Continuum-2018-Spring

For family, friends, & alumni of Cistercian Preparatory School

Spring 2018

INSIDE

The Class of 2018 leaves its mark

Members of the bird-watching elective on the banks of the hidden pond north of the gym

Oasis Our

For some students and teachers, paying attention to Cistercian’s 82 acres is just as important as paying attention in class SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

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REMEMBERING CISTERCIAN WITH A PLANNED GIFT

Sheila Gregg with Jeremy Gregg ’97 (left) and Fr. Stephen Gregg ’01 during their days as Cistercian students

A final gift Sheila Gregg walked onto Cistercian’s campus for the first time in 1989. For the next 28 years, she gave the school all that she had: her two sons, Jeremy ’97 and Fr. Stephen (Andrew) ’01; her time and talent as a cheerleading coach and drama volunteer; and her treasure as a loyal donor to both the school and the Abbey.

And when Sheila passed away in late 2017, she gave her final gift to the school: a scholarship endowment in honor of Fr. Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73, whom she considered one of her dearest friends and spiritual guides.

“Our family fell on financial hardships when I was in high school, and scholarship funds allowed me and my brother to remain a part of the school. Knowing that she could provide that same gift to others was among my mother’s greatest joys,” said Jeremy.

“From my mother’s perspective, these funds were always God’s. They are just returning to Him through Cistercian.”

For more information or to make a gift, contact Erin Hart.

469-499-5406 | ehart@cistercian.org 2

CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

Our oasis invites us to join in hymn of praise

C

CISTERCIAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL Rev. Paul McCormick Headmaster Head of Middle School

Greg Novinski ’82 Assistant Headmaster Head of Upper School

Jim Taylor

Director of Admissions

Chris Blackwell

Director of College Counseling

Erin Hart

Director of Development and Alumni Relations

André Bruce

Director of Athletics & Physical Education

Tony Johnston ’05 President, Cistercian Alumni Association

School Board

“Let the earth bless the God’s creation. For some this expeast into the fire for refusing Lord, praise and exalt rience has been life altering. Note idol worship, three young him above all forever… also how the School is continuing Hebrew boys remain miraculously All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise to build on this tradition with the untouched by the heat and, in and exalt him above all recent introduction of solar regratitude, invoke all creation to forever. All you beasts, sources and a rain water collection join their wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt cistern. joyful hymn of him above all forever.”

Our second feature introduces praise.

(Dan 3: 74, 80-81) our graduating class, the first to be This spring shepherded by an alumnus priest form master edition’s lead feature resince the days of Fr. Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73. minds me of this beautiful prayer sung frequently at the Fr. Augustine Hoelke ’00 recalls his start with the Abbey. For despite the “fire” form and highlights some of the individuals and of a rigorous academic proexperiences that have made the Class of 2018’s gram and the literal “heat” journey unique and their legacy so special.

Letter from of North Texas, our students Don’t miss class updates or the wit and wisthe headmaster are still able to look up from dom of Smokey Briggs ’84, who recalls his own Fr. Paul McCormick their books to venture out graduation and the “fog” that then confronted into the blessed oasis of nature that encompasses him. You also will no doubt appreciate the sage our 82-acre campus. advice of Fr. Roch, who reminds us that even Mentored in their appreciation by a faculty short periods of prayer in one’s day can open us and staff that over several decades have conup to real discovery and celebration of the blesssciously striven to preserve and protect the natings that surround us. ural wildlife, our students come to experience God bless you all and all my best wishes for for themselves both the shared blessing and the an authentically restful, and hopefully not too shared responsibility of being good stewards of hot, summer.

Rt. Rev. Peter Verhalen ’73 Rev. Thomas Esposito Rev. Roch Kereszty Rev. Robert Maguire Rev. Bernard Marton Rev. Paul McCormick Kent Clay Mike Donahoe ’80 Charles Lipscomb ’84 Kathleen A. Muldoon Peter P. Smith ’74 Jere W. Thompson, Jr. ’74

continuum David E. Stewart david@yardstick.co

Erin Hart

Alumni Relations

Jim Reisch

Photography Editor

continuum is published

twice a year (spring & fall)

by Cistercian Preparatory School.

3660 Cistercian Road Irving, TX 75039 469-499-5400 www.cistercian.org

In this issue

Volume 45, number 1

Leaving their markr 8es8 Members of the Class of 2018 will be remembered for their record of service, commitment, and teamwork (oh, and robotics).

By Tom Pruit

Our Oasis 14

Departments

For some, paying attention to Cistercian’s 82 acres is just as important as paying attention in class

News & Notes.............................4-7

By David E. Stewart

Sports..............................................19 Class Notes.............................20-22 On Prayer by Fr. Roch Kereszty.....24 Cover photography by Jim Reisch

Cistercian Preparatory School was founded with the aim of preparing talented boys for the colleges of their choice by challenging their minds with excellent academic programs, molding their character through the values of Catholic education, and offering them guidance with both understanding and discipline. Cistercian Preparatory School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national, or ethnic origin in the administration of its admission and education policies, financial aid programs, athletic programs, and other activities.

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News & notes NEW TEACHER ENDOWMENT ESTABLISHED

Current parents Paul and Melissa Griffith (Truman ’23, Coleman ’25) have helped Cistercian establish a new “Teach for Excellence Endowment” to help ensure that Cistercian always attracts and retains high quality teachers. The Griffiths are representatives of the Strake Foundation in Houston.

SENIOR SEMINAR EVENING IMPRESSES

The second annual Senior Seminar Evening showcased presentations on topics from Magical Realism in Spanish literature to the contrasting theories of Milton Friedman, Hayek, and Keynes.

A number of local university professors and other academic professionals attended. A few made their presentations exclusively in French or in Spanish.

BRAVEART STUDENTS CREATE FLYING HAWK

This year at the annual BraveArt workshops, alum dad Mike Uhrick helped students create an impressive metal welded sculpture of a “Flying Hawk.” The iconic work will be placed at the entrance to the science building.

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DIGITAL MARKETING EFFORTS PAYING OFF

Members of Fusion Corps, Cistercian’s robotics team, at the FIRST Robotics Championship in Houston in April. The team’s faculty sponsor, Fr. Mark Ripperger, is on the front row at far left.

ROBOTICS

Cistercian team competes at worldwide competition and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real world” engineering as a student can get. Professional mentors volunteer their time and talents to guide each team.

The FIRST mission is supported by a list of sponsors that includes a who’s who in technology.

Charlie Lipscomb ’18 Fusion Corps also found was motivated to bring many willing sponsors like-minded students from (with help from Marshall various forms together into Comeaux ’18). an activity that felt natural.

“So many people here This year’s team took love STEM, robotics, and full advantage of the building,” he told the Texas working space provided Catholic, “it only makes by the new flex lab in the sense for us to have a science building. robotics team.”

And, with a year under The FIRST robotics its belt, Fusion Corps competitions provided the Fusion Corps robot, #6672, found it easier to form structure to fit robotics into at the FIRST competition in alliances with other teams the tight Cistercian schedule Houston in late April. from other schools, a key (in the second semester). factor in succeeding in the A non-profit advancing K-12 STEM competition. education for nearly 30 years, FIRST Both played roles in the team’s ability combines the excitement of sport with the to move on from the state competition in rigors of science and technology. Teams of 10 Lubbock to the world stage in Houston. students or more are challenged to design a After only its second year, robotics team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build appears to fit Cistercian like a glove.

As faculty and students back in Irving followed the progress of Fusion Corps online at April’s FIRST Robotics Competition in Houston, some must have stopped and wondered at the quick ascent of the Cistercian robotics program.

It was just last fall that team founder

The number of times a showcase has been offered to seniors presenting the work completed for their senior seminar. Note: senior seminars were instituted in 2016.

