Issue II - St. Sebastian's School

Vol VII, Issue II 2011-2012

ST. SEBASTIAN’SM AGA Z I N E

2 | ST. SEBASTIAN’S MAGAZINE Volume V, Issue I

Features14 The Courage to Serve

22 Testimonials of Service

26 Thinking Beyond Yourself

30 Teach me to be Generous

Departments4 Discourse

8 Arrows in the News

12 Building Update

38 Fine Arts

42 Guest Speakers

44 Athletics

51 In Memoriam

CreditsSt. Sebastian’s Magazine publishes 3 times a year.Photos by Peter Breslin ’13, Marshall Goldin, Sean Hennessy,Dan Tobin.

St Sebastian’s School1191 Greendale AveNeedham, MA 02492

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

2011-2012 Board of Trustees

Seán Cardinal O'Malley, OFM. Cap.Chairman

James L. Elcock '77, P'08President

William L. Burke III P '95,'97,'00,'04Executive Officer, Headmaster

Douglas A. Kingsley, P'10,'10,'12,'13Secretary

Timothy J. McCarthy, Jr. '81, P'10Treasurer

J. Devin Birmingham '84, P'14Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J.Devin C. Condron '92William T. Connolly, Jr. P'10,'12John DeMatteo II P'11,'13,'16John P. DiGiovanni '84, P'14Mark E. Donovan P'07,'09Kevin F. Driscoll '72, P'05,'09Kevin J. Ecclesine P'07,'10,'11Sr. Janet Eisner, SNDThomas F. Flannery '77, P'06,'09David F. Gately '73Rev. J. Bryan HehirJane M. Hoch P'07Edward J. Hoff P'11,'13Patrick T. Jones P'02Wayne M. Kennard P'08Rev. Brian R. KielyJohn A. Lawler IV '78John A. Mannix '74William A. O'Malley P'09,'10,'13Sean P. O'Neil P'02,'05,'08Stuart D. PorterRobert M. Wadsworth P'10,'15Stephen P. Ward '96Celeste E. Wolfe P'09,'12

Mary L. Supple P'09,'10,'15President, Guild of St. Irene

Brian S. Strachan P'11,'14President, Men’s Association

Patrick J. Hegarty '89President, Alumni Association

Most Reverend John P. Boles '47James A. Cotter, Jr. '57J. Brad Griffith '58Frank M. Ward P'96Trustee Emeriti

30

Cover ImageThe St. Sebastian’s School Robotics Team traveled to the Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Mis-souri, the last week of April. Read story on page 9.

WWW.STSEBASTIANSSCHOOL.ORG | 3

FROM THE DESK

OF THE HEADMASTER

W I L L I A M L . B u R K E I I I

These are the wordsof an incomingscholar to his

mother, who shared themwith me at the reception weheld for admitted studentsand their families on April3, 2012. St.�Sebastian’s�willbe�better�for�my�soul.��Musicto our ears!

We compete forstudents with the very best

independent schools in the area (and many would argue in thecountry), and we take a back seat to none of them academically.Bright, promising students are called to greatness by extraordinarilygied teachers in a most demanding curriculum at St. Sebastian’s. Asour record evinces, our graduates are prepared for admission to andsuccess in the most excellent colleges and universities in the country.Ours is a School of tremendous Academic Rigor, to be sure, and oursis also a School of profound Spiritual Depth. Pursuing truth throughfaith and reason, we inspire students to become the very best, mostfully integrated gentlemen they can be in mind, body, and soul. atan incoming student grasps the unique advantage of a St. Sebastian’seducation and that he expresses the truth so eloquently delights andelevates us all.

Our cover photo depicts Science Chair, David Wilbur, with hisoutstanding Robotics Team, who will compete in the WorldTournament in St. Louis, Missouri in late April. What Will Barnard’12, Gus Gordon ’12, Parker Hentz ’12, Mike Petro ’13, Kevin Martin’12, and Julian Matra ’13 have accomplished working in sub-optimalfacilities is truly remarkable. What future robotics teams will achievein our soon-to-be-opened, state of the art science and math center canonly be imagined. Julian Matra, also an exquisite actor, will not travelto St. Louis with his teammates because, as a consequence of havingwon the regional Shakespeare competition, he will be competing inthe national Shakespeare competition in New York on the sameweekend.

Your team is awesome – and your students cheer so well, andit’s all so positive!I was so excited about traveling to Williston Northampton School onFebruary 29 to watch our hockey team battle Brunswick School inthe first round of the Large School New England Prep School hockeytournament. Not only do I love our players and managers and their

coaches, Sean McCann and Jed Doherty, whom I regard as the verybest coaches on the planet, but I also hold in high regard theopposing coach, Ron Van Belle, who starred on the 1985-86Holderness School hockey team, which I was privileged to coach.Aer our team completed a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory, inspired,in no small way, by two full busloads of wildly cheering St.Sebastian’s students, I made my way to Coach Van Belle, who,though he had just suffered what had to have been a mostdevastating loss, shook my hand, smiled, and, in awe, remarked:Your�team�is�awesome�–�and�your�students�cheer�so�well,�and�it’s�all�sopositive!

Cheer�for,�not�against.��Strive�to�win,�not�humiliate. Our time-honored calls to high character do make a difference in the lives of ourathletes and fans, and it’s beautiful to behold.

Let me serve them all my days and never count the cost.In this issue, we celebrate the truth of our twin traits and promises:Academic Rigor ~ Spiritual Depth. Among other highlights, weoffer pictures and copy of our Cum Laude Society induction, Debatesuccesses, CANE conference hosting, student written, adapted, anddirected plays, and a viola performance in Carnegie Hall – and wecelebrate, in a comprehensive manner, our commitment to puttingour faith in action by serving those who need us as much as we needthem.

It has been said that we can live for ourselves alone and bemiserable or we can live for God and for others and be joyful. Howrichly blessed, how very grateful, and how truly happy we are that anever-growing number of our students, our parents, our grandparents,our faculty and staff, our trustees, our alumni, and our many friendscommit themselves to the pursuit of excellence and embrace the callto service, living the creed: Let�me�serve�them�all�my�days�and�nevercount�the�cost.

I hope that you will enjoy this issue of our magazine and that youwill visit whenever you can and allow me to give you the grand tour ofour expanding campus. May God continue to bless you all everygraced step of the way.

Sincerely

William L. Burke IIIHeadmaster

“St.�Sebastian’s�will�be�better�for�mysoul.”

DISCOURSE

Celeste Wolfe

In Recognition ofAcademic Excellence

Good morning. ank you HeadmasterBurke for the warm welcome, and for invit-ing me to speak today. It is a true honor to

be here. First and foremost, I want to congratulatethe 13 inductees of the Cum Laude Society. is is asignificant accomplishment for you, as you representthe top 20% of the senior class. e time and perse-verance you have put into your school work is veryimpressive. Having been a student for 19 years, I’mthe first person to admit that there are times whenstudying, reading books that might not interest you,going to class all day, and doing problem sets istough work. It is the life of a high school studentand it is oen quite demanding. ose of you whopersist and excel deserve much honor and praise. Iwould also like to congratulate your parents andthank them for providing support and encourage-ment to you. You should thank them, too.

e Cum Laude Society was founded over 100years ago in Maryland and is dedicated to promotingand honoring scholastic achievement in high schools.It now has 382 chapters in six countries. Our Schoolwas admitted in 2008. “Cum Laude” translates to“with honor” or “with praise,” and is a very suitabledescription of why we are here this morning: tohonor academic excellence. Other days we haveceremonies to honor your success in such areas asathletics and the arts. But, this morning is acelebration of scholastic achievement. I think anappropriate question to ask ourselves is, “Why areacademics important?” It is my hope this morning

that you will each think about this question and whatrole academics play in your life now and in the future.

Most of you would probably respond that“colleges like hard courses and good grades.” I agreewith you. ere is no question that you will improveyour chances of going to the college of your choice byhaving a strong academic performance in highschool. is was true when I was in high school andit’s still true today. Just look at our Cum LaudeSociety inductees. Many have already gainedacceptance to some of the nation’s top schools –Amherst, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth,Georgetown, Harvard, Middlebury, and Yale. at isa very impressive list, and it’s only January. I’m surethere will be quite a few more acceptances before theend of March. College admissions officers look attranscripts and recommendations to help themdetermine how prepared a candidate is for collegeand how likely the student is to succeed. But there’sfar more to academics than just how your transcriptlooks for college.

You’d probably be surprised if I told you howmany of my friends take college courses, and theygraduated from college more than a quarter centuryago! ey are not taking classes because they need tobuild a good transcript. ey just love learning.Academics, at least some of the time, should be fun.When I was in high school, my favorite subjects werebiology, math, and history. You are all naturallycurious about something. ink of the things thatyou liked to read about as a young child: dinosaurs,

“Sometimes�whenyou�learn�some-thing,�you�maynot�see�the�rele-vance�to�everydaylife,�but�it�is�oenthere.”

4 | ST. SEBASTIAN’S MAGAZINE Volume VII, Issue II

weather, science fiction, or perhaps some of you likedlooking at atlases and maps. All of these areacademic in nature.

Some of you might be thinking, “Is this womancrazy?! None of my courses is fun! ey’re o.k., butnot fun!” In college, you will take subjects that aren’tavailable in high school. I discovered economics. Itwas an area that I knew nothing about, but figured acollege graduate should have at least a semester insuch an important field. About halfway through thecourse, I discovered that I really liked it. I tookanother course andanother course, ended upmajoring in it, got a jobusing economic analysis,and then went back toschool for a masters inbusiness administration.Looking back, majoringin economics made sensefor me. It requires a lot ofmath, knowledge ofhistory, and anunderstanding of humanpsychology, a subjectclosely linked to biology.

Sorting through thevarious subjects youstudy in high school andcollege will help you determine what you want to dowith your life. Along the way you will find subjectsthat don’t particularly interest you and, importantly,subjects that don’t particularly like you. I knew earlyon that I could never be a translator! Be on thelookout for areas that you love and at which youexcel. ese could end up guiding you into asatisfying career that you enjoy.

To prepare you for a career, your classes in highschool and college help give you not just theknowledge and skills you need to succeed, but alsodiscipline, self-confidence, and resilience. Every timeyou wake up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for school,study for a test, struggle through a difficult text, orsolve a hard math problem, you are gainingdiscipline. Academic struggles and challenges arewonderful opportunities to work hard. When youovercome a struggle or meet a challenge, you gain theself-confidence you will need later on in life whenmore difficult situations come your way. Sometimeswe don’t always succeed. Somehow, I never quitemet the challenge that French posed for me. I had towork extremely hard in reading and writing thelanguage to get a decent grade because I could notspeak it without my classmates giggling and laughing

at my attempts. Nor could I understand anyone else,including the teacher. It simply was not my strongsuit, but I figured out a way to compensate andsurvive my classes with good grades. Learning tonavigate a weakness is a valuable lesson and highschool French helped me learn it.

I think we all know the feeling of getting a test orpaper back and seeing a disappointing grade.Organic chemistry is notorious as one of the mostdifficult college courses, and it’s filled with high-powered pre-med students. I entered it at the

beginning of sophomoreyear with fear and dread.My first grades were, asexpected, terrible. Lifewent on and I tried not toget discouraged. I keptstudying, taking notes,reading the book, andasking the professor andteaching assistantsquestions. e smarterstudents in the classhelped me. Sometimebetween anksgivingand Christmas the lightbulb went on and I finallyunderstood the material.I finished the second

semester with an A-, a grade I thought impossible toachieve nine months earlier. School helps us learnhow to recover from setbacks and persevere throughadversity. ese are important life skills.

Over the past 100 years our economy has shiedfrom an agrarian economy to manufacturing toservice. In the 21st century, more and more jobs willrequire people with sharply trained minds. Whereare minds trained? Yes, in school. It’s like aprofessional athlete who has spent years practicingand playing his sport through college and high schooland even earlier. To answer the challenges of the 21stcentury, like curing cancer, ending world hunger,establishing strong and peaceful governments aroundthe world, or finding alternatives to fossil fuels, weneed brain power! e great achievements of the20th century – mass electrification, safe water,immunizations and antibiotics, air travel, car travel,ending WWII -- and things that we love in oureveryday life – phones, computers, air conditioning,and television – these are all the result of veryimaginative and brilliant minds. ink about howmuch studying, reading, problem solving, andexperimenting the Wright Brothers did to invent

Sorting�through�the�varioussubjects�you�study�in�highschool�and�college�will�helpyou�determine�what�youwant�to�do�with�your�life...Be�on�the�lookout�for�areasthat�you�love�and�at�whichyou�excel.�ese�could�endup�guiding�you�into�asatisfying�career...


DISCOURSE

their airplane. Serious pursuit of academic areas canresult in major improvements for entire societies.

