SUM M E R 2 0 1 6
s t . joh n ’s p r e p
Today
Cardinal O’Malley and Headmaster Hardiman walk to the Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center after Mass.
S T. J O H N ’ S W E L C O M E S C A R D I N A L S E Á N O ’ M A L L E Y
Eagles and a Cardinal Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, made his first visit to St. John’s to celebrate Mass during world languages week in March. His deep, sonorous voice filling the gymnasium, Cardinal O’Malley spoke powerfully about the value of Catholic education, and the importance of faith, selflessness and mercy. The Mass was spoken in five languages, including English and the four languages taught at St. John’s – Chinese, German, Latin and Spanish.
“In discovering God, we discover who we are – our own identity, our mission, why we are here. This is part of our Catholic way of life and it is the reason for Catholic education. I am grateful to all of you who make Catholic education the good thing it is here at St. John’s.” — CAR DI NAL SEÁN O’MALLEY Left: Cardinal O’Malley with Rev. Raymond Van De Moortell, pastor at St. Adelaide Parish in Peabody. Father De Moortell was one of six concelebrants, including Rev. Andreas Davison, parochial vicar at All Saints Parish in Haverhill; Rev. Peter Shen, parochial vicar at St. James Parish in Boston; Rev. Joseph O’Keefe, SJ ’72, trustee emeritus at St. John’s Prep and director of the Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Boston College; and Deacon Thomas O’Shea ’79, Our Lady of the Assumption in Lynnfield.
INSIDE
A Publication of St. John’s Prep A Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School for Young Men in Grades 6 through 12 Established 1907
S J P T O D AY
4 Special Color Supplement
FE ATURE
Headmaster
Wellness Runs Deep at St. John’s Construction is in full swing to transform the area between Cronin Memorial Stadium and the Brother Linus, C.F.X. Athletic Commons into a comprehensive new Wellness Center for St. John’s.
Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D. Principal/Associate Head of School
Keith A. Crowley, Ph.D. Chief Advancement Officer
Kevin A. Collins Editorial Staff
Elizabeth Forbes Director of Marketing and Communications
Commencement & Reunion
Sandra “Sam” Trapani Assistant Director of Communications
Look for the pages in the center of this issue for photos and highlights from Commencement for the Class of 2016 and Reunion Weekend festivities, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, reunion receptions and a BBQ.
Design
ON THE COVER A beaming Jack Viselli takes it all in during the Commencement procession.
Caruso Graphic Design Printing
Flagship Press, Inc. Direct Comments, Contributions and Address Updates to:
Office for Institutional Advancement St. John’s Preparatory School 72 Spring Street Danvers, MA 01923 978.774.6727
DEPARTMENTS
Keep Up With The Prep! stjohnsprep.smugmug.com instagram.com/stjohnsprep
HEADMASTER’S MESSAGE 2 HILLTOP HIGHLIGHTS 3 AROUND CAMPUS 6 CAMPUS BUZZ 12 SPORTS 14
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ALUMNI 17 ADVANCEMENT 20 CL ASS NOTES
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IN CLOSING
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HE ADMASTER ’S MES SAGE 2
Dear Friends, Allow me to share a brief exchange I had with Garret Hartigan, one of our seventh graders, shortly after Middle School Grandparents Day in May. Garret: Excuse me Dr. Hardiman, can I talk to you for a minute? Me: Sure, what’s up? Garret: Thank you so much for starting this school. You have no idea how great this place is. This school is insane and I am so grateful that I have the privilege to come here and learn every day. Me: Just checking, but “insane” means really good, doesn’t it? Garret: Absolutely! Over the last few months, many people have asked how things are going with our new Middle School. I usually respond by saying that it feels like the Middle School has always been here. My friend Garret, however, is more emphatic in his opinion! The Prep has experienced a tremendous amount of change in the last 18 months. We have added students, staff and facilities — and we are in the process of building even more. All of these initiatives have been the product of our Prep 20/20 Strategic Plan. It is a tremendous experience to see our students congregate in Kennealy Commons in the Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center, watch our Middle School and High School young men perform in concert together, and witness older boys serve as coaches and mentors in our Middle School theater and interscholastic athletic programs. Our students, from grade 6 through 12, have come together to create a new energy and enthusiasm on our campus. As you take time to review this issue of St. John’s Prep Today, I invite you to keep my conversation with Garret in mind. It has stayed with me and it reinforces the tremendous gratitude I feel for all those who have helped us achieve so much. And, it gives me the confidence to know that we will accomplish a great deal more in the years to come.
Peace and prayers, Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D. Headmaster
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H I L L T O P
highlights Mandarin Class Road Trip
Lynette Chen took students in her Chinese classes to visit the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quincy, where the master taught them about Buddhism, meditation, Chinese pressure points, and prayer rituals. After visiting the temple, the group went to the Grand Chinatown restaurant for an authentic Cantonese dim sum meal!
Middle School Olympics
It was a match of both brains and brawn at the first-ever Middle School Olympics in January! With competitions ranging from engineering and Jenga to trivia and pushups, there was something for everyone, including pizza and prizes at the end!
FaceTime from Israel
The Jewish Student Union followed the Jewish tradition of inviting “all who are hungry” to their 15th annual Passover Seder in April. Students, faculty, staff and parents of all faiths gathered in the Milano Dining Room to enjoy and take part in this meaningful meal. Josh Hurst, a Prep junior, also joined the celebration via FaceTime from Israel, where he is studying for the semester!
Key Sounds
A beautiful grand piano now graces Kennealy Commons on the first floor of the Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center, thanks to a gift from Dennis Hanson, who is a member of the Board of Trustees, father of two Prep graduates, and CFO and general counsel of Steinway Musical Instruments. Student musician Jonathan Danis ’17 played the beautiful instrument for guests during the Tradition and Transformations Gala in April.
Far Above the Neighboring Hilltops
Elizabeth Solomon gave her Latin students a novel assignment. She asked them to translate the St. John’s Alma Mater and put together a presentation for their classmates. They came up with many creative projects, including a t-shirt folks can wear and learn the lyrics at the same time. Dr. Hardiman was the proud recipient of one of these shirts!
How Do You Spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S?
The Prep campus was buzzing in May, when Mitchell Robson ’20 made it to the final round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., which was broadcast live on ESPN! Mitchell finished #7 in the bee and #1 in the hearts of St. John’s.
Grandparents Day
There was a lot of love in the air at St. John’s when seventh graders welcomed their grandparents and special friends to campus in April. Students proudly escorted their grandparents on a tour of Brother Benjamin Hall with stops to explore a series of interactive demonstrations on everything from robotics and science to music and educational tech tools.
Prep Pride on the Parquet
More than 400 members of the St. John’s community and friends of Pat Connaughton ’11 attended the Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers basketball game in March to welcome Pat back to the Garden. The last time he was on the famed parquet was in 2011 during his senior year at the Prep. This is Connaughton’s first season in the NBA playing for the Trail Blazers!
Coach Costa Momentous Milestone
St. John’s wresting coach Manny Costa achieved 600 career wins this season and received an award from Athletic Director Jim O’Leary for reaching this momentous mark, something only four other wrestling coaches in Massachusetts have done. Coach Costa has led the Prep wrestlers for 25 years.
It’s All Downhill!
The Prep’s new mountain bike racing team really kicked into high gear this year! They were even featured in an “On the Move” article in the Boston Globe!
Power of Diplomacy
Students in Mr. Bill Britton’s War and Peace class welcomed two special guests, Ambassador John Cloud ’71 and Commander Kevin Kelly ’65, in April. The two shared their perspectives on many of the issues facing the world today. They also conducted a simulation with students who played designated roles in discussing a negotiated settlement to the Syrian civil war. The simulation mirrors the seminar format they both employ at the U.S. Naval War College, where they are instructors.
Brain Power!
The St. John’s Prep Academic Bowl Team, which was ranked number one in the region this year, competed in the 34th National Academic Championships in Chicago in June. They finished an impressive ninth in this veritable Super Bowl of knowledge.
Day of Caring
On Holy Thursday St. John’s expanded on the theme of No One Walks Alone to include the wider community, as more than 450 students, faculty, staff, and parents volunteered at a variety of local organizations. Prep people were painting, cleaning, packing medical supplies, visiting with senior citizens and serving meals on an awesome day of working side by side in partnership with others. ST. JO H N’S PR E P TO DAY
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Wellness Runs Deep at St. John’s On a sunny March morning, Windover Construction crews demolished Griffin Hall in preparation for building the Prep’s new Wellness Center. The familiar brick building has served the Prep community well as everything from the original campus heating plant to a place to gather and watch football games. Thank you, Griffin Hall, for making way for wellness!
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he first building Brother Benjamin added to the campus back in 1907 was the original wooden gymnasium, reflecting his belief that “Learning is an instrument of education, not its end; the end is culture along with mental, spiritual and physical development of the individual.” Building on that enduring mission to educate students in all areas of their growth and development, St. John’s will open a new Wellness Center in fall 2017. The facility will change campus life in ways that benefit all students. The 78,000-square-foot, two-story Wellness Center will provide the facilities students today need to integrate health and wellness into their daily lives. But it will be much more than just a building — it will become the heart of the campus. “Building the Wellness Center is absolutely fundamental to our mission. It will enhance our athletics facilities, and every bit as important, it will help us meet the physical, developmental and spiritual needs of our students by providing space for programs that promote lifelong habits of health and wellness,” says Headmaster Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D. The Wellness Center will bring students together in unexpected ways. When football players take up yoga, math whizzes try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or Latin scholars work out in the pool, they create bonds that make for a stronger, more interesting community. Students coming together is an important part of the Prep experience.
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Bringing wellness and athletics together in a comprehensive facility offers developmental and educational benefits, and it helps to build community, according to Keith A. Crowley, Ph.D., Principal and Associate Head of School. “When students have a place where they routinely see a variety of health and fitness activities happening, they are more likely to step outside of their comfort zones and try something new. In the process, they get to know students with different interests. They’re stretching and growing in ways that benefit themselves and strengthen the school community. That’s why this new Wellness Center represents such a powerful addition to our program,” says Dr. Crowley. The Wellness Center will also provide a space large enough for all students to gather with faculty and staff for liturgies and other programs that foster community.
How Cool. A Prep Pool! One of the most exciting features is an eight-lane pool that will bring aquatics to the Prep campus for practice, competition and wellness. Historically, the Prep swim and dive team schedules practices when the pools at the Danvers YMCA and Salem State University are available. A pool on the Prep campus will give the teams more flexibility, and just as important, it will make swimming a fitness option for all students. The field house is another spectacular feature of the new center. Designed for maximum student benefit and spectator experience, the four-court field house will become home for the Prep’s varsity basketball team. This is where students
F E AT U R E
Fast Track to Wellness: Construction is in full swing to transform the area between Cronin Memorial Stadium and the Brother Linus, C.F.X. Athletic Commons into a comprehensive new Wellness Center for St. John’s.
The two-story, 78,000-square-foot facility will provide: A 30,000-square-foot field house with a four-court practice and competition venue for basketball and volleyball A four-lane practice track with long jump pit and an elevated track for wellness and recreation An eight-lane, 25-yard pool with a one‑meter diving board A 4,000-square-foot, two-level fitness space Three multipurpose rooms for fitness and wellness programming Observation areas, lockers, and offices for wellness and athletics staff
“We are deeply grateful for the level of generosity that is making the Wellness Center a reality. The Prep community is coming together in a powerful way for the benefit of students now and for generations to come.” — Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D., Headmaster who aspire to follow in the footsteps of Eagles like Pat Connaughton ’11, a Notre Dame graduate and shooting guard with the Portland Trailblazers, will practice and compete. And students will definitely be on the fast track to wellness with the new indoor track and a suspended jogging track. As part of the project, improvements will be made to Cronin Memorial Stadium, including enlarging the track to regulation size for competition; replacing the grass field with synthetic turf; and enlarging the field to regulation size for soccer matches (currently, the stadium is regulation size for football and lacrosse competitions only); adding lights for night practices and competitions; and installing new bleachers on the home side of the stadium. The construction project will also involve the installation of a 600-kw solar array on school-owned property behind Cronin Memorial Stadium. The solar array will generate sufficient electricity to fully power the Wellness Center during daylight hours. The facility was designed by Flansburgh Architects of Boston and is being built by Beverly-based Windover Construction. This is the same team that designed and built the Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center, and renovated Brother Benjamin Hall for the Middle School.
A Community Commitment The Wellness Center is the third of four major initiatives called for in the Prep 20/20 strategic plan, which was announced in May 2013. With the opening of the Middle School and the Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center in September 2015, St. John’s completed the first two initiatives.
#FINISHSTRONG It has been proven time and time again that when the Prep community comes together, amazing things can happen. St. John’s has shown its commitment to wellness through the start of construction on the new Wellness Center. We are now seeking your support of this movement through multi-year gifts to help fund the facility. We have secured 76% of the funding needed to complete the project, and we ask you to consider how you might be able to help us #FinishStrong. To learn more, please visit www.stjohnsprep.org/sjpwellness
The new Wellness Center is being funded entirely with philanthropic support from all corners of the Prep community. St. John’s has already secured $19 million for the new center. The total cost of the project is $25 million, and there are many opportunities to help finish the fundraising effort.
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AROUND CAMPUS
It’s been a year of fist-pumping firsts, fast friendships and lasting lessons for the pioneering students and teachers in the Middle School at St. John’s. Facing the camera: seventh graders Ethan Diranian, Ridge Tache, Ethan Stump and Hunter DiVirgilio.
RIGHT AT HOME IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
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fter renovations during the summer of 2015, the corridors of Brother Benjamin Hall are sporting brighter colors and the classrooms buzz with the irrepressible energy of 300 boys. There are younger faces, smaller lockers, goofier jokes, and lots of movement, but the fundamental essence of a Prep education is clearly evident in the intentional focus on educating the whole boy and enduring personal relationships among teachers and students.
The fact that everything happens in one place — science experiments and German classes, music lessons and Robotics Club — amplifies the energy and brings boys in all three grades together, according to Jason Larocque, Associate Principal for Grades 6, 7 and 8. “Because people are so excited about what they’re doing, the teaching and learning spills into the hallways and permeates every part of the day,” he says. “To me, that is what it means to be at St. John’s Prep.”
Learning Happens Everywhere On any given day, students arrive early to grab breakfast, hang out with friends, put the finishing touches on homework, or check in with a teacher. It creates an atmosphere that fosters independence and a sense of belonging, according to Maureen Nsier, whose son, Christopher, just finished seventh grade at St. John’s. Like many of his classmates, Christopher is busy with afterschool activities. In his case that means playing the violin, helping out with Campus Ministry programs, acting as a school ambassador, and being part of the Middle School swim and tennis teams. Every part of the day contributes to a formative experience, according to Nsier.
