CARDINAL THE MAGAZINE OF POPE FRANCIS PREPARATORY SCHOOL
101
Spring 2019
soaring Cardinals INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Designing Minds Keeping the Faith Developing Citizens
TABLE of Contents Head of School Dr. W. Paul Harrington, Jr. Director of Development Daniel Fenton CHS ’09
02
DESIGNING MINDS: ARCHITECTURE INFLUENCES LEARNING
Chief Communications Officer Dianne Regnier Development Associate Barbara Moran Photography Wendy Harrington, Marketing and Social Media Manager Jim Healey, Peadpod Design Graphic Design Peapod Design, Norwalk, CT
06
COMMUNITY
Who We are Pope Francis Preparatory School is a Catholic co-educational, college-preparatory school which instills Gospel values and fosters academic excellence in a diverse community of learners.
popefrancisprep Pope Francis Prep popefrancisprep
Pope Francis Preparatory School 99 Wendover Road Springfield, MA 01118 popefrancisprep.org
12
ATHLETICS
16
Keeping the Faith
22
Class Notes
18
Developing Citizens
26
Giving
20
Alumni News
1
Letter from THE Head of School Dear Friends, For me, this issue reinforces that everything matters when it comes to achieving success. Each page highlights that attention to detail, passion, and a genuine commitment to our learning community distinguishes us from other schools. As you make time to read this Cardinal Magazine, I hope that you will be pleasantly reminded about why Pope Francis Prep has such a powerful impact upon Catholic education in western Massachusetts and continues to offer a transformative experience for our students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The devotion of our learning community and alumni alike, humbles and motivates each of us daily; we cherish the trust you have placed in our hands and we remain intensely mindful of pursuing our vision of continued relevance and providing a reimagined Catholic education for our students. Our cover photo this issue provided me with a wonderful visual reminder of our mission. This year, the Pope Francis Cardinal athletes displayed an admirable strength in their dedication, perseverance, and talent as competitors and as high academic achievers. Their route to success, both in reaching personal goals and extraordinary accomplishments as a team, is certainly consistent with and representative of our story as a school.
With guidance from each other, we have gained clarity and energy through a variety of shared experiences as Pope Francis Preparatory School. But perhaps most importantly, our faith has provided us with a solid foundation for charting a new path this academic year. From the beginning, it is the vision and courage of our learning community, along with our faith, that has brought us to the next part in our journey. I look forward to sharing in that experience with you. Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Harrington
2
ACADEMICS
DESIGNING MINDS: Architecture Influences Learning At the close of the first semester in the new Pope Francis Prep building, the remarkable structure designed to prepare students for a modern economy and post-secondary education has proved to live up to its intended design.
Collaborative learning has become the mainstay of a modern education. Many schools have moved away from teachercentric learning highlighted by long lectures and toward more active learning, where students work in small groups to learn hands-on and serve both as the student and teacher. The architecture of Pope Francis Preparatory School sought to further facilitate this trend by the mindful design of the school building. With centralized student resources, flexible classrooms, advanced makerspaces and an open, airy floorplan, the design of the school encourages cross-disciplinary exploration, collaboration, and supports a forward-looking STEAM curriculum. Designing the most effective curriculum for a school is extremely important - but there is much to consider in the design of the space in which we learn. All learning takes place in a physical environment with unique quantifiable and perceptible physical characteristics. Whether sitting in a large lecture hall, underneath a tree, or in front of a computer screen, students are engulfed by environmental information, only a small fraction of which constitutes the sights and sounds of the actual instruction. Throughout the fall of 2018, our school community revealed that school buildings do, in fact, have a remarkable effect on how students learn and how teachers teach.
3
At Pope Francis Preparatory School, teachers are already seeing the benefits of having a more thoughtful design for its educational spaces. Learning is happening through discussion, dialogue, presentation, and interpersonal exchange. Given the constant change in the educational landscape and curriculum best practices, our classroom model makes sense for the future of Catholic education. We can count on our students continuing to learn through dialogue, brainstorming, creating, and presenting well into the future. With the Learning Commons space featuring interactive walls and displays including a project gallery and writable walls for students to communicate publicly with one another, there is a higher level of maturity and responsibility for learning being displayed by our students. The seating areas are also flexible and allow for peer collaboration in smaller cafĂŠ style seating arrangements with nook
4
ACADEMICS
areas available for use as quiet places to read and reflect. “Due to the transitional nature of the space, students are forced to address different aspects of our community. Being able to work around and with other humans in a common space is a valuable life skill that is highly relevant to adult life” said Cynthia Geiger, Assistant Head of School for Academics. “Overall, the advantage of our new learning space design is twofold. The space provides a variety of options for how it can be used in the future, and the transitional and open workspaces align with college campuses and the 21st century workplace.”
The building design also lends itself to being more readily available to invite community partners to participate in the daily education process. Creating classroom experiences that allow for opportunity for learning across curriculum exploded last semester as our students welcomed the following community partners to campus:
health counselor for Trinity Health working directly with the homeless population in the city of Springfield, shared her experiences and the unique challenges faced by serving the homeless in our community.
»
»
Cathedral alumna, Mollie Bresnahan Sullivan, CHS ’01, a clinical mental
Springfield Thunderbirds President and alumnus CHS ’01, Nathan Costa spoke to students about the importance of giving back to their communities. Plus, their mascot Boomer got to meet PFPS’s mascot, Big Red!
»
Alicia Donovan D’Agostino from the 15-40 Connection,
an organization focused on educating and empowering people about early cancer detection. Students learned the 3-step detect method and shared what they know with our campus community through a 4-part newsletter series.
