Monthly Musings
REVERENCE FOR GOD AND THE HUMAN PERSON
RESPECT FOR LEARNING AND ORDER
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SHARED EXPERIENCE OF COMMUNITY LIFE
This is part of 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.
Opening of School: The opening of the 2007-8 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. For the full story, and photos, of the Opening of School, visit our Web site.
Jonathan Hughes '08, Commended Students Recognized by National Merit� Scholarship Program: Jonathan Hughes '08 has been named a Semifinalist in the 53rd annual National Merit� Scholarship Program. Hughes is one of 16,000 Semifinalists chosen from an original group of more than 1.4 million juniors from nearly 21,000 high schools who entered the prestigious competition. The names of the Semifinalists were recently announced in Evanston, Ill., by officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Click here for the full story.
Abbey Students Named AP Scholars: The College Board has awarded AP Scholar distinctions to 36 Portsmouth Abbey students in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Examinations. More than 1.6 million high school students in more than 16,000 secondary schools worldwide took AP Exams in May 2007. Every September, the College Board recognizes the high school students who have distinguished themselves academically on the AP exams. There are several types of awards, granted for various levels of achievement. To see a complete list of all Abbey AP Scholars, click here.
Seventh Annual Golf Tournament:
The Seventh Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, held at Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth on Friday, September 28, went off without a hitch, thanks to help from Mother Nature and a terrific group of Abbey alumni and friends who came out to hit the links and support the School. To read a full summary of the Golf Tournament, and photos, click here.
Fall Term Community Service Off to Strong Start: The Portsmouth internship program in Christian Community Service has begun this fall with 21 Abbey students volunteering in the community each afternoon. These students collectively provide more than 160 hours of service each week to agencies ranging from child care to work with the elderly, to environmental issues and animal care. In addition, a number of Abbey students have initiated service partnerships and volunteer groups for worthwhile causes such as human rights and education. For details of this trimester's fall community service projects and the Abbey students involved in them, visit our Community Service page.
Athletics - Fall Early Season Report: The Ravens have gotten off to a strong start in fall athletics, led by the Varsity Field Hockey team, which has posted a 4-1 record to date. Following are selected reports from coaches. For a full listing of upcoming games, results, rosters and game highlights, please visit the Athletics page on our Web site.
Field Hockey -- Varsity Field Hockey is 4-1 overall, and in the EIL. The Ravens defeated Beaver Country Day (8-1), Lexington Christian (2-0), Newton Country Day (2-1), and Concord Academy (3-1). We lost to Pingree (4-0). The team has been led by the quick speed of Sixth Form Co-Captain Steph Perez in the midfield and the sharp reflexes of Sixth Form Co-Captain Naseemah Mohamed in the goal. For more of the field hockey report, click here.
Girls' Soccer -- The Portsmouth Abbey Girls' Soccer team traveled to Beaver Country Day in Newton, MA, for its first EIL game of the season. Led by Sixth Form captains Maggie McCarthy, KK Behan, and Liz Childs, the Abbey girls managed a 10-0 win. Olivia Simone '09 and Brigid Behan '11 each had two goals, while KK Behan '08, Riley Grant '09, Molly O'Neil '08, Katie Collins '08, Katie Sgarro '11, and Tori Sgarro '11 each had one goal. It was a promising opening in which the girls executed a well-balanced attack, played aggressive defense, and were helped by goalie Liz Child's '08 four saves. For more of the Girls' Soccer report, click here.
Boys' Golf -- The Boys' Varsity Golf team began the season by defeating The Landmark School, 4-2. Winning matches for the Abbey were Captain Kyle Sargis '08, low medalist, Teddy Hackett '08, Ben Fernandez '08 and Kevin Wooters '09. The team then lost in a tie-breaker to Bancroft. Winning matches for the Abbey were Kyle Sargis, Ben Fernandez and Kevin Wooters. The team went on to defeat Concord Academy, 4-2, with Kyle Sargis leading the team by shooting a 34. Also winning matches for the Abbey were Kevin Wooters, Rob LeMeur '09 and Rob Savoie '10. The team's record now stands at 4-1.
Boys' Soccer -- The Abbey boys' varsity soccer team began its season by playing a well-fought match against a talented and attack-oriented Lexington Christian team. After a challenging first half, where both teams saw some good scoring opportunities, the Abbey fought strong in defense and held LC to a scoreless tie. Jorge Ibarra '09 played a good game in goal and came up with some fantastic saves while Martin Minondo '09 helped lead the attack for the Abbey. For more of the Boys' Soccer report, click here.
Parents and Spectators: If you are taking photographs at athletic contests of your Abbey student-athlete or others, we would welcome receiving them to post in a photo gallery we are developing for the School Web site. Please email your photos to asanders@portsmouthabbey.org.
Abbot Matthew Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Monastic Profession: Abbot Caedmon, the Portsmouth Abbey Monastic Community, School faculty, family and friends gathered on Sunday, September 16, for a Jubilee Mass to celebrate the 50th anniversary of monastic profession of The Right Reverend Dom Matthew Stark. A festive luncheon, beautifully prepared and served by the Dining Hall staff, followed the Jubilee Mass. Dom Matthew was 20 years old when he made his profession of monastic vows in 1957. He was elected the first Abbot of the Portsmouth Monastic Community in 1967 and served until 1991. Congratulations and best wishes to Abbot Matthew! Visit our Web site for photos of the luncheon.