But, let’s bring it back to everyday living for aminute. Some of the ideas I use virtually every day, Ilearned in school. ings like: “Water is the universalsolvent” from middle school science. is is veryuseful in cleaning. How about from philosophy:Occam's razor that the simplest explanation is usuallycorrect. is has been very helpful in judging ifpeople are telling the truth. And from college: thetime value of money. Adollar today is almostalways worth more than adollar tomorrow. I’venever forgotten that one.I could go on for aboutanother week on this, butyou get the idea.Sometimes when youlearn something, you maynot see the relevance toeveryday life, but it isoen there.

Before I close, I haveto mention one of mypersonal favorites on whyacademics matter. Ibelieve it is our civic duty to be educated citizens.Having voters who do not understand such areas ashistory, politics, philosophy, economics, and sciencego into voting booths and make uninformeddecisions are not helpful to our nation and can bedownright dangerous and immoral. If you want toread about a truly horrifying social movement in theunited States, Google “eugenics.” is movementgained traction in the late 19th and early 20th century

and believed that through selective breeding,sterilization, and euthanasia, we could improve ourpopulation. More than 30 states actually passed lawsto force sterilization. Many states prohibited “feeble-minded” people from marrying. Can you imaginepeople voting for these types of laws!? When ourcitizens go to vote, they should be well-informed ofthe pertinent issues and candidates. Learning inschool how to read, question, and analyze isimportant to being a good citizen.

God has given each ofyou unique academictalents. Being at St.Sebastian’s is anincredible opportunity toexplore these talents andwork hard to developthem. Your teachers andparents are here tosupport you. ey put atremendous effort intohelping you. Right now,God’s plan for you is tobe a student. Later, aercollege and perhapsgraduate school, you willenter a career based in

large part on what you have learned as a student. So,be diligent because you want to choose and preparefor the right career for you. rough that career, youwill be able to serve God and others.

In closing, I’d like to again congratulate our CumLaude Society inductees. ese young men valuetheir education, have worked hard, and have excelled.I’d like to ask all of you to contemplate whyacademics and your education are important to you.I hope you will be inspired by the achievements ofthese seniors. And perhaps you will feel inspiredwhen you think about how academics fit into yourlife right now and how they can help provide apromising future.

ank you and God bless you. n

Editor’s�note�–�Celeste�Wolfe�gave�these�remarksduring�the�Cum�Laude�Society�Induction�Ceremony,which�was�held�on�Tuesday,�January�31,�2012.


Academic�struggles�andchallenges�are�wonderfulopportunities�to�work�hard.When�you�overcome�a

struggle�or�meet�a�challenge,you�gain�the�self-confidenceyou�will�need�later�on�in�life

when�more�difficultsituations�come�your�way.

Celeste Wolfe and her son, Kevin ’12, at theUndergraduate Award Ceremony held in May 2011.


Thirteen Inducted into Cum Laude Society

Headmaster Bill Burke and Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne inducted thirteen seniors into the Cum Laude Society dur-ing a ceremony on Tuesday, January 31, 2012. Celeste Wolfe P’12, a Trustee at St. Sebastian’s School, gave the keynote ad-dress.

The Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools. Modeled after Phi BetaKappa, the Society has grown to 350 Chapters located in public and independent schools in the United States, Canada, Eng-land, France, Spain, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

Those inducted include (pictured l-r): (back) Headmaster Bill Burke, Michael P. Fischer, John P. Connolly, Peter J. Cimini,David S. Loughborough III, Ryan A. Sanderson, Terrence F. O'Connor, Cum Laude Society Secretary David Cornish, (front) As-sistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne, Kevin E. Wolfe, John L. Donovan III, Brendan D. Burke, Matthew J. Angelico, Sean M.Frazzette, Christopher M. Stadtler, and Christopher R. Nadeau.

ARROWS IN THE NEWS

Around CampusA�brief�look�at�the�people�and�events�that�have�helped�to�shape�theSt.�Sebastian’s�School�Community.

Noteworthy

Debate Honors

The Advanced Division Team of DanFulham ’14 and Conor Craven ’14

(pictured upper right with AssistantHeadmaster Mike Nerbonne) won SecondPlace out of twenty-four teams during theSt. Sebastian’s School Parliamentary,Extemporaneous Debate Tournament onSunday, February 12, 2012. ey were onepoint away from taking First. Craven wasalso recognized as being the Top Speakerfrom St. Sebastian’s at the Tournament.

Dr. Martin Retires afterThirty-Seven Years

Pictured lower right accepting aretirement gi from Headmaster Bill

Burke, Dr. Steve Martin, who retired inJanuary aer thirty-seven years in theclassroom, was honored by the faculty andtrustees during a dinner in Ward Hall onursday, March 8, 2012. Martin, whoserved students on both the Newton andNeedham campuses, was recognized forhis dedication and commitment to St.Sebastian’s and its students. BoardPresident Jim Elcock ’77, a former studentof Dr. Martin, former faculty member andcurrent Fenn School Headmaster JerryWard, Spanish Department Chair ElaineSchwimmer, and Headmaster Bill Burkepraised Steve as an educator and as aperson during their remarks. Martinended the evening by reflecting on hisyears of service to the St. Sebastian’sSchool Community.


ARROWS IN THE NEWS

Arrows Earn Spot inRobotics WorldChampionships

The members of the St. Sebastian'sSchool Robotics Team traveled to

Andover High School on Saturday, March10, to compete in the MassachusettsFIRST Tech Challenge StateChampionships. e Arrows came outstrong early in the day, dominating theirfirst two preliminary matches and settingthe tone with what turned out to be thesecond highest score of the day (236points). e final three preliminarymatches had a mix of highs and lows,losing two out of three as the competitionbecame more aggressive and robotsstarted breaking. Aer the preliminarieswere complete, the Arrows stood on theoutside looking in, holding the 10th spotout of 24 total teams.

Due to the quality of their robot and itsmassive point scoring potential, the Arrowswere scooped up immediately by a top-seeded team to be part of a three teamalliance to do battle in the 'best two out ofthree' format of the semifinal and finalrounds. is new alliance made quick workof the competition in both the semifinalsand finals, winning four matches in a rowand losing none. e Arrows and itsalliance had won the State Championships!

Due to the fact that the Arrows finishedthe day as the second place team of thewinning alliance, they were selected as oneof three teams to represent Massachusettsin the World Championships in St. Louis,MO during the final week in April!

Faculty/Staff News

Headmaster Bill Burke participatedin a Panel Discussion with Montrose

Headmaster Dr. Karen Bohlin onursday, February 16, 2012. e eventfocused on the merits of single-sexeducation, addressing the fundamentals ofhow girls and boys learn best.

Photography teacher Allison Carrollco-authored with Henry Horenstein a newbook on photography entitled, Digital

Photography,�A�Basic�Manual, published byLittle, Brown and Company. e bookinstructs readers on the basics of a digitalsingle lens reflex camera (DSLR) and how itis used in conjunction with computersoware to create stunning images. LorieNovak, Professor of Photography andImaging at New York university writes,“…Digital�Photography is written from theperspective of a photographer andeducator. It is easy to understand butsophisticated in its content andperspective… I have been waiting a longtime for this book.”

Latin teacher Stefan Cressotti co-facilitated a workshop entitled WritingFighting:�Battle�Narratives�in�Caesar�andVergil, which looked at one approach to thenew AP Latin syllabus, during the ClassicalAssociation of New England’s (CANE)Annual Meeting, which was held in Marchat St. Sebastian’s School (see page 11).

Also during the conference, facultymember Mike Descheneswas namedPresident-Elect of CANE. is voluntaryposition gives him a three-year leadershiprole within the membership organization.

Jim Elcock ’08, a senior music industrymajor at Loyola university in New Orleans,and St. Sebastian’s School music teacherKarl Grohmann attended the NationalAssociation of Music Merchants (NAMM)Conference and Trade Show in Californiain mid-January. NAMM offers a large arrayof educational conferences focused onspecific musical interests. During the event,Elcock attended Christian music seminars,where he learned how to successfullypromote his music. He also had theopportunity to network with companiesinterested in supporting his musical career.Grohmann spent time working with VicFirth's educational department as one of itsendorsers, demonstrating percussionperformance practices.

Alumni News

Harvard freshman Tom O’Regan ’10was named ECAC Hockey Rookie of

the Week on Tuesday, February 21, 2012.Connor Toomey ’07, a senior goalie at

the Milwaukee School of Engineering wasnamed First Team All-American in the


Pictured: The St. Sebastian’s School Robotics Team - Julian Matra ’13, Parker Hentz ’12, WillBarnard ’12, Coach Dave Wilbur, Mike Petro ’13, Kevin Martin ’12, and Gus Gordon ’12.Missing from the photo - Andrew Sullivan ’13, Kenny Chen ’13, and Ben Piersiak ’13.

ARROWS IN THE NEWS

West Region by the American HockeyCoaches Association.

Jordan Lalor ’06, a senior hockeydefenseman at Bowdoin, was namedSecond Team All-American in the EastRegion by the American Hockey CoachesAssocation and First Team All-Conferencethrough the All-New England SmallCollege Athletic Conference. He was alsonamed a Semifinalist for the 2012 JoeConncannon Award, which is sponsoredby the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.

Ned Supple ’09, a junior InternationalStudies major focusing on the Middle Eastat e College of the Holy Cross, has beennamed next year’s Captain of the HolyCross men’s swimming team. While at St.Sebastian’s, Supple captained the St.Sebastian’s swim team during both hisjunior and senior years.

Matt Lutch ’08, a junior at the unitedStates Naval Academy, was named captainof the school’s hockey team for the 2012-13season.

Alex Pickering ’01 has won theDirector’s Guild of America WesternRegion Jury Award and the BronzeFotokem Award for his dramatic shortfilm, Fig, the story of a south Los Angelesyoung mother whose love for her daughteris put to the test. e film has aired severaltimes on various HBO channels.

Luke Poling’s ’94 feature-lengthdocumentary, Plimpton!�Starring�GeorgePlimpton�Himself, was shown during a“sneak preview screening” at the Brattleeater as part of the Boston IndependentFilm Festival on Sunday, April 29.

Recently, Conor O'Neil '05 earned hiswings as a united States Navy pilot. O'Neil,who matriculated to e College of theHoly Cross aer being graduated from St.Sebastian's, will now be flying an F-18fighter jet for the Navy. n


Above: Jimmy Elcock ’08 and faculty member Karl Grohmann at the National Association ofMusic Merchants Conference and Trade Show.

Below: Conor O’Neil ’05 with his parents, Cathy and Sean, after the ceremony where he earned his wings to fly F-18 fighter jets.

ARROWS IN THE NEWS

St. Sebastian’s School hosted the AnnualMeeting of the Classical Association of

New England (CANE) on Friday andSaturday, March 16-17, 2012. Over 200CANE members from across all of theNew England states came to campus forthe event, which featured a series ofworkshops and lectures.

CANE was founded in 1905 as aprofessional organization to serve classicistsfrom the six New England states. CANEworks to foster the study of the classicalworld through various activities, printresources, grants, and scholarships. eAnnual Meeting is the largest gatheringheld for Association members each year.is is the first time St. Sebastian’s hashosted the event.

For two days attendees participated in anumber of sessions. Workshops were heldon various topics related to the Classics andhow to best present material in the

classroom. Paper Sessions gave authors theopportunity to share their works withconference participants.

Faculty member Stefan Cressotti co-facilitated a workshop entitled WritingFighting:�Battle�Narratives�in�Caesar�andVergil, which looked at one approach to thenew AP Latin syllabus, and faculty memberMike Deschenes was voted President-Electof CANE, a voluntary position which giveshim a three-year leadership role in theAssociation that culminates in him servingas President during the 2013-14 school year.

A highlight of the conference came onFriday evening, when a reception,graciously sponsored by the KingsleyFamily, and dinner banquet were held inWard Hall, where students from the St.Sebastian’s School Drama Club performed ascene from the ancient Roman comedyPseudolus for those in attendance. n


St. Sebastian’s Hosts CANEConference Classicists�from�throughout�New�England�descended�on�St.Sebastian’s�School�for�annual�conference.

Above: Ashley Zahn, from WoodstockUnion High School, leads a workshop on

the importance of SMARTBoards.

Below: St. Sebastian’s School facultymember Stefan Cressotti browses thevendor displays for the perfect book.


A CAMPAIGN FOR ST. SEBASTIAN’S: FAITH & FUTURE

Thanks to extraordinary generosity to the Campaign for St. Se-bastian’s: Faith & Future, we have raised an impressive$26,105,991 in gifts and pledges from 215 donors toward ourCapital goal of $30 million. From the perspective of our Com-prehensive Campaign goal of $44 million (Annual & CapitalCampaigns combined), we have achieved approximately $38.2million in gifts and pledges.