5
»
Gary Rome of Gary Rome Auto Group helped students promote
awareness of the dangers of texting and driving by filming a PSA with him and his famous dog, Jack!
»
» »
»
Twenty local organizations sponsored an opportunity to share their passion and knowledge with the PFPS community at our 2019 Health Fair. The event organized and supported by students from the Health and Wellness class offered all students, faculty and staff an opportunity to visit with each vendor to learn about relevant and important topics pertaining to one’s health and well-being.
Representatives from the National Guard shared an inspiring exhibit and demonstration on engineering and robotics with our students.
Tighe & Bond engineers Andrea Lacasse and Ron Maniscalco
provided an incredible presentation on building bridges, offering our students a lesson in mechanical engineering.
6
COMMUNITY
Igniting A Spark! Our commitment to developing and nurturing the whole student was on full display throughout the fall and winter months. We work to foster self-awareness and celebrate students’ individuality in areas that may be of interest to them - essentially fanning a spark into a flame! Check out the variety of club and program activities that kept our community ignited!
The Student Advisory Board developed an initiative to promote eating a healthy breakfast called the Cardinal Credit Punch Card Program. SAB encouraged participation among their peers by offering a Cardinal stamp on a punch card when a student participated in the free breakfast program on campus. When the punch card was full, the student’s name went into a bi-weekly drawing for a variety of prizes! One group of winners is pictured here. Meghan Smith, Angelina Rodriguez, Sophia Roselli, Meghan Sullivan, Ben Henle, and Rachel Matte. Congrats on choosing to start your day healthy! Pope Francis hosted two student delegations along with observers to participate in the 79th Model Congress at American International College in January. One delegation sponsored a bill to improve US infrastructure through a “dedicated”
5 cent excise tax on alcohol and tobacco (an original proposal to include gasoline was rejected in the National Interest Committee). This bill passed the House of Representatives chamber. The second delegation sponsored a bill mandating
accessible reproductive health protection products in U.S. high schools for teens to purchase. This bill failed in the Public Health Committee. All delegates attended a Special Emergency Session where the entire team considered the emergency construction of a “retractable” steel wall along the Southern US border. This bill failed to pass with votes from all schools in attendance. The entire delegation was also able to speak with Keynote Speaker Anthony D. Gulluni CHS ’98, District Attorney for Hampden County, following remarks to the entire Congress. Eleven schools in total attended the conference coming from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. Great job, Pope Francis!
ACADEMICS
7
A new “first” for Pope Francis Prep, a Celebration of Scholars recognized the hard work, determination, and perseverance of our most accomplished scholars. In all, 129 students were acknowledged. Students were honored for outstanding performance on AP Exams last year, scoring a 3 or higher. Freshmen with math and English PSAT 8/9 scores above 500 each (which is approximately 60 points higher than benchmark) were honored. Sophomores and Juniors with math and English PSAT scores above 500 each (which is approximately 90 points above benchmark for 10th grade and 30 points above benchmark for 11th grade) were recognized. Students who achieved above 600 on both the math and English portions of the SAT were celebrated. Finally, students who placed on the first honor roll for consecutive terms as well as the 10 highest ranked students in each class were acknowledged. Academic rigor is frequently cited as one of the top reasons why students and families choose Pope Francis Prep. This new tradition was a wonderful example of our students’ challenging themselves with honors and AP coursework and thriving in our academic program. Congratulations all!
I Went to the Woods Because... As part of a study of transcendentalism, Mrs. Vyse’s AP Language & Composition class visited Walden Pond in Concord, MA, where American writer Henry David Thoreau lived in the woods for two years, two months and two days. They learned more about Thoreau’s life and works, and tried to experience Walden the way he did, being present to nature and themselves. It was a beautiful day!
8
COMMUNITY
Our Quiz Team competed in As Schools Match Wits on our local PBS station WGBY and showed our Cardinal pride with a big win!
ACADEMICS National Honor Society students participated in this year’s Run - Walk for a Cure in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Despite a bitter cold day, our students brought their warm hearts for supporting those in need. They also maintained a continuous collection of small toiletry items to be donated to the Springfield Rescue Mission. Additionally, NHS students assisted the local Forest Park Civic Association as they hosted a Halloween event for neighborhood children. It’s hard to say who had more fun?!
9
Thirteen students and two faculty members embarked on an Education First learning trip to Costa Rica during the February break. Our Cardinal travelers were blessed to have Señora Thomas introduce them to this beautiful country as part of their Spanish class curriculum. Between its many stunning beaches, diverse rain forests, happy people, and amazing food, our students spent time learning about the geography, culture, flora, and fauna of this amazing country. Our students wasted no time becoming immersed in this natural wonderland and found themselves experiencing the nature, culture, adventure, wellness and sustainability at a variety of locations throughout the country where many traditions continue today. Check out their blog at cardinalstravel.blogspot.com chronicling all that they learned. They sure did soak up the “Pura Vida”!
Campus Ministry sponsored an opportunity for students to participate in a local March for Life. Despite the frigid temperatures, 40 students and faculty braved the cold in support of the sanctity of life. After attending a Mass at
St. Michael’s Cathedral, students marched to Springfield City Hall steps and read their personal statements in support of choosing life. Students were selected to participate based on a written essay and a recommendation from a religious studies faculty.
WELLNESS
10
COMMUNITY
The Outdoor Adventure Club took exploring to new heights this fall with a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain in nearby Hampshire county. The views were spectacular! And they embraced winter’s beauty with an ice-skating excursion to Community Field in Holyoke.
