St. Sebastian's Magazine, Fall 2015

VOLUME XI, ISSUE I

2015-2016

S T. SMEBASTIAN’S AG A Z I N E

The Science Issue Story Title Story Title Story Title

p 12 p 33 p 35

Father Julien with members of the pioneer class of 1945

2015-2016 Board of Trustees FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

12 Our Year of Mercy

Headmaster Burke’s remarks on “mercy,” the theme word for the academic year

16

The Perfect Formula

20

Math teacher Jim Sullivan celebrates 25 years of teaching and coaching at St. Sebastian’s

Celebrating 75 Years of St. Sebastian’s School

Join us on a walk down memory lane as we look back at the School’s history and make plans to honor this milestone anniversary

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New Trustees

10

Faculty & Staff News

24

Event Highlights

29

Fine Arts

30

Fall Sports

36

Alumni Events

48

A profile of actress Robbi Curtis and her special relationship with St. Sebastian’s

18

Around Campus

Jim Sullivan

In Memoriam

52 From the Archives

26

Robbi Curtis

A Catholic independent school, St. Sebastian’s seeks to engage young men in the pursuit of truth through faith and reason. By embracing Gospel values in an inclusive, nurturing community and by inspiring intellectual excellence in a structured liberal arts curriculum, St. Sebastian’s strives to empower students for success in college and in life. The ideal St. Sebastian’s graduate will be a moral and just person, a gentleman of courage, honor, and wisdom, a life-long learner who continues to grow in his capacity to know, to love, and to serve God and neighbor.

St. Sebastian’s Magazine publishes three times a year.

Photos by Connor Gleason

William L. Burke III P’95,’97,’00,’04 Executive Officer, Headmaster Douglas A. Kingsley, P’10,’10,’12,’13 Secretary

David M. Calabro ’78, P’16 Devin C. Condron ’92 William T. Connolly, Jr. P’10,’12,’17 John DeMatteo II P’11,’13,’16,’18 John P. DiGiovanni ’84, P’14 Dana G. Doe P’17 Rev. Michael E. Drea Kevin F. Driscoll ‘72 P’05,’09 Patrick J. Hegarty ’89 Jane M. Hoch P’07 John W. Hueber ‘71 Ross M. Jones P’16,’17 Susanne C. Joyce P’20 Wesley D. Mateo ’03 John E. McNamara ‘81 P’14,’18 James F. Mooney III P’18 Robert J. Mulroy ’82 Mark L. O’Friel ’79 William A. O’Malley P’09,’10,’13 Kristin E. Reed P’15,’17 John A. Sebastian P’18 Kurt R. Steinkrauss ’91, P’19 Mary L. Supple P’09,’10,’15 Stephen P. Ward ’96 Andrew Wasynczuk P’14,’17 Celeste E. Wolfe P’09,’12 Alyson M. Karpowicz P’16 President, Guild of St. Irene

St. Sebastian’s School Mission Statement

Credits

James L. Elcock ’77, P’08 President

Robert M. Wadsworth, P’10,’15 Treasurer

40 Class Notes

26 Leading Lady

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Seán Cardinal O’Malley, OFM. Cap. Chairman

St Sebastian’s School 1191 Greendale Ave Needham, MA 02492 781.449.5200

Michael P. Muldowney P’12,’16 President, Men’s Association Timothy P. Doherty ‘87 P’17 President, Alumni Association James A. Cotter, Jr. ’57 David F. Gately ‘73 J. Brad Griffith ’58 Trustee Emeriti

From the desk of the headmaster Wil l ia m L . Bu rk e I I I

We always and forever have access to the two most powerful forces in the universe: God and people of good will through whom our Lord works.

In our year of Mercy, we receive countless reminders that we’re never alone. No matter the weight of the burden upon us or the magnitude of the challenge before us, we need but turn to our gracious and loving God, the giver of all good gifts, and, as has often been said, our Lord will either remove the difficulty or give us the strength to bear it better. We need but turn to a family member, a peer, or a mentor through whom God’s grace flows freely and we rise on waves of love. We struggle, to be sure, but we struggle not alone.

In commenting on all that he has gained from his soul mates in the Class of 2017, Junior Laura, who has come to us from earthquake ravaged Haiti, offered these words in his Chapel speech: “They taught me English, courage, and brotherhood.” While we may not have learned English from him, Junior has proven to be a master teacher in his own right in the ways of courage and brotherhood, and certainly of joy!

Let me serve them all my days and never count the cost. This mission stirred me mightily years ago, when I first heard it, and I reflect upon it joyfully every day, as I witness the beauty and truth of my beloved colleagues engaging in their labors of love. A most distinguished educator among them is Mr. Jim Sullivan, a hero we feature in this issue of our magazine.

Jim became our Math Department Chair in 1990 after having taught in public schools for 25 years. A few years ago, he shared with me that when having lunch with some of his long-retired former colleagues, one of them asked him why he’s still teaching. Jim’s response went something like this: Where I teach, I get to go to Mass in the same building. Before class begins, my students and I offer prayers for one another’s sick or deceased relatives and friends. 100% of my students do 100% of their homework 100% of the time, and, to a man, each thanks me on his way out of class. Why would I want to give up that?

What Jim doesn’t say is that he has done and continues to do so very much to help build, maintain, and advance the culture he extols. I believe that every member of our extended St. Sebastian’s family has a vitally important role to play in strengthening our culture and advancing our mission. Through your prayers and your many contributions of time, talent, and treasure, you make your School a much stronger, much better place, and we love you for it!

Please visit whenever you can. You’ll find us ready to greet you with hearts and arms wide open.

Thanks again for everything, my brothers and sisters. May God continue to bless you and your loved ones every sacred step of the way.

With love and gratitude,

William L. Burke III Headmaster

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AROUND CAMPUS

News and Notes from Our School Community

so desperately need leaders whose A Story of the Human Spirt “ We inherent nature expresses compassion, Each summer, the entire school community reads the same book, typically an inspiring true story about overcoming adversity. This year’s All School Read, The Boys in the Boat, was no exception. Written by Daniel James Brown, the book is centered around the life of Joe Rantz and the other members of an eight-oar crew team who overcome the odds in their epic quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

On September 21, St. Sebastian’s welcomed Rantz’s daughter, Judy Willman, to campus to address students and faculty during the annual Summer Reading Assembly. Accompanied by her husband, Ray, Willman shared family photos, archived film footage, and fond memories of her father and his fellow teammates during his long life as a devoted family man, accomplished athlete, and Olympic rower.

Reading passages aloud from the book, Willman recounted the team’s triumph through rich and descriptive language that captured the excitement and significance of the competitions and the powerful messages the book entails.

Particularly stirring was Willman’s explanation of why the journey of her father and his teammates resonates with so many: “The story becomes a source of inspiration, even courage, to many people. But something that lies even deeper in the truth of the story is that it’s an unflinching probing into the human condition. Even if we don’t recognize it at a conscious level, somewhere down deep, the truth of what is important to us as humans vibrates throughout our souls. The book lets us stop and take a look deep down and remember what things in life are really important. We see trust, and sacrifice, and longing for home, and grief, and suffering, and redemption, and honor, and joy, and our hearts swell and tears come to our eyes because those are the things that lie in the heart of what it is to be human…”

We thank Judy and her family for sharing the story of her father and his teammates as we take the lessons from the book with us into this school year and beyond.

LEFT: Judy Willman speaks about The Boys in the Boat during the Summer Reading Assembly.

RIGHT: Ray and Judy Willman with Headmaster Bill Burke.

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understanding, love of fairness, and integrity... And you at St. Sebastian’s are teaching your youth to be that kind of people. This gives us hope for the future. Hope for our nation’s leadership. Because for every St. Sebastian’s graduate out there, the world becomes a little better place.

—an excerpt from a letter written by Judy and Ray

Willman following their visit to St. Sebastian’s

”

Engaging in the

Art of Debate The Debate Team enjoyed a very busy fall season travelling to invitational tournaments throughout New England.

The Team participated in debate tournaments at Roxbury Latin School, Phillips Exeter Academy, and The Hotchkiss School, and also competed in a public speaking competition hosted

by Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, MA. One of the highlights of the fall season was hosting a home tournament for novice debaters from 13 independent schools throughout the league on October 11. Kevin Oh ’19 won a School Speaker’s Prize with 252 speaker points in three rounds of debating.

Kevin Oh ’19 (right), holding his School Speaker Prize, with teammate Owen Martin ’19 (left) and Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne.

AROUND CAMPUS

School Honored for Dear Soldier Campaign St. Sebastian’s was recently recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for our support of injured veterans through the Dear Soldier Campaign. Run by the non-profit iPods for Wounded Veterans, the program encourages students nationwide to write letters of support to veterans in military hospitals.

St. Sebastian’s students across all grades wrote letters, sending words of thanks and encouragement. Class of 2015 members John Rourke and Charlie Gordon spearheaded the effort during

the 2014-15 academic year and then took their involvement a step further by making the Dear Soldier Campaign the focus of their senior service project.

On October 19, students from the eighth and twelfth grades visited the State House and were presented by State Representative James Miceli and the Massachusetts House of Representatives with a certificate of recognition. The certificate reads: “Your charity has undoubtedly impacted the lives of thousands of veterans and their families for the better, and reminds them their service will never be forgotten.”

Just the Right Speed In December, students engaged in a favorite annual tradition in the Science Department, building mousetrap cars out of everything from wood to CDs, and then sending them down the long corridor in the Science wing. The goal of the project: to build a car that travels exactly 4 m, doing so as quickly or as slowly as possible.

Members of the eighth and twelfth grades represented St. Sebastian’s on a visit to the State House.

Improbable Players Deliver a Powerful Performance In advance of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month in October, St. Sebastian’s welcomed performers from the Improbable Players, a Bostonbased theatre troupe that educates the public about substance abuse prevention, as well as the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. The cast performed original and powerful stories of the struggles of addiction, the impact it has on our relationships, their personal struggles with alcohol and drugs, and the support they received that led them to clean, sober living.

Cast members of the Improbable Players.

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Bringing Shakespeare to Life

William Evans ’17 shakes hands with Headmaster Burke at the National Honor Society ceremony.

61 Students Inducted into the National Honor Society On October 29, we inducted 61 students into the Sr. Evelyn C. Barrett, O.P. Chapter of the National Honor Society. The National Honor Society recognizes and inspires scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

CLASS OF 2016 John T. Brugger John L. Kapples John D. Loughborough, Jr. Francis C. Mahoney Paul R. McAuliffe, Jr.

During the annual Shakespeare Competition on December 8, students recited memorized passages with dramatic flair for a panel of faculty judges. David Korzeniowski ’16 won the Upper School Division with a superb rendition of the Porter’s monologue from Macbeth, while runner-up Owen Finnegan ’16 delivered a memorable performance from The Merchant of Venice. Alessandro Barbellini ’21 impressed the judges and won the Lower School Division.

Brendan McKenzie ’18 recites a scene On December 10, groups from the Class from Macbeth. of 2018 performed scenes from Macbeth, complete with costumes and props. Cam Martin ’18 and Brendan McKenzie ’18 earned first place for their performances. Sophomore A.J. Santosuosso’s monologue earned the best individual performance distinction.

Patrick N. Muldowney Nicholas M. O’Neil Austin P. O’Shea William F. Slayne

CLASS OF 2017 William R. Allen Raffi A. Barsamian Nicholas T. Connelly Michael F. Connolly Samuel P. Cullen James D. Dietrich Timothy M. DiFiore Bryan M. Doe Jack F. Doherty Liam J. Duggan Andrew M. Elcock William P. Evans Ethan P. Fidalgo Michael K. Finucane John M. Frisoli Richard P. Gallo Samuel H. Gordon Christopher B. Hailer Michael A. Hartman Thomas M. Hovsepian Joseph R. Hunt Cole E. Jarczyk Luke N. Jones Stephen C. Karol Thaddeus Kennedy Junior Laura

James R. McCabe, Jr. John T. McCarthy Kyle P. McCarthy Jackson S. McKeigue Kevin M. Moore Patrick M. Mulrenan Cameron W. Mulvey Richard J. Murphy Seamus R. Noonan Bryan P. O’Donnell Jake T. O’Neil James P. Orscheln John D. Petro William A. Phelan John C. Piatelli Michael P. Ragnoni Patrick E. Reed Cameron A. Rivera William D. Roche Peter S. Rowe Thomas P. Seidl Stewart M. Smith Christopher P. Vallace Thomas Wasynczuk Trevor W. Yandow Alexander R. Zafonte

Members of the robotics club in competition during the FIRST Tech Challenge on November 21.

Robotics Teamwork St. Sebastian’s recently hosted two robotics competitions. On November 21, teams were challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in an arena and score points by collecting objects and completing tasks in the playing area.

In the competition held on December 19, new or modified robots were designed to tackle the tougher challenge

of climbing the “mountain.” The Arrows’ robot experienced some failure early on, but after some on-the-fly modifications, recovered to finish with a win and a tie in their final two matches.

Several St. Sebastian’s alumni returned to campus for both competitions to serve as referees and technical advisors, inspecting the robots, helping troubleshoot robot malfunctions, and overseeing all of the matches.

AROUND CAMPUS

Art Club Rocks This fall, Art Club students painted unique mandala rocks, inspired

by Elspeth McLean’s “Dotillism” rock paintings that draw from the art of Aboriginal Australians and the concept of Tibetan Mandala paintings.

Unity Day Heightens Awareness About Homelessness As part of our 8th annual Unity Day on November 6, we welcomed back former faculty member Michelle Smith to talk to students and faculty about her work with homeless women, specifically in addressing their healthcare needs. Smith serves as the Executive Director of Health Care Without Walls, a non-profit that Former faculty member Michelle Smith provides quality healthcare, education, and advocacy to improve the lives of women who are homeless or marginally housed. Each day, Health Care Without Walls offers free, walk-in health care to nearly 2,500 homeless women and their children in seven shelters, safe houses and transitional family housing sites throughout the Greater Boston Area.

