HGP Magazine Spring 2021

Holy Ghost Prep MAGAZINE

Integrity Personified In this issue, we remember Rev. Henry Brown, C.S. Sp.’50, who would have turned 100 this past summer. During his 26-year tenure at Holy Ghost Prep, Father Brown, a Naval intelligence officer turned priest, helped thousands of HGP young men to develop a moral compass.

ISSUE NO. 7

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SPRING 2021

From the Desk of the President

Features 2

A Vision Realized

By Bill Doherty

Back in 2017, Holy Ghost Prep adopted a three-year “Vision 2020” strategic plan. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the school has made progress on the four strategic imperatives—Spiritan, Collegiate, Engagement and Communication, and Unique Gifts—on which the plan was built. We celebrate the “Vision 2020” campaign in this final campaign report.

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Integrity Personified

By Michael Bradley

If Rev. Henry Brown, C.S. Sp.’50 had lived, he would be 100 years old. And though he has been gone for decades, felled at 66 by cancer, Father Brown’s legacy endures boldly among HGP alumni who remember his stern but caring way.

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Writing Their Next Chapters By Matthew Jordan, Michael Bradley,

and Bill Doherty

Departments 26 Campus News

Jack Nycz, Jose Rosado, Louis DeLuna, Krishna Mysore, and Dan Behr, all members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2020, left their mark at Ghost and were clearly prepared for what’s next, as all five are excelling as college freshmen.

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The 900 Club

30 Athletic News 33 Alumni News 36 Class Notes

By Bill Doherty

With his team’s 71-41 victory over Dock Mennonite on March 4, Tony Chapman '71 became just the sixth high school basketball coach in Pennsylvania history to reach the 900-win plateau.

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Charting a Successful Course By Michael Bradley Jason Adel ’98 serves as the CEO of Golf Magazine and Golf.com, a perfect blending of his love of the game and his affinity for the world of business.

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The Last Word: A Cup of Soup

Join Us on the Web Stay connected to Holy Ghost Prep!

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We give the last word in this issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine to Joseph F. Majdan, M.D., FACP, FCPP, a 1966 Holy Ghost Prep graduate who serves as associate professor of medicine and director of clinical proficiency remediation at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University.

Holy Ghost Prep Magazine

Issue 7, SPRING 2021

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.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Matt Dwyer CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Tim Woods DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS

EDITOR

Ryan Abramson ’94

Bill Doherty

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bill Doherty

Michael Bradley Matthew Jordan Dr. Joseph F. Majdan ’66 Bill Doherty

DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

PROOFREADER

HOLY GHOST

David Caruso CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Catalano Studio Douglas Benedict, Academic Image Holy Ghost Prep’s Executive Team PRESIDENT

Michael Jacobs ’01

father henry j. brown, c.s. sp.’50, the man on the cover of this spring issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, had a tremendous impact on me and hundreds of Holy Ghost Prep students over the course of his nearly 30-year career at HGP. Father Brown grew from a man I had a healthy fear of as a ninth grader into the man who eventually married my wife, Eileen, and I. Father Brown was an integral part of my growth as a student and a person, strengthening my faith and teaching many that it is possible to combine strength with compassion (something Father Brown did extremely well).

Had Father Brown lived, he would be 100 years old. So it’s the perfect time to celebrate the man and his impact at Ghost.

Today we hold many important school meetings in the Father Brown Conference Room, and I feel Father Brown’s presence, his spirit in there—perhaps even guiding the judgment and the decision making of the people in the room.

Among the most important meetings, under Father Brown’s watchful eye, were ones held back in 2015 and 2016 with flip charts and markers, as we tried to formulate what our “Vision 2020” strategic plan might look like.

Fast-forward five years and that “Vision 2020” has been realized, thanks to your incredible support and generosity. And because the work we have done today is making for a stronger Holy Ghost Prep tomorrow, I want you to read about the “Vision 2020” successes in this magazine and take tremendous pride in them.

This “Vision 2020” final report captures the impressive strategic accomplishments of the HGP community. And we look forward to many rich collaborations with our alumni, current and alumni parents, friends, and community partners as we add new and exciting achievements in the years ahead.

PHOTO CREDIT: DOUGLAS BENEDICT, ACADEMIC IMAGE

Inside this issue

“

Among the most

important meetings, under

Father Brown’s watchful eye, were ones held back in 2015 and 2016 with flip charts and markers, as we tried to formulate what our

“Vision 2020” strategic

”

plan might look like.

In One Heart and One Mind,

DESIGN

Karp Graphic Design PREPARATORY SCHOOL

2429 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020 215.639.2102 t

Gregory J. Geruson ’79, President @presgjg

Gregory J. Geruson ’79 Cover photo by Catalano Studio

PRINCIPAL

Kevin Burke SPRING 2021

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VISION 2020

Dear HGP community, One strategic vision. Fifty-plus months of planning, implementation, and execution. Four strategic imperatives. Nearly $7.5 million raised.

These numbers illustrate the enormous scale of Holy Ghost Prep’s

successful Vision 2020 Strategic Plan. The numbers also underscore

HGP’s unwavering focus—in nearly every key area of the school—on

building on its past accomplishments to meet the challenges ahead. These

A VISION REALIZED

areas include providing an affordable and accessible education; ensuring successful student outcomes; transforming the school’s facilities in the areas of STEM, the performing arts, and athletics; and ensuring the health of the school’s storied forensic program for years to come.

As we close our Vision 2020 campaign, it’s time to take stock of the

unprecedented outpouring of energy, talent, and creativity involved in the implementation and execution of Holy Ghost Prep’s strategic plan.

BY BILL DOHERTY

BACK IN 2016, HOLY GHOST PREP adopted a multi-year Vision 2020 strategic plan that would guide the school on its path to be the area’s premier Catholic college preparatory school.

The volume, breadth, and diversity of work undertaken as a result of this

Endorsed by the Board of Trustees and embraced

plan attest to its enormous relevance and reach. We have built a strong

by our community, the Vision 2020 plan made a

foundation for HGP’s enduring strength.

It is my privilege to serve as the chair of the Board of Trustees at Holy Ghost Prep. Our board is comprised of alumni, alumni parents, and friends who have an affinity for our fine institution and share the

common goal of advancing our mission to heights that have never been

seen before. I am grateful to Tony Geonnotti ’76, my predecessor as board chair, for starting this successful campaign, and to all of the trustees, the executive team and administrative team of the school, and the

HGP faculty and staff for their tireless efforts. Without their collective

leadership and support, the wonderful achievements of this Vision 2020 campaign, which are outlined in the pages ahead, would not have been possible.

This campaign, like any bold vision, doesn’t become a reality without

your support. It is only through your gifts that we were able to reach the impressive Vision 2020 benchmarks, and for that we say thank you.

bold statement that members of Holy Ghost Prep would innovate and challenge one another while building on the founding Spiritan values that had served HGP so well for so long.

Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the school has made tremendous progress on the four strategic imperatives—Collegiate, Spiritan, Engagement, and Unique Gifts—on which the Vision 2020 plan was built.

The next 10 pages of this magazine will provide an overview of some of the many visible gains that have been made against each strategic imperative since the implementation of this ambitious plan.

And because of your generosity, Holy Ghost Prep will continue its rise,

setting ever-higher standards for teaching and learning that will continue

“Vision 2020 has made a stronger Holy Ghost Prep

to transform students to become who God calls them to be.

for tomorrow, so it is important for those who care

Sincerely,

Gregory Wozniak Chair, Holy Ghost Prep Board of Trustees

most about our success to take pride in this vision realized,” says Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “The progress that the school has made against Vision 2020’s four strategic imperatives—Collegiate, Spiritan, Engagement, and Unique Gifts—is just remarkable.”

Alumni Parent of 2007, 2008, and 2013 Holy Ghost Prep graduates

SPRING 2021

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VISION 2020 //// COLLEGIATE

COLLEGIATE STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE KEY VISION 2020 ACHIEVEMENTS

Attending HGP as a Maguire Scholar, Vallejo has been a valued member of the Holy Ghost community from the day he arrived on campus. In addition to being an honor roll regular with a 4.2 GPA and keeping his three-days-after-school commitment to Inn Dwelling, Vallejo has competed for Holy Ghost Prep’s renowned speech and debate program and served as president of the Spanish Club and as a board member of the school’s Ghost Around the World and Diversity Inclusion Community and Equity (DICE, formerly known as CAFÉ) programs.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Build a STEM Tower, transforming the northeast wing of Cornwells Hall into collegiate-level, STEM-based labs.

VISION REALIZED: Holy Ghost Prep opened the Brennan Family Innovation Center in August 2017. During the summer of 2018, the school’s old labs and some classroom spaces were transformed into two biology, two chemistry, and two physics STEM-based labs and combined with the Innovation Center in a STEM Tower to give HGP some of the area’s finest science and technology educational spaces.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Improve and enhance the computer science and engineering curriculum offerings in order to take full advantage of the STEM Tower.

“Holy Ghost Prep has always been a big part of the identity of Bensalem.

When you walk into the Holt Center, you can’t help but think, ‘Wow, what an amazing accomplishment,’” says Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo.

VISION REALIZED: In August 2017, the Brennan Family Innovation Center opened its doors. It has become a space that bustles with activity and innovation. All Holy Ghost Prep ninth graders take the Introduction to Engineering Design class in the Center. In those classes, the students actively participate in the engineering process: identify, brainstorm, develop, build, and redesign. In addition, Holy Ghost Prep’s VEX robotics team collaborates in this space, and a micro-controllers course is also taught in the Brennan Family Innovation Center.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Develop an academic vision for Holy Ghost Prep that is consistent with Vision 2020.

VISION REALIZED: The school’s new academic vision was completed, approved by the Board of Trustees, and adopted by the school in February 2019.

Holy Ghost Prep’s new academic vision is: Rooted in the Spiritan mission, Holy Ghost Prep students are empowered, engaged, and accomplished.

EMPOWERED HGP’s collegiate environment empowers students to discover and employ their unique talents as leaders and global citizens. They are builders of communities.

ENGAGED Supported by a liberal arts and sciences foundation and the most relevant, effective, and proven teaching practices, HGP’s interactive and engaging experiences amplify student learning.

ACCOMPLISHED Drawing on 21st century learning skills and informed by ethical decision-making, HGP produces accomplished, innovative young men who adapt, empathize, and respond with resilience.

COLLEGIATE IMPERATIVE SUCCESS STORY: TOMAS VALLEJO ’21 HOLY GHOST PREP SENIOR TOMAS VALLEJO was attending the annual NAIS Student Diversity Conference, but his mind was understandably wandering a bit this past December 1, the first day of the conference.

Vallejo, one of the top students in Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2021, had applied for a QuestBridge National College Match scholarship, and decision day was the first day of December.

Finally, after anxiously waiting all day long, Vallejo got a text that the results had been announced. He nervously logged into his QuestBridge account, with his mother at his side, and saw the single word on the screen that would change his life: Matched.

Because he was deemed a match, Vallejo will be heading to the University of Chicago to study political science on a full fouryear scholarship worth over $200,000 granted by QuestBridge National College Match, a program that connects high-achieving high school seniors with financial need with full four-year scholarships to the nation’s top colleges.

Upon learning he was a match, Vallejo said: “I finally felt that I could breathe and so could my parents, because they wouldn’t have to give a single penny (for me to attend college). My mom couldn’t believe it, she started crying. When my dad returned from work he was also ecstatic, but not too thrilled by the fact that I would be moving more than 10 hours away.”

Vallejo’s full scholarship to the University of Chicago is the latest chapter in the remarkable story that the teenager from Mayfair is authoring. Back in 2000, Vallejo’s parents had one child, Tomas’ older brother Santiago, when they courageously decided to leave behind everything they knew back in Colombia—their home, friends, family, and jobs—to come to America in hopes of a better life.

Inspired by his parents’ sacrifices, Tomas has developed an incomparable work ethic—that he displayed first in grade school at St. Martin of Tours, then in the Inn Dwelling program that he joined in seventh grade, and here at Holy Ghost.

After completing his Holy Ghost Prep school day, Vallejo often heads right to the Inn Dwelling after-school program. The Inn Dwelling program enlists professional English, math, science, and history teachers to work directly with the students to help them with their homework or to clarify concepts that the students might not fully understand. In addition, the Inn Dwelling program takes its students on three college visits, has an ACT prep coach, and provides other learning opportunities to help differentiate their students from the crowd.

“At Inn Dwelling, we seek to identify talented middle-school students, and our team of professional teachers begins helping to get them ready to excel at highly competitive high schools,” says Inn Dwelling’s assistant director Sister Rosemarie Jefferson, MSBT. “We have formed a great working relationship with Holy Ghost Prep, a school that is terrific at preparing kids for college and that embraces diversity. Our rigorous Inn Dwelling program gets them ready for Holy Ghost Prep and then provides extra after-school services to ensure that they excel at Holy Ghost.

“Our goal is to help every student in our program end up with affordable college options, to open doors for students who might otherwise be left behind.”

Holy Ghost Prep deeply values its ongoing relationship with Inn Dwelling.

During the 2020-21 school year, Holy Ghost Prep has 10 Inn Dwelling students in its student body: freshman Juan Perez; sophomores Damian Moore, Lucas Herrera, and Naad Ali Naqvi; juniors Troy Scott, Mike Georges, Frangel Rodriguez, and Jayden Parks; and seniors Ruben Aguilar and Tomas Vallejo.

“We are so grateful for our relationship with Inn Dwelling,” says Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “That relationship has allowed 10 tremendous young men to become integral parts of our current Holy Ghost community, including Tomas. We look forward to welcoming future Inn Dwelling students to Ghost in the years to come.”

—By Bill Doherty

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Tomas Vallejo’s full scholarship to the University of Chicago is the latest illustration of the Vision 2020 emphasis on improving the curriculum and college outcomes bearing fruit. Need further proof? Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2020 saw its 110 graduates go to 52 different schools in 16 different states, plus Scotland.

SPRING 2021

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VISION 2020 //// SPIRITAN

collective wisdom of Whartenby, Fitzpatrick, and Father Dan. The team will work collaboratively to pursue new community service opportunities, evaluate our current Religion Department class offerings and look for ways to strengthen the program, educate the entire community (faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni) about what it means to be Spiritan, and look for ways to increase student involvement and ownership in future school-wide liturgical celebrations.

