Each year since Rod Clarke’s headmastership, just prior to Thanksgiving break, the Canterbury community has participated in a Fast Day, originally organized by Guy Simonelli as part of Oxfam. Rather than conducting a more traditional fundraising event, participating in the Fast Day enables the students to experience firsthand, albeit only for one day, what it feels like to be hungry. The Fast Day ends with a Thanksgiving dinner, an expression of gratitude for all that the Canterbury community has. Today, Fast Day is supervised by Keiko Mathewson and the dean of students office, and the dining hall staff serves a lunch of grilled cheese, broth, and vegetables. The simple fare reminds students of the abundance of choices available to them, and the money saved by serving a simple meal is donated to Oxfam. Canterbury’s community service has extended beyond campus activities. Two tragic events of this new millennium were the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and the tsunami of 2004 off the coast of Indonesia. On 9/11, a special school meeting was held, and counselors were available to students. Students and faculty attended a special commemorative service on the one year anniversary. The shock and enormity of these events bonded the School, as students, staff, and faculty found comfort in attending Mass, in fundraising efforts both organized and impromptu, and in each other. Students raised more than $2,000 for tsunami victims by holding a donut sale and baked goods sale; they also sponsored a dress down day and sold Tsunami Relief bracelets. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coastlines, killing at least 1,836 people and causing $81 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. As reported in the October 20, 2005 Tabard, “The Canterbury community continues in its efforts 50
The first students to attend a Lourdes pilgrimage, June 1994. L-r: Mike Diforio ’94, Rob Maloney ’95, Jeff Nelson ’94, Greg Bard ’95, Patrick Wood ’95, Matt Michaud ’94. (Missing: Juan Herrerra ’94)
Students volunteer in Nicaragua, March 2010. Front row, l-r: Amy McKenna Omaña ’86 (chaperone), Hillary Buzaid ’10, Sydney Putnam ’10, Victoria Morini ’10, Karlyn Bochicchio ’10. Back row, l-r: Jack McCabe (chaperone), Doug Cushnie ’08, Freddy Hernandez ’10, Meg Carlin ’10, Quinn O’Brien ’10, Chris Wiatr ’11, Sam Nessetta ’11, Alan Chamorro ’80.
to contribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. With encouragement from the assistant dean of students, Ms. Holton, many students have taken it upon themselves to donate and even start their own campaigns to raise money to give to the Katrina relief effort… The most popular relief effort offered by the School is Sheehan’s Stock-a-Pallooza-Thon-Fest, a concert headed by Sixth Formers Conor O’Rourke ’06 and A.J. Ferrer ’06.” In March 2005, faculty member Amy McKenna Omaña ’86 organized a service trip to Cusmapa, Nicaragua. She led eleven students and faculty members Mary Holton and Bryan Kiefer to Familia Padre Fabretto, group