Smith, who also sits on Governor Baker’s task force on sexual assault and domestic violence, tied in this year’s theme of “mercy,” highlighting the importance of showing compassion and forgiveness rather than judgment. She also touched on society overcoming common misconceptions about the homeless, adding “the reality is that they need mercy, they need support, compassion, help, and direction. It is important for us to consider our perception and how we can effectively help them and address this crisis.”

Students help wrap gifts collected through the Winter Warmth Drive.

Bringing Warmth to Our Neighbors Our students gave back in several ways this past holiday season, lifting spirits and bringing warmth to our neighbors in need.

Hundreds of gloves, hats, mittens, scarves, and socks collected for the Winter Warmth Drive were wrapped by students and donated to the non-profit, Our Daily Bread Ministries. Over 250 pairs of socks were also collected and delivered to Health Care Without Walls, an effort inspired by Michelle Smith’s Unity Day presentation in November.

Members of the Class of 2017 participated in the Embrace a Family initiative, a Christmas gift-giving program that provides low-income families with gifts for the holiday season. Ten families with students at the San Miguel School in Providence, RI received multiple wrapped gifts of toys, clothing, and household items from each of our participating juniors.

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AROUND CAMPUS AP Scholar Awards The following students and recent graduates earned AP Scholar Awards from the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Program. Roughly 20% of the 2.1 million students worldwide who took AP Exams at the end of the 2014-15 school year performed at a sufficient level to earn this recognition.

The Christmas Program Showcases Musical Talent The St. Sebastian’s community celebrated the holiday season on December 17, 2015 with a festive and spiritual Christmas program joining scripture and song. The first part of the program included scripture readings by several students, interspersed with music from the St. Sebastian’s Schola.

The second half took on a more upbeat tone, showcasing students’ musical talent with contemporary Christmas pieces performed by the St. Sebastian’s Jazz and Rock Bands, and St. Sebastian’s acapella group, The Arrowheads.

National Scholar

(scoring 4 or higher on all AP exams taken, with an average score of at least 4 on 8 or more of these exams.)

John J. Ryan ’15 Tyler C. Wiik ’15

Jazz band members Michael Van Flandern ’20 and AJ Santosuosso ’18.

Scholar with Distinction

(scoring 3 or higher on at least 5 exams, with an average score of at least 3.5) Jack R. Adams ’15 Daniel M. Beam ’15 Anthony Canavan ’15 Edgar Escobar ’15 John F. Flatley ’15 Matthew Guarino ’15 Christopher G. Haley ’15 James H. Hunt ’15 Erik R. Jones ’16 Joseph Kerwin ’15 William D. McCarthy ’15

Macarthur W. Morris ’15 Peter E. Olson ’15 Christopher R. Potvin ’16 Matthew T. Rocco ’15 John J. Ryan ’15 Edward D. Silvia ’15 James D. Sylvia ’15 Scott H. Westvold ’15 Tyler C. Wiik ’15 Christopher Wolpe ’15

Scholar with Honor

(scoring 3 or higher on at least 4 exams, with an average score of at least 3.25)

Headmaster Bill Burke and Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne with seniors recently recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Nine Seniors Recognized as National Scholars Nine seniors were recognized for their academic talents by the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.

In April, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation identified the 50,000 highest scorers and 16,000 of those high performers were recently designated “Semifinalists” on a state representational basis. Senior James Ryan was designated as a Semifinalist and will have the opportunity to continue in the Merit Scholarship competition.

Students named as “Commended Students” are recognized for their exceptional academic promise, placing among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/ NMSQT) last October.

The Commended scholars are: Cole S. Aldrich, Michael D. Calabro, Paul J. Canavan, Gregory H. DeMatteo, Matthew P. Karpowicz, Paul J. Keady, Ryan O. Macedo, and Nicos Topulos.

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Cole S. Aldrich ’16 George L. Barrett ’15 Matthew Barron ’16 Weston R. Brach ’16 Colin P. Connolly ’15 William S. D’Orsi ’15 Gregory H. DeMatteo ’16

Pablo J. Hernandez ’15 Paul J. Keady ’16 David E. Korzeniowski ’16 Christian Locurto ’16 James Mitchell ’15 Nicos P. Topulos ’16

Scholar

(scoring 3 or higher on at least 3 exams) Matthew W. Bell ’15 Thomas J. Caravolas ’15 Cedric R. Depestre ’15 James C. Desisto ’15 Dan Miguel G. Espinosa ’16 Sheng Huang ’16 Matthew P. Karpowicz ’16 Justin R. Lee ’15 John D. Loughborough ’16 Ryan O. Macedo ’16

Peter Mullin ’16 Angus M. O’Rourke ’15 John T. Ragnoni ’16 John Rourke ’15 Michael P. Rozewski ’16 James Ryan ’16 Paige I. Sanderson ’15 Christian J. Santosuosso ’15 Peter K. Scotten ’15 Kenny M. Vallace ’15

Faith by the Numbers

1

155

DAILY MASSES celebrated by our Chaplain, Father John Arens, during the School year at St. Sebastian’s

PRAYER said before

every Religion class and sports game, and countless other prayers offered throughout the school day

1,400

CHRISTMAS CARDS

150

students, faculty and staff write to each other, with words of thanks, encourgement and praise, during the annual Christmas Card Assembly

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RETREATS held each year, one

for each grade level, providing an opportunity for students to reflect, build community and deepen their faith

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MEALS prepared and

served each month at the Paulist Center by the Junior Class—just one of the many ways students serve our neighbors in need

STUDENTS & FACULTY

7,224

HOURS (24 hours a day while school is in session), the candle of the Blessed Sacrament stays lit in the Chapel each academic year

comprise the school’s Music Ministry and faithfully serve the School at monthly Masses and prayer services

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OR MORE TIMES each week,

students and faculty gather in the Chapel or Church for Corporate Chapel, Chapel speeches and daily Mass

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Welcome

to Our New Trustees TIM DOHERTY ’87, P’17 Alumni Association President Tim and his wife, Rose, live in Needham with their two children. Their son, Jack, is currently a junior and their daughter, Sally, attends Fairfield University. A graduate of Providence College, Tim is the President of Pinnacle HR Solutions, a consulting firm that helps employers develop a sustainable employee benefits strategy. Tim has been an active alumnus since he graduated from St. Sebastian’s, assisting with capital campaigns, reunion committees, and serving as a member of the Alumni Board.

KEVIN DRISCOLL ’72, P’05,‘09 We welcome Kevin back to the Board. He and his wife Kathleen live in Cohasset, MA. They have six children. Kevin is a graduate of Fairfield University and Suffolk Law School. He is a Financial Advisor/VP of Investments at Wells Fargo Advisors. A 1972 graduate of St. Sebastian’s, he has three brothers and two sons in the Arrow alumni quiver. He previously served as a trustee from 2005 to 2013. He was our Men’s Association President from 2004-2005.

JOHN HUEBER ’71 John and his wife, Marcia, live in Lincoln. Their two children live and work in the Boston area. John and his two brothers attended St. Sebastian’s. As the President and Founding Principal at Crosspoint Associates, John feels blessed to have guided the firm for over twentyfive years and to now have his son on its executive team. John holds a BA from Boston College and an MBA from Babson College.

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St. Sebastian’s is very fortunate to have an exceptional group of parents, alumni, and friends of the School who give generously of their time and share their wisdom as members of the Board of Trustees. We are pleased to welcome the nine new members joining our board.

SUSANNE JOYCE P’20 Susanne and her husband, John, live in Dedham with their four children.

Their oldest son, Connor, attends St. Sebastian’s. Susanne worked in advertising for Hill Holliday for seven years before leaving work to stay home full-time with her children. A graduate of Boston College, she currently serves on the boards of Newton Country Day School and Dedham Country Day School, and is also a member of the Women’s Health Leadership Committee at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

ALYSON KARPOWICZ P’16 Guild of St. Irene President Alyson and her husband, Ken, live in Wellesley with their son, Matt, who is a senior this year. A sales associate at Benoit Mizner Simon & Co, Alyson has been a realtor in the Metrowest area for the past twelve years. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Institutional Operations and Client Services at Fidelity Investments. Alyson has a BA in History from the College of the Holy Cross. She is a member of the Wellesley Service League, and has enjoyed serving in many volunteer roles with the Guild of St. Irene.

JOHN MCNAMARA ’81, P’14,’18 John served as the President of the Alumni Board for the past three years.

A 1981 graduate of St. Sebastian’s, John is the VP of Arlington Coal & Lumber Company, a 75 year old family-owned company he joined following his graduation from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1985. John and his wife, Lisa, are the proud parents of twin girls, Meghan and Anne, and two boys, Johnny ’14 (attending Boston College) and Billy ’18. John enjoys boating, skiing, golf, and spending time at his children’s athletic events.

FACULTY & STAFF NOTES Headmaster Burke Receives Richard J. Bradley Award from NEASC

MICHAEL MULDOWNEY P’12,’16 Men’s Association President Michael and his wife, Daniela, live in Dover with their three sons. Their oldest son, MJ, graduated from St. Sebastian’s in 2012. Patrick is a senior, and Liam is a 6th grader at Tenacre. Michael is CFO of Gordon Brothers Group and a member of their executive and investment committees. He earned his BA in Accounting from St. Ambrose University. Michael also serves on the board of directors of Veritiv, Cathedral High School, Hugs for Heroes, Inc., and Danny Amendola’s Catches for Kids.

Headmaster Bill Burke was presented with the Richard J. Bradley Award at the 130th Annual Conference of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in Boston on December 10, 2015. The Richard J. Bradley Award, named for the longtime Executive Director of the Association, is presented annually to an active New England educator who has made significant contributions to the work and purpose of NEASC, and whose exemplary work maintains and advocates high standards of excellence in education.

MARY SUPPLE P’09,’10,’15 Mary and her husband, Bill, live in Needham. While their three sons attended St. Sebastian’s, Mary was an active volunteer, including a term as Guild of St. Irene President. Mary earned a BA from the College of the Holy Cross, where she served as President’s Council Co-Chair for four years and a Class Agent for 33 years. Since 2007, she’s been a board member and treasurer of two local non-profits. Mary is the mother of Ned ’09, Jack ’10, Madeline and Will ’15.

ANDREW WASYNCZUK P’14,’17 Andy and his wife Rebecca live in Westwood. They have four children. Their son, Luke ’14, is attending Washington University; their son, Thomas, is a junior at St. Sebastian’s. Andy is a faculty member at Harvard Business School, teaching courses related to negotiations and management. He joined HBS after sixteen years as COO with the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium. Andy received his MBA from HBS in 1983 and holds BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. He is also a board member of Case Western Reserve University, as well as the Salvation Army of Greater Boston.

Faculty Member Paul Tremblay’s Latest Book Receives National Press Mathematics faculty member and published author Paul Tremblay is receiving high accolades for his most recent thriller, A Head Full of Ghosts. Editorial reviews— from The New York Times to Publisher’s Weekly—have praised the book for its clever, suspenseful plot and brilliant writing. The book was selected for NPR’s “Guide to 2015’s Great Reads” and even received a tweet from renowned author Stephen King. A Head Full of Ghosts is attracting Hollywood’s attention as well, with Focus Features recently winning an auction for the option of developing his novel into a film.

Tremblay has written four other novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of essays and short fiction that have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Five Chapters.com, and Best American Fantasy 3. His forthcoming novel, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, is due to be published in June and is already gaining the attention of The Wall Street Journal.

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New Faces on Campus St. Sebastian’s is pleased to welcome its newest faculty and staff members, a talented group who are already making an impact in the classrooms and on the School community.

MICHAELA CHAPMAN Communications Associate Michaela joined the Communications Department at St. Sebastian’s after graduating from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a BA in Graphic Design and Marketing. Michaela created her own curriculum and specialized program to successfully obtain a major in both fields. She assists the Communications team with any design needs, as well as helping to maintain the school’s website.

TERRELL DIGGS ’09 Assistant Director of Admissions; Faculty, Religion As a St. Sebastian’s 2009 graduate, Terrell played varsity football and basketball and was president of the MPA club. Terrell accepted an offer from Nativity Prep as a teaching fellow after studying criminology and communications at Stonehill College. During his time at Nativity, he taught geography, applied math, world religion, PE, and coached in the athletic department. Terrell has returned to St. Sebastian’s to work in Admissions and teach 7th grade religion, as well as coach football, basketball, and lacrosse. He looks forward to building strong connections with families as he continues to introduce new students to the School.

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ELISE DIMEO Faculty, Spanish Growing up in Needham, Elise graduated from Needham High School and attended Union College, where she earned a BS in Psychology and Spanish.

During her time at Union, Elise was Chapter President of her sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, while working to advertise courses and study abroad programs for different departments at the college. After graduating in 2014, Elise moved to Madrid, Spain to teach in a bilingual/immersion school where she taught both preschool and primary school classes. At St. Sebastian’s, Elise teaches Spanish, as well as coaches the swim team.

CONNOR GLEASON Assistant Director of Communications Originally from just outside of Philadelphia, Connor is an award-winning photojournalist and photographer with a background in journalism and digital media. With a BS in Photography from Ithaca College and a Master’s in Journalism from Boston University, Connor joined the St. Sebastian’s community to assist with school communications, including photography, social media, video, and writing for the magazine.

THOMAS MORIARTY Faculty, Mathematics A Newton native, Thomas worked in a Miami area elementary school through City Year Miami before majoring in math at Hamilton College where he pitched on the baseball team, acted in student theatre productions, and interned in the Admissions office as a tour guide. Thomas taught high school math at a charter school in Washington, DC before coming to St. Sebastian’s to teach in the Mathematics department, as well as assist in coaching the freshmen football and baseball teams, and support the creative writing club.