“We will work together to deepen the faith life and love of God and neighbor for all of HGP’s students and their families, faculty, staff, and alumni, and will help foster Francis Libermann’s deep sense of what he called ‘practical union with God,’ finding God in the everyday and in others, and facing life with confidence, love, and faith,” says Father Dan. “The Ministry Team will help others deepen their unique gifts and join them with others in ‘one heart and one mind.’”

Whartenby points out that the three members of the Ministry Team have always worked closely together, but believes that officially being a team can open up even more new avenues.

“Our community is alive with our Spiritan tradition and Catholic identity. Seeing all the ways that our students, staff, and faculty engage the world through service, our faith, and academics, this new team will help connect all those threads that make HGP unique and help them to expand in new and energetic ways,” says Whartenby.

“This is a great opportunity to lead our community to find new ways to serve others and to allow our students to be actively engaged in creating and leading those missions.”

Fitzpatrick is also excited about the meaningful work that the Ministry Team will do for the school community.

SPIRITAN IMPERATIVE SUCCESS STORY: HOLY GHOST PREP FORMS THE MINISTRY TEAM

SPIRITAN STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE KEY VISION 2020 ACHIEVEMENTS VISION 2020 GOAL: Go from awarding $1.35 million in merit and need-based scholarship money in 2016 to $2 million by 2020.

VISION REALIZED: Holy Ghost Prep raised the necessary Vision 2020 dollars to award a record $2.2 million in merit and need-based scholarship money for the 2020-21 school year.

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H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

VISION 2020 GOAL: Increase the school’s diversity population from 8% in 2015 to 13% students of color by 2020.

VISION REALIZED: As of January 1, 2021, the school’s diversity population was at 14.7% and growing.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Place greater emphasis on growing the number of faith and service immersion trips to 14 and recruit an additional Spiritan to campus.

VISION REALIZED: Before COVID-19 interrupted many service opportunities, Holy Ghost Prep had 16 faith and service opportunities, and HGP welcomed Rev. Daniel Sormani, C.S. Sp. as a Spanish and religion teacher in 2018-19. Father Dan became the school’s Spiritan Chaplain during the 2019-20 school year and a member of the newly formed HGP Ministry Team in 2021.

AS THE ONLY SPIRITAN HIGH SCHOOL in the United States, a core component of Holy Ghost Prep’s educational mission is to form young men morally, intellectually, and spiritually in the Spiritan tradition.

As part of that ongoing effort, Holy Ghost Prep recently formed the Ministry Team, a formalized partnership among the school’s Spiritan Chaplain (Father Dan Sormani, C.S. Sp.), the chair of the Religion Department (John Fitzpatrick ’89), and the school’s director of Campus Ministry and Service (Mark Whartenby).

“The hope is that the Ministry Team will deepen the collective understanding of what it means to be Spiritan in the lives of our entire HGP community,” says Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79.

The formation of the Ministry Team will strengthen HGP’s Spiritan identity and will allow the school to benefit from the

“This formalized partnership, I believe, is the Holy Spirit’s way of calling us to break out of our routines and our individual silos of responsibility and to look at the school’s mission with fresh eyes,” says Fitzpatrick. “I am grateful for the synergy the initiative has created and am particularly excited to identify more ways we can help teachers and staff to infuse their classes and the work they do with the charisms of the Spiritans.”

—By Bill Doherty

3,240 The distance between Bensalem, Pa. and Dublin, Ireland is 3,240 miles. Once COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted, Holy Ghost Prep sophomores will once again travel to Dublin’s Blackrock College just after Christmas and then host Blackrock students in the spring as part of the school’s truly unique Spiritan exchange program.

SPRING 2021

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VISION 2020 //// ENGAGEMENT

ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE KEY VISION 2020 ACHIEVEMENTS

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VISION 2020 GOAL: Raise $8.25 million to fund the major Vision 2020 initiatives of constructing a STEM Tower, building the Holt Center, increasing the amount of merit and need-based scholarship money available to students, and raisng $500,000 for a forensics endowment.

VISION REALIZED: As of December 31, Vision 2020 pledges totaling $7.5 million have been made. The forensics endowment goal of $500,000 has been exceeded, and the Development Office is working diligently to raise the remaining 10%.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Develop innovative signature programs that differentiate Holy Ghost Prep.

“Due to the tremendous generosity of our alumni, parents, and friends, we have raised the level of philanthropy at Holy Ghost

VISION REALIZED: Since the adoption of the Vision 2020 plan, some of the signature programs that have been started at Holy Ghost Prep include: the LEAP program (an externship program that connects current Holy Ghost Prep juniors with HGP alums working in fields of interest for the students, a program that 55 members of HGP’s Class of 2022 will take part in this year); the Blackrock exchange program (an Ireland exchange program that will resume once COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted); the Frederico Student Investment Club; the successful launch of the HGP robotics team; College Guidance college trips to New England and down South (these trips will also resume post-COVID-19).

VISION 2020 GOAL: Holy Ghost Prep will undertake a comprehensive branding campaign, which will include the launch of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, a new and improved HGP website, new logos and messaging, and new campus signage.

many committed donors to raise the

VISION REALIZED: Holy Ghost Prep Magazine launched in the winter of 2017 (you are now enjoying the seventh issue of this twice-per-year magazine). The completely redesigned Holy Ghost Prep website debuted in the summer of 2019, and the new logos and the #ThinkGhost messaging has been well received. The new campus signage includes banners along Bristol Pike, new directional and building signs, and even vans with HGP branding prominently displayed.

dollars for these historical projects.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Increase alumni participation to the Annual Fund beyond 10%

And we look forward to what lies

VISION REALIZED: Throughout Vision 2020, we saw alumni participation increase from 6.3% in 2015 to a peak of 12.5% in 2018. Over this five-year period, our alumni participation averaged over 10.5%, thanks to the hard work of the Alumni Association and class agents.

Prep through the Vision 2020 campaign. As a school and a Development staff, we are humbled and grateful to have worked with so

ahead.”—Matthew Dwyer, Executive Director of Development

ENGAGEMENT IMPERATIVE SUCCESS STORY: E.J. TAKES THE LEAP When some kids learn to walk, they get toy cars to peddle.

Others are given push toys.

E.J. Pohl got skates. And he hasn’t left the ice since.

It’s not like he came from a hockey family. Neither his father nor his mother played the game. But he sure became a hockey kid.

“My dad [Eric] always liked hockey, but he never got the opportunity to play,” Pohl says. “My parents started me in it, and I loved it right away.”

Pohl is a bulwark on the Holy Ghost squad, a four-year starter who plays primarily on defense but who has the ability to push forward, join the rush, and create offensive opportunities.

And he’s just as impressive off the ice. During the past several months, Pohl has been a part of HGP’s Leadership Externship Advantage Program (LEAP); he has been working for the Riccio Family Pharmacy in Bensalem, an opportunity that has fueled his desire to study pharmaceutical sciences in college and to enter the field after graduation.

In fact, Pohl was so comfortable so quickly at his LEAP destination that he now works for the Riccios.

“He jumped in from day one,” says Chris Riccio ’93. “He wanted to count pills and work the computer software. He was eager to learn what he could. Not only I but other staff noticed. He took to it immediately.”

Since Pohl had heard good things about LEAP from friends in grades above him, he was enthusiastic about getting involved.

He has some family involved in the pharmacy field and he did well in chemistry at Ghost, so it made sense for him to take the path he is on. A future pharmacist, Pohl is a recipient of a Duquesne University Presidential Scholarship.

“I love it,” he says about his LEAP experience. “I jumped right

E.J. Pohl is just one of the latest HGP students to take advantage of the LEAP externship program. Fifty-five members of HGP’s Class of 2022 will take part in LEAP in 2021, gaining hands-on knowledge in a professional work setting, while developing a relationship with an HGP alum.

into the cold water and got involved in something that I hope to be doing in the future. It’s better to jump in than to watch other people doing it.”

Pohl’s hockey career has featured a similarly bold approach.

He started playing in organized settings at age five and spent some of his teenage years playing in USA Hockey’s Atlantic District, a development program for top youth players. Holy Ghost coach Gump Whiteside, who is in his 12th season with the team, knew about Pohl through his affiliation with the organization and has enjoyed having him on the roster for the past three seasons. He’s particularly impressed with Pohl’s ability to block shots and his skating ability.

“E.J. leads by example,” Whiteside says. “When something needs to be said, he’s not afraid to say it. He carries himself well and is a great teammate and great leader.

“He’s such a consistent player. Every game, he has done something to help us win. His name may not be on the scoresheet, but then you find out he blocked five shots. He does the little things.”

Pohl’s academic and athletic resumes are impressive. He’s plenty busy away from the classroom and rink, too. He writes for Lampoon, Ghost’s humor magazine. And he and his family foster dogs that come from a rescue shelter in Horsham.

“We have actually adopted two of them,” Pohl says. “They are boxer mixes.”

As Pohl continues throughout the year, trying to “survive and advance” during the pandemic and facing down its challenges, he has a positive attitude about where he’s headed. His love of pharmacy science has helped him chart a professional course, and while Whiteside thinks Pohl could play college hockey, it’s unlikely Pohl will pursue that. He has plenty to do and plenty to anticipate.

“Down the road, things will be so much better,” he says.

For Pohl, they are already pretty darn good.

—By Michael Bradley SPRING 2021

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VISION 2020 //// UNIQUE GIFTS

75 Holy Ghost Prep currently has 75 clubs and extracurricular activities available to help students discover and develop their unique gifts.

UNIQUE GIFTS IMPERATIVE SUCCESS STORY: A TRULY GIFTED YOUNG MAN

UNIQUE GIFTS STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE KEY VISION 2020 ACHIEVEMENTS VISION 2020 GOAL: Construct the Holt Center, a 27,000-square-foot performing arts, athletic, and activity space.

VISION REALIZED: The Holt Center opened in March 2018 and has had a major impact on the performing arts and athletic programs at Holy Ghost Prep. The building is home to the Di Paolo Family Gymnasium, a practice gym with six basketball hoops; the Frank Frederico ’00 Performing Arts Theater, a state-of-the-art performing arts space for school plays and concerts; music rehearsal spaces specifically tailored to accommodate both group and individual instruction; an erg room for the HGP rowing program; the Grabowski Performance space with indoor batting cages and pitching mounds; a golf simulation machine for HGP

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H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

golfers; and track and field practice space so HGP athletes can sharpen their skills year round.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Build a STEM Tower, transforming the northeast wing of Cornwells Hall into collegiate-level, STEM-based labs.

VISION REALIZED: The STEM Tower and the curriculum enhancements made during the Vision 2020 campaign have transformed HGP into one of the area’s leaders in science and technology education. The Department of Engineering and Computer Science was created and the computer science curriculum was redesigned.

VISION 2020 GOAL: Raise $500,000 to establish the Tony Figliola Forensics Endowment Fund to support future generations of Holy Ghost Prep forensics competitors.

VISION REALIZED: A total of $505,000 has been raised for the Tony Figliola Forensics Endowment Fund, an investment that will ensure the long-term health of HGP’s forensics program and will also help support the John Buettler ’64 Chair of Speech and Debate.

If something was happening at Holy Ghost Prep the past couple of years, there’s a good chance Brandon Dorsey was part of it.

He is one of those students who is enjoying everything that Ghost has to offer before having to move his tassel to the left in June.

Dorsey is a young man of many unique gifts and talents. He is one of the top students in HGP’s Class of 2021, as evidenced by his 4.4-plus GPA and his selection to both the National Honor Society and to Mu Alpha Theta, the Math Honors Society.

But he’s as humble as his grades are high, and he seemingly squeezes more out of a 24-hour day than a Fortune 500 executive.

Dorsey is an Eagle Scout, works at Moo Hope Ice Cream Parlor in New Hope, is heavily involved with campus ministry and peer ministry at the school, and is a three-year member of the cross-country and track teams and a four-year member of T.E.A.M.S. (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science).

Plus, Dorsey possesses a flair for the arts. He plays piano in the HGP jazz band, and he won a first place gold medal for his skill as a pianist in the Philadelphia Music Teachers Association’s

Regional Dorothy Sutton Performance Festival back in October.

According to his private piano teacher, Nicholas Mynyk: “Brandon performed two advanced and notoriously difficult piano compositions: Chopin’s ‘Revolutionary Étude’ and Ravel’s ‘Toccata.’ He was noted for his technical mastery and dynamic expression.”

In addition to his prowess as a pianist, Dorsey received the Downey Scholarship, a half-tuition scholarship that is presented to an HGP student who best exhibits a blend of academic ability, a sound work ethic, and a strong school spirit. The recipient supports and practices the Catholic Spiritan beliefs and values taught at Holy Ghost Prep.

Dorsey hopes to study science and music at one of the nation’s best universities. His first choice is Vanderbilt, but he has also applied to Miami (Fla.), the University of Minnesota, Creighton University, the University of Illinois, and Temple University.

AnnMarie Dougherty, director of College Guidance at Holy Ghost Prep, believes that the sky is the limit for the multi-talented Dorsey.

“He approaches life with enthusiasm and sincerity, which makes him an exemplary model among his peers,” says Dougherty. “Brandon values service, hard work, and determination, and I am sure he will maintain high standards as he works toward these goals in college. He is a unique young man with many talents and a burning desire to learn.”—By Bill Doherty SPRING 2021

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VISION 2020 //// DONORS

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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VISION 2020 DONORS IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION of the philanthropists whose generous commitment to our Vision 2020 campaign, a fundraising effort that made possible the Holt Center, the STEM Tower, and the Figliola Forensics Endowment, and current-use scholarship and financial aid support.

