HGP Magazine 2

Holy Ghost Prep M A G A Z I N E

ROOM TO GROW The Holt Center, once completed in early 2018, will allow Beth Vilsmeier’s students to refine their unique gifts in a collegiate-level facility.

ISSUE NO. 2

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SU M ME R 2017

FROM THE PRESIDENT

this issue

Progress Toward Premier

Features 2

An Exciting New Chapter in Holy Ghost Prep History

On April 11, Holy Ghost Prep celebrated a landmark day in its history with a ceremony that served as both the groundbreaking for the Holt Center and the official naming of the building’s theater as the Frank Frederico Performing Arts Theater.

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Room to Grow

The Holt Center, once it is completed in early 2018, will allow Beth Vilsmeier’s students to refine their unique gifts in a collegiate-level facility.

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Investing in HGP’s Future

Dominic and Michelle Frederico’s generous gift will serve as the naming gift for the new theater in the Holt Center.

Departments

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Campus News

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Athletic News

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Alumni News

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Keeping Up with the Joneses

Nolan Jones was a 2016 second-round pick of the Cleveland Indians and is on track to being a major leaguer, while his brother Peyton Jones is one of the top goaltenders in college hockey and appears to have an NHL future.

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Well Prepared for What’s Next

Luigi Galzerano, Teddy Barbe, Preeth Vijay, and Charles Lawall, all members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2017, blossomed during their four years on campus. They have left their mark at HGP and are truly prepared for what’s next.

Holy Ghost Prep Magazine

Executive Director of Development Matt Dwyer

Holy Ghost Prep Magazine is published twice yearly by Holy Ghost’s Office of Communications and is distributed to alumni, parents, and friends of Holy Ghost Preparatory School.

Chief Financial Officer Tim Woods

Issue 2, Summer 2017

Join Us on the Web Stay connected to Holy Ghost Prep! Facebook: HolyGhostPrep Twitter: @holyghostprep Instagram: Instagram.com/ HolyGhostPrep LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/ grps/Holy-Ghost-Prep-AlumniNetwork-1093977/about Snapchat: Keyword: holyghostprep

Editor Bill Doherty Contributing Writers Bill Doherty Michael Bradley Matthew Jordan Proofreader David Caruso Contributing Photographers Douglas Benedict, Academic Image Catalano Studio Lisa Varley Photography Craig Houtz, Penn State Athletics Architectural Renderings Courtesy of Howard V. Lebold, McGillin Architecture

Director of Admissions Ryan Abramson ’94 Director of Communications Bill Doherty Design Karp Graphic Design Holy Ghost Preparatory School 2429 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020 215.639.2102 t

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hen I visited Tanzania during the summer of 2016, I was struck by the ability of Spiritans to identify the critical needs in the many communities they serve. Once identified, they had this wonderful entrepreneurial sense to respond to specific needs “on the ground” and do something creative, innovative, and impactful to affect change. One of the most vivid examples of this is a Spiritan who saw a complete lack of health care for the Maasai people. So Rev. Pat Patten, C.S.Sp. acquired a couple of small planes, recruited a few volunteer pilots and health care professionals, and started Flying Medical Services (FMS), a nonprofit that provides a variety of health care services (curative, pre- and post-natal, vaccinations, etc.) to remote regions of northern Tanzania. Decades later, Father Patten and FMS are still going strong, serving more than 30,000 Maasai and other Tanzanians per year! I’d like to think that we have incorporated this openness and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit to meet the needs as we see them here at Holy Ghost Prep. This summer, we are wrapping up a remarkable service trip with 26 of our students to the Dominican Republic, and we will soon embark on another trip to Tanzania. The idea of immersing our students in service experiences that are Spiritan in nature is fundamental to achieving our mission and living up to our vision. As you know, we have focused on the strategic imperative of Spiritan, along with three other imperatives—Collegiate, Engagement, and Unique Gifts—and used them as a framework to identify areas of need on our campus and within our program, and have come up with a plan to address these many needs. It’s always exciting to plan, but the real joy comes when it’s time to start implementing the plan. And that’s where Holy Ghost Prep is now. Following a series of substantive discussions that our HGP executive team engaged in with trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and students, we formulated a three-year strategic plan called Vision 2020. The ultimate goal of the plan, which was unanimously approved in the fall of 2016, was to transform Holy Ghost Prep into the premier Catholic college preparatory school in the area. I am happy to report that we’re already making progress on the pathway to premier. We broke ground on the Holt Center in April. Construction on the Holt Center is well underway and the state-of-the-art facility will be completed by early next year. In this second issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, you will be able to read about the new Frank Frederico Performing Arts Theater and the transformative effect that the new theater in the Holt Center will have on our performing arts program (see page 4). Later this summer, we will finish phase one of our STEM initiative with the completion of the Brennan Family Innovation Center (see page 15), an approximately 2,000-plus square foot space in Cornwells Hall where key pieces of our science and technology and math curriculums will enable students to experience new ways to collaborate, innovate, and design. These are exciting times at Holy Ghost and the optimism and energy are palpable around campus. We have a compelling vision that both captures our essence and boldly directs us into the future. As HGP evolves with the implementation of our Vision 2020 plan, our legacy of developing confident leaders who make a difference in the world will endure.

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The idea of immersing our students in service experiences that are Spiritan in nature is fundamental to achieving our mission and living up to our vision.

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To read HGP President Geruson’s blog from the 2017 summer mission trip to the Dominican Republic, visit www.holyghostprep.org/President.

Holy Ghost Prep’s Executive Team President Gregory J. Geruson ’79 Cover Photography: Douglas Benedict, Academic Image

Principal Jeff Danilak

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An Exciting New Chapter in HOLY GHOST PREP HISTORY On April 11, Holy Ghost Prep celebrated a landmark day in its 120-year history with a ceremony that served as both the groundbreaking for the Holt Center as well as the official naming of the building’s theater as the Frank Frederico Performing Arts Theater. The ceremony, which took place on a sun-soaked morning at the future home of the Holt Center, was a true community event attended by the entire student body, HGP faculty, staff and administrators, members of the Holt family, Dominic Frederico, local politicians, and members of the Holy Ghost Board of Trustees. Following remarks by Holy Ghost President Gregory J. Geruson ’79, Thomas Holt, Jr. ’81, and Dominic Frederico, the dignitaries were happy to don hard hats and ceremoniously turn over the dirt to celebrate the start of construction. In 2018, the group will reconvene at the same site for a different type of celebration, a ribbon cutting ceremony when the new Holt Center opens for business. In this issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, we celebrate the positive impact that the Frank Frederico Performing Arts Theater will undoubtedly have on HGP with features on Dominic Frederico, the man whose generosity made the new theater possible, and Beth Vilsmeier, an accomplished music teacher at Holy Ghost for the past 25 years whose music program will soar even higher once the Holt Center—with its state-of-the-art theater and music practice spaces—is open. 2

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Room to Grow

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ust up the ramp from the Holy Ghost Prep cafeteria, floating above the clamor of students jostling one another for cheesesteaks and french fries down below, the sounds of music being made can be heard. The doors at the top of that ramp lead to the music room, where, for the past 25 years, Beth Vilsmeier has been turning students with a wide range of skills into accomplished musicians. Soon that environment will be changing, as Vilsmeier prepares to move the music program from the confines of its current space into something much grander: the Holt Center and its state-of-the-art facilities, which will include the newly minted Frank Federico Performing Arts Theater, as well as spacious new music instruction rooms. Once it’s completed in early 2018, the Holt Center will allow Vilsmeier’s students to refine their unique gifts in a collegiate-caliber facility. In the meantime, Vilsmeier’s calendar will remain prodigiously full. The groups that she prepares and conducts— the concert band, jazz band, pit orchestra, and chorus—perform at the events that mark the signature stages of the school year. Those occasions span the school liturgies that kick off the year,

“Imagine a theater that will host musicals and dramatic plays and will also be a space for lecture series, assemblies, HGP music concerts.” —President Gregory J. Geruson ’79 such as the Mass of the Holy Spirit, to the Baccalaureate Mass and graduation ceremony that conclude it. Only after considering rehearsals and performances at the Firebird Auction, Open House, the spring musical, and concerts and competitions outside of school can one fully appreciate the extent of the effort involved. Indeed, the number of rehearsals and performances “can be exhausting,” says Karen Smallen, Holy Ghost’s art teacher; she and Vilsmeier have comprised the fine arts department for over two decades. “But she handles all of it with grace. Beth works with students of every ability and raises the bar for all of them.” When music is performed well, the execution seems effortless. But anyone who has performed in front of an audience knows how much preparation such execution requires. And when the performers are a group of teenagers who bring a wide range of skill levels to the project, the challenges are even greater. Still, with exacting standards and a laser-like focus, Vilsmeier manages to create harmony from discord. “She does not suffer fools gladly,” says Allan Scott, a conductor and friend who has performed with Vilsmeier for over 25 years, “or accept mediocrity in any way. Beth taught me that we only have so many performances in our lifetime, and never to miss them. Because of her, I have never missed a performance in over 30 years.” 4

