A Message from our Head of School

Dear Friends,

What a year it has been locally, nationally, and globally! When I reflect on this past year with COVID-19, social unrest, and politics, I realize we have been turned upside down. Despite these challenging events, I also recognize that our faith, values, and the cooperation of many in the Malvern Community have been our anchor and the cause for gratitude and celebration. Quite unexpectedly, many good things have happened during this unprecedented time.

The pandemic challenged every aspect of our life together on campus. Like you, maintaining a sense of normalcy was a goal that seemed beyond our reach. Last spring we transitioned from in-person teaching and learning to a remote learning model; something we were prepared to do in the short term but never envisioned as a long-term option. However, our students, families, faculty, and staff united to make virtual teaching and learning a sustainable experience for the remainder of the academic year. Graduation for the Class of 2020 went from a modest, minimal ceremony to a robust series of events that happily launched the young friars into the status of Malvern Alumni.

After initiating a gradual opening this academic year, we reached our goal of having the students resume classes to 100% capacity by mid-October. I am pleased and proud of our students, faculty, and staff for all they have done to keep the campus open by cooperating with our health and safety protocols. The Caritas Committee, created to shepherd our

community through the pandemic, has done and continues to do a remarkable job updating, monitoring, and implementing the latest protocols for our safety and wellness.

We also added highly competent people in key staff positions:

Danielle Suber, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Adrienne Niles, Director of Enrollment Management

Mike Treston ‘02, Director of Development

As Head of School, I see first hand what makes Malvern Prep such a special place for our students, families, and alumni. This year, in spite of the pandemic, politics, and civil unrest, I have witnessed resilience, compassion, and a commitment to our community and to our Augustinian values of Truth, Unity, and Love. It has been a humbling experience to see the faculty and staff create a culture of care enabling our students to pursue academic excellence and to learn to flourish by coping with challenging situations and achieve goals academically, spiritually, artistically, and athletically.

Let our prayers of gratitude for our life together as the Malvern Community be a sign of our unity and the bond of our mutual commitment to excellence in all things.

In Augustine,

Rev. Donald F. Reilly, O.S.A., D. Min.

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS & FRIENDS FALL/WINTER 2019

BUILDING FOR

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Letters to the Editor

3/5/20 10:14 PM

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US!

We welcome all readers to give us feedback on this issue or to share story ideas for future issues. All letters to the editor that we receive will be considered for publishing in the next issue of the Malvern Magazine. (Letters are edited for length.)

Letters to the Editor can be mailed to:

Malvern Preparatory School 418 S. Warren Ave. Malvern, PA 19355-2702 Attn: Malvern Magazine or email communications@malvernprep.org.

Convert Your Tax Dollars Into Tuition Assistance for Malvern Prep Students through the EITC Program

The EITC program is available to both individuals and businesses in the state of PA who are subject to tax liability and allows them to convert their state tax liability towards tuition assistance for financially deserving Malvern Prep students and families.

Tax Credit Allocation

Up to $750,000

per taxable year per program

2 year commitment to the program 90% of donation

1 year commitment to the program 75% of donation

Learn more about how you can access a 90% credit on your PA taxes

Contact Pam Engle, Director of Annual & Leadership Giving, at 484-595-1113 or by email pengle@malvernprep.org

On Saturday, December 21, 2019, Fr. Michael Di Gregorio, O.S.A., Prior Provincial, received the solemn vows of Br. Dan Madden, O.S.A. and Br. Elizandro Contreras, O.S.A. during a liturgy celebrated at Saint Thomas of Villanova Church, in Villanova, PA. Br. Dan was later ordained to the diaconate at Saint Rita’s Church in Chicago, in January 2020 and was recently assigned to full-time ministry at Merrimack College. The two came together again at Villanova in October 2020, when Br. Dan was ordained to the priesthood and Br. Elizandro to the diaconate.

Malvern Theatre Society Presents

The Malvern Theatre Society (MTS) produced the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Rock of Ages in the spring. The show was certainly “one for the ages” as the cast was only able to perform for one weekend due to the Coronavirus pandemic and government restrictions.

Aqua Net, Lycra, and Heavy Metal flow freely at one of the Sunset Strip’s last legendary venues, a place where legendary rocker Stacee Jaxx, played by Aidan White ‘20, takes the stage and groupies line up for their chance at an autograph. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star (and resident toilet cleaner) Drew, portrayed by Tyler Kinka ‘23, longs to take the stage as the next big thing (and longs for small-town girl Sherri, performed by Villa Maria student Maura Sweeney). Can Drew, Sherri, and the gang save the strip before it’s turned into another strip mall — and themselves — before it’s too late? Rock of Ages takes you back to the times of big bands with big egos playing big guitar solos and sporting even bigger hair!

Every aspect of the MTS program is led by students. Members of the program gain experience in the following areas: acting, singing, dancing, costuming, hair design, makeup, lighting design, sound design, set construction, set decorating, ushering, graphic design, and box office management. It truly takes a village to produce these productions. Congratulations to all the students and faculty members who worked to bring this show to life!

Rock of Ages