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Cistercian parent Chris Vaughan (Bennett ’19, Maxwell ’21) offered a “digital marketing and website design” elective in the spring semester and also helped spearhead efforts this year to modernize the website and to orchestrate the school’s whole digital outreach. Fr. Anthony Bigney and Jim Taylor, director of admissions, teamed with Kara Dahl (webmaster) to create content for the site, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other outlets.

Feedback has been positive, especially for the videos that have captured some priceless moments .

NOTES

To honor the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., students in the Upper School spent MLK Day doing community service throughout the Metroplex. Some built ramps and restocked shelves while others sorted food at the Food Bank or built furniture.

Fr. Justin McNamara and Tara Kennedy served as faculty sponsors for the event ...

Tyler Bethea ’03 and Shae Armstrong ’98

taught a combined law and finance elective with multiple alumni coming in to meet with students.

The approximate height (8’ 2” precisely) of the metal welded Hawk created by students under the direction of Mike Uhrick during BraveArt.

News & notes THE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER MORONEY CITES COMMUNITY

De la Cruz ’19 accepts award, speaks at dinner

The commencement exercises of the Class of 2018 included remarks by salutatorian Ben FitzGerald ’18 and valedictorian

At February’s Catholic Foundation Award Dinner,

Jonny De la Cruz ’19 accepted the

organization’s Scholar Award before a large crowd at the Hilton Anatole.

De la Cruz’s remarks recalled losing his dad at age 13 after a long Jonny De la Cruz ’19 battle with kidney speaks at the Catholic disease and his long Foundation Dinner daily commutes on DART to Cistercian that started with a 5 am alarm.

“These guys,” he reflected on his classmates, “have undergone the rigors of Cistercian with me. We have comforted each other in our darkest hours and celebrated one another’s many joys. For that, I’m honored to call you my brothers.”

De la Cruz was selected from students at the eight diocesan Catholic high schools.

QUIZ BOWL

A and B teams move on to nationals in Atlanta

Cistercian sent three teams down to Houston to compete in the State Championship in Academic Quiz Bowl.

Texas ranks second among the nation’s most competitive states in quiz bowl. It is an unforgiving environment.

Against the state’s top 16 teams, Cistercian finished by moving up to sixth place.

The varsity A team included Marshall Comeaux ’18, Kevin Paul ’19, John LeSage ’20, Frank Saldaña ’18, and Jake FitzGerald ’18. The varsity B team featured Ben FitzGerald ’18, Joe Cox ’18, Xavier Polisetty ’18, and Nico Walz ’20.

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Marshall Comeaux ’18. This year’s

UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA Audrey La ‘19 (Ursuline), Sebastian Currlin ‘19, and Saish Satyal ‘21 perform in the sci-fi mystery Mary Rose in late March.

Mary Rose entertains and innovates

J.M. Barrie’s sci-fi mystery, Mary Rose, pulled much from the 17 students involved, including reliable lead Sebastian Currlin ’19. Evan Bird ’18 gave a memorable final performance, said director Seth McGill, and Horton Richard ’21 and Peter Novinski ’21 showed great promise. Cellist Alex Banul ’20 led the musicians. Ayden Kowalski ’21 composed and recorded an original piece for the show.

commencement speaker, Jim Moroney ’74, focused on the meaning of Cistercian from his perspective, having graduated 44 years ago. He noted that form masters may well marry you, baptize your children, and bury your parents.

TOM HILLARY AWARD

Garnett wins honor for inspiring others

The 2018 Tom Hillary Award was presented to Mike Garnett ’18 at the Athletic Banquet on May 5.

“Coaches speak of his abilities as a leader,” said Andre Bruce, athletic director.

“They say he is the ultimate teammate who leads by example, possessing not only physical ability, but a positive attitude and energy that impacts all those around him.

“As much as I enjoyed coaching him,” added one coach, “I also would have loved to play alongside Mike. Because I know he would have pushed me to be my best.”

“That is the ultimate compliment any coach can give,” Bruce emphasized.

USNA-bound Mike Garnett ’18 The Hillary Award goes with the Tom Hillary Award to student-athletes who have participated in multiple varsity sports at a high level, demonstrated class, sportsmanship, leadership and character in victory as well as defeat, and have maintained a high level of academic achievement.

The number of Cistercian juniors selected to receive the prestigious Catholic Foundation Scholar award since the prize was established 20 years ago in 1998.

Photo of De La Cruz courtesy of Catholic Foundation; all other photos by Jim Reisch

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Safe Environment Coordinator Gerald Edwards at new gate

SECURITY GATE ADDED NEAR GYM

A gap in the school’s security was plugged with a decorative gate early in 2018. The gate between the gym and Upper School opens only from the inside, forcing students to enter by way of the reception desk.

The number of alumni selected to serve as the school’s commencement speaker: Donovan Campbell ‘97 in 2017 and Jim Moroney ’74 in 2018.

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News & notes CISTERCIAN GROUP ATTENDS PRO-LIFE MARCH IN D.C.

AWARD DINNER

Tom Pruit ’18 receives honorary diploma from Peter Saliga A sense of anticipation filled the record crowd gathered on January 20 at the Tower Club in Thanksgiving Tower for the 2018 Jim and Lynn Moroney Award Dinner.

Introducer Peter Saliga and honoree Tom Pruit attracted a large number of younger alumni, many of whom were served by the speakers as form master.

All were eager to see the masterful teachers unplugged on a primetime platform. They did not disappoint (see the unabridged speeches on the Cistercian Dallas YouTube channel).

Saliga, a 22-year Cistercian veteran whose history classes are both feared and loved, began with Pruit’s “huge forearms” and “bone-crushing hands” before describing his secret reason for driving a school bus for 21 years.

“Dr. Pruit was known to have his notebook ever at his side,” Saliga explained, “like a geeky, short-sleeved, button-down collar and wacky tie version of a seasoned gunslinger from old Abilene. Though we now have laws against texting on the road, there were none back then against composing poetry while driving ... a school bus ... filled with children!”

Episodes of Pruit’s own mischievous pranks (e.g., having First Formers exit a classroom to leave a sleeping student all alone) were weaved with examples of his professionalism, caring, and nurturing.

He concluded with the assertion

by Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73 that “Dr. Pruit represents the model Cistercian

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In January, Fr. Ambrose Strong accompanied a contingent of Cistercian students and parents to the annual March for Life in Washinghton, D.C. They met up with Fr. Joseph Van House, who is pursuing graduate studies there.

Participants gathered on the National Mall for an hour-long rally before marching to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Honorary alumni Bob Haaser ’12 (left) and Rodney Walter ’09 (right) presented Tom Pruit ’18 with a cane and a poem to welcome him to the exclusive Cistercian club. lay teacher, the kind of man we want our boys to grow up to become.”

In accepting his honorary Cistercian diploma, Pruit acknowledged his colleagues, giving special recognition to Rodney Walter and Bob Haaser, who were awarded honorary degrees in 2009 and 2012, respectively.

Pruit shared how his goal of becoming a college professor faded in the fall of his third year at Cistercian. “‘This is it; this is what I want to do for the rest of my life,’” he recalled. “There was something about having a hand in the formation of character, the task of helping to shape the lives of these boisterous, rambunctious boys-becoming-youngmen that struck a deep chord in me.”

He spoke of his favorite literary characters, from Reepicheep and Boo Radley to Gandalf and Gatsby as well as Cistercian’s legendary

The number of Cistercian faculty members who have been named an honorary alumnus: Rodney Walter (2009), Bob Haaser (2012), and Tom Pruit (2018).

CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

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character, Coach Tom Hillary.

Then came the spring of 2007 when, after having served as a teacher and parent of three Cistercian boys, he was named form master of the Class of 2015.

At a spring baseball game, he encountered parents whose sons would be under his care.

“I could feel the weight of the burden beginning to descend,” he recalled. “In the tone of their voices and the looks in their eyes, there was an anticipation and expectation that I was not quite ready for, but ready or not, it was ready for me.”

His remarks were sprinkled with a sense of the campus, the place, that he had surrendered to and become possessed by.