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“She knows what she needs and says what she thinks,” says Charles Lawall ’17, a tenor in chorus who has won All-Catholic competitions, as well as a spot in the choir that performed for Pope Francis at the Papal Mass for the World Meeting of Families in 2015. “She has a great understanding of what is needed for a song in terms of notes, pitches, and rhythms.” Vilsmeier does not consider the task of bringing out students’ talent as simply a technical challenge. Rather, she approaches each student individually, with the goal of helping each one discover his musical identity. “During the past 45 years of teaching,” says Vilsmeier, “I have learned that every student has a story, and that music will help them to better understand their journey.” For Pat Byrnes ’19, who sings bass in Vilsmeier’s chorus, navigating that journey has meant challenging himself artistically. “Mrs. Vilsmeier helped me realize that it was okay to go against the grain and step outside of my comfort zone,” says Byrnes. “I was able to define myself more clearly as a music student because of her class.” For former students, the journey has led to some innovative career opportunities. Tim Burns ’01, who played piano for the school’s liturgies and musical productions as a student, credits Vilsmeier with steering him toward his eventual career as a collaborative piano player and teacher of collaborative piano at Colorado State University. To reach that destination, Burns cites another important facet of Vilsmeier’s influence—namely, her willingness to approach her students not as their teacher, but as a fellow musician. “In many ways,” says Burns, “Beth didn’t really treat me as a student needing guidance, but more as a collaborator that she was working with to achieve a common musical goal. I don’t think I have ever taken this for granted. The many experiences I was afforded through my work with her gave me the foundation that launched my collaborative piano career, and they are fundamental to many of the topics that I can and do teach at Colorado State.” Vilsmeier’s inclination to treat her students as fellow musicians might have something to do with the fact that she herself is a highly esteemed clarinetist, one who has played in orchestras all over the Delaware Valley. Her talent has wowed her own students on those occasions when they have heard her play. “I don’t think people realize how good she really is as a performer,” says Lawall. “She is one of the finest clarinetists I have ever known,” confirms Scott, who has known many of them in his 30 years of conducting symphonies around the world. “She is a true curator and a consummate professional.” Don Liuzzi, another orchestra director who has played clarinet alongside Vilsmeier for many years, sees a couple of potential roads not taken for Vilsmeier: “Beth could be a seriously great stand-up comedian, and an A1 principal clarinetist at any number of big orchestras in this country.” In the meantime, Vilsmeier will be preparing for the transition from her current working environs at Holy Ghost to

PAGE PHOTO CREDIT: DOUGLAS BENEDICT, ACADEMIC IMAGE

By Matthew Jordan

something much more spacious and state of the art. The move to the Holt Center will give Vilsmeier more of the freedom and flexibility she needs to elevate the music department to even greater heights. The new facility will double the program’s instructional space and provide more ample storage. “Imagine a theater that will host musicals and dramatic plays and will also be a space for lecture series, assemblies, HGP music concerts,” says Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “Once finished, we will have a theater with state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting, and sound. It’ll be a place where the entire performing arts program can continue to grow.” Being located in the same building for both practices

and performances will also have its advantages. No longer will musicians need to make the trek down the path to Chapman Arena from Cornwells Hall with their instruments and equipment in tow. “For 25 years, we had to move an entire room full of furniture to another building every time we performed,” says Vilsmeier. “Usually, it required four trips back and forth to get everything we needed in place.” Beyond the logistical changes, Vilsmeier is looking forward to the ways in which the new space will give her students the technical ability to improve. “The most exciting thing about making music there is that the space will be designed and designated for performance,” says Vilsmeier. “It will be wonderful to have a space that will allow the students to hear themselves while they are rehearsing and learn to make musical decisions based on that information.” Most of all, the new space inside the beautiful Holt Center will give Vilsmeier and her students the opportunity to create something essential for both themselves and future audiences, something that she knows music is uniquely suited to provide. “Music has always been something where people can express themselves and create something beautiful at the same time. The world needs more beauty.” Matthew Jordan, who profiled Tony Chapman ’71 in the previous issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, has taught English and writing at HGP for the past 18 years.

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F E AT U R E | I N V E S T I N G I N H G P ’ S F U T U R E

By Michael Bradley

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ominic Frederico is good at what he does. Very good. There can be no denying it. He is the president and CEO of Assured Guaranty, and under his stewardship, the company became the leading provider of municipal bond insurance and financial guarantees. While competitors floundered or dissolved outright during last decade’s financial crisis, Assured Guaranty survived, thrived, and grew. The man knows his business. But Frederico also knows that were he to stand in front of the mirror every morning and smile smugly at the thought of how he alone had produced all this success, the Angel Gabriel might just appear and smack him in the back of the head with a three-iron. No one man can do it by himself, and Frederico knows that. Why does he give back to schools like Holy Ghost Prep and his alma mater, Monsignor Bonner? Because he has received so many gifts himself. “Can I say, ‘I’m the best CEO’?” Frederico says. “No, I had to have help. Was everything we accomplished all because of me? I don’t think so.” Frederico’s latest acknowledgement of the assistance he has received from God and others is his and his wife Michele’s naming gift for the new theater in the Holt Center. The performing arts venue will be named for Frederico’s son Frank ’00 and will afford HGP students the opportunity to participate in a variety of productions while providing the school with a space that will allow it to hold many different events, from a speaker series to community outreach theater programs. It’s a substantial step forward for the arts at Holy Ghost, and it fits well with Frederico’s goal of helping Catholic institutions provide outstanding educational opportunities for students. 6

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ften, people use the term “no nonsense” to describe someone who is blunt. Frederico is absolutely direct and uninterested in frivolous things, but he is certainly not crass or thoughtless. He prefers an unvarnished approach that accomplishes things, rather than a meandering style that doesn’t produce results. “Dominic is an incredibly candid and straightforward kind of guy,” Geruson says. “He is who he is. He cuts to the chase and says what’s on his mind.” That’s an accurate description of Frederico’s approach to all of his philanthropy to Holy Ghost Prep, his alma mater Monsignor Bonner (now Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School) and Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, N.J., alma mater of his daughter Gabrielle. “He is completely transparent,” his son Frank says. “People sometimes don’t like what he has to say, but he is always honest.” Frederico’s approach to philanthropy isn’t based just on the bottom line. He truly believes that everyone who had the opportunity to benefit from a Catholic education should be more than willing to be generous to his or her alma mater. That he serves on the board of Faith in the Future—and no doubt contributes treasure, in addition to time and talent—shows that he is not merely interested in helping those who had a direct influence in his life. He can’t imagine why others like him would feel differently.

Frederico’s passion for Catholic education has had a significant effect on Holy Ghost. But Geruson admits that when he first went to meet with Frederico two months after taking over as president, he was surprised by the benefactor’s response. “The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘I can’t believe it took Holy Ghost Prep so long to come to see me,’” Geruson recalls. It was the beginning of a strong bond between the two men and a doorway to Frederico’s increased commitment to HGP. “He is a uniquely consummate business professional,” Geruson says. “What he says, he does. It’s a pleasure to work with him and to spend time with him.” One of the ways Frederico has made an impact on the school is through creating and endowing the Frank Frederico Student Investment Fund. The program started during the 2015-16 school year, when participants developed—with assistance from former Holy Ghost parent and financial advisor Tom McInerney—an investment policy statement that would govern their future decisions. The goal was to create a portfolio dedicated to longterm growth, rather than an equity churn designed to make quick profits. Once the students began investing this school year, they did try to capitalize on market trends, but since the ultimate goal is to donate profits from the fund to charity, prudence is the most important guiding force. Tom Murtaugh, who has taught at Ghost for nine years, has provided guidance but stresses that the students make the decisions, and he says each new class will bring new perspectives. “Every year, the students will take a fresh look at the policy statement,” Murtaugh says. “Each senior class can change the portfolio and then manage it as it sees fit.” Frederico is delighted to help provide such an opportunity, but he isn’t interested in exerting any influence over the project. He’s too busy with Assured Guaranty and on the links, where he describes himself as “an avid, horrible golfer, but avid nonetheless.” (Frank disputes his father’s self-deprecation: As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s prestigious Wharton “That’s a lie,” he says. “He plays strong golf.”) School who is now a Principal at Prudential Financial, John Di Paolo ’87 knows a worthwhile investment opportunity when he sees one. Frederico’s support of Holy Ghost, which he considered an easy choice for Frank’s That’s why Di Paolo, a current member of Holy Ghost Prep’s Board of Trustees, made a substantial gift to put his family education thanks to its proximity to the name on the school’s multi-purpose gymnasium within the Holt Center. The Di Paolo Family Gymnasium, which will open family’s New Hope home, its high academic in 2018, will bear the Di Paolo family name to honor not only John and his cousins Jeff ’79 and David ’81, but also their standards, and the value of Catholic values parents who made attending HGP a reality. and discipline, remains strong—as does his Plus, it’s an investment in Holy Ghost Prep’s future. commitment to helping young people thrive. “Holy Ghost Prep has been instrumental in our lives,” John Di Paolo explains. “Our parents made real sacrifices to send “Catholic schools care for the whole us to HGP. And this gift recognizes that sacrifice and the role that attending Holy Ghost Prep has played in our success. child,” he says. “A lot of people need hands“This gift will help ensure future HGP success stories. The Di Paolo Family Gymnasium will be a collegiate-caliber facility on guidance. It’s difficult growing up that will enrich the experience of not only Holy Ghost Prep student-athletes, but also the entire community.” today. There are a lot of temptations and Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson believes the Di Paolo family gift leaves a legacy and will help the school distractions. It’s nice that Holy Ghost has move forward as it strives to be the area’s premier Catholic college preparatory school. such direct involvement of the faculty to help provide a complete education.” “John Di Paolo’s generosity gives us the opportunity to develop a state-of-the-art gymnasium that will transAnd to provide that guiding hand on the form the student experience at HGP for decades to come,” says Geruson. “We are so thankful to the Di Paolo family for their support of an important piece of HGP’s future.”—By Bill Doherty backs of everybody—even the most talented. “If you go to church and still believe in God, how are you going to say no if someone asks you to give?” he says. “If you’re successful, you have to realize you didn’t get there by yourself. Why wouldn’t you give back? If someone turns down the offer, he isn’t a card-carrying member of the faith.” Frederico grew up in Upper Darby, in St. Laurence Parish, and graduated from Bonner in 1970. He earned a business degree from Drexel and went to work as a CPA for Coopers & Lybrand, at the time one of the “Big Eight” accounting firms. He specialized in banking and insurance, beginning with life insurance and moving to property and casualty. In 2003, he took over as president and CEO of Assured Guaranty and a year later presided over the Bermuda-based company’s IPO. Since then, Assured Guaranty weathered the financial crisis, and thanks in large part to Frederico’s prudent stewardship, was able to acquire several of the companies in the field that struggled in the economic downturn. As Frederico says, it’s not right to laud him as the best CEO, but he has certainly had a significant impact on the company. “I have never met anyone from a business standpoint who is that brilliant,” says Frank, who works for Creative Financial in Newtown Square and owns a top-end auto repair shop in South Jersey. “It’s just the way his mind works. When I was in college, I needed help with my statistics homework. The problems took seven steps to complete, and he was doing it in two. He was frustrated with me, because I couldn’t keep up. I said, ‘Whoa, pump the brakes.’”

