Monthly Musings

This is the tenth 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.

All Hail the Queen! The second program in this year's Dom Luke Child lecture series at Portsmouth Abbey School entitled, "Elizabeth I- Her Life and Times in Her Own Words," took place on Tuesday, February 24, in the Auditorium.  Actress Marilyn Murphy Meardon of Trinity and 2nd Story Theatre gave a stirring 30-minute presentation in her own words, and in costume, depicting the life of Elizabeth I in England.  Marilyn educated the audience about Queen Elizabeth's view of historical events that took place during her reign and entertained student's questions after her performance.   She has developed this entertaining program using the writings and letters of Elizabeth I to portray the monarch and her period of history, and has performed the program many times for the public with funding from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.  Pictures of this program can be viewed in the website Photo Galleries.

McDowell Mission Service Trip Another Huge Success:  24 Students, 4 faculty members and 2 Current Parents gave up their Spring Vacation to participate in the McDowell County Mission Service Trip from March 13-20.  The mission trip to Gary, West Virginia was centered on the four tenets of patience, flexibility, understanding, and focus, as students and chaperones continued the Abbey tradition of service in the impoverished Appalachian region by helping to rebuild and renovate homes.  3 student-led groups worked on projects that included roofing, building steps, emptying gutters, replacing ceiling tiles and flooring. This year's trip marked Mr. Clarence Chenoweth's 10th consecutive year administering such a service trip and would not have been possible without his leadership and direction.  This work is meaningful in many ways and Portsmouth Abbey students and faculty look forward to continuing to serve the community for years to come.  Stay tuned to the Portsmouth Abbey Photo Galleries for pictures of the trip.

Local Artists on Display: Portsmouth Abbey School played host to the Portsmouth Arts Guild's 2nd Annual Art Show from Thursday, March 18 to Sunday, March 21.  More than 50 local artists showed pieces of their art in the Winter Garden and Auditorium Foyer.  Dom Christopher '48 was a featured artist and an article about our "artist-priest" was featured in The Providence Journal.  The artwork consisted of paintings, drawings, sculptures and pottery with an eye towards fine art.  Live music by the Portsmouth Arts Guild Musicians accompanied the show from 7-8 p.m. each night.  Please visit the Portsmouth Abbey online Calendar for information on upcoming events.
 
A Capella in the Auditorium: Joe McDonough '02 and the Williams College Elizabethans performed in the auditorium on Wednesday, March 24.  The Elizabethans are a co-ed, all student a Capella group formed in 1993 at Williams College.  The group performs various kinds of music ranging from spirituals to Bach, but their specialty is the madrigal, a form that was very popular in 16th and 17th century Europe.  The program was free to the public.  Please visit the Portsmouth Abbey online Calendar for information on upcoming events.

Portsmouth Abbey at a Closer Look: On March 30th and April 2 and 3rd the Admissions Office will be hosting the annual "Closer Look" program for accepted students.  Day students will have the opportunity to sit in on a complete day of classes, listen to the Mother Seton Lecture, enjoy lunch and attend more classes!  Their parents are invited to have breakfast with the Headmaster.  On April 2nd and 3rd, boarding students will be invited for an overnight "Closer Look" experience including dinner in the dining hall, an evening program featuring hypnotist Jim Spinatto, a social hour in student center, all followed by Saturday classes.  For more information please visit the Portsmouth Abbey Admissions Website.

Winter Varsity Sports Teams Finish Strong: Abbey student-athletes experienced fabulous success this winter and show tremendous promise for next winter.  Abbey Girls' Hockey finished their season with an impressive 13-4 mark, beating KUA 2-1 and Newton Country Day 3-0, and narrowly missing postseason play.  Boys Hockey (7-12-2, 2-5 Holt Conference) completed their season with an exciting win over Roxbury Latin 5-4 in overtime, and an 11-0 thrashing of Harvey School.  Runnin' Ravens Boys Basketball (15-7, 8-4 SENE) concluded a banner year with a heartbreaking loss in the SENE semifinal game to PCD.  The last week of the regular season featured a come from behind overtime win at St. George's, in which the Ravens trailed by 18 at one point in the second half.  Abbey Squashers ended with a 4-9 mark, which included nailbiting 4-3 losses to Pomfret and Moses Brown.  The Varsity 7 also enjoyed tremendous individual success at The New England Interscholastic B Flight Championships at Loomis Chaffee to round out a much improved squash campaign.  Coed Abbey Swimming accomplished new heights by posting a 9-1 dual meet record and winning the first-ever SENE Boys Championships, and finishing second in the Girls Championships.  Congratulations to all winter sports student-athletes!  Stay tuned to the Portsmouth Abbey Athletic Website for upcoming Spring Season athletic events and a complete list of highlights.