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“This is such an important age, developmentally. The boys are involved, the teachers are supportive, and the day is structured in a way that students can easily take advantage of the support and become involved in activities. It makes them feel like they’re part of a brotherhood,” she says.
A Place Where Boys Can Be Themselves Ask students, teachers or staff and they will probably tell you that the Middle School feels like it has always been a part of campus life. It’s been a year of firsts, but at the same time, there is a sense of friendship and shared mission — from grade 6 through 12 — that made Middle School students and teachers feel at home from day one. “It’s a place where boys can be themselves. They love any opportunity to be with the High School boys during ‘all school moments’ and programs. That’s when they understand they are part of a larger community. It is during these moments that the essence of the Prep becomes clear to the boys and to the adults who are new to our community,” according to Larocque. Seeing the younger boys learn to take risks and find new passions in the fine arts, computer science, clubs/activities and wellness/athletics is rewarding, says Keith A. Crowley, Ph.D., Principal and Associate Head of School. “The energy and excitement the boys in grades 6, 7 and 8 bring to campus is infectious. The mission-centered curriculum has challenged them to become better learners, while focusing on issues of peace, justice and advocacy. I am thrilled with the opportunity to expand our educational mission to younger boys. I am even more excited about seeing the brotherhood among all of our students — from grade 6 to 12,” he says.
AROUND CAMPUS
St. John’s invested two years in planning the Middle School before it opened in September 2015. Teachers spent four weeks on campus before school began to get to know one another, collaborate on curriculum, use new educational tech tools, and most important, learn what it means to be part of the Prep community. The time devoted to planning resulted in a smooth start, making it easy for students to jump right into academic life, after-school activities and sports. During year one, the calendar filled with memorable Middle School moments.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MOMENTS
Art teacher Brooke Boncher with Kyle Watts ’20
Middle schoolers embraced the Prep spirit of service by planning their own projects and pitching in with the schoolwide Community Day of Service and other efforts throughout the year. Boys also took part in retreats with their fellow classmates. In art classes, students created a colorful collection of masterpieces in many media, including a majestic mural of Martin Luther King, which now hangs in the lobby of Brother Benjamin Hall.
Cameron LaPierre ’21 (left) and David Armini ’21
Friendships flourished during activities like a dance, movie night, game night, a Rubik’s Cube competition, a spring social and more. Music students practiced, practiced and practiced until they were ready to perform with harmony and confidence in three concerts. Tommy Bachand ’22
On the playing field, young athletes represented the Prep with pride in baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and track. After school, students joined in on activities and clubs like the spelling bee, Middle School Olympics, Mock Trial, Model UN, Drama Guild, Aviation Club, Guitar Studio, the Outdoor Club and other fun activities.
Cellist Andrew Cole ’20
The Drama Guild staged two productions, including “Supposed to Be,” which they wrote, directed and produced themselves, not to mention “Detective Sketches,” their gold-medal-winning entry in the statewide Middle School Drama Festival.
Ridge Tache ’21, Alex Troisi ’20, Jackson Lang ’21 and Cate Cirone ST. JO H N’S PR E P TO DAY
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AROUND CAMPUS
Shakespeare
O N S P R I N G ST R E E T
BY M R. JAY PAWLYK ’91, E NG LISH TEACH E R
Ten Years of Alumni Making Shakespeare Come to Life for Students
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y students have dueled in the street, fallen madly in love, talked to witches, become sloppily intoxicated, committed adultery, murdered loved ones in rage, and yes, even worn kilts.
Ten years ago, I began to teach sophomore English when my colleague, John Moran, moved to St. Louis. A centerpiece of the sophomore curriculum is Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth.” John told me that when his students acted scenes from the play, they understood it better. The closest I had been to a stage had been my childhood piano recitals, when I never even looked at the audience, never mind spoke to them! I didn’t really know what to do next. Fortunately, our acting teacher and theater director at the time, Brother Ron Santoro, was there to support me and prod my sophomores into something like legitimate “Macbeth” scenes. He forced his fabled “BOLD ACTING CHOICES” on my guys, making them “choose to smile,” “choose to be loud,” and “choose goals that excite you!” Even before I knew anything about the stage, I saw something interesting happen. My students began to ask the questions English teachers dream of hearing. “Why does this character say this word here?” “Why doesn’t your character answer my question here?” “If I say this, how should I say it?” I even heard, “No, no! It has to look like we’re really trying to kill each other!” And yes, some students (not to name names, Pat Carroll) wore kilts.
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Mr. Pawlyk with Grant Willis and Kevin Carney, both Class of 2019.
Actors Become Teachers The following year, two students graduated, both of whom I knew to be mature young men and great actors. I sensed they would be excellent teachers, and since Brother Ron had to teach his own classes and had not yet learned to bi-locate, I asked Alex Johnson ’06 and Dan Fabrizio ’06 to help with the project. These two young men had graduated on Sunday and my acting project started on Monday. They showed up at 8 am, happily wearing jeans and carrying Shakespeare’s Scottish play. Alumni for less than 24 hours, they were back on campus helping me teach and workshop Shakespeare with my students. This time I saw something else happen. Alumni who loved theatre (and who, frankly, knew way more than I did) were sharing this love with my students. Small groups of student-actors received feedback from talented young men only a few years older than they were. Dan and Alex encouraged kids who didn’t think they could do it. They modeled memorizing lines while doing push-ups, and they gave some tough love to students who were not committing to their characters and their scenes. At 18, these guys were natural teachers! Over the years, I have been blessed with many alumni willing to sacrifice entire weeks of their winter break to spend time with my students. Like Brother Ron, theater teacher
AROUND CAMPUS
Left: John Whitney ’08 goes over dialogue with Robbie Brandano and Jack Skelley, both Class of 2018. Below: Ted Silva ’15 and Conor Sweeney ’14 get in some laughs while working out a scene for Mr. Pawlyk’s class.
Alicia Greenwood has been generous with her expertise and her willingness to let my classes use the Prep’s theatre spaces. And I’d like to thank all of the alumni who have helped bring this project to life. (Their names are duly noted in the sidebar on this page.) Every Christmas vacation for the past ten years, they have consumed countless coffees at Barnes & Noble in planning this two-week project, and each year new alumni add new dimensions to the lessons. They have inspired students who struggle writing essays to totally invest themselves in becoming Shakespeare’s brooding Danish prince. I have seen valedictorians panic when they realize that memorizing their “Othello” lines isn’t enough to put on a compelling piece of theatre. I have seen students take bold acting risks only to witness as they discover something new about themselves. I have seen the nicest young man in the class commit murder. And I have seen the captain of the football team have a near-breakdown at the end of Hamlet’s “what a piece of work is man” speech, prompting a meaningful pause and thunderous applause from his classmates.
Books Come Alive Two other surprises have emerged from this project over the years. First, my teaching has changed. The little exposure I have had to the theatre, and the little theatre I have done myself, has enlivened my own reading, made me sensitive to the diverse use of my classroom space, and heightened my awareness of the degree to which my students and I are really listening to one another. The love of theatre not only makes books come alive, but it makes people come alive. Big moments in life become clearer. Moments usually considered irrelevant are suddenly charged with meaning. The second surprise is that my students’ writing changes after two weeks of focused rehearsals on stage. Once they realize there is a physical and vocal component to literature — that we should not read like disembodied brains — reading and writing become more dynamic. Somewhat paradoxically, their writing improves because for two weeks they don’t write anything. We do think more closely about the text than we will at any other point of the year, however.
Mr. Pawlyk’s All-Star Shakespeare Coaches! Dan Fabrizio ’06 Alex Johnson ’06 Cam Cronin ’08 Christian Thompson ’08 John Whitney ’08 Garrin Marchetti ’10 Toney Brown ’11 Chris Losco ’13 Aidan Gorrell ’14 Matt Steriti ’14 Conor Sweeney ’14 CJ Diorio ’15 Aidan Marchetti ’15 Ted Silva ’15
I look forward to the acting project every year with the same enthusiasm I felt ten years ago. I will always make sure that my Shakespearean heroes die in time for Christmas so the first weeks of January can be spent with enthusiastic alumni and my students wrestling with these amazing plays. This project honors the text, the theatre, the work of acting, and the fact that older students who love something can guide younger students to love it, too.
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LEGACY OF LOVE FOR THE PREP
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St. John’s lost three much admired and influential leaders this year with the passing of former Headmaster Brother Edward J. Keefe, C.F.X, Trustee John Carnevale ’81 and Trustee Emeritus Tom Leonard ’54. Their devotion to St. John’s will never be forgotten.
Remembering a Humble Giant On a frozen February morning, students, faculty and staff stood shoulder to shoulder in an honor guard that encircled the Prep campus as Brother Edward J. Keefe, C.F.X. came back one last time to the place he called home. Brother Keefe, who served from 1974 to 1989 as the Prep’s 13th Headmaster, died on February 5, at the age of 84. Brother Keefe spent nearly 25 years at St. John’s, serving at different times as teacher, coach, prefect, the first-ever director of development, and the longest-serving Headmaster. Through a pivotal time of change, he led St. John’s to financial stability, academic excellence and renewed alumni involvement. In September 2016, St. John’s dedicated the new Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center in his honor. “Brother Keefe was proud of his life and vocation as a teacher,” Headmaster Edward Hardiman told students during a schoolwide memorial service. “While most of you know only his name, this prayer service and the honor guard and funeral are all part of his last lesson for today’s generation of Prep students — a lesson that demands laughter, faith, excellence and commitment to servant leadership.”
True Sons of St. John’s John A. Carnevale ’81, the first recipient of the Brother Linus Scholarship and a trustee at St. John’s since 2007, died suddenly on Saturday, April 9, at the age of 52. “John felt a deep, deep sense of gratitude for his experiences at St. John’s. He was proud of the Prep, he pushed for excellence at every turn, and he did everything he could to ensure that our students and young graduates would benefit from the same experiences that shaped his life,” said Headmaster Hardiman. John served on the facilities, advancement and trusteeship committees, but his real passion was acting as a mentor for students and young alumni. He founded the Prep’s Investment Club, spearheaded a host of networking programs, and encouraged young alumni to take advantage of the Prep network. John leaves his wife, Linda, and their two children: daughter Ava and son Max ’07. His brother, Jim is a 1982 Prep graduate and Jim’s son, Jay, graduated in May 2016. Thomas M. Leonard ’54, the first layman to serve as vice chair of the Board of Trustees at St. John’s, passed away on April 26, 2016. The Leonard family ties to St. John’s span three generations. Tom and his wife, Marge, saw their two sons, Mike ’83 and Mark ’86, and their grandson, Brendan ’11, follow in Tom’s at the Prep. Marge is familiar to many graduates from her years in the school counseling office. Tom devoted himself in equal measure to his family, his career in banking, and his volunteer commitments. After nearly four decades, he retired in 1999 as senior vice president at Salem Five, where he was widely respected for his leadership in the business and civic communities. In retirement, he continued to be actively involved at St. John’s and with many local organizations. In 1993, St. John’s honored Tom for his extraordinary service by presenting him with the first Distinguished Alumnus Award. “Tom was a wise and dedicated trustee and alumni leader. He was unfailingly loyal to St. John’s, and he played an important role in shaping the school we are today. The fact that he contributed his time and talents to so many organizations speaks volumes about his character,” said Headmaster Hardiman.
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AROUND CAMPUS
Left: The environmental science collaboration culminated in an exhibit of the students’ projects in the A. E. Studzinski Library at St. John’s. Max George ’17, pictured on the far right, and students from Notre Dame Academy answer questions about their project. Below: Caitlin George (right) is pictured with Jack Ligh ’17 and Olivia Corsaro.
Food for Thought
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n a project unlike anything St. John’s has done before, students in the Prep’s environmental science course worked with young women from Notre Dame Academy on a yearlong, research project. The two schools share common ground that inspired the collaboration — both offer a challenging environmental science course, both are single sex schools, and both are Catholic schools that encourage students to consider the ethical implications of their studies. Prep science teacher Chris Borgatti and Jana Matthei from Notre Dame designed and led the initiative. To engage students at the intersection of science and ethics, they chose to focus on the environmental and social impact of the way food is produced today. “Our goal was to connect environmental science with social justice issues and our local communities. That was important to Dr. Crowley and to Kathleen Colin, who is the principal at Notre Dame,” says Mr. Borgatti.
Students devised practical, local solutions to address five key questions: Energy: How can we better manage the energy that goes into food production, as well as the emissions that result from the process? Health: How does the way food is produced today contribute to the obesity epidemic? Local Agriculture: Where do local farmers fit into the modern food industry?
Students used everything from Twitter, Dropbox and Google to collaborate online. They also got together at Notre Dame, St. John’s and Boston College several times during the year. The experience helped them develop real-life skills they will use in college and careers — project management, public speaking and the ability to work remotely with people in other locations.
GMOs: What are the risks and benefits of genetically modified organisms?
Notre Dame senior Caitlin Golden and her team looked at the environmental impact of the Food Waste: Can we reduce the amount meat industry. Their final project Environmental science lends of food that is lost or discarded at different proposed practical ideas, like itself to interdisciplinary, projectpoints in the process — from production and meatless Mondays and expanding based learning, according to Ms. processing to sale and consumption? farmers’ markets, to address Matthei. “Because it draws on many environmental concerns and boost areas — science, biology, statistics, local economies at the same time. “I found it hopeful and history, social science — students can delve deeply and uplifting to focus on solutions,” she says. “Working with other become expert in something they’re passionate about. And people teaches you to become a listener, as well as a leader. working with another single sex school was super valuable on I learned things I would never have learned otherwise.” its own. It will help all of these students prepare for college without changing the essential single sex experience.” “We share a common goal on this project, and students have “The dynamic was pretty great. The Notre Dame students really added insights to the project that we may not have had otherwise. It was fun, too. When you are working on a project together, something you care about and are interested in, it’s really an ice breaker, which was helpful,” says Max George ’17.
learned that you have to find ways to work together in order to be successful. It’s the first time either of our schools has done anything like this. It’s been a lot of fun and a totally worthwhile experience for our students,” says Mr. Borgatti. “I look forward to doing it again next year.”
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CAMPUS BUZZ
Art Awards Congratulations to three St. John’s Prep students who were recognized for their outstanding artwork by the prestigious School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA) in the 2016 Massachusetts Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program. Gold Medal in Photography: Nikhil Patel ’18 (below)
Gold Medal in Printmaking:
David Boullie ’17 (left)
Silver Medal in Printmaking:
MJ Camilo ’17 (above)
There’s a whole lot of talent in the cast and crew of the High School’s production of “And God Created Great Whales” (above) and the Middle School’s production of “Detective Sketches” (right).
