Campus News • Ready For Any Good Work • NFA Rededicates & Restores The Centennial Chapel • $100,000 Endowed Scholarship

Campus News

Ready For Any Good Work

NFA students are “ready for any good works,” and this year was no exception. Led by Ally Monteiro, Director of Mission & Formation, students learned in detail about the good work that a number of local organizations are doing in the community while supporting them through food drives and service projects.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

The Office of Mission & Formation hosted a Thanksgiving food drive for Visitation School in Kensington. Sixth grade students helped organize and pack the donations and parent volunteers helped deliver the food.

MLK Day of Service

NFA hosted its Martin Luther King Day of Service on Friday, January 14, 2022 on campus where all students, faculty, and staff participated in a number of different service projects, which benefited local organizations. “The overarching goal of the day was to reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and highlight shared principals between the Sisters of St. Joseph and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.— our interconnectedness and our call to love our neighbor without distinction,” said Ally Monteiro, Director of Mission and Formation. “Through the service projects, engagement with guest speakers, and lastly, in the space dedicated to personal reflection, students were able to actively participate in and contribute to these two legacies.” As a sponsored work of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, everything at NFA flows from the belief that “all may be one.” The students feel connected—to God, the school, teachers, and peers—which leads to a strong sense of solidarity within the community and a united commitment to serving others. Service learning is an active experience at NFA where students gain a deep understanding of service through pre-education, faceto-face interaction, and post-reflection. Integrated with religious education, service learning connects back to the Gospel values, which results in a truly meaningful experience for students. Students are thoughtful and compassionate inside and outside of the classroom, a result of learning to love inclusively from the earliest of ages. With a deep respect for faith, students are not afraid to take risks. They put their faith into action by participating in service, promoting social justice, and being civically engaged. “Ms. Monterio’s leadership today is quintessential of the passion she brings to Mission and Formation at NFA!” noted Killeen. “Today marked a big hopeful next step reigniting our 20-plus-year legacy of service-learning at NFA and leveraging the two years of planning of the Identity & Relationship Committee implementing our Strategic Plan, Directed Toward Tomorrow.”

Souper Bowl

For NFA’s Souper Bowl, students placed canned good donations in the box of the team they thought would win the Super Bowl. All goods collected were donated to sponsored works of the Sisters of the Saint Joseph, including the Chestnut Hill College’s Food Pantry, which supports college-aged students and adult learners who may be experiencing food scarcity, and the Neighborhood Center in Camden, which strives to break the cycle of poverty by offering academic, athletic, and arts programs for children and teenagers.

Cookie Drop Off

The Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center dedicated a week in March to spreading The Sweetness of St. Joseph around Kensington. With that in mind, NFA students and staff took the time to bake cookies in The Loft, NFA’s new makerspace, and write letters for The Welcome Center’s neighbors. Once complete and ready to eat, sixth grade students, along with Ally Monteiro, Director of Mission & Formation, and Dr. Ryan Killeen, President, dropped cookies off at The Welcome Center. Students and staff were greeted by Sister Kathy McShane, Director, and Sister Pat Madden, Coordinator of Literacy and Technology. The Welcome Center shared these cookies with their “Dear Neighbors” in celebration of the 19-year anniversary of The Welcome Center.

NFA Rededicates & Restores The Centennial Chapel

Tom Schwenger, Audrey Schwenger, Dr. Ryan Killeen, Richard K.A. Becker ’72, and Ann Marie Becker Gross pose for a photo following the rededication of The Centennial Chapel.

The NFA community rededicated The Centennial Chapel during a renewal mass on Sunday, December 5, 2021. The Centennial Chapel, which is located in the first floor of The Big House, was restored and updated during the winter of 2021. “We were so happy to gather together for a beautiful celebration as we enter our second century,” said Dr. Killeen, President of NFA. “While we wish that the whole school could have attended, space constraints required that we limit attendance. We were able to include representatives of all of our constituent groups including, faculty, students, current families, alumni, and of course the Sisters of St. Joseph.” As part of NFA’s renovations, the school removed old wall-to-wall carpeting and partition walls. Hardwood floors were restored to their original beauty, and a tray ceiling was installed and painted blue, emulating the ceiling of the SSJ Motherhouse Chapel at Mount St. Joseph Convent adjacent to Chestnut Hill College. All of the original stained-glass windows remain intact and give the chapel a heavenly glow when the sun shines. The renovated space is peaceful and prayerful. Annals from the beginning of The Mount Saint Joseph School for Boys (the original Norwood Academy) revealed that the chapel was dedicated on Sunday, November 28, 1920, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Her Immaculate Conception. The chapel will retain Her patronage, and will be commonly known as The Centennial Chapel. “Returning the space to its original use as a chapel is such a blessing for our community, honoring our legacy and providing a sacred space to gather,” said Killeen. “The Centennial Chapel allows a space for student grades to celebrate Liturgy, hold prayer services, and retreats. It provides a beautiful venue for expanded programing in Mission & Formation.”

A special thank you to our benefactors: Richard K.A. Becker ’72 & Ann Marie Becker Gross and the Schwenger Family (Audrey, Tom, Michael ’12, Abby ’14)

$100,000 Endowed Scholarship

NFA is pleased to announce the creation of the Rosaria Hosmer Endowed Scholarship in honor of beloved former teacher Rosaria “Roe” Hosmer, who taught at NFA for 29 years and served as a mentor to many. Doctors Sidney Croul and Erica Bergstrom, the parents of two NFA graduates—Everett ’01 and Adrianna ’06—established this generous $100,000 endowed scholarship to express their appreciation for: • The combination of academic and values-based education that

NFA provides; and • Roe Hosmer’s legacy as a faculty member Doctors Croul and Bergstrom credit both their children’s personal and academic success to Mrs. Hosmer’s influence.

Rosaria “Roe” Hosmer and her family visited The Big House on campus in late December to receive the news about the new endowed scholarship in her name. Mrs. Hosmer and her husband, Greg, are the proud parents of two NFA graduates: Christina ’92 and Gregory ’95.

“Throughout her tenure as a member of the Norwood-Fontbonne Academy faculty, Roe embodied the values of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy,” wrote Doctors Sidney Croul and Erica Bergstrom. “Roe’s exceptional contribution was the breadth of her approach: She both taught the student and educated the child. Roe contributed her intelligence, empathy, creativity, and endless patience to her interactions with every child, striving to enable each to develop the caring, strength, and confidence that defines the truly successful adult.” Mrs. Hosmer, aka the “Maestro of Language Arts,” began at NFA as a Montessori assistant in JLC with Sister Jean Laurich in the 1984–85 school year. She went on to teach Junior Level Montessori students for two years before moving up to fourth grade where she taught language arts as a homeroom teacher for five years. Following her time in fourth grade, Mrs. Hosmer moved up to fifth grade to teach religion and integrated language arts. The Rosaria (Roe) Hosmer Endowed Scholarship reflects appreciation of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy and Mrs. Hosmer’s dedication to all of the children she taught at the school.