Austin Prep Joins The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council
More Than AWhole New Ballgame A New League of New Opportunities Assistant Head for Enrollment and Athletics Jonathan Pollard ’97 recently observed that sometimes people miss something in the name Austin Prep. “It’s the ‘prep.’ Our school exists to prepare students for college and for life. It’s all about preparation.”
Sharing innovations and best practices on curriculum and academic pedagogies will be a primary goal of Austin Prep’s new membership.
To further strengthen that mission, Head of School James Hickey, Ph.D. recently announced Austin Prep will join the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) starting in the 2022-23 academic year.
Assistant Head and Head of Upper School Dr. William Driscoll ’89 suggests that this move is in the best tradition of St. Augustine who was continually on a journey to find enduring truths, Veritas, to lean into and support new communities, Unitas, and to find better ways to care for others, Caritas.
Dr. Hickey shared, “When we proposed this idea to our Board for their approval, their first question as stewards of the school was how would this better support our mission? How would this literally help inspire hearts to unite, minds to inquire and hands to serve?”
It is in this area where membership in NEPSAC may be most apparent. Debate competitions, shared music and theatric performance opportunities, and multi-school service programs will be available. Dr. Driscoll points out there will also be new networking opportunities for faculty and alumni.
The move may appear to be organized around athletics but it’s about more than sports. “This is a new pathway to excellence in all aspects of our school.”
Dr. Hickey added that while academics are of paramount importance, it can be outside of class activities – what he calls ‘the unwritten curriculum,’ that can often teach life’s most important lessons. “They create lifetime memories and remain long after when everything else is forgotten.”
Preparing for the live streaming of Lessons and Carols 2020 in St. Augustine Chapel. Spring 2022 2