Enjoying the Festivities Kaneb Theater worked double time this spring with students in the Middle School and High School participating in the statewide drama festival. Under the direction of Alicia Greenwood, the High School Drama Guild players won their way through the preliminary and semi-final rounds of the festival with their emotional adaptation of Rinde Eckert’s “And God Created Great Whales,” before heading to Boston for the final round of the festival. The Middle School students won a gold medal in Tynsboro on April 30 during their first-ever Drama Festival experience! Theater teacher Brit Christopher directed a cast and crew of 48 students in a masterful production of “Detective Sketches” by Douglas Post. “For a lot of students, this was their first experience being involved in theatre, and they clearly had an amazing day,” said Ms. Christopher.
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CAMPUS BUZZ
Success at Babson! The Babson Boston Cup is a battle of new ventures created by young entrepreneurs, and in April, 16 teams from eight schools competed for the title. The Prep team of David Kobrosky ’17, Robbie Lemons ’17, Chris Speicher ’18 and Fred Lu ’18 won with their innovative website, “High Serve.” In addition to $1,000 in seed money from Babson, they won the right to keep the Babson Cup at St. John’s for the coming year. Our second team of Mason Sagan ’17 and Jackson Sayre ’17 took fourth place with their website, “Condolence Connector.”
Singing Down Memory Lane! SwingTown! celebrated 20 years of harmony and friendship with an extravaganza anniversary concert that brought together more than 30 alumni singers from the last 20 years! The alumni show was part of a two-concert weekend, and because supporting local organizations has always been a priority for the Prep a cappella singers, proceeds from both anniversary shows benefited the Danvers Food Pantry.
Above: The High Serve team wins the coveted Babson Boston Cup: David Kobrosky ’17, Robbie Lemons ’17, Chris Speicher ’18 and Fred Lu ’18. Below: SwingTown! through the ages! Alumni harmonized during their 20th anniversary show.
“Bob is an extraordinarily welcoming presence. Everyone who meets him leaves with the impression that this is a good place where good things happen.” —Headmaster Edward Hardiman, Ph.D.
Ryken Award St. John’s honored a much-loved member of the school community when staff member Bob Marinelli received the Ryken Award on Founders Day. Mr. Marinelli, who serves as the attendance officer, is in many ways the face of St. John’s Prep. From his office in the Brother Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center, he is the first person prospective students see when they arrive for a shadow day, and he is a constant presence for any student who drops in throughout the day.
Martin Luther King Awards At the Martin Luther King Dinner in January, St. John’s recognized three members of the Prep community for what they do every day to advance equity and justice. Religious studies teacher Sean McDaniel received the Justice and Equity Award, and Brian O’Leary ’75 and Liz McCarthy received the No One Walks Alone Advocacy Award. Left: Headmaster Edward Hardiman, Ph.D. and Ryken Award Recipient Bob Marinelli.
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Varsity Sports at St. John’s | Fall 2015 – Winter 2016 CROSS COUNTRY
FOOTBALL
GOLF
Coach: John Boyle
Coach: Brian St. Pierre ’98
Coach: Larry O’Neill
Captains: McGrath Bissaillon ’16, Dan Powers ’16, Jackson Skelley ’16
Captains: Jay Carnevale ’16, Ollie Eberth ’16, Sean Fallon ’16, Jack Lambert ’16
Captain: James Turner ’16
The cross country team finished a strong season with a record of 3-1, including a 21-37 win over Xaverian.
The football team earned the number one seed in the Division I North Tournament and finished their season at 8-3, including a trip to Fenway Park, where the Eagles played Xaverian the afternoon before Thanksgiving Day.
Prep golfers captured the Division I State Championship and finished their season with an undefeated record at 17-0. This also marked the last year for head coach Larry O’Neill, who retired at the end of the season.
SOCCER
WATER POLO
BASKETBALL
Coach: Dave Crowell
Coach: Connor Fortin ’07
Coach: John Dullea
Captains: Quinlan Byrne ’16, Chris Chilton ’16, Aidan Robinson ’16
Captains: Anthony Powell ’16, Jake Rhodes ’16
Captains: Alec Buresh ’16, Spencer Danforth ’16, Harry O’Neil ’16
Soccer finished the season with an overall record of 11-6-5. They advanced to the Semi-Finals after winning their first two games in the Division I North Tournament.
The water polo team showed consistent improvement from the beginning of the season through the end, finishing with an overall record of 0-5.
A second-round loss in the Division I North Tournament to Central Catholic closed out a fantastic 16-7 season, including an IAABO 30 Tournament Championship.
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FENCING
ICE HOCKEY
INDOOR TRACK
Coach: Jim Carter
Coach: Kristian Hanson ’94
Coach: Zach Lankow ’07
Captains: Nick Papele ’16, Kevin Ge ’17 (sabre), Cole Sawyer ’17 (foil), Ben Poleretzky ’17 (epee)
Captains: Kyle Lynch ’16, Kyle Martin ’16, Seth Murray ’16
Captains: Tim Bogomolov ’16, Kevin Doherty ’16, Matt Flynn ’16, Aidan Kelley ’16, Ethan Roy ’16
The fencing team captured its 11th State Championship in 12 years, and finished the season with an overall record of 14-2.
Prep hockey ended the season as Division IA Tournament (Super 8) Finalists. They finished with an overall record of 18-3-4, defeating Burlington and BC High to reach the Super 8 Championship Game.
The track team finished the winter season with a 4-2 record, including wins over Xaverian and Malden Catholic.
SKIING
SWIMMING & DIVING
WRESTLING
Coach: Tim Broderick ’05
Coach: Tony Padvaiskas
Coach: Manny Costa
Captains: Peter Griffin ’16, Matt Safford ’16
Captains: Jake Rhodes ’16, Joseph Turk ’16
Captains: Jay Carnevale ’16, Hunter Costa ’16
The ski team finished the season as Conference Champions and earned a second place finish in the DI State Championships. The Eagles won all seven regular season races.
The swimming and diving team captured the Catholic Conference and Division I State Championship, and ended the season with an overall record of 8-1.
Wrestling won the Catholic Conference Title for the 18th consecutive year, and finished second in the Dual Meet States and Individual States. Finished the season with a record of 34-1.
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AROUND CAMPUS
Embracing the Xaverian Way Laymen and Women Create Vibrant Xaverian Communities
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hen English teacher Gail Dennig first received a packet of information about the Xaverian Associates program, she read it but then put it aside. When a second packet arrived a year later, she decided to learn more. Now, three years later, she is a Xaverian associate, part of a small but growing community of men and women who share a commitment to living the spirituality of the Xaverian Brothers in their everyday lives. Her involvement has been enriching in ways Gail never anticipated.
Gail Dennig and Vijay DeCosta
“The more I know about the Brothers, the more I am inspired by their commitment to education and service. It’s enriched my life, strengthened my spirituality, and made me a better teacher. It’s been a positive experience in every way.” — GAI L DE N N IG
Are You Intrigued?
The Xaverian Brothers invite men and women — single, married or ordained — to explore the associates program. To learn more, please contact: Brother Paul Murray, C.F.X. at 410.646.6771 or pmurray@xaverianbrothers.org. More information is also available online: www.xaverianbrothers.org www.livingthecharism.com www.xaverianspirituality.com
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“The more I know about the Brothers, the more I am inspired by their commitment to education and service. It’s enriched my life, strengthened my spirituality, and made me a better teacher. It’s been a positive experience in every way,” says Gail. The associates program began with Rich Costello and his wife, Gwen. A writer, editor and publisher, Rich had been a Xaverian Brother at one time and later worked as their director of development. He wanted to find the kind of “enduring personal relationships” he had known as a Brother. In 2010, he and Gwen began to reach out to like-minded people who had experienced Xaverian spirituality in their lives — as a student, teacher, Brother or volunteer. The program grew organically, and today there are about 55 associates in four regional groups, including the Baltimore area, Brooklyn, Louisville and the Northeast. Two Prep faculty members — Gail and campus minister Vijay DaCosta — belong to the Northeast group. Throughout their history, the Xaverian Brothers have intentionally worked with lay collaborators to carry out their mission of spirituality, education and service. The associates program has its roots in that tradition, according to Brother Richard Mazza, C.F.X., who serves as a mentor for the Northeast group. “I think what draws people to becoming associates is an interest in nurturing the Xaverian spiritual values of compassion, humility, simplicity, trust and zeal through what we describe as the ‘common, ordinary, unspectacular flow of everyday life,’” says Brother Richard. “Basically, we are a missionary group, and our hope is that the associates will help us to share the charism through their work in schools and with the poor and marginalized around the world.” For teachers who carry on the work of the Brothers, the associates program is an opportunity become closer, in prayer and solidarity, with others who lead lives inspired by the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier, says Vijay. “Since coming to St. John’s Prep and meeting many proud alumni and colleagues who were educated by the Xaverian Brothers, I understood that the Xaverian charism made a lasting impact that has endured for generations. I wanted nothing more than to be part of this tradition that supported the pursuit of knowledge with love, prayer, and sincere care for others,” he says. At the heart of the program is the idea of being in community with the Xaverian Brothers in order to: • • • •
Explore Xaverian spirituality Practice daily prayer Seek ways to serve the marginalized Create community with the Brothers
The Northeast group meets at Xaverian House, a residence for retired Brothers adjacent to the Prep campus. This proximity adds an intangible dimension to the group’s gatherings, according to Gail. “The Brothers believe in pursuing both contemplation and action. The associates program is an expression of that idea,” says Gail. “It is a wonderful, open, honest gathering of people who are committed to the same values.”
COMMENCEMENT & REUNION
Hats Off to You, Class of 2016! “After all, we, as a class, are different. We push the boundaries, and that’s what sets us apart … When we win, we celebrate victory, not for individuals but for a team. That’s the Prep way. We, as a class, have excelled as a team lunged forward by the strength and passion of each and every member, not just by the class presidents and the varsity athletes; although, they add a lot to who we are. Without the Prep student who daily walks these halls and, in some way, affects the people around him, we probably would have foundered long ago. We are kept afloat by his leadership … That’s who we are, that’s how we’re diverse, and that’s what our canvases reflect. They reflect not only the uniqueness of the individual student, but the teams of Prep hands that went into making it.” — JACOB SWAIM, SENIOR CLASS SPEAKER
Jacob Swaim ’16
Above: German teacher Chris Lynch leads the Commencement procession as English teacher Jay Pawlyk ’91 smiles and faculty members line the way for the Class of 2016.
Inspiring Greatness
Business executive turned English teacher Eric Kimble ’85 delivered the Commencement address. He spoke about the mentors who shaped his life, including Brother Robert Sullivan, C.F.X., his physics teacher at St. John’s. “When you look for those Brother Sullivans in your life, look first within yourself. Because you know, deep inside you in places you don’t want to talk about, you have it in you to be that great son, that great husband, that great colleague, that great teammate, and that great mentor that inspires others to greatness. We’ve all got it in us.”
Day 5, High 5
Student Council President Kevin Doherty received the 2016 Xaverian Award at Commencement. With a friendly high five, a witty pun, and a yellow number 2 pencil tucked behind his ear, Kevin took the five Xaverian values to heart and embraced them to make every student feel included in the Prep experience. “Kevin is a genuinely kind and compassionate soul. He loves being a part of the Prep community and wants to share that with everyone around him. He will be missed, but I am sure his Day 5, High 5 will live on,” says Assistant Principal for Student Life Wendy Olson. C O M M E N C E M E NT & R E U N I O N
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College Bound The Class of 2016 will spread their wings for colleges and universities, far and wide. The University of Alabama American University Amherst College Babson College Bates College Bentley University Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brandeis University Brown University University of California, Davis University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Cruz Champlain College University of Chicago Clarkson University Clemson University Colgate University The College of the Holy Cross University of Colorado at Boulder Colorado College Colorado Mountain College Connecticut College University of Connecticut Cornell University Dartmouth College Davidson College University of Denver Drexel University University College Dublin Duke University Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Emerson College Emory University Endicott College Fairfield University Fordham University George Washington University Georgetown University High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Ithaca College James Madison University Johns Hopkins University University of Kansas Keene State College Lehigh University Loyola University Maryland University of Maine University of Maryland Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences continues
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C O M M E N C E M E N T 2 0 16 S N A P S H O T S
Well Done! The two Valedictorians and Salutatorian of the Class of 2016 excelled in academic life at St. John’s, and just as important, they each contributed to the spirit of brotherhood that brought this class together. L to r: Salutatorian Michael Terranova will attend the University of Notre Dame; Valedictorian Hengwang Dylan Lyu is bound for Dartmouth College; and Valedictorian Benjamin Fischer is heading to Northeastern University.
Left: Math teacher Jody Meyer, who retired in June after 34 years at St. John’s, led the procession with David Kobrosky ’17. n Right: Deborah Lang couldn’t look more proud of her son, Josh!
Theater arts director Alicia Greenwood is surrounded by talent in this picture! Back row, l to r: Kyle Silva, Joe Straceski, Luke Reinemann, Eliot Powers-Maniscalco, Ms. Greenwood, Chris Fitzpatrick, Frank Straceski, and Sean Burke. Front row: Gavin Liddell, John Myles and Nick Arcari.
College Bound continued
Left: David Rodriguez sports a big smile in the Commencement procession. n Right: We did it! Ethan Collins and Quinlan Byrne before Commencement.
A big contingent gathered to congratulate Anthony Powell at Commencement.
Left: Smiles and hugs all around for Jeff Cowles and his fellow graduates. n Right: Qiyuan Kevin Cheng and Yinglun Chandler Wang traveled many miles from their homes in China to reach graduation day at St. John’s.