We began construction of the new Science, Math & Library Cen-ter in March, 2011 and celebrated the “official” Groundbreakingthat May. Thanks in part to favorable winter conditions, thenew facility is near completion. The photos on the next pageshow the progression of construction. Photos of the entireprocess, from groundbreaking to present, can be found on ourwebsite (under the giving tab). The rendering above depictshow the building will appear when completed, which will be bythis May, 2012. Over the summer, we will renovate a portion of

the existing academic building (both exterior and interior) andfinish landscaping. In addition, we will renovate and repurposeour old science labs. Happily, all of this work will be behind uswhen we open School in September 2012.

This new academic space will feature eight dedicated Scienceclassrooms and labs, eight Mathematics classrooms, andgreatly expanded library space, including a “quiet” readingroom and a Science/Ethics meeting room which will be used formultiple purposes.

The new facility and renovated existing space will provide ourfaculty with the necessary platform and tools to deliver our ex-cellent programs in even greater depth and breadth.

Please follow the progress of construction by visiting the Capi-tal Campaign page on our website at www.stsebastianss-chool.org (found under the Giving tab).

By the NumbersProgress as of April 11, 2012

Goal Priority Amt. Raised % to Goal

$ 11.428 million Phase I (Fields & Property Acquisition) $ 11.428 million 100%

$ 13.25 million Phase II (Science, Math & Library Center) $ 11.05 million 83%

$ 5.322 million Endowment & Restricted Giving (Financial Aid & Faculty Support) $ 3.647 million 69%

$ 14 million Annual Fund $ 12.1 million 86%

$ 44 million $ 38.4 million 87%


A CAMPAIGN FOR ST. SEBASTIAN’S: FAITH & FUTURE

$44 million$38.2 million

Previous Page: Artist rendering of the newScience, Math & Library Center and how itwill fit into the campus when completed.

Top: Outside of the building nearingcompletion.

Middle: Second floor chemistry room.

Bottom: Second floor library expansionquiet study room.

Campaign Committee

Michael F. Cronin, David F. Gately '73,Douglas A. Kingsley, William A. O’MalleyCampaign Co-Chairs

Devin C. Condron ’92, William T. ConnollyJr., Sean Dillon, James L. Elcock ’77, WilliamL. Elcock, Nancy Q. Gibson, Patrick T.Jones, Stuart D. Porter, Brian S. Strachan,Mary L. Supple

THE COURAGETO SERVE

e Courage to ServeMembers of the St. Sebastian’s Family describe how their involvement in service hasenriched their perception of themselves and others.

By Dan Tobin

It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone, to meet peo-ple who are “different” from you, to go to places seldom trav-eled as part of your normal routine, or to try something you’ve

never done before. People who give freely of themselves to helpothers display that courage each and every time they volunteer.

Many people would like to volunteer but never take the leap intothe world of service. For some it’s the time commitment, for othersit’s a matter of figuring out how to locate opportunities they wouldfind interesting and fulfilling.

What follows are the storiesof five members from the St.Sebastian’s Community – fouralumni and one faculty member.eir stories are ones ofdiscovery – discovery of theissues and needs that face somany members in our society,and discovery of the blessingsand gis that they have beengiven by God.

Finding Fulfillment in ServiceBrian Richter ’09 was first introduced to service through hisSenior Service Project, which he performed at a local elementaryschool in the spring of 2009. rough that experience was born adesire to perform additional service. He was hoping to find apersonally fulfilling experience that would enable him to helppeople overcome their hardships. Once on the campus of

Washington university in St. Louis that fall, the search began for anorganization that would be a good fit for his skills and interests.

“rough the campus YMCA, I volunteered for an activelifestyles program for inner-city kids in St. Louis,” commentedRichter. “ere were literally more volunteers than there were kids!So the next semester, I searched the campus volunteer database tolook for another opportunity. It was there I learned about eWomen’s Safe House.”

Founded in 1977, eWomen’s Safe House provides asafe shelter and support servicesfor up to 50 battered women andtheir children in the city of St.Louis. rough a network oftrained employees andvolunteers, e Women’s SafeHouse offers a crisis hotline,residential services, a children’sprogram, an aercare program,and a community educationprogram.

“e Women’s Safe House is a domestic abuse shelter for womenwho are just coming out of their abusive situations,” noted Richter.“A lot of people think abuse means only physical abuse, but there areother types of abuse – financial abuse, psychological abuse. eshelter offers services that cover a broad spectrum.”


...service�shouldn’t�end�when�youleave�the�place�you�are�serving.Rather,�it�should�become�an

opportunity�to�reflect�and�discuss�theissues�that�make�the�service�necessary

in�the�first�place.

Since Richter is studying psychology and women’s studies,volunteering to help at the Shelter was a natural fit. It was also anunusual placement for a man.

He stated, “Since most of the women here have literally just leabusive relationships with men, many shelters do not allow males toserve as volunteers. e place is also unique in that it allows thewomen’s children, who are boys, to stay until they are 18. It’s morecommon for shelters to not allow kids over the age of 13.”

Richter volunteers every Tuesday and one Saturday each monthat the Shelter, where he is primarily tasked with providing childcarefor the kids while their moms are attending meetings orparticipating in self-help groups. He also works to provideawareness of the organization by representing them at localdomestic violence events. He finds the time spent volunteeringpersonally rewarding and eye-opening.

“My experience with the kids has been pretty shocking for themost part - shocking in a few ways,” he said. “In one sense, I’vefound myself to be in the racial minority, which is a huge differencefrom what I experienced growing up. In a greater sense, however,I’ve come to realize how different these kids behave from the ones Iexperienced in the past during my years as a camp counselor. I canonly imagine what these children have been through and whatthey’ve seen – their mothers being beaten and other situations thatthey can’t even fully comprehend. It obviously influences theirbehavior.”

He continued, “ese kids can be really physical with oneanother. You see little four and five year-olds push one another

around really violently – it’s not playful, but really violent behavior.It’s an eye-opening experience serving here.”

His time at the Shelter has made him realize that he wants topursue a career path that will enable him to help people who haveexperienced domestic violence.

“I either want to do psychology or go for psychiatry,” notedRichter. “I don’t know exactly what population I will serve, but Ithink I am leaning toward victims of trauma, which includes womencaught in abusive relationship.”

As he discusses his role at the Shelter, Richter is quick to pointout a part of service that is oen overlooked by individuals whovolunteer. Aer spending the past several years helping others, hehas become more acutely aware of the need to reflect – to lookdeeper into the underlying societal issues that are oen masked bythe more apparent problem at hand.

“I have come to realize that my time at service shouldn’t endwhen I leave the shelter. I go in there for an hour and a half at a time.My service isn’t over when I walk out the door,” he stated. “I think alot of people in my generation have service-oriented mindset. Forexample, St. Sebastian’s instilled in me a desire to performcommunity service. But, we shouldn’t see the service as an end inand of itself.

“A person might go to a soup kitchen to serve people food.at’s great, but it shouldn’t end there. As a society we should alsobe fighting the things that cause the poverty that has led to peoplebeing hungry. In most cases there is something more happeningthan ‘oh, these people or just lazy’ or ‘he is just going through a badtime.’


Brian Richter ’09 on the streets of Amsterdam during a semester abroad.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

“We should look at domestic violence the same way. e causeof domestic violence isn’t necessarily a bunch of individualpsychopaths who want to beat their wives. We need to look at thebigger issues that are leading males to abuse their female partners.

“My point is that service shouldn’t end when you leave the placeyou are serving. Rather, it should become an opportunity to reflectand discuss the issues that make the service necessary in the firstplace.”

Richter, like all people who have made a commitment tocommunity service, hopes to encourage others to step out of theircomfort zone and make it a goal to volunteer to help others. Evennow, he is amazed at the number of opportunities that exist.

“I didn’t realize how close service opportunities were when I wasin high school,” he commented. “For example, less than a blockfrom where I grew up in Medway – a one minute walk – is ahomeless shelter. Here I amliving in a pretty nice,comfortable home, and a minuteaway there are kids living in ashelter that I could have helped.I would definitely encouragepeople to champion a cause theywould want to do. Sometimeswe don’t even realize there areopportunities right under ournoses.”

In reflecting on his service,he concluded, “I’ve learned twothings. Perspective is first. By working with people who are in amuch different situation than I have ever experienced, I’ve learnedto appreciate things I have more because I have seen how worsesome people have it. I’ve become much more appreciative of my lifeand less worried about the trivial concerns I have as a pretty well-offcollege student. e second thing I’ve learned is that I need to viewservice as something political, rather than being a two hourcommitment every week. I need to become more involved in solvingthe issues that are causing the problems that have led to the need forme to perform service in the first place.”

The Road Less TraveledBill Eichhold ’06 freely admits that he wasn’t ready for collegewhen he was graduated from St. Sebastian’s as a member of theClass of 2006. Already accepted at Hofstra university, he appliedfor and was granted permission to defer the start of his collegeeducation by one year – a year that Eichhold would use to helpothers as he matured and learned more about himself.

“It’s generally assumed in our society that one has toimmediately take a pre-planned route from high school to college tojob,” noted Eichhold. “I figured, why not deviate from the norm abit.”

So Eichhold contacted City Year, an AmeriCorps programfounded in Boston and serving over 20 cities throughout the unitedStates.

He commented, “I interviewed with a few different serviceorganizations through AmeriCorps before settling on City Year. Iwent up to the New Hampshire branch, but they were full at thetime. ey told me that the site in Philadelphia was still in need ofmembers. Since I thought it would be nice to be in a semi-big city, Iaccepted the opportunity and moved to Philly.”

AmeriCorps provides funds to local and national organizationsand agencies who are committed to using national service to addresscritical community needs in education, public safety, health, and theenvironment. In return for a year of service, AmeriCorps membersreceive a small stipend, healthcare benefits, and an education awardthat can be used to offset the cost of college or graduate school.

Since 1997, over 1,500 City Year Philadelphia members haveprovided more than 2 million hours of service, engaging 25,000volunteers throughout the city. In and out of the classroom

members have served as tutorsand mentors, helping thestudents make positive choices inone of the roughest areas of thecity.

“e first couple of monthsof my service consisted oftraining on what to do and howto handle the different situationsthat could arise,” Eichhold said.“We also established guidelinesand baselines that would be usedto mark our progress.

“All City Year Philadelphia members are assigned to aclassroom. I was placed with a sixth grade classroom in theGermantown District of Philadelphia, which is notorious for havingtroubled and underfunded schools.”

Eichhold’s days in the classroom consisted of helping with lessonplans, working individually with students who needed extra help,and acting as a moderator when it came time to settle any disputesthat would arise among the students. Aer school, Eichhold and theother members would run an aer school program that offered asafe and structured environment for the students, many of whomhad no place to go since most of their parents worked well aernormal school hours.

He added, “In addition to our work during the week, we wouldhold community outreach events every couple of weekends, wherewe might paint over graffiti, pick up trash along a school yard, orsomething like that.”

It was during one of these weekend outreach events thatEichhold came to realize the true impact he and his fellowAmeriCorps members were making in the community.

“In the hope of forming a kickball and baseball team for the kidsin the spring, we decided to fix up the field so it would be ready to gowhen the weather improved,” he stated. “It was a great event. It wasrefreshing to see so many members of the community come out tohelp at our day of service. e outpouring of support and thepositive attitude proved that we weren’t doing this in vain. ey


...if�you�come�from�an�environmentwhere�you’ve�been�privileged�in�yourupbringing�and�education...then�it’sonly�right�that�you�share�some�of�thatin�order�to�improve�the�lives�of�otherswho�haven’t�been�as�fortunate.

really appreciated our being there – It was a really movingexperience.”

In many ways, Eichhold gained so much more than he gaveduring his year as a City Year AmeriCorps member. He realizes theimpact his service has had on the students and their parents in theGermantown neighborhood where he served, and he also realizesthe impact those same students and their parents has had on him.

“I feel City Year helped me to enter Hofstra as a more matureindividual who was more comfortable and secure in the direction Iwanted to see myself go while in college,” he noted. “I wouldabsolutely encourage high school students to look into doing a yearof service. College will be there the following year, but anopportunity like this at a time in your life when you’re not obligatedby a job and are unfettered by the responsibilities that accompanyadulthood will be few and far between.”

Eichhold feels that St. Sebastian’s, by its mission, encouragesstudents to step out of their comfort zone and show the courage ittakes to place themselves into different situations – situations wherethey can learn more about the world around them while helpingothers who are in need.

He noted, “St. Sebastian’s has a legacy of service, starting withthe hours of service required to graduate. en there’s the last partof the School’s motto, ‘…Take good care of one another.’ I wouldlike to think that really means service to the external community at-large.”