Our Veterans Day Observance and Dedication of the Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan Alumni Memorial Plaza was a beautiful and poignant day for our campus community. The dedication ceremony was part of a day-long schedule of events centered around Veterans Day and included student projects researching local WWI veterans and a guest panel of speakers of local veterans and a representative from the
Springfield Armory. A special thank you was extended to Nelson Serrao, one of the guest panel speakers that day. Mr. Serrao, father of a Pope Francis Prep student, is a 30-year veteran. He has remained active in various local veteran organizations and considers it an honor to spend time with students of all ages educating young people on the lives of veterans during and after service to our country. We were very proud to have him join us that day! L-R: Mr. Serrao, Colonel Peter. T. Green, III, Matt Egerton, Vietnam War veteran
COMMUNITY
The Special Olympics Support Club kicked off its activities with assistance to the bowling competitors at the Traditional State Qualifying Tournament. Students helped by ensuring the athletes were bowling in the correct lanes, bringing scores to the awards chair for recording, and handing out the medals to the athletes at the end of the competition. Our students made some new friends and left with full hearts!
11
Pope Francis Players celebrated their first production in the new Pope Francis Prep Theatre in December. The play, The Nit Wits, enjoyed rave reviews and a full house throughout the 3-night production. The Players were even a featured story in a local publication. Also new this season, the production cast and crew hosted a Theater Shadow Day, inviting 8th graders from our Catholic partner schools for an exclusive afternoon of behind the scenes fun! The Making Movies Club is working on a virtual tour of the school, interviewing teachers and introducing the new Pope Francis Prep to its viewers.
ARTS
12
COMMUNITY
ATHLETICS
Fall All WMass Girls Soccer: Alissa Easton (Honorable Mention) Boys Soccer: Noah Rivera (First team), Simba Pelletier (First team), Matt Nogueira (2nd team) Girls XC: Emily Boutin (First team), Meghan Sullivan (First team) Boys XC: Daniel Markey (First team), Bryce Ordonez (First team) Golf: Max Cocchi (First team), Matthew Burke (2nd team), Ben Zaranek (2nd team) Fall League All Stars – Girls Soccer: Alissa Easton Boys Soccer: Jack Carriere, Makem Demers, Bryant Keeney, Matt Nogueria, Simba Pelletier, Noah Rivera Girls XC: Emily Boutin, Meghan Sullivan Boys XC: Matt Ashe, Daniel Markey, Bryce Ordonez
A new sports season is always exciting, but we were beyond thrilled to have our own home field advantage this year within Cardinal country! Fall athletics brought
(L-R) Bryce Ordonez, Meghan Sullivan Emily Boutin, Daniel Markey
plenty of excitement for our soccer, golf, and cross country teams as well as for our fan base. We ended our fall season with plenty of Cardinal pride as the cross
country team sent four athletes to the state competition with Emily Boutin ’20 emerging as the 2018 Western Mass Division 2 Cross Country Champion!
13
The Cardinal Winter team final records were: Girls Basketball:
12-8
Boys Basketball:
6-14
Girls Indoor Track:
10-3
Boys Indoor Track:
9-4
Hockey:
18-2-4
Boys Indoor Track finished 7th (out of 28 teams) at the PVIAC Championships and 9th (out of 82 teams) at the Division 5 State Championships. Hockey qualified for the Super 8 Tournament as the #2 seed. They finished 4-1 in the tournament losing in the finals in a 4 OT thriller to BC High. Girls Basketball won the Franklin West League title and qualified for the post season as the #8 seed. The Cardinal Fall team final records were: Girls Soccer:
5-13
Boys Soccer:
13-2-3
Girls Cross Country: 13-2 Boys Cross Country: 14-1 Golf:
7-9
Of note, the Boys Soccer finished as Holley League Champions. They lost a tough game to Frontier by a score of 2-1 in the quarterfinal round of the post season tournament.
Boys Cross Country finished sixth at the Western Mass Division 2 Championships, and were led by junior Daniel Markey, who finished sixth overall, and junior Bryce Ordonez, who finished 11th overall. Girls Cross Country finished sixth at the Western Mass Division 2 Championships, and were led by junior Emily Boutin, who finished first overall, and freshman Meghan Sullivan, who finished 13th overall, Emily went on to finish sixth overall at the Division 2 State Championships
Girls Indoor Track finished 3rd (out of 28 teams) at the PVIAC Championships, and 7th (out of 82 teams) at the Division 5 State Championships. Senior Alexandra Gonet won the 55-meter hurdles at the state indoor championships for the third year in a row, and both she and Emily Boutin (2 mile run) qualified for the All-State and New England Championships. Freshman Declan Sears qualified for the state championships for the ski team.
14
COMMUNITY
Cardinal Soaring 1
Athletes 2
3
4
5
1 Emily Boutin: Western Mass Division 2 Champion in Cross Country, finished 6th overall at the Division 2 State Championships. 2 Alexandra Gonet: Led her team in scoring during regular season. PVIAC Champion in 55-meter hurdles (for 3rd consecutive year); Division 5 State champion in 55-meter hurdles (for 3rd consecutive year); 7th in 55-meter hurdles at the all state championships; New England qualifier for 3rd straight year; ranked 7 out of over 120 girls at state pentathlon championships. 3 Max Cocchi: Leading goal scorer on 2nd ranked team in the Commonwealth and led team back into the Super 8 for the fourth consecutive year. 4 Daniel Markey: Finished 5th in the Western Mass Division 2 Championships in Cross Country, and 53rd overall at the Division 2 State Championships. 5 Simba Pelletier: Second leading scorer on boys’ soccer team. Led team in assists and helped his team capture the Holley Division league title for the first time. 1
15
Julie Garvey: Scored over 300 points during the season. She helped lead her team to their first division title and playoff appearance in school history.
