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corbie chronicle
S T. A NSELM’S A BBEY S $)00- t W ASHINGTON, D.C. t FALL 2018 t V OL. 27 N O. 1
The Corbie Chronicle 'BMM t 7PMVNF /VNCFS
ST. A NSELM’S ABBEY S CHOOL 4501 South Dakota Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20017 202-269-2350 www.saintanselms.org
The Corbie Chronicle is published two times a year by the Communications Office of St. Anselm’s Abbey School. We welcome correspondence and submissions from the St. Anselm’s Abbey School community. Please direct letters, class notes, and other communication to Mary Kelly at the School or via email at mkelly@ saintanselms.org. Photography in this publication has been provided by the St. Anselm’s Abbey School faculty and staff, the student publications staff, and parents. We apologize in advance for any errors and/or omissions. Design and Layout: Mary Kelly Production and Printing: Executive Press Inc.
Students helpers at the Fall Scholarship Gala Henry Yuan, (Form VI) Luke Kalhorn (Form III), Hollis Howe (Form VI), J.P. Libanati (Form V), Kirin Eicher (Form V), Luca Smith (Form IV), Joshua Paniagua (Form VI), Jimmy Duke (Form VI), Carlo Pizzano (Form VI), Joseph Paci (Form V), Joey Blum (Form VI) and Ryan McFeeters (Form VI)
A Message from the President Fr. Peter Weigand, OSB
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Reflections from the Headmaster Mr. Bill Crittenberger
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Fall Scholarship Gala: All Hallows’ Eve
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The Priory Players
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Panther Sports
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Class Notes/Alumni News
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In Memoriam
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A Message from the President Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Luke 14:25-33
Dear Alumni, Students, Faculty and Staff, Past and Present Parents, Members of the Board of Trustees, Benefactors, and Friends of St. Anselm’s Abbey School: The Feast of All Saints, followed directly by the Feast of All Souls, has come and gone. But during the whole month of November, the Church traditionally remembers those who have “run the good race” and have completed their journey here on Earth. To paraphrase Pope Francis, we all have been called to become holy, to become saints. Historically, the monks of St. Anselm’s Abbey do this through our prayer, teaching, and through our Benedictine presence and stewardship. In this issue of the Corbie Chronicle, I want to focus on two things—the Fall Scholarship Gala and our visionary progress for our Benedictine Learning Center. On the evening of October 27th, 365 guests attended our Gala, and nearly $310,000 was raised for current-year financial aid. During that evening, the school community honored Silvija and Brian Devine, ’59, and Brian, Jr. and Brooke Devine for their many years of support to the school. Through the gifts from the Devine Family Trust, the school is what it is today. Their first gift of a million dollars was for the renovation of the 1946 gym into the Devine Theater, and subsequently the Devines have given another four million dollars to secure the Endowed Scholarship Fund. Three of these milliondollar gifts were dollar-for-dollar challenges that the St. Anselm’s community met. Thus through the Devine gifts and the initiative of those matching campaigns, the Endowed Scholarship Fund now stands at ten million dollars. This now generates nearly $400,000 annually for need-based aid. The Gala was a success because of the work and dedication of many people. I want to thank the Gala chair, Kimberly Walhout, and all the mothers, fathers, students, and school staff who worked so hard on the logistics, banquet decorations, and the silent auction tables. There must be special recognition of Dr. Michael Manglitz, our auctioneer. Let me take this opportunity to once again thank everyone—attendees, donors, bidders, and paddle raisers—$97,000. Thank you for sharing in our Benedictine mission of recreating our world through prayer, education, and hard work. Some history behind the Benedictine Learning Center: Sasaki Associates, Inc. presented a comprehensive master plan for our future needs on October 1, 2016, after a year of working and talking to the monastic community and school administration. Early in 2017, the monastic community decided to implement the Benedictine Learning Center as
our first phase of the master plan. Then in January 2018, the Building and Grounds Committee of the school’s Board of Trustees received preliminary renderings and floor plans from past parent Jim Voelzke, President of Mushinsky Voelzke Associates, known locally as mv+a—architects and planners. One possible scenario of what could be built: The Benedictine Learning Center will be located south of the existing school library on the site of the old outside basketball courts. It is envisioned as a two-story, multipurpose building that embodies the essential characteristics of St. Anselm’s Abbey and Abbey School—prayer, scholarship, education, and spiritual growth. This is what was envisioned by our founder, Fr. Thomas Verner Moore, OSB, and our first headmaster, Fr. Austin McNamee, OSB. This new centerpiece of our campus will ensure that the school’s high academic standards will continue, and at the same time, the Abbey’s unique conditions for scholarship will be met—the Ora et Labora of Saint Benedict is ever paramount. The ground floor is principally for school use while the second floor is devoted to the abbey. The school truly must have more space to accommodate a larger, up-to-date computer and technology center to serve 50 students simultaneously for the many standardized tests and Advanced Placement examinations. This is vital since many of our students take as many as ten AP courses. The first floor will have a large quiet study space that can house the school library / multimedia area along with much-needed tutorial rooms, as well as an open art display area for both permanent and rotating exhibits. The school will then gain essential space in our existing building—the old computer room will be ideal for a fifth science lab, the present school chapel will house more office space, and the existing library can then be converted to a large open group study and discussion area, as well as serve as a gathering space for students and faculty alike. And then, the old stack area can become a faculty study and resource room. With these improvements, the school can finally retire our 40-year-old “temporary” trailers which are literally falling apart. On the second floor of the Benedictine Learning Center, there will be a scriptorium—a space for research and writing, and it will be large enough to house the monastic library, manuscripts and books. There will be a conference / seminar center, an archives, a chapel large enough for 50 worshippers, a sacristy, and a campus ministry office. The chapel and
