Julia, St. Brigid's House
Vth Form Boarder from Cohasset, MA

Classes:  US History AP, Precalculus Honors, French 4 Honors, American Literature, Faith and Church, and Chemistry Honors

Extra-Curricular Activities:  Student Council Secretary, Red Key Society, Head of Flying Kites Club, Book Club, Debate Club, Peer Tutor, Field Hockey Manager, Squash Team, Golf Team

Favorite Movie/TV Show:  Pride and Prejudice (2005 version), I'm a hopeless romantic! But I also love action movies.

Favorite Abbey Tradition:  Prefects - the four or five VIth Form students that live in each dorm and help run the dorm with the houseparents. I think it's an honor for someone to be picked as a prefect; the houseparents select them from many applications. These girls and guys become role models for the students in the dorm and are given special privileges because of their position.

Favorite Memory at Portsmouth Abbey:  It was a conference period, winter of IVth Form year I think. I had to go see a few teachers, go to the tin box, return library books, just various errands around campus. I felt so independent doing this all on my own, and I remember being so comfortable and happy with my life. I look back on that day and I feel like it sums up how the Abbey has helped me grow up, because it shows how independent and self-sufficient I've become over the past few years.

Favorite Part of Going to a Boarding School:  The friendships I've made in the dorms. Dorm life makes you incredibly close to the people around you, and the friends I've made over the past fews years are beyond compare.

Favorite Class and Why:  Humanities with Mr. Zelden and Mrs. Micheletti. It's a fairly common response from Abbey students to say humanities, and for good reason. Humanities stretches your mind and thoughts, and makes you think in different ways. When I look back on that class, I realize that it helped me mature and grow into the person I am today. Also, I spent a lot of time with the teachers and other students that by the end of the year I considered all of them to be great friends.

Favorite Teacher and Why:  Mrs Baker. I have to say this because during my IIIrd Form year, geometry honors class was one of my favorite classes to go to because of her. We would play fun word games and puzzles almost every day, and the class was almost never boring. I remember loving going to school because of that class. And now that I do not have Mrs. Baker as a teacher, I still see her around campus, at student council, and in the dorm. She is one of the most intelligent and kind people I have ever met.

Favorite Dorm Memory:  Last year when I was in Manor House, we went to see the Lion King Off-Broadway in Providence. Most of my friends and I were already in love with the classic Disney movies, but this gave us a chance to see it in a whole new light. It was a really fun trip, and the whole dorm appreciated it a lot.

Favorite Dining Hall Meal:  Mac and Cheese is my favorite by far! The dining hall staff never fails with this one. My favorite drink has to be cranberry juice as well - when they run out it's always a sad day for me.

If you had to give advice to a new student, what would it be, and why:  Don't be nervous! The Abbey is an amazing place where everyone can find their niche. You do not need to worry about making friends or fitting in because that will just flow naturally. Classes also aren't something to stress about, you can always get extra help from teachers - they want you to do well just as much as you do!

Why I chose PAS:  I didn't apply to many schools, but the Abbey has such a great and inviting campus life that made it really stand out. I regard choosing PAS as one of the best decisions I've ever made.

PAS is:  a community. We all eat, work, sleep, and live together, all the time. Everyone knows everyone, whether they're a teacher, a faculty kid, a VIth Former or IIIrd Former. But, this isn't a bad thing at all; we all manage to grow with each other and learn from each other, making this community life really special.

Favorite Weekend Activity:  Tuck dances! About once a month or so, Social Committee has a dance in the student center, Tuck. Lots of kids show up and each dance normally has a theme. They're a highlight to many on campus, because it gives everyone a chance to let go and have a ton of fun!

Favorite thing about living on Aquidneck Island:  Custom House Coffee House is one of the best places on the island! It's so nearby the Abbey's campus and offers a really cool atmosphere for studying or hanging out with friends. The food and coffee are absolutely amazing. It's within walking distance making it a favorite hangout for Abbey students in our downtime.

Most important thing you've learned at PAS:  The importance of faith in people's lives. I've never been a religious person, but after coming to the Abbey I have a great deal of respect for Christian faith, especially towards the monastic community as well. The monks on campus are some of the most intelligent and thoughtful people I've ever met. They care so deeply about their faith that it impacts every single person on campus, which is not something you get to see everyday.