LEAVING A LEGACY

PAGE PHOTO CREDIT: CATALANO STUDIO

Investing in HGP’s Future

Instead of having to find ways to schedule rehearsals and performances around athletic events, dances, and other large school events, the performing arts teachers and directors will have their own home, where the arts are the primary tenants. “The Frank Frederico Performing Arts Theater puts us in a position where we can take a quantum leap in our ability to provide opportunities for our students,” Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79 says. “We will have a dedicated space that has state-of-the-art lighting, acoustics, and sound. There won’t just be one play per year. We envision a drama in the fall, a musical in spring, as well as an expansion of performing arts classes.” Frederico’s philanthropy toward Holy Ghost is not limited to the arts. Thanks to a generous donation he made last year, HGP students are able to use real money to buy and sell stocks. Several colleges have similar initiatives, but Ghost is one of only two high schools in the country—the other is the Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas—to offer such a program. It’s another example of how Frederico is enhancing the opportunities offered by Holy Ghost, as well as other Catholic educational institutions, and helping create an environment in which students can receive a first-rate academic experience, just as he did in the late 1960s, at Monsignor Bonner. For Frederico, it’s about the “guiding light” that can be found in Catholic institutions. It’s why he and Michele, chose Holy Ghost for Frank and why he is on the board of the Faith in the Future Foundation, which is committed to helping Philadelphia’s Archdiocesan high schools thrive. Frederico refers often to the “hand on my back,” which helped him build a successful business career and steers him down the right path in his daily life. “My mom and dad go to church religiously every weekend,” Frank says. “They are true believers. Some people believe in God, and others do it with a purpose. My mother and father know how blessed they are.”

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Keeping Up with the Joneses

very hard-working family. [Nolan and Peyton] realize all the advantages they have and the sacrifices their parents made for them.” One of those sacrifices was sending Peyton and Nolan Jones to Holy Ghost Prep, a move that has put both on the road to success. “Holy Ghost Prep was a great experience for me,” Nolan says. “Over the last year, I’ve really had the opportunity to appreciate the advantages the school gave me, like time management and how to communicate with a lot of different people from all over the country and world. “I’m very blessed to have a supportive family and Holy Ghost Prep is also where I made some of the best friends I’ll ever have. I can’t quantify the importance of that kind of support.”

Nolan Jones was a 2016 second-round pick of the Cleveland Indians and is on track to being a major leaguer, while his brother Peyton Jones is one of the top goaltenders in college hockey and appears to have an NHL future. By Michael Bradley

or bouncing balls. Freshening up the cement room was never even a consideration, because sons Peyton and Nolan used the place as their in-home training center, firing pucks on a net that stood at one end of the basement and slamming baseballs into a carpet remnant that hung from the ceiling at the other end. Little sister Liana—“She’ll challenge her older brothers to anything,” Regina says—and little brother Andrew would join in, turning the basement into a whirlwind of family athletic mayhem, but hardly a realtor’s dream. “My mom hated it,” confesses Peyton, who graduated from Holy Ghost in 2014. The Jones brothers played roller hockey in the basement and hit off tees to hone their swings. It was noisy and never neat, but it was a lot of fun for a family that stressed togetherness and constructed a bond that will endure. School, games, practices, and travel took up a lot of time, but when the schedule slowed, the basement beckoned.

Cleveland Indians. As the older Jones boys continue their sporting journeys, they remain especially close and credit each other for their success. Neither was an immediate prodigy, but as both continued through Holy Ghost and advanced in outside competitions, they developed into top-tier athletes with substantial professional aspirations but with the grounding that comes from a sturdy family life that stressed togetherness. The athletic genes are pretty good, too. Regina was a runner and high jumper at Harry S. Truman High School in Levittown, and Tom played football and baseball at Truman. And everybody is competitive, whether the pursuit is grades, Monopoly, or the Rubik’s Cube, which Andrew can solve in 90 seconds, something that stoked Nolan’s inner fire. But the Joneses support each other and always want to help the other succeed. “They are just a very solid family,” says Ryan Abramson ’94, Holy Ghost Prep’s director of admissions. “Also, they are a

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“As soon as I would be done my homework, we’d be down in the basement,” Nolan, a 2016 HGP grad, says. Puck marks on the walls, broken light bulbs, and damaged fixtures from any number of assailants characterize the room. But the biggest indicators of the long hours of work put in and the raucous fun experienced aren’t the aesthetic disasters. They are Peyton’s hockey scholarship to Penn State and Nolan’s secondround selection in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft by the

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f Regina and Tom Jones ever decide to sell their Langhorne home, they will perhaps have to make a few cosmetic changes in the kitchen or bathrooms. A new coat of paint in a room or two might help. Then, there’s the basement. The Joneses never turned the cellar into a den for entertaining or watching big games, because they didn’t want furniture, decorations, and electronics ruined by flying pucks

egina greeted her son at the door. He was “three or four” at the time—Peyton can’t remember exactly—and had just arrived home from watching his first-ever NHL game, with Tom, who had received free tickets from a coworker. Philadelphia Flyers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck

had been serenaded all night by fans chanting, “Bee-zer, Bee-zer,” (his nickname) and Peyton was mesmerized. Upon seeing his mother, he made a declaration. “My name’s not Peyton anymore,” he remembers saying. “My name is ‘Beezer.’ For two years, I answered to nothing but ‘Beezer.’” Thus began a lifelong love of hockey that has taken Jones from Holy Ghost to Lincoln, Nebraska to State College and could well have him signing an NHL contract in the not-too-distant future. When Peyton played for Holy Ghost’s middle school club team, he attracted the interest of Firebirds head coach Gump Whiteside, who noticed how athletic the young player was, even though he wasn’t nearly as big as he is now (6-foot-4, 210 pounds). Because he was smaller, he learned to rely on his quickness and athletic ability in goal until the middle of his high school career, when he grew “six or seven inches” in one year. “I was in so much pain,” Peyton says about the process. “I had pain in my joints and pain

in my feet.” The growth spurt gave him greater goal coverage but didn’t rob him of his fast reflexes. Further, Peyton was a leader and someone who always wanted to learn. “He was the type of player who made me a better coach,” Whiteside says. “He communicated so well with his teammates and had great leadership qualities.” After graduating from Holy Ghost, Peyton moved on to the United States Hockey League, the country’s top junior league, to play for the Lincoln (Nebraska) Stars. He lived with host parents, traveled by bus to garden spots like Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Waterloo, Iowa, and began to attract the attention of college programs—although only one mattered. “I saw something I wanted to be a part of at Penn State,” Peyton says. “My mom said, ‘You can’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ But I said, ‘I’m going to Penn State.’” Even though Michigan Tech offered Peyton a scholarship during his first year in Lincoln, he refused to back off his Penn State preference. “He felt it was going to happen,” Regina says. “It did, and now we’re Penn State fans.” This season, there was

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olan had one minute. Sixty seconds. After weeks and months of interviewing nine different potential agents and hearing pitches from all 30 MLB teams—including the San Diego Padres three times—that’s all the time that was available for him to make a decision about his baseball future. When a team decides it wants to draft a player, it makes a phone call. The clock starts ticking. One orbit around by the second hand, and the kid needs to make a decision. San Diego wanted Nolan in the first round, but the team wouldn’t meet his financial demands. The Los Angeles Dodgers told him to wait deep into the second round, and they would beat that figure. But Nolan’s agent said the Dodgers don’t always show patience with their young prospects. Then came Cleveland. “Our agent got a call from the Indians, and they said, ‘If Nolan is around at [pick] 55, they would take him,’” Regina says. They weren’t lying. Cleveland selected Nolan, gave him a $2.25 million contract, pledged another $300K for his college education, and sent him to Arizona to play rookie ball. It was quite a whirlwind for the guy who before his sophomore year at Holy Ghost—he started his high school career at Penn Charter—hadn’t even received attention from colleges, much less professional scouts. That year, everything changed. Nolan was invited to take part in the Northeast Top 100 showcase at Villanova. Regina and Tom balked, due to the $495 entry fee. But Holy Ghost assistant coach Dave Amaro, coach of the Philly Bandits, Nolan’s club team, told them attendance was pretty much mandatory. So Nolan went. And with 100 or so colleges and several major league scouts watching, he turned in a remarkable performance. He ran. He threw. He hit. All extremely well. “That night, 55 college coaches called us,” Regina says. “Three weeks after that, he committed to Virginia.” That decision may have scared off other college coaches, but the pro scouts kept coming. They were around during the 2015 season but swarmed the Firebird schedule in ’16. Often they would ask Nolan to hit after games, because he rarely saw good pitches to hit during games. So he would dutifully grab a bat, invite a couple of freshmen to join him in the batting cage round robin, and put on a show. Holy Ghost varsity baseball coach Vince Rossomando ’02 remembers the fusillade he unloaded at Council Rock when he 10

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Well Prepared for What’s Next

hit so many balls so far that the home team players were afraid he was going to break windshields and dent roofs on their cars in the parking lot beyond the right field fence. And they were 450 feet away from home plate. After he was done bombing vehicles, Nolan would conscientiously collect the balls in the cage and on the field—freshman work. “A lot of teams got to see the kind of quality kid he is,” Rossomando says. “He’s very mature and would often grab freshmen and point out something they could work on with their swings.” That’s something Nolan learned from Regina and Tom. They wanted him to understand that being part of a team meant paying attention to everybody. “I wanted to be the guy who helped other players,” Nolan says. “When you’re selfish, nobody wants to play with you. When you are team-first, everybody wants to play with you.” The Indians are certainly impressed by that perspective. Yes, Nolan has great size (6-5), athletic ability, and instincts. He hits for big power and has demonstrated a real desire to learn and improve now that Cleveland has moved him from his high school shortstop position to third base. He played Class A ball this spring in Arizona and lived modestly in what he calls “the worst imaginable hotel,” with “awful” cable. He now plays summer Class A ball for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. “I’m going to stay here [until the Class A season begins in the summer], so I can look back one day and laugh,” he says. Cleveland appreciates his serious approach to the game. Instead of worrying how much money he has, Nolan works every day to get better. “He shows up every day with an intensity, a love for the game, and a desire to get better,” Indians director of player development James Harris says. “That’s what makes him special. He showed up this spring with a year under his belt and is working even harder than he did last year.” That’s the Jones Way. Do your job. Remain humble. Get better. And keep beating up that basement.