16
FAITH
Keeping the Faith ALUMNI DYLAN GRISWOLD CHS’11 SELECTED FOR GATES-CAMBRIDGE SCHOLARSHIP
“ My time
at Cathedral formed me as a student and as a Catholic,” wrote
Dylan Griswold, CHS ’11 when sharing a bit of recent news with our alumni office. With such a compelling statement, we couldn’t wait to hear more and learn about Dylan’s accomplishments and how he feels his faith and Catholic education informed his life’s decisions.
Dylan has been awarded the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical neurosciences as a member of the 2019 Class of Gates Cambridge Scholars at the University of Cambridge. He is one of only 34 recipients selected from across the U.S. to participate in this highly-competitive program. He plans to take a break from medical school to pursue a PhD at Cambridge as a recipient of this significant honor. The Scholars-elect represent 37 universities and will study and research subjects ranging from cybersecurity, choral music, and technology biases to neurotrauma in low-resource settings and skeletal stem cells. In addition to outstanding academic achievement, the program places emphasis on social leadership in its selection process as its mission is to create a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.
An aspiring neurosurgeon, Dylan plans to use his Gates Cambridge Scholarship to research ways to improve neurosurgical techniques for traumatic brain injury, often referred to as TBI, in low-resource countries. In the future, he hopes to work with international governing bodies, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), ministries of health, community leaders, and local healthcare workers to address issues of health inequity and strengthen sustainable health systems around the world. “I decided to become a neurosurgeon while I was in Haiti,” says Dylan, who is a third-year medical student at Stanford University and visited the country on a service trip in 2014. “The lack of safe and affordable access to neurosurgical care was tremendous. When I arrived at Stanford, my first goal was to develop a global
My faith is the most important aspect of my life, and I can very much see myself serving as a Jesuit priest/physician.” – Dylan Griswold, CHS ’11
surgery program in the medical school.” For Dylan, setting goals and envisioning his future began to take shape very early on. “I’ve wanted to become a doctor since third grade,” he said. Upon graduating from Cathedral in 2011, he attended Williams College as a pre-med major
17
Education: •C athedral
High School 2011
•W illiams
College 2015 B.A. Chemistry
•S tanford
University 2021 Doctor of Medicine Neurosurgery
where he continued to also play baseball competitively. It was there, that his aspirations to continue playing baseball professionally after college graduation began to take priority. In preparation for a professional baseball tryout, Dylan took a trip to San Francisco the summer after his college sophomore year. The trip proved illfated when he tore a ligament in his elbow, requiring two surgeries. Unable to pitch, he turned to seeking out volunteer work to keep himself centered. A mentor pointed him to an AIDS hospice home operated by Mother Teresa’s order of nuns. It was there that he learned how to care for patients and began to understand more deeply how his Catholic faith informed his love for the ones who lay beside him. The seeds for his future were then firmly planted. The following summer, he went to Haiti, where he was struck by the almost non-existent access to neurosurgical care. After spending the following year in the neurosurgery lab at UCSF, his desire to become a neurosurgeon took root. He matriculated to Stanford for medical school and developed an interest in connecting clinical practice with research and policy, leading to summer research at WHO in 2017. When asked to identify one of his most important accomplishments thus far in medical school, Dylan is quick to note that perhaps unusual, he considers creating, along with his best friend Dillon Stull, a “pseudo-monastic” community for fellow medical and graduate students. “After spending a weekend at the Cistercian monastery in Vina, CA in the fall of 2017, we were inspired by the way the monks integrated both prayer and work. So, naturally, we turned my room into a chapel of sorts, bought an electric keyboard, and began praying Lauds seven days a week at 6:30am. We
didn’t think anyone would join us, but word got around pretty quickly among the Catholics in the med school and other grad programs and suddenly we had nine or ten people knocking on my door at 6:25am!” Since its inception, the group now meets daily at 7:30am and 8:30am on Sundays. “The great thing about it is that prayer usually ends at 8am, but everyone sticks around to drink coffee and talk philosophy/theology for up to an additional hour!” He notes that an unexpected outcome is that many nonCatholics are regular attendees and at least five people have become Catholic since they started the group. “It is amazing to have a strong community who pray together each morning. It is the thing I will miss most… I am so filled with joy spending time with them,” he added. This past summer, while at Cambridge, his team focused on surgical management of neurotrauma in low-resource settings. “I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to continue working with the global neurotrauma team at Cambridge to develop best-practice guidelines for neurotrauma in low-resource settings,”
Dylan said in reference to his selection as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. As an MD and PhD candidate, he aspires to become an academic leader capable of managing complex neurosurgical disease in addition to affecting policy to improve universal access to safe and affordable surgical care. A path that will draw on the same tenacity and focus he demonstrated as a Cathedral High School honors student athlete (Dylan was a three season Panther as a member of the indoor track, cross country and baseball teams). “I will take the next three years to complete a PhD and then I will return to Stanford where I will have 3 more years as a medical student - since I split both the first- and second-year’s curriculums in half. And then neurosurgery is a 7 to 8-year residency. It seems I will be training forever!” he exclaimed. But, as with most of his significant life decisions, Dylan credits his faith and early education at Cathedral with laying the foundation for his life’s path. “Most importantly, I give thanks to God that I chose abandoning myself to His plan for my life.” And as a proud alma mater, we give thanks too!
Faith Matters: Class of 2019 Reflections on Faith My Catholic education means … “ Being in a special environment that helps with preparing someone for a very special future.” – Maggie Farrell ’19 “ Becoming closer with God and having the opportunity to reflect on the good and positive parts of our lives.” – Cormac Hayes ’19 “ It strengthens my knowledge and belief in Christianity.” – Adam Juchniewicz ’19 “ Being able to incorporate my religious morals into my education and being encouraged to be proud of my established relationship with God.” – Carli Liquori ’19 “ Beginning and ending each day with a prayer.” – Rosemary Breault ’19 “ Learning how to respect everyone.” – Spencer Stewart ’19
18
SERVICE
Developing Citizens “ Faith in action is love – and love in action is service.”
- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Community Service is inherent in a Pope Francis Prep student. It holds as much weight and gravitas as our academic curriculum and students donate countless hours of service to members of the immediate and extended local communities. These service initiatives occur throughout the year, even when school isn’t in session. Service at Pope Francis Prep is not defined by one isolated event or program. It is a constant priority and a passion that lives and breathes throughout the school community.
Several on-campus groups including National Honor Society, Key Club, and the Student Advisory Board have raised money and awareness for a variety of causes. Throughout the last semester, the Pope Francis community has donated toys, clothing, food and (yes, blood!) to various organizations in the greater Springfield area including Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen, Springfield Rescue Mission, Souper Bowl of Caring, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Diocesan Adopt-A-Family for Christmas, Toys for Joy, Lions Club and the American Red Cross.
19
As Pope Francis Prep students, we receive so much from our teachers. When you receive care like that, you can’t help but want to give back.”
Concurrent with these examples of service to others, students in the Christian Leadership class having been working on Corporal Works of Mercy Service Projects. Students, working in small groups, were assigned to organize a service opportunity for their peers based on selecting one of the Corporal Works of Mercy - to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to travelers, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead. In addition to selecting a service project with a distinct connection to one of the Corporal Works of Mercy, students were required to provide research and a presentation on the organization receiving support with project outcomes. Some of the projects created were: Keep Springfield Beautiful: A City Clean-Up Day – Working closely
with Keep Springfield Beautiful Board member, Paul Martin, students Alexandra Gonet ’19 and Hannah Ammirato ’19 have organized a spring cleanup within the East Forest Park area of Springfield. Coinciding with Earth Day in April, they plan to lead a group of PFPS students in cleaning up trash accumulated on the side of streets and local parks as a way of showing that students care for their community and mother earth. Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen: Feeding Body and Soul – Supporting a weekly
ministry at St. Rose de Lima Parish in Chicopee, students Rosemary Brault ’19 and Camille Desjardins ’19 are working to coordinate a pool of volunteers to
offer Lorraine’s Kitchen with helpers on a consistent basis. Beyond the initial group of students they plan to introduce to volunteering at Lorraine’s Kitchen, they hope that their service project will serve as a template for PFPS students to build service in this way into their lives well into the future. Baystate Children’s Hospital: Sending Love and Prayers – With
a future goal of becoming a physician, Seth Mastroianni ’19 became a regular volunteer in the surgical wing at Baystate Hospital. It is there that he recognized that the hospital’s youngest patients and their families would really benefit from a dose of love and prayers. The idea took hold when, along with Sophie Fitz ’19 and Rachael Shannon ’19, they were assigned the Corporal Works of Mercy project. The love-based project included them enlisting the help of between 15 and 20 students to create Valentine cards containing messages of hope and prayers for healing. They also designed and made a colorful Valentine banner to be hung in the common playroom of the children’s
ward at the hospital. Not deterred by the flu-season imposed reduced visitor rule, the group sought assistance from Jessica Hagerman, Manager of Child Life at Baystate Hospital to learn about the use of gloves while creating the Valentines and to set up a delivery date to the front lobby where hospital staff would then bring it to the children.
20
ALUMNI NEWS
Cardinal Classic On Friday May 31, 2019 Pope Francis Prep will host their 3rd annual Golf Tournament at the pristine Crestview Country Club in Agawam. The 4-person scramble format tournament will tee off at 12:30pm. The day will include grilled lunch, on course beverages, and gourmet buffet dinner. Golfers will enjoy an array of special hole challenges and course prizes. Pope Francis Prep looks forward to welcoming past golfers and encourages new golfers to join us for a relaxing day on the course. Monies raised from this event will directly impact Pope Francis students in the classroom and through co-curricular activities. Sign ups can be completed online at www.popefrancisprep.org/alumni.
GOLF
Get Ready! REUNION WEEKEND EIGHT Class Years. TWO days. ENDLESS Fun! May 31 and June 1, 2019 Pope Francis Preparatory School is excited to announce our first annual Multi Class Reunion. We invite and celebrate alumni from the classes of 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009 from Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic High Schools. Don’t miss out on a chance to enjoy our beautiful new campus, catch up with old classmates, and network with other graduates!
When
Event Schedule
June 1, 2019
Reunion Mass - 4:00pm Cocktail Hour - 5:00pm Dinner - 6:00pm
Where Pope Francis Preparatory School 99 Wendover Road Springfield, MA
Tickets/Registration Alumnus - $50 Young Alumnus - $40 (class of 2009) Guest - $50
Register online at www.popefrancisprep.org Registration includes Mass, beer and wine during cocktail hour, and dinner. The bar will remain open during dinner but will be cash only. For more info please contact Daniel Fenton, Director of Development at dfenton@popefrancisprep.org .
21
The Leadership Society Reception We know our supporters are incredibly busy, but we always cherish an opportunity to show our appreciation. And on January 24, the Leadership Society Reception gave us that opportunity. We welcomed members to our beautiful Learning Commons to meet one another and enjoy refreshments and fellowship. Leadership Society members in attendance made our day by joining us that evening, but more importantly are making a better tomorrow for our students with their generous commitment to Pope Francis Prep. Thank you to all who attended!