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3

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LEADERSHIP PARTNERS The Holt Family John and Jean Brennan P’03 Thomas Brunner P’98,’01,’04 Connelly Foundation John Di Paolo ’87 Dominic and Michele Frederico P’00 George Graffy ’82 William and Alyson Landers P’18, ’20 Maguire Foundation Redevelopment Authority of the County of Bucks Gerald Stahlecker III ’83 BENEFACTORS Michele and Chris Assenmacher ’86 Joseph and Anne Braunstein, Jr. P’98, ’04 Liselott and Matthew Costello ’91 Frank and Robin DeLuna P’20, ’22, ’24 Kathleen and Gary Foster ’77 The Gabriele Family Phyllis and William Gallagher, Esq.’72 Patricia McDermott and Michael Gannon ’75 Connie and Charles Gindele ’71 Holy Ghost Prep Mothers’ Guild Robert and Sharon Joyce P’16 John and Barbara Lupica P’11 Christopher McDermott, C.S. Sp. Dennis and Lisa Murray P’06, ’10 Denise and Gregory Nowak, Esq. ’77 Mary Lou and Joseph Quinlan ’71 Lisa and Robert Skalicky ’78, P’13 Margaret Mary and Robert Watters ’81 1 HGP Stem Tower Chemistry Labs in the Holt Center 2 Conceptural drawing of the Holt Center 3 Brennan Family Innovation Center 4 Conceptual drawing of the Frank Frederico Performing Arts Theater 5 HGP new signage

CHAMPIONS Anonymous Alumni Anonymous Alumni Parent Douglas and Jennifer Barbe P’17 Mary Beth Ward and Robert Barber, Esq. ’75 Elizabeth and Joseph Blaston ’70 Stephen and Deborah Cianci P’20 Joseph Ciecko ’79 Stephen and Maureen Cleary P’99 Eileen Kelly and Gregory J. Geruson ’79 Nanette Fondas and Richard Geruson ’75 Jonathan and Maureen Gibbons P’17, ’19 Susan and Raymond Glemser II ’79 Richard and Angelina Henn P’22 Jennifer and Grant Holdren ’99 Paul and Anne Marie Horgan P’12, ’17, ’21 Mary Helen and Mark Iorio ’75 Alyse and Richard Johnson, Esq. ’86, P’18 Jun Li and Yunjun Yan P’21 Gerard and Renee Madaio P’20 Donald and Lorraine Marchand P’08, ’13, ’17 Dorothy and James McCrane III ’77, P’02 Kimberly and Thomas McManus ’86, P’20, ’24 Kathleen and Anthony Naccarato ’84, P’10 Joanne and Gregory Przybylski ’82 Madelyn Reilly and Robin Girdhar Katherine and Arthur Reinholt ’03 George and Ellen Rusnak P’18 Dennis Ryan ’71 Kimberly and Eric Schiela ’86 Christopher and Alissa Taylor P’17, ’19 Laura and John Venne ’96 Nuo and Yu Jing Wang P’18 Thomas and Lynn Watanabe P’20 Joan Watters P’81, ’86 FIREBIRDS Anonymous Alumni Joseph Bond III ’94 Stacey Keenan and James Brogan ’72 Burton and Tara Carbino III P’19 Aldo and Kristina Ciccotelli P’13, ’18 Piotr and Robin Cymbalski, Sr. P ’17, ’20, ’24 Jeffrey and Maria Duffy P’17 Gabrielle and James Frawley, Jr. ’97 Thomas and Theresa Geib P’18

Rory Gledhill ’10 Richard and Kathryn Henry P’15, ’20 Leigh and Michael Lignowski, Esq. ’88 Todd Lippincott ’90 Jeffrey and Patricia Mann P’17 Robert and Terese Martin P’15, ’18 Thomas and Kathleen McInerney P’05 Jagannatha and Shylaja Mysore P’20 Sara and Anthony Nucera ’89 Jonathan and Ruela Pabalan P’18, ’24 Wayne and Stacey Pinkstone P’19, ’21 Sandra McCarley and Thomas Potter, Jr. ’75 Michael and Marie Rosenberg P’90, ’96 Mary Andrews-Rosenberg and Aaron Rosenberg ’90 William Salerno ’99 Amy and Stephen Sawka ’00 Anne Conaty and Kenneth Selvaggi ’79 Scott and Linda Staropoli P’15,’19 David Ventresca ’87 Paul and Keya Watkins P’20,’23 Laura and Gregory Wozniak, Sr. P’07, ’08, ’13 Carter and Margaret Young Karen and David Zwolak ’72 FRIENDS Anonymous Alumni Jeffrey Archibald ’91 Arlene and John Buettler ’64, P’91, ’95, ’99, ’02 Robert and Ann Bushek P’04 Joann and William Butler ’85 James and Beth Cauley P’20 Tana and Christopher Cimino ’83 Kevin Collins ’10 Jay and Mary Creekmore P’15 Stephen and Flavia Danastorg P’18 Peter and Christopher Dlutowski, Esq. ’84 Michael and Elizabeth Dobuski P’13 Bridget and Bill Doherty Matthew and Nathalie Dwyer Tiara and Joseph Falcone III ’93 John and Bonnie Filipowicz P’11 Meredith and Daniel Fitzgerald ’01 Thomas and Donna Forkin, Jr. P’19 Kevin Frawley ’08 Anthony and Linda Fusco, Jr. P’05 James and Katiebelle Gallagher P’01, ’11

Joseph and Debra Geoghan, Sr. P’10 Carole and Michael Girone ’78 Terri and Samuel Hellings III ’83 Christopher Kalck ’03 Neil and Anita Kelly P’19 Joseph Kerns ’04 Mark Kuhn IV ’08 Lori Ann and Paul La Plante, Sr. P’07, ’09 Kenneth Lorence ’05 Sean Mahoney ’07 Peter and Magdalen Manetas, Jr. Henri and Susan Marcel P’11 Thomas and Monica McCabe P’95 Thomas McSorley, Jr.’02 Kristin Cladouhos and Brian McTague ’85 Carolyn and Francis Nigro ’78 Michel Nijs and Maria Carelli P’20, ’21 Janet and Edwin Ombao ’82 Michael O’Toole and Mary Louise Castaldi Brandon Petcaugh Dominic Pody ’08 Nicholas Psulkowski ’05 Michael and Lisa Quaranto P’18 Ryan Raiker ’12 Vincent and Joanne Ranieri P’21 Kevin Rolston ’92 Mary and Christopher Rooney ’82 Elizabeth Sawka P’00 Stephen Shandor ’79 Benjamin Smallen ’97 Ronald and Suzanne Spangler P’19 Todd and Sheila Stauffer P’16, ’20 James Stewart, Jr. P’20 Edmund Walsh ’95 Edward Wrzesniewski III ’04 The Holt Center project also received $2,500,000 in state funding from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

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HGP ICON:

“Of all the teachers I had, he would far and away stand out as

REV. HENRY J. BROWN, C.S. SP.’50

Integrity Personified

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

the most significant person during my time at Ghost. I could find at least five or six of my classmates who would say the same thing.”

—Joe Quinlan ’71

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HAD TOM KARDISH ’79 been a freshman in early 1979 when Rev. Henry Brown, C.S. Sp.’50 pulled him into his office for a quick meeting, he might well have been frozen with fear.

Father Brown was Holy Ghost’s toughest faculty member, and audiences with him often were uncomfortable—at best.

But Kardish was a senior, and by this point in his four years at Ghost, he had developed a close relationship with Father Brown, through service trips, the sacrament of Reconciliation, and long discussions about life and how best to navigate it.

Kardish had learned that Father Brown, while strict and stern and plenty scary to underclassmen, was a moral beacon for boys making their way to manhood. And on this occasion, he had a suggestion that would change Kardish’s life and that of his future family.

“He said, ‘We’ve never had anyone from here go to Harvard.

Why don’t you?’” Kardish recalls. “It wasn’t on my radar at all.”

Kardish filled out an application—“complete with crossouts”—and submitted it, along with a recommendation from Father Brown. He got in. So did his four children. And even though the young man who had grown up in Churchville had precious little in common with others he met from the area a few months later at a picnic for admitted students, Kardish thrived at Harvard and is now president of Villa Joseph Marie High School in Southampton, a position he took after a successful career in business.

“[Father Brown] had an ability to see things in people they couldn’t see in themselves and didn’t know were there,” Kardish says. “He could transform your life with a three-minute conversation.”

Had Father Brown lived, he would have turned 100 years old last summer. And though he has been gone for decades, felled at 66 by cancer, his legacy endures boldly among HGP alumni who remember his stern but caring way. His 26-year tenure at Ghost is commemorated in the Father Brown Conference Room in Cornwells Hall. And Father Brown’s moral certitude and ability to handle anything (and anyone) that dared stand in his way have influenced generations of Ghost graduates and have been passed on to their children as a lesson in navigating life’s tumultuous waters.

“He was one of a kind, and every Holy Ghost Prep alumnus would say a similar thing,” says HGP president Greg Geruson ’79. “One of the expressions that comes to mind is ‘strength with compassion.’ He was a strong, physical presence who was filled with pride, and he loved being in the classroom.”

Since Father Brown spent part of World War II in naval intelligence, tracking Japanese troop movements behind enemy lines in the Pacific, a job every bit as dangerous as one would imagine it to be, he was unlikely to be cowed by even the rowdiest group of students. “One of his great expressions when I was a student was ‘I’m shock-proof,’” Geruson says. That was SPRING 2021

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INTRODUCING THE FATHER BROWN LEGACY SOCIETY

Make an impact that lasts a lifetime… name Holy Ghost Prep in your will or trust.

Contact the Development Office for a free guide and information on how to make an estate gift.

Matt Dwyer Executive Director of Development Mdwyer@holyghostprep.org 215.352.6956

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H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

somewhat soothing when students went to him for confession.

It’s not like their weekend antics were going to astound him.

“He said, ‘There’s nothing you’ve done that I haven’t done,’” Kardish says.

Father Brown certainly didn’t behave like a sailor while he was at Ghost, but his unique worldview gave him a formidable presence that he blended with a direct way of relating to students. As a result, he impacted many, and that impact was felt long after they graduated. Joe Quinlan ’71, who spent 18 years as a Holy Ghost trustee, was married by Father Brown and remains adamant about the impact he had on him and others.

“Of all the teachers I had, he would far and away stand out as the most significant person during my time at Ghost,” Quinlan says. “I could find at least five or six of my classmates who would say the same thing.”

One of Father Brown’s duties at Ghost was advisor to the yearbook, a job which he approached with “a good deal of military precision,” according to Father John Sawicki, C.S.Sp.’75, director of the Center for International Relations at Duquesne University and secretary of the Duquesne University Corporation. Father Brown wasn’t a journalist, but he was certainly someone who could be counted on to make sure the yearbook contained strong content, and he handled whatever problems that arose.

Like what happened in 1971 when the publisher was unable to deliver the yearbook on time, making that edition the first not to find its way into students’ hands by school year’s end.

The day of graduation, which featured a split program of a Mass in the morning and the commencement ceremony in the afternoon, the publisher called to report that a couple boxes of the finished product were available for pickup. “[Father Brown] jumped in his car, raced down I-95, and came back with two boxes that were enough for the 50 kids in the class,” Quinlan says.

Not long after Father Sawicki was ordained, in June 1986, he returned to Ghost to visit his mentor. He found Father Brown in his office, in a wheelchair, making sure the yearbook was of a sufficient quality. “He reviewed every single galley proof,” Father Sawicki says. Two months later, Father Brown was dead, a victim of cancer. “It moved fast,” Father Sawicki says of the disease. “He was fine at Christmas in 1985 but by June of 1986, he was clearly not fine.”Father Brown was born on Aug. 2, 1920 in Philadelphia and graduated from West Catholic.

After a brief stint working in an office, he joined the Navy in 1942 and spent four years in a variety of roles, including military intelligence. His job in the Pacific of monitoring the Japanese behind enemy lines would have brought instant death had he been captured. Dealing with that made him quite immune to many of life’s worries that trouble most people.

“It was a thankless job, filled with endless tension,” Father Sawicki says of Father Brown’s WWII assignment. “Having faced that, there weren’t a lot of worries in his world. He had faced so many bad things that everything by comparison was bearable.”

After leaving the military, Father Brown spent a year doing office work while trying to decide whether the religious life was his true path. He believed it was and began his studies in 1948.

He was ordained in 1955 and, after spending several years at St. Joseph’s House for Homeless Industrious Boys in Philadelphia, in 1960 he became director of students at Holy Ghost, where he remained until his death. In addition to his work as a teacher, counselor, disciplinarian, and advisor, Father Brown also served an unprecedented four terms as Superior of the other priests and brothers in residence at Ghost and was named the national chaplain of the Catholic War Veterans. Through it all, his exemplary religious life and strong faith were beacons for all who interacted with him.

“He had a sense of integrity,” says Gary Foster ’77, who is now the chief science officer at Weight Watchers. “As a high school kid, you are thinking about who you are, what kind of person you want to become, and what your standing is in life at the moment.

“Father Brown didn’t talk about the Baltimore Catechism.

He talked about things that were real. He used to say, ‘When you’re out on Friday night, think about this.’ What he did was give the impetus and the foundation for how to think about your own integrity.”

That was Father Brown’s way. He had lived plenty before becoming a priest, and he understood that young men would be faced with many tough choices. So he spoke in terms of what was real, not what was ideal. He was a confidant to many, and as students moved through Ghost, they learned not to see him as the man with the steely, blue-eyed stare capable of clearing a wide swath through trembling freshmen. Instead, he was someone to seek out, to learn from, to cultivate a relationship with; and that relationship would grow over the years. “He had a good sense of people,” Foster says. “He knew how to put them at ease.”

As Ghost students graduated and moved through their lives, they continued to connect with Father Brown. Geruson and his wife, Eileen, had him officiate at their wedding in 1986, and as the newly married couple planned to depart for their honeymoon in Hawaii, Father Brown told stories about when he was stationed there during WWII. Upon returning, Geruson reached out to schedule a visit, but found out that Father Brown was in the hospital, his cancer having advanced quickly.

Geruson becomes emotional when he describes sitting with Father Brown, showing him photos of the trip and listening to stories. “It wasn’t often he opened up to you,” Geruson says.

Though he has been gone for more than three decades, Father Brown’s legacy is powerful, and he continues to influence former Ghost students. Kardish remembers how happy he was when Father Brown drove to his family’s house on the night of Kardish’s graduation to enjoy a beverage with him.

“It was an unbelievable moment to have him come and congratulate me on graduating,” Kardish says. “I have thought about that over the years, and if somebody from the student body at Villa Joseph Marie invites me to a graduation party, I go, because I remember him coming to celebrate with me.”