“I have grown up, and dare I say it, am growing old here, knowing that this place has shaped and formed me far more than I have shaped it.”

That is hard to imagine.

FR. THOMAS’ NEW BOOK AVAILABLE ONLINE

Could Alexander Graham Bell possibly have foreseen the enslaving power of the telephone over human beings today? In The Roots that Clutch, Fr. Thomas Esposito poses such questions directly to a host of deceased historical figures and literary characters through letters to each. By examining these particular roots of the human condition, Fr. Thomas cultivates fruitful meditations. The book is now on sale in bookstores and on line.

The number of books Fr. Thomas Esposito has written: Jesus’ Meals with Pharisees and their Liturgical Roots (2015), Letters of Fire (2015), and The Roots that Clutch (2018).

Photo by Jim Reisch

News & notes HUNGARIAN CISTERCIAN BEATIFIED

Fr. János Brenner paid a high price for defying Soviet oppression in the 1950s Abbot General Mauro Giuseppe Lepori and Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73 (center) with the monks of the Cistercian monastery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

CISTERCIAN ORDER

Abbot Peter visits Ethiopian Cistercians Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73

joined the abbot general, the head of the Cistercian Order worldwide, on a weeklong visit in February to the Cistercian monasteries in Ethiopia.

“I was invited since the Ethiopians learn English in school and I am the only Cistercian abbot whose native language is English,” the abbot explained.

“The Ethiopian Cistercians also run schools as we do.”

The trip was an effort by Abbot General Mauro Giuseppe Lepori to build community among the abbots and to help them support one another.

“Our presence affirmed Fr. Bazezew, the superior of all the Ethiopian Cistercians,” Abbot Peter said, “and afforded him the opportunity to show off his growing community, the

schools they run, the way they celebrate their liturgy, the beauty of his country, and the rich, millennia-old history of Christianity in Ethiopia.”

The Cistercian community of more than 30 monks includes a postulant, a novice, several young monks in formation, in addition to the ordained priests, the oldest monk of whom is in his early 70s.

While there, the abbots toured the four monasteries and three schools, offering an opportunity to observe the state of the country’s transportation network (rough two-lane roads, many people on foot with animals) and agriculture (short on machinery).

“Westerners,” an outspoken Ethiopian about 60 years of age warned Abbot Peter, “cannot hope to understand Ethiopia in a short visit.”

Abbot Peter brought gifts for each of the Ethiopian monks: small red editions of the Rule of St. Benedict. They were received warmly.

Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73 with students at a Cistercian school in Ethiopia.

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The number of monks from Dallas who attended the beatification of Fr. János Brenner on May 1: Fr. Bernard Marton, Fr. Julius Leloczky, and Abbot Peter Verhalen ’73.

Photos courtesy of the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of Dallas

Over 20,000 gathered on May 1, in Szombathely, Hungary to celebrate the beatification of Fr. János Brenner.

The ceremony recalled a different era, one of brutal Soviet oppression of religious orders.

After banning religious activity in the late 1940s, the Soviets closed most religious houses, including the Abbey of Members of the Cistercian Order from around Zirc, in 1950. the world gathered in Hungary to celebrate While a group from the beatification of Fr. János Brenner. the abbey attempted to escape to Rome (13 of 21 Today a chapel marks the succeeded), Br. János remained spot where he was murdered in Hungary and finished his and pilgrims come there in formation through the diocesan procession from many parts of seminary.

Hungary.

“Even if the road is rough,” Abbot Peter, Fr. Julius Fr. János wrote in his journal, Leloczky and Fr. Bernard “I look at your pain-ridden face Marton attended the beatifiand follow you. I ask you only cation, along with many other one thing: May I always fulfill Cistercian monks and nuns most precisely what you give to from around the world. me as my vocation.”

“The most moving parts After his ordination in 1955, of the ceremony for me,” said he became known as an enthusiAbbot Peter, “were when Fr. astic priest with a special gift for Joseph Brenner placed his serving the young. brother’s relics in a beautiful His gifts and success attracted reliquary next to the altar and attention from Soviet authorities, then when he named his brothand he was warned to curtail his er among the saints when he activities. Even his bishop sugread his part of the Eucharistic gested he transfer for his safety. prayer. He became emotional, But Fr. János refused. his voice quivering.”

On the night of December Fr. János’ story highlights the 14, 1957, he was called to adbravery of the many religious minister the last rites to a man, in Hungary who found ways to purported to be dying. fulfill their vocations despite On his way, he was amSoviet oppression, including the bushed in the darkness of a forCistercians who escaped and est trail and stabbed 32 times. settled in Dallas.

30+

The number of Cistercian monks in Ethiopia, including postulants, novices, monks in formation, and monks.

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Quiz Bowlers (l-r):Ben FitzGerald ’18, Joe Cox ’18, Xavier Polisetty ’18, Jake FitzGerald ’18, Marshall Comeaux ’18, and Frank Saldaña ’18 surround Fr. Augustine Hoelke ’00.

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CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

Photo by Darrell Williamson

LEAVING THEIR MARK

Members of the Class of 2018 will be remembered for their service, commitment, and teamwork (oh, and robotics).

“E

By Tom Pruit

AGER, HYPER, CLUELESS, and just ready to spread my wings,” remembers Fr. Augustine Hoelke ’00 of walking across the stage to receive his Cistercian diploma eighteen years ago. “In a way I was like John Belushi in Animal House wearing his generic ‘College’ sweatshirt — no major in mind, no formal plans, just graduate and get out. At that moment I had absolutely no idea that I would be back here!”

As he readily admits, Hoelke was not a particularly good student while at Cistercian, but grew up rather quickly once he entered college. The love of learning, of many of his teachers, and in particular, the love of his classmates (which he had fostered here), needed a focus and a purpose. By the spring of 2003, his junior year at UD, that purpose had transformed his life; he had decided to act on a serious call to the priesthood, and in particular, to a priestly life as a Cistercian monk.

That year, 2003, was a very eventful time in the life of the abbey as well. July and August were particularly momentous, both in his own life and in the life of the monastery. Within a two-week period, he had broken up with his girlfriend and called Fr. Peter Verhalen ’73 to inform him of his decision to pursue his call to the priesthood. Just before he “made the call,” a young monk scheduled to be ordained within a few weeks (as well as serve as form master of the incoming Class of 2011), suddenly departed.

The shock reverberated throughout the abbey and school, and Fr. Augustine remembers that announcement as one of the final factors in his decision to pursue entrance into the monastery.

“Following Fr. Paul’s ordination in 1997, life in the abbey had gone through a very tough period — a monk leaving the abbey, Photo by Jim Reisch

the death of five of the older Hungarians in a period of a year and a half, the arrival and departure of a whole string of postulants and novices, and then this sudden departure of another member of the community in the summer of 2003 — and I was suddenly made aware of how much the monks, especially Abbot Denis [Farkasfalvy], Fr. Peter [Verhalen] ’73 and Fr. Roch [Kereszty], were carrying on their shoulders, and at the same time just how much I loved the place.”

But the tide was indeed turning. Within a few days of the painful departure three young postulants arrived, one of whom became Fr. Joseph Van House, Augustine’s chief mentor and close friend. Over the next five years, the abbey experienced a seemingly miraculous boom in vocations; 11 young priests, all part of that boom, now grace the halls of the monastery and school, and more are in formation.

Perhaps it was the fact that he solidified his commitment as the response to the abbey’s troubles that gave him such a strong sense of institutional loyalty and such a strong desire to protect its future. After graduation, he thought about how oblivious he had been in high school (1996-2000) to the serious challenges which the abbey was facing and how he had taken for granted the stability, steadfastness, and cheerfulness of the monks, even in such trying circumstances. The school had taken a chance on him; now it was his turn to give back his life for the abbey and school.