October 14, 2011

Hello again!

            We're well into October here at the Abbey, and school is in full swing. Everyone has fallen into the routine of classes, sports, and study hall. Last weekend we had our first long weekend, giving everyone some much needed rest. Most students returned home, visited another student's house, or enjoyed a very quiet weekend on campus. I'm lucky enough to live near enough that I got to go home and spend my time relaxing with my parents. All students were back to classes on Tuesday to receive our advisory, or midterm, grades. Advisory grades are important markers in Abbey life because they tell us how we're doing in all of classes, and show us what classes we need to improve in or work on before the end of the term. Although school work has been challenging and very time consuming so far this year, I'm really satisfied with how I'm doing in all of my classes, even though I have a few classes I need to work a bit harder in.

            While all of us students are going about our daily lives, there's one part of campus that constantly changes- the new boys dorm. Dr. De Vecchi announced a few weeks ago that the new dorm would be called St Martin's House, and we've already nicknamed it Marty's. I live in St Brigid's House, and I have a great view of the construction out of my window. Every week there's something new going on with it; one week there were new paths put in around the dorm, then it got sided, and now they're in the midst of putting the roof on. It's a fun process to watch, although the noise isn't always the most pleasant. Everyone's looking forward to the dorm being finished and seeing the final product, especially the boys who will get to live there next year.

            I mentioned it coming up in my last post, but a few weeks ago we had Tim Gunn come and give a lecture to the school. As an avid Project Runway fan, this was a huge deal for me. The speech he gave to us was wonderful. He focused on how being the bigger person and taking responsibility for our actions is always the right thing to do. This is something that I don't think teenagers always take into consideration, so it was definitely beneficial for us students. He also sympathized with us about how high school can be a really difficult time, but to still try to enjoy everything we're learning. I felt that this one of the best lectures I've seen while at the Abbey.

           If you have any questions about anything feel free to send an email! julia_noble@portsmouthabbey.org. More to come in November!

            -Julia Noble

September 28, 2011

            I really can't believe that it's only the third week of school - I've fallen into school routine so fast that it feels like I never left! My Vth Form year has started off great, the workload is tough, but in a great way. I've found myself using all my spare time during the week and dedicating it to my AP US History homework. Although the work is challenging and long, the class is easily one of my favorites so far. Mr Gittus, the teacher, is fantastic. Every class is exciting new material and my classmates and I are enraptured by it all. My other classes this year are moving very fast as well. In American Literature, we've already finished Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles. This might sound misleading considering the play is Greek, but it's just so we can have an introduction to tragedy. Precalculus is mostly review so far, and the same with French 4. Faith and Church is almost entirely new material, but is a really upbeat class. Chemistry threw me head first into reading and labs, which have proved to be extremely interesting and productive.

            As the varsity field hockey manager I have to attend all games, but I really enjoy them. I've played field hockey since the 6th grade, but with my workload for school, I believe I made the right decision in not playing this year. I chose to manage so that I can remain a part of a team that I had played on since my IIIrd Form year. The field hockey team has given me some of my best friendships at the Abbey, and has introduced me to people I never would have known otherwise. The field hockey team has had a great season so far, with a 3-1 record so far.

            I look back on these first few weeks and see a blur of activity. From classwork to alumni weekend and the first tuck dance, so much has already happened. I was lucky enough to take a day off a few weeks ago and spent a majority of my day at the Custom House Coffeehouse with a bunch of friends. It happened by chance that these various people were there, but nonetheless we all spent the afternoon talking about our summers and the year ahead of us. That day let me get to know a new girl, Katherine, and to hang out with friends who I had not seen yet this year. I've also taken a trip with my dorm to go apple picking in the pouring rain- which turned out to be extremely fun!

            Looking ahead to the rest of fall term, then to Thanksgiving break and winter term, I'm already getting excited for squash season and colder weather. I'm even looking forward to the end of the week when Tim Gunn, one of the hosts of Project Runway, is giving a lecture! It is sure to be extremely fun and interesting. Thinking about the rest of this year makes me excited to see where Vth Form year takes me.

Hope everyone is having a great fall so far!

Julia