That indelible memory sticks with Kardish, just as many others do with hundreds of Ghost graduates who made it past Father Brown’s tough exterior to learn about the extraordinary man within.

A frequent contributor to Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, Michael Bradley is a writer, broadcaster, and professor in suburban Philadelphia. He is the author of 33 books and is a professor in the communication department at Villanova University.

NEXT UP: KATHY POSEY This Father Brown feature is the latest in a series of pieces on HGP icons. In the next issue of Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, we will profile Kathy Posey, a truly creative English teacher who molded countless Holy Ghost Prep students into more efficient and effective writers.

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Writing Their Next Chapters ▶ Jack Nycz ’20

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

An Affinity for Animation

JACK NYCZ, LOUIS DELUNA, JOSE ROSADO, KRISHNA MYSORE, AND DAN BEHR, all members of Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2020, truly blossomed during their four years on campus. All five were called to the stage to accept awards at the HGP graduation ceremony last July. They all left their mark at Ghost and were clearly prepared for what’s next as all five are excelling as college freshmen.

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LIKE MANY KIDS, Jack Nycz would rise early to watch cartoons. But unlike the other youngsters, Nycz was doing more than just enjoying some early-morning animated entertainment.

He was studying.

And it wasn’t just the current fare. Sure, Nycz enjoyed Nickelodeon’s Rugrats and shows like Adventure Time and Chowder, which were Cartoon Network productions. But he also watched classics like “Tom and Jerry,” as well as Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera offerings.

“I used to get up at 6 a.m. to watch “The Land Before Time,” Nycz says of the late-’80s cartoon.

These days, Nycz is doing more than just depriving himself of sleep in the pursuit of more cartoon programming. The 2020 Ghost graduate has started on a path as a freshman at Penn that he hopes will lead him to a professional life creating the very animation that brought him so much happiness as a child viewer. And in keeping with his personality as a very focused, dedicated individual, Nycz has specific goals in mind when it comes to his career.

“I don’t want to work for Disney or Pixar,” he says. “I’d rather work at Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon.”

Nycz’s affinity for animation is part of an artistic identity that helped him become a stalwart within Holy Ghost’s drama community and an influential member of the Class of 2020. He succeeded at whatever he took on and developed a reputation throughout the school not only as an achiever but also a person capable of orbiting in various circles.

“He’s just one of those genuinely good kids,” says Jessica Ciaramella, an English teacher at Ghost and the school’s drama coordinator. “When he started here, his brother [James] was here, too, and Jack seemed so shy. It was a complete misread by me. He came into his own and was so outgoing.

He made a lot of friends and was very enthusiastic. He always had a crowd around him.”

Nycz began his academic journey at Newtown Friends and went to St. Andrew for middle school. He was drawn to the arts while in grade school and participated in the eighth grade play at St. Andrew. He also took art classes outside of school. When he started at Ghost, he immersed himself in the arts immediately, in just about all forms. At Penn, he plans to double-major in Fine Arts and English. That may not seem like a combination for someone who wants to create cartoons, but Nycz sees a clear path from what he has been doing since he was young to what he wants to pursue professionally. “It’s a form of storytelling that’s directed toward children,” he says of animation.

It wasn’t all about the arts for Nycz at Ghost. He had a 4.255 GPA and completed nine AP classes.

“Looking back, Ghost prepared me for the rigorous course load I’m taking at Penn,” Nycz says. “It helped me adjust to college.”

As a senior, Nycz was part of the inaugural, 16-person group inducted into Holy Ghost’s chapter of the International Thespian Society. The organization was founded in 1929 and honors those who have distinguished themselves in dramatic productions. Nycz acted in several different shows, but he also helped off-stage, such as the time he did some set design artwork for the school’s production of Newsies.

“Jack had a lot of enthusiasm,” Ciaramella says. “When we were doing dance rehearsals to prepare for musicals, they were totally optional, but he was at every one, and he worked very hard. It was ideal. He was what you wanted.”

Despite a freshman year experience at Penn that hasn’t been so perfect, thanks to the pandemic, Nycz is thrilled to be at Penn and hopes to use the school’s alumni network to help him find his way in the entertainment world. He sees himself living in New York or Los Angeles after graduation and creating the kind of work that makes kids want to get up early to watch it.

Just like he did.

—By Michael Bradley

“Looking back, Ghost prepared me for the rigorous course load I’m taking at Penn. It helped me adjust to college.”

▶ Jose Rosado ’20 New York University

Expanding His Worldview JOSE ROSADO ’20 READILY admits that he started his time at Holy Ghost Prep as a shy kid with a limited scope of the world.

“Being a student at Ghost didn’t just open up my worldview,” says Rosado. “It allowed me to become a more outgoing person.”

By the time Rosado’s four years at HGP ended at graduation in July, he had come a long way from being any sort of introverted person. A soft spoken, but much respected class leader, as well as the recipient of multiple scholarships and awards, Rosado has begun the next phase of his life at New York University. Rosado is majoring in biology at NYU, with an eye toward the study of genetics. He’s excited about his move to the big city. “New York is such a mix of people from different cultures. So many of them have different interests and experiences than I do. I can’t wait to meet people from around the country and the world.”

Rosado hopes to integrate himself into that world in a more organic way, much like he did in his time at Holy Ghost. “I gained a sense of community at Ghost,” he says. “I learned how to be a citizen with a greater awareness of the world around me, and how I could play a part in bettering it by being empathetic to others.”

That empathy was often on display in his involvement with CAFE (Cultural Awareness for Everyone), Holy Ghost’s diversity and inclusion organization. The club sponsors events to promote cultural awareness on campus. But CAFE meetings also serve as safe spaces for students who feel underrepresented within the school population. CAFE meetings allow the students who SPRING 2021

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attend them to discuss issues with which they’re struggling, particularly those involving racial, ethnic, sexual, or political identity.

Rosado’s empathy and compassion were helpful for many of the students who were trying to find their place in the student body, says Patricia O’Connor, Jose’s AP Language and Composition teacher and one of CAFE’s founding moderators. She was especially impressed by his generosity toward some of the younger students. “Jose provided compassionate guidance to many of those students who were finding their footing in the Ghost community,” says O’Connor. “He counseled young men on how to fit into this community while asserting their pride and maintaining their individuality.”

For Rosado, CAFE was a place where issues surrounding diversity could be not only addressed but celebrated. “At the meetings, we discussed the school’s demographics with a goal of trying to represent all of them,” says Rosado. “Many outsiders might view Holy Ghost’s racial population as one that is mostly white. But our community is made up of many cultures and points of view.”

Rosado’s identity as a person of color has informed his own views, both in and out of school. He is encouraged by the recent progress of Black Lives Matter, a movement he considers “vital for our country to overcome the systematic racism that plagues people of color. It took the deaths of innocent people for the nation to recognize flaws within the justice system. But I’ve been inspired by the people marching, even risking their health to demand that everyone be treated equally.”

In the meantime, Rosado has started his new life in the Big Apple, where he plans to pursue a career in genetic research.

“I’d like to be involved in revolutionary medical work that can hopefully better people’s lives,” says Rosado of his research goals at NYU. He’s especially interested in genetic editing projects such as CRISPR, which use genetics to combat diseases that current medical technology has found difficult to overcome.

Those are big goals for a self-professed former shy kid. But for someone of Jose Rosado’s character and talent, they seem highly achievable.

—By Matthew Jordan

“Being a student at Ghost didn't just open my worldview, it allowed me to become a more outgoing person.”

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▶ Louis DeLuna ’20

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

Living Life to the Fullest BETWEEN DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS in five different subjects, acceptance into five different honor societies, and a Distinguished Honor designation in each of his four years, it’s fair to say that Louis DeLuna ’20 was hardly idle during his time at Holy Ghost.

“I’m someone who always has to have his time occupied,” says DeLuna about his approach to school and to life in general.

DeLuna has taken his hard-working ways with him to Tennessee this fall, where he and the rest of his freshman class will begin the next stage of their journeys at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Vanderbilt students are not allowed to pick a major until their sophomore year, but DeLuna says he is interested in majoring in cognitive science or psychology.

“I have a tendency for observation and analysis,” says DeLuna. “But I also want a career where I can make a personal connection with people and help them solve their problems.

And I find the unlimited potential of the human mind really interesting.”

One person who can vouch for DeLuna’s natural curiosity about the mind and the self is last year’s religion teacher, Tom Croskey. He had DeLuna as a student in his elective “The Authentic Self,” one of his most popular courses. The class gives students the chance to reflect on their relationships with family, friends, and with God by looking at themselves more critically.

“Engaging with Louis in class often meant engaging in a great philosophical conversation,” says Croskey. “He would challenge ideas—not to be right, but to form a new way of thinking for himself.” Croskey was impressed by DeLuna’s intellectual maturity throughout the semester: “He consistently did two things in my

class that most students struggle with: He raised meaningful questions, and he listened.”

Other Holy Ghost teachers have also prepared him well for the academic rigors of Vanderbilt, DeLuna believes. He especially credits the English Department’s efforts to improve his writing skills. “Their editing really helped me grow as a writer.

Sometimes it frustrated me, because they forced me to change not just the way I wrote, but even the way I thought when I was constructing a paper. Since then I’ve worked on crafting my ideas more concisely and fluently. At Vanderbilt, the curriculum is extremely writing-heavy, but I feel very confident that I’ll do well in my writing seminars.”

DeLuna’s writing accomplishments at Holy Ghost reached well beyond his academic papers. He was co-editor and a frequent contributor to the Lampoon, the school’s annual humor magazine, where he and fellow Lampooner Jose Rosado collaborated more than once to create some of the magazine’s wittiest submissions.

Satires of the faculty were the pair’s forte. For the 2019 issue of the Lampoon, fake teacher text threads satirized the “characters” of various academic departments in ways that were both tasteful and hilarious. For the 2020 edition, DeLuna and Rosado created a set of teacher trading cards that transformed a group of unsuspecting teachers into a cast of unlikely superheroes.

Each card assigned a teacher a set of skills, vulnerabilities, and “combat zones,” depending on that teacher’s classroom persona. Affectionate and closely observed, the cards were a huge hit with teachers and students alike.

Now DeLuna will take his rhetorical skills to Vanderbilt, where he can train his satirical eye on life in the South. If his contributions to Holy Ghost are any indication, both Nashville and Vanderbilt will have at least the next four years to enjoy his influence.

—By Matthew Jordan

“I have a tendency for observation and analysis.

But I also want a career where I can make a personal connection with people and help them solve their problems.”

▶ Krishna Mysore ’20 GRINNELL COLLEGE

From Ghost to Grinnell LAST SPRING, KRISHNA MYSORE ’20—like most graduating seniors—was peppered with the “where are you going to college” question.

Since folks in the 610 and 215 area codes don’t possess a working knowledge of Grinnell College, Mysore, an HGP honor roll student, was smart enough to throw them a lifeline.

“I didn’t even wait for them to ask; I just automatically appended ‘a small liberal arts college in Iowa’ to the college’s name in my answer,” says Mysore.

While not top of mind for most people in the Philadelphia area, Grinnell, located halfway between Des Moines and Iowa City, is annually listed among the nation’s top liberal arts schools and has produced 14 Rhodes scholars, 119 Fulbright scholars, and one Nobel laureate.

And when Mysore investigated Grinnell last year, he was struck by the fact that it possessed many of the same attributes as Holy Ghost Prep—most notably, small class sizes and a 9:1 teacher-to-student ratio.

“After four years at HGP, I knew I learned best in a personal, small-class environment so I mostly applied to liberal arts colleges. Grinnell attracted me because of its emphasis on undergraduate research, something I am very interested in,” says Mysore, who is majoring in math with the intention of going to graduate school and possibly into academia. “I’m very excited to live in a part of the country I would have otherwise likely never experienced. Coincidentally, my parents also went to school in the Midwest, so it will be interesting to experience all that they experienced.”

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While his college goals include performing research with a professor and perhaps getting his work published before attending grad school, Mysore is more than a math whiz. He is one of those rare students with an equally developed left and right brain. A self-professed bookworm, or at least one, he quips, until “I got my first iPhone in middle school,” Mysore wrote for HGP’s humor magazine Lampoon and harbors dreams of being a comedy writer or doing some stand-up comedy someday too.

“My dad loved Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld back in the 1990s and 2000s so as I was growing up he would show me all the old seasons on DVD and the movies like Wayne’s World as a way for us to connect,” says Mysore. “So, my dad planted the seed and my interest in comedy just took off from there.”

Needless to say, Mysore kept his Holy Ghost Prep friends chuckling in the halls, in labs, and at AnnMarie Dougherty’s round-shaped friendship table in the College Guidance office (where he was a daily fixture, along with fellow Class of 2020 grads Zach Posivak, Tyler Mish, T.J. Butler, and Max Giuliana).

“Some of my best memories at Holy Ghost were going to some of the soccer and basketball playoff games last year with my friends. I never really went to games but since we were seniors I decided to go and support my friends on the teams and always had a great time,” Mysore says.

“Undeniably, over my four years at Holy Ghost, I gained a lot of confidence in myself and learned a lot about who I am as a person. Looking back, I can really see how I grew to be more comfortable in my own skin. Of course, I also grew a lot more hard-working and disciplined, which is why my mom sent me to Ghost in the first place.”

That grit and discipline, coupled with his ability to make others laugh, will serve Mysore well at Grinnell and in life.

—By Bill Doherty

“Undeniably, over my four years at Holy Ghost, I gained a lot of confidence in myself and learned a lot about who I am as a person.”

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▶ Dan Behr ’20 PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

Unafraid of Hard Work “I THINK MY FAVORITE thing about being a senior last year was simply walking through the hallways,” recalls Dan Behr ’20 about his final year at Holy Ghost. “I literally never moved between classes without seeing someone and having a brief conversation with them.”

Being able to walk the hallways and be part of an actual community, rather than a virtual one, ended unceremoniously for everyone at Holy Ghost last March, with the onset of COVID-19 and the advent of online learning. The event upended life for Behr and his fellow Class of 2020 members.

“People told me every day that my time in high school would fly by, and it did,” said Behr. “So finally making it to the crown jewel of our high school experience and then having it ripped away from us was a bit of a gut punch. I still have trouble fathoming that we ended the biggest chapter of our lives so far on a random Friday last March.”