S

ERVICE TO A HIGHER CALLING is perhaps one legacy Fr. Augustine has left his class. “The Class of 2018 had, as a group, the same problems most other incoming senior classes have with being somewhat disorganized, with procrastination, with reluctance to rewrite essays — SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

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SERVICE MINDED (l-r): Mike Garnett ’18 (USNA), Conner Blend ’18 (ROTC at Penn), and Conner McConnell ’18 (ROTC at Vanderbilt).

all the time management skills which I hoped to teach them over the course of the year,” said Chris Blackwell, Cistercian’s college counselor. “But that was not true of the guys interested in military service. From the beginning, they were all on top of their game.”

Fr. Augustine noted that even in Middle School “they all were marked as budding student-athletes, just the sort of young men the academies look for,” and the transition into high school did not shake them in their determination to embrace the greater demands of the application process. They were focused.

“When Fr. Augustine brought his old Cistercian classmate, now Air Force Captain Luc Chandou ’00, into a Form Master’s period in Second Form, I was in awe,” commented Mike Garnett ’18, who accepted his appointment to the Naval Academy this spring.

“Captain Chandou spoke about honor and service to country and connection to his buddies, and that really hit me hard. I wanted to be part of that.” But by his senior year, Garnett was also being invited to play football at the University of Chicago, where he could join a string of other recent Cistercian graduates who suit up for the UC Maroons.

In the end, Mike’s love of football gave way to his desire to serve. He’s even looking forward to the grueling initiation of Plebe Summer. “All you have is the people in front of you, the people going through it with you, and the chance to make lifelong bonds.

It’s kind of like the eight years at Cistercian, just compressed into one summer.”

Connor Blend ’18, after much soul-searching, turned down an appointment to the USNA to attend the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania this fall but will also be enrolled in Naval ROTC with the intention of serving after college. Though Connor had a cousin who played football for a time at the USNA and later became a Navy Seal, it was a couple of other things which moved him more.

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CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

First, winning recognition as a National Athlete of the Month in the fall of junior year meant a lot. Sponsored by the Marines, in presenting the award, they also did a little recruiting, and he thought he should look more seriously into applying to the service academies. Second, his experience at the Navy’s summer camp was the final and most powerful experience that inspired his desire to serve. “It was the best week of my life, and after that, I knew military service would be in my future.”

Conner McConnell ’18 grew up hearing stories of WWII from his grandfather, a participant in the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy. Military service, fulfilling one’s patriotic duty, and yes, the look of being a man in uniform all fired his imagination from an early age, but also spurred him into action, walking the Omaha and Utah beaches in France and roaming through the national cemeteries at Normandy abroad and Arlington at home.

“There is something so humbling about seeing where all these men gave their lives; there is so much there to live up to.” Conner will be enrolled in Naval ROTC while attending Vanderbilt University in the fall.

AS A NEW FORM MASTER IN 2010, one of Fr. Augustine’s first goals was to share with his young students his institutional memory and to foster in them a love for the community which sustains the life of the place. Such love comes about as the result of commitment, a hallmark of Fr. Augustine’s style.

His investment in each boy resulted this year in their flocking to his office at lunch, 10-minute breaks, before and after school; walking down the senior hallway always brings you by the laughter and loud chatter emanating from his office. Partly it was the result of his installation of a large couch in the space — a move designed to facilitate the more serious one-on-one conversations Photo by Jim Reisch

he had with each boy over the summer — but which also created the feel of a senior lounge where at any given break, four or five guys might be seen on or around the couch while others stood in what little space was left. Meanwhile Fr. Augustine sat twirling back and forth in his office chair joining in the banter with a big grin on his face.

The delight he has taken from day one in simply being with his boys, in interacting with them and connecting with them in their games and playful pursuits as well as in more pressing matters, was a delight always anchored in a more serious purpose. As his mentor and confrere, Fr. Joseph observes about him, “He’s a special combination of doggedness, conviviality, and faith who is driven by an amazing sense of calling. He will put himself through all sorts of trials to procure what he thinks is best for his students and his Form.”

to achieve what we wanted to.”

Certain guys then focused their efforts on science or history or literature or culture, and there were also a couple of generalists thrown into the mix. With their ultimate goal being two years in the future, these sophomores endured not only setbacks but doubts about whether it was worth all that effort.

Their core group, however, was unusually dedicated and so as junior year began they decided to step up their practices to another level. In addition to the two activities periods and occasional lunch period, they added the Tuesday night sessions, a move which, given their already demanding schedules, should have been a well-intentioned but short-lived effort. It became, instead the central factor of their success. The glue which held them together, which allowed them to persevere in their discipline and dedication of time and effort was their growing friendship.

“If you want to really achieve success,” related Xavier Polisetty ’18, reflecting on the sacrifice inherent in those weeknight sessions, “it FTER THE TEXAS HISTORY TRIP, which he is much more fun working with people you know well and respect planned and directed, Quiz Bowl was the next activity than with enemies or people you barely know. If you are with your in which he saw a significant opportunity to offer a friends, you are much more willing to take on discipline and to put guiding hand for at least a portion of the class, and by aside your own goals for the sake of those of the whole group.” senior year its influence could Nico Walz ’20, who is currently on one be seen throughout the entire Form. of this year’s teams going to Nationals, Another Tuesday night at the home of recalls that as a freshman he was in Marshall Comeaux ’18 ended with the awe at how much these guys knew and all-important “after session” which inthought he could never get to that level. terspersed any need-to-know gossip with What surprised him most, however, was debate about politics or movies or any how much they cared about the program. number of topics which came up in their “Because they wanted to keep the proweekly two-hour session. Six seniors gram strong, they cared about us, even us getting together faithfully every Tuesday freshmen, and were always challenging throughout junior and senior year for an us with yet another packet to study and extracurricular activity that involved hard with more advice on how we could get study is unusual, to say the least. better. They wanted us to get to the next “Quiz Bowl is not Trivial Pursuit!” level, to take pride in seeing how far we Fr. Gregory would shout at any who could go.” The fact that there were six — Fr. Gregory Schweers scoffed at their efforts. Yet there they solid seniors, all friends, who were conwere, studying the latest packets of stantly razzing each other when questions wide-ranging questions over 20th-century European politics, were missed made it that much more fun.

African geography, Greek plays, the structure of halogens, current Fr. Gregory, who brought Quiz Bowl to Cistercian in 1989 and events, mathematical probability and any number of other equally has overseen its ups and downs over the years, was enthusiastic in challenging topics generated both by academically curious high his praise. school students and their teachers. What these devotees are learn“The current program — now well into its third decade here at ing is not to memorize a large number of random facts but to delve the school — is much better today because these seniors paved the into what Fr. Augustine likes to call “the canon of knowledge. It’s way; they set the tone for the disciplined and ‘all-in’ attitude which the kind of knowledge any well-balanced, intellectually curious they themselves so clearly modeled. They can truly be proud of high school student should be made aware of.” the legacy they leave behind.”

The Class of 2018 was the first class to engage in serious Quiz Bowl activity as eighth graders, and by the time they entered high school the next year, they were already seasoned and ready for the “AS A YOUNG FORM MASTER,” said Fr. Augustine, next level. Then as sophomores, they participated with a varsity “I had a lot to learn, both about the nuts and bolts of the job and squad which sent three teams to Nationals. about learning to master my own faults — pride and impatience “Vimal Konduri ’13 was the captain when we were Fourth mainly. I got a lot of on the job training, and in one sense, my best Formers and became our role model,” said Comeaux, one of the teachers have been the boys themselves, and their parents. captains of this year’s team. “We set our sights on becoming that “Their love and support have opened me up as well to their good. The problem was, none of us were that brilliant — and we wisdom, and as I hope they have learned from my instruction, knew it — so we had to make up for it by each of us becoming I have learned from their example.” He learned early to turn to a mini-Vimal in a certain area, by working hard to learn what he others, especially his confrères in the abbey and the other, more knew, then learning to work collectively to put it all together. The veteran form masters. It was in them that his own institutional goal was to do it by senior year; we figured it would take that long memory could be further buttressed or expanded.