By Bill Doherty

Michael Bradley is a writer based in suburban Philadelphia whose work has been published in numerous national magazines. He has written 29 books, including Big Games: College Football’s Greatest Rivalries. He has also appeared on several TV stations, including ESPN, Comcast SportsNet, and Fox29. Michael is a host on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia.

It was noisy and never neat, but it was a lot of fun for a family that stressed togetherness and constructed a bond that will endure.

Luigi GALZERANO

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uigi Galzerano, Teddy Barbe, Preeth Vijay, and Charles Lawall, all members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2017, blossomed during their four years on campus. All four were called to the stage to accept awards at the HGP graduation ceremony in early June. They have left their mark at HGP and are truly prepared for what’s next.

Living life to the fullest

PAGE PHOTO CREDIT: DOUGLAS BENEDICT, ACADEMIC IMAGE

plenty to enjoy. At one point, the Nittany Lions were ranked first in the country, quite an accomplishment for a program that has only enjoyed full-fledged varsity status for five seasons. In 2016-17, PSU reached the top 10 for the first time in its history, qualified for the Big Ten tournament for the first time, and made its inaugural appearance in the NCAA tourney, where it beat Union in the first round, before falling to Denver in the national quarters. Jones posted a 23-10-2 record and a 2.60 goals against average. He was the MVP of the Big Ten tourney, which Penn State won with a 2-1 overtime triumph over Wisconsin. It was an amazing performance by team and player. “Peyton is the hardest-working kid I have ever met,” Nolan says. “I’m jealous of him. He’s got speed and reactions. It’s incredible. He’s just a complete, all-around athlete. I’d love to be as athletic as he is. I’m sure it makes him more confident and stronger in the net.”

Growing up amidst the gleaming coffins and embalming fluids of his family’s funeral home business, Luigi Galzerano has developed a real zest for life. “People always ask me if our house is haunted,” says Galzerano. “But it’s not like that at all. You’re always around people who are mourning their lost loved ones, but they are celebrating the lives they led, too. “Growing up in that environment teaches you to try and live your life to the fullest.” Galzerano has certainly done that thus far in his young life—

Teddy BARBE developing interests ranging from musical (earning multiple AllCatholic honors for his saxophone playing) to physical (fighting six amateur boxing matches during his four years at Holy Ghost Prep). And despite some nights where he came home with a headache courtesy of sparring sessions, Galzerano excelled in the classroom, graduating magna cum laude and winning the medal for overall excellence in music at HGP’s graduation. Longtime Holy Ghost music teacher Beth Vilsmeier remembers Luigi as an eighth grader auditioning for a music scholarship at Holy Ghost. “His audition was so impressive that I knew he would be a star in our music program,” Vilsmeier said. Galzerano sure was, becoming a member of the All-Catholic concert band all four years, the All-Catholic jazz band for three years, and the AllCatholic orchestra for one year. As a senior, he even joined the pit orchestra for HGP’s 2017 musical Anything Goes. This fall, Galzerano will tackle a new challenge when he heads to West Point to study at the United States Military Academy. “The more I researched West Point, the more it just felt right to me,” says Galzerano. “Both of my grandfathers were in World War II, so I have a little bit of Army history in my family. I’ll graduate and will be an officer.” Just like she predicted Galzerano’s musical stardom, Vilsmeier envisions Galzerano serving the U.S. with dignity. “Luigi shared his answer to one of the congressman’s questions (during his West Point interview) with me,” says Vilsmeier. “Luigi was asked to define leadership. He responded, ‘Leadership is doing the right thing when no one is looking.’ “I knew then that he was destined to serve our country with distinction and honor.”

On the move Many teenagers will fret about moving away to college, but Teddy Barbe doesn’t figure to be fazed. After all, filling out change-of-address forms is old hat for Barbe. “Moving to Wake Forest will mark the ninth time that I’ve moved in my life,” says Barbe, who was born in Montgomery, Alabama, moved around the South, spent some time in Frankfurt, Germany and then Atlanta, Georgia before finding a high school home at Holy Ghost Prep. “My dad is a chemical engineer, so he accepted different jobs to S U M M E R 2 017

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Preeth VIJAY advance his career,” says Barbe, whose family left the Philadelphia area and moved to Charlotte, N.C. over the summer, a mere twohour drive from Wake Forest. “That will allow me to sneak in some laundry runs and some home-cooked meals every now and then,” says Barbe, with a smile. An LSU football fan since childhood, Barbe grew to love a different brand of football as a second grader attending school in Germany. “I became passionate about soccer when we lived in Frankfurt,” says Barbe. “Soccer is the sport over there.” His passion for soccer paid off as Barbe was a three-year varsity player at HGP, becoming a starter as a sophomore on the state title–winning team. “I loved my time at Ghost. Dog piling with my HGP soccer teammates after winning that state title was one of the highlights of my time here,” says Barbe. “He has a work ethic that is second to none,” says HGP soccer coach Ken Lawson ’92. “I am most impressed with his demeanor. No matter the situation, he always stayed even-keeled. He never got too high or too low, and I think that is a trait that will bode well for him in the future.” A summa cum laude graduate from Holy Ghost Prep, Barbe will major in either business or pre-med at Wake Forest. He feels fully prepared for college, thanks to his time at Holy Ghost Prep. “One of the most important things that Holy Ghost taught me is time management,” says Barbe, who received a Silver Cup of Recognition at commencement as one of the highest achievers in HGP’s Class of 2017. “The workload at Ghost was difficult, but you are given free periods and the teachers are so helpful. So you learn to manage your time, a skill that will really benefit me in college.”

An air of confidence When he first arrived as a freshman at Holy Ghost Prep, Preeth Vijay admits that he kept to himself. “I didn’t have a whole lot of confidence when I started here,” says Vijay. “But I grew up a lot during my years at Holy Ghost. The freedom you’re given—you can go where you want on campus during free periods—combined with classmates and working with caring, supportive teachers—all led to that growth. “Holy Ghost Prep changed my life. It taught me many things, the biggest being the ability to believe in myself.” Armed with that confidence, Vijay took full advantage 12

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of all that HGP had to offer during his four years—trying his hand at forensics and debate, playing saxophone in the band, writing Reality columns for the Bucks County Courier-Times, earning spots in three different honor societies (math, music, and English), and taking part in the Frank Frederico Student Investment group. Vijay, a Silver Cup of Recognition recipient as one of the highest achievers in HGP’s Class of 2017, always added something positive to every class he took. “Preeth had a natural curiosity and a real enthusiasm for the literature we covered, especially the more challenging material,” says English teacher Matt Jordan. “When a student brings that kind of fresh, informed point of view to class every day, teaching is easy—and fun.” Says HGP science teacher Amanda Coopersmith of Vijay: “I know that between Preeth’s immense knowledge base and his quick wit, he will continue to be a positive force in the world. Preeth has a great sense of individualism, and has a maturity when it comes to dealing with others that is beyond his years.” So what’s next for Vijay? He will major in computer science at the University of Pittsburgh. Between Pitt’s campus and Duquesne (a 10-minute bus ride away), there are a slew of fellow Holy Ghost alums that he can reach out to. “I will miss my Ghost friends and walking around this campus every day,” says Vijay. “But I’m ready for the freedom that college life provides. “And I’ll do what I did here at Holy Ghost: go to class, get my studies done, meet cool people, and see where life takes me.”

Finding his voice Charles Lawall was a happy-go-lucky freshman playing trumpet at Holy Ghost Prep when some friends encouraged him to audition for the school’s annual musical, The Drowsy Chaperone. That one simple act, choosing to audition for the musical, enabled Lawall to literally find his voice. “Charles discovered that he could sing very well, but more importantly, he had found a new home,” says Holy Ghost Prep’s music director Beth Vilsmeier. Having found his unique vocal gift, Lawall has worked tirelessly to improve. As a sophomore in the HGP chorus, he sat next to Scott Ramirez. “He was my role model,” says Lawall. “His

Charles LAWALL

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voice was beautiful and my goal was to just try to be as good as him.” Mission accomplished as Lawall successfully auditioned for the All-Catholic chorus and began to serve as a cantor at HGP school Masses. During the summer before his junior year, Charles again accepted the challenge: He auditioned and was selected to sing in the Papal choir during Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to Philadelphia. “I’ll always remember Mr. Ryan announcing to the school that I would be singing for the Pope and getting a standing ovation,” says Lawall. “That was one of my favorite (HGP) memories.” Says Vilsmeier: “He was exposed to great music and to the genius of Yanick Nezet-Segin, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Now truly inspired, Charles began to study voice privately with Tom Baust and, as a result of his improvement vocally, was chosen for leading roles at Nazareth Academy and at Holy Ghost.”