Global pandemic or not, Dan’s accomplishments over the last four years were nothing short of stellar. A recipient of numerous scholarships, honors, and awards across the curriculum throughout his time at Holy Ghost, he was also last year’s President of the National Honor Society.

Behr has begun his college career at Penn State, where he was accepted into the School of Engineering. Assisting him in those efforts will be a Maguire Scholarship and an engineering scholarship that he was awarded from the university.

Behr credits his teachers for his many accolades. One who inspired him especially was Amanda Coopersmith, who helped nurture his love of the sciences and engineering. Another was “Doctora” Ramirez (Edna, to her now-former peers, as Ramirez

left Ghost last summer to join the World Language Department of the Upper School at Penn Charter), who challenged Behr and his classmates to succeed in AP Spanish.

“It was the single hardest class of my life,” Behr remembers.

“I considered dropping it on multiple occasions. But not once did she stop to coddle us. Instead, she helped us every step of the way, because she knew what we were capable of, even when we didn’t. I’ll always appreciate that.”

Hard work and mental toughness are also qualities that applied to Behr’s greatest extracurricular passion at school: the ice hockey team. “It was one of the things that defined my identity at Holy Ghost,” says Behr.

Behr was sensitive to the team’s identity as well, which he believes has been judged unfairly at times. “So many times walking through the halls at school, I heard the words ‘those hockey players,’ followed by a disapproving remark,” Behr recalls. “And every single time, my first thought would be, well, what about this guy? And that guy, and that guy…”

Hearing the team characterized in this way motivated Behr to set a positive example for them around campus, something that he believes was especially important for the team’s younger players, “because after spending countless hours with them, I know what they’re capable of.”

As far as his college ambitions are concerned, Behr is happy to let his goals remain undefined for now. While his work at Penn State’s School of Engineering will take up a lot of his time, he doesn’t plan on being defined solely by his studies.

“Ghost has taught me that the best approach to life is to be well-rounded and try new things,” Behr says about the school that became his alma mater in July. “It’s safe to say I’m a completely different person from the freshman who enrolled four years ago at Ghost.”

—By Matthew Jordan

“Ghost has taught me that the best approach to life is to be well-rounded and try new things.”

CAPS, GOWNS, AND MASKS Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HGP Class of 2020 graduation was held on July 25 rather than in late May. And this unforgettable class capped off their time at Ghost in caps, gowns, and masks at their socially distanced graduation ceremony.

HGP’s Class of 2020: Where They Headed After Ghost HOLY GHOST PREP’S Class of 2020 was a group of unique and talented individuals who excelled in the classroom, on the stage, in laboratories, in community service efforts and on the playing fields.

They also displayed tremendous grit and togetherness when the COVID-19 crisis wrote a different last few chapters to their HGP careers than they would have liked.

The Class of 2020’s collective talents didn’t go unnoticed as they submitted 752 college applications and received nearly $20 million in scholarships.

HGP’s Class of 2020 was an accomplished group of 110 students who are continuing their academic careers at 52 different schools in 16 different states, plus Scotland.

Gregory J. Geruson ’79, president of Holy Ghost Prep, said: “The Class of 2020 left an indelible mark on Holy Ghost Prep. It’s a credit to them, their parents, our teachers, and our College Guidance Office that they are attending such an impressive list of colleges and universities—ranging from Villanova to Vanderbilt, Georgetown to Grinnell, Moravian to Miami (Fla.), Penn to Penn State, Princeton to Pace, Lehigh to LSU, Saint Joseph’s to St. Andrews in Scotland. They will make a difference within their college communities, just as they have done in ours.”

The students in Holy Ghost Prep’s Class of 2020 headed to the following schools postGhost (listed alphabetically):

Arizona State University Bucknell University Cabrini University Catholic University of America Claremont McKenna College Coppin State University Drexel University Duquesne University East Stroudsburg University Emory University Fairfield University Fordham University Georgetown University Grinnell College High Point University Holy Family University Ithaca College Jacksonville University Kutztown University La Salle University Lehigh University Louisiana State University Loyola (Md.) University Millersville University Moravian College New Jersey Institute of Technology New York University North Carolina State University Pace University Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania State University Princeton University Rider University Saint Joseph’s University Seton Hall University Skidmore College Stony Brook University Temple University The College of New Jersey University of Florida University of Kansas University of Maryland University of Miami University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Scranton University of South Carolina University of Saint Andrews, Scotland Vanderbilt University Villanova University West Chester University Widener University SPRING 2021

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JOINING THE 900 CLUB

BY BILL DOHERTY WITH HIS TEAM’S 71-41 VICTORY over Dock Mennonite on March 4, Tony Chapman became just the sixth high school basketball coach in Pennsylvania history to reach the 900-win plateau.

“We are blessed to have Tony at Holy Ghost Prep,” says Holy Ghost president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “The success that he has enjoyed as a coach and the number of young men’s lives he has impacted is truly mind-boggling.”

The ever-modest Chapman didn’t want to make a lot of fuss about win no. 900.

“The numbers have never been important to me,” says Chapman. “You just want to do the best you can for the kids and try to let them have success.”

With the win over Dock Mennonite, Chapman, a 1971 Holy Ghost Prep grad, joined the Keystone State’s exclusive 900-win club that includes: ▶ The late Renzie Huffman (1,255 victories as the girls and boys basketball coach at Mercer High School and Clintonville High School) ▶ Ron Insinger (1,064 wins and counting at Loyalsock High School, including 98 wins as the girls varsity basketball coach) ▶ Speedy Morris (1,035 combined victories at Roman Catholic, Penn Charter, St. Joseph’s Prep, and La Salle University men’s and women’s basketball) ▶ Mike Kopp (1,010 girls basketball wins and counting at Allentown Central Catholic and Notre Dame High School in Bethlehem Township) ▶ Aaron Straub (notched his 900th win at Elk County Catholic High School on January 16, 2021) “Coach Chapman is an amazing coach. I knew that before I arrived at HGP. What I learned in working with him every day is that he is an even better educator,” says Holy Ghost Prep principal Kevin Burke. “His consistency in coaching is matched by his consistency and effort in the classrooms and hallways on our campus.

“His impact on the young men of Holy Ghost Prep cannot be captured in a number, like 900, but this milestone does allow our community to pause and recognize our coach for more than the wins. We appreciate the countless ways in which he positively impacts our Spiritan community.”

Chapman’s teams have won 23 Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) titles, nine District One crowns, and two Eastern state 24

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titles. His uniform no. 20 was retired in January 2019 and will never be worn by a Holy Ghost Prep hoops player again, the first time that a number has ever been retired by the school.

Brett Manney ’04, who starred on Chapman’s team that made a run to the 2004 state title game, says: “What has made Coach Chapman so successful is not only his dedication to the program but instilling the right discipline, teaching, and guidance for young men. Every player who walks onto that court knows the history of the program, the talented coaches, and playing the game ‘the right way.’ That is all Coach Chapman, and that is the reason HGP is the best program in the Lower Bucks area.

“He left a profound impact on me and (my brother) Ryan’s lives. We are forever grateful to have played for him.”

Chapman was honored during a special senior class assembly on March 5, the day after he notched his 900th career win.

The magnitude of Chapman’s impact on high school hoops— both locally and statewide—could be seen by the number of Pennsylvania politicians who altered their schedules to be part of the Chapman celebration.

United States congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a family friend who was in the wedding of Tony’s son Chris, presented HGP’s iconic coach with a flag that had flown over the Capitol building the day before.

Also speaking and presenting Chapman with proclamations and special citations were Bensalem mayor Joe DiGirolamo; three members of the Bensalem Township council (Joe Knowles, Ed Tokmajian ’94, and Jesse Sloane); Bucks County commissioner Gene DiGirolamo; as well as representatives from the offices of Pa. state senator Tommy Tomlinson and Pa. state representatives KC Tomlinson and Frank Farry.

Greg Wozniak, the chairman of Holy Ghost Prep’s Board of Trustees, also addressed the crowd, extolling some of the attributes that have made Chapman so successful.

After all of the tributes, Chapman took the microphone and thanked his wife, Jane, his family, his assistant coaches, the many Firebirds who have played for him over the years, the distinguished guests who had come to honor him, and his alma mater Holy Ghost Prep.

“I feel really fortunate to have coached for all these years at a place that I truly love in Holy Ghost Prep,” said Chapman, who will enter next season with 901 wins and counting.

Which begs the question: Will Chapman make a run at 1,000 wins?

“I love the game and I love where I’m working, because this school has been so good to me,” said Chapman, Holy Ghost’s disciplinarian. “The administrators, the teachers, and not just the players, but the kids in the school. If I’m not at Holy Ghost, I don’t know if I would be in the same mental frame of mind and enjoying it.

“I’ve had unbelievable support from my family, and they’ve sacrificed, too. I love what I do. How many people can say that?”

“We are blessed to have Tony at Holy Ghost Prep.

The success that he has enjoyed as a coach and the number of young men’s lives he has impacted is truly mindboggling. ” GREGORY J. GERUSON ’79 PRESIDENT

Campus news

Music Men

Leaving a Legacy

Nine different Holy Ghost Prep students recently earned 2021 All-Catholic music honors in the following categories: CHORUS: Dominic DiFrancesco, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Corey Hecdivert, Michael Keddie, and Owen Smith ORCHESTRA: Christian Teufel (violin) and Ian Zwall (bass) CONCERT BAND: Thomas Palermo (tuba) and Jonathan Pinkstone (trumpet) The All-Catholic festivals this year are being shortened to just one day and the concerts will have no audience. The concerts will be live-streamed.

“We are so proud that these young men earned All-Catholic honors,” says Holy Ghost Prep music director Chuck Hallahan. “In this climate where music performance and singing are very restricted (due to COVID-19), they’ve done an admirable job practicing on their own.”

After spending four decades teaching math at Holy Ghost Prep, Jerry Colapinto will retire at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

A fixture at HGP since 1980, Colapinto has taught almost every math class the school offers—including three math courses he created. He was awarded the 2008 Siemens Teacher of the Year Award for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is thankful for the camaraderie and support he’s received from his fellow faculty members over the years.

“Jerry has had a tremendous impact on the math department at Holy Ghost Prep and on the lives of the thousands of students and alumni that he has taught during his amazing career here,” says Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79. “We appreciate all that Jerry has meant to Ghost and look forward to celebrating Jerry’s retirement at the end of the school year.”

Colapinto will never forget the start of his Holy Ghost Prep teaching career. While a college student at La Salle, he went to the school’s Career Placement Office, procured a list of area private schools, and applied to each and every one of them.

“So one January evening, the then-headmaster Father James McNally knocked on the door of my home in South Philadelphia,” recalls Colapinto. “He evidently lost my phone number and really needed a math teacher to replace someone who left mid-year.”

The rest is history.

In addition to his teaching excellence, Colapinto has worn many hats in the forensics world—judging tournaments, 26

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serving as an assistant coach, helping with elementary school tournaments, even serving as a tabulator and error checker at both states and nationals. His tireless efforts for almost 40 years resulted in his induction into the Pennsylvania High School Speech Hall of Fame in 2016.

“What kept me at it are the friendships with current and former (forensics) coaches, both locally and nationally, and the many HGP alumni that I got to know and work with over the years,” Colapinto says.

But Colapinto, at his core, is a math teacher. He feels fortunate to have taught at Ghost, where he has found his students to be “exceptional, thankful, and dedicated.”

One such student, Luke Profy, joined HGP on December 3 as a math teaching assistant. Profy will begin his teaching career alongside Colapinto and will be a great addition to the faculty. Part of his role is tutoring students at all levels of math education.

Profy was the valedictorian of HGP’s Class of 2017 before attending the University of Pittsburgh as a Stamps Scholar. Profy earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in classical studies. He is the son of Lee and Tom Profy ’79.

About his return, Profy said, “I am excited to be part of the great community here at Holy Ghost Prep, which as a student provided me so much. I look forward to being able to give back to HGP and help provide the same positive and engaging experience to the students that I had during my time here.”

—By Bill Doherty

Cyber Superstars Holy Ghost Prep placed third in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in the top 10% out of all of the 2,800 teams competing in the CyberPatriot’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition on January 22.

The six-hour competition challenged teams of students from across the United States, Canada, and Department of Defense schools abroad to find and resolve cyber security vulnerabilities in simulated environments.

The 11 HGP students who took part in the competition were Jamie Mancuso, Syed Naqvi, Ruben Aguilar, Michael Gublo, Luke Borkowski, Liam Barnes, Shrikanth Srenivasan, Michael Nipper, Jeeth Vijay, Dylan Wallace, and Joe Noto.

“I was extremely proud of the work the guys put in. They were glued to their computer screens for six hours—in the best way possible,” says Brandon Petcaugh, HGP’s computer science and engineering department chair and the faculty moderator of HGP’s CyberPatriot teams. “There was a lot of cheering and excitement throughout the day, as team members blocked cyber-attacks and found hidden malicious code on their systems.

It was just a great experience for everyone.”

The Holy Ghost Prep team nearly captured the title, as just three points separated the Firebirds from the first-place finisher.

Established by the Air Force Association in 2009, the CyberPatriot education program was designed to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines that are considered critical to the nation’s future.

Pomp and Circumstance Holy Ghost Prep will hold its annual commencement exercises on Saturday, June 5 at 11 a.m. on the campus lawn behind Cornwells Hall. During the ceremony, students will be recognized for their accomplishments and will be reminded that they are always brothers, not only with fellow members of the Class of 2021 but with all Holy Ghost Prep graduates.

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Making the Grade

HGP Holds Outdoor Honors Convocation

For a third straight year, Holy Ghost Prep was named one of the best Catholic high schools in Pennsylvania and received an overall grade of A+ from Niche, an organization that reviews and ranks schools nationwide.

Holy Ghost Prep was rated No. 4 out of 73 schools in the “Best Catholic High Schools in Pennsylvania” category in Niche’s 2021 rankings. HGP received A+ grades in academics, clubs and activities, and sports.

Niche awarded Holy Ghost Prep A grades in both teachers and college prep.

Many of Holy Ghost Prep’s best and brightest students in the Classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023 were recognized at a socially distanced Honors Convocation on September 24 in the school courtyard.