A

The seniors set the tone for the disciplined, ‘all-in’ attitude which they themselves so clearly modeled.”

SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

11

“Since joining the ranks of form masters and teachers, I have followed various ship captains, all of whom have at one time or another navigated through various rough waters with me. It is truly a brotherhood.”

Institutional memory, a willingness to be apprenticed, a definition of success that begins in a sort of practical humility in the face of high expectations, a willingness to subordinate yourself to those who know more than you do and then to learn from them, and from that combination of virtues to make things work better — that brings us to still another shining moment of success for the Class of 2018, the introduction of robotics into the extracurricular life at Cistercian.

Another element, one already touched on but critical to the personality of the class, is the dynamic of friendship — that you achieve so much more together — and not in the sense of simply more horsepower, but through affirmation, competition, cooperation, the pleasure of working long hours with friends.

So high expectations and friendship — two of the pillars of the class’s success. A third might be the sense that you have to be practical, you have to make the necessary steps, which include a level of skill and discipline, to get from point A to point B.

C

HARLIE LIPSCOMB ’18 IS, in the words of his form master, “a low-key kind of guy,” and by his own admission, part of what he wanted to accomplish in forming a robotics club was merely the modest desire to become better acquainted with students from other forms. He had no idea that it would have the impact it has.

Other students before Charlie were also quite enthusiastic about bringing robotics to Cistercian but were unable to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that lay in the way.

“Charlie showed an absolute doggedness,” Greg Novinski ’82, head of the Upper School, remarked. “He just wouldn’t give up.”

After attending a robotics camp at SMU in the summer of 2017, Charlie approached Novinski about the possibility of forming a club, and got the same response all previous inquiries had received — it’s too expensive, too time-consuming, and impossible to fit into our very limited schedule. Over the course of the fall semester, however, Charlie kept showing up at Novinski’s office with possible solutions to his various objections.

Finding the right robotics program, one that fit both the demands of our schedule and our ethos, was a major breakthrough.

FIRST Robotics even offered a grant for programs in their rookie year, which helped solve the next major issue of finances.

The final issue was finding a sponsor willing to add the very labor-intensive activity surrounding robotics to an already busy schedule. In stepped Fr. Mark Ripperger, whose tireless and skilled commitment was an indispensable part of their success.

Lipscomb’s thoughts were shared by the whole team: “If Fr. Mark hadn’t said yes to being the sponsor, all the other plans wouldn’t have mattered. He made the whole thing possible.”

So by late November, the club had the green light. Fliers went up, students showed interest, and over Christmas break, they began to meet in preparation for their first “season” which began January 7.

There was lots of interest, lots of enthusiasm, but they had little idea of what they were getting themselves into. “Reveal Day,” the term given to the day the design and rules of this year’s competition were made public, happened on January 7, and Team 12

CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

Cistercian (going by the quickly devised name Fusion Corps) found themselves overwhelmed by the whole process and didn’t really know where to start.

In the week following Reveal Day, they haphazardly began work but felt they could never be ready in time. About midweek Matthew Dorn ’18 left practice, went home, and couldn’t sleep. “I had a panic attack, thinking about all that we had to do if we were going to be successful. So I wrote out a plan for what I thought we should do.”

The plan, a six-page email which he circulated among the members, turned out to be the first significant turning point. Now they had a workable plan and a leader who could show them how to execute it.

“At first, all I wanted to accomplish was to build a robot that could actually move, but we pretty quickly got way beyond that.”

Their mantra that first year was a modest one: keep it simple and execute well.

With focus came confidence and greater working efficiency.

But there was still the problem of money. The FIRST grant was only a partial answer.

Enter a third key player, Marshall Comeaux, who joined the club only as Dorn’s email was circulating. He liked the scope of the project and its purpose but also knew his own limitations. He quickly found his niche “not in the techie side of things, but in the

business side. They were going to need a lot of money — I couldn’t at first believe how much — but I thought I could maybe help with that.”

What followed, as others found their own ways to contribute, adding their individual talents to what had become a major collective effort, was a level of success which no one had thought possible just a few months earlier — earning top seed going into the final round of their first tournament.

They were deep in individual talent yet they worked well as a team, mature enough to accept each other’s quirkiness — Greg while pushing each other to reach a high standard. They exhibited a healthy mixture of acceptance and expectation.

“It is funny that the name they picked on kind of a whim,” reflected Fr. Mark, “turned out to describe one of their chief characteristics — blending together as a team.”

The FIRST Robotics program offered Cistercian something that fit the school’s schedule — a competition which could be completed in one semester. It also, in Greg Novinski’s words, “fit

our ethic, challenging the whole person, emphasizing teamwork and cooperation, and presenting a complex operation which required a balanced, coordinated approach — building and manipulating the robot had to be supplemented by thoughtful strategizing about possible moves and alliances.” And that was only on the “techie side.”

There was also a significant safety component built into the rules, a sophisticated level of communication required with team members, the school, and sponsors via email and various other social media platforms, and a serious comNovinski ’82 mitment to fundraising; this year’s teams, for example, raised and spent $30,000.

“It makes sense to me that robotics is actually a UIL-sanctioned sport,” Novinski concludes. “Just to understand the complexity of the game — and it is different every year — involves a high level of creativity, technical skill, ‘smarts’, strategizing, and teamwork which all have great appeal to Cistercian students.

“Let me be bold here,” Novinski added, “and say that just as we can’t imagine a school like Cistercian existing in Texas without a football team, I don’t think we should imagine Cistercian among its peer institutions without a robotics team. This is as big an addition to our program as anything else we’ve done in recent memory.”

David Novinski ’90, one of the parent volunteers for the group (and father of Will Novinski ’18), worked closely with them both this year and last, and sees in their modus operandi something very “Cistercian.”

“Their Cistercian education has served them well. They have learned confidence that even though they haven’t seen the material before, they will still master it in time for the test. Cistercian holds to a sort of secret motto: anything we do, we do to a high level.

“Why should robotics be any different?”

I don’t think we should imagine Cistercian among its peer institutions without a robotics team.

With Bot 6672 (l-r): Matthew Dorn ’18, Fr. Mark Ripperger, Charlie Lipscomb ’18, and Xavier Anderhub ’18 in the science building’s new flex space.

Photo by Jim Reisch

IN THE LAST WEEK OF APRIL, Fr. Augustine wore two very different hats. On Saturday night he was the senior form master enjoying the final grand social event of their Cistercian careers, and bleary-eyed the next afternoon he met with the very bright-eyed and expectant parents of his new Form, the Class of 2026. “It was a weird feeling. I felt like I was making plans for a second child just prior to the birth of the first.” Yet, immediately taking a new Form was a choice he made voluntarily and happily.

He wrestled with this decision for quite a while, especially as the demands of the final semester of senior year piled up, but in the end, he knew he made the right decision.

“Why do it all over again?” asked Fr. Augustine. “In the end, because I feel that is what I am called to do in this community.

Going right back through without a year off — that was the way all the Hungarians did it multiple times — but we have the luxury now to spread things out a bit more. Yes, I kept seeing “Ora et Labora” in my head, and this shepherding is the most important “labora” that we do. Also, I wanted to take advantage of my youth, and who knows, perhaps my decision saves some other candidate who might not be quite ready. And, God be praised, it keeps me from having to pursue a Ph.D!” SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

13

N Oasis Our

For some students and teachers, paying attention to Cistercian’s 82 acres is just as important as paying attention in class

By David Exall Stewart

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CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

ORTH OF THE OLD GYM on a clear March day, twelve Cistercian students meandered for 35 minutes through the woods by the hidden pond, then into the clearing near the Trinity — all in search of the White-eyed Vireo.

Before setting out, Tim Parker ’90 had briefed members of his bird-watching elective about today’s subject, “You’ll hear the White-eyed Vireo before you see it.”