Having earned his degree in English Literature from Hofstra in2011, Eichhold now lives in Brooklyn, where he is working for arecruiting firm located near Penn Station.

He concluded, “Service is definitely a part of my life. I feel if youcome from an environment where you’ve been privileged in yourupbringing and education and every part of your life has beenrelatively easy, if you’re living a comfortable life, a good life, and asecure life, then it’s only right that you share some of that in order toimprove the lives of others who haven’t been as fortunate. Servicehas made me a lot more appreciative of where I came, my family,and my background. It’s really made me grateful for everything Ihave been given.”

A Desire to Help OthersFor Brian Ea ’07, the commitment to serve others was born out ofa desire to emulate the people he respected and admired – hisparents, teachers, fellow students, and co-workers. From an earlyage the value of service was instilled in him as being a normal partof everyday life.

“Both at home and at St. Sebastian's,” Ea noted, “service wasnever presented as an inconvenience or a chore, but as somethingthat was both a responsibility and an enjoyable experience. Myparents made a point of involving me in volunteer work early onwhen we would decorate cakes for a homeless shelter and prepareingredients for a soup kitchen. My four years at St. Sebastian’s onlyreinforced the ethic of service that my parents demonstrated, mostimportantly through my Senior Service Project and participation inthe New Orleans Service Trip to help the people affected byHurricane Katrina.”

Ea complete his senior service hours at the Boston HigashiSchool, where he was impressed with the patience and selflessness ofthe teachers. Not ready to enter college, he decided to undertake ayear of service as an AmeriCorps member with Habitat forHumanity, a Christian ministry founded on the conviction thatevery man, woman, and child should have a decent, safe, andaffordable place to live.

He commented, “Although I had never volunteered with Habitatbefore, I had a general idea of their model for rebuilding. I hoped atfirst to work with Habitat in New Orleans, but learned that they hadno open positions there, and ended up applying instead to affiliatesin Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Since Habitat forHumanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, based in Gulfport, was thelargest and most active of these affiliates and was located the closestto New Orleans, I decided to go there.”

upon starting his service, Ea knew almost instantly that he hadmade the right decision.


Brian Ea ’07 tears down a wall during the St. Sebastian’s SchoolNew Orleans Service Trip in March 2007.

“I was able to live and rebuild for a year in a community that hadbeen largely overlooked in the aermath of Katrina,” he stated. “eaermath of the levees failing was particularly worthy of mediacoverage, yet the attention directed toward New Orleans aer thehurricane hit had the unfortunate result of overshadowing thedamage inflicted on other areas of the Gulf Coast.”

Ea served as an assistant construction supervisor, helping to leadgroups of ten to thirty weekly volunteers on the construction ofhouses for partner families. He worked exclusively on new houses,rather than the rehab of existing houses. In his words, Ea worked onthe homes from “foundation to finish” – which included the layingout of floor plan, framing, roofing, vinyl siding, the installation ofdrywall, windows and doors, the completion of the finish carpentry,and the installation ofappliances, light fixtures, andbathroom hardware.

He noted with pride, “I hadthe opportunity to work for theHabitat affiliate that built themost houses in the country thatyear! It was such an extremelywell-run organization with asupremely motivated crew.”

Other highlights of his yearof service included being theconstruction supervisor duringthe 2008 Jimmy and RosalynnCarter Work Project and beingpart of the filming of an episode of TLC’s Little�People�Big�World, inwhich the family featured in the show volunteered on his project fora week.

Following a year at Dartmouth, Eatraveled to New Orleans, where he wouldland a service position with the St. BernardProject, an organization working to rebuildhouses in the area. In the fall he decided hewanted to stay in the New Orleans area, sohe transferred to a local college, where hecould work on his degree in EnglishLiterature and, at the same time, keepserving others through his work with the St.Bernard Project.

Now, as he nears the completion of hisundergraduate work at Loyola, he isemployed by the Habitat for HumanityReStore Program, which by reselling usedbuilding materials, furniture, and otherdonated materials, hopes to lessen theamount of trash sent to landfills whileraising the funds needed for theconstruction of homes.

As a paid staff person for a serviceorganization, Ea is quick to note the

misperception that all service must be done only by volunteers.“e fact that a job pays well doesn't detract from the service it

offers, just as the fact that something done on a voluntary basisdoesn't insure it is worthwhile,” he offered. “Whether it's somethingthat is obviously service-oriented, like caring for critically ill patients,or more indirect, like providing consumers with a reliable product,work done with good intentions functions as a service to others.

“Service, whether performed as a volunteer or a paid employee,should be viewed as a tremendously enjoyable, rewardingexperience. People who undertake service opportunities should doso with a sense of the great responsibility they have to make adifference in the lives of others.”

Finding One’s VocationThrough ServicePeter Cohn ’91 credits hisparents, Headmaster Bill Burke,and Tom Nunan for instilling inhim the value of helping othersthrough service.

“Headmaster Burke taught aCreative Writing class during mysenior year,” commented Cohn.“My classmates and I weredefinitely influenced by him in apositive way. He stressed theimportance of giving back to thecommunity because of how

fortunate we all were in our lives. Mr. Nunan also stressed that wehad a duty to perform service. Both made us feel at ease with theprospect of serving others.”


Service...should�be�viewed�as�atremendously�enjoyable,�rewardingexperience.�People�who�undertakeservice�opportunities�should�do�so

with�a�sense�of�the�greatresponsibility�they�have�to�make�adifference�in�the�lives�of�others.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

When it came time to find a location for his Senior ServiceProject, Cohn looked into the Greater Waltham Association forRetarded Citizens (GWArc), an all-volunteer, grassrootsorganization devoted to advocating for community services asalternatives to institutional care for people with intellectual anddevelopmental disabilities. Cohnwas familiar with theorganization because of howactive it was in his hometown,and because some of its clientshad participated in a sportsgroup in which his father wasinvolved years before.

“I had to step out of mycomfort zone in order toperform the service,” Cohn said.“My normal routine consisted ofgoing to school, playing sports,and participating in a widevariety of other extracurricular activities. Volunteering my time forservice was not a part of that routine. I wasn’t nervous, but I didn’tknow what to expect. Once I got there, I found everyone to be reallynice, that was comforting to me. St. Sebastian’s helped me to keep anopen mind as I entered into my service project.”

For his part, Cohn was assigned to a workshop in Waltham thatwas used by clients to perform paid work for a number of differentcompanies. rough his service he was able to interact closely withthe clients of GWArc.

He added, “e service experience opened my eyes to a differentpopulation whom I knew about, but with whom I hadn’t spent a lotof time. It made me more open to seeing their point of view. Seeinghow happy they were despite their disabilities made me ever moreappreciative of my life. ey worked hard to do the best they could.It made me realize that I didn’t have anything to complain about –that you have to make the best of who you are.”

Following St. Sebastian’s, Cohn attended Fordham university,where he earned a degree in English and minored in Spanish.During his years in the Bronx he became involved in his local Bronxcommunity by volunteering at a program called unitas.

He stated, “I served at-risk youth by volunteering at an aer-school program in a rough neighborhood near my college. eprogram helped kids stay off the street and out of trouble byproviding a place to participate in sports, do homework, or work onother projects in an environment that promoted positiveinteractions with people.”

Following college Cohn returned to Boston to begin his jobsearch. It was during this time that he stumbled across a posting forthe GWArc. Remembering how much he enjoyed his Senior Serviceexperience with the organization, he applied.

With the exception of a period of time that he spent at anotherorganization, Cohn has been a Case Manager for GWArc ever since.He has a group of clients whom he oversees. He helps them set theirgoals, track their progress, and schedule the different activities,

projects, and community trips they attend. He also oversees theiroccupational and physical therapy sessions.

“My job is both rewarding and challenging,” he noted. “ere are days when I’m not sure if my clients will be able to

understand and complete what I am trying to teach them. But, Ihave learned that people dopersevere. ey repeatedly showme that they can overcomeobstacles.”

Cohn has proven that youcan turn your passion for helpingothers into a career incommunity service. He thinks allstudents should be presentedwith opportunities to helpothers, and he reminds us thatwithout dedicated volunteers,many nonprofit organizationswouldn’t have the manpower

needed to effectively assist their clients.Most importantly, he reminds us that, “You have to be a good

influence on the people you are serving. It does matter what you doand say.”

High School vs. Medical SchoolSt. Sebastian’s School science teacher Rachel Byrne had a toughdecision to make when she completed her science degree at theuniversity of Notre Dame: Should she become a teacher or go tomedical school? Would she enjoy teaching students?

Byrne had always been involved with mentoring and aer schoolprograms, so the thought of becoming a teacher was something thatinterested her. At the same time, she had taken the MCAT and wasprepared to apply for medical school. How could she best figure outif being a teacher was what she was meant to be?

Fortunately for her, Notre Dame sponsored the Alliance forCatholic Education (ACE), a program designed to strengthen andsustain Catholic schools by offering an exceptional academic,experiential, and personal formation to people aspiring to beCatholic school teachers. In exchange for two years of service in anunderserved, inner-city Catholic school, ACE would pay for aparticipant to earn a Master’s Degree through Notre Dame andaward a modest living stipend. For Byrne, this was the perfect win-win situation.

“My first real involvement with the program was through myolder sister,” noted Byrne. “She had attended Boston College beforeenrolling in the ACE program at Notre Dame. She was assigned toteach at a school in South Texas that was located right on the borderwith Mexico. She loved the experience. I thought this was a goodway to receive some hands-on experience and see if teaching wasreally for me. If, aer two years, I loved teaching, then I would keepteaching. If not, I would enroll in medical school. Like my sisterbefore me, the program helped me to realize that I loved to teach!”


ere�are�days�when�I’m�not�sure�ifmy�clients�will�be�able�to�understandand�complete�what�I�am�trying�toteach�them.�But,�I�have�learned�thatpeople�do�persevere.�ey�repeatedlyshow�me�that�they�can�overcome

obstacles.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

Byrne was assigned to Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary HighSchool in East Los Angeles. e school was roughly 95% Latino andwas located in one of the worst areas of L.A. in terms of gang activityand violence.

“A lot of the parents who send their kids to Cantwell SacredHeart are immigrants or first generation Americans,” commentedByrne. “ey don’t want to send their kids to the public schoolbecause it is a dangerous, really big place. ey want their childrento receive a decent education in a safe place, so Cantwell is theperfect school for these families.

Byrne taught biology and helped to coach the girls’ varsitybasketball team. rough the course of her two year commitment,she became deeply involved with the school community, anexperience she will never forget.

She added, “I grew up in a suburban setting and never had toexperience the kind of poverty and stresses faced by these students.My biggest fear in high school was not making the varsity basketballteam. By comparison, some ofmy students in Cantwell didn’tknow if they would ever get thechance to see their parents again,many of whom were still waitingfor visas to enter the countryfrom Mexico while they livedwith their aunts and uncles herein the united States. It was suchan eye-opening experience.

“It gives you a whole newperspective on what it reallymeans to be a teacher. Yes,you’re there to talk about biologyor whatever subject, but, moreimportantly, you’re there to be apositive, stable adult in thesekids’ lives – you’re there to helpthem with whatever it is theyneed help in whatever way you can – whether academic or withthings happening outside of the classroom. It’s not just about thecurriculum.

“You gain a heightened ability to look outside of your own littleworld of troubles and think about what’s going on with somebodyelse. Everyone has something going on in their lives, most of thetime we really don’t know what that is. A student can be sitting inyour classroom everyday for months and months and months. He’sshowing up, turning in his homework, but you don’t know what’shappening at home. You need to be aware of that and be aware thateveryone is dealing with their own issues while trying to do the bestthey can.

“It makes you much more grateful for the things you have inyour life and for the opportunities you’ve been given. It also makesyou much more empathetic. It makes you a lot less judgmental, a lotmore understanding and tolerant. I probably learned more from mystudents at Cantwell than they did from me about biology.”

Outside the classroom, Byrne could oen be found in thegymnasium, where she served as the assistant coach to the girls’varsity basketball team. unlike here in Boston, the team was notgoverned by a set of rules that limited when it could practice out ofseason. So, the team worked together throughout the year and overthe summer. It was a part of her experience she really enjoyed, andthe part that taught her most about the heart and soul of the peoplein her adopted community.

“e parents of the kids on the team were so involved and sogenerous,” she recalled. “I’m there because, hypothetically, they’re ata school that needs help, but they were constantly bringing me foodand saying, ‘I know you’re not eating well because you’re away fromyour family.’ ey would bring me presents all of the time. eywould invite me to their homes for dinner. ey would throwparties for the team and invite all of us coaches. To me, that’s what Ithink of the most when I think of my time at Cantwell. e parentsbasically adopted me and the other person from my program and

treated us as if we were theirchildren. ey took care of us.Even though we were supposedto be there helping them. ey’rethe most generous-spiritedpeople. ey didn’t have muchmoney at all, but that wasn’timportant. ey wanted to givewhatever they could, and theywere completely warm andwelcoming. It was veryimpressive.”