22
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES Alma Matters During
the Pope Francis Preparatory School community’s celebration of Catholic Schools Week, alumni were encouraged to send in updates on happenings and accomplishments in their lives and those of fellow alum. The response was great and each morning during Catholic Schools Week prayer, a shout out on an alumnus was shared with the school community. A huge display wall was created with written narratives and pictures of these individuals. The Pope Francis Prep Community learned a great deal about the alumni from all generations and legacy schools. This was a wonderful tribute to Catholic education and ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things! Thank you for the contributions.
Pope Francis High School, Brian Campbell ’18 is a Freshman Finance Major in the Liberal Arts Honors Program at Providence College in Rhode Island. Most recently over winter break, Brian had the opportunity to shadow various Providence College alumni at Liberty Mutual in Boston, learning about the day to day obligations of various financial analysts in the company and their respective career paths. Brian shared that he cannot thank the Pope Francis High community enough for the ways in which they have prepared him for life in college.
SHARE YOUR STORIES
We’d love to hear from you! Send your news, notes and photos to dfenton@popefrancisprep.org
St. Jerome/ Holyoke Catholic High School, Daniel “Rudy” Lengieza ’59 Daniel “Rudy” Lengieza, is a 1959 St. Jerome/Holyoke Catholic High School graduate. Lengieza returned to his high school after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps to begin a coaching career in 1964; this would be a coaching career that lasted for over 50 years! Coach Rudy started the school’s girl’s cross-country program in 1979, coached Holyoke Catholic and Pope Francis High Schools’ boys’ and girls’ cross country and track and field teams. In addition to coaching multiple Western Massachusetts State and New England championship teams and individuals, Coach Lengieza has served as a positive influence in the lives of his former athletes. Coach Rudy was honored with a plaque dedication at Whiting Street Reservoir, June 30, 2018. The plaque dedication took place at the reservoir off Easthampton Road, the home cross-country course for Holyoke Catholic High School. Coach Rudy was inducted into the Holyoke Catholic Alumni Hall of Fame, June 2011.
Holyoke Catholic High School, Thomas J. (T.J.) Jagodowski ’88 To many he is probably best known as the red headed half of the “two guys” in the Sonic Drive-In commercials. But those from Holyoke and Holyoke Catholic High School know him well as Thomas J. (T.J.) Jagodowski, class of 1988. Upon graduation from Holyoke Catholic High School, Jagodowski attended and graduated from Syracuse University. Today, T.J. Jagodowski is an improvisational comedian who now resides in Chicago. This March, Jagodowski will return to Holyoke as the 2019 recipient of the 62nd annual John F. Kennedy National Award, given by the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade Committee, an honor bestowed upon an American of Irish descent who distinguished themselves in their field. Honored and humbled by the award, T.J. Jagodowski understands and remembers full well the pride of the parade and his own preparations as a child growing up on the parade route. He remembers waking up early to get chairs set up so that three generations of his family could bundle up and watch the parade pass by on Northampton Street.
23
Holyoke Catholic High School, Jennifer Sattler Murphy ’89 Detective, Criminal Investigation Bureau, Holyoke Police Department The First-Person Project Recipient – courtesy of Keene State College Today, A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Massachusetts Children’s Alliance, the 2014 Excellence in Performance Award from the Massachusetts Association of Women in Law Enforcement and the Excellence in Performance Award from the International Association of Women Police in Cardiff, Wales.
Jennifer Sattler Murphy, a 1989 graduate of Holyoke Catholic High School and a 1994 graduate of Keene State College, was one of 25 Keene State graduates, who were highlighted, in varying stages of their careers – from the class of ’69 to the class of ’11 – to tell the stories of their career paths in their own words and to show where a Keene State education can take its alumni.
Holyoke Catholic High School, Victoria Stuetzel ’13 and Cameron Stuetzel ’16 Victoria Stuetzel and her brother Cameron, graduates of Holyoke Catholic, understand and live what it means to serve. After graduating from Holyoke Catholic in 2013, Victoria attended college at UMASS Amherst where she received a dual degree in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Conservation. While a student at UMASS, Victoria was a member of the UMASS Marching Band for 4 years and traveled with the band to Pasadena, CA, to participate in the Rose Parade in January 2018. Victoria enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, and recently past her one-year mark of service. She is currently serving as crew member and engineer at a small boat station on Boston Harbor. She and the crew conduct search and rescues and enforce maritime law.
“At Holyoke Catholic High School, I played soccer, skied, and ran track. When it came time to go to college, I wanted to play soccer and I landed at Keene State. I majored in business management, and also earned an associate degree in chemical dependency. But the more time went on, I realized that I needed a little bit of direction. My father signed up my brothers for a civil service test for Massachusetts police officers, I said, “Well, why didn’t you sign me up?” He said, “It’s not something for you.” I remember saying, “You said I could be anything I wanted to be.” I went with my brothers that day, and I scored high enough. The Holyoke Police called and offered me a position as a reserve officer while I was still in college – which meant I would make myself available for full-time work as an officer. Initially I was on patrol in uniform, about three years later, I got transferred to the detective bureau. That’s when I started the kind of work I do now, and I still love it. I’ve seen different bosses; different partners have come and gone. But really, it’s about personal satisfaction. I like to help people, I do.” Jennifer has received many awards for her dedicated work, including One with Courage Award from the
After graduating from HCHS in 2016, Cameron took a year off. This past December he enlisted in the United States Air Force and has recently completed his basic training. He will further his training in Security Forces and hopes to be stationed in the northeast.
