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 ninth 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.
Portsmouth Abbey Attends Ivy League Model UN: Twelve Abbey students, led by head delegate Chris Fleming'04, attended the Ivy League Model United Nations at the University of Pennsylvania, who sponsored the conference. The Abbey delegation represented the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and also included Katie Guida'04, Lawrence Slocum'04, Stephen Hess'05, Paul Petronello'04, Elena Fedyszyn'05, Keith Hoffmann'05, Josh Parks'05, Caitlin Nicholson'05, Bridget Royer'05, Adam Towler'05, and Susan Willis'05. With Dr. Fred Zilian as advisor and chief political ideologue, the delegates prepared for eight weeks by giving practice speeches, learning about North Korea, and researching the issues before their respective committees. At the conference committee sessions were run according to parliamentary procedure, the students addressed such issues as land mines, Israeli settlements, the inspection of nuclear materials, debt relief, and state-sponsored terrorism.
A Code Talker Visits. Dom Philip’s first cousin, Lanie Gorman, who describes herself as half Navaho Indian, half Rhode Island/European, visited campus two weeks ago. She travels the country to speak about her father who was the oldest Navaho Code Talker during World War II. She spoke at Johnson & Wales in Providence and here at Portsmouth Abbey.
International Student Dinner Spices Things Up: On February 5, the international students decorated the Stillman Dining Hall, turned up the Latin American music, and cooked up many tasty dishes as the school celebrated its cultural diversity with its annual International Food Night. Having brought their recipes from home, some twenty-five students rolled up their sleeves and reported to the kitchen to prepare their dishes. The menu included Yakisoba Noodles (Japan), Japanese Chicken, Fire Engine (Corned Beef) (Bahamas), Hot Cross Buns (Bermuda), Rice with Plantain and Sausage (Colombia), Beef Stew (France), Turkey Breast in Mushroom Sauce (Germany), Wiener Schnitzel (Germany), Seaweed Soup (Korea), Riceballs (Korea), Korean Vegetable Rolls, and Fish & Chips (Great Britain). The cooks from the Dining Hall staff supplemented these dishes with other international culinary delights. Having fully satisfied themselves with the remarkable array of foods, many did not save room for the fantastic desserts, including Black Forest Cake and Baklava. Thanks again to the many students and faculty who participated and Fred Zilian for once again organizing such a wonderful evening.
The Raven Reappears! Through the work of our Communications Office, namely Kathy Heydt, and the input of countless students, faculty, alumni, and friends, we have reintroduced the Portsmouth Abbey community to the Raven, our able winged mascot. The calligraphic word ‘Raven’ is tribute to Father Bede, whose hand painted ravens still frame our basketball courts, hockey rink and Student Center walls. Click here to visit catch a glimps of the NEW RAVEN!
Portsmouth Abbey Students Compete in Shakespeare Competition: Last month, 15 students participated in the Portsmouth Abbey Shakespeare Competition. Ms. April Peters, Mrs. Laureen Bonin, Dr. Michael Bonin, Brother Joseph, and Mr. Jay Bragan judged the competition and chose a winner and first place runner-up. All of the students displayed great courage and skill in their performances, which made the judging very difficult. In the end, Stuart Wood‘04 took first place and Joseph J. Miranda‘06 was named runner-up. Next stop was the Rhode Island Shakespeare Competition. According to the Union's guidelines, contestants must be permanent residents of the United States, therefore Stuart Wood was unfortunately unable to compete, however Joseph Miranda (J.J.) did a wonderful job representing the Abbey in Providence on February 8th. He delighted the audience and was recognized with an honorable mention by the judges. The following morning, J.J. performed for the entire school and was received with much enthusiasm at Morning Assembly. Congratulations to all who participated!
12th Annual Winter Garden Boat Contest: The 12th Annual Winter Garden Boat Contest took place in the Winter Garden on Monday February 8th. The goal of the annual competition is to create a boat that will push a small floating ball from one side of the Winter Garden fountain to the opposite side, while at the same time an opponent's boat is trying to move the ball in the opposite direction. This year's competitors were: Jesahel Cantarell-Cachoa'06, Anthony Crowley'06, Patrick Meehan'07, Grady McCune'07, and Max Klietmann'07. There were four boats in total. Max and Grady shared the work on one boat, which ended up victorious. Their battery-powered boat was even able to push back Mr. Rainwater's water balloon powered boat in an unofficial contest after the main event. Jesahel Cantarell-Cachoa had the second most successful boat. Brian D'Urso'94 and Mr. Rainwater conceived of the Boat Contest after observing engineering design competitions at MIT and Boston University. Click here to see photos from the Winter Garden Boat Contest.