Reunion 2007:
Come one, come all, to Reunion '07, October 12 -14! For all alumni in classes ending in a '2 or '7, we have prepared the campus for a fabulous weekend of events. Highlights include: Friday night Class Dinners...An insider's tour of the Portsmouth Abbey wind turbine..."Back-to-School" with Dom Damian...The State of Portsmouth Abbey School...an Alumni Panel Discussion, "Individual Choices in a Time of Challenge"..."The Abbey and the Person in the 21st Century," with Cliff Hobbins...The Diman Club Luncheon...a St. Brigid's "Green Features" tour...Kids' Carnival...Newport Touring Train coastal tour ...Cocktails and Reunion Dinner with live music....an more. Don't miss a minute; please register on our Web site if you have not yet done so. We are looking forward to your return!
2007 Pilgrimage to Lourdes, by Austin Lannon '10 and Frank Pagliaro '10: This summer, two Abbey students were among a group led by Dom Joseph Byron on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, an annual trip Brother Joseph has conducted for 17 years under the auspices of the Knights of Malta and at the initiative of Mrs. Hope Carter, mother of Charles E. '82 and George E. Carter '85. Following is the first-hand account of this special, transformative experience by Austin Lannon '10, along with additional comments from Frank Pagliaro '10.
"Lourdes is a beautiful town in the Pyrenean foothills. Besides the breathtaking landscape, why do people flock there? Why does this town attract so many people of the Christian faith year after year? What happened in this village that would cause over five million tourists a year to visit?" Read Austin's and Frank's complete recollections of Lourdes. To see photos of this year's Lourdes pilgrimage taken by Austin, please visit our on-line photo galleries.
Fr. Julian's New Book: Dom Julian Stead has published a new book, entitled, Love-Ability: Becoming Lovable by Caring for Yourself and Others. The book, co-authored by Madeline Pecora Nugent, provides advice on how to make more and better friends and how to be a more loving and lovable friend or partner. For the full story, click here.
Vehicles Needed! If you have a small caravan-type vehicle, e.g., a minivan, etc., or a small pick-up truck that you would be willing to donate to the School for on-campus maintenance purposes, please contact Paul Jestings, Portsmouth director of operations, at pjestings@portsmouthabbey.org. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law - and will be greatly appreciated!
Admissions Update: On Monday evening, August 27, the Admissions Office sponsored a "Meet and Greet" for new students from Greater Boston communities. The gathering was hosted in Hull, Mass., by Janet and Rick Gilmartin, parents of newly enrolled Kenton, Class of 2010. Many new students and their families were greeted by current Abbey students as well as the Admissions officers they had come to know during this past year's application process. The 122 new students and families who arrived on campus in early September represents the largest group of new students ever welcomed by the Portsmouth Abbey School community. The next major upcoming event for the Admissions Office is the 2007 Open House, to be held Saturday, October 27. Please call 401-643-1248 to register.
Annual Fund Info: The 2007-8 Annual Fund is already in its third month and is off to a great start. Our past success has been in large part due to the work of our dedicated volunteers. If you would like to become more involved as a class agent or parent volunteer to help the Portsmouth Abbey School Annual Fund, please contact Polly Carter in the Office of Development at 401.643.1204, or send an email to: pcarter@portsmouthabbey.org. To learn more about the Annual Fund, click here or visit www.portsmouthabbey.org/annualfund.
Student Life Update: The first few weeks of School have been full of activities for the students to enjoy themselves with old friends, make new ones, and get into the "School Spirit" mode. From picnics, make-your-own-sundaes and great bands, to humorous videos giving "School survival tips" to new students, water balloons fights and trips to Boston, the students are off to a wonderful start! See photos of student activities.
Former Writer-In-Residence to Publish Novel: The Abbey's Writer-in-Residence for 2005-6, Diana Spechler, shares the news that the novel she was working on during her year at Portsmouth has sold to Harper Collins and will be published in the fall of 2008. Spechler says, "I wanted to let everyone at Portsmouth Abbey know because you helped to make it happen. The School will be included in my acknowledgements, too." Be sure to look for Who By Fire, due in book stores next year at this time.
Show Your School Spirit! The Raven Bookstore is open for business, with plenty of School favorites available for purchase - UnderArmour hooded sweatshirts and ladies' fleece jackets - as well as some terrific new merchandise - UnderArmour sweatpants, denim shirts, and newly reprinted copies of Dom Aelred Graham's popular book, Zen Catholicism. Make sure you (or your student) are decked out in your Abbey attire! Click here to shop online.
Upcoming Events:
Thurs., October 11 -- Abbatial Mass and Luncheon for The Right Rev. Caedmon Holmes, O.S.B.
Fri.-Sat., October 12-14 -- Reunion '07
Fri.-Sat., October 19-20 -- Parents' Weekend
Sat., October 19 -- St. Brigid's Blessing/Dedication
Sat., October 27 -- Admissions Open House
Answer to Summer Question of Month: The School's first development drive occurred during what School year and was the result of what event? A fire in the School's gymnasium on November 21, 1939, which also destroyed part of the roof of the old Carriage House, precipitated Portsmouth's first development campaign. Approximately $30,000 was raised through this inaugural effort, which funded construction of the School's first squash courts building in 1941-42.
September Question of the Month: Since the founding of Portsmouth's English Benedictine Congregation by Dom Leonard Sargent, how many monks (including Dom Leonard) have made their profession of monastic vows for Portsmouth? Please email your answers to communications@portsmouthabbey.org.
We Welcome Your Input: If you have questions, comments or ideas for Monthly Musings, please send them to the School's Communications Department at communications@portsmouthabbey.org .
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Jim De Vecchi
Headmaster |
Annual Archive
2003-04 Musings
2004-05 Musings
2005-06 Musings
2006-07 Musings