WOODY REDPATH Faculty, History Prior to joining the St. Sebastian’s community, Woody worked for three years at Kimball Union Academy, a small boarding school in New Hampshire. At Kimball Union, he was the head varsity soccer coach, a member of the history department, an advisor, and a dorm parent to 35 boys. At St. Sebastian’s, Woody works in a very similar capacity, serving as the head coach of the varsity soccer program, teaching four sections of history, and advising six students. Woody played collegiate soccer and hockey for four years at Wesleyan University before graduating with a BA in History. He’s looking forward to working and contributing to the St. Sebastian’s community at the multiple levels the School has to offer young men.

SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT A few recent posts from St. Sebastian’s online community

STEPHEN SALOMONE Faculty, Religion Steve graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY in 2000. After serving five years on active duty as a field artillery officer, he left the service and enrolled at Harvard Divinity School to study comparative theology, and received a Master of Theological Studies degree in 2008. Now in his seventh year of teaching, Steve has previously taught at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, RI and Boston College High School. He is excited to have joined the St. Sebastian’s community as a member of the Religion Department.

Additionally, he supervises the 8th grade chapel speaking program.

FACEBOOK: The Arrowheads wish St. Sebastian’s a Merry Christmas with a musical greeting! YOUTUBE: Alessandro Barbiellini ’21 wowed the audience with a rendition of Beethoven’s Third Sonata, C Major during Admissions Curriculum Night in December. TWITTER: Members of the Class of 2016 visited the Pine Street Inn in Boston for a day of service. The seniors brought close to 500 pounds of produce and helped prepare meals for the emergency shelter for homeless women and men in Boston.

JIM WALSH ’86 Director of Alumni Programs A “six-year survivor,” Jim graduated from St. Sebastian’s in 1986 and went on to Boston College where he graduated with a BA in History. For the next twenty-five years, Jim had a successful career in the financial services industry working at such firms as Fidelity Investments and Bank of America. Now, nearly thirty years after graduating from St. Sebastian’s, he has returned to campus as the new Director of Alumni Programs. A native of Newton Centre, Jim currently resides in Weymouth with his wife, Laurie, and their two children, Aidan and Susan.

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OUR YEAR OF

MERCY

September 14, 2015 / Opening remarks for the academic year

BY HEADMASTER WILLIAM L. BURKE III

“I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” (John 4:38) I feel as though this message is aimed directly at me. For richly blessed indeed was I to arrive at St. Sebastian’s in 1990 and begin right away reaping and sharing in the fruits for which I had not labored. The many intelligent, talented, devoted, courageous, visionary, selfless leaders such as founding and early trustees Mr. Jack Birmingham ’59, Mr. Tom Swan ’60, Mr. Brad Griffith ’58, and Bishop John Boles ’47 cooperated with our gracious and loving God, the giver of all good gifts, and with many heroic people in giving freely and fully of themselves to build up our great School. Truly, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and we are forever in their debt.

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This morning we have with us a number of their noble successors, led by our outstanding Board of Trustees President, Mr. Jim Elcock ’77, P’08, who is guiding our newest trustees through their orientation program. These dedicated men and women have given and will continue to give from the fullness of their hearts to guide and protect and strengthen our St. Sebastian’s boat in every way, and we love them for it. May we please express our tremendous gratitude…

I thought of our forward thinking board of trustees and I thought of all of us blessed to be here in our Church, in our School, in our country, and on our planet this summer, when I read these words in Reinhold Niebuhr’s The Irony of American History: Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.

Some of what I’m about to share with you this morning, I offered in our faculty meeting last week. In his new, best-selling book, The Road to Character, New York Times columnist David Brooks writes: “Everybody needs redemptive assistance from the outside—from God, family, friends, ancestors, rules, traditions, institutions, and exemplars.”

Our School is a great school because we open ourselves to all of these powers and in a special way because our awesome faculty is filled with true exemplars. The essence of life is in relationships.

Your teachers, coaches, advisors, moderators, mentors, and friends connect with each of you young men soul to soul; they model and demand the best virtues; they inspire you to fall ever more deeply in love with learning; they call you to greatness

in body, mind, and spirit; they love you. And you respond so beautifully well. As Noah Hanifin ’15 remarks: “You’re around so many good people that your standards get raised.”

Our year’s theme often comes to me in prayer, is sometimes suggested by a colleague, and this year has arrived via Pope Francis, who last spring announced that the period from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016 would be designated an extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy. So Mercy it is, and we at St. Sebastian’s are blessed to be getting an early start.

An extraordinary Holy year, the 29th such year declared by the Church since the tradition began over 700 years ago, is generally announced every 25 years or so. What a graced year for us! Our Holy Father declares an extraordinary holy year, and he will soon be visiting our country!

From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has celebrated mercy, as he offers here: “This is me, a sinner on whom the Lord has turned His gaze. And this is what I said when they asked me if I would accept my election as pontiff. I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in the spirit of penance.”

When he announced the upcoming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis shared the following: We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace…

Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness…Mercy will always be greater than any sin, and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive.

Pope Francis has also described mercy as a force, writing: “Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope...a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon.”

We learn in our religion classes of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which Pope Francis urges us to practice in these words: Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.

So here we have our theme: Mercy. One simple word of just five letters, and yet, though we devote our lives in striving to grasp its deepest meaning, we will fall far short of the mark, for mercy is the work of God, whose goodness and greatness are beyond us. But on we’ll struggle, and so much the better for our earnest efforts will we surely be.

We do not have to search far and wide in literature to encounter mercy. In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, Portia begs Shylock to be merciful in these famous words: The quality of mercy is not strained.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

Clearly, you gentlemen experience this double gift of mercy whenever you engage in community service. How often you express your firm belief that you receive more than you give. One can’t help another without experiencing the joy of uplifted spirit.

As the Dalai Lama puts it: If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

By those standards, the Good Samaritan must be counted among the happiest characters in the Bible.

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Seniors and faculty gather on the beach during the Senior Retreat.

Defined as disposition to forgive or show compassion… reward, gift; kindness, grace, pity...deliverance, release from judgment, mercy is the ultimate Win/Win. A gift given; a gift received!

It is my high hope and great expectation that we will all grow in our understanding of and commitment to the practice of mercy this year.

I can tell you that our very own Mr. Dan Williams ’64 did his part in helping me gain a deeper sense of mercy many years ago, when he exclaimed emphatically: “God hasn’t given me what I deserve! Thank God!” When I shared this anecdote with one of our new trustees, he led me to these concepts: Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.

Pope Benedict XVI makes this bold statement: “God’s passionate love for his people—for humanity —is at the same time a forgiving love. It is so great that it turns God against himself, his love against his justice.”

Mercy is a bridge, a pardon, a release, a lift, a gift from the heart, a second chance, an ocean of forgiveness. The very definition of unconditional love, mercy is an unselfish act, a powerful force. Mercy is a life-giving decision. Inspired by our beloved Chaplain, Father John Arens, I proclaim that Mercy is what we practice, what we do, what we give, when we’re most open and attuned to the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our weakness within us and among us. Unmerited, unearned, pure, pure gift.

It occurs to me that we really only have two categories of essential relationship. The first and by far the most important is the relationship each of us has with our loving, kind, ever merciful God, Who loved us first and Who loves us more than

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we can love. What comfort we take in the psalms! “The Lord is kind and merciful.” (Psalm 103) “His mercy endures forever.”

(Psalm 136) In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray: “You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.”

The mercy that God showers upon is truly divine, and as such, is far, far greater than any gift we could ever deserve.

The second category of relationship is the relationship we humans enjoy with our sisters and brothers in our community and across the globe. The connection between mercy and deserving on the human level sparkles brilliantly in Robert Frost’s long dramatic poem, “The Death of the Hired Man.” Mary rushes out of the house when she hears her husband’s truck roll up the driveway and informs him that Silas, their aged former hired man, has come home to die. Warren, her husband, angrily challenges her, reminding her that Silas was an old, broken down, all-but-useless worker who had abandoned them at haying time.

And besides all that, this is not his home. Mary wins the day with this inspired response: Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in.

I should have called it Something you somehow haven’t to deserve.

Our faith teaches and our exemplars show that Silas and every human being deserves the dignity, honor, respect, and love due him or her as a genetically unrepeatable gift from God made in the image and likeness of God.

I submit that Mercy has nothing to do with deserving, when it comes from God to us. But, fundamentally, mercy has everything to do with deserving in the human to human realm. And we do not have to strain to hear its call. At a base level, we sort of owe mercy to each other in a “we’re all in this together” sense, as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow suggests in this couplet: Being all fashioned of the self-same dust, Let us be merciful as well as just.

In sacred scripture, we find many passages juxtaposing justice or judgment with mercy and many reminders that if we want to be treated with mercy, we must treat others with mercy. “For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:13) “Blest are they who show mercy: mercy shall be theirs.” (Matthew 5:7 – The Sermon on the Mount) “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

And the poets really have fun with this concept: In John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” we hear: ...yet I shall temper so Justice with mercy.

In Alexander Pope’s “Universal Prayer”: Teach me to feel another’s woe, To right the fault I see; That mercy I to others show, That mercy show to me.

In John Dryden’s “The Hind and the Panther”: Reason to rule, mercy to forgive: The first is law, the last prerogative.

Prerogative… choice. God has blessed us with freedom of choice and lets us participate in His work. It’s our decision.

We can be kind and merciful or we can be hard-hearted and withhold mercy.

When and where can we show mercy? All of the time and everywhere, we can be kind and merciful. We can choose to uplift and support and refrain from teasing, chirping, badgering, bullying, humiliating, and tearing down, and we can refuse to tolerate those who do. Neutrality is not an option.

In his acceptance speech at the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, Elie Wiesel, who lost family members and suffered the horrors of the holocaust in Nazi concentration camps, offered these memorable words: “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim…silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

So the next time someone is being mistreated in your presence, or the next time someone tells a racist or sexist or any other kind of demeaning joke to you or within earshot, consider approaching him, with love in your heart, looking him in the eye, and offering these words: “You’re better than that.” Motivate the better angels of his nature. Help him reset the course of his life. Help him be better than he used to be. Help him become the man he wants to be. Who wins? The tormented, the tormentor, you. Win/Win/Win. I’ve never met a happy lazy person, and I’ve never met a happy tormentor. We are happy here because we love God, we work hard, and we take good care of one another.

“When and where can we show mercy? All of the time and everywhere, we can be kind and merciful.”

You gentlemen strive to do what God, your parents, and your teachers have done for you. Give what you have been given. Be kind and merciful. Call others to greatness.

And when we fall short of our goals, when we miss golden opportunities to do the next right thing or when we make a mistake, no matter how big, let us remember that we always and forever have access to the two most powerful forces in the universe: our gracious, loving, and merciful God and people of good will through whom our Lord works. And this School is full of such people. God will always receive us and never leave us, and your St. Sebastian’s family is here for you forever. We are never alone, so when we stumble, let us atone. And what a great word that is! If it ever shows up on a vocabulary quiz, the answer will be right in front of you. All you have to do is put a space between the “t” and the “o”, and atone becomes at one. We’ll admit our faults, amend our ways, repair relationships, and once again be at one with God and each other.

I speak from my heart and from the hearts of our trustees and from the hearts of our faculty and staff when I tell you that it’s a great honor and a true joy to be called to serve you young men and your families. This year, may we grow in mercy and may we spend ourselves fully in pulling together with you and for you, the boys in our boat!

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Perfect Formula

The

From the classroom to the course, Math teacher Jim Sullivan celebrates 25 years of faithful service at St. Sebastian’s School

BY CONNOR GLEASON

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A

fter just two years of teaching at St. Sebastian’s, Jim Sullivan received the dedication page in the Arrows yearbook. It’s clear that his impact on the students was profound and immediate.

Coming from Wellesley High School, Sullivan joined the faculty as Math Department Chair in 1990. Since then, his positive influence has extended far and wide, whether as a teacher in the classroom, a coach on the golf course or a volunteer in the community. He remains as committed as ever to his students, his family, and the wellbeing of others.

“I feel there was some help from above in me getting here,” Sullivan recalls. Over twentysix years ago, he attended a corporate chapel during a family visit to the School when his son was eligible to enroll. “I was so taken up by the spiritual nature of the School; I knew this was the place I wanted to teach.”

A few months later, Headmaster Burke offered Sullivan the job as math department chair—his first hire as the new leader of St. Sebastian’s—and they began their tenure together the following fall.

Today, basked in the glow of an overhead projector, Sullivan leads a group of students through a complicated and detailed calculus equation that’s projected onto the classroom wall. The BC Calculus class is one of the most advanced math courses offered at the School, equal to a full year of calculus at the collegiate level and covering a curriculum similar to courses at MIT. It’s an equation Sullivan has seen many times before, but he calmly, patiently guides the students through the solution with confidence and grace.

A SKILLED & PATIENT EDUCATOR While the math hasn’t changed much over the years—two and two is still four, Sullivan asserts—what has advanced is how the students learn best. Comprehending the complicated mathematical concepts can be overwhelming to some and a challenge to most, but presenting the material in a digestible and personable way—visually checking for understanding, meeting oneon-one—is how he breaks through. “Not everyone grasps the concepts quickly,” he advises. “So you work with them. It’s part of your responsibility as a teacher.”

Before formal instruction begins, Sullivan starts each lesson with prayer to bring the

class together in a collective mindset, a reminder to pursue truth through faith and reason. “It makes you realize that there’s something beyond the classroom, that we’re trying to work for something bigger,” says student Paul Keady ’16. Before and after class, before and after school, students can find extra help with Sullivan. “He’s dedicated to making sure we learn what we have to learn, no matter what the expense is on his part.”

Mathematics teacher Donna Atwood, who joined the faculty in 1992 under Sullivan’s direction, credits him for transforming the atmosphere of the department for the students. Sullivan cements the cornerstone of a young student’s education by focusing on the process of learning and giving students the skills needed to succeed. Sullivan’s introduction of the Math Lab, a designated space for students to seek extra help with math outside regular classroom hours, created an environment where the boys could obtain the resources they needed to hone their math skills. He’s constantly working and connecting with students with endless patience, avoiding assumptions while fostering a dialogue as he guides them through difficult lessons. The students are genuinely appreciative of his efforts, but most of all, they appreciate the man himself.