University of Massachusetts Amherst University of Massachusetts Lowell Merrimack College Michigan State University University of Michigan Middlebury College University of New Hampshire New York University Northeastern University Norwich University University of Notre Dame Ohio Wesleyan University University of Oklahoma Oregon State University Pennsylvania State University Pepperdine University Plymouth State University Providence College Purdue University Quinnipiac University Regis College University of Rhode Island Rice University University of Richmond Rochester Institute of Technology University of Rochester Roger Williams University Rutgers University, New Brunswick Sacred Heart University Saint Anselm College Saint Louis University Saint Michael’s College Salem State University Santa Clara University Southern New Hampshire University St. Bonaventure University State University of New York at Albany Stonehill College Suffolk University Syracuse University The Ohio State University Trinity College Tufts University Union College United States Military Academy University of Vermont Villanova University Virginia Polytechnic Institute University of Virginia Wake Forest University University of Washington Wentworth Institute of Technology Wesleyan University Wheaton College Wheeling Jesuit University The College of William and Mary Williams College University of Wisconsin Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Left: Ethan Roy’s smile says it all! n Right: It looks like the sky’s the limit for Zach Maccario! C O M M E N C E M E NT & R E U N I O N
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A Family Tradition The Class of 2016 included 26 families for whom attending St. Johns is a tradition that has continued from generation to generation. St. John’s recognizes these families with Legacy Awards during Commencement. Reilly P. Birmingham John L. Birmingham, Jr. ’51* Brian A. Birmingham ’81
Andrew P. Fraser Philip H. Fraser ’52 Christopher M. Fraser ’79
Quinlan C. Byrne Samuel T. Byrne ’83
Dylan P. Goodwin Peter M. Goodwin ’81
James M. Carnevale Jr. James M. Carnevale ’82
Trevor C. Gowdy John H. Flynn ’53
Max F. Conway Francis L. Conway ’58 J. Christopher Conway ’85
John T. Gratiano David A. Gratiano ’82
Spencer A. Danforth James F. Danforth ’72 Brendan A. DeSimone Thomas J. DeSimone ’68 Jonathan M. DeSimone ’88 Connor P. Driscoll Keith J. Driscoll ’84 Matthew H. Everett William H. Crean ’51*
Three generations of the Hennessey family — David ’83, Daniel ’16 and Paul ’52 — received the Legacy Award. They are pictured with Chairman of the Board of Trustees David Ives ’75 and Headmaster Edward Hardiman, Ph.D.
Daniel P. Hennessey Paul L. Hennessey ’52 David P. Hennessey ’83
Dillon F. Preston John W. Preston ’46 John W. Preston ’83
Conor W. King John Lanen ’18*
Benjamin P. Pitman Matthew Fitzpatrick ’17*
Michael J. LaRovere Francis J. LaRovere III ’76
Ethan T. Roy John K. Roy ’87
Thomas M. McGee Thomas M. McGee ’73
Michael J. Salvaggio Joseph A. Salvaggio ’85
Michael P. McNamara Paul E. McNamara ’69
Mitchell J. Shaheen Stephen J. Shaheen ’80
Kyle F. Silva Richard Sullivan ’49* Nicholas C. Speicher Scott J. Speicher ’88 John C. Teague Richard T. Joseph ’52 Crew B. Whittier Bruce V. Whittier ’86
* Deceased
Every year, St. John’s recognizes members of the graduating class for exceptional contributions to the life of the school through their leadership, service and athletics. Pictured are the recipients of the 2016 Loyalty and Service Award, who are flanked by Dr. Hardiman and Dr. Crowley: Joseph Zampitella, Reilly Birmingham, James Carnevale, Benjamin Fischer, Thomas Meal, Liam O’Connell, Jake Rhodes and Michael Terranova. Campus Ministry Award: Peter Griffin and Albert Garbarino. Best Athlete Award: James Carnevale. Paul “Buster” DiVincenzo ’50 Athletic Director’s Award: Jack Lambert, Alexander Miller, Matthew Safford and Jacob Yish. Student Athlete-Award: Joseph Turk. iv
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Sending Them Off in Style! In the days leading up to Commencement, there are many occasions for seniors and their parents to get together to celebrate four wonderful years at St. John’s!
Far left: Hurrah! Kyle King, Chris Bannon and Mike Salvaggio celebrate after their last class! Left: Headmaster Hardiman showed off his little known talent as a sous chef during a special breakfast for seniors and faculty.
Above: Dan Gantt and his date at the Boston Park Plaza for the senior prom. Far left: In a tradition familiar to many Prep graduates, Matthew Everett tugs on the spire bell on the last day of classes for seniors! Left: At the True Blue reception for seniors, their parents and faculty: Ciaran Brandin with his parents, Kathryn and Eric, and social studies teacher Dana Smith.
Right: Dr. Crowley, Principal and Associate Head of School, shakes hands with Liam Cahill as Trevor Camarro and Jay Carnevale wait to have their diplomas signed. Far right: At the Father-Son BBQ: Christopher Noyes, Joel Rothenberg, Sheamus Stapleton, Van McCoole, and Andrew Hefford.
Left: The skies were sunny and blue for the MotherSon Brunch at Danversport Yacht Club. Pictured: Will and Mary Hartnett, Tom and Eileen Meal, and Jack and Kate Sheehan. Right: Jack Teague and his father, Steve, sported matching Hawaiian shorts for the Father-Son BBQ.
1966 + 50 = 2016!
Our newest class of Gold Eagles, the Class of 1966, returned a stalwart group of loyal alumni here to mark their 50th Reunion. They re-kindled old friendships, marveled at changes that have transpired on their old campus, won bragging rights at the annual alumni golf tournament, and enjoyed every minute of their weekend!
For the third straight year, St. John’s Prep celebrated reunions during Commencement weekend, and once again it proved to be a meaningful three days of coming together and re-connecting for everyone who made it back! This was a reunion year for all classes ending in 1 and 6, and with their presence, returning alumni certainly gave the graduating Class of 2016 an example of what it means to be Prep brothers for the rest of their lives! We actually had eight members of the Class of 1951 here, celebrating their 65th reunion this year!
L to r, row 1: Pat Riley, Pierre Cousineau, Skip Hawkes, Rick DeAngelis, John Benecchi and Mike Egan. Row 2: Philip Falkowski, David Cloud, Robert R. Perron, Jim Maguire and Peter Xeller. Row 3: Mike Kelleher, Robert Girard, John Tuohy and John Serafini.
Right: Gold Eagles from the Class of 1966 in the Commencement procession included (back to front, left to right): David Cloud, John Benecchi, Pat Riley, Robert R. Perron, Rick DeAngelis (saying hello to Athletic Director Jim O’Leary), Pierre Cousineau, John Serafini, Mike Egan, John Tuohy and Mike Kelleher.
Left: This group of 1966 Gold Eagles shared a few laughs before the Commencement procession got under way: Mike Egan, Jim Maguire, Philip Falkowski, David Cloud, Robert R. Perron and John Benecchi.
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Left: Instant flashbacks and trips down Memory Lane greeted the Class of ’66 at the Friday night cocktail party on the patio of the new Brother Edward (Ephrem) Keefe, C.F.X. Academic Center. Brother Arcadius, C.F.X. assembled this display in honor of the 50th Reunion. n Below, a class of ’66 baseball team mini-reunion with Rick DeAngelis, Mike Egan and Greg Miller, prior to Saturday night’s class dinner in Milano Dining Room.
Above: L to r, row 1: David Cloud, Mike Egan, Rick DeAngelis, John Serafini, Skip Hawkes, Pierre Cousineau and Peter Xeller. Row 2: Robert R. Perron, Mike Murphy, John Nash, Robert Girard, John Benecchi and Jim Maguire. Row 3: Greg Miller, Pat Riley and Philip Falkowski. n Left, above: John Serafini and Pierre Cousineau wait to join the procession of graduating seniors on their way to the Commencement tent! n Left, below: Pat Riley ’66 with his son, Chris ’05, at the Saturday family barbecue during reunion weekend.
Left: Classmates Mike Kelleher, Peter Xeller and Reunion Chairman John Benecchi sharing memories at Friday’s cocktail party. n Center: ’66-ers Rick DeAngelis and Peter Xeller on hand at Saturday’s Distinguished Alumnus Award reception in honor of Mike Kennealy ’86. n Right: SJP Chairman of the Board of Trustees David Ives ’75 chatting with Mark Weinburg ’66 and Skip Hawkes ’66 at the 50th Reunion cocktail party on campus Friday night.
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The Class of 1991 Celebrates! The 25th Reunion Class of 1991 had plenty of opportunities to catch up with one another during reunion events, which included golf, the Prep Reunion Party, and a social at Fibber McGee’s Bar and Grill in Beverly, hosted by owner and classmate Craig DeOrio. The class had a great turn out and a lot of fun! Right: Enjoying lunch after a day of golf at Far Corner: Toby Michaud, Marty Burke (hiding from the camera, but very much present), Jason Hyde, Hank Lucas, J.P. Ranalli, Dennis Droggitis, Rob Parks, Ken Hannan, Erin Sullivan and Andrew Novelline ’93.
Left: Sandy Parks, Rob Parks, Dennis Droggitis, Seana Droggitis, Elissa Lucas, Hank Lucas, Ken Hannan and Anne Hannan.
Right: Erin Sullivan, Robin Sullivan, Jason Hyde, Kelly Hyde, Andy McCarthy, Melissa Burke, Marty Burke, Laurellyn Ciavardone and Joe Ciavardone.
Toby Michaud, Marty Burke, Jason Hyde and Erin Sullivan at Far Corner Golf Course.
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Classmates Jason Swartz and Khain Taing.
John Levesque, Greg Fanikos and John Pumphrey.
Mike Kennealy with his family — daughter Gabriella; Mike’s mother, Terese Kennealy; sons Rory and Conor; and his wife, Trisha Perez Kennealy.
2 0 16 D I S T I N G U I S H E D A L U M N U S
A Balanced Life Business strategist, investor and public servant, Mike Kennealy ’86 has done many things in his successful career, but the role he’s most proud of is being a parent. Family first is the focus of Mike’s life, with hard work and service to others a close second. The father of three — Gabriella, Conor and Rory — Mike has coached more than 30 of their teams, and when he travels, he always opts for the latest flight out and earliest flight back so that he can be home for the “kid time” he and his wife, Trisha, value so highly. After undergraduate school at Dartmouth and an MBA from the Harvard Business School, Mike spent much of his career in private equity. More recently, he has focused on public service, first by joining the team tasked with turning around Lawrence Public Schools, and in 2015, by joining Governor Charlie Baker’s administration. As Assistant Secretary for Business Growth in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mike is charged with advancing the administration’s strategy for job creation and business development. After seven years on the Board of Trustees at St. John’s, and now as vice chair, Mike has given significant time and talent to ensure that St. John’s is able to meet the financial, educational, physical and spiritual needs of students and their families. Mike spent a day on campus in May as part of the Distinguished Alumnus program. He spoke to students about how the campus has changed, and he shared lessons he learned since his graduation from St. John’s. “I hope the seniors take away the Prep’s strong sense of mission, as well as the inspiration to work hard, serve others, to have a plan, and find mentors among the Prep alumni who will help them along their journey.“ Life is a balance of family, career and community for Mike. It’s a philosophy that has guided him through his life. St. John’s is proud to call him our 2016 Distinguished Alumnus.
Distinguished Alumnus 2016 recipient Mike Kennealy ’86 with Headmaster Hardiman.
“When we do and be our best, we can do the most to help others. This award recognizes all of the Prep graduates across the world who are making a difference. That’s what we do — we connect, we commit, we lead, we serve.” — Mike Kennealy ’86
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Reunion Weekend Events Right: Members of the Class of 1986 gather with classmate and Distinguished Alumnus Mike Kennealy ’86: Mike Westlund, Tim Sullivan, Karl Smith, John Malone, Scott Weissman, Mike Kennealy, Tom Treacy, Sam Ciruolo, Gerry Donovan, Andrew Dembosky and Mike Pucci.
Far left: Classmates from 2006 — Trevor O’Brien, Rick Sawyer, Josh Peary and Rich McNeil. Left: Right: Jason Hyde ’91 and Robin Hyde. Below: The Class of 2006 gathers under the Commencement tent for the Prep Reunion Party.
Far left: Classmates from 1986 — Chris McCarthy, John Malone, and Mike Galvin. Left: Joan and Don Cavett with Frank and Anne Griffin from the Class of 1951. Right: Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Matt Sullivan is surrounded by fellow 2006 classmates: Rich McNeil, Jason Clucas, Matt Sullivan, Reid Auger, Peter O’Toole, Devin Barry and Andrew Frates. Far right: Don Cavett ’51 concludes the Athletic Hall of Fame with a rendition of the SJP Alma Mater on the bagpipes.
Far left: Once again, the North Shore String Quartet provided the soundtrack for Friday night’s Prep Reunion Party. The group includes Middle School music teacher Diane Cline, John Schnelle ’02, Joseph Simcox and music teacher Michael Hamill. Left: Jacob Opolski finds his dad, Chris ’86, in the 1986 Spire as his mom, Alexis, looks on.
Above: From the Class of 1976, front row: Chris Manzi, Colleen McGee Kavanaugh, Ed Bullock, Jim Sarni, Matt Slaven, Phil Richard, Tom Civiello; back row: John Frates, Tom Timmons, Dennis Flynn, George Suslak, Peter Torkildsen, Mike Brown, Kevin Kiely and Ted Huemmler.
Right, above: Paul McGinley ’56 with the two Ted Mannings — Ted ’75 and his father, Ted ’51. Right, below: Bob Hogan and Bob Attridge from the Class of 1971.
Far left: Tim Whelan ’96 and his son, Brooks. Left: The winning group at the alumni golf outing came from the 50th reunion Class of 1966: John Benecchi, Mike Egan and Bob Girard. Below: Classmates from 2006 — Steve Rowen, Matt Sullivan and Reid Auger.
ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
2016 Athletic Hall of Fame St. John’s inducted 12 alumni athletes and two coaches into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 21 during a ceremony that took place as part of Reunion Weekend. Crystal Eagle Awards were presented to Ann Edgerton and Larry O’Neill for their years of dedication to Prep athletics. Ann Jonathan Goff ’03 with wife Edgerton worked with Fred Glatz and Jim Hillary and children Adrianne (8) O’Leary in the Athletic Department for a and Genevieve (9 months) total of 24 years before retiring in 2015. Larry O’Neill, who is chairman and a founding member of the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee, retired as Head Golf Coach at the Prep this year after serving the school for 50 years as a teacher, administrator and coach.
Left: Athletic Director Jim O’Leary, Ann Edgerton, and Headmaster Ed Hardiman Right: Larry and Maureen O’Neill accepting the Crystal Eagle award.
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Pictured above, left to right: Michael Murray ’74 who accepted the award on behalf of his son, Timothy M. Murray ’05 – Soccer Coach John J. Zimini – Hockey Matthew R. Sullivan ’06 – Football, Track, Baseball Jonathan T. Goff ’03 – Football, Basketball, Track Paul Allen Roberts ’01 – Tennis Jake A. Marsello ’01 – Football, Basketball, Baseball Kenneth S. Hannan ’91 – Soccer Brock Romano ’82 – Football, Baseball Jason R. Hyland ’01 – Football, Baseball Michael J. Pedro MD ’02 – Wrestling John W. Gillespie ’03 – Track Barry M. Kolano ’80 – Track Matthew K. Roy ’95 – Basketball, Lacrosse Coach John Boyle – Track
ALUMNI
Reunion Committee Tool Kit Milestone five-year reunions provide an exciting opportunity to reconnect with old friends, visit the ever-changing and vibrant campus of your Alma Mater, and make a meaningful impact on your class as a member of your reunion committee. The Alumni Relations Office is recruiting committee leadership from upcoming reunion classes ending in 2 and 7 to help classmates prepare for these celebrations, which will take place in May 2017!