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conference center can also serve as a weekend retreat-seminar facility for the Abbey and other religious groups. Relocating the monastic library to the new building will allow the monks to complete the Monmonier Senior Wing for aging and infirm monks. We could then add essential care facilities—an infirmary room large enough to accommodate a bedridden monk, a washroom with a walk-in bathtub, a visitors’ parlor, a guest room for monks’ relatives, a small kitchen area, and storage space for wheelchairs and other bulky medical equipment. To advance all of this, the Board of Trustees retained the services of CCS Fundraising, LLC, to do a feasibility study. CCS has a 71-year history of successful fundraising and project management practices for an extensive clients list. After this summer's successful feasibility and planning study—50 members from the St. Anselm's community provided personal positive feedback and another 400 responded by email positively about our case for building a new learning center on campus—the Board of Trustees decided to enter into a second agreement with CCS. So, with this encouraging and exciting news, the school hired Michael Wilson as our Campaign Director. During this quiet phase, Mike will be with us daily for the next three to six months organizing, planning, and executing the steps required to make the Benedictine Learning Center a reality. One final note: by now, you have received our 2018-2019 Annual Fund literature. The monks are asking for your help. You can apply your gift to any or all of the following pressing
house day
needs: 1) Overall School Budget; 2) Support of the Abbey and our Aging Monks; 3) Current-year Financial Aid; and 4) Refurbishing the Long Hall in the Academic Building—LED lighting and larger skylights. Remember, even though the Annual Fund runs until June 30th, 2019, it would be most helpful to the school if we could receive your gifts by December 31st; that way, you can gain a 2018 tax advantage. Please find an envelope in this Corbie Chronicle for your convenience. Let me thank, once again, those who have already given, and let me thank in advance those who can help the Abbey and School now. In closing, let me wish you and yours a most Holy Christmas and a Happy New Year 2019 as we live our faith day in and day out. The joy of the Incarnation remains a focal point of Christian belief throughout the year. Saint Anselm sums up the Incarnation with these words: “All nature is created by God and God is born of Mary. God created all things, and Mary gave birth to God. God who made all things made Himself of Mary, And thus He refashioned everything He had made.” Pax in Sapientia,
Fr. Peter Weigand, OSB President
House Day is an iconic early fall event at St. Anselm's. The InterHouse student leaders planned and led the day's activities. New boys find out which House they are in and everyone enjoys the activities. This year, the day was muggy and cloudy but all outdoor events went on as planned. In case you are wondering, Main House won the day.
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reflections from the Headmaster The school year is off to a wonderful start and students and faculty/staff alike seem to be experiencing much happiness, success, and community in all that they do, motivated, as am I, to contribute and jump in fully within these special grounds because of the plentiful and impacting goodness and light. Two recent events, the Gala and the Open House, speak to this hard to describe aura, marked as they were by a large and enthusiastic turn-out, each resonating with joy, fellowship, and a hopefulness for what the new day may bring. I write to you today about the School’s academic program– specifically our use and integration of 25 Advanced Placement courses into our broader program of studies–and how St. Anselm’s Upper School students benefit from this amalgam of high-level classes spanning multiple disciplines, courses that dimensionally complement and showcase all that our older students have learned and that which they have become during their time at the Abbey, while providing them a seminal opportunity to take and do well on an average of 9-11 national AP Exams, the positive ramifications of which are many-fold and far-reaching. Although an example from the far-end of the spectrum, a graduate from the Class of ’18 found himself earning an astonishing 57 credit hours in matriculating to his university this fall, meaning that technically he began his college career but one course shy of entering as a junior. What a way for a motivated and talented young scholar to begin his life as an undergrad, and talk about the tremendous money- and time-savings his performance garnered, as he is able to: 1) take a multitude of classes from within his major right away; 2) participate in small, intimate upper-level classes/seminars/ labs with the university’s best professors; and 3) move into a graduate program by the start of his third year on campus. In response to this summer’s announcement from several wellknown independent schools in the DC area that they were de-emphasizing their AP programs and would be eliminating them entirely over the next four years, I asked two of my colleagues, English Chair Jonathan Vaile and Director of College Counseling Hal DeLuca (he an English teacher as well), to write a short piece explaining St. Anselm’s utilization of Advanced Placement courses within its broader program of studies, which I am taking the liberty of quoting (thank you, gentlemen): “For over thirty years, the Advanced Placement program at St. Anselm’s Abbey School has enhanced our curriculum, supplemented our pedagogical mission, and positioned our graduates to best take advantage of every opportunity that college can offer. By the time they graduate, our students have not only explored a variety of classes ranging from Arabic to Robotics, but they have also completed an average of ten AP classes and have taken an average of ten national AP Exams.