Lawall, a cum laude student at HGP who will major in biology in the pre-med track at Saint Joseph’s University but will also find time to keep singing in the school musicals and the church choir during his time on Hawk Hill, says: “Music defines me. It’s something I truly enjoy and I don’t know who I’d be without it.” Lawall received the medal for overall excellence in performing arts at the 2017 commencement exercises, and he also served as president of the Holy Ghost Prep chapter of the Tri M Music Honor Society this past school year. “His leadership was steady and reliable and he was a role model for the younger students,” says Vilsmeier. “I don’t think he ever missed an event where the chorus was asked to perform. I know Charles will continue to sing throughout his life because music is a part of him and he has learned that it brings great joy to others.”

2017

HOLY GHOST’S CLASS OF WHERE THEY ARE HEADED IN THE FALL Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2017 is a group of spirited, unique, and talented individuals who have excelled in the classroom, on the stage, in laboratories, in community service efforts, and on the playing fields. The Class of 2017’s collective talents didn’t go unnoticed as they had a 100% acceptance rate to college and received $19,312,786 in scholarships. Holy Ghost’s Class of 2017 will be attending 50 different colleges. Fifty-two percent of Holy Ghost’s Class of 2017 will attend colleges and universities that are ranked in the U.S. News and World Report’s National Top 100. “The wonderful array of college admissions offers that Holy Ghost’s Class of 2017 received is a reflection of the students’ many talents in and out of the classroom,” says AnnMarie Dougherty, Holy Ghost Prep’s Director of College Guidance. “As the world of college admissions becomes more competitive every year, it is a source of pride that colleges recognize Holy Ghost’s excellent academic preparation and the significant contributions that our graduates are poised to make to their college communities.” As part of its Vision 2020 initiative, Holy Ghost Prep has a stated goal of having the top one-third of its class attend top-50 national universities by the year 2020. They are extremely close to that goal already, with thirty-one percent of Holy Ghost’s 115 newest alumni attending premier top50 national universities this fall, including the University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Lehigh, Carnegie Mellon, Boston College, NYU, and Villanova. Gregory J. Geruson ’79, president of Holy Ghost Prep, says: “The Class of 2017 has left an indelible mark on Holy Ghost Prep. We wish our graduating seniors well. They are undoubtedly prepared to make a difference within their college communities, just as they have done in ours.”

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HOLY GHOST PREP’S CLASS OF 2017 MATRICULATIONS

New York University

Alphabetical list of four-year schools enrolling HGP Class of 2017 members:

Penn State University

Alvernia College American University Arizona State University Auburn University

Northeastern University Quinnipiac University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rutgers University Saint Joseph’s University Savannah College of Art and Design

Boston College Boston University

Seton Hall University

Bucknell University Carnegie Mellon University Chestnut Hill College

Syracuse University Temple University The College of New Jersey

Clemson University

United States Military Academy at West Point

DeSales University Drexel University

University of Alabama

Duquesne University Florida Institute of Technology Fordham University George Washington University

University of Dayton University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania

Gettysburg College

University of Pittsburgh

Hofstra University La Salle University

University of Scranton University of the Sciences

Lehigh University

Vanderbilt University

Marywood University

Villanova University

Miami (Fla.)

Wake Forest University

Millersville University

West Chester University

Misericordia University

Widener University

Monmouth University Moravian College

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HGP Receives Naming Gift for New Brennan Family Innovation Center

HGP Graduates Its Class of 2017

In recognition of John and Jean Brennan’s generous gift to the school and continued support of the school’s STEM initiative, Holy Ghost Prep will name its soon-to-open innovation center the Brennan Family Innovation Center.

Holy Ghost Preparatory School graduated 115 seniors at its commencement exercises on Saturday, June 3 on the east lawn of the campus.

The Brennan Family Innovation Center, to be located in the lower level of the Northeast wing of Cornwells Hall, is the first phase of the two-phase project that will result in the construction of a STEM Tower that will include seven labs and hands-on learning environments for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education.

During the ceremony, students were recognized for their accomplishments and were reminded that they will always be brothers not only with members of the Class of 2017 but with all other Holy Ghost Prep graduates.

The ground floor of the tower will be home to the Brennan Family Innovation Center, an approximately 2,000-square-foot space where all HGP ninth-graders will take the Introduction to Engineering Design class and will actively participate in the engineering design process: identify, brainstorm, develop, build and prototype, evaluate, and redesign. In addition, robotics classes and electric circuit classes will be held in the innovation center during the upcoming school year.

“Today, you will become members of the unique branch of the Holy Ghost Prep family tree called alumni,” said Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “We are a brotherhood that is blessed and united by our mission, by our common experience of the seven Core Components of a Spiritan School, and by the Holy Spirit.” Besides Geruson, the other featured graduation speakers were valedictorian Luke Profy and Ed Walsh, a 1995 HGP graduate who has been a successful communications adviser to senior leaders in business and government for nearly 20 years—including a stint as a White House writer for President George W. Bush.

Phase two of the STEM Tower will be completed in the summer of 2018. “Jean and I have both served on the Board at Holy Ghost Prep and are great believers in STEM education, in the applied sciences, and in the analytic and creative disciplines that such an education develops,” says John Brennan. “We are passionate about the STEM initiative at Holy Ghost Prep.” John and Jean Brennan believe their investment in the Brennan Family Innovation Center— and in Holy Ghost Prep’s STEM initiative—will have a domino effect on HGP, the school from which their son Thomas graduated in 2003 before receiving an undergraduate degree from Princeton and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Stanford. “These learning spaces will make current Holy Ghost Prep students more attractive to the nation’s top universities and will ultimately position them for success in STEM fields,” says John Brennan. “They’ll attract even more top students to Holy Ghost Prep, and that will help elevate Ghost to even greater heights.” Others agree that the Brennan naming gift will have a long-lasting impact.

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“We are so grateful for John and Jean Brennan’s commitment to Holy Ghost Prep and to our STEM initiative,” says Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “Our future STEM innovators are today’s middle schoolers, students who need opportunities and resources, including physical spaces conducive for collaboration and breakthrough thinking, to help them learn how to take concepts from ideas to reality.

Mom Prom Each spring, Holy Ghost Prep students attend the most sentimental formal of the year—a night out with mom for the Mother-Son Dance.

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one heart and one mind

“Together, our curricular goals and STEM labs will serve as the foundational building blocks for long-lasting and real-world skills for our students.” Says Holy Ghost’s STEM initiative leader Pat Hoelzle ’01: “The new Brennan Family Innovation Center and STEM labs will be a gigantic step forward for Holy Ghost Prep as a leader in curriculum and top-notch facilities. As we move toward making the 21st century learning skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity a focal point of our curriculum, the new labs will provide us with the physical spaces necessary to make those curricular initiatives a reality.”

Authoring a Surprise Ending When her husband, David Johnston, arranged a surprise 50th birthday party for her in late January, Holy Ghost Prep teacher Edna Ramirez thought the party itself was her main present. But Johnston had a bigger surprise up his sleeve. For over a year, Johnston had worked to get The Rabbit on the Moon, a children’s book that Dr. Ramirez had written in Spanish and English years ago, secretly illustrated and published. Johnston hired family friend Zack Bird, a Philadelphia-based artist, to illustrate the book and then had the book self-published by Amazon. After many twists and turns, the book was published in mid-January and arrived four days before Ramirez’s birthday. With family and friends, including Bird, gathered together for the surprise party, Johnston stunned Ramirez when he presented her with a published copy of her book. “It was a dream come true,” says Ramirez, who will begin her fifth year as a Spanish teacher at Holy Ghost Prep in the fall. In a word, Johnston describes her reaction to the gesture as “priceless.” “I think this will keep me out of trouble for at least a year, maybe a little more,” Johnston quipped. “The presentation was done at a surprise party I had arranged for her, so the surprise was really double. Only a handful of people at the party knew about the project because we were worried that someone would spill the beans. She was very surprised all around. I think she is still a little puzzled as to how we pulled it off, but is very happy we did.” S U M M E R 2 017

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Marie Bliss Retires After 46 Years of Teaching at Holy Ghost Prep

President’s Reception Celebrates HGP Donors and Students Holy Ghost Prep held its annual President’s Reception, a special event that simultaneously honors generous and committed HGP donors as well as some of the school’s talented students, at the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale on March 24.

Marie Bliss’ incredible 46-year tenure as a Holy Ghost Prep science teacher ironically began with her turning down the job.

The annual dinner is a heartwarming event; the students and their families are delighted to meet some of the donors who have literally invested in the school’s success. The donors left the dinner clearly inspired by the young people they met and knowing that their investment is helping transform lives.

At the time, she was still a college student at what was then Holy Family College. It was December and HGP’s Father Hanley was in a bind. The school needed a biology teacher as soon as possible, but Bliss’ initial answer was no.

During his remarks, Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79 briefly thanked the donors for their generosity to the school.

