5 minute read
The BUZZ News from The Hive
CHAMPIONS AGAIN
Who is better than Gray Bee soccer? Clearly no one. When the season concluded on November 2, the varsity soccer team celebrated a perfect 17–0 season, captured the State Prep A title and clinched its 14th national championship. The decisive 2–0 victory over The Pennington School also extended the Gray Bee winning streak to 87 games, the fifth consecutive season the program held onto its unbeaten record.
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The BUZZ NEWS FROM THE HIVE
Fr. Mark Payne Institute: Advancing the Benedict’s Model
The new coat of arms for the third Abbot of Newark Abbey, the Rt. Rev. Augustine Curley, O.S.B. ’74, was unveiled in September. The emblem traces the monastic origins of Newark Abbey, pays tribute to Abbot Augustine’s Irish heritage and incorporates his chosen motto from the Book of Job, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Kingdom Prep Lutheran School, Milwaukee, Wis.
Crossover Prep, Tulsa, Okla. St. Martin de Porres High School, Cleveland, Ohio
Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.
The Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. Salesianum School, Wilmington, Del.
The Vox Institute has a new name and expanded outlook. Established in 2016 following the “60 Minutes” broadcast on St. Benedict’s Prep, the Institute works with public, charter and Catholic schools interested in adapting the Benedict’s approach and mindset. It was renamed the Fr. Mark Payne Institute in September in honor of the late Rev. Mark Payne, O.S.B. ’69, the architect behind the Group System, the Backpacking Project and much of what St. Benedict’s is today. “We are being more intentional about our offerings,” said Glenn Cassidy, Ed.D. ’90, Director of the Fr. Mark Payne Institute. Outreach to schools is now more proactive. The Institute will
soon launch three ongoing workshops focused on counseling, student leadership and strengthening community to alleviate bullying. Geared to school counselors, teachers, administrators and students, schools can opt to hold the St. Benedict’s facilitated workshops Glenn Cassidy, Ed.D. ’90 on-site or at 520 MLK Boulevard. The Fr. Mark Payne Institute is also continuing longer term partnerships with schools, and the number of student fellows has grown from eight to 30. Fr. Mark Fellows as they are now known, are developing educational programming, conducting outreach to schools, giving tours to visitors, and traveling to current partner schools in Delaware and Ohio to co-present workshops. A webinar series, retreats and other programming is also in the pipeline. According to Dr. Cassidy, it all comes down to a singular goal: spreading the Benedict’s model.
MONK FEST
RETURNS
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, Monkfest returned on August 21. The annual family event is held every August by the Benedictines of Newark Abbey to forge ties between the monastery, St. Benedict’s Prep, St. Mary’s Church and the University Heights neighborhood. The popular event was attended by students, faculty, parents, alumni and parishioners. Vocations at Newark Abbey have grown since the last Monkfest was held in 2019. Br. Robert of Moslemas Islas, O.S.B., and Br. Bruno Mello, O.S.B., entered the Novitiate and made Simple Vows, and Fr. Asiel Rodriguez, O.S.B., and Fr. Mark Dilone, O.S.B., were ordained to the priesthood.
Figuring it Out Earlier
ELEMENTARY DIVISION INTRODUCES PLAY THERAPY
Even before COVID-19 raised alarm bells around the country about the status of youth mental health, school psychologists Ivan Lamourt, Psy.D. ’82, and Sinclair Davis, Psy.D., recognized that specialized training and experience was needed to help the youngest children in the Elementary Division. “We were helping, but we weren’t helping enough,” said Dr. Davis, the Dean of the Steven M. Grossman Counseling Center. “Even though we had a good model to work with adolescents in the Middle and Prep divisions, it wasn’t a cut and paste model we could throw at the younger grades of the Elementary Division.” Last January, Vivica Patel, a graduate student at NJCU, began her counseling practicum at St. Benedict’s Prep. Ms. Patel is also studying to be a certified play therapist and suggested the Grossman Counseling Center connect with her professor, Yumiko Ogawa, Ph.D., Founding Director of the Center for Studies of Play Therapy at NJCU. Fast forward to the 2022-23 academic year and the St. Benedict’s counseling team and Dr. Ogawa have introduced play therapy
to help the youngest Gray Bees, Kindergarten to Grade 2, begin to process difficult emotions and trauma they may not have words to describe. “Children may not have the ability to express themselves, but they know play,” explained Ms. Patel. For a young child experiencing significant emotional distress, “Play therapy is another way for kids to speak their language.” Currently, 20 or so Elementary Division students receive counseling services. Dean of the Elementary Division Sister Ann Marie Gass, S.S.J., will make referrals for children who might benefit from play therapy. “No other school in Essex County offers this kind of therapeutic program or approach with kids,” said Dr. Lamourt, Senior Associate Headmaster for Student Life. “Often times therapy is delayed until students are older and you begin to see maladaptive behaviors. That’s something we continue to struggle with as a country,” he added. “At that point, everyone asks, ‘Why didn’t we figure this out earlier?’ We’re bringing therapy to that younger grade so we can intervene and assist the student earlier.”
WELCOME!
Alexandra Craft is thrilled to be at The Hive. Craft started in September as the new Director of Marketing and Communications and a member of the Advancement team at St. Benedict’s Prep. Ms. Craft most recently served as a content marketing strategist at NJIT and brings more than 12 years of marketing and film production experience to the role. “I am looking forward to telling our student and faculty stories and helping to bring in support for The Hive,” she stated. Raised in Wasilla, Alaska, Ms. Craft holds a bachelor’s in journalism and public communications from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and a master’s in film from the University of Stirling, Scotland. She lives in West Orange, N.J., with her husband, Matt, and dog, Goliath.