“Teachers at St. Anselm’s have always instructed beyond the minimum, pursuing a greater depth of material based on their own academic backgrounds and the unique interests of their students. Even though all Abbey AP course curricula are fully approved by The College Board, our AP teachers do not simply “teach to the test.” Rather, Abbey instructors prepare students for the rigors of college by exposing them to seminars and laboratory work commensurate to a sophisticated university experience. “Colleges and universities praise the presence of AP in the St. Anselm’s curriculum. Successful completion of AP Classes and scoring well on AP Exams verifies that our students have challenged themselves throughout high school and have completed a strong academic program. Indeed, when college representatives visit our school, they encourage our students to take eight to ten AP classes over the course of their high school career. Thus, the depth and breadth of our program implicitly prepare our students for taking AP exams, so working in conjunction with AP parameters is not only logical but also in the best academic interests of our students.” I’ve made a habit over my seven years as headmaster of visiting ten colleges/universities during the summer, a practice I continued this June in traveling to some of the finest institutes of higher learning on the East Coast. During my visit to schools, I take in a student-led tour, sit in on the Info Session, and, most meaningfully, meet with an admissions officer, typically either the DC (hence, St. Anselm’s) rep or the director. Once again this summer, I heard in unison from the folks who soon enough will be making admissions decisions on and about our Form VI students how crucial a student’s transcript is—both for the rigor of the classes taken and for the grades earned. A student’s significant AP coursework and the high level of success he achieves both during the school year and on the AP Exam is perhaps the integral element of his file as an applicant, and our program resonates positively and in eyecatching fashion with admissions officers everywhere, standing as a legitimate difference-maker. I’m often asked by alumni or past parents about the quality of the modern-day St. Anselm’s education, and experience, and it’s hard for me to stifle a smile in responding–proud (in loco parentis) parent that I am. Trust me, I tell them, the 257 Abbey Boys currently at the school are carrying the torch, and themselves, in a manner that any era’s graduates would be proud. My well-wishes and prayers for you and yours as together we enter a hopeful and uplifting period of a blessed and holy Christmas Season. Pax in Sapientia,
Bill Crittenberger
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Abbot James wiseman, OSB - on the crisis in the church In early October, Mr. Crittenberger asked me to speak to all seventeen sections of our religion courses, from Form A through Form VI, about what has commonly and correctly been called a crisis in the Catholic Church: the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. Although many of the students had already heard much about this on television news and social media or had read about it in newspaper articles, it was important to make sure that all of them were informed about the basic facts in their historical context and that they be assured that we are doing all we can to make sure that our own students are safe. I began each of these talks by noting that in my brief presentation I would focus on what seems to be two aspects to the crisis: first, that throughout the world hundreds, even thousands of priests have been guilty of such abuse, and second, that their bishops and religious superiors have often failed to confront the problem in a responsible and effective way. Starting with the latter point, I quoted from a talk that Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami recently gave to the priests of his archdiocese. He said, “The crisis which our Church is facing today has its origins in the failure to hold each other accountable…. It is a crisis of leadership—our people do still believe in God, but they don’t believe in us. If we are going to be able to lead them, they need to be able to trust us.” I surmised that most of his fellow bishops would agree with that statement, and I proposed that one factor that prevented the needed accountability was the inclination of Church leaders to view the behavior of the guilty priests exclusively from the religious perspective of sin but not also as a civil crime. Accordingly, many of them felt that they, as religious leaders, had the authority and ability to deal with this and considered it an intrusion into their own religious sphere if civil authorities were allowed to become involved. This led to a culture of noncooperation and secrecy that eventually had severe, negative consequences. What most brought this problem to national attention was investigative reporting by staff of the Boston Globe early in this century. Their articles revealed the extent of these crimes within that archdiocese, making it impossible for civil authorities to continue granting Church leaders the right to deal with this on their own. The then-archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, had to give testimony under oath, lawsuits were filed, millions of dollars were paid to victims and their families, and eventually Cardinal Law was replaced by a new archbishop, Sean O’Malley, who was subsequently made a cardinal and was named president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protections of Minors. There was, of course, no reason to think that the revelations of what had transpired in Boston were limited to that city. It was more the tip of an iceberg. In response, at their annual meeting in 2002, the U.S. bishops formulated a Charter for the Protection of Young People, applicable throughout the country for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and providing effective procedures for creating safe environments for children, requiring prompt reporting of allegations to law-enforcement agencies, and disciplining
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offenders, even removing some of them from the priesthood. The bishops also set up a Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection at their national headquarters here in Washington. That “Dallas Charter” has clearly done a lot of good. Of the approximately 300 priests named in the recent grandjury report concerning alleged abusers in six dioceses in Pennsylvania, only two were suspected of such behavior since 2002. I pointed out to our students, however, that this does not mean that this will not be in the news for months and even years to come. During the weeks when I was giving these talks, Washington’s own archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, had his resignation accepted by Pope Francis, largely in response to criticism he received for some judgments he had made in his previous assignment as bishop of Pittsburgh. I added that we may possibly see further episcopal resignations in the coming months. While Pope Francis is to be credited for calling the presidents of all national bishops’ conferences for a multi-day meeting in Rome this coming February, I said that perhaps the best thing that might emerge from that meeting would be effective ways of giving lay persons more oversight within the Church. In particular, this should include lay women. As commentator Michael Gerson wrote in a recent column in the Washington Post, “The most powerful reform that could be made is to involve lay women in every level of examination and judgment. The Catholic Church may retain an all-male clergy, but, clearly, an all-male clergy cannot be trusted to regulate and police itself. Can you imagine a meeting including parish mothers and women leaders in which the protection of a predator priest was proposed? I can’t either.” My talks always concluded by noting that here at St. Anselm’s we have had no allegations of such abuse of minors, and to help us make sure that this continues, in the early part of this decade the monastic community decided to seek accreditation with Praesidium, a firm that works throughout the United States and some other countries to evaluate the way in which an organization goes about protecting those whom it serves. Having fulfilled all twenty-five of Praesidium’s standards, we are fully accredited, and to make sure that we stay abreast of “best practices,” the monks, as well as all new members of the school faculty, regularly take part in a “Virtus” program taught by an experienced trainer. In addition, as abbot, I annually attend a meeting of the regional review board of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, where members of that board (lawyers, social workers, counselors, etc.) occasionally suggest ways to improve the abbey’s ethics policy, which applies Praesidium’s general standards to our own setting. I also assured the students that if they ever wish to speak with any of the monastic or lay faculty about the issue, they are most welcome to do so. Pax in Sapientia,
Abbot James A. Wiseman, O.S.B.