Not long after reaching the clearing, the bird called, and twelve binoculars sprang into action.

“There it is,” said Sam Clay ’19, pointing to a limb three-quarters up a tree.

“You can see its white eyes moving around,” concurred Parker, who has been teaching the bird-watching elective since 2011. “Now, you can see his yellow flanks.”

For close to half a minute amidst the bluebonnets, everyone focused without a sound, absorbed with the bird in their binoculars. Then the White-eyed Vireo flew. Quiet conversa-

tion resumed.

“Ok guys,” said Parker after checking his watch, “we have to get back now. I lost track of time.”

“Moments like those,” said Jake FitzGerald ’18, who took the elective two years ago, “are exhilarating. I remember returning to my math class after bird watching and telling my friends about the birds we’d seen.

“There is all this land that you don’t even realize the school owns,” he added. “The open area near the river is secluded, and only a few students know about it. I also really like the area beyond the Stations of the Cross trail.

“Bird watching can be spiritual, relaxing, and calming. You leave your thoughts behind and follow the birds.”

“This is one class at Cistercian,” said Joseph Dancy ’12, a University of Arkansas graduate who moved to Houston for an engineering job, “that gives you a chance to reflect, be quiet, and be receptive of nature.

“Few other schools in DFW have such a natural setting where students have the opportunity to see these beautiful

birds. Some people come from hundreds of miles to see birds that are regularly on our campus.”

HIDDEN FROM VIEW ATOP THE SCIENCE building

and new gym, solar panels installed in early May are expected to begin generating electricity by June.

“You don’t think of Cistercian as being on the bleeding edge of technology,” laughed Tim Parker, who as director of facilities (in addition to his duties as biology teacher, JV basketball coach, and lead bird watcher) oversaw the planning and installation process. “But solar panels have been on our radar for some time, and we’re one of the first private schools in DFW to install them.

“Lower prices and the growing efficiency of solar panels — along with the generosity of our donors (including the Edward E. Ford Foundation) — made the timing seem right.”

The panels are projected to save the school around $20,000 a year and shrink the school’s carbon footprint.

Illustration by Billy Hassell ’74 (an embellishment of his 1974 illustration for the cover of the 1974 Exodus)

SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

15

A history of stewardship Solar array on the east gym

The benefits don’t stop there.

“The solar panels model good stewardship of the environment for the boys,” Parker explained, “just as we have in other parts of campus (see sidebar above).

“And it also models how science, ingenuity, and technology can be used to help us accomplish our goals.”

The solar project already inspired a couple of seniors in the technology seminar to build a solar charger for cell phones.

Officials at Sunfinity (Cistercian’s solar vendor) also are working with Cistercian’s facilities team on an interactive display that will graphically depict the power generated by the panels and the energy stored by the system’s batteries, among other information. That part of the project is expected to be completed by the start of school in the fall.

“I’m very excited about the solar panels,” said FitzGerald, who plans to major in environmental studies when he attends USC in the fall. “They raise awareness and open the door for a greater love of nature and our campus.”

The renovated science building also includes a rain water recapture cistern that will irrigate part of the campus landscaping.

As Pope Francis tweeted about his 2015 encyclical Laudato si' (Praise be to You), “We must never forget that the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone.”

“It’s not what you say,” commented Tom Molanphy ’89, who as a Third Former raced with his classmates to the Trinity and back at the 10-minute break, “it’s what you do.

“It makes me very happy that Cistercian is spending the time and money to make the campus sustainable.”

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CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

• • • • • •

JI

Waterless urinals – 2008 Water-friendly landscape – 2008 LED lighting – starting in 2010 Solar panels – 2018 (below) Rainwater recapture – 2018 Wind turbines – coming soon

Solar array on the science building as seen from the east (or new) gym.

UST BEFORE DAWN on a late spring morning, a mother coyote relaxed on her haunches as she watched her four pups play nearby. While the howls of coyotes frequently haunt first-year novices in the monastery at night, catching them at play during daylight is rare.

But heavy rains overnight had prompted Rodney Walter, then director of facilities, to come out early this particular Saturday in the early nineties to check for leaks at the school.

The sun had yet to peek over the hill back toward Dallas when Walter walked past the science building and spotted the coyote family on the upper field (long before the new, east gym).

He stilled himself as the pups wrestled and rolled around with each other.

“I wished I had someone to share the moment with,” Walter recalled. Then a car door slammed.

Walter backed slowly away from the upper field to gaze down between the gym and the Upper School toward the lower parking lot. He saw Tom Hillary’s tall figure walking up the stairs; Walter motioned to the coach.

“Tom came up and watched with me,” Walter said, “both of us captivated.

“As the sun crept its way above the trees, the momma rose up and began to lead her pups toward cover in the trees by the river.”

The pups followed dutifully, at first, in single file. Then the last two started fooling around.

“She stopped and looked back at them, hard,” Walter said. “They stopped. But it wasn’t long before they started tussling again.

“So she went back and nipped at their heels, and finally — as Photos above by Jim Reisch; 1956 era photo on p. 17 courtesy of Cistercian Archives

the sun cleared the horizon — she chased them into the woods.

“Tom and I were thinking the same thing. She was disciplining her pups much like we, as teachers and coaches, do with the boys on a regular basis.

“It was so much fun.”

“TELL THE FATHERS THAT THIS IS THE PLACE where

we should settle,” Fr. George Ferenczy instructed the four Hungarian Cistercians (including Fr. Benedict Monostori and Br. Melchior Chladek) who passed through North Texas in August 1953. “[The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur] need educators and priests here, and they would love to have us.”

Less than a year later, the Cistercians — who had been searching for a home in America for three years — began migrating from their temporary quarters in Wisconsin to Texas. By 1956, Abbot Anselm Nagy had coaxed officials at the University of Dallas to donate 34 acres to the Cistercians. (The university’s 1,000 acres had been gifted in part by Ben Carpenter from his ranch, now known as Las Colinas.)

Half of the site lay in a floodplain and resembled a jungle, according to Fr. Benedict.

The monks weren’t discouraged.

Over the Cistercians’ 920-year history, the Order has proven adept at making the most out of donated wasteland.

“The monks of the first monastery in Cîteaux,” explained Fr. Stephen Gregg ’01, who teaches Cistercian history to the novices, “shifted the course of a river to bring it to a better location.”

The land holdings of monasteries also grew — over decades and centuries — into large tracts through small, connected land donations.

The original 34 acres in Irving grew through purchases in 1995 and 2005 to 82 acres, buffering the campus from the possibility of future development.

For its first 40 years or so, the school’s elegant architecture sat on islands of mowed hills and lawns of St. Augustine grass that chiseled a sharp edge between the civilized and natural worlds.

That began to change in the summer of 2008, at the direction of then-headmaster (and enthusiastic birder) Fr. Peter Verhalen ’73.

Struck by a trip where he observed golf courses in the midst of Arizona’s desert, he insisted that renovations of the Middle and Upper School include resource-saving initiatives — like waterless urinals and LED lighting.

And he asked David Hocker ’96 to propose changes outdoors to

create a more sustainable landscape, one more in tune with nature.

“By using native plants, we’ve reduced the weekly maintenance (water and mowing) to seasonal maintenance (pruning and planting),” Hocker said.

Native plants also have been incorporated into the spaces and courtyards between the buildings, bringing nature closer to the built environment and softening the distinction between the two.

“C

ISTERCIAN ALWAYS FELT

like more than just a school,” said Billy Hassell ’74. “I saw it as a nature preserve.”

Like many students through the years, he explored it often with fellow students, with faculty members, and

on his own.

“I especially remember walking along the Trinity with Fr. Melchior. We’d watch for turtles. We both had a thing for turtles.”

In fact, the young biology teacher and Hassell shared a love for all kinds of animals, from snakes and birds to turtles and fish to raccoons and bullfrogs.

“He hoped my interest in animals would lead me towards biology,” Hassell laughed, “but I wanted to study animals without killing them.”