What’s the secret to a successful Prep reunion? Reunions involve a committee of class volunteers that organizes activities and encourages reunion attendance. To help these volunteers, the Alumni Relations Office has prepared a comprehensive reunion planning toolkit. Use it to help organize your reunion committee, spread the word, and plan events that will wow your classmates.
Contact the Alumni Relations Office. These tools are not a substitute for communication between class volunteers and the Prep’s Alumni Relations Office. We are ready, willing, and able to help! Be sure to contact us at 978.774.6727 or visit www.stjohnsprep.org/reunion to express your interest in getting involved.
Recruit Classmates for the Committee. An active reunion committee is key to a successful reunion. The more members you have, the easier it will be to invite classmates and reach your reunion attendance goals. Above all, the more committee members you have, the more fun you’ll have planning with your classmates! You’ll find an outline of committee expectations by visiting www.stjohnsprep.org/reunion.
Attend the Reunion Committee Kick-Off Meeting. Once committees have been organized, a kick-off meeting will take place on the Prep campus. Committee members will hear from Headmaster Ed Hardiman with an inside look at what is happening at the Prep. This meeting also gives committees an opportunity to meet the whole alumni relations team, and develop a reunion timeline to help keep them on track.
Develop a Communication Strategy. For many classmates, reunion maybe the first time they have been back to the Prep campus in the last five years. The committee can help reengage classmates by updating the contact information on record in the Alumni Relations Office. Accurate information and ongoing communication
keeps your class up to date on reunion events. Informed classmates are more likely to attend your reunion!
Have Fun! Joining your class’s reunion leadership can be a rewarding and memorable experience. Many committee members go on to join other leadership opportunities following reunion. They enjoy reconnecting with classmates in an effort to raise support for a place that means so much to them!
Make your Prep reunion as successful as it can be by taking an active role and insuring a great turnout for your class! Get in touch with the Alumni Relations Office at 978.774.6727 or visit www.stjohnsprep.org/reunion.
Save the Date for Reunion Weekend: May 19-21, 2017 Tenth Reunion Committee for the Class of 2016 did a great job rallying their classmates for a great reunion during Commencement weekend this year. Kudos to Chris Koen, Andrew Frates, Chris McNamara and Cullen Donohoe.
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ALUMNI
Alumni hold an integral place in our campus community.
Current students look up to alumni, impressed with their life accomplishments and eager to learn from Eagles who came before them. Through mentorship programs such as the College Age Career Workshop, our new Speaker’s Bureau, and the St. Francis Xavier Mentorship Breakfast and Panel, alumni and students are connecting and creating meaningful relationships. Read on for examples of the ways alumni are helping current students develop into the leaders of tomorrow and enhancing the power of the Prep network!
Left to right: Jon Meehan ’99, Chris Locke ’01, Tim McAuliffe ’07, Joe Boghos ’05, Matt Sullivan ’06, Nick Paolini ’11.
ALUMNI MENTORSHIP “Eat a nice big piece of humble pie after college.” A panel of alumni came back to campus this spring to participate in a discussion with St. Francis Xavier Scholars about life after St. John’s. Representing a mix of class years and occupations, the panelists were able to share experiences, knowledge and valuable advice. More important, these alumni took on the role of mentor, letting the students in on their successes, challenges and what they would have done differently if they had the chance. Here are some of the key takeaways they shared with students. Establish a strong work ethic. Be willing to start at the bottom and take the steps necessary to succeed. It’s how you will get noticed!
Life will pivot in many directions. Be able to adapt and learn from life’s obstacles.
Be Passionate. Pursue a path you feel passionately about. Aim for a satisfying career you will love waking up to every day!
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Be Proactive. Seek out opportunities, role models and mentors; they will not come to you. Take advantage of the resources around you.
Build a Network. Start with the SJP network. The more connections you make, the more opportunities will arise.
ALUMNI
We’re Launching an Alumni Speakers Bureau at St. John’s!
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ave you ever wanted to come back to class and share your expertise with students? Prep alumni will now have a formal opportunity to give back to current St. John’s students through the newly established Alumni Speakers Bureau. We hope that alumni from a diverse group of fields will be interested and willing to share their academic, professional and life experiences with students throughout the school year. Through this collaboration between faculty and the Alumni Relations Office, alumni speakers will have an immediate impact on the personal and academic experience of Prep students.
Join the Bureau!
If you would like to join the Alumni Speakers Bureau, go to www.stjohnsprep.org/speakersbureau. The Alumni Relations Office will add your name to a resource list for faculty and staff to use when looking for guest speakers. The Alumni Relations Office hopes to expand this program as a resource for alumni and parent events.
U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant Jared Kaminski ’08 spoke to members of the Aviation Club. Brother Tim Paul, C.F.X. said it was a great opportunity for students to talk with a young alumnus about his career path.
IN AC TION! Playing it Forward
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oley Rybicki ’78 and Joe Cannatelli ’78 share the same graduation year, and they also share a love of music and giving back to the Prep. At the Headmaster’s Reception several years ago, Headmaster Hardiman introduced Coley to music teacher Seelan Manickam, and the two created a field trip for students to visit the West Newbury School of Music/On the Fringe Studios, which is owned by Joe. Coley thought students could gain realworld experience about the music industry by visiting a professional recording studio. When Coley approached Joe about inviting students to his studio, Joe not only agreed, but offered up the studio’s services and resources. “Joe generously took the idea of hosting students one step further,” Coley says. “He suggested that students make their own recording so that they could have the experience of recording in a professional environment, complete with a CD of their performance.” Matt Everett ’16, one of the students who went on the trip this past fall, explains what he learned. “That day has really affected how I see careers in music. After spending time in the studio, I realized that music technology and recording was just as important as the actual musicians playing the music. It opened my eyes to the wide range of talents and skills required to create the music you hear on a CD or the radio.” Coley, Joe, and Seelan have been running this program for four years now with 15 to 20 students making the trip to West Newbury every year. Coley says the experience has been rewarding for both the students and the two alumni. “This has been a great way to give back to the Prep community, and it has been a very rewarding experience to see the genuine excitement in the students eyes as we make our way to Joe’s facility. To see them interact with us and experience something they can’t necessarily do in the classroom is priceless.” Coley, Joe, and Seelan are “playing it forward” by creating this program for music students at St. John’s today.
Prep students pictured on a fall 2014 visit to On the Fringe Studios in West Newbury, back row: Ben Cormier ’15, David Yepez ’16, Sean Burke ’16, Duffy Byrne ’14, Coley Rybicki ’78, Joe Cannatelli ’78, two On the Fringe Studio staffers, Colin Fahey ’14, Zach Rowell ’15 and Ryan Celli ’15. Front row: Joshua Libello ’16, Matt Yesair ’14, Peter Mahoney ’15, Robert Murphy, Nick Arcari ’16, and Richard O’Neil ’15 and Prep music teacher Seelan Manickam. Laying: Ian Halpin ’17.
“To see them interact with us and experience something they can’t necessarily do in the classroom is priceless.” — Coley Rybicki ’78
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Gala
TRADITIONS & TRANSFORMATION
The Prep campus sparkled under the late evening sky as guests gathered for the Traditions and Transformation Gala on April 9. More than 550 alumni, parents, faculty and friends came together to celebrate St. John’s and recognize distinguished members of the Prep community, a group that included the DeSimone Family, Dianne and Ray Carey ’67, and Susan and Tom Riley ’75. The theme of traditions and transformation highlighted the rich history that connects so many people to St. John’s, and the new and exciting initiatives that energize the Prep today. Tom DeSimone ’68 captured the sentiment most powerfully when he said, “Tonight is all about traditions and transformation, but you can’t have either without a solid foundation. The Prep can’t transform boys into young men unless it can transform itself over time to meet the changes that have occurred in boys over many years.”
Honorees
Above, left: Dianne and Ray Carey ’67 P’91 ’92 share a passion for social justice and embody the Prep’s mission of educating young men to live lives of service to society. Above, right: The DeSimone Family, over a span of generations, share a reverence for faith and a commitment to servant leadership. Right: Susan and Tom Riley ’75 P’02 have dedicated their personal and professional lives to strengthening community, including at St. John’s. Left: Bergen and Michael Daley P’22, Shelia and John Laffy ’84 P’22, Zoe and Mike Fogarty ’86 P’20 ’22, Tammy and Jason Desrochers P’22, Meg and Kevin Richardson ’86. Below, left: Kathie and Brian Flatley ’62 P’94 with friend Myrna Fearer P’84. Below, right: Pamela Burch and David Ives ’75, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
A D VA N C E M E N T
Above, left: Brother Robert Green, C.F.X. and Brother David Mahoney ’66. Center left: Faculty member Wendy Larivee with her husband, John ’68, honor their dear friends the DeSimone Family. Center right: Gala Co-Chairs Lia Lombara P’17 and Beezee Honan P’18. Right: Beth and Paul Hendriks P’18, Mary and Richard Jennings P’18 and Cyndi and Bill Collins P’18 ’19 are all smiles leaving a wonderful night.
Thank you to our leadership sponsors for their support! Spire Circle Windover Construction
Honoree Circle EduBoston Above, left: Bro. Tim Paul, John Boyle P’93, Ray Carey ’67 P’91’92, Rob O’Brien ’04, Steve Flanagan P’10, Zach Lankow ’07. Center: Shelagh Mahoney P’15 ’18 with son Leo. Right: George Delaney ’88 P’22 catch up with Karen and Mike Panos ’89.
Above, left: Joe and Ursula Whitney, flanking their sons, John ’08 and Sam ’06. Right: Parents Laura and Kyle Barnard P’19 ’22 and Laura and Steven Majeski P’19.
Above, left: Glenn and Maureen ’71 Chesley with Kevin ’71 and Deb Tierney. Center: Andrea Miller P’19 with Marianne Kane P’20. Right: Donna and Elliot Katzman P’01 ’05, Deb and Bernie Caniff ’72 P’98 ’00, Mary and Mike Shanahan P’03 ’03. Below: Looking snazzy in their tuxedos, students were on hand to help guests at the gala! Back row: Billy Carbone ’18, Dan Taylor ’18, Jay Carnevale ’16, Matt O’Leary ’17, Reilly Birmingham ’16, Brian Purisky ’16, Cole Hinchey ’17, Chris Jennings ’18, Luke Hendriks ’18. Front row: P.J. Lombara ’17, Peter Lowrie ’18, Justin Janice’17, Jon Bowers ’18, Tom Meal ’16, Andrew Coutu ’18, Ben Brophey ’16, Evan Cavanaugh ’18.
Trustee Circle Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Debbie and Bernie Caniff ’72 P’98 ’00 Leslie and Matt Cushing ’88 Eastern Bank Sharon and Dennis Hanson P’05 ’07 Donna and Elliot Katzman P’01 ’05 Shelagh Mahoney and Joseph McNamee P’15 ’18 Heidi and John O’Connor P’20 The People’s United Community Foundation of Eastern Massachusetts The Shanahan Family
Community Circle The Brosnan Family Linda and John Carnevale ’81 P’07 Lynette and Jim Cavanaugh P’18 Robyn and Christopher Davis ’79 P’14 Midge and Tom DeSimone ’68 P’88 Vicki and Jonathan DeSimone ’88 P’16 ’18 Amy and Tim Dittrich P’06 ’09 Pamela Burch and David Ives ’75 P’07 Karla and Jeff Kaneb ’82 P’14 Karen and Carmen Monks ’83 North Shore Bank Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP Susan and Tom Riley ’75 P’02 Salem Five Charitable Foundation TriStar Worldwide
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’49
John Collins received special recognition on April 21 by Bishop Robert McManus of the Worcester diocese for his many years of Thomas Merton scholarship and service to the International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS). In June of 2015 John received “The Louie”, the highest award given by ITMS for his Thomas scholarship and service. Louis was Thomas Merton’s ordination name.
’51
Paul (Pablo) Murphy tells us that the Cape lunch group still meets monthly. It consists of Jack Kennally, Bill Nolan ’50, Dr. Phil J Sullivan ’50, John MacGreenery ’50 and Pablo. He says that they would welcome any “Prepsters” to join them. He keeps busy as a tax preparer and volunteer bookkeeper for Homeless not Hopeless in Hyannis (homelessnothopeless.org).
’54
Thomas Kwei feels very fortunate that he can still enjoy what he likes to do. He spends his time visiting grandkids, family and friends; skiing (most recently at Aspen); going to the Metropolitan Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra; practicing his photography hobby; and traveling, volunteering and more.
’59
Austin Ford and his wife, Helen, did their usual winter escape to Costa Rica again this year to their muchloved Playa Flamingo area. Helen continues to run wellness clinics for Sutter Health in this area. The Fords live in Fiddletown, California. Austin is the incoming president of the Plymouth-Foothills Rotary Club this year. He ran the Rotary-sponsored Plymouth Farmers Market for the last three years. In late April they participated in the American Historic Truck Association’s regional gathering at the Amador County Fairgrounds, where they fired up a steam powered sawmill. The annual Kit Carson Mountain Men Wagon Train began its reenactment at the fairgrounds, featuring real wagons; real people, real horses, mules, oxen, dogs and cats. Austin did some pickin’ and singin’ of cowboy songs at their campfire Saturday night.
’60
Jim Fleming was re-elected to the Salem School Committee in November. Jim begins his fourth four-year term on the committee and currently is its longest-serving member.
’61
Kevin McPartland departed on Saturday, April 23, to hike the El Camino, Spain’s medieval pilgrimage trail that runs through the Pyrenees and ends at Santiago, allegedly where St. James is buried. He says, “YouTube is replete with video clips of the 500-mile walk and a movie, “The Way,” with Martin Sheen and his son, Emilio Estevez, highlights the trail and its history. Say a prayer for this old “peregrino” that he doesn’t trip!” Kevin makes his home in Williamsburg, Virginia. He sends his best to his classmates and to those still upholding the traditions of the Prep.
Dr. David Monahan ’62 during his humanitarian mission to Haiti.
28 volunteers. They saw 1,400 patients in five days. Dave treated a 15-year-old with Zika virus. He says he initially thought it was a viral hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, but that Dr. Bursch, who speaks Creole, learned that there had been an outbreak of Zika including microcephaly. With treatment, the boy’s two-week headache, fever and bright red eyes cleared in 48 hours. David and his wife, Sally, will be going back next March. He says, “Such trips to Haiti make one really grateful for what we have in the U.S.A.” David Porper is the music director at St. Mary’s of the Annunciation Church in Danvers. Joining him in the church’s music presentation for the Sacred Triduum were SJP faculty members Jody Meyer and Leslie Tremblay. The pastor is Father Michael Doyle ’77. David was the organist for the resident choir while a student at the Prep and is still at it!