report from the chair of the Board of Trustees Dear Members of the St. Anselm’s community, I appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself as the new Chair of the School’s Board of Trustees. I am alumnus from the class of 1972. St. Anselm’s has had a lasting impact on my life. It was here that I was taught and cultivated the key enduring values – the quest for knowledge and learning, hard work and the pursuit of excellence, and a sound moral compass – that have been the foundation for any success, professionally or personally, I have had. Professionally, I am a lawyer. I practiced law full time for 32 years in the area of commercial litigation with the international law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, including 14 years as the managing partner of the Washington office Then I served for 5 plus years as the Dean of the law school at Catholic University. Now I’m a tenured law professor there, along with continuing a part time position at Kirkland. My wife Missy and I live in Annapolis. We have three grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter. We attend church at St. Mary's in Annapolis, where I’m a lector and eucharistic minister. I have served on the School’s Board of Trustees for the past six years. I began serving as the Chair on July 1. The Board consists of 21 members. Fourteen of us are nominated and elected by the existing Board members and approved by the Monastic Council. The other seven are nominated and elected by the Monastic Council. In addition to the 21 members, Fr. Peter and Bill Crittenberger, as President and Headmaster, attend our meetings in an ex officio capacity. Mark Commins attends as the Board's secretary.
Who are the Board members? Some of us are alumni, some are past parents, some are members of the monastic community, and some are experts in areas that are pertinent to the School's mission. All of us are volunteers. All of us are fiduciaries for the School. All of us love the School and are dedicated to its success. The whole Board meets six times a year. In addition, the Board has a number of committees that meet as necessary throughout the course of the year. What do we do as the School's Board? It breaks down into five areas of responsibility. 1. We are responsible for assuring that the School operates in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards. 2. We are responsible for assuring that the School has an appropriate mission statement, strategic plan, and policies. 3. We are responsible for assuring the financial stability and future of the School. This means that we review, approve, and monitor the School's budget. We also participate actively in fundraising, along with Fr. Peter. As financial stewards, we pay close attention to various issues – such as enrollment, facilities, reputation, and community relations – that may affect the School's success. 4. We are responsible for hiring, supervising, and supporting the Headmaster. Put simply, Mr. Crittenberger reports to us, and we are there to support his work as Headmaster. But it is Mr. Crittenberger, not the Board, who is responsible for running the School on a day-to-day basis. 5. As the Board, our primary focus is on issues that are longterm and strategic. We tend not to be involved in issues that don't fall into those categories. That’s it in a nutshell. That’s what the Board does, and what it doesn’t do. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve, and we welcome your input as we work to assure that St. Anselm’s remains an outstanding institution where bright boys become exceptional men.
National Letter of Intent Carlo Pizzano, Form VI, signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at Loyola University Maryland. With him are Fr. Michael, OSB, his parents, Donna Forbes and Robert Pizzano, Bill Crittenberger, Headmaster, and Steve Roush, Athletic Director and Golf Coach.
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On October 27, the School held the 36th Annual Fall Scholarship Gala, “All Hallows' Eve” The evening was a tremendous success. The Gala exceeded its goal and grossed nearly $310,000 for current-year financial aid. Mrs. Silvija and Mr. Brian Devine, ’59, entered the Hall of Honor. Over 360 people attended the Gala, bid on items, raised the paddle, and had a wonderful time! Please watch for more information about next year’s Gala, which is on Saturday, October 26, 2019.
Gala Honor ees
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The Devine Family: Brian, ’59, Silvija, Brian Jr., and Brooke
All Hall
Fall Schol
lows' Eve
larship Gala
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Students Receive Honors National Merit Commended Scholars, Class of 2019
AP Scores
For almost 75 years, St. Anselm’s Abbey School has maintained a rigorous curriculum that remains one of the most demanding in the region. The average student takes ten AP exams before he graduates. Each student is required to take five. AP classes are taught in the sciences, mathematics, world languages, English, social studies, history, art, and computer science. Pictured with Headmaster Bill Crittenberger are: Ryan Fennelly, William Stubner, Yves Eisenberg, Peter Clark, Jesse Broderick-Sokol, and Upper School Headmaster Alex Morse. Not pictured: Michael Gerrety, Forest Miller, and Nicholas Sansone. In addition, Ryan has been named a National Merit Semi-Finalist.