“Fr. Melchior was one of the people who — in my memory — helped me feel connected at Cistercian.”

Hassell’s drawings of animals and landscapes showed up frequently in The Informer (often accompanied by his poetry) between 1971 and 1974 and in an early literary magazine. Then for the cover of the 1974 Exodus, he drew a vision of the campus that captured nature’s super-sized impact on his Cister- Top: Billy Hassell ’74 drew cian experience (see pp. 14-15). this owl for the March ’73 Today, Hassell’s art — which continedition of The Informer. ues to blend realism and fantasy as he Bottom: Belted Kingfisher highlights his fascination with flora and

by Sam Clay ’19. fauna— can be seen at museums, galleries, people’s homes, and the Bush Presidential Library in Dallas.

His concern for the environment has led him to partner with organizations like The Nature Conservancy of Inspecting their new grounds circa 1956 (l-r): Texas, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and the Big Bend Fr. Aloysius Kimecz, Fr. Benedict Monostori, Conservancy.

Fr. Henry Marton, and Fr. Melchior Chladek.

The school’s collection of Hassell lithographs is now gathered in the renovated science building, with five displayed above the south stairwell and one, Trinity (which depicts wildlife around the river), above the north stairwell. (Orpheus, a 5’ x 5’ oil painting commissioned by the school in 2005, hangs in the library.)

Hassell’s works at Cistercian began to impress Sam Clay ’19 in his sophomore year, after a trip to Boston.

There he viewed an exhibition at Harvard of John James Audubon’s paintings of North American birds, curated by his brother Jess Clay ’13 (another alumnus

Photos by Jim Reisch

SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

17

Female (left) and male Wood Ducks. Below: Roadrunner.

The portraits by Sam Clay ’19 will be part of his study of Cistercian’s wildlife. of Parker’s bird-watching elective).

“I began to think of the diversity of birds on this campus alone,” explained the wildlife enthusiast who was seeking an outlet for his artistic talents.

He proposed a project to Fr. Paul, Fr. Ambrose, and Tim Parker: to identify the birds of Cistercian visually, along with their calls and migratory patterns. Once approved in October, Clay’s fascination with the subject led him to begin his study immediately (rather than wait for the beginning of the spring semester).

After receiving the paints and markers he’d asked for at Christmas, he started work on portraits of the birds.

“Since December 26,” Clay said, “I’ve tried to complete a drawing a day — pretty much nonstop. There are a lot of birds to document.”

“Sam’s a natural birder,” said Tim Parker. “He’s worked hard, too. He’s one of the best birders I’ve ever had in my class – and I have certainly had some good ones.”

“THE YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER, the Ruby-crowned

Kinglet, the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, the Painted Bunting, the Belted Kingfisher,” listed Tim Parker. “They are a few of the 80 bird species we’ve identified on campus. These particular species attract birders from all over.

18

CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018

“We have the opportunity to open our students’ eyes to the birds on the campus’ 82 acres,” he emphasized, “and the world around them. We have a campus that can help us teach science and appreciate the beauty of nature.”

Students like Jake FitzGerald, Joseph Dancy, and Sam Clay share in Parker’s fulfillment and enjoyment.

“Seeing a Painted Bunting arrive in May after a long migration from South America,” said Dancy, who quit his engineering job in Houston to enroll in St. Mary’s Seminary, “is a chance to see God’s work that we don’t usually pay attention to; but it is stunning.

“Mr. Parker’s joy in bird watching is clear,” he said, “and he shared that joy with us.

I still have a great relationship with him.”

“The bird watching elective was my most enjoyable learning experience at Cistercian,” FitzGerald insisted. “Mr. Parker creates so much enthusiasm; that’s why we’re willing to memorize those gigantic lists of birds!”

“I’d like to be an ornithologist,” said Clay, who dreams of presenting bird studies for the BBC or National Geographic.

“Mr. Parker was always there to help me in Form V biology,” Clay said. “Then in JV basketball, I admired his leadership. Now, he and I share a love for birds.

“He’s someone I want to imitate,” he added, “not just for his love of wildlife, but in how to live my life.”

Illustrations by Sam Clay ’19

Sports SOCCER

Hawks come ever so close in an epic SPC battle against Houston Episcopal After a victory over Walsh said of his team St. Stephen’s in the that battled the champions first round, the Hawks (Episcopal went on to win had to face Houston a third straight title) to the Episcopal, the two-time bitter end. defending champions.

In the third round The Knights were up game, the Hawks prevailed over St. John’s 1-0 in the final minutes, in penalty kicks to earn when the Hawks earned fifth place. a corner kick.

Treadway made two Everyone moved up, great saves, and shots including goalkeeper, Caleb Treadway ’18. were scored by Reefe Harrison ’20, Matthew After a deflection, the Wynne ’19, Evan ball fell to Treadway Anderson ’20, and Oscar and he kicked it into the Connor Blend ’18 (center) and the Hawks clear a corner kick in a 5-0 victory over ESD. Anderhub ’20. net for what appeared to All-Zone honors went be the equalizer. to Christian Schommer ’18 and Aidan Click “We were all going crazy,” said Coach a foul — hand ball on Cistercian. Minutes ’19, while All-SPC honors were earned by J.P. Walsh, “but then we heard a whistle.” later, the match ended.

Xavi Anderhub ’18 and Jimmy Garda ’19.

Amidst the celebration, the ref had called “I’ve never been more proud of a loss,”

BASKETBALL

SWIMMING

Win over Casady propelled Hawks into SPC tourney With a spot in the 2018 SPC tournament on the line, the Hawks traveled to Oklahoma to take on Casady in the regular season’s final game.

After a sluggish first quarter, both teams heated up in the second, with the Hawks taking a 29-25 lead into halftime.

Harry Crutcher ’19 led the way with 18 points (10 being free throws), 9 rebounds, and 5 assists as Cistercian went on a 16-5 third quarter run, opening up a 15-point lead.

He had lots of help in the 68-57 win that clinched an SPC berth.

Jack O’Neil ’19 rang up 16 points, Robert Lahrman ’19 added 13, and Mike Garnett ’18 chipped in 12. Sam Clay ‘19 contributed 8 assists.

Crutcher earned All-SPC honors and Clay won All-North Zone recognition.

“Guys like O’Neil (a 6' 3" guard/forward)

.25

Without superstars, AquaHawks begin to rebuild for next year

All-SPC swing player Harry Crutcher ’19 really stepped up this year,” said Coach Craig Sklar. “We have a lot of talent coming back next year that should make it exciting.”

Jack Dorn ’05 added much in his first year as a Cistercian coach while Bobby Crews ’06, who has a new wife and a baby on the way, is retiring from full-time coaching duties.

The fraction of an inch that spelled the difference on a hand ball called on Caleb Treadway ’18 as he scored the tying goal against Houston Episcopal.

Soccer photo by Brett Anderhub; basketball photo by Jimmy Garda ’19

4

Call 2018 a rebuilding year for Cistercian’s AquaHawks.

Without the aid of the superstars whose talents graced the team in past years, Cistercian’s long run of years as one of SPC’s top swim teams came to an end this season.

Five top swimmers from last season graduated.

Only two club swimmers swam for this year’s team along with a healthy contingent of 21 seasonal swimmers.

Sam Gambow ’20 placed 7th in the 200yard Individual Medley (IM) and eighth in the 500-yard freestyle.

The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Evan Ringdahl ’21, Gambow, Jacob Bartz ’18, and Mark Van Kirk ’21 placed eighth.

There’s always next year.

The number of forms represented on this year’s varsity basketball team, including three seniors.

The team will return 11 players next year.

SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

19

For the seniors: The Big Four in my "Playbook of Life"

M

y children tell me that it is a sign of my advancing age that I freely dispense unsolicited advice.

I’m okay with that.

When I encounter kids about to graduate I am always stirred by my own memories of those days.