“Coach Sullivan was keenly aware of how to bring out the best in each of his players. Above all else, he is the most genuine and kind coach that I have ever had.”

—Joe Bergeron ’10

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A MENTOR WHO BRINGS OUT THE BEST Senior Robert Lemone has seen his proficiency on the links develop under Sullivan’s coaching after joining the varsity golf team as a sophomore. Now, as captain of the team, he looks to Coach Sullivan for his subdued, yet supportive demeanor before matches. “He changed the way I prepare for my tournaments,” Lemone said in reference to his own mental state before a match. “He offers great motivation and it makes you want to play for him and do the best you can.” Alumnus Joe Bergeron ’10 recalls how Sullivan led the golf team to back-to-back ISL championships. “He was keenly aware of how to bring out the best in each of his players,” Bergeron remembers.

“Above all else, he is the most genuine and kind coach that I have ever had.”

A GENEROUS SPIRIT Perhaps one of Sullivan’s most defining qualities is his devotion to those in need. Sullivan has consistently made considerable efforts to provide for others during times of hardship. Whether donating his time to teach golf to individuals with disabilities, or traveling to Louisiana to assist with the reconstruction efforts after Hurricane Katrina, his service extends beyond the St. Sebastian’s community and into the greater public.

The 1992 yearbook dedication page details a conversation between Sullivan and a student after a long day of classes. “You’re here pretty late,” said one student. “Well, I’m usually here pretty late,” Sullivan responded. “The three most important things in my life are my wife, my kids, and my students.”

Today, not much has changed. Although semi-retired, Sullivan still teaches part-time and coaches full-time, continuing to instill his virtues St. Sebastian’s was so lucky to gain twenty-five years ago.

ON THE EVENING OF NOVEMBER 10,

faculty and trustees gathered in Ward Hall to honor Jim Sullivan for his twentyfive years of teaching and coaching at St. Sebastian’s. Current Math Department Chair Jim Rest spoke about his long-time friend and colleague, sharing stories from current students, colleagues, and alumni who have been positively impacted by his years of service. Rest expanded on Sullivan’s virtues, like his generous spirit, professionalism, devotion to his students, and love for his family. “You are extraordinary, Sully,” Rest told the audience. “Not just in your number of years here at St. Sebastian’s, but more importantly, the legacy of lives you’ve touched in service.”

“My life here has been a tremendous blessing,” shared Sullivan. “Somehow, someway I was graced by God to get here.

The people here are fantastic. The families, the parents, the kids exemplify appreciation, courtesy, and respect, and I knew it was a place I wanted to teach and stay. It’s been a marriage made in heaven ever since.”

ABOVE: Jim Sullivan with his wife, Rosemary, and one of his grandchildren, Ellen Gracia, at the Faculty Trustee Dinner held in his honor.

Coach Sullivan on the golf course with the 2015 varsity golf team.

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Summer Workshops in Writing & Science Two sessions for Summer 2016:

July 11–22 & July 25–August 5

These two distinct workshops, run by our experienced St. Sebastian’s faculty, are an enriching learning opportunity for students looking for a challenging and fun summer experience.

Open to all boys entering grades 5–9

stsebs.org/workshops

Celebrating 75 YEARS of On the morning of September 29, 1941,

St. Sebastian’s held its first ever day of classes on Nonantum Hill, the site of its first campus in Newton. Twenty-one boys were there that day, helping to make the vision of founder Cardinal William O’Connell a reality. For several years, the Archbishop of Boston had been hoping to start a new school that would combine the objectives of a country day school with Catholic values.

In the weeks, months, and years that followed, the School’s first Headmaster, Charles D. McInnis, along with a faculty of seven priests, guided these original students and the boys who made up succeeding classes to help establish the tone, reputation, and quality of education offered at St. Sebastian’s. From the outset, the School’s spiritual focus was a distinguishing quality and continues to be the cornerstone of a St. Sebastian’s education today.

Over the coming year, St. Sebastian’s will be celebrating its 75th anniversary and looking back at the many extraordinary people and stories who’ve been a part of this great School.

St. Sebastian’s holds its first day of classes in the dining hall while renovations to other buildings on campus are completed.

1945

1941

1967

St. Sebastian’s holds its first Commencement ceremonies.

Several members of the class are unable to attend due to military service.

St. Sebastian’s School opens its doors for the first time on Monday, September 29, under the direction of Headmaster Msgr. Charles D. McInnis.

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1952

St. Sebastian’s opens its enrollment to seventh and eighth graders.

The School’s first Student Government (later renamed Student Council) was formed.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the exciting events and initiatives being planned: A THREE-DAY “BIRTHDAY PARTY”

In honor of the School’s official 75th anniversary on Thursday, September 29, 2016, there will be a Founder’s Day Celebration for the students and faculty. The celebration will continue on Friday, September 30 with a special day of Athletic Games and conclude with the 75th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, October 1.

A BOOK OF OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY

In conjunction with the Class of 2016’s Senior Class Gift, our school’s rich history will be detailed in a beautiful coffee table book filled with images from our archives.

The book is being written and designed by Nomad Press and will be available for purchase next fall.

A TREASURE TROVE OF ARCHIVES

We’re using this special anniversary as an opportunity to grow our archives. We’re gladly accepting items from alumni, past parents and other friends of the School. (see page 23 for more details)

ALUMNI DIRECTORY

A 75th Anniversary edition of the alumni directory will serve as another way for Arrows to reconnect.

Stay informed about our 75th anniversary plans by visiting: www.stsebs.org/75 The school community gathers on Nonantum Hill to dedicate the statue of St. Sebastian on September 21, 1952.

1982

1971

The varsity hockey team joins the Private School League, later known as the Independent School League (ISL).

St. Sebastian’s begins the 1982-1983 School year on the Newton campus before moving to its new campus in Needham over Christmas break.

2012

1993

On the first day of classes in September 2012, the new Science, Math & Library Center officially opens, doubling the School’s academic space.

The now weekly Corporate Chapel is formalized, the Writing Program created, and Freshman Writing instituted in the fall.

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1959

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2016

HELP US BUILD OUR

ARCHIVES In honor of St. Sebastian’s 75th Anniversary, we are looking to build our archives and preserve our history for future generations of Arrows. We are reaching out to our alumni and parents of alumni to help us build our collection by donating photos, film, video, publications, and St. Sebastian’s memorabilia to the School.

From older copies of The Walrus and Sagitta to photographs, jerseys and playbills, these items each help to tell our School’s story. Featured on this page are some of the treasures already donated by alumni.

For more information about how to make a contribution to our archives, please contact Ed Davis in our Alumni Office at ed_davis@stsebs.org or 781.247.0158 or visit: www.stsebs.org/archives

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS Headmaster’s Leadership Reception On September 24, more than 200 current and past parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends came together to recognize and celebrate Leadership donors for their tremendous continued support of St. Sebastian’s. Speaking in Ward Hall, Board of Trustees President, Jim Elcock ’77, opened the evening, thanking the donors for their generous contributions to the School, and congratulating them on another successful year—academically, spiritually, and economically.

Rich Gotham P’20, President of the Boston Celtics, delivered the morning’s keynote address.

20th Annual Boston Business Breakfast

From left: Jack Sebastian P’18, Brian McKenzie P’18,’20, Kristina Hatem P’20 and Andrew Hatem P’20.

Alumni, current parents, parents of alumni, and friends of St. Sebastian’s School met over coffee and light refreshments at the Boston College Club for the 20th annual Boston Business Breakfast on November 24. Rich Gotham P’20, President of the Boston Celtics, delivered the morning’s keynote address. Gotham attributed the success of any organization to the engagement and support of its people. He noted that it’s their commitment and dedication that enables positive growth and accomplishment within any company, team, or school.

HOMECOMING 2015 Alumni, students, parents, and friends returned to St. Sebastian’s on October 10 under a bright, blue sky to celebrate Homecoming and cheer on the varsity football and soccer teams as they played with the full support of the St. Sebastian’s community.

Saturday’s festivities began with opening remarks from Headmaster Bill Burke, who welcomed our guests from Belmont Hill and Milton Academy, recognizing the countless supporters from both sides of the field who were wearing pink wristbands in remembrance of Erin Van Flandern (sister of current student Michael Van Flandern ’20), who unexpectedly passed away in January 2015. The School’s acappella group, The Arrowheads, then led in the singing of our National Anthem before varsity football and soccer took to their respective fields.

The brilliant effort and sportsmanship of our athletes combined with the crisp, fall weather made for a fabulous Homecoming weekend.

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Brothers Ryan Martin ’17 and Cam Martin ’18 celebrate a varsity victory with some younger fans after the Homecoming football game.

A Festive Night of Fundraising

M

ore than 400 parents and other members of the St. Sebastian’s community came together at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel for the annual Christmas Auction & Dinner on December 5, 2015.

It was a fantastic night that brought everyone together in holiday spirit and support of the School.

The evening featured a silent and live auction that showcased hundreds of items ranging from St. Sebastian’s needlepoint ornaments and a wave runner, to hover boards and premier vacation getaways. This year featured a “Text-to Bid” component, which allowed guests to easily place a bid on any silent auction item from the convenience of their cell phone. Bidding went long into the night, with funds going to support the School and its community, as well as financial aid and the development of the Visiting Speaker Series.

Nearly 120 mothers on the Guild of St. Irene worked together, contributing their time and talents to bring this evening to fruition.

We are especially grateful to this year’s Auction Co-Chairs Mary Mahoney P’16, P ’21, and Eileen Orscheln P’17, and Guild of St. Irene President Alyson Karpowicz P’16, for their tremendous efforts. Special thanks also go to Men’s Association President Michael Muldowney P’12, P’16 and fellow fathers Ken Karpowicz P’16, Frank Mahoney P’16, P ’21, and Michael Orscheln P’17, for serving as our Premium Board Auctioneers. And, of course, thank you to all of our sponsors, donors, and bidders for being a part of this favorite annual event. It was the perfect start to the holiday season!

LEFT: Guests enjoy socializing and bidding during the reception. TOP: Parents “raise their paddles” to contribute to the development of a Speaker Series during the live auction. MIDDLE: Ken Karpowicz P’16 collects bids for items on the Premium Auction Board. BOTTOM: Guild of St. Irene President Alyson Karpowicz P’16 with Auction Co-Chairs Eileen Orscheln P’17 and Mary Mahoney P’16, P’21.

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Leading

Lady

BY CONNOR GLEASON

“BREAK A LEG.” It’s the well-intended, yet seemingly discourteous phrase Robbi Curtis has heard countless times before taking the stage. The expression became a common occurrence during Curtis’s unique relationship with St. Sebastian’s drama program, serving as the female lead in the School’s musical productions from 1963 to 1971. Her role as a “leading lady” not only left a lasting impact on Arrows alumni involved in the drama program at the time, but also laid the framework for a successful career in dramatic theatre.

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C

urtis’s history with St. Sebastian’s began when she was a sophomore at Emmanuel College.

She was very active with all things music, from glee clubs to opera, including the drama program at Emmanuel led by Sister Francesca Dunfey, SND. In December 1962, Sister Dunfey attended the St. Sebastian’s Christmas Pageant directed by her friend, Father Richard Powers. After the performance, she told Father Powers that the show was wonderful, but he needed a standout female lead to match the talent of the St. Sebastian’s boys—and she knew just the actress to fill this gap.

Emmanuel didn’t have an extensive musical theatre program and Curtis jumped at the opportunity to work with Father Powers, who would soon lead the St. Sebastian’s drama program to win the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival for an eighth time since 1955.

After auditioning, Curtis was offered the role of Luisa in the ’63 production of The Fantasticks—the first of almost annual appearances in St. Sebastian’s musicals over the next eight years, including My Fair Lady, Carnival, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Where’s Charlie?, Oliver, and Allegro.

As an outgoing, talented, female college student, Curtis was held in high esteem with the boys involved in St. Sebastian’s drama program for a multitude of reasons. Laughing, she insists they were all gentlemen, all the time. “In the early days, they thought I was cool because I knew how to drive a stick shift,” she recalls fondly.

Curtis remembers St. Sebastian’s “as a school that expected a lot of their students, pushed them to excel and fostered a strong sense of identity and Catholic purpose.” But being an older female with more acting experience, she often sat just outside that circle of brotherhood; an observer of

the fraternity that exists among the male boys. “It was an intense comradery,” she remembers. “The same boys who were doing theatre were also doing all the sports…They supported each other, loved each other, and because of the intellectual rigor, they worked so hard. I made good friendships—some of which still exist.”

“Amongst the guys, there’s a real bond that develops,” Frank Burke ’65 recalls. Having watched his classmates take the stage in earlier productions, Burke joined the drama program his junior year and played opposite Curtis in My Fair Lady a year later.

The boys lacked much experience with musicals and they looked to Curtis for leadership. “She was put on a pedestal in our minds,” Burke recalls. He attributes her professionalism and talent for making the boys aspire to become better performers. “She just had a gorgeous musical voice, all kinds of stage presence, poise, personality, and when she was on stage, she was the focus.”

Richard Ferrone ’64 played opposite Curtis in The Fantasticks and remembers the patience she had with him and his castmates, never making them feel inferior for having less acting and singing experience. “She excelled as a singer and my voice was really raw and untrained,” Ferrone admits. “I was probably off key and had trouble reaching the notes, but she was a great support.”

A bracelet with medals of St. Sebastian and St. Genesius, the patron of actors, given to Robbi Curtis from Fr. Powers to show his gratitude for her long-time involvement with the Dramatic Society.

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“The shows you do in high school are shows that stay with you forever.

You never forget those lines, you never forget the songs, and the skills that it gives you are translated into any profession. Live theatre is magic.”