For the past several years,Byrne has been a biology teacherand coach at St. Sebastian’sSchool. She is grateful for theopportunity Notre Dame gaveher through the ACE program,and she encourages anyone who

is interested in pursuing a career in education to research thedifferent education service programs that exist.

She commented, “It was an experience that was absolutely unlikeanything else I had ever done. It was the hardest thing I had everdone by far, but it was also the most rewarding. It was a chance tofind out what I was capable of doing. Here I was being sent into thisinner-city school having never taught a day in my life, scrambling tofigure out how best to help these kids. ACE helped me to realizewhat I was capable of doing.

“You find out just how much you really have to give by justbeing yourself, just being there. You have a lot to offer the world.Besides that, it’s two years. It’s a good chance to discover whether ornot you have an interest in teaching. Is it something you want topursue further?”

She concluded, “I think once you perform service and you seehow valuable it is - not just to the people you are helping, but to


You�gain�a�heightened�ability�to�lookinside�of�your�own�little�world�of

troubles�and�think�about�what’s�goingon�with�somebody�else.�Everyone�hassomething�going�on�in�their�lives,

most�of�the�time�we�really�don’t�knowwhat�that�is...�You�need�to�be�awareof�that�and�be�aware�that�everyone�isdealing�with�their�own�issues�whiletrying�to�do�the�best�they�can.

yourself - and you realize how good you feel when you are of serviceto someone else, it’s something you definitely want to do again andagain.” n

Editor’s�note�–�Information�contained�in�this�article�was�gatheredfrom�personal�interviews�with�the�people�being�featured�and�from�thefollowing�sources:�www.americorps.gov,�www.cityyear.org,www.habitat.org,�www.twsh.org,�www.gwarc.org,�www.ace.nd.edu.


Rachel Byrne discusses an issue with George Barrett ’15 as Dan Beam ’15checks out the microscope in Honors Biology.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

Testimonials of Servicee courage to serve is outlined by three people who have made a positive impactthrough their volunteer efforts.

Hooked on ServiceBy Ryan Lynch ’08I am a senior at e College of the Holy Cross. I was firstintroduced to service over spring break of my senior year at St.Sebastian’s. at’s when I traveled to New Orleans with roughlytwenty classmates and a handful of teachers to help those affectedby Hurricane Katrina. I went to New Orleans not really knowingwhat to expect. Over the course of the week-long trip, we workedin people’s homes and at the local school. It was a rewardingexperience to hear those we helped tell their story of the effects ofKatrina. Instead of being something I read about in the news,Katrina became a part of my life through the stories I heard and theservice I rendered. e relationships I formed with fellow Arrowson the trip will be something I’ll never forget, and the city of NewOrleans and the people we encountered forever changed my life.

As I le New Orleans I knew I would be back. I didn’t know whenor how, yet I knew at some point God would bring me back to thatbeautiful city. Looking back, I feel these words by Oscar Romerodepicts how I felt upon leaving:

“We�cannot�do�everything,�and�there�is�a�sense�of�liberation�inrealizing�that.��is�enables�us�to�do�something,�and�to�do�it�verywell.��It�may�be�incomplete,�but�it�is�a�beginning,�a�step�along�theway,�an�opportunity�for�the�Lord’s�grace�to�enter�and�do�the�rest.”

I returned to St. Sebastian’s aer the New Orleans trip and, asevery senior must do before graduation, I signed up for my SeniorService. In my case, I would volunteer at the Boston College CampusSchool. e Campus School “educates students with multipledisabilities.” I can honestly say that I had no idea what I was gettingmyself into. I didn’t have much interaction with people withdisabilities before, but I’m glad God gave me the courage to get out of


Ryan Lynch ’08 with the children from his host familyduring his January service trip to Nicaragua.

my comfort zone and experience something different. In my shorttime at the Campus School, I gained a great appreciation foreverything that I have in my life. Seeing students having troublewith simple tasks like eating, going to the bathroom, and even justspeaking made me appreciate how blessed I have been throughoutmy life. I felt that I was truly living the mission of St. Sebastian’s, asMr. Burke always said, “Love God, work hard, and take good care ofone another.” At the Campus School I knew I was making adifference in the lives of thoseenrolled there. I didn’t need anywords to reinforce that, the looksin the students’ eyes spoke morethan any words possibly could.It was a very powerfulexperience, interacting withpeople where no words werespoken, but that’s the beauty ofthe Campus School, where Godallowed us to interact throughhand motions, signs, and eventhrough silence. I’m glad I tookthe risk, had the courage, ofdoing my service at the Campus School. It enabled me to haveexperiences with individuals I would have otherwise never met orfelt comfortable being around.

While enrolled at St. Sebastian’s I was introduced to the meaningof serving others. Although I was serving two very different groupsof people - those that were subject to a terrible natural disaster andthose that were born with their disabilities - those experiences droveme to want to live out Mr. Burke’s words further. And now, fouryears later, service has become an integral part of my life because ofmy experiences during my senior year at St. Sebastian’s.

I returned to New Orleans my sophomore year at Holy Crossand was pleasantly surprised with the progress the city had made.Although I heard more tragic stories of individuals who losteverything in the hurricane, all believed that God had a plan for eachof them. To see the faith that these people had despite having almostnothing le aer that terrible tragedy was incredible.

To me, service is bringing people together who are workingtoward a common goal of helping others. Since my sophomore yeartrip to New Orleans, I have traveled to El Paso, Texas, andparticipated in a ten day immersion trip to Nicaragua.

El Paso challenged my beliefs on immigration as I yet again sawthe faith of the poor. We worked at a women’s homeless shelter andthe Annunciation House, a halfway house for immigrants who havenot yet been approved for Visas.

I could talk for hours about my trip to Nicaragua; the imagesand feelings are still very present. It was hard to accept the reality ofNicaragua, the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.Close to 80% of the population live off of less than $2 per day, andout of that, 30% live off of $1 a day. While on this trip I reflected onhow blessed I was to live in the united States, where I can drink thetap water, drive on paved roads, sleep in comfortable beds, have

three meals a day, and shower whenever I want. is reality of mylife contrasted greatly from what I saw each morning when I awokeat my overnight home-stay with a Nicaraguan family – childrencovered in dirt and sweat still wearing the same clothes as the nightbefore, yet happy as they could be. I then started questioningwhether or not I was right. Maybe it was the Nicaraguans who wereblessed. ey were able to accept so little with so much happiness. Ican’t say that about many people here in the united States. I don’t

think I’ll ever forget the things Isaw in Nicaragua; they weresome of the most disturbingimages I have ever seen. But aswas the case with all my otherservice trips, the faith of the poorhas resonated with me and calledme to live more simply, likethose in Nicaragua.

For my final spring trip ofmy college career, I look forwardto leading a group of fieen or sostudents to Appalachia on aweek-long service trip. As I look

back upon my different service and immersion trips, I think back towhen I first made a difference in someone’s life through service. Itall started at St. Sebastian’s when I was called to serve the poor, theneedy, and the sick.

I’m glad I picked a Jesuit institution that values service just likeSt. Sebastian’s does. I can say that I have been blessed in my life.roughout the past twenty-two years, I have had people who havemade great sacrifices for me. Looking back, I do service because itwas who I was taught to be at St. Sebastian’s. I hope that throughthese trips, I too may make a difference in someone’s life, maybe justfor a day, or an hour, or perhaps even just for a minute, but in thatmoment I hope they see the grace of God as I have seen in my manyyears of service.

I’ll leave you with a prayer that epitomizes what service is tome. I can honestly say that my life would be very different had it notbeen for St. Sebastian’s.

“May�we�find�solace�in�compassion�and�struggle,We�go�not�to�do,�but�to�be...not�to�lead,�but�to�accompany...not�to�preach�but�topractice...not�to�enlighten�but�to�discover.May�we�find�solace�in�compassion�and�struggle,We�go�not�only�to�make�change,�but�to�be�changed...not�to�bring�Christ�to�them,�but�to�encounter�Christ�withthem...not�to�go�with�pride,but�to�enter�with�humility...not�to�seek�comfort�in�our�excess,�butto�embrace�simplicity.May�we�find�solace�in�compassion�and�struggle...to�encounterthe�face�of�Christ�in�each�and�every�person.”

...I�knew�I�was�making�a�difference...,e�looks�in�the�students’�eyes�spokemore�than�any�words�possibly�could.It�was�a�perfect�experience...whereGod�allowed�us�to�interact�throughhand�motions,�signs,�and�even

through�silence.


THE COURAGETO SERVE

A Reality CheckBy Nikolas Fischer ’14For two years I have been volunteering as a coach at theTOPSoccer program in Wrentham. TOPSoccer is an outreachprogram for kids ages 4-19 with physical and mental disabilities.My responsibilities are to keep the young athletes involved in thesoccer drills and games while maintaining a fun and supportiveatmosphere. Most of the kids in the TOPSoccer program wouldnot be able to participate in a regular youth soccer program, so thisprogram provides them with the opportunity to exercise, todevelop soccer skills, and tobuild self confidence.

e program runs everySunday from 2:00-3:00. ecoaches arrive at 1:30 to help setup the fields and go over theday’s program. At 2:00 theathletes arrive and we begin thesession with stretches and drills.Most of the kids participating arehappy and enthusiastic, but areeasily distracted. As a coach I tryto keep the athletes engaged andfocused on the current drill with encouraging words andcompliments. Toward the end of the session the kids are arranged inteams and play a game. My role then becomes both instructive andpersuasive, cheering the kids on, helping them to understand thegame of soccer.

I decided to participate in this specific program because I lovesports and have a personal interest in kids with disabilities. My eightyear old cousin, Sebastian, suffers from epilepsy and learningdisabilities. He and I are very close and I see his daily struggles withschool and sports. As a result of my relationship with him, I believe Ihave a unique understanding of kids with mental and physicalchallenges. It is easy to become frustrated with people with mentaldisabilities. I understand this and know how to be patient, yetencouraging in a way that fosters growth and a sense ofaccomplishment.

During the first week ofTOPSoccer, I was not sure thatthe program would be successful.ere seemed to be a lot of chaosand free time. I am so used to mydays being overscheduled withvery little unstructured time thatit somehow felt wrong. By weeknumber two, I realized Lisa, thewoman who runs TOPSoccer,knew exactly what she was doing.When the athletes arrived on thesecond Sunday, they were so

excited. Smiles, high fives, and hugs between the volunteer coachesand the participants erased any doubts I may have had. Some of thedisabled kids liked to run and play soccer the entire time they were atpractice, while others, I noticed, enjoyed the soccer but also equallyenjoyed the social interactions. One 12 year-old girl named Jessiecame every week to soccer. She played games and fully participated,but I recognized she was just as happy, or maybe even happier,standing on the side lines talking with two coaches who were about13 or 14 years old. She enjoyed the attention and conversations withthese coaches. It was while watching her that I realized what thevolunteers actually mean to these kids. We were not just coaches, butrole models and friends.

e last Sunday of the program for this session was a memorableday in so many ways. As I waited for the athletes to arrive, I wasstanding on the far side of the field. One 8 year-old boy named Alex,with whom I had made a special connection, arrived. His entire facelit up when he found me in the crowd; he was grinning from ear toear. He raced across the field and jumped up into my arms, givingme an enormous bear hug. “Hi Niko!” he said. It was a great feelingto know you can so easily make another person that happy. Wewarmed up together, passing the ball back and forth. He talkednonstop the entire time. I asked him about school and who hisfriends were. en I tried to engage him in one of his favorite topics,SpongeBob. Later the coaches organized some small side games.Every time one of the athletes would score a goal, they were sure topick up high fives from each of the coaches on the field. At the end ofthe session, Lisa had a special treat for all the kids. Each participantwas given a personalized medal that they could hang around theirnecks. I will not forget the absolute happiness on their faces whenthey received the medals. As I looked around the crowd, I realized


Too�oen�I�worry�or�get�mad�aboutthe�little�or�insignificant�things.�It�iseasy�to�get�caught�up�in�my�own�littleworld...�Volunteering...reminds�mehow�lucky�I�am�and�how�minor�my

‘hurdles’�are.

Nikolas Fischer ’14 works with a participant in the TOPSoccer Program.

that not just the participants were happy, but the parents of all thekids appeared equally as happy.

Too oen I worry or get mad about little or insignificant things.It is easy to get caught up in my own world. I may becomeoverwhelmed with school work, or frustrated with a homeworkassignment. Volunteering for the TOPSoccer program reminds meof how lucky I am and how minor my “hurdles” are.