Portsmouth Abbey School in March issue of OPRAH magazine! You will not likely guess which member of our community was mentioned on page 244 of the March issue of OPRAH. Check it out.
Portsmouth Abbey School Celebrates Black History Month: On February 12th, Portsmouth Abbey School celebrated Black History Month with a spirited presentation of Night Voices; A Night Experience of Poetry and Music. Keyboardist, Paul Bisch and bass guitarist, Mibbit Threats provided accompaniment as Dr. Blake Billings and Mr. Ricardo Pitts-Wiley, father of Jonathan Pitts-Wiley ’02, led students in a stirring and inspirational performance, which combined poetry, spoken word, music and dance. Ms. Ann Pitts opened the performance with a moving rendition of a slave hymn Out of the Wilderness, followed by group and individual student performances that took the audience on an introspective journey through the night. Jonathan Pitts-Wiley’02 began the Black History Month celebration at Portsmouth Abbey School in the winter of 2000 and his parents, Ricardo and Bernadette, have since continued their son’s tradition. Click here for a complete list of student performers.
Diman Scholarship Candidates Visit Portsmouth Abbey School: On Saturday, February 14th, Diman Scholarship candidates and their families visited campus. The prospective students were interviewed by the Diman Committee, which includes Ms. Nancy Brzys, Dom Damian Kearney, Mr. Peter O’Connor and Dr. James De Vecchi. The candidates and their families sat in on Saturday classes and were treated to tours of the campus, followed by lunch with the Admissions Office staff. The Admissions Office is currently busy reading a record number of prospective student applications and will send a final notification letters to all admitted students on March 10th. To read more about the Diman Scholarship please visit the Admissions section of our website.
LYBUNT'S Repent!!! A LYBUNT is someone who gave to the Annual Fund "last year, but unfortunately not this year." This group consists of 338 people who gave a total of $253,000 last year. We hope that all of our alumni, parents and friends will help us keep Portsmouth thriving by contributing every year. Have you made your Annual Fund contribution? Want to do it online? CLICK HERE! It’s easy and secure.
Winter Sports Teams Continue their Success: The Boys' Varsity Basketball team continues to play well and is now 15-6 overall with the SENE playoffs starting on Friday the 27th at Portsmouth. Since the last update the Ravens have gone 10-4, including a great Friday night win against St. Thomas More, which drew a huge crowd. The one-two punch of AJ Beaulieu'05 and Joe Weaver'04 continues to lead the Raven's scoring attack while Joe Awantang'05 and Jerome Igle'04 lead the defense. The Ravens are second in the SENE at 8-4 are ranked 13th in Class "C" of the New England Prep School Athletic Council. The Ravens Varsity Swimming Team is still swimming strong with wins over Canterbury, Moses Brown, Williams, Sacred Heart, St. George's, and most recently, Thayer Academy, and New Bedford YMCA. The Abbey Girls' Varsity Hockey recently had their unbeaten streak snapped at Groton and currently stands at an impressive 13-2 mark on the season. Abbey Varsity Squash has enjoyed newfound success this winter and currently holds a much-improved record of 4-6. The team will travel to the 51st Annual New England Interscholastic Squash Championships from February 27-29 to be held at Loomis Chaffee and Trinity College in Connecticut. Check out Portsmouth Abbey Athletics online for current athletic results, highlights, and upcoming events.
Answer to December and January Musings: Who were the first three Portsmouth Abbey alumni to return to the abbey and become monks? Dom Aelred (Barney) Wall '35, Dom Leo (Tommy) van Winkle '39, and Dom Julian Stead '43, who still graces us with his presence.
February's Did You Know... Who was the longest tenured lay faculty member in the history of the school? (Who worked here the longest?) Please email answers to communications@portsmouthabbey.org
If you have questions, comments, or ideas, please contact Tony Klemmer tklemmer@portsmouthabbey.org or Jim De Vecchi jdevecchi@portsmouthabbey.org. We welcome the opportunity to communicate with you.
Tony Klemmer '73
Assistant Headmaster
Institutional Stewardship |
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Jim De Vecchi
Headmaster |
Visit our web site at: www.portsmouthabbey.org