—Robbi Curtis For the musicals at the Nonantum Hill campus, the gym was completely transformed, with sets constructed under a tent. The result was an intimate environment that left no room for reticence. “When your audience is sitting ten feet away from you and you don’t have a great big theatre, it really makes you act in your bones,” Curtis recalls. “You can’t hide. You can see the audience, you can see the faces. It really taught me to not be afraid of the audience—that the audience and the actor are together in an experience.”

Though Curtis and others shared the spotlight, she credits Father Powers and his guidance for much of the success of the productions. She remembers Father Powers holding the boys to high expectations and treating them not just as students, but as grown actors. Ferrone recalls how Father Powers helped students grow over the years. “He showed us a

world that many of us might not have been exposed to and he really brought it home to us through the school productions.”

The relationships Father Powers fostered in the drama program resonated through his actors’ lives, whether it was officiating Burke’s wedding ceremony, or visiting Curtis in the hospital after the birth of her son. A bracelet with medals of St. Sebastian and St. Genesius, the patron saint of actors, and a director’s chair personalized with Curtis’s name were just a few gifts he gave to the actress to show his gratitude for being St. Sebastian’s leading lady.

The connection Curtis had to St. Sebastian’s drama program was special.

After graduating from college in 1965, she became a teacher, married her husband, George Doherty, and had her first of two boys—and all the while, she continued to perform in the School’s drama productions under the direction of Father Powers. In 1972, the run finally came to an

end when she moved to New York with her family to continue her passion for drama, participating in regional theatre, summerstock performances, and offBroadway productions over the years. In 1977, she made it as far as the final three considered for Broadway’s run of The King and I. Today, she has taken on the role of grandmother to four, and has worked for over 30 years at community theatres in her hometown of Chatham, New Jersey.

The impact of Curtis’s involvement in St. Sebastian’s drama program extended far beyond her final curtain call at the school. “The shows you do in high school are shows that stay with you forever. You never forget those lines, you never forget the songs, and the skills that it gives you are translated into any profession. Live theatre is magic,” Curtis says. “It really can change people’s lives.”

LEFT: Frank Burke ’65 as Henry Higgins and Robbi Curtis as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in March of 1965. MIDDLE: Curtis takes the stage as Lili in Carnival in the spring of 1966. RIGHT: Curtis performs in the wartime classic, South Pacific, in 1967.

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FALL DRAMA PRODUCTION

Don’t Drink the Water

THE SLINGS & ARROWS PLAYERS of St. Sebastian’s School, together with students from Montrose School and Dexter Southfield, took to the stage November 6 and 7, performing Woody Allen’s Don’t Drink the Water, in Ward Hall. From acting and stage design, to wardrobe and sound, every member of the cast and crew did an excellent job retelling the 1966 farce of a family held inside an American Embassy behind the Iron Curtain.

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FALL SPORTS Varsity Football

BY COACH DAN BURKE Playing against all of the top teams in the ISL, the 2015 Arrows football team finished with a 5-3 record, four points away from earning a NEPSAC bowl game berth and ten points away from winning the ISL. Led by an outstanding senior class of leaders and competitors, the Arrows competed hard for 48 minutes each game. They loved playing with and for each other and battled their hardest no matter the score. A pleasure to coach each

day, a thrill to watch play each weekend, and a team that competed with courage, sportsmanship, and passion, the 2015 Arrows football team represented the program and school incredibly well.

Due to some schedule shuffling and stratification in the ISL, the Arrows opened the season against a nonleague opponent, Berkshire School. A big, physical team led by 16 seniors/ postgraduates, Berkshire provided an early test for the Arrows. Eager to get their season started, the Arrows were up to the physical challenge Berkshire presented at the start of the game. Stifling defense shut down Berkshire’s run game,

Michael Calabro ’16 assists Ben Fachetti ’16 as he kicks the ball for an extra point.

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and the Arrows offense scored early and often in the first half. On the Arrows’ fifth offensive play of the game, quarterback Tommy Seidl ’17 sliced through the middle of Berkshire’s defense before breaking away for a 47 yard touchdown run to open the scoring. A couple of plays later, an interception by safety Bryce Gallagher ’19 gave the Arrows the ball deep in Berkshire territory. Bryce’s brother, captain running back Blake Gallagher ’17 ran in the Arrows’ second score moments later, giving the Arrows a 14-0 lead just over five minutes into the game. More excellent defense by the Arrows and a Seidl 53 yard run and Blake Gallagher 80 yard run extended the lead to 28-0 early in the second quarter.

Berkshire scored before the half as did Ben Fachetti ’16 for the Arrows on a 31 yard field goal, resulting in a 31-7 halftime lead for St. Sebastian’s. Berkshire mounted a comeback in the second half, but the Arrows were able to hang on for a 31-21 opening victory.

Moving into the ISL schedule, the Arrows picked up victories in their next two games. First, they defeated Middlesex in a 30-6 game highlighted by the first touchdowns in the careers of Bryce Gallagher ’19 and tight end Mikey Connolly ’17 and by a team safety for the kickoff coverage team. The Arrows’ next opponent, Belmont Hill, arrived at St. Sebastian’s Homecoming 0-2, and would remain winless after a dominant performance by the Arrows. On a beautiful Saturday morning flanked by hundreds of fans and alumni, the Arrows played tough and smart on offense, on defense, and in special teams. On the opening possession of the game after linebacker Cam Finnegan ’16 stripped the ball away from a Belmont Hill ball carrier, fellow classmate and linebacker Declan Walsh pounced on the ball to give the Arrows the early takeaway. Then, on the Arrows’ first offensive play of the day, Tommy Seidl ran the ball around the edge and up the home sideline for an 80 yard touchdown run. After taking this early

FALL SPORTS

Tommy Seidl ’17 leaves players in his wake as he charges down the field with the ball at Homecoming.

lead, the Arrows continued to play the same opportunistic defense and explosive offense, forcing four more Belmont Hill turnovers and scoring three more rushing touchdowns on the way to a 31-7 Homecoming victory.

After an impressive 3-0 start to the season, the Arrows headed into the toughest stretch of their season, starting with an away game against preseason favorite, Lawrence Academy. Playing shorthanded against a large, talented team, the Arrows competed hard in the first half, scoring twice on touchdowns by receivers Jack Frisoli ’17 and Michael Calabro ’16 to head into the break down 21-14. Starting with the ball in the second half, the Arrows were driving down the field hoping to tie the score before a turnover gave Lawrence Academy the ball back near midfield. Lawrence Academy went on to score on the ensuing drive and with a couple more big plays later in the half began to pull away. Running backs Jimmy McCabe ’17 and Brendan McKenzie ’18 scored late for the Arrows

to tighten the gap in a 47-30 loss against the eventual ISL champions.

The next three games would determine the Arrows’ playoff fate and would prove to be thrilling games that were not decided until the final seconds of play. First, the Arrows traveled to Byfield to take on the 4-0 Governors Academy team. Even more shorthanded due to injuries than in the previous game, the Arrows remained unfazed and determined as backup players stepped into starting roles. Both teams had trouble stopping the other’s offense in this high scoring contest. Governors moved the ball well on the ground, and the Arrows featured a balanced ground and air attack led by Tommy Seidl’s 173 rushing yards and 218 passing yards. Seidl also ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more including a strike over the middle to Brendan McKenzie to shorten Governors’ lead to 35-33 late in the game. Seidl then dove across the goal line on the two point attempt to tie the game at 35-35 with just over three minutes remaining in

the game. After picking up a big fourth down conversion on the ensuing drive, Governors completed a deep pass putting them in range to kick a game clinching field goal with 13 seconds left to hand the Arrows their second consecutive loss.

Now at 3-2 the Arrows knew that they would need to win the rest of their games to have a chance at post season play. Next up was a visit from 4-1 Milton Academy in a thrilling night game at St. Sebastian’s.

Both teams played outstanding defense in the first half, the Arrows’ defensive effort led by Blake Gallagher’s 19 tackles on the night. Milton clung to a tenuous 10-7 lead at halftime, a lead that would disappear on the first possession of the second half when Tommy Seidl cut back from left to right on his way to a 69 yard touchdown run. Like sluggers in a great heavyweight bout, the two teams traded punches for the remainder of the half with the lead changing hands multiple times. Late in the game, Milton Academy thought to have delivered the knockout blow when they scored with 2:40 left to take a 33-29

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FALL SPORTS

LEFT: Jack Frisoli ’17 carries the ball down the field.

RIGHT: Blake Gallagher ’17 and Jack Ragnoni ’16 work to take down a Milton Academy opponent.

lead. The fans from Milton Academy in their excitement entered the end zone to celebrate the go ahead score with the team. A resultant 15 yard celebration penalty tacked on to the kickoff and a great return by captain Michael Calabro gave the Arrows the ball at the 50 yard line and provided hope that they could still win the game. Four plays later, Seidl threw a screen pass to Jack Frisoli who, with outstanding blocking in front of him, sprinted untouched for a 31 yard touchdown with 1:38 left in the game. A tough defensive stand and a shoelace tackle by Blake Gallagher on a fourth down attempt ended Milton Academy’s hopes and finished off a 36-33 win for the Arrows.

Against their next opponent, BB&N, the Arrows offense was nearly unstoppable, but so was their opponent’s.

The Arrows amassed an astounding 456

rushing yards in the game, led by Tommy Seidl’s 240 yards and three touchdowns.

Michael Calabro and Blake Gallagher also each ran for just under 100 yards and scored one touchdown apiece.

Unfortunately, all of this offense was not enough to overcome the strong offensive and opportunistic play by BB&N, who recovered two onside kicks and converted a fourth and long play from deep in their own territory on their way to a 47-42 victory, one that would knock the Arrows out of playoff contention.

Certainly upset by the loss but focused, as always, on the next game, the Arrows looked to finish the season well for the seniors as they traveled to Thayer Academy for their final game. The senior class led the way in the game. Captain Austin O’Shea and fellow defensive linemen and classmates Kevin Boland and Jack McLaughlin led the defensive effort, stifling the opponent’s run game and pressuring and sacking their quarterback.

Offensively, senior leaders Brendan Lutch and captain Michael Calabro led by their consistent example and combined for the majority of the Arrows’ scores on the day. Lutch, who provided most of his offensive sparks in the receiving game throughout the season, scored on a 14 yard touchdown run in this game. Calabro caught two touchdown passes and ran for another score, but the highlight of the

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day for him came in the special teams.

Receiving the ball on the 25 yard line, he followed his blockers across the field to the Arrows’ sideline before stopping at midfield, attempting to cut back to the middle, but then spinning back to the sideline to finish off a 75 yard return for a touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, Calabro also scored the final touchdown for the Arrows season, and senior kicker Ben Fachetti knocked his seventh extra point of the day through the uprights to cap off a 49-30 victory over Thayer to finish the season 5-3. Fachetti, arguably the most consistent kicker in school history, ended the season a perfect 34/34 on extra points and 4/6 on field goals.

As was the case in the last game, throughout the season, the senior class did an outstanding job of leading through focused, positive attitude and gritty play. They approached each time they stepped onto the field, whether in practice or in a game, as an opportunity to improve, to compete, and to further cement the bonds of brotherhood.

Captains Michael Calabro and Austin O’Shea led the way, but Matt Aisenberg, Kevin Boland, Ben Fachetti, Cam Finnegan, Jake Loughborough, Brendan Lutch, Jack McLaughlin, Jack Ragnoni, Declan Walsh, and Aaron Wolfsberg each contributed tremendously to the program and to the successful 2015 season.

FALL SPORTS

Varsity Soccer

BY COACH RICHARD CONNOLLY Sometimes it’s easiest to understand the journey when you know the destination.

The varsity soccer team entered its last five games of the season at 1-8-3, but went 5-0-0, outscoring opponents 12-3 during that stretch. It’s the first time since joining the ISL in 1978 that a St. Sebastian’s soccer team has gone unbeaten and untied in at least five straight games.

The 2015 edition of Arrows soccer opened eyes and ears in Needham and throughout the league after the team climbed to 6-6-3 in the ISL and 6-8-3 overall—the school’s best record since 2010. At the end of the season, the team was recognized with the ISL Improvement Plate for the most improved team.

The winning streak began with senior Ryan Macedo’s efforts securing a 1-0 win against St. George’s. Next, St. Sebastian’s outscored St. Paul’s in a 2-0 home win, with free kick goals from Macedo and Raffi Barsamian ’17. Adama Kaba’17 netted a hat trick over Groton as Seb’s rolled to a 3-1 win. Macedo opened the scoring against Roxbury Latin with Parker Joyce ’17 and Kaba to follow, and as darkness descended on Greendale Avenue, the Arrows held on to a 3-2 lead. In the season finale, Barsamian’s free kick from 30 yards found the back of the goal, and Macedo and Patrick Peters ended their senior years in style by helping secure the 3-0 win over Thayer.

Despite absorbing a series of defeats earlier in the season, there were some highlights. The team started with one of the toughest slates in New England, losing to perennial tournament contenders Worcester, Tabor, and Nobles, but tied historically strong Rivers and BB&N. The opening two weeks included the school’s first-ever night soccer game against Nobles, and a brilliant Matt Eldridge’16 save on a late penalty kick to preserve the tie at BB&N.

A hard-luck tie to Brooks followed a 4-0 trouncing at the hands of undefeated New England Champion Milton. Our first real sign of things to come came in early October at Governor’s, when Kaba ’17 exploded for four goals in under 30 minutes and the defense posted their first shutout of the season in the 4-0 win.

After tough games against Belmont Hill, Lawrence Academy and Middlesex, the 6-2 loss to St. Mark’s was a turning point and the final loss of the season. The team was finally discovering who they were and what they could accomplish, playing hard through the rest of the season with win after win.

Three seniors joined the team this year, and while they affectionately referred to themselves as the “Bench Squad,” Cam Aldrich, John Nilles, and Patrick Peters are all passionate players who worked hard every day and made the most of

their game minutes. I’ve long said that the bench is either my favorite player or my least favorite, with no in-between, and it’s largely because of these three guys that the bench earned my MVP for all 17 games.