Brains and Braun Holy Ghost Prep senior Nick Braun is a finalist in the National Merit® Scholarship competition.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Nick and his accomplishment,” said Holy Ghost Prep principal Kevin Burke. “To become a National Merit finalist, Nick has not only displayed academic excellence, but also the drive to perform at the highest levels.”

A National Honors Society member and math/science whiz, Braun also participates in student government, Ghost Around the World, and the Firebirds IT Crowd (helping to set up live streams for sporting events and other school events during the pandemic).

In addition, Braun—who has applied to a number of the nation’s top universities, including Georgia Tech, Penn State (Schreyer’s College), Maryland, Pitt, Illinois, Rutgers, and USC—has also competed in both Math Modeling competitions and Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (T.E.A.M.S.) competitions while at Ghost. Braun is also a thrower/jumper/ short sprinter on the Holy Ghost Prep track team.

Earlier this year, Braun was notified that he was one of 1.5 million semifinalists for the National Merit® Scholarship. He entered the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit® Scholarship Qualifying Test when he was a junior. Now, as a finalist, Braun is one of 15,000 high school seniors from throughout the nation competing for approximately 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million.

A semifinalist, along with a high school official, must submit a detailed scholarship application to become a finalist. They provide information about the semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received.

A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and write an essay.

National Merit® Scholarship recipients will be announced later this spring.

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Untapped “Poe”-tential

A Nice Ring to It Members of HGP’s Class of 2022 received their class rings at the Junior Ring Mass on November 8 in the Cornwells Hall Courtyard. This day, when the juniors receive their class rings, is one of the most cherished traditions at Holy Ghost Prep.

One unexpected by-product of these unprecedented COVID-19 times is that they have challenged the Holy Ghost Prep community to rethink how we do things and required us to find new ways to get them done.

Countless recent examples of nimble thinking spring to mind—including the early November outdoor Holy Ghost Prep Drama Society presentation of the Nightmares of Poe. The Drama Society’s Poe production transformed the lawn outside Cornwells Hall into an outdoor movie theater, thanks to an inflatable screen, the unique gifts and impressive talents of our students in the series of Poe vignettes, and some Hollywood-style lighting.

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Athletic news

Taking on All Comers

HGP’s New Shooting Star

As part of the school’s move to athletic independence, the Holy Ghost Prep baseball team, a traditional PIAA District One power, will face a top-shelf 2021 schedule this spring. The 20-game schedule includes a home-and-home with Bensalem High School, nine games against Philadelphia Catholic League teams, and three contests vs. Inter-Ac competition.

The tough 2021 schedule will certainly prepare the 2019 PIAA District 1 Class 5A champion Firebirds, coached by Greg Olenski ’10, for district and possibly state playoff competition later this spring.

“Without a doubt, we are playing the toughest schedule in the state,” says Olenski. “The schedule was designed to put our guys through adversity and uncomfortable situations—games vs. bigger classification schools, out-of-state schools, schools with top-ranked players, city schools and suburban schools.

“We will certainly be challenged and knocked down, but we will be more prepared than ever for district and state playoffs come late May/early June.

The goal remains the same: Win championships and play into June. This schedule is a great stepping stone toward our team goal.”

This year’s edition of the Firebirds features four seniors who have already committed to play college baseball in Matt Long (Immaculata University), Jack McDermott (Amherst College), Zac Newsham-Quinn (Gwynedd Mercy University), and Gavin McGuigan (Hood College), as well as some of the area’s top sophomores and juniors, including junior left-handed pitcher Nick Henn.

Olenski, one of the best players in HGP’s storied baseball history, has the makings of a strong rotation with the aforementioned Long, Henn, and Newsham-Quinn being joined by Shane Turpin, Matt Goldenbaum, and other strong-armed sophomores and juniors. Offensively, the Firebirds will be led by the aforementioned McDermott.

“While offensive varsity experience is low compared to past years, the combination of young talent and competition is going to make this group one to follow closely,” says Olenski. “Confidence and expectations are high coming into the season.”

HERE IS THE ENTIRE 2021 HGP BASEBALL SCHEDULE: MARCH 26 VS. NESHAMINY HIGH SCHOOL MARCH 30 AT ARCHBISHOP WOOD APRIL 1

AT CENTRAL BUCKS WEST

APRIL 5

AT BENSALEM HIGH SCHOOL

APRIL 7

VS. GERMANTOWN ACADEMY

APRIL 10

VS. LA SALLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL

APRIL 13

VS. DEVON PREP

APRIL 15

VS. ROMAN CATHOLIC

APRIL 17

VS. FATHER JUDGE

APRIL 20

AT THE HUN SCHOOL

APRIL 22

AT CARDINAL O’HARA

APRIL 24

AT COUNCIL ROCK NORTH

APRIL 29

VS. STEINERT HIGH/HAMILTON EAST

MAY 1

AT NEUMANN-GORETTI

MAY 3

AT NORTH PENN

MAY 5

VS. BENSALEM HIGH SCHOOL

MAY 8

AT PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH

MAY 12

VS. MALVERN PREP

MAY 15

VS. ST. JOSEPH’S PREP

MAY 17

AT PENN CHARTER

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Signed on the Dotted Line Ten members of HGP’s Class of 2021 have officially signed to continue their academic and athletic careers at the collegiate level. The soon-to-be HGP alums, in alphabetical order, who will be college student-athletes beginning in the fall are: JOEL BENEVOUR / La Salle University (rowing) FRED LI / Wesleyan University (swimming) MATT LONG / Immaculata University (baseball) JACK McDERMOTT / Amherst College (baseball) GAVIN McGUIGAN / Hood (Md.) College (baseball) ZAC NEWSHAM-QUINN / Gwynedd Mercy University (baseball) ELLIOTT PUCKETT / Rider University (track and field) ZACH SIMCSAK / Scranton University (soccer) LUKE SLAVIN / St. Andrews (N.C) College (lacrosse) COLE STEVENS / Moravian College (soccer)

Holy Ghost Prep junior wing Shane Reilly saw firsthand how hard Firebirds star Tyler Mish ’20 worked last year.

Before and after practice, Mish could be found in his natural habitat, the Firebird Fieldhouse, tirelessly hoisting up shot after shot. Those countless hours in the gym transformed Mish into a lethal outside shooter, a player who now plays Division III ball at Moravian College.

So Reilly started modeling Mish’s behavior.

“Tyler has an unbelievable work ethic. He would stretch out, then get a ton of shots up, go through our full practice, stretch again, and then stay after practice to shoot some more,” said Reilly. “So I started staying after and shooting with him. And it really helped.”

With both Mish and fellow double-figure scorer Steve Cianci gone from last year’s 24-win team, the 6-foot-3 Reilly was asked, along with returning seniors Jack McDermott and Ryan O’Hara, to take on much more substantial roles for Holy Ghost Prep’s 2021 varsity hoops team.

“Shane’s strengths are his three-point shooting and his improved ability to get to the basket,” says Holy Ghost Prep coach Tony Chapman ’71. “As a junior, he was a little more vocal and more confident in his abilities. He is not affected if things are not going well … he will keep shooting if he’s not hitting and keep playing hard.”

Much of Reilly’s growing confidence comes from his success competing with and against top-shelf talent on the East Coast Power AAU team, coached by Holy Ghost Prep assistant coach Tom Heston ’12. Reilly’s East Coast Power teammates included fellow Ghost players Aidan Graham and Ryan Sylvester as well as players from Pennsbury High School, the Hill School, Spring-Ford, and Salesianum (Del).

“AAU ball is a different type of basketball,” says Reilly.

“The games are really up-tempo, so you have to make quick decisions with the ball in order to be successful. And playing against some of the area’s top teams and players, like we do with East Coast Power, can only help your confidence.”

Heston has seen considerable growth in Reilly’s game.

“Shane is our best shooter and has a really good natural feel for the game. Last summer, Shane worked hard to continue developing his skills,” says Heston. “He has gotten more comfortable playing with the ball in his hand and has become a very confident player. He continues to show growth individually as well as being an unselfish teammate.”

Reilly’s no.1 priority is winning, something he did plenty of as a member of the Our Lady of Calvary program that captured the 2018 CYO regional championship at the Firebird Fieldhouse. Reilly and five Calvary teammates—now fellow varsity Firebird hoopsters Aidan Graham, Ryan Sylvester, and Sean McGrenahan, as well as current Ghost JV hoops players

Dan Raksnis and James Cahill—all elected to attend Holy Ghost Prep together.

Another Calvary CYO player, now HGP sophomore Matt Gonglik, chose Ghost one year later and plays on the Firebirds’ JV basketball team, too.

“A lot of new students come to Ghost and might not know many people,” says Reilly, who is also a talented baseball player. “But I came here with a built-in friend group. My dad (Brian Reilly) went to school here and he would share stories about what a great experience he had here. And like he did, I am having a great time at Ghost. I love it here.”

At times, Brian Reilly ’87, a social studies teacher at Springton Lake Middle School in the Rose Tree Media School District, feels like he’s jumped into a time machine when he watches his son’s games at Holy Ghost Prep.

“It’s fun to watch Shane play for Tony Chapman, a legendary coach who I had as a teacher myself at Holy Ghost years ago,” says Brian Reilly. “And while the campus has changed some since I was there as a student many moons ago, there is a brotherhood, a true camaraderie that existed then and still exists today.”—By Bill Doherty SPRING 2021

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Alumni news “Gump is known as a difference maker in youth hockey and is well respected throughout the Atlantic District by their 5,000-plus coaches in 300-plus local organizations. Gump continues to make a profound impact on the sport he loves.”

— MIKE LICHTENBERGER, USA HOCKEY COACH IN CHIEF

An Impressive Honor for Gump Whiteside USA Hockey honored Holy Ghost Prep coach Gump Whiteside with the 2020 Bob O’Connor Award for Excellence in Coaching Education. The award is given each year to a member of the volunteer coaching staff of USA Hockey’s coaching education program.

The award recognizes a member of the District’s coaching education staff for their years of service and contributions to excellence in coaching education. The award is named for longtime volunteer Bob “OC” O’Connor, who passed in 2015 and had been the USA Hockey National Coach in Chief, an assistant coach for the 1984 U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team, and the 1991 and 1992 U.S. National Junior teams that competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships. The USA Hockey Coaches Learning Resources Center and National Library, containing thousands of references and research theses, is named for O’Connor.

Whiteside has made lasting contributions to long-term coach development. Throughout the years, he has been engaged coaching youth hockey at all levels and continues to be widely involved in high school hockey, coaching his 12th season at Holy Ghost Prep in 2021. At Holy Ghost, Whiteside has won one state championship (2015) and two Flyers Cup titles.

“I am extremely honored and humbled to receive such a highly respected award from USA Hockey,” says Whiteside.

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“Since being appointed associate coach-in-chief in 2003, I have really enjoyed working with coaches and making a difference in their coaching education.”

Whiteside serves as coach and team leader in USA Hockey’s selection camps and as national camp director for the Youth Player Development Program. In 2012, Whiteside was named to the U.S. coaching staff for the U18 International Ivan Hlinka Memorial Ice Hockey Tournament.

Whiteside was named associate coach-in-chief for the Atlantic District—a position he has held since 2003. Under a program sponsored by the U.S. Center for Coaching Excellence, Whiteside has been instrumental in training staff as coach developers while providing leadership to the Coaching Education Program as USA Hockey launched an entirely virtual certification process due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Lichtenberger, USA Hockey’s coach in chief, says this about Whiteside: “Gump is known as a difference maker in youth hockey and is well respected throughout the Atlantic District by their 5,000-plus coaches in 300-plus local organizations. Gump continues to make a profound impact on the sport he loves.”

Leave a Lasting Legacy Consider Naming Holy Ghost Prep in Your Estate Plan Make a gift that costs you nothing today by naming HGP

Preparing for the Ride of a Lifetime After finishing up his sophomore year at Temple University as a marketing major in the Fox School of Business and a French minor later this spring, Matthew Davies ’19 will embark on a different type of journey this summer.

Through a philanthropic initiative called The Ability Experience, Davies will be cycling across the United States in a “Journey of Hope” mission to raise funds and awareness for persons living with and affected by disabilities. Throughout his journey, Davies and his team will be stopping at many locations to support and interact with Ability Experience recipients and serve time with communities that support them.

During his Journey of Hope, Davies will ride from the West coast to Washington, D.C. In the meantime, he is weaving some serious training (the cyclists will average 70 miles per day) into an already crowded daily calendar that includes a full load of virtual college classes as well as his responsibilities as both treasurer of the Temple University Outdoors Club and director of public relations for Temple’s Interfraternity Council.

“The Ability Experience assigns us training experts who we meet with and discuss fitness goals. Our coaches send us weekly workout plans that typically consist of three days of cycling, two days of cardio and cross-training, and two days of strength training,” says Davies. “The coaches who are training me for the cycling often run marathons and complete Ironman competitions, so they are fully equipped to prepare me physically and mentally for the trip.”

Davies credits Holy Ghost Prep with building his desire to serve others.

“Holy Ghost’s dedication to service played a role in my choice to cycle.

One of my favorite parts when volunteering in high school was not only seeing my benefit to others but also allowing me to take a step back and be grateful for the opportunities I have every day,” says Davies. “That’s what drove me to join an organization whose priority is philanthropy and service.

“The real driving factor was the fact that I am incredibly privileged, and being able to go to Holy Ghost and then off to Temple to earn my degree is something many don’t have the ability to do or often face incredible hardships on the way. This summer is a chance for me to fully dedicate my time to others. The everyday struggles that people living with disabilities go through are immeasurable, so I know it’s my time to make a positive impact on this community.”

Each cyclist is required to raise $6,000 before the start of their journey; but Davies has set a personal goal of $7,500. To make a donation to Davies, please visit his fundraising website: give.classy.org/mattdaviesjoh.

Relive.

Reminisce.

Reunite.

Reunion is a Holy Ghost Prep tradition that brings together alumni of all ages who love all things HGP. Because last year’s milestone reunions were cancelled due to COVID-19, we are inviting alums whose graduation years end in 0’s, 5’s, 1’s, and 6’s to celebrate with us—outdoors and masked up—on Saturday, May 8.

To sign up to attend the reunion, click holyghostprep.org/reunion.