Cathedral High School, Kathleen Keating ’48 President Emerita Kathleen Keating, SSJ, will receive the Christian Charity Award from the Ancient Order of Hibernians James A. Curran Division One and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Hampden/ Hampshire Counties. Sr. Kathleen Keating is being honored for “truly improving the lives of the people” in the counties of Hampden and Hampshire. Keating, former president of her community of women religious, will receive the award as part of the Hibernians’ Annual Communion Breakfast March 10. She has said that the “thread” uniting what she has done is that “fundamentally” she is a teacher, and that she has devoted her life as a Sister of St. Joseph to being faithful to “discover what God wants of me.” Cathedral High School, Sr. Maureen Kervick ’57 Congratulations to Sr. Maureen Kervick, honored at a dinner in Manderville, Jamaica, where she has lived and worked since 2010. She was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the Passionist Community in Jamaica and especially for what she has accomplished institutionally over the course of the last two years, guiding a process that involved major transitions.
24
ALUMNI NEWS
Cathedral High School, Kathy Picard ’81 Kathy Picard, Cathedral High School graduate of the class of 1981, is an inspiring award-winning advocate whose work centers on increasing awareness of the harsh realities of sexual child abuse. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Kathy learned that there was little information on the subject and found few resources to turn to in order to seek answers regarding what had happened to her. Over years, Kathy has educated herself on the topic and seeks opportunities to speak about the importance of awareness, to share resources, to educate people who want to know more and to offer information and encouragement to fellow survivors and their family and friends. Kathy has worked for over 15 years as an advocate, which includes her persistent and determined work to get both criminal and civil Statute of Limitations for sexual abuse eliminated. Kathy Picard has been recognized for her efforts and has received many awards, honors, and citations. Kathy has also gathered an extensive list of resources and has earned certificates to teach, train, and present a variety of programs on this important topic. Kathy has organized and hosted many child safety events and has spoken at many area colleges and universities. She regularly speaks to future police officers at the academy and has spoken in both men and women’s correctional facilities.
Cathedral High School, Brigid Moran Roffe ’92 Brigid Moran Roffe, Cathedral High Class of 1992, has recently been appointed to Director of Admissions for Western Massachusetts Hospital. Western Massachusetts Hospital is a 100-bed long term medical and specialty care hospital owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health. The Western Massachusetts Hospital is the only public hospital operating in the western region of Massachusetts with a mission to serve as a medical safety net for many uninsured and under-insured citizens residing in the region. Western Massachusetts Hospital provides both acute and chronic hospital care to patients with a variety of chronic diseases and complicated medical conditions, such as: cardiac and pulmonary disease, chronic neurological disorders, complications of strokes, dementia with major behavioral issues, and end stage terminal illnesses of various diagnoses. Prior to her new appointment, Brigid was Coordinator of Volunteer Services for the hospital.
digital/social marketing consultant for education organizations. Matt focuses on the intersection of compelling content generation and understanding data— without ignoring the humanity of digital audience consumption.
Cathedral High School, Matt Weber ’02
Cathedral High School Class of 2004 graduate, Tim Lawlor, graduated top of his class, and was known as a serious student, however, he did find time to involve himself in many of the drama productions while a student at Cathedral. Upon graduation from CHS, Tim received a full scholarship to Boston College. Tim went on to earn a finance degree a while at BC, and he made sure to balance academics with his passion for entertainment, becoming a leader of the improv troupe, Fleabag.
Kathy and her husband Gary have recently published her book, Life with my Idiot Family: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Justice over Childhood Sexual Abuse.
Matt Weber is an Emmy winning writer, content strategist, multimedia producer, national speaker and digital journalist; podcast host, photographer, blogger, and
Matt was also a Preceptor on Education, shepherding the HGSE VOICE program and “Communication Fellows.” Additionally, Matt co-created and taught a January term seminar, (STS-15) at the Harvard Ed. School called, “Developing Your Media Presence.” Currently, Matt is with President Jim Ryan supporting him in the President’s Office at the University of Virginia. Matt is the author of the Christopher Award winning book ‘Operating on Faith.’ (Loyola Press 2016) and “Fearing the Stigmata” (Loyola Press 2012). Matt and his wife Tiffiny are proud parents of a daughter, Rose. Cathedral High School, Timothy Lawler ’04
Tim then embarked on his fast-growing career at Goldman Sachs, was recognized by Bloomberg for his work at Uber and has recently newly accepted a position working with Opendoor-a transformative real-estate start up in the SFO Bay Area. Outside of work Tim devotes much of his
25
free time helping animals. Tim is a regular dog foster parent and recently spent his weekends delivering feed to animals impacted by the CA wildfires. He’s proud of his roots as a Cathedral alumni and hopes to inspire many students to achieve their very best. Cathedral High School, Kristen Walsh ’04 Kristen Walsh was one of four members of the DUC Delites selected to paddle with Team USA at the Dragon Boat World Championship in September 2018! The race took place Sept 12-16th on Lake Lanier in Gainesville GA. What is Dragon Boat Racing? The sport of dragon boat racing dates back more than 2,000 years. With ancient Chinese origins, the first participants were Chinese villagers who held races in the belief it would show worship to the dragon, a
traditional symbol of water. Today, the sport is fast and exciting with crews of either 10 or 20 paddling to the beat of a drum over a set distance. Congratulations to the DUC Delite’s paddling with TEAM USA! The women’s team brought home the GOLD from the World Championships! They also received a few bronze medals too to go along with the gold! Kristin Walsh has been paddling with Delites since discovering the sport in 2013. As a former collegiate cross-country and track runner, she understands about competing at a high level. This was the first year she tried out for the national team and was excited to represent the United States at the international level. Kristin enjoys being involved in the community. Not only is she a paddler on the dragon boat team, but she serves as a member of the Dallas United Crew Board as well.
