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 eleventh 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.
Daniel McDonough, Dean of Academics, Announces Dean's List for the Winter Term: The 23 Third Form, 21 Fourth Form, 26 Fifth Form and 29 Sixth Form students were named to the Dean's List for the Winter 2004 Term. To qualify for Dean's List, a student must be taking at least six courses, have a GPA of 3.5 and no grade under B in regular courses or under B- in Honors/AP courses. See the complete list of Dean's List and Honor Roll in the News Archives of the Portsmouth Abbey School Website.
Pulitzer Prize Winning Author and Professor, Gordon S. Wood Delivers 2003-2004 Saint Elizabeth Seton Lecture: Pulitzer Prize winning author and Brown University History Professor, Gordon S. Wood delivered the annual Saint Elizabeth Seton Lecture on Tuesday, March 30th. Professor Wood charismatically enlightened the audience on the topic of "The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin," by describing Franklin's role in both the American and French Revolutions and followed his lecture by speaking to history students in their classes and dining with students and faculty in the Linen Fold Room. Wood also described Franklin as "the most American Patriot, who was sometimes not considered an American at all," and went on to characterize him as the "first true American entrepreneur." Historians credit Gordon S. Wood for transforming the way in which academia view and detail American History by presenting various comprehensive personal accounts of important figures from many unique perspectives. Professor Wood has authored 3 books on American History including The Radicalism of the American Revolution: How a Revolution Transformed a Monarchial Society into a Democratic One Unlike Any That Ever Existed (1992), for which he garnered the Pulitzer Prize, and most recently, The American Revolution: A History (2002). This annual lecture is supported by the Saint Elizabeth Seton Lecture Fund, which was established by Seton J. Shanley'57 in 1976.
Future Problem Solvers Unite! Sixth Formers Charles Baum, Jason Bazarsky and Eamon McGlynn have been invited to compete in the Future Problem Solvers State Bowl. All 3 students, along with Brandi Mataronas '04, who competed as an individual and earned the top rank in the state, qualified for the State Bowl by answering the Artificial Intelligence problem. Future Problem Solving is an activity in which students are presented with a scenario set several decades in the future, which they analyze for potential challenges, choose one key problem, and develop a variety of solutions to their chosen problem. The topic at the State Bowl will be "Media Impact" and the winner will go on to represent Rhode Island at the International Conference in Lexington, Kentucky in June, where the topic will be "Immigration." Portsmouth Abbey has represented Rhode Island at the International Conference four times in the past 15 years. Good Luck to all our competitors!
World Religions Class Visits Providence Zen Center: For its third field trip of the year, Dr. Blake Billing's World Religions class visited the Providence Zen Center. Turning its focus to the eastern religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the class explored some of the teachings of Buddhism and read selections from Thomas Merton's The Way of Chuang Tzu, as well as Zen Catholicism from our own Dom Aelred Graham (Prior of our monastery from 1951 to 1967). The students experienced firsthand the meditative ways of the Korean Zen community located in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The monastery's ornate altars, paintings and Buddhas provided the backdrop for discussion of Buddhist imagery and teachings. The students were then given the opportunity to learn Zen meditative techniques directly, practicing meditation in the Center's large Dharma room. The Ethics and World Religions course is one of the Sixth Form elective choices in Christian Doctrine.
Students Write the American Mathematics Competition Exam: In February 60 math students wrote the national American Mathematics Competition (AMC) exam. Portsmouth Abbey's winner of the AMC-10 was James Conor Collins '06, and the winner of the AMC-12 was Andy Valenzeula '04. Andy, Min Kwon Wang '05, Jessica Lee '04, and Daniel Lee '05 qualified to write the next round, the American Invitational Math Exam (AIME), which they took on April 6. This is a very difficult three-hour exam taken by the top 12,000 national scorers on the AMC exam. There are 15 questions and the "school record" is 7 correct, set by Kent Rudasill '86. The national average on this year's exam was 2 correct and Min Kwon Wang should be congratulated for his score of 5 correct on this very challenging exam!
Winter Sports Programs Announce Awards: Ravens athletic teams closed the door on one of the most successful seasons in recent history. The Dom Bede Gorman Memorial Boys Basketball Award went to AJ Beaulieu'05, the Most Improved Player was Joe Awantang'04, and the captains-elect are Andy Coombs'05, Garrett Thompson'05 and AJ Beaulieu'05. The Pfeffer Cup for Girls Basketball went to Kim Taylor'04, the Most Improved Player was Sade Solola'06 and the captains-elect are Allie DeSisto'05, Tyler Harvey'05 and Lindsey Horn'05. The Andrew M. Hunt and Carol Meehan Hunt Boys Hockey Award was given to Mike Queno'04, the Most Improved Player was Charles Baum'04 and the captains-elect are Chris McCarthy'05, Bennett Albertson'05 and Nick Texiera'05. The Girls Hockey Award went to Amanda McDonnell'05, the Most Improved Player was Emma Greenman'05, and the captains-elect are Amanda McDonnell, Emma Greenman and Kelley McShane'05. The Carlos Xavier Araujo'96 Memorial Squash Award was given to Jason Bazarsky'04. The Most Improved Player award was split by Stuart Wood'04 and Bill Schappert'04, and the captain-elect is Keith Hoffman'05. Finally, the Swimming Coaches Trophy went to Mike Reilly'07 and Bridget Royer'05, the Most Improved Swimmers were Leo Wasmer'05 and Rebecca Findlay'06, and the captains-elect are Bridget Royer'05 and Steve Hess'05. Congratulations to all of the 2003-2004 winter award recipients!