Take the case of Chris, a seven year-old who is small for his age.Chris is unable to stand on his own. He relies on a special kind ofwalker with 4 wheels, which enables him to push with his feet tomove. I see him cross the parking lot and then cross the thick grassfield with a smile on his face every Sunday. It is exhausting just towatch him get to the field beforeany soccer is even played! Henever complains, he never givesup, and he never stops smiling.

Participating in communityservice such as TOPSoccer is areminder of what really mattersin life and what real obstaclesare. It is a reality check.

Comforting Those in NeedBy Patrick Rivard ’14I founded the Blanket Drive in 2008 when I was a seventh grader.is December marked the conclusion of my fourth drive.

I have been taught the idea of service and charity from a youngage. As a toddler I watched my mom place socks and shoes on ablind, homeless man who was sitting outside a Target store. Iremember when I asked her why she did this task. She very matter-of-factly replied, “You help those in need. It’s what we do.”

As I grew and matured, faith became more significant in my life.e Bible states that we are our brother’s keeper - this inspires me totry to help others who are not as fortunate or to whom life has notbeen kind.

e Blanket Drive was a direct result of my desire to help myneighbors that live only thirty minutes from my home. Seeingpeople without a home, food, and other bare essentials disturbedme, and I decided to act upon it rather than look the other way.When I was in middle school I walked the streets of Boston andwitnessed grown men eating from trash cans as I ate in a restaurantand watched a hockey game. is motivated me to want to help thehomeless in any way possible.

Each year I stand in front of the School Community and ask forthe support of the students and faculty in helping those in dire need.ose who donate blankets are entered in a raffle to win sportinggame tickets to events such as Boston College Hockey, Patriots, and

Red Sox games. e tickets aredonated by family friends whohappily support my efforts.

e Drive concludes inDecember when I package theblankets and drop them off at St.Joseph’s Church in Medway.From there the St. Vincent DePaul Society delivers them to thehomeless people who are livingon the streets of Boston. eSociety also distributes food and

other necessities and, more importantly, takes the time to talk withthe people they are helping. ese men and women love to sharetheir stories with someone who is willing to listen. ey areextremely grateful for even the smallest act of kindness shown tothem.

Some say giving a blanket won’t make a difference, but I feel thateven a single act of kindness can bring about positive change. n


e�Bible�states�that�we�are�ourbother’s�keeper�-�that�inspires�me�totry�to�help�others�who�are�not�asfortunate�or�to�whom�life�has�not

been�kind.

Thanks to the generosity of the St.Sebastian’s School Community, PatrickRivard ’14 collected over 100 blankets duringthis year’s Drive. All of the blankets collectedwere donated to the Medway St. Vincent dePaul Society, who in turn distributed them tohomeless individuals throughout the GreaterBoston area.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

inking Beyond YourselfCampus Compact’s Maureen Curley discusses the benefits of service-learning.

By Dan Tobin

Maureen Curley is the President of Campus Compact, anational coalition of 1,200 college and university presi-dents who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes

of higher education. roughtheir efforts, students are givenservice-learning opportunitiesthat help to increase their civicengagement through college-community partnerships in theareas of K-12 education, health-care, the environment,hunger/homelessness, literacy,and senior service.

Curley has a strong trackrecord in the areas of service,service-learning, andvolunteerism. She is the formerhead of the MassachusettsService Alliance, a nonprofitorganization which serves as the State Commission on communityservice and volunteerism, served as the Director of Public Policy forthe Community Service Society of New York, and was the ExecutiveDirector of the Massachusetts Association of Older Americans.

Adding the Learning to ServiceMany service opportunities exist within our community.Organizations rely heavily on volunteers to live their missions. But,what is the difference between service and service-learning?

In simplest terms, service-learning is “a teaching and learningstrategy that integrates meaningful community service withinstruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach

civic responsibility, andstrengthen communities.”

Huh? at sounds difficult.Well, maybe it’s easier than youthink.

A lot of people helporganizations by stuffingenvelopes, feeding the hungry,restoring buildings, and so onand so forth. Organizations needvolunteers to complete thosetasks. But, how fulfilling anexperience is it? Besides having agood feeling about the work youdid, or possibly earning theservice hours needed to fulfill

some sort of requirement, what have you learned from theexperience?

at’s where the learning comes into play.“Service-learning is really no more than just connecting the

service with what you are learning in your academic classes,” statedCurley. “In service-learning situations, the academic institution hasthe responsibility of preparing students for their volunteeropportunities by making sure time is given before and aer theservice project to reflect on the underlying reasons for the issues


Some�people�learn�better�by�doing,�bygetting�their�hands�a�little�dirty,�andthat’s�what�makes�service-learning�sovery�important.�We�want�to�givepeople�the�opportunity�to�becomemore�involved,�to�better�understand,and�to�gain�real-life�experience�in�the

process.

being addressed, and the impact their actions have had on thepeople being served.

“Take, for example, the food bank, probably the place wheremost people serve. You set up food, you put it in different categories,and you help to serve it. e business has grown ten-fold in recentyears. e sad thing is we aren’t always taking the time to reflectwith the students so they start to ask, ‘Why is hunger so much worsetoday than it was a few years ago?’ at’s the service-learning piece.It’s the questioning and learning about the systemic conditions andissues around the service being performed.

In judging the impact of a service project, one needs to workwith the organization being served to understand its goals andobjectives. Is the impact of a food bank measured in the total poundsof food being prepared and served today? Or, is the goal to help thepeople being served to become more independent as it relates tofood?

Curley added, “I think the entire field is becoming more andmore involved in measuring the impact than it ever was before.Take, for instance, Jumpstart in Boston. is organization seeks to‘jumpstart’ four and five year-olds on their educational career bytutoring them in reading. Students being tutored are given pre andpost tests that enable the volunteers to see the progress of thestudents and their service.

“If we are going to better educate people to the needs facingservice organizations, then we need to do a better job of defining theissues being faced and measuring the impact being made so we don’thave people saying, ‘I’m curing hunger by dishing out food at thelocal church. I’m so glad I’m able to help these people.’ Well, that’snot really curing hunger. at’s helping someone to have food,which is valuable, but we definitely need to work harder in makingpeople understand and learn more about the underlying issues andhow to attack those.

“And, when reflection is done in the proper way, serviceexperiences become more meaningful for the participants becausethey can now make the connection between their service and thegreater good. So, make sure you partner with an organization that isreal clear in defining the difference you made for them through yourservice. Also, you should try to partner with one that focuses on alimited number of issues. ose organizations tend to be moresuccessful in building deep connections and relationships within thelocal community.”

Being a Good Citizen“Service is helping to teach people to be good citizens,” notedCurley. “Performing service is a central part of our democracy. esuccess of our democracy is measured by the contribution of ourcitizens. Voting demands it. e whole notion from the verybeginning is that when Americans find a problem, they gettogether with a bunch of friends and say, ‘How can we solve thisproblem?’ It is our responsibility in a democracy to learn how toproblem solve, to become citizens who seek social justice.

“We want socially conscience, active citizens who are architects,bankers, doctors, people from every possible field. Imagine what canbe accomplished if all people understood the value of thinkingbeyond themselves, of taking the responsibility to define thesystemic issues that were causing specific problems.”

Curley goes on to say that studies have shown that students, nowmore than ever, have a desire to serve their communities and aredemanding opportunities that enable them to get out into the realworld. It then becomes the job of educational institutions to turnthat service into learning experiences that prepare the student tobetter understand what it means to be civically responsible, sociallyconscience adults.

At the same time, students gain valuable life-skills that can helpthem as they enter into their professional careers. According to APromising Connection: Increasing College Access and Successthrough Civic Engagement, students who participate in service-learning experiences possess better communications, criticalthinking, analysis, and research skills. ese students also develop astronger personal identity, tend to be more spiritual and moral, andhave a better ability to work well with others.

“Some people learn better by doing, by getting their hands a littledirty, and that’s what makes service-learning so very important,”


Maureen Curley, Campus Compact President.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

Curley stated. “We want to give people the opportunity to becomemore involved, to better understand, and to gain real-life experiencein the process.”

Accomplishing These GoalsIt’s this concept of civic responsibility that led the presidents ofBrown, Georgetown, and Stanford university to come togetherwith others to form Campus Compact in 1985.

“Campus Compact believes performing service-learning shouldbe a pedagogy used in highschools and colleges,” remarkedCurley. “We actually stand onpretty firm ground saying that –in this country, unlike Europeand others – higher educationwas founded with a publicpurpose, not only to educate thenext generation of students oncertain careers, but since it was anew country, schools of highereducation were actually meant toeducate students to betterunderstand what it means to livein a democracy. So, our publicpurpose is to educate studentsabout being good neighbors toone another.”

Most colleges anduniversities today have an office of service-learning or outreach andengagement. e names vary greatly between institutions, but it’sthere if you look for it. While some schools place their service office

under the Student Affairs division, others will have it with theAcademic Dean. Additionally, many clubs and groups on campusincorporate service opportunities as part of their normal program.

“Many colleges will use service as a way to acclimate first-yearstudents to their new environment,” said Curley. “Serving togetherenables people to meet and bond with others who share similarissues and causes. is social component of the service experienceshould not be underestimated. People can increase their contactsthrough service. is networking can prove to be invaluable to

students when they graduate andare looking to enter theworkforce.”

Curley also stresses thatpeople looking to do serviceshould not overlook some of themore obvious options that exist,like tutoring a classmate. eseexperiences serve a valuable needand are as equally fulfilling as anyother form of service. And,students should check to seewhat courses are offered asservice-learning courses, whichwould incorporate hands-oncommunity service directly intothe syllabi.

Finally, alternative springbreaks have become widely

popular among students. ese trips can be made domestically orabroad and bring together students with shared interests in a specificservice initiative.

Curley concluded, “Service-learning ismeant to offer real-life experience. It’sexperiential learning. It’s a situation whereboth the organization receiving the serviceand the student are learning. You can be anarchitectural student who works with anarchitect to draw plans for an organization.e organization gets the plans it needs tomeet its goals, the student architect gainsvaluable experience on the drawing ofplans, and the professional architect has meta person who one day could be working forhis firm. It’s a win-win situation foreveryone involved.” n

Editor’s�Note�–�Additional�information�usedfor�this�article�was�gathered�from�thefollowing�sources:�www.servicelearning.org,www.campuscompact.org,�A�PromisingConnection:�Increasing�College�Access�andSuccess�through�Civic�Engagement�(CampusCompact�2010).


We�want�socially�conscience,�activecitizens�who�are�architects,�bankers,doctors,�people�from�every�possible

field.�Imagine�what�can�beaccomplished�if�all�people�understood

the�value�of�thinking�beyondthemselves,�of�taking�the

responsibility�to�define�the�systemicissues�that�were�causing�specific

problems.

Seventy-five parents and sons prepared meals at the Pine Street Inn in December 2011.


Coming in 2013

The St. Sebastian’s SchoolSummer Writing Workshop

for boys entering grades 5-8

Since 1993, the St. Sebastian’s School Writing Program has empowered boys in

grades 7-12 to become more confident and more competent writers. Starting in

the summer of 2013, St. Sebastian’s will offer a workshop specifically geared to

middle school age students. Boys entering grades 5-8 will be given the opportu-

nity to work closely with St. Sebastian’s faculty to enrich their writing skills in a fun

and encouraging environment.

More information will be made available this coming fall.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

Teach Me to be GenerousSt. Sebastian’s seeks to instill in its students the value of serving others.

By Dan Tobin

Dear Lord, teach me to be generous;

Teach me to serve you as you deserve;

To give and not to count the cost;

To fight and not to heed the wounds;

To toil, and not to seek for rest;

To labor, and not to ask for any reward -

except that of knowing that I am doing your holy will.

-- St. Ignatius of Loyola

These words from St. Ignatius get right to the root of whatservice means at St. Sebastian’s School. While our first pri-ority is and always will be to prepare our students academi-

cally for entry into the best colleges and universities, we cannotoverlook our role in preparing them to live the life that God has in-tended – to instill in them the values that will enable them to be-come better husbands and fathers. We want our students, in thewords of Headmaster Bill Burke, to become “all they can be inbody, mind, and spirit.” By giving students the opportunity to serveothers, we enable them to realize the power they have to make animpact in their communities.

For years, the pinnacle of service at St. Sebastian’s has been itsSenior Service Program, where members of the senior class arerequired to complete service hours at a nonprofit organizationduring their final five weeks at St. Sebastian’s (see full details of theSenior Service Program later in this article). Many students describetheir Senior Service projects as being a transformative moment intheir lives – a time when they learned more about themselves byhaving the courage to step into situations that were vastly differentfrom anything they have ever experienced.