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.

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Alumni spotlight JOE ADAMS ’75

Traveling in Style

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

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JOE ADAMS ’75 IS NOT at all delicate when he describes the blue 1972 Ford Pinto that he would drive for the daily 52-mile round trip from his home in West Philadelphia to Holy Ghost Prep.

“It was literally a piece of junk,” he says, laughing.

Somehow Adams made it, almost always on time, even if nasty traffic and immoderate weather occasionally stretched the trip to 90 minutes.

“Trying to drive I-95 at rush hour was not the best thing in that car,” he says. “But by the grace of God, I got there and back.”

Adams did, and though he didn’t start at Ghost until his junior year, due to a family tragedy, he was a proud member of the Class of 1975. Over the past 45 years, he has established himself as an executive in the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry and has become an expert witness for attorneys helping companies try to wriggle out of regulatory danger. He also helped raise five children and traveled the world.

Kind of makes all that time in the beat-up Pinto worth it.

“I made some very good friends at Ghost,” he says. “I have fond memories there.”

Adams is an executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Texas-based Hampton Pryor Group and lives in Flower Mound, which sits just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. His post-Ghost journey included a stint in the National Guard, two years working for Pennsylvania state senator H. Craig Lewis, and a flirtation with teaching before entering the ARM field.

Adams didn’t take a traditional route to Ghost, in the Pinto or metaphorically. He began his academic career at Bellefontaine, an Immaculate Heart of Mary seminary in Lenox, Mass. His brother had graduated from the boarding school, and Adams wanted to follow the family path. He spent two years there and enjoyed the atmosphere.

“My first year at Bellefontaine, there were three African-American students, and the next year, there were six,” he says. “The students were together 24/7, and that makes a world of difference. Every day, you were working, playing sports, studying, and going to class together.

“It was a family atmosphere.”

In 1973 his sister, Patricia, died, and Adams came back to Philadelphia.

After considering other schools, he landed at Holy Ghost Prep, even though it was not close to home. “As the song goes, I’m West Philadelphia born and raised,” Adams says, channeling Will Smith. Adams admits he experienced some difficult times as the sole minority student in the school. “It was the ’70s, and I had some classmates who were more welcoming than others,” he says. But he was active in forensics and intramurals and remembers the strong influence of Father Francis Hanley and the kindness and caring of Mrs. Mariucci, one of the assistants in the main office.

“She was the mom, and Father Hanley was the dad,” Adams says of his Ghost “parents.”

Although Adams was accepted by Brown University, he decided to attend Cheyney University, because he wanted to be closer to home and to be in an atmosphere that was “a little more culturally accepting.” He was the first Cheyney student to earn an ROTC scholarship, and after graduating with a degree in education, he spent six years in the Guard, while also working for Senator Lewis and in local government. He did his student teaching at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia but decided that he wanted to pursue other career options.

In 1986, Adams saw a newspaper ad for a management trainee in the debt collection industry and answered it. He landed a position at mBank and

“I made some very good friends at Ghost. I have fond memories there.” eventually worked for First USA, Bank One, Chase, and CitiFinancial (where the territory he managed included the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean), and Collins Financial Services. In 2007, he started with Hampton Pryor, where he works with clients from all over the world.

“I help get them paid or keep them out of regulatory trouble,” Adams says.

He and his wife, Carolyn, have five adult children—Robert, Ronnie, Rodney, Leann, and Keli—most of whom are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They also have nine grandchildren. And while they delight in spending time with their family, they particularly enjoy traveling the globe. “We have been to every continent but Australia and Antarctica,” Adams says. They love cruises but have also been on a safari in South Africa and have made repeated trips to Paris and London.

One stop he plans to make the next time he visits the area is Holy Ghost Prep, to “see the new school,” especially now that his longtime friend Father Daniel Sormani, C.S. Sp. teaches religion and Spanish at Ghost and also serves as the school’s Spiritan Chaplain. Adams has driven past the school a couple times, although it is no longer visible from I-95, which it was on those long trips to campus in the mid-1970s.

That old Pinto may not have been the flashiest ride, but it certainly was the right vehicle to begin Adams on quite a journey.

Inaugural Holy Ghost Day Will Be May 12 In partnership with the school’s Alumni Association Board, HGP will host the first annual Holy Ghost Day, an entire day of philanthropy and alumni engagement, on May 12.

Holy Ghost Day will encourage annual giving to the Holy Ghost Fund, a fund that provides resources to meet needs that tuition does not fully fund and supports priorities like tuition assistance, technology enhancements, extracurricular activities, Spiritan service activities, and faculty development.

So please mark your calendars for Holy Ghost Day. Your gift, no matter what size, will make a real difference.

The Ultimate Power Tie HGP has launched its line of Vineyard Vines ties. HGP’s Vineyard Vines ties are available in three colors—navy blue, royal blue, and red. Show your HGP pride and make a true fashion statement by purchasing a power tie that features two recognizable symbols, Holy Ghost Prep’s fleur-de-lis and Vineyard Vines’ signature whale.

Ties are $55 each. You can pick them up at HGP or get them shipped for an additional $5 each. Order one today at:https://www.holyghostprep.org/ parents/vineyard-vines.

S SP PR RIIN NG G2 20 02 211

32 53

Class notes 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 Jackie Gear, director of annual giving and alumni engagement, at jgear@holyghostprep.org or Bill Doherty, director of communications, at wdoherty@holyghostprep.org.

lives in Torresdale with his wife, Heather,

Championship after qualifying last No-

and their three kids (Nick, Vince, and Lily).

vember at Ironman Florida (pictured).

1997

Jerry O’Connor is the vice president of

Jim Frawley has added another impressive title—book author—to his already sterling resume. Jim has written Adapting

1962

When Duquesne transitioned to remote

in Motion: Finding Your Place in the New

instruction during the pandemic, Fr. Bill

Economy. The book is the perfect read

offered one-minute reflections almost

Looking to get more

INVOLVED?

Growth, Sports and Entertainment at Aramark in Philadelphia. In this role, Jerry

Work with the HGP Alumni Association in

leads business initiatives and processes

for new and retention accounts within Aramark’s Sports & Entertainment division.

for those who want to evolve and stay

daily on the university’s Spiritan Campus

relevant amid the changing economy

Ministry’s YouTube Channel.

and who may feel lost on their corporate

or entrepreneurial journey. Jim knows

offering your time and talent to the school Serve as CLASS AGENT to help promote HGP events and giving Volunteer for CAREER DAY or LEAP (HGP’s student externship program)

RYAN BECKER ’98 / President rbeckernd@gmail.com

of what he writes. He is a Columbia University certified executive coach and

JOE PARGOLA ’96 / Co-Vice President joe@pargola.net

the founder of Bellwether, a company dedicated to helping organizations and people build resiliency, adapt to change,

KEN LORENCE ’05 / Co-Vice President 64lorence@gmail.com

and thrive in rapidly shifting contexts.

2001 Rev. Christopher Promis, C.S. Sp. retired at the Lieberman Hall in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania on August 27, 2020. He had most recently served as the Spiritan novice director in Chicago from August 2018 to October 2019.

Jack Mycka is the global president and CEO of Medical Marketing Economics, LLC in Montclair, N.J. In this role, Mycka pro-

Matthew Zuczek is a mortgage advisor

vides critical global support for strategic marketing and pricing decisions to clients

for Finance of America Mortgage in Hor-

in biotech and pharmaceuticals.

sham, Pa. He lives in Collegeville, Pa. with

1986

wife, Jessica, and their three boys (ages

Dr. Hugh Carlin, retired as an anesthe-

9, 7, and 5). Zuczek had a blast this past

siologist at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethle-

Tim Curran is a vice president at Van

winter teaching his sons how to ski during

hem, Pa., is a permanent deacon in the

Wagner Sports & Entertainment LLC

the pandemic.

Diocese of Allentown.

(VWSE), one of the preeminent sports

1982

marketing and media sales organizations

2003

1973

in the world. Curran has spent his entire

the distribution of Massachusetts-based Night Shift Brewing products. Their Night

work career in sports—first with the

Shift beers are now being distributed in

Philadelphia 76ers, then in a series of ath-

the Philadelphia area.

letic department leadership/marketing

2004

roles at UCLA, Navy, and Saint Joseph’s University before joining Van Wagner in

Andrew Grous is a senior associate and

November 2015.

1996

Michael Phinney is an associate princi-

member of the Mass Tort/Class Action

pal at IQVIA, a research company that

team for the Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer

Mike Zecca is a principal structural

performed the clinical trials for the

law firm. Andrew represents ordinary

engineer at Amtrak working on major in-

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Last year,

hard-working men and women who have

frastructure projects along the Northeast

he moved from New York City, buying a

been diagnosed with asbestos-related

Devin. Andrew looks forward to hosting

Rev. Bill Christy, C.S. Sp. serves as the

corridor. He was the technical lead on the

condo in South Beach, Fla. that overlooks

diseases such as mesothelioma, lung can-

and entertaining family and friends to

director of Campus Ministry and uni-

recently completed Moynihan Train Hall

the water and the Miami skyline. For fun,

Rob Burns, Mark O’Mara, and business

cer, and asbestosis. He lives in Westfield,

make up for lost time once the pandemic

versity chaplain at Duquesne University.

at Penn Station in New York City. Mike

Michael is training for the Ironman World

partner Michael Oxton have expanded

N.J. with his wife, Sarah, and their son

is over.

36

H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

SPRING 2021

37

Alumni spotlight JASON ADEL ’98

Charting a Successful Course

Jason and Jennifer Adel with their children Grayson, Emery, and Asher.

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

JASON ADEL HAD JUST returned to his Summit, New Jersey home with longtime pal Larry Scheetz ’98 after a round of golf—and Scheetz badgering his friend for some free gear—when Adel’s five-year-old daughter greeted him.

And tackled him.

Adel’s seven-year-old, Grayson, informed his father that he had dug a pond in the backyard. Cool. The oldest of Adel’s three children, Asher, was hanging around, waiting for the fun to begin. It didn’t take long. A touch football game broke out soon thereafter, with the two “grown-ups” shouting louder and celebrating touchdowns more enthusiastically than the kids.

“Jay’s the total fun dad,” Scheetz says.

“He has an excellent emotional piece to him.”

Adel’s friendship with Scheetz dates to their days at Holy Ghost and grew throughout their college years, thanks to summers shared at the Jersey shore.

Since then, the two 1998 graduates have become even closer. Adel is godfather to one of Scheetz’s children. They speak weekly, bond over golf, and check in with each other frequently.

“Jason is the nicest guy in the world,” says Scheetz, a Bucks County—based attorney and member of the Holy Ghost Prep Board of Trustees. “He doesn’t have ill will or disdain for anybody. He has a positive approach to whatever he does.”

These days, the focus of Adel’s professional life is his role as CEO of Golf Magazine and Golf.com, a perfect blending of his love of the game and his affinity for the world of business. He has held the role since January 2019 and, despite a “rollercoaster” first year, Adel relishes the opportunity to build the company’s image and help fortify its bottom line.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he says.

It isn’t Adel’s first stint in the golf

world. He had spent nearly seven years working for Golf Digest, in three different roles, and he never had a day when he didn’t want to go to work. That’s not bad at all. He started playing the game seriously as a senior at Syracuse and has developed into a formidable player, with an index of 4.1.

“Golf teaches you so much,” Adel says.

“It requires honesty, integrity, and mental fortitude. You can learn a lot about a person by spending four hours in a golf cart with him.”

When Adel earned his degree in marketing and finance—with a minor in economics—from Syracuse, he became the first member of his family ever to graduate from college. Adel’s father “was the driving force” in the decision to enroll him at Holy Ghost Prep after nine years in the Pennsbury School District. “He saw the opportunity Ghost could provide me academically, first and foremost,” Adel

“Golf teaches you so much. It requires honesty, integrity, and mental fortitude. You can learn a lot about a person by spending four hours in a golf cart with him.”

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H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

says. While there, Adel played soccer for legendary coach Fran Nick, and he continued his work on the pitch while at Syracuse, although after some time in a few men’s leagues, he has “hung up the boots.”

Although Adel had no specific idea about the direction his career would take, he was definitely interested in the world of sports. “They were a big part of my life,” he says. During his junior year, he applied for a summer internship at Nike but was turned down. However, after his senior year, Adel landed a role in Nike’s soccer sports marketing department, which came during the 2002 World Cup. He had “all intentions” of moving to Oregon and living there while trying to chart a course with Nike, but his thengirlfriend, Jennifer, had gone with him and decided the Pacific Northwest wasn’t for her. “I had a big decision to make,” Adel says.

He went home with Jennifer. It was a good move, since the two were married in 2006. But that didn’t mean Adel was heading back to Bucks County. In 2003, he took a job as a senior account executive at Nickelodeon in New York City. It wasn’t sports, but it was a good introduction to the business world. Eight years later, he took on the responsibility of running digital strategy initiatives at Golf Digest, which is owned by Conde Nast—where Jennifer worked. Adel lasted there for seven years, and after a six-month stint in the golf department at Excel Sports Management, which

represents golfing heavyweights Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas, he moved on to Golf.com. It’s where he wants to be, and it’s good timing.

“People are out enjoying the game of golf more than ever,” he says.

That includes Adel, who plays whenever he can. “I liken it to a passion more than a sport,” he says.

But that doesn’t mean he chooses knocking the little white ball around over his family. “I’m involved in every aspect of my children’s lives,” he says.

And he still makes time to cultivate old friendships with people like Scheetz, who wishes his old pal would send a little more of the gear that courses through the Golf. com headquarters his way.

“We played [recently], and I pulled out my driver,” Scheetz says. “Jay asked, ‘Is that the club I gave you? I’ve got better stuff than that in the trunk of my car that I can give you.’ I’m going to hold him to that.”

Chances are, Adel will come through.

He almost always does.

Volunteer to be a class agent. Do you keep in touch with your HGP classmates on a regular basis?

If so, we need you. Please contact Jackie Gear at jgear@ holyghostprep.org to become a class agent.

A regular contributor to Holy Ghost Prep Magazine, Michael Bradley is a writer, broadcaster, and journalism professor at Villanova University.