Cathedral High School, Margaret (Meg) Hunter King ’04 Meg Hunter married Samuel King in a private ceremony on the Cook Islands, November 2018. The couple then hosted a reception for guests in Australia to celebrate the wedding. Sam King is originally from Australia and still has family there. Joining the festivities in Australia were Meg’s sister Joan, (’07) and Cathedral classmate Katelynn Shea, (’04). The guests traveled a week in Australia visiting the Queensland area and Sydney. On Saturday, February 23, 2019, Meg and Sam greet guests at Union Station in Northampton, MA, for another wedding reception. In attendance for that reception from the Cathedral High Class of 2004 were Jackie (Viviano) Chanin, Meg Hunter King, Joanne Kabaniuk, Katelynn Shea, Raemarie (Josefiak) Walker and Neil Walker. Meg and Sam reside in Watertown, MA. Meg is employed as a Physician’s Assistant.
26
GIVING
Letter from the
Director of Development There’s no shortage of thanks to go around as Pope Francis Prep completes the first year on its new campus.
Our gratitude extends to the Board of Directors who lend their time, talent, and treasure. To our dedicated faculty and staff for their daily passion and committed work to the benefit of our students. To our parents, for choosing a Catholic education for their child and for volunteering and committing their support to creating a family-oriented environment. And to our benefactors, who continue to invest in the success of our students, our annual growth, and our long-term financial stability. I am grateful and blessed for the opportunity to share this partnership with all of you, as your continued support allows Catholic education to be alive and well in Western Massachusetts. Your generosity allows us to build upon the foundation set forth by the Sisters of St. Joseph more than 130 years ago.
Together, I am proud to say, we have accomplished the following this academic year: nnual Fund Growth - Our Annual A Fund has grown nearly 175% over the last two academic years. • Enrollment Growth - The incoming freshman classes have grown 15% annually. • Leadership Society - Currently there are 72 active members representing the largest number of benefactors since the inception of Pope Francis. •
Without a doubt these statistics show Pope Francis Prep is trending in the right direction and I continue to feel the energy and excitement that our future holds. However, based on our tremendous alumni network, our potential is somewhat untapped. With a combined
legacy alumni base of over 50,000, we are poised to create a strong and vital support mechanism for Pope Francis Prep. As a proud alumnus, I am honored to have my personal commitment and support of Catholic education mirror that of my work at our school. I am certain that with the combination of our substantial alumni base and an independent school governance model administered by a Board of Directors, our growth will have no limits! As we enter the last semester of the 2018-2019 inaugural year as Pope Francis Prep, I sincerely ask for your support by making a gift to the Annual Fund. Sincerely,
Daniel Fenton CHS ’09
Ways to Give Online
By Mail
By Phone or In-Person
To make a gift online, please visit our secure giving form at www.popefrancisprep.org/giving/donate/
Please make checks payable to Pope Francis Preparatory School and mail to:
You may make a gift with the following credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. Gifts can be charged to a credit card by visiting the Development Office, or by calling 833-999-7673 ext. 1273.
Development Office 99 Wendover Road Springfield, MA 01118
Our sincerest apology for an error made in our annual report published in October, 2018. Colin Downey ’02 was given credit for a donation at the Cardinal Crest level. The correct donor designation should have been for the Michael T. Downey Fund at the Cardinal Crest level ($50,000 - $99,999).
Director of Development Daniel Fenton with his former teacher Sr. Joan Schneider, SSJ
28
Pope Francis Preparatory School Leadership Society The Leadership Society is comprised of a distinguished group of our most generous donors. By making an annual contribution, members of the Pope Francis Leadership Society demonstrate a personal investment in the future of Pope Francis Preparatory School while celebrating the legacy of its extraordinary past. Through their generosity, Pope Francis Preparatory School is able to continue enriching students’ lives through a rigorous academic program, formation in the Catholic faith and engagement in the western Massachusetts community. Membership in the Leadership Society has many benefits, most importantly that your gift will impact Pope Francis students immediately. Also, as a member of the Leadership Society, you will benefit from the following: • I nvitation to an annual reception for Leadership Society members • Invitation to semi-annual gatherings with our Head of School • Quarterly email updates on the happenings at Pope Francis and how your support makes a difference in the lives of our students • Being recognized for your leadership in providing opportunity for a Catholic education to students in western Massachusetts. Please consider becoming a member of our Leadership Society at one these giving levels: Cardinal Circle: Red and Gray Society: Founders Society: Member:
$10,000+ $5,000 $2,016* $1,000
* Honoring the year 2016 when Pope Francis High School was established.
Our leadership donors have the honorable distinction of ensuring that our students experience the fullest range of opportunity a Catholic education provides. Thank you for your consideration. Young Alumni Leadership Society (Graduation years 2009-2018) Become a Leader for the Next Generation Membership Levels: Leadership: Network: Access:
$500 $250 $100
LEADERSHIP: Your membership places you in a circle of peers allowing you to network, socialize, and build relationships with current leadership benefactors that can help guide your path to becoming a leader in the next generation. Your generosity makes an immediate impact on Pope Francis Prep students and supports the long-term success of the school. NETWORK: Connect with trustees, administrators, senior leaders, and young alumni who can help you identify, refine, and achieve your career goals. ACCESS: The Pope Francis Prep community continues to grow in new and exciting ways. As a member, you receive special invitations to events and receptions, giving you more opportunities to grow your network and continue your alumni experience.
Pope Francis Preparatory School...
OUR LEGACY REIMAGINED PREPARING STUDENTS TO:
Learn with passion, Lead with heart,
Achieve in a world yet to be imagined!
100
FAITH Nonprofit Organization US Postage Paid Springfield, MA Permit No 2382
99 Wendover Road Springfield, MA 01118