Macedo ended his two-year run on the varsity team with some of the best soccer I’ve seen during my four years here. With four goals and an assist during the winnig streak, Macedo was an offensive force and emotional leader who helped inspire his teammates to greatness.

Alejo Soto was the only four-year member on the varsity soccer team, and his selection to the New England Senior All-Star game is both a testament to his play in 2015 and a fitting capstone to his career at Seb’s.

Co-captain and three-year starting goalie Matt Eldridge ends his time on the team with selection to the All-ISL second team. Eldridge entered the school as a

Members of the varsity soccer team celebrate after scoring a goal.

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FALL SPORTS

FALL ATHLETIC AWARDS The following student-athletes were recognized for their performance during the fall season at an Athletic Awards Assembly on December 1:

FOOTBALL All League ISL

Austin O’Shea ’16, Mike Calabro ’16, Jack McLaughlin ’16, Tom Seidl ’17, Blake Gallagher ’17

Honorable Mention All League ISL Brendan Lutch ’16, Jack Frisoli ’17, Mike Connolly ’17, Will Roche ’17

Ennis Award

Presented to a senior who displays the qualities of commitment, teamwork, and dedication to the football program.

Jack McLaughlin ’16, Brendan Lutch ’16

Big Hit Award

Presented to the player who makes a positive impact on our opponents.

Mike Calabro ’16

SOCCER

sophomore, quickly earned the starting role, and has since then made some of the finest saves you’ll see on a high school soccer field.

Other individual accolades include All-League First Team honors earned by Barsamian and Kaba who were selected for the East roster at the New England Junior All-Star game. Kaba was voted AllState, as well.

Co-captain Liam Noonan ’16 was presented with the Peter Kerr Award for sportsmanship, dedication to the team, and commitment to the soccer program.

Noonan missed all of his junior season due to injury, but was still elected captain because of his passion for soccer and St. Seb’s. He was similarly sidelined for much of his final season, but served as something of a third coach during practice and was a vocal and supportive leader for much of the season.

After such an exciting finish, the team is already anticipating what the 2016 soccer season will bring. With 11 juniors on the current roster, expectations will be high. First-year players Michael

Hartman, Stevie Karol, Johnny McCarthy, Seamus Noonan, Michael Ragnoni, and Peter Rowe join two year-veteran Patrick Mulrenan and third-year players and captains-elect Raffi Barsamian, Adama Kaba, and Kyle McCarthy, in what will surely be one of the most exciting senior classes in Seb’s soccer history. We were also lucky to have a a manager who surely would have earned All-ISL, had it existed: Trevor Yandow ’17.

Rising juniors Soree Kaba, Tim Kiley, Will Kiley, Peter Kilmartin, and Mario Oliva all figure to contribute big minutes next year, and the class of 2019 features Patrick Barron, Justin Charles, Ellis O’Donnell, and Jared Price, skilled players who no doubt will leave their mark on Arrows athletics.

The team thanks Kern Fitzgerald and Mike Sanderson for keeping us healthy, Andy Carr for keeping us fit, Eric Ludwig and his staff for keeping all our fields in top condition, and Father Arens for his unwavering support.

Peter Kerr Award

Presented to the soccer player who displays sportsmanship, dedication, and commitment to the soccer program.

Liam Noonan ’16

ISL First Team, NEPSAC Junior All-Star Selection, Mass. All-State Adama Kaba ’17

ISL First Team, NEPSAC Junior All-Star Selection Raffi Barsamian ’17

NEPSAC Senior All-Star Selection Alejandro Soto ’16

ISL Second Team Matt Eldridge ’16

Fritz Weidergott Improvement Award

Awarded to the St. Sebastian’s School varsity soccer team for most improved in the league.

LEFT: Alejo Soto ’16 races down the field during a varsity soccer game; RIGHT: Ryan Macedo ’16 controls the ball.

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FALL SPORTS

Varsity Cross Country

BY KEVIN MOORE ’17 There are times in the 3.1 mile race when a cross country runner is completely on his own, with no spectators or coaches watching. During these moments, a runner is tempted to slow down, and it takes great focus to keep pushing through the pain.

This year’s team, under the leadership of six seniors, was able to learn this discipline and become stronger and smarter runners.

The 2015 Cross Country team had 14 runners—the most in several years— ranging from sophomores to seniors.

Although only the top five runners are scored in races, each of the 14 members of the team served an important role.

Captains Jimmy Ryan ’16 and Paul Keady ’16 brought a competitive and focused presence to every practice and provided encouragement during difficult workouts.

They led by example, always giving their all during races. Keady consistently placed in the top three for our team, running impressive times, and Ryan also ran well all season. Together, the two captains served as role models both on and off the field.

Third-year runner John Kapples ’16 provided an entertaining presence during practice day in and day out. Erik Jones ’16 made a comeback for his senior season after taking a year off from the sport. He was a vital top five runner, and had an impressive performance against Brooks, where he finished first place for the Arrows and 3rd place overall. Ryan Colgan ’16 was a first-time varsity runner, but quickly became another important top five finisher for the Arrows. Casey Kelly ’16 was new to the sport, but quickly became known for his fierce sprints to the finish line.

Along with Keady, Colgan, and Jones, the top five was filled out by Luke Jones ’17 and Kevin Moore ’17. The top five runners often ran in a pack and pushed each other during races. The healthy competition between these runners helped the team win several close races.

From left: Seniors Jimmy Ryan, Paul Keady and Ryan Colgan.

Due to a series of unfortunate injuries, runners outside of the top five had to step up to fill the gap. In a late-season race against Milton, four of the top five runners were out with injury, so Ryan and sophomores Daniel Borah, Royce Abel, and Marty White filled out the top five.

Running in a pack, they ran impressive times and represented the Arrows well.

The talented Milton team won the race, but the individual performance from the St. Sebastian’s runners was encouraging.

On a chilly, rainy day in mid-October, St. Sebastian’s faced rival Belmont Hill at Caryl Park for our Homecoming match. Runners for both teams wore pink armbands with the letters EVF to honor Erin Van Flandern (sister of Michael Van Flandern ’20) who passed away in January of 2015. When the race began, a wall of fans lined the first 100 yards of the course.

Cheering wildly, the fans gave the runners a boost of energy as they raced and because of the boisterous support, the Arrows ran some of the best times of the year. Unfortunately, we lost an extremely close race, 26-30, but the fan support was incredible.

In the final race of the year, the team traveled to St. Mark’s for the ISL Championships. The hills on the St. Mark’s course make it the most challenging course in the ISL. Unfortunately, Colgan, Keady, and Sam Cullen ’17 had to miss the race

with injury, so other runners stepped up to fill their spots. Moore finished first for St. Sebastian’s, followed closely by Luke Jones and then White, who ran his best race of the year.

This year’s cross country team could not have excelled without the guidance of Coach Ryan and Coach Beaule. Coach Ryan carefully planned workouts every day, pushing us to become better runners. He shared his experience with the sport and helped us with race-day strategy, including how to approach difficult hills. Leading up to races, he would point out the opposition we needed to pass, which helped us to compete with some very skilled teams.

Coach Beaule used his knowledge of nutrition and stretching to help strengthen us as runners. He pushed us to improve our running form, and guided us through challenging workouts.

The 2015 Cross Country season was marked by personal improvement, with every member of the team becoming faster as the season went on. With six seniors graduating this year, the team will need younger runners to step up and fill their roles. As shown in the Milton race and the ISL championship race, the younger runners are more than capable of doing so.

Congratulations to the 2015 cross country team for a great year!

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R E N

N I ID

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U L A

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Honoring Arrows who have dedicated their lives to public safety

BOTTOM LEFT: Keynote Speaker and St. Sebastian’s Alumni Service Award winner, Bill Evans ’77, P’17 (center) with Alumni Association Board President, Tim Doherty ’87, P’17 and Headmaster Bill Burke. TOP RIGHT: Paul Viano ’62 and Tim Ready ’63 catch up during the reception. BOTTOM RIGHT: Football Coach Bob Souza with some of his former players Brendan Cullen ’94, Joe Cugini ’94 and Mark Daly ’92.

S

t. Sebastian’s hosted its annual Alumni Dinner on October 15, welcoming a room full of Arrows back to campus to celebrate and honor alumni who have dedicated their lives to public safety and service to the community.

Boston Police Commissioner and alum William B. Evans ’77, P’17 served as the Keynote Speaker and was honored for his 35 years of service and leadership as a member of the Boston Police Department, receiving the St. Sebastian’s Alumni Service award from Alumni Association President Tim Doherty ’87, P’17.

“I owe a debt of gratitude for what St Sebastian’s did for my life,” Commissioner Evans said. “I can’t tell you the impact…

That’s why I’m here today. They taught me values, they taught me how to study.

I’m forever grateful for St. Sebastian’s and I’m thrilled that I have a son here. It gives me a reason to come back as much as I possibly can.”

Commissioner Evans then noted the Boston Police Force’s extraordinary response during the Boston Marathon Bombings and their accomplishments as a police department, which was recognized

by President Obama as one of the top ten

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police forces in the country. “People ask me, ‘What makes Boston special?’ I tell them it’s the relationships,” Commissioner Evans said, reinforcing the value of relationships that was instilled in him during his time at St. Sebastian’s.

Thank you to all of our Arrows who have responded to the call to serve your communities. Your daily actions to save and protect lives represent the ideal St. Sebastian’s graduate—a gentleman of honor, courage, and wisdom.

ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD Introduction of Bill Evans ’77, P’17 given by Headmaster Bill Burke

TOP: Thomas Mellor ’92, Steven Feeley ’08, Michael Feeley ’06, Dan Burke ’97, Dan Driscoll ’08 and Christopher Marino ’10. BOTTOM: Commissioner Bill Evans ’77, P’17 with fellow first responders from the Boston Police Department: Francis St. Peter ’93, Jeff Connolly ’93, Courtney Matthews ’79 and Ryan Cunningham ’02.

“I owe a debt of gratitude for what St Sebastian’s did for my life. I can’t tell you the impact…

That’s why I’m here today.”

—Bill Evans ’77, P’17

IT IS A GREAT HONOR AND A TRUE JOY to introduce tonight’s honoree, Billy Evans, Class of 1977, husband of Terry and father of Carolyn, John, and Will, a member of the Class of 2017.

It’s so good to know that Billy and his son, Will, will forever share the same reunion years.

The youngest of six boys, Billy grew up in South Boston and suffered a host of devastating losses. When just three, his mother died of cancer. When nine, his 11-year-old brother, Joe, was killed by a hit-and-run driver. When 13, his father died of a heart attack.

By the grace of God and the love and support of his wonderful brothers and of a South Boston priest named Father Paul White, Billy found his way to St. Sebastian’s and then off to college at Chaminade in Hawaii, where he stayed just one year. He came home for the weather. A Boston boy at heart! He entered Suffolk University, from which he earned his Bachelor’s degree and began preparing for his outstanding career in law enforcement. He also holds a Master’s degree from Anna Maria, and he has earned honors and certificates from a host of prestigious institutions, including the FBI’s National Academy and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

To say that Billy lives the St. Sebastian’s “Love God, work hard, and take good care of one another” order of the day is to explicate the obvious. Because he worked so hard and performed so well in his job and on his police examinations, he just kept getting promoted and now holds the top position: Boston Police Commissioner.

And he leads so brilliantly well, earning the respect, admiration, and affection of his brother and sister law enforcement professionals and of all he and they serve so courageously and graciously well. When he can, he likes to kill potential troublemakers with kindness, as we saw during the Occupy Boston days. When he must, he does what he has to do, and from where I sit, he always seems to say and do the right thing.

In a recent interview, Billy shared: “I want to make sure we’re the best police department we can be, and that we’re out there every day, trying to help people.” AMEN. To inspire our students to be the best they can be in body, mind, and spirit, all we have to do is point to Billy Evans. A veteran of almost 50 marathons, Billy ran his very first one in 1989 and finished with a time of 2 hours and 53 minutes. Body fat: he has none. A bright Catholic man of faith and honor, he is the ideal St. Sebastian’s graduate, a moral and just person, a gentleman of courage, honor, and wisdom, a lifelong learner who continues to grow in his capacity to know, to love, and to serve God and Neighbor.

Please help me welcome Billy Evans from the Class of 1977…

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ALUMNI EVENTS N.Y.C. RECEPTION

D.C. RECEPTION

LEFT: St. Sebastian’s alumni and members of the junior class gathered at the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, VA, on November 16 for the annual Washington, D.C. reception and ice cream social, including (l-r) Shawn Lynch ’15, Brian Curley ’14 and Mike Vaccaro ’86.

Alumni Ryan Kennedy ’93, Chris Conley ’94 and Tyler Wiik ’15 spoke to the Class of 2017 about their positive experiences at St. Sebastian’s during the reception. ABOVE: The New York Reception was held the following evening, November 17, at the Yale Club in New York City. It was a great opportunity for former classmates to catch up, including (l-r): Brendan Murphy ’07, Bill Eichhold ’06 and Shane Ecclesine ’02.

ALUMNI SPORTS DAY In keeping with the Thanksgiving-week tradition, the St. Sebastian’s School Alumni Office hosted its annual Alumni Sports Day on November 28. Alumni returned to campus for a great day of athletic competition and camaraderie on the football field, hockey rink and basketball court.

YEARBOOK RECEPTION The Class of 2015 returned to St. Sebastian’s on November 25, 2015 for the annual Yearbook Reception. Our most recent alumni received their yearbooks, as well as a special book containing all of their Corporate Chapel speeches. After a lunch spent reminiscing with old classmates and catching up with faculty, last year’s seniors were presented with their Class of 2015 plaque, which will join the plaques of years past in Alumni Hall.

38 | S T. S EBASTIAN’S M AGAZINE Volume XI, Issue I

REUNION

2016 MAY 20 & 21

If you are a member of a St. Sebastian’s class ending in 1 or 6, it’s time to start planning your reunion. We can’t wait to see you!