Tom Kwei ’54 skiing at Vail.
’56
Paul M. Wood and St. John’s Prep religious studies teacher Sean Sennott are proud to form an All-SJP lector team at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Parish in Hampton, New Hampshire. William Lynn sends greetings from Bozeman, Montana. He reports, “Since graduation in 1956, I have attended Boston College and graduated from Denver University in 1966, after serving in the US Army Security Agency in Bad Aibling and West Berlin, Germany. My major at Denver University was hotel management. I spent two years as assistant manager of the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney, Australia, and three years as general manager of the Ocean Windows Villas in Del Mar, California (near San Diego). I recently retired from the US Census Bureau, where I worked as a field representative in Gallatin County, Montana. I am married and have 8 children.”
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Organist David Porper ’62.
’64 Class of ’61 friends recently shared dinner together at EVO’s in Jupiter, Florida. Pictured are Carol-Ann and Tony Vorias, Chris and George O’Hara, and Carol and Tony Albiani.
’62
David Monahan took his extensive experience with medical care for developing communities to Haiti last winter with an NGO called the Community Health Initiative, based in Iowa. He went with Dr. Chris Bursch who has been to Haiti 50 times in the past 14 years. The group, which goes five times a year, took six doctors and
Ken Lavoie recently earned his Sport Pilot certificate at Centennial Airport outside Denver, Colorado. Ken and wife, Sue, have been living in Littleton for ten years. After graduating from Merrimack College, his 35 years with the Defense Department took them from Rock Island, Illinois, to the University of Iowa, where he earned his master’s degree in statistics and on to posts at Eglin AFB in Florida, Ramstein AB in Germany, Maxwell AFB in Alabama and The Joint Staff in Washington D.C. David W. Johnson received his Ph.D. in English literature and criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in December.
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’65
Newly certified pilot Ken Lavoie ’64.
Classmate Gerry Priesing reminded him that his interest in the Transcendentalists began in class with Brother Sulpicius. Martin Balboni tells us, “As a retired teacher from Chicopee Comprehensive High School, I have been keeping busy with some projects I now have time to pursue. Although my seven grandchildren keep me very occupied I have been able to find time to restore two antique autos, (a 1967 Dodge Coronet RT, and a 1969 Dodge Dart GT — both convertibles), and have written a book entitled, ‘The Opera on King Street.’ It is an autobiographical rendering of growing up in the Italian community of North Agawam, Mass. I sought to capture the social and cultural ethos of the community, as well as the process of integration into American culture. My four years at the Prep helped in forming my perspectives of the era. Following a positive local response to the book, it is being re-edited with plans to republish in 2016.” Harvey Bernier tells us that he was sorry to hear of the passing of Brother Keefe. He says, “He was a good friend. I used to go down to the Prep to visit with him every few months. He will be greatly missed. He was also my Spanish teacher at the Prep and taught me many life skills in addition to language skills that have come in very handy where I live in Mexico for six months out of the year. My wife, Karen, and I live in a place called Lake Chapala which is up in the mountains and reputed to have the best climate in the world. There is quite a diversity of people here and the area is very enjoyable. Karen is involved heavily in a spay and neuter clinic and I am involved in the building of a new maternity clinic at a community center located in the indigenous section of our community. We are always looking for people who may want to come down with expertise in these areas to help out. I am in contact with many Rotary clubs in the United States and Canada that have been and continue to be extremely helpful. In addition I am still involved in the insurance business in Rochester, N.H., but my daughter and son-in-law are involved in the day-to-day operations.”
Kevin Kelley is completing his thirtieth year as a professor at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He teaches strategic leadership. In June of 2015, he gave a lecture at the Norwegian Defense College in Oslo, Norway, on the topic of toxic leadership in the U.S. military. He gave a similar presentation to the International Crisis and Risk Communication conference at the University of Central Florida in early March 2016. He again taught a session on international security issues to several St. John’s Prep senior classes in April along with Ambassador John Cloud ’71. Kevin and his wife of 47 years, Susan, traveled to China for a two-week trip in May.
’67
Kevin Brennan has been running KJ Brennan Custom Finishing in western Massachusetts for 45 years and has been a part of many high-profile projects including banks, boutique hotels, monasteries, synagogues and the restoration of Boston Symphony’s summer home at Tanglewood in Lenox. He and his wife, Joanne, are the proud grandparents of Ashton (6) and Ava (2 ½). Their son, Kevin, has become a very accomplished fine furniture restorer as well as partnering with his dad in business. He sends his best wishes to the class of ’67.
’68
Jim Murray tells us, “After appearing in the hit NBC show “The Island with Bear Grylls” in 2015, I have signed a contract for a new TV series that will start filming in late spring 2016. The details of the new series are still secret but it will be based on a criminal investigation concept that will examine famous murders and suicides. I am looking forward to the new show where I will have the chance to highlight my skills learned during a 35-year law enforcement career. The Island was a unique learning experience that I will never forget. Spending 28 days on a deserted Island, located in the Pearl Islands of Panama, with nothing to eat or drink unless it could be found, was a life-altering experience. I can tell you there was almost nothing to eat, and the rancid water that could be found was not fit for human consumption. Temperatures during the day hit 104 degrees most days and the bugs were eating us alive. I lost 37 pounds and it took me 2 months to recover from the ordeal. But it made me mentally strong and tested my physical endurance. On day 13, I was burned severely when the water canister I was using to try to boil our water supply exploded in my face. I knew I faced the chance of infection, but nothing was going to make me tap out and be taken off the Island. I think my years as a student at the Prep really help me dig deep inside myself to make it no matter what.
Jim Murray ’68 with TV’s Bear Grylls.
Of the ten original cast members selected to star in the production, only five made it the entire time on the Island. We also had four professional camera operators that lived the experience with us. I was proud of the fact I was 23 years older then the next oldest successful cast member and walked off the Island and into the rescue boat with Bear and my fellow cast members. It was a thrill to meet and work with Bear Grylls who is known worldwide for his ability to survive anything. Hope all my former classmates and the entire Prep community, will stay tuned for the new show!” John Callahan tells us that his son, Jon, and his wife, Lauren, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Summer, on Valentine’s Day. John is working part time for Home Depot while enjoying his retirement in Escondito, California. He visited with Jon and family at their home in Swansea, Mass., in May.
’69
Jon Malay is celebrating his second year anniversary of his second retirement. After two decades as a Navy oceanographer/meteorologist, he spent another 21 years in the aerospace industry, retiring from Lockheed Martin’s Washington Office as “the NASA and NOAA guy.” Now, he’s going back to sea
Sharon and Jon Malay ’69 shown flanking the Captain of the Motor Sailing Yacht WIND SURF
as a cruise ship lecturer in earth and space science and just completed his 5th “working” cruise — and looking forward to many more. Peter Healey and his wife, Ai Choo, traveled to Southeast Asia for six weeks earlier in the year. They attended a family wedding in Singapore, visited the Angkor Wat and its sister temples in Cambodia, and finished in Bali. Peter says the sights, sounds and smells were special ST. JO H N’S PR E P TO DAY
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and that they avoided the Monsoon. They got back in time for the US Rugby 7s in Las Vegas where the US made the final round and the Fijians overcame South Africans in a dominating finish. They found Las Vegas to be very family friendly, new and upbeat. Peter just finished a fishing trip to the Texas coast with some old football buddies from Bowdoin. He says, “The fish were very cooperative in both size and quantity and we had perfect weather. I plan to be in the Boston area for my 40th graduate school reunion at the end of May. Getting old!” The Healeys live in Austin, Texas.
’70
David Brady writes, “Greetings from Southern New Jersey! After 31-years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, I have retired. The bank gave me a great retirement party and my family and friends contributed to a gift of a European vacation that my wife, Lisa, and I will be taking this coming July. Lisa, daughter Katie, her fiancé, Patrick and I promptly went to Stowe, Vermont, to celebrate with a ski vacation. There was a warm-up, so we went snow-shoeing instead of skiing on our last day. I will be doing a lot of painting — like Norm from Cheers — not like Van Gogh. My entire house has to be repainted and the wooden floors refinished. That task should keep me busy for the next year or so. I am also active with the St. Vincent DePaul Society and I am an usher at the 10 am Mass on Sundays. I won the lottery to run in this year’s Philadelphia Broad Street Run. So many people want to run the 10-mile course that you have to enter a lottery to be eligible. The race is on May 1, I hope I can finish before they close the course!” Jim Siegel reports the formation of the Spiritual Care Association (SCA), the new international professional association of health care professionals (chaplains, nurses, social workers, physicians, volunteers and others); clergy who serve local churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.; and organizations. SCA is making spiritual care a priority so that more people in pain — regardless of religion or beliefs — get the spiritual care they deserve. SCA is modernizing, standardizing, and promoting the field. It applies the first objective, evidence-based standards similar to other health care disciplines to spiritual care training, credentialing and delivery and recognizes that effective spiritual care requires the entire interdisciplinary health care team. SCA is an affiliate of the 55-year old non-profit HealthCare Chaplaincy Network (HCCN). Jim continues as executive vice president for marketing & communications at HCCN and assumes that title also for SCA. If you’d like to know more, the websites are www.healthcarechaplaincy.org and www.SpiritualCareAssocation.org.
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’71
Charlie McShane tells us, “After many career-related moves, Sherry and I landed at River Edge Golf Club & Plantation in Shallotte, NC for the “final” move in our control at a house we built on property we purchased in 2003. We are on the sixth fairway of an Arnold Palmerdesigned golf course. I now work for a new company called ReSource Pro based in Manhattan on Avenue of the Americas. Fortunately I can work from our home but do travel a lot including a trip to China coming up. I plan to play more golf but have a long road to consistently be south of 100! I am working on it.” Charlie was looking forward to the 45th class reunion in May with hoped to see many of his ’71 classmates at the warm-up to their Golden Reunion in 2021. He now has two McShane nephews at the Prep.
’72
Kent Foster, his wife, Suzanne, and their two younger kids left the San Francisco Bay Area in June to live in Redmond, Washington, outside of Seattle. He joined a tech and civic engagement team at Microsoft as the academic relations lead. Kent’s immediate family includes three grown children and four grandchildren living in New York and Alaska.
’73
Don Daly and his wife, Rachel, celebrated their sixth anniversary in May. In the same year of his marriage, he had to retire due to a disability. Since then he has been busy re-editing his two cookbooks “Recipes from a Seventeenth Century Kitchen” and “Recipes from an Eighteenth Century Kitchen.” He has also been adding to his collection of about 400 cookbooks. During the past year he has been co-authoring a book with K. David Goss, professor of history at Gordon College on the Loring family of Boston and Prides Crossing. The portion of the family that they are writing about was prominent for their advocacy of women’s education, the American Red Cross, and anti-tuberculosis hospitals. Katherine Loring was the prime mover in the creation of the Beverly Historical Society and Beverly Public Library. The brothers were well-known lawyers, William being appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. Augustus wrote the definitive book on trusts which is still used today. Don has been asked to help research documents relating to witch trials in Massachusetts for an anthology on the subject. He says, “After a long time away from historical research, I am enjoying it once again, and have plans for some future books. Outside of that, I spend time fishing, puttering around the garden, and trying to figure out with my wife what to do with our inherited house known as ‘Pandora’s Box’.” Mark Beauchesne has completed his 26th year as a parole officer for the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has been working at the Berkshire House of Corrections in Pittsfield since 1997. In 2015, he returned from the Army after serving 11 years on active duty and 10 years in the Army Reserve. In 2005, he volunteered to be recalled to active duty to go to Iraq, but was stationed in Fort Rucker, AL, commanding a detachment of soldiers being medically discharged from the Army for a year. His wife, June, works as a subcontractor processing contributions to the Smithsonian Museum. His son, Alexander, graduated summa cum laude from Champlain College in 2015 with a degree in game programming. He now works in Madison, Wisconsin, for Filament Games Company as a programming engineer. His daughter, Natasha, starts as a freshman at Lemoyne College in Syracuse, NY, in August. He says, “I wish all my fellow alumni from the class of ’73 well. I still have many fond memories of our four years together.”
’74
Joe Baillie and his wife, Nancy, are immensely enjoying the experience of first time grand-parenting. Twins girls Harper Landon and Peyton Baillie Sedwick turned one in February. About being a grandfather, Joe simply says: “Best. Job. Ever.”
’75
The class of ’75 was doubly honored by the Prep this year. Brian O’Leary and his wife, Liz McCarthy, were recognized with the “No One Walks Alone” award in January. Brian and Liz’s three children (Frank, Anne and Charles) attended the dinner, which was also attended by several members of the class: Brian Schultz, accompanied by his wife, Joyce DeSanctis, Ron Starr, John Murtagh, John Herzog and Paul Snell. David Ives was unable to attend but sent a congratulatory video message. Sue and Tom Riley were honored at the Gala in April for their devoted work on behalf of the Prep. Their daughters Katlyn and Bethany and son Jameson ’02 were all there to celebrate with him along with some ’75 classmates.
’76
Jo-Anne Bachorowski is an associate professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University. She is also director of the honors program and director of undergraduate studies in psychology. She recently lived on campus as “faculty head of house” to 120 freshmen. So yes, for four years, she lived with 120 18-year-olds (think about it!). She misses New England tremendously, but is quite content living in Nashville with her two Portuguese water dogs. Lon Blais has recently written and staged an autobiographical one-man show, “The Boy on the Bureau.” He is now booking a year-long tour around the country starting in the fall of 2016. St. John’s figures into the story prominently.
CL ASS NOTES Members of the ’79 team gathered for an informal reunion in December to attend a Bruins game and share dinner and cocktails at the TD Garden. They hope that the next time they can get the entire team together. Shown are: (1st row) Mark Wysocki ’79, John Turner ’79, Coach Joe Yanetti, Coach Eddie Rossi, Kyle Woodman ’80. (2nd row) Scott Feenan ’80, Jeff Perkins ’79, Rich Anzuoni ’79, Kevin MacKenna ’80, Neil Wysocki ’80, Matt Madden ’79, Dave Tewksbury ’79, Dan Carnevale ’79.
’79
David Smith tells us, “I am excited to reconnect with the Prep! My youngest son, Ian, will be attending in the fall as a member of the Class of 2019, my 40th reunion year! However, like the Prep, I don’t get old, I just keep getting better! Thanks to all those with the vision to make the Prep a world class experience for its young men. I look forward to the years ahead!” Bruce Addison is living in Portsmouth, N.H. He is a senior vice president at Morgan Stanley with a focus on advanced income strategies and 401k rollovers. He tells us that two of his three children have graduated from college and his youngest son attends Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bruce spends his free time hiking, skiing and kayaking.