“I just had too much on my plate …. I was the editor of the newspaper, I was studying for my comprehensives, teaching Sunday school, doing research for du Pont, and carrying a full load of classes,” Bliss recalls. “So I said no. But Sister Florence, my academic dean at Holy Family, just kept asking and asking. I’ll never forget her words: ‘I want you to do me a favor and just take this on as a life experience.’” Bliss begrudgingly took the job. She thought she’d do it for the rest of the school year, take her MCATs, and then head off to medical school. But her life plan took an unexpected U-turn as she realized that education, not medicine, was her life’s true calling. “I realized two or three years into my time here that this was my vocation and that Holy Ghost Prep was the place that I was meant to be,” Bliss said. “And it’s been a fabulous experience. Each and every student I’ve had during my years at Holy Ghost has had an impact on my life; they’ve taught me so much.” And Bliss has certainly made her mark on Holy Ghost Prep. Her terrific career at Holy Ghost Prep came to a close at the end of the 2016-17 academic year as Bliss has decided to retire. “Over the course of her remarkable 46 years at Holy Ghost, countless future doctors, researchers, and science teachers were welcomed into Marie’s ‘habitat’ in Cornwells Hall and their passion for science was ignited. I had the pleasure of being taught by Marie, as did Father Jeff Duaime and many members of our faculty and our Board of Trustees,” says Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79.

“The students in this room, and at HGP as a whole, are on a great trajectory. We are on the pathway to becoming the premier independent Catholic college preparatory school in the area,” said Geruson. “And we are not on this journey alone. It is because of your generosity that this is possible. Whether it is support for scholarships, facilities, sports, or academic programs, your commitment to the mission and vision of Holy Ghost Prep has a material and sustained impact on our future.

“In addition to her impact on her students, Marie was a trailblazer here at Holy Ghost Prep as the school’s first full-time female lay teacher. Holy Ghost Prep became her second home, a place where she helped an endless sea of high school students learn to navigate not only through biology, chemistry, anatomy/physiology, and forensics science, but through life.”

“In fact, by many accounts, our future has never been brighter! For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Stephen Stunder ’98, an alum who returned as the school’s director of counseling, isn’t sure that Bliss even realizes the impact she has had at Holy Ghost Prep. “There are no real words that can describe what Marie Bliss has meant to the students of Holy Ghost Prep for nearly half a century,” says Stunder. “She is a pillar of this institution, and to me personally, someone who always believed in me—as a student, as a colleague, and most importantly, as a person. I do not know a Holy Ghost Prep that exists without Marie.” In retirement, Bliss will spend more time with her husband, Greg, and her sons James and Thomas McGoldrick, both HGP alums. She will also continue to help hundreds of animals get adopted in the Bensalem, Yardley, and Philadelphia area through her “Four the Paws” organization. In addition, she will pursue her goal of becoming involved with the Red Paw Emergency Relief team, an arm of the Red Cross that cares for animals displaced in disasters and tries to reunite them with their families or find new homes for them.

HGP Holds Forensics Reunion Over 100 guests returned to campus on June 10 to attend Holy Ghost Prep’s forensics reunion. The event had the feel of a family reunion as HGP alums spanning multiple decades traded old war stories and shared laughs aplenty.

CBS3 reporter Pat Gallen was on campus in late March to interview Jack Pinkstone ’19 and HGP’s Director of Technology Mike Jacobs. Pinkstone built a fully-functioning prosthetic hand and then started an after-school service project where groups of HGP students built prosthetic hands for kids in need. 16

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Lending a hand

“A forensics reunion is a family reunion. The memories run deep because as team members we learn together, practice together, travel together, lodge together, compete together, dine together, experience wins and losses together, create memorable moments outside of meets together,” said English teacher Tony Figliola, who has built one of the nation’s finest forensics programs at Holy Ghost Prep. “We are brothers in the truest sense of the word. And because our history has been one of city, state, and national excellence, we relive the glory together.” S U M M E R 2 017

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Athletic The Commitments

PEYTON BIRCH / Hofstra University / baseball KEVIN DINEEN / Fordham University / cross country/track & field SAMUEL HUSLIN / Bucknell University / track & field JACK LAROSA / Chestnut Hill College / golf CALLAHAN LENNON / Temple University / cross country/ track & field

Getting the Call to the Hall

WALTER MARCINKOWSKI / Marywood University / swimming

Seven former Holy Ghost Prep student-athletes were inducted into HGP Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 28 at the Maltese Room in Bensalem.

CONOR SABLICH / Moravian College / lacrosse “These young men have represented Holy Ghost Prep with class, and I look forward to their continued success at the collegiate level,” said Holy Ghost Prep Athletic Director Jim Stewart. “It takes a tremendous amount of perseverance and hard work to hone your skills enough to become a college athlete. I can honestly say that I am as proud of who these young men are as I am of their achievements.”

Each new HGP Hall-of-Famer received a plaque and a Hall of Fame scarf and was presented for induction by a coach or classmate. The seven former standouts that comprised the 2017 HGP Athletic Hall of Fame induction class were: VINCE DRYBALA ’72 / track & field BILL BLESI ’95 / soccer

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Said Chapman: “What is consistent throughout my coaching career is the spirit that is unique to Holy Ghost Prep, a school where the sharing of your gifts to make others better is always valued higher than your own achievements. It is a place where the leading scorer and the team manager have lunch together, a place where the Division 1 recruit shoots fouls with the last guy on the bench, a place where fans cheer just as loud when the team is up big as they do when the seniors walk off the court in the last game.”

JOE GUNERMAN ’10 / golf In addition, Holy Ghost Prep’s 1970 P.C.I.A.A. track & field championship team was recognized as a “Team of Distinction” at the ceremony.

Fran Nick, the former longtime Holy Ghost Prep soccer coach, passed away on June 27 after a long battle with cancer. He was 73.

NICK SERAVALLI ’08 / ice hockey

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Chapman’s squads have won 828 games, 20 Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) titles, seven District 1 titles, and two Eastern State titles over the past 39 years. Chapman is a legend at Holy Ghost as evidenced by the fact that he coaches on a court that bears his name.

In Memoriam: Former HGP Soccer Coach Fran Nick

DENNIS MURRAY ’06 / lacrosse

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The 2016-17 varsity basketball team (16-10 overall record) finished tied for second place in the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) with an 11-5 league record. The Firebirds advanced to the BAL semifinals in the postseason league tournament and qualified for the District 1 Class 5A tournament, where they fell to Springfield (Delco).

NELSON REDANTE ’95 / baseball GRANT HOLDREN ’99 / basketball and baseball

Ten members of the Class of 2017 will continue to play sports in colleges: (front row) Callahan Lennon, Bobby McLoughlin, Kevin Dineen, Jack LaRosa; (back row) Holy Ghost Prep principal Jeff Danilak, Zach Geiser, Conor Sablich, Walter Marcinkowski, Samuel Huslin, and John McCrane. (missing from photo is Peyton Birch)

Holy Ghost Prep head basketball coach Tony Chapman ’71 was honored at the inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer High School Legends Dinner April 5 at the Great American Pub in Conshohocken.

The quintet has won a mind-boggling 3,676 games and 68 titles in their respective leagues and districts combined.

ZACH GEISER / La Salle University / rowing

BOBBY MCLOUGHLIN / University of Scranton / swimming

WINTER

Chapman, who enjoys being in the spotlight approximately as much as he enjoys Holy Ghost Prep turnovers, was one of five legendary high school coaches honored that night—the others being Steve Chadwin (Abington Friends), Jim Fenerty (Germantown Academy), William “Speedy” Morris (St. Joseph’s Prep), and the retired Dan Dougherty, who coached for over 35 years at Malvern Prep and Episcopal Academy.

Ten members of the Class of 2017 will continue their academic and athletic careers in the fall. The 10 HGP graduates who have committed to play sports at colleges and universities (in alphabetical order) are:

JOHN MCCRANE / University of the Sciences / baseball

Tony Chapman ’71 Honored at Coaches vs. Cancer Legends Dinner

71%

Percentage of Holy Ghost Prep students who played at least one school sport in 2016-17.

A member of the Holy Ghost Prep Athletic Hall of Fame, Coach Nick led the HGP soccer team for 18 seasons as varsity coach. Under his leadership, the team won the first PIAA state soccer championship in the program’s history in 1992. The team also won BAL championships 17 out of 18 years under Coach Nick, including five PIAA District 1 titles and four PIAA Eastern State titles. Fran Nick never left HGP in heart or mind. He served as a volunteer in several roles, including alumni liaison in the Development Office and head coach of the junior varsity soccer team. Above all things, Fran loved his family. He is survived by his wife, Lea, and his five children: Drew, Carol, Chris (HGP ’87), Joe (HGP ’92), and Tricia and his 11 grandchildren. “We have lost an icon in the HGP and soccer coaching community. Fran Nick truly loved HGP soccer, our student-athletes, and everything that our school strives to teach,” says Holy Ghost Prep Athletic Director Jim Stewart. “Above all things, Fran truly loved his family and set such a great example for everyone that he has led. We will miss his enthusiasm, presence, and leadership.”

BASKETBALL

BOWLING The bowling team, coached by Tom Eckerle, finished with a match record of 14-3 overall and an undefeated league season, winning the BAL title and qualifying for the Eastern Regional Championships. The BAL singles championship turned out to be an all–Holy Ghost affair as junior co-captains John Schrenk and Ryan Callahan both reached the finals. Schrenk edged his teammate and close friend Callahan in the final. Not surprisingly, the Firebirds, the dominant force in the BAL this past winter, captured the league’s most coveted hardware with Schrenk named BAL boys Bowler of the Year and Eckerle earning BAL boys Coach of the Year honors.

ICE HOCKEY The ice hockey team, coached by Gump Whiteside, finished with a 21-3-1 overall record. They won the National Scholastic Tournament in Jamestown, New York, were regular season SHSHL champions, and triumphed over rival La Salle 5-3 to capture the 2017 Flyers Cup championship. Goalie Tristan Devine had a breakthrough season, making the all-tourney teams for the National Scholastic Tournament and the Flyers Cup and winning the Flyers Cup Bobby Clarke MVP Award.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD The indoor track & field team competed in weekend invitationals and a couple of interscholastic meets throughout the season and this year continued their strong tradition of success with many Meet of Champions and State Qualifiers.