Register online at: www.stsebs.org/reunion Register by March 15 and save $10.

WWW. S T S EBASTIANS S CHOOL.ORG

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CLASS NOTES

Notes & Announcements from Arrows Alumni

WHAT’S

NEW? Keep your classmates updated by sending us your news!

Send us photos, too!

Submit class notes and photos at: stsebs.org/classnotes Deadline for next issue:

APRIL 1, 2016 Photos will be published based on quality and available space.

Please be sure to send the highest quality image possible and identify everyone.

1948

Eugene McAuliffe sends his regards from Groton, MA. “I’m reasonably healthy and content. I became a greatgrandfather recently. I wear trifocals, walk with a walker, have given up driving and don’t miss it too much.

Greetings to all who remember me.”

1951

Federick Brannan has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His wife, Catherine, reports that he is receiving good care from doctors at Mass General Hospital.

1956

Class Agent Pete Ablondi recently contributed to The Atheneum Society of Wilbraham’s history of Wilbraham, MA. His 15 pages are included in “Wilbraham History and Culture, Volume IV, 1963-2013”—the Sestercentennial Edition commissioned by the town’s 250th Anniversary Committee.

1961

Dan Daly has published a book titled White Water Red Hot Lead, which details his experience serving in Viet Nam on a Navy Swift Boat.

1966

Robert Conway is the president, therapist and co-owner of Northeast Health Services, LLC with eight mental health clinics throughout the South Shore and Southeastern MA.

1986

Lee Sullivan and his wife, Christine, are living in Reading and celebrating 20 years of marriage. Their daughter, Caroline, is studying business as a freshman at the University of Vermont, and their daughter Cynthia is a freshman in high school at Austin Prep. He and Christine are working together at A & A Window Products, a contractor specializing in the installation of windows and glass in commercial and institutional buildings, primarily in the greater Boston area.

SHARE YOUR IDEAS

for Alumni Profiles Do you know an alumnus you would like to see profiled in an issue of St. Sebastian’s Magazine?

Tell us about it! Send an email with your suggestions to our Communications Office at communications@stsebs.org.

’70 1970 Classmates Ted Curtin, Patrick Tracy and Joe Abely enjoy catching up over a cup of coffee at the Boston Business Breakfast in October.

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CLASS NOTES

Reuniting

ON THE COURSE Members of the Class of 1966 teed off at the 3rd Annual Kennebunkport Open Class of 1966 Golf Outing on October 3, 2015.

TOP: The winning team was made up of Steve Spenlinhauer, George DeMambro, Steve Finnegan, and Peter Castoldi. BOTTOM: The other foursome included Ed Kenney, Vincent Cucchiara, Jack Sullivan, and John Ready.

’66

’67 On October 16, 2015, 1967 classmates gathered for a golf outing at Kittansett Country Club in Marion, MA, hosted by Chip O’Hare. The Class of 1967 is a little over a year away from its 50th Reunion, and judging from the early enthusiasm, it should be a very special weekend in May 2017! (l–r): Jim Walsh ’86, Director of Alumni Programs, Phil Quinn ’67, Larry Kidney ’67, Chip O’Hare ’67, Ed Davis ’65, Director of Planned Giving, Chris Kelly ’67, Fred Smith ’67, and Mark Whittemore ’67.

Looking back...1966 Varsity Golf Team

FRONT ROW: Stephen Finnegan, George DeMambro, Fr. Harrington, James Travers, Richard Scully. BACK ROW: Gavin Viano, William Craffey, Timothy Crane, Gene McAuliffe, Daniel Doran, Andrew DeMambro, John Collins.

WWW. S T S EBASTIANS S CHOOL.ORG

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CLASS NOTES

MARCH ALUMNI RECEPTIONS

If you live in Florida or California—or are looking for an excuse to head to warmer climates—join us!

FLORIDA

3/9 Vero Beach 3/11 Jupiter 3/13 Naples

CALIFORNIA

’97

3/15 Los Angeles 3/16 San Francisco

’01

For more information, including times and locations, please visit:

www.stsebs.org/alumnievents

Arrows Alumni App Powered by EverTrue, the app makes staying connected easy, whether you are traveling, moving to a new city or looking for Arrows in your own neighborhood. Now you can keep the support of St. Sebastian’s alumni community in your pocket.

Download the app today:

www.stsebs.org/alumniapp Available for Apple & Android devices.

’92 CLOCKWISE: Michael ’97 and Sarah Atwood’s children, Jack (4 ½), Isabel (2 ½), and William, who was born in February 2015. Faculty member Donna Atwood is their proud grandmother. n Nora Atwood, daughter of Brendan ’01 and Emma, and Donna’s fourth grandchild, was born in September 2015. n Quinn Haley, daughter of Charles ’92 and Kim, with big brother Austin.

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CLASS NOTES

Class of 1986 continued...

Michael Vaccaro has been living in the Washington, DC area for almost 30 years. He is currently working for the Department of Commerce on defense trade and other national security issues. His daughter, Michelle, is in her first year at Dartmouth and his son, Thomas, is a junior in high school.

Michael shares, “I enjoyed catching up on St. Seb’s developments during the DC reception and was pleased to meet several recent grads who are now attending Georgetown. Looking forward to the reunion in May.”

1989

Craig E. Collins, Esq. just had his first book published, Yesterday’s Law: Abortion in Modern America. Craig lives in Boston and is a trial lawyer who specializes in criminal defense litigation.

1991

Alex Cook married Kate Nixon in April 2014.

1992

Congratulations to Charles Haley and his wife, Kim, as they welcomed their third child, a daughter, Quinn Sutton, who arrived October 9, 2015. Both mother and newborn are doing well. In addition to her proud parents, Quinn joins her equally thrilled siblings, Austin and Nora (see photo).

Ryan Fitzpatrick and his wife Maura celebrated the birth of their son, Desmond Ryan, on March 3, 2015. “See you in 12 years!”

2001

Nat Hunter is currently working for the Somerville-born, San Francisco-based MegaBots Inc., a company that designs and builds giant fighting robots that compete head-to-head in an arena.

Industry, and Jenn is a Senior Product Manager at Boston-based mobile app development company Raiz Labs.

Matt Perry, who was drafted to the Detroit Tigers in 2010, was named to the Patriot League’s 25th Anniversary Baseball Team in September.

2002

Richard Faro is happy and healthy, living in San Francisco with his wife, Cori, and their dog, Bruiser.

’91 Flashback Ready for your 25th Reunion?

2003

Brendan O’Reilly became engaged to Carla Morales.

2006

Ted Dillon married Jennifer Anne Pleus in Boston on October 17, 2015, (see photo). Ted and Jenn met while attending Boston College (Class of 2010) and now live together in downtown Boston. Ted oversees the accounts and strategy teams at Bostonbased marketing firm Captains of

Members of the Class of 1991 pose for a fun class photo.

’06

1998

Steven Prisco has been enjoying teaching tennis at Pinebrook Country Club in Weston, MA for the last 14 years. “My parents retired to Cape Cod. My dad is amazing at 86.”

Jenn and Ted Dillon ’06 exit their wedding ceremony on October 17. The ceremony was held at St. Ignatius Church on the Boston College campus and presided over by Fr. John Arens.

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CLASS NOTES

2007

Fresno Grizzlies infielder Matt Duffy was named the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player in September and promoted from Class AAA Fresno to the Houston Astros.

2008

Following graduation from St. Sebastian’s in 2008, Lindsey Kennard attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and graduated with a major in Computer Science and a minor in Studio Art. After working as a software engineer for a year, he received a National Science Foundation Fellowship and attended Northeastern University to pursue his Master’s of Science degree in Computer Science.

He graduated from Northeastern this spring. He is now returning to Rensselaer with a Graduate Fellowship to pursue his PhD in Computer Science.

Lindsey’s area of research will focus on static and dynamic program analysis, cyber-security and gaming theory.

Brian Strachan received the 70th Nils V. “Swede” Nelson Award during the Gridiron Club of Boston’s Bob Whelan College Football Awards Night on December 17 in Burlington, MA. This award is the culmination of another successful season, as Strachan, a senior at Brown University, was recently

named as a semifinalist for the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, and was among 52 winners of the 18th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team.

’11

2009

Christopher Brown is “still working hard, playing hard” in New York City and always enjoys connecting with fellow Arrows alumni in the city.

John Judge is working at Criteo in Boston and living in the North End, seeing lots of pals from Seb’s.

’11

2010

Peter Burke was named as an assistant men’s lacrosse coach at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Burke will also serve as the midfielders coach.

2011

Chris Warner graduated from Boston College in May 2015. He is currently working for Oracle and hopes to pursue a career in law.

TOP: Brian Strachan ’11, holding the 70th Nils V. “Swede” Nelson Award (center) with his brother, Connor Strachan ’14, mother, Aleece Strachan, St. Sebastian’s Varsity Football Coach Bob Souza, and father, Brian Strachan Sr. n BOTTOM: Former St. Sebastian’s Schola member Tom Keefe (far left) performed with Harvard’s oldest acappella group, The Harvard Krokodiloes, for their annual fall concert on October 30 in Sanders Theater.

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CONNOR WIIK ’11 EXTREME ENGINEERING A mere 6,400 miles

from Massachusetts, alumnus Connor Wiik ’11 can be found working on an offshore oil rig in Saudi Arabia as a field engineer for Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield services company. After graduating from Yale with a degree in chemical engineering, Wiik joined the company in 2015 and has since applied his love of science to a career opportunity unlike any other.

While based in Al Khobar, a coastal city on the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, Wiik lives and works on the rig, which he describes as a “floating city.” “The people I work with are from all over the world. On a crew of a dozen people, I could have six or eight countries represented. It’s a perspective that is impossible to get otherwise.”

Working in what is referred to as the “upstream” sector, Wiik and his engineering team are responsible for designing systems that transform wells that aren’t generating oil into efficient and productive oil wells. Thousands of feet below sea level, liquid nitrogen is injected into naturally flowing oil fields in an effort to stimulate the well. “When you drill, it’s going to release that natural pressure and depending on the geology, if the pressure

isn’t high enough to push the oil out on its own, we increase pressure to make it start producing,” details Wiik.

Looking back on his formative time at St. Sebastian’s, Wiik credits the School for giving him the skill set needed to succeed in the global workforce.

Breaking down larger engineering concepts in the classroom created a learning environment where he pushed his boundaries. “I learned physics and chemistry,” Wiik says, “but I also learned how to work with people and present my ideas to others. I think that’s lacking in science. If you can’t share your ideas or work with other people, you’re really limited and that’s something that Seb’s really helped me with.”

Wiik’s job is rotational, working consecutively for three months before having a month off, which allows him time to travel the world or come home and visit with friends and family. With roles as a class agent and a member of his reunion committee, as well as a younger brother, Tyler, who just graduated from St. Sebastian’s this past year, Wiik finds himself coming back to campus often.

“Seb’s puts you in a community you never leave—I’m gone for three months and it’s like I’ve never left my friends even though

we’re doing different things. There’s a type of person that comes from this school and you have some understanding of their work ethic and character just based on the fact they went to St. Sebastian’s.”

While aspects of his job on the oil rig are difficult, Wiik says the challenges are equally rewarding. “It’s similar to class here. You work with a crew of twelve in the classroom and on the field, all struggling and working together, and at the end you come out with a nice finished product. It makes it worthwhile.”

Class of 2011 continued...

Jordan Perry recently returned to campus to meet with the Finance Academy and discuss his recently developed website, SimpMe, an online resource and database designed to teach abstract financial concepts using simple analogies. The group will be holding a contest for St. Sebastian’s students to brainstorm analogies that will be featured on the SimpMe website.

Edmund Murphy IV is working at Natixis Global Asset Management.

2012

Stephen Brown is enjoying his senior year at Middlebury College in Vermont and looks forward to working with fellow Arrow Jack Connolly next year. “Great to see a steady flow of Sebs graduates coming to Vermont!”

’12

2013

’13

’14 ’15

Ramy Andil was able to visit New Zealand while studying abroad in Australia as a student at Georgetown University.

Ryan Wolfsberg recently completed a stint at the Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy while playing for the Academy Barons in the California Collegiate League.

2014

Brian Curley is a sophomore business major at Catholic University in Washington, DC where he plays football.

Owen Kehoe is studying economics at Boston College. “Seb’s for life!”

Connor Strachan, a sophomore at Boston College, was named as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Linebacker of the Week, in September.

2015

Gabe Maxwell was selected to join the final roster of the 2015 United States Junior Indoor Lacrosse Team and played in the 3-day World Indoor Junior Lacrosse Championship Challenge in September.

TOP: Seb’s alumni gathered after Bowdoin College played against Williams College in the first NESCAC game of the season. (l-r): Chris Nadeau ’12, Patrick McLaughlin ’12, Brian Mullin ’13, Sam Hodgson ’12, and Peter Cimini ’12. n BOTTOM: Five St. Sebastian’s alumni reunited on the football field as Middlebury College hosted Trinity College in October. Charlie Gordon ’15, Matt Daniel ’15, and Dan Fulham ’14 of Middlebury faced Trinity’s Tyson Mattox ’15, Edosa Onaiwu ’15.

46 | S T. S EBASTIAN’S M AGAZINE Volume XI, Issue I

Career Advisory

Network The St. Sebastian’s Career Advisory Network links alumni, especially recent graduates, with alumni and parents who are willing to share their experiences, offer valuable advice, and possibly provide employment leads. The network also serves as a way to connect members of the St. Sebastian’s community with other well-established alumni and parents who share similar vocations.

MORE THAN 500 PEOPLE representing a wide range of professions are already part of the network, and the potential for growth is tremendous. Dozens of industries are represented, from Advertising and Engineering to Healthcare and Real Estate Development.

To become an advisor or learn how to access the list of career advisors, visit:

www.stsebs.org/careers

Already an advisor?

Help us keep our database current by logging into the Career Advisory Network and updating your contact information.