It’s Academic Success! The team of Will Monahan (Form V), Jack Craig (Form V), Will Stubner (Form VI), and Dash Tischler (Form III) won the first round. Tune in to NBC4 on Sat., January 19, at 10:30 am to watch the match. Next round filming is on Sat., March 2.
Class of 2018 Thirteen students received AP Scholar with Distinction (Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.) Carlos Alvarado-Flores Benjamin Borzekowski John Cerritelli Kevin Clark Samuel Cohen Alexander Farhang Michael Henshaw Darius Kuddo Robert Lesher Nathaniel Monahan Emmanuel Tamrat Konrad Wampler Yi Zhong
Xavier (Form V) and Jackson (Form III) Scott traveled to Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa last summer. They were on tour with the DC Boys’ Choir.
Frank Daley-Young (Form V) competed in the regionwide Chinese School idiom contest. He came in third for his grade at Hope School (Hope is a Mandarin language school that serves heritage speakers in the DC Metro region).
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fine arts department
The Priory Players Present Cast and Crew Montague “Monty” Navarro Will Muoio Miss Shingle Erin Caldwell Sibella Hallward Abigail Potter Phoebe D’Ysquith Katie Quinn Asquith D’Ysquith, Jr. Jimmy Duke Asquith D’Ysquith, Sr. Jimmy Duke Rev. Lord Ezekial D’Ysquith Tyler Young Henry D’Ysquith Ezra Onyewu Lady Hyacinth D’Ysquith Nicolas Daniel Lord Bartholomew D’Ysquith Hollis Howe Lady Salome D’Ysquith Pumphrey JP Libanati Lord Adalbert D’Ysquith JP Libanati Lady Eugenia D’Ysquith Jane Brinley Chauncey D’Ysquith Nicolas Daniel Miss Evangeline Barley Lilly McCormick Tom Copley Oscar Lloyd Chief Inspector Pinkney Tyler Young Tour Guide Stephen DeCarlo Director Maureen Boman Music Director Eric Lewis Music Coach Michael Lodico Stage Manager Nick DeCarlo Assistant Stage Mgr. Max Kuhn Lighting designer Joey Blum Sound Designer Ryan McFeeters Backstage Manager Will Stubner Stage Crew Max Kuhn, Funa Okoye, Jan Eshun, Vinnie Blum, Hugo Filmer, Joey Blum, Nicholas Daniel, JP Libanati, Hank Holley, Nick DeCarlo, Jimmy Duke, Oscar Lloyd, Tyler Young
Fine Arts Faculty News St. Anselm’s Director of Choral Activities Michael Lodico performed a recital at the Piccolo Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, SC in May. Mr. Lodico plays the organ as part of the Lafayette Square Duo with harpist Rebecca Smith.
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and MURDER
Dr. Charles Downey, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, frequently reviews operas and his articles are often in the Washington Post and other periodicals. Merriam-Webster has a Word of the Day series. One day the word was puissant (meaning of great force or vigor). They used Dr. Downey’s sentence as an example of word usage. He wrote that a main actor’s soliloquy in an opera floated on a puissant high note.
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renaissance day
On Renaissance Day, the entire school takes a break to explore interests that fall outside the usual curriculum. While space precludes listing all the topics, the following selection shows the range of activities: Karaoke & Dancing, Candle Making, Cricket, All Things Football, Origami, Meditation, BattleBots, Horseshoes, Swing Dancing, Field Hockey, Kenjutsu, Yoga, Punkin’ Chunkin’, A Day in the Life of a Monk, and All Things Weather.
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campus activities
Top row: Homecoming Dance for Upper School students. Middle row: Form II Activity Day at a ropes course and Form I Retreat Day team building activity. Left: Ryan Fennelly (Form VI) in AP Latin with Ms. Pelosi. He is the only student in the class. Ms. Pelosi said, “I am the luckiest teacher alive. I am doing what I love and Ryan appreciates the subject enough to take AP. It is wonderful.�
Summer Upgrades to Campus While students and teachers are enjoying summer break, the maintenance staff at St. Anselm's is incredibly busy. Their regular summer work includes: stripping and waxing every floor, cleaning and painting the buses, and power washing the tennis courts and concrete paths. This past summer, the gym was completely re-caulked
and the art room received new lighting, floor, lights, and shelving. Air conditioning was installed in all the classrooms and offices in the short hallway. The IT staff continued to upgrade our wi-fi capability (including the monastery). The Commons was painted and the floor was upgraded.