SWIMMING In their ninth season as co-coaches, Ed Roussell and Sheree Marsh led the team to a more than respectable 6-6 overall record against tough competition. The team finished third overall at the District 1 championships, garnering 21 medals. The Firebirds qualified for the PIAA State championships in two events and broke two school records in 2017: Andrew Iannacone in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 freestyle relay team of Bobby McLoughlin, Zach Geiser, Erik Fenstermaker, and Matt Doucette.

SPRING BASEBALL The baseball team, led by second-year head coach Vince Rossomando, finished as BAL Independence Division champions with a 14-2 league record and an overall 15-6-1 record. Their season ended with a loss to Upper Moreland in the PIAA District 1 Class 5A quarterfinals. Peyton Birch (6-1 record, 67 strikeouts in 46 innings) was voted the league MVP and won Holy Ghost Prep’s prestigious David Metz Memorial Baseball Award. He earned

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a scholarship to play Division I baseball at Hofstra University. Joining Birch as first-team All-BAL selections were designated hitter Jared Minnichbach and outfielders John McCrane and Brett Sternberg.

Alumni

LACROSSE The varsity lacrosse team authored a huge turnaround in 2017. After managing just one win in 2016, the Firebirds fashioned an 11-8 record against a tough independent schedule and were the no. 8 seed in the District 1 playoffs. Many of the team’s top performers will be back in 2018—including Matt Rueter, a midfielder and faceoff specialist who set a school record this season for percentage of faceoffs won and ground balls (180); his twin brother Phil Rueter (25 goals in 2017); Zach Nangle (75 points, including 13 goals in 2017); and goalie Zach May (196 saves in 2017)—so the winning figures to continue next spring.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD The varsity track & field team went a perfect 7-0 in dual meet competition. The team truly came together and relied heavily on its depth in winning the program’s 23rd straight BAL championship. The senior leadership on this team was recognized as Samuel Huslin won the David Proven Memorial Award, Kevin Dineen captured the Courier-Kiwanis Scholar-Athlete Award, and Callahan Lennon shared Holy Ghost’s Ted Grabowski Scholar-Athlete Award with baseball/basketball standout John McCrane.

ROWING The rowing team competed in its second year as an interscholastic program and entered varsity races for the first time in school history. The team traveled near and far, including the famous Saratoga River Regatta in late April. The varsity double boat of Zach Geiser and Shawn Donahue won the Upper Merion Regatta and finished in the top 10 at the world’s biggest high school regatta, the Stotesbury Cup. Geiser became the first HGP rower to sign with a college program; he’ll row for La Salle University next season.

Class of 1967 Celebrates 50-Year Reunion Nine members of the HGP Class of ’67 and spouses reunited on the Holy Ghost Prep campus for their 50-year reunion during commencement weekend. Attendees were invited to attend the Baccalaureate Mass on June 2 and HGP’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 3. Following the graduation ceremony, the Class of 1967 members in attendance took a campus tour and concluded their trip down memory lane with a catered lunch in the Sager Conference Room in Founders’ Hall. Attendees traveled from as far as Kansas City, Kansas and as close as Bensalem to share stories of the good old days and marvel at the changes in the property landscape. One thing they all still share is the feeling of close connection to their HGP brothers and friends. “I met Steve Donnelly the first day of school of our freshman year,” recalled Paul Dikun ’67 of Bensalem, with a laugh. “We’ve been best friends ever since!” For several hours that day, attendees shared memories of HGP dances, athletic teams, and the school newspaper. They told these stories with a recollection and level of detail as if it was yesterday. The 1967 alums who returned to HGP for their 50-year reunion were Jim Burtt, Tom Patterson, Ditto Lorenzo, Jim McTague, Jim Lawler, Paul Dikun, Stan Gorski, Joe Lynch, and Steve Donnelly.

Board of Trustees Update Holy Ghost Prep has named three new members of its Board of Trustees, and alumni parent Greg Wozniak will assume leadership of the Board as the new chair. Wozniak succeeds Tony Geonnotti ’76, whose term ended on July 1, as Board chair. Wozniak is the president/CEO of Denali Health and his sons Robert ’07, Nick ’08, and Greg Jr. ’13 are all HGP graduates. The new trustees are: George Graffy ’82, president of Smart Circle; Michael Holt ’91, of Holt Logistics; and Sister Mary Dacey, SSJ (a former board chair at Holy Ghost Prep).

TENNIS

In addition to Geonnotti, Madelyn Reilly, Father Christopher Promis, C.S.Sp.’64, and Tom Holt ’81 finished their tenures on the HGP Board of Trustees on July 1.

The varsity tennis team, coached by Justin Goulet ’99, went 7-0 in league play, clinching its third consecutive BAL title. The doubles tandem of Mark Pabalan and Keegan Pietrak were BAL champs for the second year in a row. The team finished the season with an 11-4 overall mark.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE The ultimate team saw vast improvement during their second year of interscholastic competition under second-year head coach Tom Croskey. The team played a competitive interscholastic schedule and competed in several weekend tournaments. HGP placed 12th overall in the state championship and was presented the State Spirit Award.

VOLUNTEER to be a class agent Do you keep in touch with your HGP

265

Increase in total number of alumni donors to HGP since 2014. Currently, there are 439 alumni donors to the Annual Fund.

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classmates on a regular basis?

1967 HGP alums Jim Burtt, Tom Patterson, Ditto Lorenzo, Jim McTague, Jim Lawler, Paul Dikun, Stan Gorski, Joe Lynch, and Steve Donnelly are pictured on campus with Larry Scheetz, president of the HGP Alumni Association.

If so, we need you. Please contact Alexis Gettings at

x

agettings@holyghostprep.org to become a class agent.

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The Race of a Lifetime By Michael Bradley

Alumni Spotlight

Dave

Ventresca ’87

It was the captain’s dinner, their last night on the ship sailing from the bottom of the world to the tip of South America and then home. The race organizers could have selected plenty of runners whose accomplishments were worthy of celebration. After all, when you get a bunch of people willing to journey to Antarctica to run long distances amidst the penguins and permafrost, you’re going to hear some interesting tales. There was the man who was running his ninth half-marathon, despite being blind since his teenage years. Oh, yeah, he also won a Special Olympics gold medal—in downhill skiing. How about the 11-year-old boy, whose goal it was to run four halves in four different countries before his 12th birthday to inspire kids to get off the couch and start moving around? But the folks from Boston-based Marathon Tours and Travel decided to bring Dave Ventresca ’87, and his brother-in-law, Sang Luu, to the front of the room to tell their story. And what a story it is. Some 18 months earlier, Ventresca’s wife of seven weeks, My Luu, succumbed to amyloidosis, a rare blood cancer, at the age of 41. He, of course, was devastated to lose his partner and inspiration. They had so much left to do and so many dreams ahead. As the days melted into weeks and eventually months, Ventresca decided that a perfect way to pay tribute to My and to help his own healing was to complete the trip they had planned to the world’s basement for the marathon. It was to be his first, but not My’s. She had run 26.2 miles on six of the world’s seven continents, and the Antarctica race would fill the card. Ventresca enlisted Sang— whom My had introduced to long-distance running—to join him, and the men prepared for the arduous mission. “I had been a casual, short-distance runner,” Ventresca says. “I had run a handful of 5K and 10K races, but I was not a runner. I was just running to stay in shape.” But Ventresca put in the miles, overcame painful shin splints, and completed the marathon. Along the way, he raised over $31,000 for The My Luu Memorial Fund, which helps high-achieving high school students from underrepresented ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds get to college. At the captain’s dinner, he and Sang told the other runners about My. Then came the surprise. The race organizers presented them with My’s seven continents medal, commemorating her rare accomplishment.

ALUMNI NE WS

VISION 2020 NEWS

The Holt Matching Gift Challenge Has Been Achieved In January of this year, the Holt family put forth a matching gift challenge to HGP alumni and parents to join them in achieving the historic goals of the school’s current strategic plan: Vision 2020, A Pathway to Premier. This matching challenge would double all pledges made to the fundraising initiative that were above $10,000, capped at $20,000 per pledge. To date, nine families have pledged a total of $225,000, of which $150,000 will be matched dollar for dollar. Donors were able to designate which aspect of the Vision 2020 initiative they would like to support (Holt Center, STEM Tower, Scholarship, or Forensics). The $150,000 Holt matching portion will be used to support the STEM Tower, the first phase of which will be completed in the summer of 2017.

Consider Naming Holy Ghost Prep in Your Estate Plan

“She was fearless on many levels,” Ventresca says.

Make a gift that costs you nothing today by naming HGP

Memorial Fund or to

My had begun fighting amyloidosis before she met Ventresca, and she underwent periodic treatment throughout their relationship. “If she wasn’t getting nervous [about the disease], I wasn’t getting nervous,” Ventresca says. Four months before the wedding, My received “really good news.” Her test numbers were just a bit above normal, spawning optimism. But three weeks before the wedding, the situation changed dramatically. My’s doctors gave her a reprieve from chemotherapy the week before her big day, which was followed by a “mini-honeymoon” to Aruba. Upon her return, My started treatments again but “didn’t respond,” according to Ventresca. Fewer than two months later, she was gone.

donate, visit https://

“She passed away on a Friday,” Sang says. “Every Friday, I say a little prayer and give her an ‘update’ on what’s going on. It’s tough when I see her in my dreams. I wake up in tears.”

www.crowdrise.com/

More than halfway through the marathon, “Make Me Feel Your Love” came on Ventresca’s iPod. “I think I needed that,” he says. “I told myself it was time to put on my big boy pants and finish the race.” Finish he did, crossing the line with Sang, the two men running for a remarkable woman whose own race ended much too soon.

about The My Luu

myluufund.

“There’s a line from the author Megan Devine that speaks to me: ‘Some things cannot be fixed. They can only be carried,’” Ventresca says. “As the months go by, I’m learning to carry the sorrow and grief better.”