St. Sebastian’s is now looking to integrate service opportunitiesinto the student experience at all levels, so, by the time a student isready to begin his Senior Service, he already has a foundation andunderstanding of what it means to be of service to others.

“Senior Service is a hallmark program of the St. Sebastian’sexperience,” noted Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne. “We’vestudied the program. We know the impact it has on the students, butit happens late in the game. What if we frontloaded the program likewe do with Freshman Writing? Imagine how much better, richer,deeper the Senior Service experience could be for the student.

“Currently, students can go through St. Sebastian’s and really notbe exposed to service until the spring of their senior year. Yes, thereare service opportunities happening, but nothing is formalized. Ourgoal is to have every boy become engaged in some type of service ona regular basis during all of his years at the School. We’re looking to


The Class of 2014 unloads a tractor-trailer full of food at CatholicCharities in November 2011.

expand on what’s currently happening while increasing theopportunities and standardizing the process. at’s the goal.”

To help meet this goal, St. Sebastian’s has named facultymember John Eaton as the School’s first Director of Service. Eatonwill be charged with coordinating service opportunities for thestudents and tracking their participation in the program. While theSchool has yet to finalize how the program will look or what types orhours of service, if any, might be required, it has resolved to makeservice opportunities more accessible to students at all grade levels.

“Students will begin to see more service opportunities beingplanned over the summer, when they have more free time in theirschedules. We might also see aer school programs being offeredduring the school year,” stated Eaton. “Programs could have ourstudents tutoring others who come from underfunded schools, orvolunteering with groups that serve the elderly or people withspecial needs. We want our kids to be engaged with interpersonalprojects, where they can develop relationships with those they areserving.”

Nerbonne added, “ere’s a theological lesson in these hands-on, interpersonal projects that deals with the sanctity of life at everystage. For example, a young, healthy, sixteen year-old St. Sebastian’sstudent working with a frail, elderly person or a severelyhandicapped person confined to a wheelchair begins to betterunderstand that the sanctity of your personhood is not the sum ofyour powers – that’s not why God loves you. You’re not created inGod’s image because you’re athletic or smart. You’re created inGod’s image because you’re a human being. I think that can lead towonderful things and wonderful decisions our students will make intheir lives. To help others is life giving. For a young man who is justcoming of age to be involved with people who are at the margins -people who are sick, handicapped, or elderly - can be atransformative experience.”

Eaton agrees, noting, “Service really connects to the Beatitudesand Corporal Works of Mercy in that we’re called to love God byloving our neighbor, especially those who are marginalized ordisenfranchised. at’s what the Gospels teach us. By reinforcingthat spiritual development, our students will be better able tounderstand God’s presence in their lives and the lives of those whoare suffering. I think that’s immense. Oen times I don’t thinkstudents get that in an academic setting. Service might be thestrongest way for them to receive it.”

To ensure students have the opportunity to express theirthoughts and ask questions that may arise based on the service theyperformed, a reflection component will be included in many of theprojects undertaken. During the reflection period students candiscuss the societal issues and systematic problems that, in somecases, lead to people’s suffering.

“It’s meaningless to perform service and not offer a time forreflection,” commented Eaton. “Hopefully, when our young men gooff to their professions, what we have taught them here will enablethem to be better prepared to address the societal issues causingmuch of today’s suffering.”

The Edward E. Ford FoundationRecently, St. Sebastian’s School received a challengegrant from The Edward E. Ford Foundation for the pur-pose of establishing a “Service Program” at the School.We are currently in the process of raising the funds nec-essary to meet the challenge and take full advantage ofthe wonderful opportunity the Foundation has providedus. The Edward E. Ford Foundation Grant will fund andprovide seed money to begin the Service Program assoon as possible and lay the foundation for an endowedfund to support a faculty member’s Service Programsalary.

The mission of The Edward E. Ford Foundation is tostrengthen and support independent secondaryschools and to challenge and inspire them to lever-age their unique talents, expertise and resources toadvance teaching and learning throughout thiscountry by supporting and disseminating best prac-tice, by supporting efforts to develop and imple-ment models of sustainability, and by encouragingcollaboration with other institutions.

The St. Sebastian’s Service and Volunteerism Program

Adding a new “Service Program” will allow us to formal-ize and expand service beyond the required Senior Serv-ice Program, occasional Parent/Son projects, and thespring trip to New Orleans. In this new Program, a fac-ulty member will be charged with and compensated formanaging and creating an office of information for serv-ice projects and contacts and will be the catalyst for or-ganizing new projects. The Program will operate yearround, taking advantage of the summer months to makevaluable contacts in the community and to organize andrun placements, as students in grades 7-11 aren’t freeenough to perform comprehensive service projects dur-ing the academic year. The goal is to provide as manyopportunities for service as possible to all of our stu-dents, faculty, parents, and alumni. Our ultimate goal isto ensure that all students in grades 7-11 devote a desig-nated number of hours to service every year. By formal-izing and enhancing the Service Program, we hope tobring the “Senior Service” experience to our young menmuch earlier than their senior year. The Service ProgramOffice will be a great resource for parents and studentslooking for service opportunities.


THE COURAGETO SERVE

Nerbonne added, “ere’s a prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola whichbegins, ‘Dear Lord, teach me to be generous.’ What’s interestingabout that prayer is the idea that generosity isn’t necessarily innate –it can be taught or has to be taught and modeled. So, if we think ofSt. Sebastian’s in terms of its educational and academic mission, thenwe must provide opportunities for the boys to learn how to becomemore generous in their lives. Not just generous in terms of themoney in their wallets, but generous with the giving of themselves. Itwill make them more responsible adults who ultimately becomebetter citizens of our country.”

Eaton concluded, “I thinkpeople do want to serve, butaren’t always sure where to turnto seek out opportunities, or arehesitant because they are unsureif they can emotionally deal withpeople who are sick, suffering, ordying. In many ways, we live inthis utopia where it is easy to losesight of the world around us. Tobreak down that wall can bejarring. It takes courage to totallycommit oneself to anotherthrough service.”

Service at St. Sebastian’sEven though the formal service program at St. Sebastian’s is onlynow beginning, many opportunities to perform service haveexisted at the School for a number of years. What follows is a lookat a few of the projects currently active.

Senior Servicee last five weeks of a student’s St. Sebastian’s career is spent inSenior Service, an experience that requires the courage to put intopractice the moral and ethical convictions developed over the yearsspent as a St. Sebastian’s student. Senior Service Projects cover awide-range of needs, from serving at-risk youth, to assisting in thelives of the mentally and physically challenged, to volunteeringwith the elderly. While some students use a school-developeddirectory of placement locations to locate an appropriate serviceopportunity, others choose to find a location on their own, onewhich will meet their specific interests and desires.

“All service performed as part of the Senior Service Project mustinvolve relational contact with people at the site,” commented TomNunan, coordinator of the Senior Service Program at St. Sebastian’sSchool. “Students can’t be doing manual labor or office supportwork. ey must be working with kids, senior citizens, or anypopulation or clientele that could directly benefit from theirpresence. We encourage our students to step a bit out of theircomfort zone or upbringing when choosing a host location.”

e Program has evolved greatly over the years, from one thatwas once geared more toward providing on-site job experience, toone with a primary focus on service to others.

“e primary goal is for students to understand that their life isreally a gi to them from God. It’s a gi to be lived in service toothers,” Nunan stated. “And, by serving others, they will gain backmore than they could have ever imagined.

“It’s a very specifically Christian motivation that our students willunderstand the link between love of God and love of neighbor. eywill also understand their own giedness, because I really do believe

that we continually set the barvery high for our students. Ithink seniors in high schoolsoen don’t realize what theyreally can accomplish, how muchinfluence they truly have. ereality is they can do a lot. Whatan incredibly positive differencethey can make in the lives ofothers.”

Catholic CharitiesFor over twenty years, St.Sebastian’s has partnered withCatholic Charities in its effort to

provide anksgiving meals to families in needs throughout theGreater Boston area. What started as a small project, hasblossomed into a major endeavor which, this year alone, helped tofeed 5,000 families.

“Twenty years ago I was totally desperate and dumbfounded atthe amount of need and the lack of funding to help people wholacked anksgiving meals,” commented Beth Chambers, Directorof Community Services at Catholic Charity. “My husband, Meyer, afaculty member at St. Sebastian’s, asked the School’s faculty for help.St. Sebastian’s stepped forward and made it happen. As the need hasgrown bigger and bigger each year since, St. Sebastian’s has beenthere for us.”

Almost ten years ago, the project grew from a faculty-basedinitiative to one that involved the members of the Sophomore Class.Each year since that time, the Class would be split among threelocations.

Catholic Charities, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and theAmerican Red Cross, where they would assist with the packing ofmeals and the loading of vehicles. is past November, with the needgreater than ever, the Class of 2014 jumped into action andaccomplished what many thought could not be done.

“e united Way came forward to purchase the food needed forthe 5,000 families that requested assistance,” noted Chambers.“When I told the folks from the united Way and Catholic Charitiesthat we wouldn’t have anything to worry about when it came time tounload the truck because the guys from St. Seb’s were coming, theyall looked at me as in, ‘What do you mean? How can that be?’ Assoon as they arrived, everyone knew I was right.”


ere’s�a�theological�lesson�in�thesehands-on,�interpersonal�projects�thatdeals�with�the�sanctity�of�life�at�everystage...�To�help�others�is�life�giving.For�a�young�man�who�is�just�comingof�age�to�be�involved�with�people�who

are�at�the�margins...can�betransformative.

e Class of 2014 made it to Catholic Charities ahead of thetractor trailer containing the food. With the truck en route, thestudents began the process of preparing the main room by setting upthe first 1,000 bags that needed to be filled. ey then split into twogroups – one to unload the truck and one to fill the bags. Midwaythrough the project, the groups switched so everyone had anopportunity to work inside as well as out.

“We had a truck carryingfood for 5,000 families,”Chambers added. “at’s 10,000cans of green beans and 5,000cans of cranberry sauce. It’s rice,potatoes, onions, othervegetables, and macaroni andcheese. e list of food itemsgoes on and on.

“ese guys brought in all ofthis food, a tractor trailer’sworth. It was a line of St.Sebastian’s students throwingfiy pound bags of potatoes and cases of can goods to each other inone long chain from the parking lot to the inside of the building.ey were having a wonderful time, even discussing how great aworkout it was for them!

“ese young men had a mission to accomplish and they tookcare of it. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know what we would havedone.”

As the groups rotated through the inside of the building, theyhad the opportunity to meet with some of the families who werebenefitting from their day of service. is gave them a heightenedawareness of the realities facing many in their community.

“ere’s a big difference between what the students from St.Sebastian’s know and have, and what the people in the communitywe’re serving don’t,” said Chambers. “We talked extensively about

that difference.“I’ve had people say to me,

‘When the economy was doing alittle bit better and when thestock market was hitting itsheight, things must have beeneasier for you in your line ofwork.’ at’s the disconnect wehave. When you’re poor, you’repoor. It doesn’t change based onthe stock market. e people inlow income neighborhoods don’thave stocks. While most of us are

sitting comfortable in our warm homes all winter, many of thepeople whom we see daily can’t afford to pay their gas bills.

“In other words, through their service, the students from St.Sebastian’s were able to gain a better understanding of the worldaround them as they learned more about the many programs offeredthrough Catholic Charities.”

is spring the Class of 2014 will embark on a new project withCatholic Charities when they travel to Sunset Point Camp in Hull


...through�their�service,�the�studentsfrom�St.�Sebastian’s�were�able�to�gaina�better�understanding�of�the�worldaround�them�as�they�learned�moreabout�the�many�programs�offeredthrough�Catholic�Charities.

Fathers and sons prepare to rake leaves for elderly residents inNatick during the fall of 2010.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

for a day that will be part retreat and part service. Sunset Point is aresidential camp serving roughly 400 children annually, givingchildren whose families could not afford a camp experience theopportunity to attend for one ofthe many weeklong sessionsoffered.

“’It takes a village’ to put thecamp together each year,”Chambers noted. “e St.Sebastian’s students will help usto prepare the camp for theupcoming season. ey willweed, cut the shrubs, and movebeds. ey will also spend aportion of the day in retreat,which will culminate with aMass officiated by Fr. Arens. Ithink it’s going to be a wonderfulexperience for all of them.”

San Miguele San Miguel School in Providence is an independent Lasallianmiddle school for sixty-four urban boys in grades five througheight. Run by the De La Salle Christian Brothers of Eastern NorthAmerica, the School is dedicated to the belief that education is thekey to breaking the cycle of poverty.

St. Sebastian’s first contact with San Miguel was in the fall of2006, when Assistant Headmaster Mike Nerbonne chaired the

accreditation visiting committee for the New England Association ofSchools and Colleges. Nerbonne spent four days on campus and wasstruck by the school’s mission and work.