Spring Sports Teams Off to a Strong Start: Both Boys and Girls Track and Field (4-0, 1-0 SENE) teams are off to impressive starts with wins over Hyde, Rivers, Cheshire and Worcester. After a convincing win in their first meet against North Kingstown High School, Abbey Sailing (1-4-1) placed second at the qualifiers for the Fleet Race New England Championship where they placed eighth in New England with a fourth place finish in B division. Abbey Softball (0-2) will look to avenge its early season loses to Worcester Academy and Pomfret as league play begins. Varsity Baseball team (5-0) is off to a great start, defeating Moses Brown, Vermont Academy, Pomfret, New England Christian Academy and Marianapolis, in which Pat Tobin'05 recorded 17 of 21 out by strike out. Girls' Lacrosse (2-1, 1-0 SENE) won a big game at home over Falmouth Academy and will begin league play next week. For a complete update of spring sports results, stay tuned to the Athletics page on the Portsmouth Abbey School Website.
Abbey Singers Perform in Boston: The Portsmouth Abbey Singers performed at the National Catholic Educators' Conference in Boston on April 14. The NCEA is the largest organization for Catholic Educators and the convention attracts participants from across the United States. The Portsmouth Abbey Singers gave a short, but magnificent 20-minute concert to an awestruck audience on the South Rotunda of the Hynes Convention Center. They sung "Surely the Presence of the Lord" by Lanny Wolfe and "Enter With a Song" by Gael Berberick, who served as the guest conductor for those pieces. Gretchen McDonough '04 and Andy Valenzuela '04 were the only students to perform solos in the Opening Liturgy. Portsmouth Abbey School also proudly presents its Community Spring Concert on Saturday, May 1 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. For more information please call Gael Berberick at 401-683-2000 x294 or visit the Portsmouth Abbey School Website for more details. You may also visit the Photo Galleries to view photos of the Boston performance.
California Dreaming: Friends of the School from Northern and Southern California enjoyed great evenings of Portsmouth fellowship at the San Francisco and Los Angeles Receptions in March. Jim Sturdevant '65 and Brian Hetherington '84 welcomed guests to Il Fornaio in San Francisco while Bing '87 and Angela Howenstein hosted guests at The Beach Club in Santa Monica. A special highlight of the gatherings was the presence of long-time faculty member Cliff Hobbins. Cliff regaled former students with stories and left many recalling their days in his classroom. Visit the Photo Galleries to see photos from the receptions.
Alumni Lost and Found: When graduates next log in to the Alumni Community section of the School's website, we hope you will take a moment to review the list of "lost" alumni. The list covers a span of years that are relevant to an individual's particular year of graduation. If you have information regarding a missing alumnus please contact communications@portsmouthabbey.org. Thanks for the assistance!
See You Soon: If you reside in the Washington, DC or Portsmouth, RI areas please make plans to join other alumni, parents and friends at The Rhode Island or Washington Receptions. The School will welcome friends to The Winter Garden for The Rhode Island Reception on Friday, April 30, from 6:00-8:00p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Adam A. Carter '83 will host The Washington Reception at The Metropolitan Club on Thursday, May 6, from 6:30-8:30p.m. RSVP by calling 401-683-2000 x235 or rvsp@portsmouthabbey.org.
Provide for the Present and Prepare for the Future: As Portsmouth Abbey's new Squash & Fitness Center prepares to open the chance exists for you to participate in this exciting project. Naming opportunities remain in the Dom Bede Gorman Squash Center and other selected locations within the building. Additionally, appropriate endowment funding is vitally important; therefore, the School is seeking $500,000 in permanent endowment funding to secure the future. Whether "bricks and mortar" or endowment financing is your interest, your participation has the potential to transform our school. To discuss the possibilities, contact Tony Klemmer '73 (401-683-2000 x211) or Patrick Burke '86 (401-683-2000 x291).
We are hiring, in particular, in the Development Office. Take a look at at the Employment page of the Portsmouth Abbey School website
Alumni Forum: WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are currently working on a piece for an upcoming Bulletin that discusses Alumni in Service to their Country. If you have served in the armed services, Peace Corps or a diplomatic role during military conflict, we would like to hear of your experiences. Click here to see some of the questions that we will use to explore the subject.
The Answer to the March Musings Question: "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. The Answer is at least 193!
The April Question of the Month: What was the last undefeated varsity team for the school? 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