Watters is certainly a deserving McCloskey Award recipient. “Bob is one of the most genuine, thoughtful, gracious people I know. From his graduation day in 1981 until today, Bob has been one of our most loyal and engaged alums—lending his time and talents as a member of the Holy Ghost Prep Board of Trustees and a member of the school’s finance committee,” says Gregory J. Geruson’79, president of Holy Ghost Prep. “In addition, he is a partner at Ernst & Young and has hosted our students as part of our LEAP program the past couple years. And in typical Bob Watters’ fashion, he goes the extra mile to ensure that each HGP student who comes to Ernst & Young as a LEAP participant has a truly unique experience.” Fellow trustee and finance committee member John Di Paolo said of Watters: “Bob Watters possesses that rare ability to personally connect with individuals, understand their concerns beyond the words they articulate, and humbly offer meaningful, generative solutions. In doing so, he ensures HGP’s ongoing vibrancy and has indelibly shaped the HGP experience of those graduating today. ‘We are Holy Ghost’ because Bob embodies ‘One Heart, One Mind.’” A vocal supporter of advancing HGP’s mission through programs and capital projects, Watters has been a lead donor to major projects ranging from Founders’ Hall to the new Holt Center.

Leave a Lasting Legacy

My had been born in Vietnam, one of four children of a Chinese family that fled the aftermath of the war in the mid-1970s and spent a year in a Malaysian refugee camp before making it to Houston, where she joined relatives. She was her high school’s valedictorian and arranged admission and financial aid to Yale without telling her family. “This was all before Google,” Ventresca says. My earned an MBA from Cornell, worked in the U.S. embassy in Uzbekistan, visited 40 different countries, and spent 14 years working for IBM—including the last eight years of her life working there to develop tech solutions for people with disabilities.

For more information

During the 2017 commencement exercises, Bob Watters ’81, a member of Holy Ghost Prep’s Board of Trustees, was presented with the Reverend James P. McCloskey, C.S.Sp. ’70 Award. The award is given annually to “the alumnus whose profound generosity, commitment, and support demonstrates a unique understanding of the mission of Holy Ghost Prep.”

In addition to graduating from HGP, Watters is a 1985 graduate of Lehigh University. And much like he has given back to Holy Ghost Prep, Bob applies the same pay-it-forward strategy at Lehigh, serving as the chair of Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics Advisory Board. He lives with his wife, Margi, and his son Robert Jr. in Chester Springs, Pa.

“It was a very emotional moment,” says Sang, who is a year younger than My. “Afterward, people were giving us hugs. It was tough, because we were there for her. We knew she wanted to be there. She had been planning all those years.” This is a story of love. Of loss. Of the many miles in between. Twenty-six-point-two of them, to be exact. Ventresca met My Luu online in the summer of 2013. Two years later, they were married, on August 7, 2015, dancing for the first time together to Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” and anticipating years of happiness together.

Bob Watters ’81 Receives the McCloskey Award

in your will or trust. To discuss estate planning options, please contact Matt Dwyer in the Office of Development: mdwyer@holyghostprep.org or 215.639.2102, ext. 203 Holy Ghost Prep President Gregory J. Geruson ’79 embraces Bob Watters during the presentation of the Reverend James P. McCloskey, C.S.Sp. ’70 Award at the 2017 HGP graduation ceremony.

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CL ASS NOTES

Class

Colin Rementer received his doctorate of philosophy in chemical engineering from UCLA on June 17 at Pauley Pavilion.

2011

Please take a moment to send us information for the next issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine. We would love to hear from you, and we are all interested in what you are doing with your life. Please send information (including high-res photos) to either Alexis Gettings, director of annual giving and alumni engagement, at agettings@holyghostprep.org or Bill Doherty, director of communications, at wdoherty@holyghostprep.org.

clients on handling data breach incidents, including how to comply with notification procedures under various state laws, as well as assists with internal investigations to discern what happened and how to prevent future breaches.

1973

2000

Rev. John J. LaRosa recently celebrated his 36th anniversary of priesthood ordination. Father LaRosa serves as the pastor of St. Bart’s parish in Philadelphia.

1974

world are stripped away. A radiologist-turned-author, Di Paolo published a fantasy fiction novel The Artemis Connection a few years ago.

1994 Holy Ghost Prep’s Director of Admissions Ryan Abramson is one of the first admissions professionals in the United States to receive the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP) certification.

1996 Rev. Thomas Nasta, pastor of Our Lady of Ransom parish in Northeast Philadelphia, celebrated an all–French language Mass at Holy Ghost Prep for students in Claudine Nicolay’s sophomore, junior, and senior French classes on Feb. 28. Father Nasta, a 1974 Holy Ghost Prep graduate, served as the celebrant and admitted that he had to practice the parts of the Mass in French for roughly a week prior to the all-French Mass.

1979 Life is good for Ken Selvaggi, who is celebrating 23 years of marriage and is blessed with two daughters in college and a son in third grade. Professionally, this is Ken’s 35th year in broadcast television, the past seven as vice president and general manager of the NBC affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky.

1981 David Di Paolo published his second book—and his first book of poetry—titled By April’s Kiss. The poetry draws upon Di Paolo’s experiences of illness and loss with great wisdom and care, examining the essence of life once all the layers of the 24

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Jimmy Dillon, who starred at Holy Ghost Prep and then the University of Notre Dame, has been named Nazareth Academy’s new basketball coach. Dillon averaged 16.8 points and 4.6 assists while sparking Holy Ghost to a 28-3 record and the Class 3A state semifinals in 1996. Dillon enjoyed a stellar four-year career at Notre Dame and is a member of the Holy Ghost Prep Athletic Hall of Fame.

1998 Ryan Becker was recently voted a partner in the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP. He is based in the firm’s Philadelphia office. Becker focuses his practice on complex litigation and arbitration, class actions, white-collar compliance and defense matters. He represents a variety of clients in litigation matters. He advises institutions and companies in connection with federal investigations and provides strategic counsel in civil and criminal proceedings involving claims of breach of contract, money laundering and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, among others. In addition, Ryan advises

Jim Britt will have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for a second straight year. Britt is the director of team operations for the two-time reigning NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

2008 Alexander DiGregorio was awarded the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine at the college’s 126th commencement on June 3. Dr. DiGregorio is the son of Albert (HGP ’76) and Andrea DiGregorio of Yardley, Pa. Dr. DiGregorio, a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, was promoted to captain in a ceremony held at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He will be serving at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and is continuing his medical training in internal medicine at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Mark Kuhn, John Halko, and Michael Courtney, three 2008 HGP grads who started Oat Foundry together, made Drexel University Magazine’s list of 40 people to watch under the age of 40. Oat Foundry began as a collective of tinkerers, beer brewers, machinists and bakers—all engineers—who loved building cool stuff. The company has grown to offer product development, architectural fabrication, brand aspirations, and solutions to operational roadblocks for companies.

Looking to get more INVOLVED?

Work with the HGP Alumni Association in offering your time and talent to the school.s

x Serve as CLASS AGENT to help promote HGP events

and giving x Volunteer for CAREER DAY or LEAP (HGP’s student externship program) x Attend the ALUMNI NETWORKING EVENT on November 16 at the Union League at Torresdale Dan Marcel is currently working as a reporter/weatherman/weekend anchor at WKBN 27 First News, a TV station in Youngstown, Ohio. In addition to producing newscasts, Marcel’s daily responsibilities include writing articles, shooting and editing video, and voice-over work. He lives in Stow, Ohio.

LARRY SCHEETZ ’98 / President lscheetz@wslawpa.com RYAN BECKER ’98 / Co–Vice President rbeckernd@gmail.com FRANK SERAVALLI ’06 / Co–Vice President frank.seravalli@gmail.com

2012

2016 Chris Crawford qualified for his second consecutive U.S. Open appearance after firing an 8-under 134 over 36 holes to tie for second at the sectional qualifier at Canoe Brook Country Club this spring. The 117th U.S Open took place June 15-18 at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.

2013 Robert McDonough has been selected for the highly competitive Fulbright Scholars program and will leave in October for Austria. McDonough, who earned a degree in economics with minors in mathematics and German from La Salle University, will spend the academic year (until June 2018) studying the relationship between Austrian translator Nora Wydenbruck and famous 20th

century Austrian poet Christine Lavant at the Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt in southern Austria. The Fulbright award also includes a teaching component, so McDonough will also be an English teaching assistant in a secondary school in Klagenfurt. Greg Wozniak earned second-team All–New England honors in men’s lacrosse and graduated from Boston University in 2017. Wozniak was one of the best long-stick midfielders in the Patriot League and was a second-team all-conference honoree. He finished the year second on the team in ground balls (52) and also recorded 17 caused turnovers in addition to one goal.

Jack Coolahan was a member of the Babson College basketball team that went 31-2 and won the school’s first-ever national title this past March. The 6-foot-4 Coolahan appeared in nine games, including two during the NCAA Division III tournament, and averaged 1.8 points per game as a freshman. With six seniors departing from the D-III national title team, Coolahan aims to carve out a more prominent role in 2017-18.

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Holy Ghost Preparatory School

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Save the Date MARK YOUR CALENDAR x August 30 BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT x September 10 MASS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT x September 17 FRESHMAN MOTHERS’ TEA x October 5 FRESHMAN PARENT SOCIAL x October 22 ADMISSIONS—OPEN HOUSE x November 3 SENIOR PARENT SOCIAL x November 11-12 HGP CRAFT SHOW x November 16 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NETWORKING RECEPTION at The Union League at Torresdale

Holy Ghost Prep Golf Classic Monday, October 23 The Union League at Torresdale For additional information, please contact Christine Seighman, coordinator of special events, at cseighman@holyghostprep.org.