INSPIRING EXCELLENCE In Academics, the Arts and Athletics SO MANY REASONS TO GIVE.

From the classrooms to the fields, in the arts and in technology, gifts to the Annual Fund impact the young Arrows of today and the future Arrows of tomorrow.

Please help us continue this tradition of excellence.

Make a gift to the Annual Fund today.

www.stsebs.org/give

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IN MEMORIAM St. Sebastian’s Remembers Three Loyal Trustees John “Mike” Harrington, Jr. P’70,’71,’74,’80,’81 A loyal parent and a life-long supporter of St. Sebastian’s, John “Mike” Harrington, Jr. passed away on November 8, 2015. Mike was on the Board of Trustees at St. Sebastian’s from 1973-1986 and was a member of the Finance Committee. He served on the Board when it was first incorporated and played a key role in helping the School relocate from Newton to Needham during the 1982-1983 school year.

A graduate of the Roxbury Latin School, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School, Mike was the devoted husband of E. Patricia Harrington. A veteran of World War II, he served in Europe as a captain in the Field Artillery of the U.S. Army. Mike joined Ropes & Gray in 1950 and remained with the firm as a partner until his retirement in 1993, serving as chair of the litigation department. He was a member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, the Overseers’ Committee to Visit the Harvard Law School and the Massachusetts Judicial Conduct Commission. He also was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mike served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Massachusetts from 1955-1957, and his community commitments included serving as a Trustee of Roxbury Latin School, Winchester Savings Bank, and St. Sebastian’s. As a resident of Winchester, he served on the town’s Finance Committee and as a trustee of the Winchester Public Library. He was a longtime member of the Nisi Prius Club, the Harvard Club of Boston, and the Union Club of Boston, where he once served as president.

Mike was the loving father of six children—John III ’70, Marc ’71, Francis ’74, Matthew ’80, Patrick ’81, and Ellen, and uncle of faculty member Gretchen Maloney. He also is survived by 12 grandchildren and three great-granddaughters.

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Vincent Durnan ’51 Beloved alumnus and former Board of Trustee Vincent Durnan passed away on January 9, 2016, after a lengthy illness. Raised in West Roxbury, he was a proud member of the Class of 1951 and served on the Board of Trustees from 1999-2004. He delivered the Commencement address to graduates in 1999.

Vincent excelled in a variety of academics and extracurricular activities while at St. Sebastian’s, his proficiency demonstrated in the classroom and on the field.

His voice could be heard as a member of the choir, the debate society, and in several variety shows and comedies.

With degrees from Boston College and UMass Boston, Vincent’s lifelong commitment to education brought him to a multitude of schools throughout New England. His extensive teaching and administrative career included years at Kennett High in North Conway, NH, a founding principal role at Champlain Valley Union High in Williston, VT, a principal position at Nashua High, NH, and headmaster roles at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont and Berwick Academy in Maine.

Vincent headed the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), where he organized and supported innumerable independent school accreditation teams, and in 1999, he led the Independent School Association of Northern New England as its first executive director.

Vincent is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jane Emery, his two sons, Vincent Jr. and Peter, a sister, Rosemary Scala, and sister inlaw, Carolyn Emery, five granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.

Vincent Durnan gives the Commencement address at St. Sebastian’s in 1999.

IN MEMORIAM

In Remembrance of Two Guild of St. Irene Presidents

John O’Hearn ’57, P’84, GP’15,’20

Mari-Jo Harney P’92,’95,’96,GP’21

John P. O’Hearn Jr., a loyal alumnus, a wonderful trustee and a devoted, life-long supporter of his School, passed away on Sept. 14, 2015. John was Chair of the Development Committee and integral to the growth of the annual fund during his time on the Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2003. The naming of the Arts Building conference room was donated to honor his memory and will be called the O’Hearn Room.

As a student at St. Sebastian’s, John applied himself diligently towards gaining a true preparation for college and for life. His yearbook details, “If John’s career at St. Sebastian’s is any forecast for the future, then the years to come will be full of happiness and achievement for him.” Upon graduation from College of The Holy Cross, John joined Meredith & Grew (Colliers Int.) in 1962 where he cultivated a 52-year commercial brokerage career as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Senior Vice President. John served as director of the Massachusetts Cooperative Bank and the Abington Savings Bank. John was a long-time member of Longwood Cricket Club, Wellesley Country Club, Clover Club and St. John the Evangelist Parish where he was parishioner for 45 years.

John and his lovely wife, Ann, boast the following St. Sebastian’s family ties: their son John ’84; their grandsons, John Rourke ’15 and Patrick Rourke ’20; their nephews, Jed Doherty ’86, Tim Doherty ’87, and Joe Tomasello ’91; Ann’s brother, Joe Tomasello ’63; brother-in-law, Jack Doherty ’62; and great nephews Jack Doherty ’17 and Nick Price ’19.

Former Guild of Saint Irene President (1992-1993) Mari-Jo Harney passed peacefully in the comfort of her home, surrounded by family on July 24, 2015, after a battle with cancer. After graduating from D’Youville College’s Nursing Program in 1969, she moved to Boston where she met her husband Joseph and worked as a registered nurse. In 1978, Mari-Jo established Professional Nursing Placement Services, Inc., where she was the agency’s Executive Director & Director of Nursing for over 35 years. Mari-Jo was an avid golfer, artist, and painter, although her true passion and joy were her grandchildren, Joseph ’21, Jack, Jimmy, Ryan, Timothy and Abigail. She deeply loved her sons Joseph ’92, John ’95, Justin ’96, and their families. In addition to her children and grandchildren, she is survived by her husband, Joseph, mother Esther Charlebois, siblings John, Dan, Patsy & Joe, and many nieces and nephews.

Anna Printz P’83,’86,’97 Anna Printz passed away December 18, 2015. From 1985-1986, she served as the President of the Guild of Saint Irene. Anna worked for Glasso Tree Company and started a business with her former husband, but it was being a homemaker and raising her boys that she found most rewarding. She leaves her sons, Eric ’83, Robbie ’86 and, Patrick ’97 and their families, her siblings Mary Lou McLaughlin and Angelo Deacetis, as well as her grandchildren, her great-grandson, and several nieces and nephews.

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IN MEMORIAM

We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the graduates and friends of St. Sebastian’s School whose deaths are reported with sorrow.

George F. Cahill July 21, 2015 Grandfather of Peter Cahill ’10

Miriam Owens November 14, 2015 Mother of Michael J. Owens ’72

Elaine Calabro August 12, 2015 Mother of trustee David Calabro ’78, Grandmother of Alex ’13 and Michael Calabro ’16

Jean E. Pond August 19, 2015 Grandmother of Michael Pond ’20

Danielle DeVincent October 20, 2015 Wife of Ray DeVincent ’95 and the mother of young Raymond DeVincent Roberta L. Dowling August 17, 2015 Wife of William T. Dowling ’62 and sister-in-law of Stephen J. Dowling ’68 Louise Eaton August 1, 2015 Grandmother of Michael DiBiase ’08 Catherine Julien December 19, 2015 Grandmother of Peter Julien ’18 John McCooe November 1, 2015 Grandfather of John Nilles ’16

“Happy are those who have died in the Lord!

Happy indeed the Spirit says; Now they can rest forever after their work, Since their good deeds go with them.”

—Revelation 14:13

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Mary Moore October 30, 2015 Mother of Paul ’75, Daniel ’79, and William Moore ’88 and grandmother of Alex Moore ’13 Joan O’Hearn August 8, 2015 Mother of William J. O’Hearn ’86

Robert Potvin November 8, 2015 Grandfather of Christopher Potvin ’16 Ralph W. Rich August 11, 2015 Father of Walter ’93 and Rory ’97, and brother of Walter T. Rich Jr. ’52 Dorothy Ruelle November 27, 2015 Mother of Mark Ruelle ’79 Gene Sebastian August 1, 2015 Grandfather of Christopher Sebastian ’18 and father of trustee Jack Sebastian James “Jim” Shine November 26, 2015 Grandfather of Peter Cimini ’12 Emmanuel St. Marie September 9, 2015 Grandfather of Vaughn ’18 David Ignatius Sullivan November 20, 2015 Brother of Michael T.K. Sullivan ’67

IN MEMORIAM

John B. Pickard ’46 John “Ben” Pickard died August 19, 2015.

Ben’s impact in the classroom and on the field was significant, earning the title of “Best Scholar Athlete” in 1946. Ben’s lifelong interest in American Literature led him to publish or edit thirteen books, mainly on John Greenleaf Whittier and Emily Dickinson. After serving in Korea, he taught at Rice University in Houston before going to the University of Florida, where he spent the rest of his career teaching American Literature and Film. Ben was always an ardent hiker and in 1998 he completed hiking the Appalachian Trail. Ben leaves behind his wife Carol, his sons Stephen, Thad, and John, and his daughter Ellen and her two children, Ben and Kate.

Paul D. Sullivan ’49 Paul passed away November 16, 2015 after a brief illness. He excelled in science and chemistry while at St. Sebastian’s and he applied his skills in the lab to the kitchen, often producing a variety of delicious baked goods for local pastry shops and for his friends on campus. In addition to his wife Mary Ann of 57 years, he is survived by his 11 children and his 30 grandchildren.

Frank L. Viola ’60 Frank passed away November 16, 2015.

While on campus he was involved in numerous activities including The Arrow, The Walrus, Glee Club, and the Debate and Dramatic Societies, and his academic success earned him membership to the National Honor Society. He was Vice-President of Commonwealth Bank, President and Chairman of Haymarket Bank and founder of The Faneuil Companies. He served on the board of the New England Chapter of the American Liver Foundation and was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife Joyce, his daughters Robin and Jill, and their grandchildren.

Joseph MacDonald

Faculty Member, 1975-1989

St. Sebastian’s former Assistant Headmaster Joseph MacDonald passed away peacefully on August 10, 2015, surrounded by his loving family. Joseph was a teacher for over 35 years, working in the Boston Public School system, Newman Preparatory School, and St. Sebastian’s from 1975-1989, where he served as chair of the math department and later as Assistant Headmaster from 1980-1989.

A graduate of Boston College High School, Boston College, and Boston Teachers College, Joseph proudly served in the United States Navy and in 1983, he was ordained as a permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of Boston, serving for over 20 years at the Gate of Heaven in South Boston and St. Elizabeth in Milton.

Joseph was the devoted husband for 65 years to Mary T. MacDonald. He was the loving father of Peter, Marie, Paul, David, Kathleen, and Joanna and the sibling of Sr. Mary Rosaire, SCH, Katherine MacDonald, Sr. Mary Corona, SCH, Sr. Rita Margaret, SCH and Peter MacDonald. Joseph is also survived by 14 grandchildren, three greatgrandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

This listing contains deaths reported between July 15, 2015 and January 10, 2016. To report a death of a St. Sebastian’s alumnus or relative to the Development Office, please contact Kelsey Johnson at kelsey_johnson@stsebs.org.

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From the Archives

1966

Left to right, Jim Hoare ’66, Carl McManama ’66 , Broadway actor Jerry Orbach, Robbi Curtis, and John Denahy ’66 meet backstage at the Shubert Theatre in 1966.

Behind the Scenes Pulled from the pages of an archived Walrus article was a meeting between St. Sebastian’s students and a Broadway star. Members of the Dramatic Society had taken a field trip to see Carousel at the Shubert Theatre in 1966. Following the performance, students met backstage with the late Broadway and television actor Jerry Orbach, who would gain worldwide fame for his starring role as NYPD Detective Lennie Briscoe on the long-running NBC crime drama Law & Order. St. Sebastian’s would be performing Carnival the following spring, and Orbach had starred in

the original Broadway production of the musical. The young actor graciously took the time to speak with students, discussing the logistics of the production and their plans for the musical. “ I met Jerry Orbach later when he was doing 42nd Street on Broadway in 1980,” remembers long-time St. Sebastian’s actress Robbi Curtis (see “Leading Lady,” page 26). “I thanked him for being so kind to some high school students years before—he said he loved talking to young actors and encouraging them in their work. All of us that day had such a moving experience.”

Leaving a lasting legacy Brad Ball ’64 believed in giving back to the communities that played a part in his life, whether it was his dedication to the Barnstormers Theatre, or playing a supportive role in the athletics department while at St. Sebastian’s. Brad continued his legacy of selfless service by leaving St. Sebastian’s in his will—the largest bequest in the School’s history.

Brad, or “Bradley,” as his friends knew him, thrived as a student at St. Sebastian’s. He cherished

After graduating from Boston College, Brad devoted his career to The Barnstormers Summer Theatre in Tamworth, New Hampshire, where he became an active member of the community. He eagerly took part in many of the theatre’s productions, eventually being elected to The Barnstormers Board of Directors until his passing in 2011.

Legacy gifts like Brad’s make a lasting impact on St. Sebastian’s. These gifts provide deserving students financial aid and can be used to bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of a St. Sebastian’s education. Please consider joining Brad by including St. Sebastian’s in your estate plans. A bequest will be felt by future generations of Arrows for years to come.

his experience on Nonantum Hill and the relationships he formed with so many of his mentors and classmates. Showing a passion for athletics, he played on every intramural team and became the coaches’ “right-hand man,” as he managed the baseball team for Henry Lane ’49 and Father Gilmartin’s basketball teams. “St. Sebastian’s did so much for Brad, and Brad did so much for the

For more information about gift planning and including St. Sebastian’s in your estate plans, contact Ed Davis ’65 in the Office of Planned Giving at 781.247.0158 or ed_davis@stsebs.org or visit plannedgiving.stsebs.org.

School,” Lane recalls.

Reverend Charles D. McInnis Society

1191 Greendale Avenue Needham, Massachusetts 02492

William L. Burke III Headmaster Richard F. Arms Director of Alumni & Development Christine Y. Robertson Director of Communications

HOMECOMING 2015

St. Sebastian’s students charge across the field to celebrate a win for the football team.

Nonprofit Org. US Postage PAID Boston, MA Permit No. 19943