’80
Fred Rossi and his wife, Faith, are excited to be attending their son Tyler’s ’12 graduation from American University in Washington, D.C.! Their older son AJ ’10 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014 and works for Graham Partners in Newtown Sq, PA, with the investments team. He says, “It’s hard to believe tuition payments are now a thing of the past!” Fred’s furniture business, Rossi Custom Woodwork, has been growing and earning awards. They received Best in Show for Complete Body of Work at the November Fine Furnishings Show in Rhode Island and were highly praised at the Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show this April. They have moved to a new, larger shop space which greatly increases their ability to handle larger commissions. If there are any Prep students interested in learning
about the furniture business, check them out at www.rossiwoodwork.com. Fred says, “We would love to show you what you have to look forward to.”
’81
Joseph Anastasi is the president of Transworld Business Advisors, a leader in business broker sales. They help people sell, buy and franchise their businesses. They are based in White Plains, N.Y. and have locations globally. Chris Curley has started a new chapter in his 20-year architectural career. He is the vice president of the hospitality group for HSK in Atlanta. Their work spans five continents in 50 countries and includes sophisticated urban hotels, exotic destination resorts, luxury spas, entertainment, boutique and convention hotels, hospitality interiors and notable golf facilities. HKS’ hospitality practice is ranked as one of the top in the nation and the world, according to BD World Architecture, Hotel Business and Hotel Design. Ted Waz graduated from Harvard Medical School’s Safety, Quality, Informatics and Leadership program in April. He is the CEO of DaVincian Healthcare whose goal is to improve worldwide access and affordability of health care by leveraging mobile technology and analytics, to facilitate engagement, and improve healthcare outcomes. The $350m company is based in Austin, Texas. Larry Lessard tells us, “I am living with my wife, Jennifer, in Marblehead and enjoying watching the coal-fired power plant across the harbor in Salem being torn down. Since 2007 I have been working on renewable energy projects at my company Achieve Renewable Energy in Beverly. We help corporations, schools and individuals heat, cool and power their buildings without using fossil fuels.”
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Table created by craftsman Fred Rossi ’80.
Tom Hodgson is thrilled to have his two sons be part of the St. John’s Prep family. He and his wife, Karen, proudly send their oldest son, Thomas “Barrett” Hodgson, IV, to the 9th grade, and their youngest son, Mitchell Thomas Hodgson, to the new middle school, grade 7. To be able to one day send his children to the Prep has been a long dream of Tom’s, and now, he couldn’t be happier and more blessed to do so! Jonathan Martin was awarded the
Edward N. Lorenz Teaching Excellence Award by the American Meteorological Society at its annual meeting in New Orleans, La. this January. He is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he has been for over 22 years. Joseph C. Murphy is chair of the English department and English MA program director at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei, Taiwan. He and his wife, Winifred Huang, are busy keeping daughters Olana (10) and Florence (8) up to speed in both English and Chinese. Stephen Shinnick tells us that his son, Maxwell, will be a senior at Saint Anselm in the fall. His daughter, Bronwyn, will be a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst in the Eisenberg Business School. His youngest, Cole, will be a sophomore at Chelmsford High School. Steve says, “I continue my efforts to save the world at Kognito Solutions in New York City and am now going into my fourth year commuting to NYC weekly. For those in the city, it would be great to connect for lunch or coffee to collaborate on ideas for helping the country with its health care issues. I am a firm believer in the St. John’s Prep effect on change in such a difficult political climate … just need to compromise and get stuff done. I am certainly making the effort. Best wishes to all classmates and my sincere condolences to the Carnevale family on their recent loss of John Carnevale ’81, a friend and consummate St. John’s Prep leader who will be greatly missed.”
’83
Mark Coleman and his wife, Paula, live in Londonderry, N.H. with their four children, Micah, Brittany, Jacob and Maxwell. Mark is vice president of retail sails for Catania-Spagna Corporation. His company buys and sells olive and vegetable oils throughout the world for the retail, food service, bulk and export trades. Mark played soccer for coach Mike Delande while at St. John’s. Paul Waz graduated from Harvard Medical School’s Safety, Quality, Informatics and Leadership program in April. It was a year-long global health post graduate program. Paul is the chief information and security officer of Gulf HRA and the United Arab Emirates director general of WhiteHorse Technologies.
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Peter Pierce launched Hamptons Salt Company (HamptonsSalt.com) last year. He says, “We offer 29 sea salts (raw, infused and smoked) from around the world. All our salts are all natural, unrefined and contain no potentially unhealthy anticlumping agents. I love the flexibility that running my own business provides, so I can be active with the kids. Cooper (9) and Lily (8) are growing up too fast!” Ron Kowalski has been admitted to the Bar
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of the United States Supreme Court, and in November presented with Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Andrew J. McDonald at a Fairfield County Bar Association seminar on appellate practice. He has been a partner at Cacace, Tusch & Santagata in Stamford, Connecticut, since 2000. Mike Muller recently assumed a new role as director of business development at CommonBond, a financial technology startup based in NYC. He and his wife, Trishia, live in Georgetown with their two daughters, Sarah and Rose. In May, Mike embarked on an exciting mission traveling to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. His eightday climb to Africa’s highest peak raised money for a U.S. soldier who was critically wounded while serving in Afghanistan. The funds raised will help The Gary Sinese Foundation build a handicapped home for this soldier and his family in their home state of Tennessee. Anyone wishing to help can find more information at www.crowdrise.com/climb-kili-2016.
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Michael Lewis sent along this wonderful memory inspired by the recent passing of Brother Keefe. “I recall many things about my first day of class freshman year in 1982: Butterflies, not knowing anyone, a long daily commute from NH, and of course the fear of mean teachers! I got through my first high school class ever thanks to the calm style of Mr. Bill Mackinson. Mrs. Cornell’s Algebra class was almost as smooth. Third class: Spanish. In those days, most of us hadn’t ever had a foreign language class prior to high school, myself included. I looked at my assignment sheet and thought there might be a misprint: my teacher was Brother Keefe. Was this the same Brother Keefe as the headmaster? Yes, it was. Brother Keefe got us moving quickly. Within minutes, we were speaking in short sentences in the new tongue: ‘how are you’, ‘I’m fine, thank you’, ‘I am Michael’, etc. So then he goes to the chalkboard and draws a girl stick figure. He turns around and asks us, ‘Es bonita o fea (pronounced “FAY-ahh”)?’ (Is she pretty or ugly?). Being the polite, Catholic school, impressionable 14-year-olds we were, we said in unison, ‘Es bonita’ (pretty). To which he replied, as only Brother Keefe could, ‘No! Es FEA!’ and then he threw the chalk at the chalkboard. Well, that was enough to get me hooked to learning Spanish, engaging in my coursework, and sensing something bigger-than-self at the Prep. I had plenty of other interactions with Brother Keefe over the years, including one final encounter at my 2011 25th Reunion. Brother Keefe was a gentleman who lived the values of the Xaverian Brothers, embodied what it meant to be a member of the Prep, and combined
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his actions and interactions with humor, thoughtfulness and optimism. I don’t always get it right, but Brother Keefe leads a long list of family, teachers, leaders, ministry, coaches, alumni and peers that I am grateful for every day. Thank you, Brother Keefe. Your legacy lives on.” David Pierre recently published his third book, “Sins of the Press: The Untold Story of The Boston Globe’s Reporting on Sex Abuse in the Catholic Church,” a controversial take on The Boston Globe’s 2002 reporting on the Catholic Church abuse story. In January, Dave and his work were cited in an article in The New York Times.
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Tom Repczynski was named an equity shareholder at his law firm, Offit Kurman, in January 2015. He has now been with his firm for six years. Tom and his family live in Fairfax Station, Virginia. July 1 marked the beginning of his term as president-elect of the Fairfax Bar Association in Fairfax, Virginia.
also the author of a number of articles and serves as list editor for H-New England. He brags a large collection of bow ties, roots passionately for the Boston Red Sox, and scandalizes northwest Indiana with his distinct New England accent.
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Michael Hughes recently started his own CPA firm based in North Reading. More information can be found at www.mbhcpas.com. He is also excited to be back on the Prep campus as his oldest son, Connor, will be joining the Class of 2020 in the fall.
’93
Brian Lee and his wife, Laura, welcomed a daughter, Josephine (Josie) on September 10, 2015. Josie has an older brother, Andrew, who turns five this summer. Brian and family live in Colchester, Vermont, where he is assistant dean of students/housing operations at
’88
Dean Tsouvalas is the founding director of advancement and communications at The Academy at Penguin Hall, a new all-girls independent Catholic high school in Wenham. Prep families with daughters and sisters who might be interested are welcome to visit!
’89
Michael J. Connolly was promoted to professor of history at Purdue University Northwest (formerly Purdue University North Central) in April. He has been working at the university since 2004. Born and raised in Georgetown, Massachusetts, he received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont, (1993), and his master’s (1995) and Ph.D. (2000) from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is married and lives in Porter, Indiana. Dr. Connolly’s research interests are in 19th century American History generally, and he published “Capitalism, Politics, and Railroads in Jacksonian New England” with University of Missouri Press in 2003. He is
Brian Lee ’93 with his wife, Laura and children Andrew and Josie.
St. Michael’s College. Adam M. Hamel has been named a director of the law firm of McLane Middleton in Woburn. Adam, who has been with McLane Middleton since graduating from New England Law Boston in 2005, focuses his civil litigation practice in the areas of business, employment and probate disputes. Adam lives in Methuen with his wife, Christine, and their two sons, Jack (age 7) and William (age 5). Adam Lynch has a new job as vice president, project manager in financial crimes technology at Bank of America. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ken Shuman has recently joined Pindrop as the head of global communications. Pindrop is a cybersecurity company focused on building the definitive platform that enables security, trust and identity in our voice activated world. Ken and family are living in Novato, California.
’94 Class of ’89 alums Patrick “Duke” McNamara, Matt McLaughlin, Tom Kennedy and Todd Soucy recently got together in Boston’s North End and shared Prep stories.
John Schneider and his wife, Amanda, welcomed Madison Jones Schneider on November 17, 2015. She joins her three-year-old brother, Anderson, in NYC’s West Village. John is president of sales for Funny or Die.
Wedding Bells
Left: Dylan Kline ’07 and Beth Lucas were married in September in Roanoke, Virginia, Beth’s hometown. Pictured from left to right are 2007 classmates Ben Slingerland, Max Wigglesworth, Jake MacNeill, Dylan Kline, the bride, Beth Lucas, Mike Gelineau, groomsman Steve Dutcher, and best man Zak Kline ’09. Right: Michael Mistry ’94 was married to Guhinder Grewal on February 20th, 2016, in Wolverhampton, England.
Left: Jesse Stansfield ’01 and his wife, Allison, were married in August of 2013. Among their wedding party were Neil Ozzie ’01, and Jesse’s brothers, Nathan Stansfield ’04, and Josh Stansfield ’07. Right: Mike Abodeely ’99 was married on December 12 to Nina Magliocchetti of Atkinson, New Hampshire with the help of a few handsome fellow alums (from left to right): Dan Aylward ’99, Brian Fallon ’99, John Bowman ’99, Pat Coombs ’99, Bill Toye ’99, Mark Abodeely ’01, Mike Abodeely ’99, Ben Kenna ’99, and Chris Nabhan ’01. Mike and Nina are both in-house corporate attorneys and currently reside in Salem, MA.
Left: Michael Norris ’06 and Kelli Farrington of Wakefield were married in December. Celebrating the occasion were many of his 2006 classmates. Shown left to right: Sean Vitale, Nate Smith, Nick Pace, Brett Boliver (Lynnfield HS ’06), Dan Fabrizio, Paul Gangi, Kelli (the bride), Kim Obremski (the mother of James ’06 and Mike ’03 Obremski), Andrew Leonard, Josh Peary, Michael (the groom), James Salerno, Steve Butler, Kreg Moccia, Alex Johnson, and Jeff Phaneuf. Other Prep grads in attendance who didn’t make it into the photo included the groom’s uncle, Rob Martin ’80, and his cousins Charles Bucci ’48 and Richard Pierro ’68. Right, top: Phil Trueira ’10 and his bride, Shannon Berger, were married on August 28, 2015 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Right, bottom: Troy Lavallee ’96 and Samantha Scott were married in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in December, 2015.
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Oh Baby! ’96
Troy Lavallee married Samantha Scott of Hershey, PA on December 12th, 2015 at the Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA. Among his groomsmen were his brother Tyler Lavallee ’08 and Randy Gardner ’00. Troy is an actor and stand-up comedian in New York City and he and Samantha live in Astoria, Queens.
’97
Jeff Buchwald was married in November to Emily Allen-Wiles from Somerville at a small ceremony in Las Vegas where they both live. They will celebrate with larger receptions in both Las Vegas and in Boston later this year. In February they honeymooned in Phuket, Thailand. Jeff is a research analyst at the College of Southern Nevada and Ph.D. candidate at UNLV, studying public affairs. Emily is an attorney with Pisanelli Bice.
’99
Dr. Michael Costello has become the third Prep alum in the Danvers Dental Care practice, joining Dr. Paul DeFeo ’88 and Dr. Paul Corrado ’76. Michael graduated summa cum laude from Salem State University and received his D.M.D. from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Ben Kenna recently had the pleasure of catching up with Mike Abodeely, Mark Abodeely ’01, and Chris Nabhan ’01 for oysters and roast beef sandwiches, while watching the Providence-USC NCAA Tournament game at Nabhan’s family bistro, The Carousel Lounge in Salisbury. Ben reports that Nabhan’s fractured wrist, sustained at the elder Abodeely’s December wedding, was healing nicely.
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Ryder Chase (left) joined his big brother Dylan (center) in the Chase household in Hopkinton last August. Proud parents are Natalie and Scott Chase ’96. ♥ Right: Julian Ward Nobel arrived in January and now lives with his parents, Emma and Ben Nobel ’02 at their home in Beverly.
’00
Jonathan Schreck is the assistant administrator of continuing care at Brooksby Village in Peabody. He also oversees assisted care at Brooksby and assists with the skilled nursing and long term care. Brooksby Village is in the process of building additional assisted care apartments which he will be opening in June of this year. Jonathan was previously the administrator of Port Healthcare in Newburyport and Keystone Center in Leominster. He is living in North Hampton, NH. Eric Bromley is the assistant director of operations for the 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Whiteman AFB, MO. They are responsible for operational test of all software, weapons, and survivability aspects of the B-2 Stealth Bomber. He says, “Every new job is better than the last, and I’m continually honored to help defend our country and the freedom it offers.” Matt Gage tells us, “After graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2004, I made my way to southern Maryland where I immediately latched on to the emerging technologies of rich web application development working for a Navy contractor. In 2006, I made my way to San Diego for a new job and haven’t left because of the beautiful weather. I do still play ice hockey every week though I’m a little slower on skates now than I was in my Prep heyday. My work has allowed me to travel including spending the majority of 2013 in Italy. I’ve also been fortunate to work on high-profile websites such as helping to build the uverse.com video streaming site for AT&T and now on TurboTax Online at Intuit.”