Summer School 2004 will mark the 61st Summer School at Portsmouth Abbey.  Students entering grades 8 through 11 will find exciting enrichment and advancement classes in our five-week program as well as opportunities to make friends with students from around the world and opportunities for fun in the afternoons and on weekends.  For afternoon fun students can play soccer or basketball among other things and then go to the beach for a refreshing end to the afternoon.  There are also optional activities in the afternoon like sailing, equestrian, and squash. On the weekends, students go to the movies on Saturday nights and take an excursion on Sunday afternoons to such places as Plymouth Plantations, Six Flags, Boston, and Martha's Vineyard.  In addition to the traditionally rigorous courses, Study Skills and Public Speaking, new classes such as Intensive Drama Workshop, Geology, and Digital Photography have been added for this upcoming summer.  Ask us about our discount for children of alumni.  For more information please visit the Portsmouth Abbey Summer School Website or contact the Director of the Summer School, Robert Sahms, at summer@portsmouthabbey.org.

Volunteers Needed: Portsmouth Abbey School is seeking volunteers for Annual Fund Phonathons.  Upcoming locations include Boston on March 30, New York City on April 19 and Portsmouth in May (dates TBA).  Phonathons provide alumni with a great opportunity to catch up with old classmates and help the School at the same time.  Please contact Susan Raleigh in the Alumni Office at 401-683-2007 or sraleigh@portsmouthabbey.org for more information on these events.

Abbey Singers to Perform in Boston:  The Portsmouth Abbey Singers have been invited to perform for the National Catholic Educators' Conference in Boston on April 14, 2004.  The NCEA is the largest organization for Catholic Educators and the convention attracts participants from across the United States.  The Portsmouth Abbey Singers will give a short concert on Wednesday April 14, 2004 at 12:50 PM in the Hynes Convention Center.  At 5 PM they will participate in the closing Liturgy with other high school students from Catholic High Schools in the area.  Portsmouth Abbey School also proudly presents its Community Spring Concert on Saturday May 1, 2004 at 7:30 PM in the school auditorium.  The Pro Deo Ensemble, the Abbey Singers and guest soloists will perform Schubert's Mass in G, Madrigals, anthems, multi-cultural songs and popular tunes at this annual event.  The concert is open to the general public.  Mark your calendars now: April 14, 2004 at 12:50 PM.  For more information please call Gael Berberick at 401-683-2000 x294.

It’s Almost Done, So Come On In... Portsmouth Abbey's new Squash & Fitness Center. With your help we are making a racquet (court) and raising the bar (free weights and cybex).  Support from alumni, parents, and friends continues to be important.  Prominent naming opportunities remain in the Dom Bede Gorman Squash Center and throughout the building.  A meaningful way to:
        -     Honor a loved one or a family name.
        -     Recognize the impact of a coach or teammate.
        -     Support the School’s major need.
        -     Impact the experience of today's Portsmouth students.

Please pick-up the ball (squash) and put your support behind the Ravens! Contact Tony Klemmer '73 (401-683-2000 x211) or Patrick Burke '86 (401-683-2000 x291) to discuss your options or arrange a visit.

CLICK HERE to see photos of the building's progress or click on the following link to learn more about the facilities and FIRST EVER Portsmouth Abbey Squash Camp.

Answer to February's Did You Know: "Do you know who the longest tenured lay faculty member is in the history of the school?"  Erich Taylor at 42 years followed by James Garman and Norman Marcoux at 39 years.

March's Did You Know...  Roughly how many books exist that have been written by Alumni Authors?  For a hint, visit the St. Thomas More Library page of our website to view a list of Alumni Authors.  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

Jim De Vecchi Headmaster

Visit our web site at: www.portsmouthabbey.org