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Panther Sports Fall Sports
by Steve Roush, Athletic Director
Cross Country The Panthers had the busiest fall ever, with the addition of fall golf to the already full season of soccer and crosscountry. The fall got off to an interesting start with early contests canceled or postponed due to excessive heat. Shortly after the heat abated, the rains came, which caused us to have a week with no contests of any kind. In fact, the first cross-country competition this year was the PVAC Mid-Season Challenge (yes, first contest the mid-season). The cross-country Panthers had another
good year. Overall the middle school cross-country team finished 4th in the PVAC with two runners finishing in the top twenty. The varsity runners also finished 4th in the PVAC as a team, only one point out of 3rd place. Peter Clark (Form VI) was named to the All-PVAC 2nd team. Chris Sherman (Form VI), Antos Wellisz (Form V), and Ian Patzman-Rivard (Form V) were all named to the All-PVAC 3rd team. Well done, runners, well done Coaches Taylor and Colina.
Varsity
Middle School
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Photo credit: Margaret Farrell
soccer
As we fought the weather-related scheduling problems on the soccer pitch, all the Panthers performed well. The MS soccer team finished the season with a 7-3 record and in 4th place in the PVAC. They lost 1-2 in their playoff game against a team they had beaten, earlier in the year, 5-4, and who scored the winning goal in the last minute. The junior varsity team demonstrated a great deal of growth throughout the year and finished the season 4-3-1. We’re looking forward to some of those Panthers playing varsity next year. The varsity soccer team finished
the season 6-7-1 and in 7th place in the PVAC. Having to play the 2nd place team in their playoff game, a team that had only lost one game during the season, proved just too difficult. Although the half-time score of the playoff game was only 0-1 against, the Panthers were unable to generate any offense and were overwhelmed on defense. Nick Sansone (Form VI) was named to the 2nd team AllPVAC and Nobert Tita (Form V) was named Honorable Mention All-PVAC. Well played soccer Panthers. Well done Coaches Gubartalla, Pettengill, and Bellows.
Varsity
Junior Varsity
middle school
golf
The golfing Panthers held a fall season where they played outside of the PVAC against only MAC schools. The golfers finished the season 2-2 with several weather cancelations. It was a good overall showing with two new golfers Ben Williams (Form III) and Alex Kim (Form IV) providing some excellent play. Carlo Pizzano (Form VI) finished as the medalist in all of the matches against Maret, Georgetown Day, St. James, and St. Andrews. Well done fall golf Panthers and Coach Roush.
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Appalachian Service Trip (ASP) June 2018
Austine Le Van, ’19, Joey Blum, ’19, Antoni Wellisz, ’20, Declan Friel, ’19, JP Libanati, ’20, Matt Noone, ’19, David Feira, ’19, Ryan McFeeters, ’19, Carder del Rosario, ’20, Nick Sansone, ’19, Brendan Grau, ’19, Michael Gerrety, ’19, Jimmy Duke, ’19, Alex Shipe, ’18, Matt Laskowski, ’18, Hollis Howe, ’19
Upper School Visits Ireland June 2018
Conor O’Connor, ’18, Marcus Domson, ’18, Daniel Fitzpatrick, ’18, Will Sullivan, ’18, Hank Hermens, ’18, Will Lawrence, ’18, Nate Monahan, ’18, Jack Werwinski, ’18, Jimmy Duke, ’19
2018 HSPA Teachers of the Year Two teachers were honored at the annual HSPA (High School Principals Association) banquet in October. These teachers were elected by their colleagues for their technique, their enthusiasm, and their professionalism. They are: Veteran Teacher of the Year: Mr. Paul Commins, Mathematics and Social Studies Teacher Novice Teacher of the Year: Mr. Kyle Bellows, Arabic Teacher and Assoc. Director of Admissions Congratulations!
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Class Notes
Class Notes is the perfect place to share special announcements with your fellow alumni and the entire St. Anselm’s community. You may send an email to Lawrence Hamm, ’68, Director of Alumni Affairs: lhamm@saintanselms.org. Accompanying photos are always welcome.
Calling all alumni Registration is now open for the eleventh annual All-Alumni Reunion. Reunion Weekend 2019 is set for April 26‐28. Visit www.saintanselms.org/reunion for all the details.
1948
Herbert Woolley graduated from The Priory School in 1948 and returned for the first time in August with his wife Jia and daughter Monica, a student at Georgetown University Law School. Herb received a BS from the U.S. Naval Academy and a JD from Georgetown Law. He has been living the good life in Hawaii for the last 45 years.
1982
James Potemra is an Association Professor in the International Pacific Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii. He visited Fr. Peter this summer.
1994
Frank Adamson and his wife, Carlyn, became the proud parents of Frank Joseph Aidan, named in honor of the mentorship provided by Abbot Aidan. Frank recently became an Assistant Professor of Education Leadership and Policy Studies at California State University, Sacramento.
2005
Xan Vongsathorn is employed as an Applied Scientist by Microsoft in Seattle using econometric modeling to estimate the business impact of machine learning-backed sales technology on revenue. He
does experimentation in platform design, including robust metrics to assess experimental validity. Xan also creates crossword puzzles. Matt Hallam married Shannon Hemschoot at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, PA. Several Abbey classmates attended.
Mike DiBenigno (friend of the groom), Alex Kraus, Andrew McCabe, Peter Keszler, Jeffrey Tardiff, Shannon, Matt, Ruben Brown, Blair O'Connell, Phil Calabro, Ralph Kettell, and Martin Feeney.