SPRING 2021

39

Holy Ghost Prep, and his wife, Maryann,

Pa. before moving into a house in Glen-

welcomed their first child, Adam, into the

moore, Pa. at the end of March.

project manager, Frawley’s attention to

2006

detail, ability to think strategically, and

world on March 2. Adam weighed in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces.

ects. A former U.S. Army paratrooper and

training to quickly adapt in motion were paramount to his success while deployed

2005

overseas. Following his time in the military, Kevin completed his MBA at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business with concentrations in entrepreneurship and innovation management and marketing. At the beginning of 2021, he put that degree to use—becoming an entrepreneur with the opening of Outsourced MBA.

2013 Phil Bartholomew is the vice president, relationship manager for Global Commer-

Brian Tierney recently captured the

Invest in the Future.

Invest in Ghost.

cial Banking at Bank of America, support-

2020–21 Jake Adam York Prize for his

ing middle market companies across the

book Rise and Float. Tierney’s book of

tri-state area. He resides in South Phila-

poetry was chosen from among the

delphia with his wife, Katie, two-year-old

870 manuscripts submitted. Rise and

daughter, Kennedy, and another on the

Float will be published by Milkweed

Annual giving is the lifeblood of Holy Ghost Prep, providing

way this spring. Phil is actively engaged

Editions early next year and Tierney

tangible, bottom-line support to the school’s key priority

in the community as an advisory board

will receive $2,000. Tierney’s poetry

areas. But the act of giving to our annual fund, no matter

member at the First Tee of Philadelphia

appears in Agni, Boston Review, Kenyon

the size of your gift, is what matters. Annual fund

(youth development organization) and a

Review, New England Review, Best New

participation is a vote of confidence in Holy Ghost Prep’s

board member at the Food Bank of South

Poets, and elsewhere. He won the 2018 George Bogin Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America and currently

Jersey (fighting food insecurity).

Joe Picozzi, who competed in public fo-

leadership and its current direction, and sets an example

2008

rum debate at HGP with the forensics pro-

to others.

gram and served as editor-in-chief of the

An unrestricted gift to the Holy Ghost Prep Fund allows us

student newspaper, The Flame, has spent

to:

lives in Oakland, Calif., where he teaches poetry at the Writing Salon.

the past few years working in politics.

After graduating from Georgetown Uni-

• Direct funds to the area(s) of greatest need

versity in 2017 as a Baker Scholar (where

• Invest in the professional development of our faculty/

Kenneth J. Lorence, co-vice president of

he was chairman of the D.C. College Re-

the HGP Alumni Association, wed Karen

staff

publicans), Picozzi then worked for House

Olivo Rubio at the Chapel of the Seven

Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and

Gifts of the Holy Spirit at Holy Ghost Prep

• Continue to provide cutting-edge programming

the Republican National Committee. In

To preserve our place as one of the premier independent

on Saturday, October 10, 2020. Ken’s

December, Joe started a new role as chief

Catholic schools in the state, Holy Ghost Prep needs the

brother, Nathaniel Lorence ’10, was his

of staff of the Manhattan Institute, a think

generous financial support of its alumni, parents, and

best man. Ken’s sister, Kellie Lorence, was

tank that specializes in urban policy.

friends on an annual basis.

the maid of honor and Karen’s sister, So-

2014

Simply use the giving envelope in this issue of the

fia Olivo, was the matron of honor. Father Christopher McDermott, C.S. Sp. was the

Kevin Frawley recently started his own

Andrew Rose is a financial services solu-

magazine or visit www.holyghostprep.org/onlinegiving to

officiant. The fun wedding date—October

business called Outsourced MBA, a

tions associate at KPMG in New York City.

make an annual fund gift today.

Kevin Bushek, the innovation coordi-

10, 2020 or “10-10-2020”—was Ken’s idea

business project management company

Andrew currently lives on the Upper East

nator and a teacher in the computer

and Karen agreed. After the wedding, Ken

dedicated to helping companies with

Side of Manhattan. A former lacrosse

science and engineering department at

and Karen lived briefly in West Chester,

small and medium-sized business proj-

player at Holy Ghost Prep and then at

40

H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

SPRING 2021

41

2015 Sam LaRosa graduated from Duquesne University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He is currently in homecare through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs while he pursues his MBA. And the past two years, LaRosa has had fun being a Hollywood film extra— first in the Tom Hanks movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (filmed in Pittsburgh while he attended Duquesne), then in the Manhunt series and Deadly Games, and soon in the upcoming series Mare of Easttown (an HBO series that debuted in Franklin & Marshall, Rose feeds his competitive juices these days by continuing to

mid-April, starring Kate Winslet).

Jack LaRosa, a former member of the

Board of Trustees—with helping him land

2017

HGP golf team, still loves all things golf.

the coveted internship.

He is a J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholar, a

2020

play lacrosse in his free time for various

Union League Caddie Scholar, and he won

teams across New York City and the

the 2019 Caddie Cup at Union League

surrounding area.

at Torresdale. He served as caddie to

TURN YOUR Pennsylvania Taxes

his aunt, Susan McGrath, who won the women’s club championship two years

into Scholarship Assistance

running at Union League (2019 & 2020).

The Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program is quickly becoming a popular way for many Holy Ghost Prep families and businesses to contribute scholarship dollars to our school. In the past few years, Holy Ghost Prep has gone from $50,000 in annual EITC support to over $400,000 in the current fiscal year. Individuals have taken advantage of this opportunity by making a direct donation to a Holy Ghost Prep Special Purpose Entity (SPE) created for this program. Donor families will receive 90% credit for that donation toward their annual Pa. tax bill. Holy Ghost Prep may then use those dollars to provide scholarships to students with financial need and/or students living within the boundaries of an underperforming school district as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

major at West Chester University where

In addition, Jack is an accounting/finance he has remained on the Dean’s List, is a member of the Accounting Society and Beta Alpha Psi, and plays on the golf team. He is scheduled to intern at Ernst & Young Philadelphia this summer.

Cooper Pandorf will be graduating from Penn State University this spring with

2018

a B.S. in cyber security with a focus in

Luke Aquaro has committed to play

Scholar at Duquesne University, was the captain of a presenting team of students

Brendan McManus, an HGP Presidential

economics. Upon graduation, Pandorf has

Division I hockey at the United States

Don’t let another year go by without directing your tax dollars to Holy Ghost Prep!

a job lined up with KPMG in Manhattan,

Military Academy at West Point and then

Here’s what two of our EITC donors are saying:

performing cyber risk advisory. He in-

will serve our nation as a member of the

The Colorado Avalanche signed goalten-

terned with KPMG last summer and spent

U.S. Army. Aquaro, a talented forward

der Peyton Jones to a one-year contract

his previous summers interning with Booz

who had been playing junior hockey for

in early 2021 and assigned Jones to play

Allen Hamilton and Lockheed Martin.

the New Jersey Hitmen, will major in busi-

for the Colorado Eagles of the AHL this

Throughout his time in college, Pandorf

ness at Army.

season. Jones played four seasons at

was part of the Deloitte mentorship

Matt Doucette is finishing up his junior

Penn State University. He finished his

program and has been a Maguire Scholar.

year at the University of Pittsburgh and

career as the program’s all-time leader in

He spends his free time with his fraternity

has an internship lined up for the summer

wins (76), saves (3,685), and shutouts (4)

brothers, many of whom are HGP grad-

at the Philadelphia office of Ernst &

while posting a 2.88 goals-against aver-

uates. Through the educational, service,

Young. Matt credits his LEAP experience

age and a .907 save percentage. Jones

and social opportunities provided by Holy

as a high schooler at Ernst & Young—and

Nicholas LaRosa is attending Temple

joined the Avalanche in time for one of

Ghost Prep and the continuation of these

the relationship he’s built with his LEAP

University’s Klein School of Communi-

the annual NHL outdoor games in Lake

in college, Pandorf feels prepared to face

host Bob Watters ’81, a partner at the

cations, and social distancing as best he

Tahoe in February.

anything.

firm and a former member of the HGP

can—as are all current college students.

“My Pennsylvania tax dollars now go to Holy Ghost to support our students—and the process was extraordinarily simple!”

—BOB WATTERS ’81

“I have been participating in the Pa. tax credit program for the past two years and just renewed my commitment for two more years. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is thinking about joining.”

—TOM MCMANUS ’86, P’20, P’24

To learn more about using your Pa. tax dollars to help HGP students reach their goals, please contact Matt Dwyer, Executive Director of Development, at mdwyer@holyghostprep.org or 215-352-6956.

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H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

who collaborated on a competitive project sponsored by Ernst & Young this past fall at the university. His team won first place in the First Year Innovation Challenge for its idea of creating a Tinder-like app where potential employees could “match” with Ernst & Young for open positions. Each student on the team received a $200 award for being a finalist, plus $1,000 for finishing first.

SPRING 2021

43

The Last Word STANDING IN THE CAFETERIA line of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital I noticed one of our medical students also in line holding a cup of soup.

As has been my tradition for students, I went up to the student, bought her soup for her, smiled, and went on my way.

Several days later, a letter appeared in my bin.

In it was a hand-written note from this student. It read as follows:

A Cup of Soup JOSEPH F. MAJDAN, M.D., FACP, FCPP, A 1966 HOLY GHOST PREP GRADUATE, SERVES AS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE AND THE DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL PROFICIENCY REMEDIATION AT THE SIDNEY KIMMEL MEDICAL COLLEGE AT THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY. “A CUP OF SOUP” WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN PHAROS, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE ALPHA OMEGA ALPHA MEDICAL HONOR SOCIETY.

44

H O LY G H O S T P R E P M AGA Z I N E

When you bought my soup for me you said ‘it was nothing’; but your act of kindness reached so much further than my rumbling stomach. When you addressed me, I was thinking about the family of my patient in the NICU. They were gathered and grieving, trying to make the decision to withdraw care from a young man who was a son, brother, husband, and father of two young children. I am part of a team that had medically managed his herniations from cerebral edema within the past 24 hours; and felt frustrated at the communication boundaries between the medical team and the family. Holding my soup, I was wondering how compassion was defined or practiced in a critical care setting. Your gesture so poignantly reminded me that reaching out and creating a connection is the most fundamental thing I could do for this family. After lunch, I approached the family and asked if there was anything they needed. They initially replied no but several hours later the wife asked me to help them find a way to donate organs.

I contacted Gift of Life and stayed with them for the family discussion, witnessing their compassion even in a time of grief. I feel so blessed to be a link in this network of compassion and kindness and thank you deeply for reaching out and reminding me of this. Thank you for teaching me the intangible lessons.

In the thus far 38 years I have been teaching medical students I have humbly received many such notes from medical students that I treasure and have kept. What has impressed me is that the majority of the students’ commentaries did not focus primarily on clinical learning experiences but on the intangible qualities of a physician that they observed not only on the floors but also in brief meetings or in chance encounters.

Decades after graduating medical school, former students have told me that these same observations and impressions have continued to influence

and guide their professional lives and positively influence their role as teachers.

When we take the Oath of Hippocrates, physicians also assume the mantle of teacher. That Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society commitment to teaching should weigh as heavily in the minds and hearts of doctors as that of patient care and of research. We physicians alone hold the future, the quality, the perpetuation of traditions, the humanistic qualities, and the Oslerian values of medicine. That sacred duty of teaching, the passing on of these attributes, both tangible and intangible, has risen to critical importance in today’s world where societal and economic forces seek to change the very framework on which medicine has been founded and practiced.

The physician’s role as teacher is not fulfilled by masterful PowerPoint presentations; nor is the physician as teacher defined solely by dutifully making masterful team rounds with medical students and residents. In its purest sense, the physician as teacher is the unwavering acceptance and dedication to the principle that it is a vocation for developing the next generation of physicians. It is a 24-hour dedication to the ideals of humanism, compassion, and professionalism not only in the care of patients but in the manner in which we live both Joseph F. Ma jdan, MD, FA CP Illustration by our professional and private lives, Claire Gilmore Dr. Majdan (AΩ A, Sid ney Kimmel Me and interact both inside and outside is Ass oci ate dic al College, 1989) Pro fes sor, De par tme nt of When you bou Dir ect or, Clin Me dic ine ; and ght my soup for ica l Pro fici enc academic and clinical settings. me you said ‘it ing;’ but your y Re me dia tion Kimmel Medic was nothact of kindness at Sid ney al College at reached so mu Tho tha n my rumblin mas Jefferson in Philadelphia ch further g stomach. Wh Un , PA. iver sity Dr. Majdan’s E-mail address is en you address was thinking abo ed me, I ut the family of my patient in the They were gath tanding in the NICU. ered and grievin joseph.majdan@jefferson.edu. cafeteria line g, trying to ma sion to wit of ke hdraw care from Thomas Jeffers the deciUniversity Ho spital I noticed a young man who on brother, husban one of our me was den a son, ts d, also and dic This article was published in the father of two you in line holding al stupart of a team a cup of soup. ng children. I my tradition for that had medica am As has been students, I wen lly managed his tions from cere t up the studen her soup for her her bra nial Summer 2019 issue of The Pharos of ede t, , smiled, and wen bought ma within the felt frustrated past 24 hours; t on my way.

Several days late at the commu and r, a letter appear nica tion boundaries bet the medical team a hand-written ed in my bin. ween Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical and the family.

In it was note from this Holding my sou wondering how student. It rea p, I was d as follows: compassion was defined or pra critical care sett cticed in a Society (www.alphaomegaalpha.org). ing. Your gesture so poigna me

Summer 2019

A cup of soup

S

24

that reaching out

and creating a

ntly reminded connection is the most

The Pharos/S ummer 2019

“When we take the Oath of Hippocrates, physicians also assume the mantle of teacher.”

SPRING 2021

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Holy Ghost Prep Magazine Office of Communications 2429 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020 www.holyghostprep.org

Mark your calendar

> May 8 HGP Milestone Reunions [Classes ending in 0s, 1s and 5s, 6s] > May 12 Holy Ghost Day [Day of Giving]

> June 4 Baccalaureate Mass > June 5 Commencement and 50-Year Reunion

> September 3-5 HGP Soccer Team Wildwood Classic vs. Devon Prep / Sept. 3 Roman Catholic / Sept. 5

> August 26 First Day of Classes for All Students

> September 12 Mass of The Holy Spirit