Graduation was a great day for me, if for no other reason than there were several times when I (and I’m sure numerous others) doubted I would reach that finish line.

But the memory that crowds out all the others was the one of stark terror as I faced the future.

I might as well have been staring into a fog bank rolling off the Pecos River on an Afterthoughts Smokey Briggs ’84 early spring morning.

There was no path. Just fog. Oh, there were a few stepping stones close by, advancing into the fog, but I could not see a second stone in any direction.

It was petrifying.

My classmates all seemed to be able to see a clear path.

I will not bore you with all the details, but looking back 34 years after graduation, my life’s path most resembles a sot’s stumbling path to his home from the bar.

And, somehow, it worked. Despite relatively average intelligence, marginal talent, and not-quite Hollywood looks, I have achieved a wondrous degree of happiness and satisfaction in life.

I have even made a little money, and discovered in the process that the money is only worthwhile if it facilitates happiness and satisfaction.

I have now known no small number of people with more money in the bank than I will ever earn, who were completely miserable. You need enough, and only you and your responsibilities can determine what enough is, but after that, the overage is just useless junk you traded part of your life for.

But back to Smokey’s path to happiness and satisfaction — and a job (my in-laws were keen on that job thing early in mine and Laura’s marriage).

The choices facing young people at 18 were not easy when I was 18, and I think are tougher now.

College? The trades? The military? A job and figure it out as you go?

College was supposed to be the ticket in 1984. Just go to college, study anything, and your life would work out just fine.

That was a lie. But, in the 80s you could work your way through college and emerge victorious with your degree in History sans the equivalent of a small mortgage in exchange.

Not so much these days. College has become an economic minefield for the unwary.

The trades are often looked down upon as the last resort of those with middling intellect and drive. For the record, my life out here in the oil patch of West Texas puts the lie to that tale.

Going straight to work, or enlisting in the military, are certainly not viewed as usual good first steps into that foggy future either.

In short, the choices are not easy, and results are not certain.

Here’s an interesting tidbit of personal life irony. On the wall to my right hang parchments conferring bachelor’s, master’s, and a law degree on this author — but my ability to maintain and repair a 1969 Goss Community web printing press brings home the family bacon to a greater degree than my wordsmithery or my ability to charm a jury.

The double irony (the Fate’s enjoy irony I think) is the degrees were a big part of what landed me in the spot where running a printing press would become an important and lucrative part of my life.

You cannot plan that out in advance.

The future really is a wall of fog for many of us (even now for me), and usually you can only see a few stepping stones into the fog, if any, and have no idea what stones will be visible after you take the next step.

Life requires a leap of faith.

On the other hand, there are some things you can do that will help ensure your path leads somewhere worthwhile.

Here are the Big Four in Smokey’s Playbook of Life.

Don’t partner up with a moron. Your partner in life at any given moment (whether it is your best friend at 17, or your spouse later on), is the single biggest factor (other than you) in how your life will turn out.

If there is one surefire way to hating life, it is hitching your wagon to a nag of a human being.

After 52 years of observing the world, it seems that most of the less-than-happy people I meet are dealing with problems that begin and end with their partner. And vice versa.

When I hitched my wagon to my wife of 28 years (Laura), it was the best decision I ever made. In any endeavor, your partner can make you, or break you. Laura made me.

Second, take the next step. Hop to the next stone.

You may not be able to foretell where the path will lead, but it leads to nowhere if your feet are not moving. Too many people allow the terror of the unknown to root their feet to ground in a spot where they can never find fulfillment.

If you keep moving you will probably find the opportunity that you could not even imagine existed when you were just staring into that fog bank at age 17 trying to decide whether to be a diesel mechanic, Harrier jet pilot (my original plan), rocket scientist, or purveyor of recycled newsprint and ink.

Third, debt is the millstone of life.

Debt sinks marriages, crushes dreams, and prevents you from taking advantage of opportunity when you find it — and you will find opportunity if your feet are moving.

Live cheap. Drive used cars. Pay cash. If you cannot afford to pay cash, don’t buy it. Work an extra job when you are young and save the money. A lack of debt and a nest egg are the keys that open a lot of life’s better doors.

Last, spend less time worrying about “choice A” vs. “choice B,” make the choice, hop to the next stone, and (Number Four) go on about your life.

The great joy of life really is in the doing.

The future really is a wall of fog ... usually you can only see a few stepping stones into the fog.

SPRING 2018 • CONTINUUM

23

Community calendar JUNE 11 Summer Programs

PREPARATORY SCHOOL 3660 CISTERCIAN ROAD IRVING, TEXAS 75039

run through July 6 23 Summer Literary Club

AUGUST 21 Opening Ceremonies SEPTEMBER 20 North Texas Giving Day OCTOBER 5 Homecoming

Enter the silence of God for a short time every day

T

his time I will tell you the experience of one of my close friends. For years he tried to keep his mind on the prayers he was saying, but within a minute his imagination carried him away, and it took him a while until he realized that.

Then he would start over again, but again he would have the same frustrating exercise.

My friend wanted to pray very resolutely, but even more resolutely, he wanted to keep up with the news. It wasn’t enough for him to read The New York Times on-line; he had to look at three or four more websites featuring world news, religious news, updates on Trump and Pope Francis, Macron of France and Merkel of Germany, On Prayer the terrorists in Europe, Fr. Roch Kereszty and missiles in North Korea. Fortunately, God saved him from porn websites. He was always looking for something new, exciting, even scandalous, although he would never admit the latter to himself. He simply insisted to himself that he had to remain close to everything that happens in the world. It became a real addiction. He knew it and joked about it, but he thought this was part of living today.

Then one day he was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, and it finally dawned on him: “You fill your mind daily with trash, and yet you still think there remains space for God in you?” Right then and there he made up his mind: for two weeks, he would not read papers or listen to the media; he would clean up his imagination, and only answer personal and work emails. In a few days, he began to notice that the world had changed. He was no longer floating in virtual reality, but his senses saw and heard and smelled the reality that surrounded him: he discovered that it was spring time! He could smell the roses and the dogwood in the courtyard, look at the budding leaves, the greening grass with the early flowers waving with the wind and the monstrous clouds in the vast Texas sky. “This is all real and

beautiful!” he wanted to shout.

A few days later, he felt something more mysterious. He could not articulate to himself what it was, but it made him remember an image in The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis: as the bus arrived from Purgatory to the gate of heaven, the blades of grass became thicker, their edges sharper, almost hurting. There was more light, more color around him, and the contours of things were sharper, almost piercing his eyes. At the same time, he became aware that behind and within all that he saw there was an infinitely stronger, weightier reality, the “really Real” which embraced him and all this colorful world around him. When he went to church and prayed, he was surprised that he became interested in the words of the Psalm he read. Their meaning became “meaningful,” and he could even “taste” some of the lines. So ends the happy story of my friend.

St. Bernard, addressing the university students of Paris, says: Semel locutus est Deus, semel quia semper. “God spoke only once because he always speaks […] We do not need to work hard to hear his voice; in fact, the hard work is trying to stop our ears lest we hear him.” Lest we hear, in other words, we constantly increase the volume and the diversity of the distracting and titillating voices, and we itch to hear or see something that fills the inner void for a few minutes.

Let us try at least for a short time, at least half an hour a day, to stop the noise inside and outside. Let Jesus calm the stormy sea of our soul. As Mark says: “And there was a great calm (4:39).” St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Ephesians that the great mysteries of God, “the virginity of Mary, her giving birth and the death of the Lord,” all took place “in the silence of God, and were kept hidden from the ruler of this age.” Let us, then, ask the Lord to allow us to enter his silence at least for a short time every day. The greater the silence within us, the more loudly the mysteries of God will speak to us. Their truth, their solidity and their majesty will fill us with joy — not every time we pray, but frequently enough to keep us living and loving.

He made up his mind: For two weeks, he would not read papers or listen to the media.

In a few days, he began to notice ...

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CONTINUUM • SPRING 2018