2009
Adrian Dhanaraj is an educator serving adjudicated youth from Washington, DC at the Maya Angelou Academy in the New Beginnings Youth Development Center. Adrian earned a B.A. in Philosophy from New York University and recently completed a Master’s program in Education Leadership at Teachers College of Columbia University. Previously, he was an educator in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he co-founded a nonprofit organization called "What’s Next Pine Bluff," which provides leadership preparation for college and careers to over one hundred young people each school year through a lens of community service. "I believe that the Benedictine value of Ora et Labora and the selfless examples of so many monks and teachers at the Abbey who mentored me – especially Fr. Peter and Abbot Aidan – have helped shape my passion for serving youth, particularly marginalized young people of color."
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Class Notes (cont.) 2009 - Adrian Dhanaraj (cont.) Adrian with students at the state capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas.
St. Anselm’s student Karl Notturno. Another Abbey alumnus, Winfield Miller ’13, was later hired to support clients in Salt Lake and Utah counties.
2014
Ellis Berns graduated from Brown University. He is pictured with his father, who is also a Brown alumnus. Rory Coffin was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. The ceremony took place aboard USS Constitution at Boston Navy Yard
2010
Ian Durkin is an engineer helping to design surgical implants and instruments for spinal fusion procedures outside of Denver. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado – Boulder in 2015. After a brief internship with a mountain bike frame manufacturer in Denver, Ian’s professional life began as a design engineer building automated filling machines in the craft beer industry. "Hands-down, without Mr. Montroll’s calculus class challenging me to think outside the box (e.g., boxprime, triangle-prime), I would not have considered engineering nor be anywhere near where I am today."
Outside of work, Ian still enjoys riding his bicycle up and down mountains as much as he can, while also pursuing other passions like skiing and Muay Thai (martial arts).
2013
Josh Peri graduated from the University of Scranton and will be pursuing a PhD in statistics from Ohio State. Patrick Merkle is co-director and cofounder of A Soldier’s Home, a non-profit organization in Utah that works with banks, realtors, and government organizations to facilitate home ownership for homeless veterans. He works with his wife, Olivia, Abbey classmate Nico Bell ’13, and former
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Robert Gasser and Dionysios Koroulakis graduated together from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Each will pursue a residency program in pediatrics. Dr. Gasser, a Captain in the U.S. Army, is headed to Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington state. Dr. Koroulakis is off to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia Health System. Kody Low was commissioned in the Marine Corps and married in the same weekend. Surrounded by Abbey friends, he married Ali Gruber.
Back row: Phoenix Morrison, Eli Cohen, Brother Ignatio, Robert Haislmaier, Rory Coffin, TJ Coffin. Front Row: Connor Low (Form I), the bride and groom
Alex Lemmon graduated from WPI and will be staying an extra year to get a master’s degree in engineering. Sam Sherman has accepted an engineering job at General Motors in Detroit. He graduated from UMDCollege Park with an engineering degree last May.
Information Technology and Web Science with the theme of natural disasters. The students were given a problem and had 24 hours to solve it. The teams were graded on creativity, design, scale-ability, and deployment. The Abbey team created a drone with an image recognition device to survey the land for forest fires. They won a First Prize!
2018
Max Patten continues to make videos. He visited a Benedictine monastery in Washington State last summer and during this school year has made several around the University of Virginia campus Fred Buchanan and Sam Cohen were only in college for three weeks, when they won an award. The boys participated in a competition for students majoring in
Class of 2014 Twenty-eight members of the Class of 2014 as well as their family members, returned to the school grounds for a reunion.
Planned Giving Providing for the future well-being of family, and, at the same time, supporting the educational mission of St. Anselm’s Abbey School can be accomplished by a variety of gifts known as planned gifts. St. Anselm’s Abbey School can assist you with designing a gift that will further your philanthropic goals, while reducing or eliminating income, gift, and estate taxes.
Besides annuity and retirement funds, you can choose to give with a living trust, a charitable lead trust, personal property, life insurance, or real estate.
Planned Giving includes bequests, income-producing funds, and retirement funds and is free from Federal estate tax. This may significantly reduce taxes assessed against your estate. You may designate your gift as unrestricted or you may choose to support ongoing needs such as tuition assistance, faculty development, construction or maintaining facilities. The choice is yours.
We can help with this.
Please consult with your family and your attorney and your financial advisor.
Let us know. We can provide you a sample letter to forward to your attorney. Contact Kimberly Walhout kwalhout@saintanselms.org.
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Career Day Alumni from varying career fields met with Fifth and Sixth formers to share their educational and career paths. They answered students’ questions and shared some of their Abbey experiences. A casual pizza meet-and-greet rounded out the day.
Fr. Anthony Giampietro, CSB, ’78, is the Advancement Director of the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America.
Dr. Michael Gorman, ’83, is a Professor of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America.
Jeb Fain, ’04, is the Communications Director for House Majority PAC.
Morgan O'Brien, ’62 is co-founder and former Chairman of Nextel Communications, Inc.
Dr. David Missar, ’83, is a psychologist in private practice. He also supervises graduate psychology students at Catholic University.
Blair O'Connell, ’05, is a bank vice president who specializes in commercial real estate.
Michael R. O'Connell, ’78, practices personal injury law in Colorado.
Adam Matuszeski, ’95, is a systems engineer with NASA.
George Mattingly, ’56, is retired from the National Institue of Standards, where he specialized in fluid mechanics.
