, Cortazzo Administration Building and Church of St. Gregory the Great has been completed. New aggregate walkways have been integrated into the traditional cobblestone to make for more stable footing between the buildings. In addition both the Church and Administration buildings have added ramps for wheelchair accessible entries. For photos of the latest campus construction, please go to our online Photo Galleries.
More than ninety colleges to visit Portsmouth Abbey School: The Office of College Counseling is off to a busy start as our Sixth Form students begin the college application process in earnest. More than ninety colleges have scheduled visits to Portsmouth Abbey this fall, giving our students an excellent opportunity to expand their college search. Counselors are working with students to finalize their lists, complete applications and review essays. Mr. Mike Sexton, Dean of Admissions at Lewis and Clark College, will discuss college admissions with the class in October We are pleased that Mr. Sexton agreed to share his time with our students during his very busy travel season. For a list of the visiting colleges please go to the College Counseling webpage.
Making a Difference Through Community Service: The School's community service program, directed by Dr. Blake Billings '77, with the assistance of faculty members Robert Rainwater, Erica Schratzmeier, and Colleen Sanchez, is already at work, placing student interns in the community in an array of agencies. Third Form students will also soon begin to fulfill their service requirement, with students helping at Salvation Army after school programs in Newport. The School will soon be announcing collection drives for Hurricane Katrina. To keep up with this and other news check out the News webpage.
Enhancing Residential Life: Last year, through a highly successful raffle of U2 tickets and dinner in Boston, the Parents Committee raised money for improvements to the Houses. Proceeds from the raffle were used by the Houseparents and students to purchase the following items to enhance residential life:
St. Mary's - Adirondack chairs and a new television.
St. Benet's- Adirondack chairs, a DVD/VCR and lamps
St. Bede's - 9 new sets of upholstered cushions for This End Up chairs in the front common room
St. Aelred's - large screen television
St. Hugh's - large screen television
St. Leonard's - large screen television
Manor House – plan to buy benches for entry, porch chairs and shoe cubbies.
Fall Sports are off to a great start: Preseason kicked off the beginning of the 2005-2006 sports year. With over 150 athletes attending, all returned in excellent physical shape ready to take on 3 practices a day. Members of all teams worked hard throughout the week to begin competing with rival schools. The Boys’ Varsity Soccer team will be traveling to Washington D.C. for the annual Bishop Ansgar Nelson Memorial Soccer Cup where they will compete against our brother Abbey, St. Anselm’s. This yearly match-up provides a great opportunity for our students to meet others who share the same Benedictine values and traditions as Portsmouth Abbey. Good Luck to all the teams for a successful and exciting season! For the most up-to-date Athletics news, scores and team pages, please visit the Athletics Pages on the School Website.
The Abbey Singers Stay Strong Under New Leadership: There has already been a lot of student interest in the Abbey Singers, building on the strong core of returning singers from last year's group. The Singers hope to perform on numerous occasions this year, both on and off campus. Dr. Billings ’77 has taken over leadership the group, and is looking into a concert tour to include New York City and possibly Washington D.C. The Singers can also be heard at school Masses and at the Thursday Church assembly, which will often begin with Gregorian hymns. The group is still open to new student members! To see a list of all extracurricular activities including Abbey Singers please see the Extracurricular webpage.
Dom Luke Childs Lecture Series: The first lecture of the series will take place Friday September 23rd. Instead of a single speaker there will be a panel to discuss the topic, "Sports Writing- Present and Future". The panelists will be Peter Lucas '94, a sports reporter for NBC channel 10 in Providence, Mike Szostak, veteran sports editor from the Providence Journal, and our own faculty member Becky Swissler, author of two sports books. Peter Madden '90, an on-line editor of Golf Magazine will be participating by e-mail. Questions for the panel will come from students and faculty. For more information about student events and activities please see the online School Life Calendar.
Calendar of Events: Development & Alumni Affairs, has many events to look forward to in the next few months. First and foremost is Reunion Weekend, September 23 – 25. If you have not registered, it is not too late! The Providence Reception is next in line, taking place Tuesday September 27th at the Westin Hotel. The following day, Wednesday September 28th, will be the Grosse Point, MI Dinner, hosted by Bill ’52 and Lorna Howenstein. The beginning of October offers the Annapolis Brunch, Sunday the 2nd, and The Fifth Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on Friday the 14th. Parents’ Weekend falls on the weekend of October 21st with a full agenda for Friday and Saturday. Check the Parents and Alumni Events Calendar regularly for more information on these and other upcoming events on campus and in the following cities: Philadelphia, LA, San Francisco, DC, NYC, Boston, Portland, ME and Manchester, NH. To RSVP to any Portsmouth Abbey School event please go to online Event Registration. We hope to see you soon!
Answer to the Summer Musings Question: How many Portsmouth Abbey School alumni are now on the faculty here?
Eight. Five Lay Faculty; Anthony Klemmer '73, Blake Billings '77, Patrick Burke '86, Steve Pietraszek '96, and Eamonn O'Brien '95 and three Monastic; Dom Christopher Davis, O.S.B. '48, Dom Julian Stead, O.S.B. '43 and Dom Damian Kearney, O.S.B. '45.
The September Question of the Month: Three monastic anniversaries were celebrated this month. What were they? Please email answers to communications@portsmouthabbey.org
If you have questions, comments, or ideas, please contact the Communications Department at communications@portsmouthabbey.org.
Kathy Heydt
Director of Communications |
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Nicky Piper
Asst. Director of Communications |
For all issues related to the School, please contact Tony Klemmer at tklemmer@portsmouthabbey.org or Jim De Vecchi at jdevecchi@portsmouthabbey.org at any time. We welcome the opportunity to hear from you.
Tony Klemmer '73
Assistant Headmaster
Institutional Stewardship |
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Jim De Vecchi
Headmaster |
Visit our web site at: www.portsmouthabbey.org
