The opening of the 2007-08 School year was marked with celebration and ceremony, as Portsmouth's 358 students arrived on campus amid late-summer heat and humidity to greet old friends, meet new ones, and usher in another year.
New students and their parents were welcomed on Saturday, September 8, with registration followed by barbecues and socializing. While parents dined with their student's advisors and School staff on Saturday evening in the Stillman Dining Hall (see photos), their children were getting acquainted at a cookout across the street at Green Animals.
Sunday brought more sunshine, warm weather and opportunities to reconnect. Third formers and their prefects and advisors gathered for lunch at Colt State Park in Bristol (see photos), and later the entire School met for the annual All-School Picnic, held Sunday at dusk on campus overlooking Narragansett Bay (see photos). Good food, Ultimate Frisbee and a lot of catching up were the order of the evening.
Monday morning, School officially opened with a Mass of the Holy Spirit, which the Monastery's newly elected Abbot, Dom Caedmon, explained to those in attendance was "...to celebrate the truth that God is and the truth He wishes to impart to us as we begin the work of the new School year."
Opening Assembly followed the Liturgy and, after offering congratulations to Abbot Caedmon, Dr. De Vecchi welcomed the 121 new students who are joining our 237 returning students, along with new faculty and administration. He then recognized the students who, by having the highest GPA in their respective Forms, earned "Leadership in Scholarship" distinctions for the 2006-07 year. They are:
Form III: Sara Munda
Form IV: Jina Kim
Form V: Jonathan Samorajski
Form VI: Lucas Zipp
Dr. De Vecchi also made special mention of the newest campus addition, St. Brigid's, which was completed and open in time for returning Fifth and Sixth Formers last weekend. He acknowledged the yeoman efforts of Director of Operations Paul Jestings and his team for their fine work on the new House, saying, "They have set the standard for all future construction projects at Portsmouth Abbey School." Dr. De Vecchi also noted the wonderful renovation of the Student Center that took place over the summer, thanks to the fundraising efforts of the 2006-07 Parents' Committee.
New Head Girl and Head Boy, Corrigan Van Sant '08 and Marco DiMattino '08, wrapped up Opening Assembly with a series of announcements and the usual send-off, "Have a good week!" as students headed off to their first classes. Another School year has begun!