Paul Ritacco, ’86, is a senior advisor for a U.S. Congressman.
Dr. Philippe Hensel, ’84, is a geodesist with the National Geodetic Survey, part of NOAA.
Dr. Michael Gorman, ’83, Morgan O’Brien, ’62, Fr. Anthony E. Giampietro, CSB, ’78, Paul Ritacco, ’86, Dr. David Missar, ’83, Michael O’Connell, ’78, Jeb Fain, ’04, George Mattingly, ’56, Blair O’Connell, ’05, Adam Matuszeski, ’95, and Dr. Philippe Hensel, ’84.
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Science and art
In Fr. Peter's physical anthropology class, students found a “new species� in this linear sequence. (aka Henry Yuan, Form VI, J.P. Libanati, Form V, Austine Le Van, Form VI, Yves Eisenberg, Form VI)
Form VI students Max Maimone and Josh Paniagua are Brendan Grau, Jesse Broderick-Sokol, Thomas Dugan, and Forest determining the concentration of an acid by watching the Miller (Form VI) are measuring the effects of drag on velocity in reaction of an acid and a base, i.e. titration. AP Physics.
Anand Beh and Noah Mekonnen (Form IV) are studying forces that affect objects on a ramp.
Eric Bradshaw, Form A, paints with watercolors.
Nathan Alakija, Form VI, is in Studio Art where the students work on various art projects.
Simon Hoefling, along with all Form III students, created lifesized self-portraits.
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In Memoriam
We Extend Our Deepest Sympathy to the Families of Those in Our Community Who Have Died
Ernest Burnett Grandfather of Kirin Eicher, ’20
Susan Elizabeth Kehoe Sister of Dennis Kehoe, ’73, and Stephen Kehoe, ’76
Joan Schucker Mother of Nancy Recchia and Grandmother of John Recchia, ’13
Christian P. Maimone Class of 1984 Father of Maximilian, ’19, and Michaelangelo, ’16
Marian Christoffers Mother of Fr. Philip Simo, OSB
Dennis M. Hagan Brother of Michael J. Hagan, ’83
Kevin M. Morrison Class of 1991
Ted Kirchner Class of 1972 Brother of John Kirchner, ’67, Robert ‘Jake’ Kirchner, ’69, Paul Kirchner, ’71, Bruce Kirchner, ’74 (non-grad)
Lyda Pickering Wife of David Pickering, ’74, and sister-in-law of Duff Pickering, ’80 Proctor Reid Father of Samuel Reid, ’04, and William Reid, ’07 Alice Gigax Mother of Richard Gigax, ’89 John Joseph Donnelly, Jr. Class of 1960
Martin Kilmer Class of 1960 Brother of Hugh Kilmer, ’55 †, Nicholas Kilmer, ’58, Matthew Kilmer, ’67 (non-grad) John Meiburger Class of 1977 Brother of Damien Meiburger, ’74, and James Meiburger, ’77 †
Charles H. Watson, II, MD Doris Barlow Class of 1950 Mother of Mark Barlow, ’70, and Sean Barlow, ’75
“CORBIE” CHRONICLE? Corbie is the Scottish word for raven. Monastic tradition holds that Saint Benedict had a pet raven that conveyed messages to him and would help Benedict in times of need. Fr. Michael chose the name Corbie Chronicle for the school's publication as a fitting title to represent Benedict's raven and our Scottish history because St. Anselm's Abbey was founded by the monks of St. Benedict's Abbey at Fort Augustus, Scotland. From the Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great: Once, Saint Benedict was given a loaf of poisoned bread from a jealous local priest. At dinner time, a raven daily used to come to Benedict from the woods, which took bread at his hands; coming that day
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after his manner, the man of God threw him the loaf which the parish priest had sent to him, giving him this charge: "In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, take up that loaf, and leave it in some such place where no man may find it." Then the raven, opening his mouth, and lifting up his wings, began to hop up and down about the loaf, and after his manner to cry out, as though he would have said that he was willing to obey, and yet could not do what he was commanded. The man of God again and again bide him, saying: "Take it up without fear, and throw it where no man may find it." At length, with much ado, the raven took it up, and flew way, and after three hours, having dispatched the loaf, the raven returned, and received his usual allowance from the man of God.
THE 2018-2019
ANNUAL FUND Helping Bright Boys Become Exceptional Men
How can you support the St. Anselm's Experience? Overall School Budget Support for Current Year Scholarships Care for the Abbey and Aging Monks Renewing the Long Hall in the Academic Building There’s still time to make your 2018 contribution! Use the enclosed envelope or or donate securely online at www.saintanselms.org/support. You may also donate through the CFC (90387) or United Way (8967). Have you considered St. Anselm’s in your planned giving? There are many options available. Contact Kimberly Walhout at kwalhout@saintanselms.org or 202-281-1653 in our Development Office or your financial advisor.
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Mark Your
Calendars Discover all that's happening at St. Anselm's this spring. Please join us at the following events: 71st Annual Invitational Basketball Tournament
March 1 - 3
Form VII Forever (Past Parents) March 10 Lenten Mass and Brunch Priory Players' Production
March 15 - 17
Ninth Annual All-Alumni Reunion Weekend
April 26 - 28
St. Anselm's Annual Golf Outing in Memory of Pat Attridge, ’74
June 3
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