’01
Jesse Stansfield reports that after teaching photography at Salem High School for seven years, he is now teaching photography at Stoughton High School. He and his wife, Allison, have their own photography business, shooting weddings and providing photo booths at events. Their website is www.52pho.to. Jesse and Alison have been married since 2013. Julie and Jeff Miller welcomed their first child in March, a daughter named Elodie. The new family of three lives in Milwaukee, Wisc. Justin Foster was accepted into the International Cinematographers Guild and works as a director of photography and camera operator for film and television. His recent projects have included “Billions”, a TV show for Showtime, and “Drunk Parents”, a film with Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek. In June he attended the Seattle International Film Festival for the premiere of “Americana”, a feature film he shot in San Francisco. He was thrilled to be able to spend time with good friend Chris Donato last summer during his annual trip to Provincetown.
’02
Brian Cullen ’73 tells us that his son, Paul Cullen, has completed his second year of a Ph.D. program at the University of California at Berkeley in vision science. Paul is researching cellular therapies for the treatment of glaucoma. He just passed his qualifying exams which validates his research efforts to date. Prior to entering the Ph.D. program Paul worked for four years in a lab run by Prof. Douglas Melton at Harvard which conducted groundbreaking research on type 1 diabetes. During the same time
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Left: Madison Jones Schneider and her big brother Anderson (3) are the children of Amanda and John Schneider ’94. ♥ Center: Sang Kim ’01 and his wife, Hyunju Song, are the parents of a new daughter, Ha-el “Sophie” Kim, born on November 17, 2015 in Seoul, Korea. ♥ Right: Andrew and Luke Morse welcomed their younger brother, Nicholas Mitchell, born on February 28. They are the sons of Melissa and Greg Morse ’94.
’06
he also obtained a master’s degree in biotechnology from Harvard. Paul received his undergraduate degree in biology in 2006 from Boston University.
Jason Clucas recently became engaged to Sarah Karpp of Hamilton in Turks and Caicos. They will be married in Chatham in late September of this year. Jeff Phaneuf is currently deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Inherent Resolve with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines. He’s sorry to have to miss the Tenth Reunion.
’03
Peter Herbst tells us, “After spending two years in Chicago, I graduated last June with an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Upon graduating, I moved to Dallas to join the commercial real estate investing team with Fortress Investment Group. On November 7, I married Ashley Marlenga in a ceremony at the Old South Meeting House in Boston. Ashley, from Concord, MA, is a graduate of the Winsor School of Boston, Princeton University, and Harvard Business School (MBA). She is a vice president and banker in the asset management division of JPMorgan Chase.
’08
Ryan Fanning has recently been named vice president of advertising operations at DSPolitical, a Democratic digital advertising firm. He has relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area to open the firm’s west coast office, its first expansion outside of Washington, D.C.
’09
Chris Papineau ’03 and Maredith Guerrieri recently became engaged in Paris while visiting friends in Europe.
’04 Matt McShane ’03 is a second-year resident in internal medicine at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. His dad, Charlie ’71 visited recently on what he called “take your dad to work day.”
Alex Bagley celebrated his wedding to Laura Mombell on August 1, 2015, in Oregon. He recently traveled to Botswana to work with oncologists and pilot test a smartphonebased cancer diagnostic device. He graduated from the MD-PhD Program at Harvard Medical School this spring, and he will begin his medical residency in radiation oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Michael Vigorito is a 2013 graduate of Boston College and received his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in May with honors and distinction in business law and financial services. He hopes to be admitted to the bar in Massachusetts and New York and be sworn in by November. While at Suffolk he gained significant experience working for McDermott, Quilty & Miller LLP and Lawson & Weitzen LLP, both in Boston. He plans to open the doors to Vigorito Law International, P.C. by Jan. 1, 2017. The firm will specialize in corporate entrepreneurial law, business litigation, real estate and international business law. As the firm expands, he hopes to be able to dedicate a portion of the practice to conducting pro bono work for the community for indigent clients who cannot afford legal fees. Chris Leone is entering his fourth season with Red Bull Global Rallycross and his third as its media director. In addition to his
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IN MEMORIAM Please remember in your prayers these members of the Prep community who have passed away recently.
responsibilities creating news stories, distributing social media content, and registering and credentialing media, he is also the lead writer and editor for the series’ new magazine, launching in May. Red Bull GRC events are broadcast live on NBC — check your local listings. More info is available at RedBullGRC.com.
Nicholas School of the Environment with his master of forestry degree and Certificate of Geospatial Analysis. After completing a project for the Department of Interior/US Fish and Wildlife Service at the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge, he will begin his career at LandVest, Inc. timberland division in Bethel, Maine.
’10
’11
Matthew LaRovere tells us, “I attended Merrimack College to study civil engineering. I continued my football career for another four years at Merrimack and graduated in May of 2014.
Brother Edward J. Keefe, C.F.X., Headmaster, 1974–1989 Brother Bede, C.F.X. (Joseph Richard Benn) Brother Wilfrid (George) Willenbrink, C.F.X. John R. Burbidge ’40 John J. Larivee ’41 Richard E. Daly ’43 Charles V. McCarthy ’45 Thomas C. McLean ’45 John T. Higgins ’46 Joseph D. Nangle ’46 Honorable Brian B. Duff ’48 Lorne F. Parent Jr. ’49 Joseph P. Boyle ’52 John P. Cotter ’52 John R. Wickenhiser ’53 Thomas M. Leonard ’54 William F. Fawcett ’55 John R. Lovell ’56 Joel H. Goldman ’57 Charles M. Myers ’57 Robert Ready ’58 Peter J. Cahill ’59 Jim Linehan ’61 W. Peter Zulkowski ’61 John W. Sibley ’62 Delmar W. Johnson ’63 Richard l. Dervan ’64 Brian F. Magrath ’71 John K. Moroney ’71 Neal B. Citroni ’73 Richard L. Zizza ’73 Brian K. Lapointe ’77 Roland F. Caron ’78 John A. Carnevale ’81 James J. Geraghty ’81 Peter F. Brady ’82 Stephen A. Grady ’87 Scott B. Lais ’90 Patrick B. O’Keefe ’99 Corey H. Devlin ’03 Ryan Shaw ’15 Gladys M. Graczyk
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Drew Jenkins will be pursuing an MD at the Boston University School of Medicine in the class of 2020 starting in August. Drew is a 2015 graduate of Middlebury College. Nick LaRovere recently moved to the greater Washington, D.C. area to begin work as a management development program associate with Alarm.com. He looks forward to connecting with other alums in the region.
’12
Matt LaRovere ’10 and fiancée Kristen Connolly.
I am currently completing my master’s of science in construction management at Wentworth Institute of Technology. In my time at Merrimack, I met Kristen Connolly, who majored in business administration with a concentration in management, and continued her field hockey career. Kristen and I are engaged as of January of 2016 and will be married at Merrimack College’s Augustinian chapel in October of 2017. I am currently employed as a project engineer at LaRovere Companies, Inc., and Kristen is a human resource coordinator for Putnam Investments. Patrick Smerczynski will be graduating in May from Duke University’s
Patrick Smerczynski ’10 participates in a prescribed burn in the Duke University forest.
Deklan Robinson, a senior at Middlebury College, was named a first-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The organization also selected him as a first-team Scholar All-American with a 3.51 grade point average majoring in economics. Deklan is the first men’s soccer player to achieve the academic honor given out by the coaches’ organization since the program was started in 1997. The leader of the Panther defense, Deklan started all 17 matches at the center back spot. He also stepped forward on the offensive end mainly on corner kicks, scoring three goals and adding a pair of assists. He helped lead
All-American soccer player Deklan Robinson ’12.
his Middlebury team to a 13-2-2 mark. A three-year starter, he helped the team post 10 shutouts and earn a mere 0.45 goals against average, the second and thirdbest marks this season in the NESCAC. A College Sports Information Directors of America District I First-Team Academic AllDistrict selection, he concluded his career appearing in 57 matches with 55 starts scoring seven goals and adding six assists. PJ Fallon put together a senior season to remember for the men’s swimming and diving team at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. A three-time All-American from Marblehead, he helped power his team to their first NCAA Division 3 title since 2012, unseating conference rival Kenyon
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Chronicles from College! Members of the Class of 2014 were back on campus in January for the School Counseling Department’s annual Mini College Days. They shared insights with current seniors about what to expect and how to adapt to life in college. Pictured, l to r: David Souza, Rowil Thomas, Tom Rousch, Nico Limacher, Ben Rivera, Rory Burke, Richard Citrano, Tim Tully, Ford Seidel, Matt Olson, Aidan Gorrell and Dimo Doulamis. Not pictured, but part of the group were Danny Adames, Joe Cavallaro, George Chunias, Dan Cunningham, Evan Dinu, Kevin Doherty, Andrew Mazzeo, Matt Prisco, Jonathan Scano and Conor Sweeney.
sports blog to a 15-person operation with an audience of over 200,000 since it’s founding in August 2015. Spencer Roush serves as president and chief operating officer of the company and Matthew Nadworny serves as executive vice president of operations. Nick Arakelian serves as senior technology advisor. The site provides fresh and creative content in all areas of Boston sports as well as expanding into popular culture through articles and a weekly podcast called “The Report.” It also has recently expanded into the apparel industry and launched its first t-shirt line in January of 2016. PJ Fallon ’12
Chris Losco’s ’13 home for the fall semester.
College at the national championships in Greensboro, N.C. PJ, who finished 10th in the 1,650-yard freestyle, raced two seasons at Denison after starting his college career at the University of Denver. He competed for Denison as a sophomore but took his junior year off before returning to the team as a senior. PJ graduated in May with a degree in communications and a minor in economics.
’13
Chris Losco is a junior and environmental studies major at Boston College and spent the fall with SEA Semester. The SEA Semester course “Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures and Ecosystems” (SPICE) was designed to encourage a conversation about environmental issues and takes an interdisciplinary look at the people and islands of Polynesia in an effort to learn what they can tell us about the global issues of environmental sustainability and cultural continuity. His travels took him to the South Pacific including American Samoa, Wallis and Fatuna Islands, Fiji and Auckland, New Zealand.
Net-working on the courts! Prep alums Christopher Toner ’13, a junior at UConn, and Bradley Noyes ’13, a junior at Villanova, played tennis against each other this April in a match between their schools.
’14
Pete Packowski has founded a sports startup called Biased Boston Sports. He has been serving as chief executive officer of the company. He has expanded the site from a one-man
’15
Patrick Foley attends Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the men’s lacrosse team. He also made the final cut for the USA men’s U19 lacrosse team that will play in World games in July. Patrick started playing lacrosse during his freshman year at the Prep.
Kathie Flatley is class notes editor for St. John’s Prep Today. Please email her at kflatley@ stjohnsprep.org with updates and submissions for upcoming issues.
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Chris Messinger ’95: Agent for Change From an unassuming office in the Democracy Center, just outside of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Chris Messinger is trying to do nothing less than change the world, one teenager at a time.
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“Before we did our first P.U.L.S.E. workshop, I read about the Xaverian Brothers and their values. I was struck not by their commitment to charity, but by their commitment to changing the systems that marginalize people.”
e’s executive director of Boston Mobilization, a 40-year-old grassroots organization that works with students to advocate for social justice on issues related to everything from racial justice and workers’ rights to voter registration and green energy. It’s an ambitious job, but Chris will tell you that he’s energized by the young people he sees every day. He runs programs for students in city schools and suburban schools, and for the last five years, he’s also worked with Campus Ministry at St. John’s to offer workshops for students participating in P.U.L.S.E., the Prep Urban Life and Service Experience program. We asked Chris about his work and the path he took to get there. You’ve said that you try to complicate the way students think about issues like homelessness and hunger. What do you mean? According to the typical narrative, homelessness and hunger are the result of personal choices. Our goal is to get across the idea that there are systems in place that conspire to create hunger and homelessness. Students are shocked when we tell them that the average homeless person in Massachusetts is nine years old. That’s the moment when they begin to see people as human beings caught up in a system that limits their access to opportunity.
Have your experiences at St. John’s influenced what you do? What I found at St. John’s was a space where I could live my values. Now, as an adult working with students from the Prep, I know that continues to be true. Before we did our first P.U.L.S.E. workshop, I read about the Xaverian Brothers and their values. I was struck not by their commitment to charity, but by their commitment to changing the systems that marginalize people. In my experience, it’s unusual to find an institution that focuses on systemic change.
By your own description, you had something of a rough ride as a student. Did you come away with any lessons you use today? I was not engaged academically in high school. When Brother Tim caught me cheating my junior year, it was a turning point. It forced me to reevaluate my feelings about school, but it also taught me that you can make mistakes and recover. That became a profound lesson in my work with teenagers. Young people are going to make mistakes, and they need to know the community won’t turn their back on them. I reconnected with academics in college, but my own path could have been very different without the many privileges I have. What gets you jazzed about the future? Working with young people and witnessing their capacity to see someone else’s humanity gives me hope! People sometimes think young people are apathetic, but teens have an extraordinary ability to take in information and respond in humanizing ways. Part of the reason for the disconnect is that students don’t have access to information. For example, often their idea of homelessness is a grizzled old man, not a little boy or girl wearing secondhand clothes to school. When we give them that kind of information, I see young people not only transformed, but also ready to act.
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Learn more about Boston Mobilization at www.bostonmobilization.org
GOING THE DISTANCE!
Reilly proudly high-fives fans as he crosses the finish line in Boston!
Senior Reilly Birmingham was a winner before he even got to the starting line for the 120th running of the Boston Marathon in April! A first-time marathon runner, he raised more than $16,000 for student wellness programs at St. John’s, handily surpassing his $5,000 goal and qualifying for a matching gift of $10,000 generously donated by Joe White ’92 and the Headmaster’s Council leadership committees. That makes for a grand total of $26,000! Reilly started training 14 weeks before the big race with the help of the Prep’s Vin Miserandino and Kate Winslow, both experienced marathon runners.
Thanks to everyone in the Prep community for giving Reilly the boost he needed to make it over Heartbreak Hill!
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ST. JOHN’S PREP CLASS OF 2016!
Top left: Senior David Yepez greets Campus Minister Michael O’Neill. n Top right: Boozie Vance sees a bright future after graduation day! n Bottom left: Thumbs up from Jake Rhodes on Commencement morning. n Bottom right: Brothers forever – John DiBello, Kevin Doherty and Ben Fischer.