“All of us on the visitingcommittee were impressed withwhat the school was trying to dofor its students,” notedNerbonne. “At the end of thevisitation I told BrotherLawrence, the Headmaster, thatI’d love to get St. Sebastian’sinvolved. I didn’t have anyspecific ideas in mind at the time,but I thought it would be a greatservice experience for ourstudents.”

Nerbonne approached St.Sebastian’s parent Donna

Angelico to see if she would be interested in spearheading a serviceproject for the boys. Angelico formed a committee of parents whocame up with the perfect idea for the Class of 2012, the Class inwhich her youngest son, Matthew, was a member. During thesummer of 2007, students from the Class would work together topurchase backpacks and supplies for the students in Providence.ey would then assemble the backpacks during a “filling party”hosted at Angelico’s house before traveling to San Miguel withAssistant Headmaster Nerbonne to deliver the supplies to thestudents in late August of 2007.


Charlie Allen ’10 talks with a San Miguel student during Field Dayactivities in July 2011.

By�helping�them�gain�knowledge,�ourstudents�are�helping�them�to�be�betterprepared�to�enter�college.�roughcollege�they�are�given�the�skills

needed�for�successful�careers,�where,hopefully,�they�will�be�able�to�break

the�cycle�of�poverty.

“When we arrived that fall, Brother Lawrence came over to meand said, ‘Mike, I didn’t tell the kids you guys were coming becauseyou can’t imagine how many groups have promised to do this andnever followed through.’ And I replied, ‘Oh, Brother Lawrence, youhaven’t met the St. Sebastian’s moms yet!’ I knew that when DonnaAngelico and the other moms got involved, any project weundertook would just take off.”

And so it has. Every year since, a different Class of students hasparticipated in the backpack project.

Nerbonne added, “e beauty of this project is that our studentshave to do all of the work. ey go out and buy the backpacks andschool supplies. ey stuff the packs and, as a group, we deliverthem to the students. From the start we wanted the project to be ahands-on experience for our boys.”

e people of the San Miguel School couldn’t be more gratefulfor the support St. Sebastian’s has provided.

“I don’t think we’ve done anything at San Miguel where Ihaven’t received individual thank you notes from the boys,” statedNerbonne. “ere’s always something from Brother Lawrence. But,it’s the notes he has the boys write that really drive home the

importance of our service. Take, for example, a note I received thisyear from one boy in particular. It read, ‘Dear Mr. Nerbonne. ankyou for the backpack. I never would have had a backpack like that orall of those supplies. I wish I could pay you back, but I don’t haveany money. So, I’m choosing to pay you back with my love.’

“ese are tough, inner-city kids from very underprivilegedbackgrounds, many living in poverty. Some don’t have food or heatat home. Amid all of that, a twelve year-old would be able to writesomething as moving as that about his experience. at’s the magicof San Miguel.”

e relationship between the two schools continues to grow withevery new school year. using funds collected through missiondrives, St. Sebastian’s students have been able to provide fleecejackets for the students and a scoreboard for the San Miguelgymnasium. St. Sebastian’s also hosts San Miguel every July for aField Day, giving our students the opportunity to interact with theSan Miguel students for a day of sports and other activities. And, theSan Miguel students can be found on campus for our Homecomingcelebration every fall, wearing the Red and Black as the cheer for theArrows. Finally, during the past two school years, the seventh and


Owen Kehoe ’14 reads to students in a childcare center this past fall.

Mike Haley ’13 and Andrew Sullivan ’13 work on a brick walkwayduring the 2012 New Orleans Service Trip in March.

THE COURAGETO SERVE

eighth grade classes have provided over 100 books for the SanMiguel library, based on categories of need given to St. Sebastian’sby San Miguel.

Nerbonne noted, “Our boys purchase and deliver the books toSan Miguel. Stop for a minute and think of what books mean for aschool and its students. Symbolically, it’s like teaching a man to fishin that you are helping the students to become independent througheducation. By helping them gain knowledge, our students arehelping them to be better prepared to enter college. rough collegethey are given the skills needed for successful careers, where,hopefully, they will be able to break the cycle of poverty. Our boysare empowering the students of San Miguel to live their lives the wayGod means for them to live.

“I have said to Brother Lawrence that we get more out of ourinvolvement with San Miguel than we give. Our job is to educate ourboys here at St. Sebastian’s, and it’s part of their education to beinvolved with places such as San Miguel. It makes them betterpeople. It reminds them of the gis they have and the proper use ofthose same gis. It gets them into a habit of philanthropy and a habitof caring about other people, of forging a brotherhood with kidswho have been raised in a vastly different environment than theyhave. It reminds them of the connectedness of what Pope John PaulII called the ‘Human Family’ and our connectedness to every humanbeing on the planet – that no one is better than anyone else - we’reall in it together.”

New Orleans in the Wake of KatrinaOn August 29, 2005, a Category 3 hurricane named Katrina struckthe Gulf Coast, devastating everything in its path. e city of NewOrleans was especially hard hit by the disaster. e images seen ontelevision were heart-wrenching. e loss of life unimaginable. Asthe water receded and the true impact of the storm realized, the St.Sebastian’s Community learned of the connection they shared withthe people of New Orleans – faculty member Meyer Chambers’family lived in the area most affected, and members of his familywere currently missing.

e following year, a group of students and teachers, under thedirection of faculty member Tom Nunan, planned a service trip tothe area. e group would be hosted by Corpus Christi-Epiphany,the home parish of Meyer Chambers and his family members stillliving in the area. e goal would be to do whatever possible to helpthe people in the area overcome the devastation le in the wake ofKatrina.

“We talk about the trip as having four different components,”commented Nunan. “e first is to help rebuild the homes and thelives of the people in New Orleans who were affected by HurricaneKatrina and who are still feeling its aermath. Second, to connectwith the people of Corpus Christi-Epiphany Parish who host us eachyear, so we can put names and faces to the people we are serving.ird is the spiritual component. We begin and conclude each dayin prayer, and we always attend Sunday liturgy with the people fromthe Parish. Finally, the fourth component concerns communal


living. By living together, we become closer to one another –students and faculty members. Our group really develops a tightbrotherhood that, in many ways, can only be formed by sharing inan experience such as this.”

Now in its sixth year of service to the people of New Orleans,roughly 150 students and faculty members have participated in thismost-unique service experience. ose who have participated havedone everything from hangingsheet rock to painting theexteriors of homes, frominstalling new floors to clearingbrush in the Lower Ninth Ward.e group has gutted homescompletely down to the studs,and has worked to restore aschool building back to its pre-hurricane condition. ey havealso spent significant time withthe members of Corpus Christi-Epiphany. rough direct serviceand reflective periods, the St. Sebastian’s Community has come tounderstand the true meaning of giving back to the community.

“is project places our students out of their element,” Nunannoted. “We serve in a notoriously rough community, we’re clearly inthe minority. is is something our students are not used to seeingand experiencing.

“I think the New Orleans Service Trips open our students’ eyesto what other people are experiencing on a day-to-day basis – that isincredibly important. e courage, hope, and faith of the peoplewe’ve seen in New Orleans have truly been inspiring to us. Despiteworking long hours each day in extreme heat and under somecompletely nasty conditions, the students who have participatedover the years would all agree that what they have learned faroutweighs what they have given. It is a wonderfully spiritual weekand, for many, a time of profound grace.”

National Honor SocietySr. Evelyn Barrett, for whom the St. Sebastian’s School Chapter ofthe National Honor Society is named, always reminded us, “It’snot enough to go ahead and buy the food, or buy the gi… Youhave to remember to pray for the people you are trying to serve.”

As one of the four pillars of the National Honor Society, theothers being scholarship, leadership, and character, service plays anintegral part in a candidate’s selection for Society membership. Onceadmitted, members are required to “maintain and extend thequalities that have earned them admission.”

Oen working “under the radar” of more high-profile serviceinitiatives, National Honor Society members spearhead a number ofprojects throughout the year. ey play an integral role in theanksgiving Food and Christmas Warmth Drives for CatholicCharities and adopt a family each Christmas for My Brother’sKeeper, a Christian ministry which delivers aid to local families inneed.

“e project we do with My Brother’s Keeper is truly amazing,”stated Sean Albertson, faculty moderator of the School’s NationalHonor Society Chapter. “Based on how much money we raise, wepurchase gis for our adoptive family. Our students do all of theshopping, wrapping, and delivery of the gis. ey really takeownership of the project.”

Less noticeable, but equally important, are the countless hoursNational Honor Societymembers spend tutoring fellowSt. Sebastian’s students.

Albertson added, “Studenttutors meet with their classmatesduring free periods, at lunch, orbefore or aer school - generallyonce each week. ey coordinatewith the teachers to see how bestthey can help the students theyare tutoring. It really brings

home the last part of our School’s motto, ‘…to take good care of oneanother.’ As they put their skills to use helping others, they are reallybringing out the best in themselves. e tutors become good rolemodels for their fellow students.”

Parent/Son Service Projectse St. Sebastian’s School Men’s Association sponsors one or twoservice opportunities each year. ese events encourage parentsand their sons to serve together. Over the past several years,members of the St. Sebastian’s School Community have painted,cleaned, moved, raked, and fed at a number of locations, includingthe Greater Boston Food Bank, Eliot Center in Lowell, LancasterCampus of the Robert F. Kennedy Action Corps, Habitat forHumanity, and the Sherborn, Natick, and Wellesley Councils onAging.

Arrow Clubere are many students who earn Arrow Club pins for theirservice to the St. Sebastian’s School Community. Arrow Clubservice is any volunteer activity that falls outside of the parametersset by other clubs and organizations within the School. Studentsearn their Arrow Club pins by completing thirty hours of service,which might include serving as guides for Parent/Teacher/AdvisorConferences, or by helping the maintenance staff with the setupand breakdown of Ward Hall before and aer events. n


e�courage,�hope,�and�faith�of�thepeople�we’ve�seen...have�truly�beeninspiring�to�us...�It�is�a�wonderfullyspiritual�week�and,�for�many,�a�time

of�profound�grace.

FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT


Lane ’12 Writes & Directs Winter PlayComedy�that�spoofs�well-known�movies�is�a�hit.

Many members of the St. Sebastian’sSchool Community were in

attendance as the School’s Drama Clubpresented Writers'�Block on Friday andSaturday, February 17-18, 2012.

Written and directed by Mark Lane ’12,Writers’�Block tells the story of two youngdirectors who were trying to come up withan idea for a new production. When astrong case of writer’s block gave thedirectors the idea of re-inventing a moviethat had already been written, hilarityensued as they revisited popular scenesfrom famous movies.

e evening also featured the MarxBrothers Adventure Mixed�Nuts. iscourtroom comedy by Corey Sprague wasdirected by Sean Frazzette ’12 and followedtwo people on trial for stealing jewelryfrom the famous Buckwalter estate. n

Above: Mark Lane ’12 in Writers’ Block.

Below: Joe Dudley ’12 and Mike Petro ’13 in Writers’ Block.



Writers’ Block Pictures

Top: Mike Petro ’13 and Kevin Patterson ’13.

Middle: Sean Frazzette ’12.

Bottom: Kevin Patterson ’13 and Joe Dudley ’12.

Mixed Nuts Pictures

Top: David Korzeniowski ’16 and Ian Kelly ’16.

Middle: Tom Caravolas ’15 and Austin Franchi ’12.

Bottom: Geoff Wade ’15.



Students in the NewsStories�from�the�stage,�the�studio,and�the�darkroom.

Live at Carnegie Hall

Chen ’13 Performs onHistoric Stage

Kenneth Chen ’13 (pictured above)performed at Carnegie Hall with the

2012 Honors Performance SeriesOrchestra on Sunday, February 12. Heplayed as 2nd chair violist for the concert,which featured Beethoven's CoriolanOverture, Copland's Our�Town, andStravinsky's Firebird.

e 2012 Honors Performance Seriesfinalists were all high school musiciansselected by audition from 49 states, Canada,China, South Africa, Nicaragua, andailand.

Break a Leg

Six Students Earn StateActing Awards

The cast and crew of Writers’ Blocktook their show to Brookline High

School when they participated in theMassachusetts High School DramaFestival on Saturday, May 3, 2012. Sixstudents, Desmond DiGiovanni ’14, JoeDudley ’12, Jack Goldman ’14, MarkLane ’12, Kevin Patterson ’13, and MikePetro ’13, earned Acting Awards for theirperformances in the production.

Started in 1931, the Massachusetts HighSchool Drama Festival brings together over100 high schools each year for a day-longcompetition. rough the festival, studentswith an interest in the acting, directing, andtechnical aspects of the theatre gainvaluable performance and productionexperience.

Reciting Shakespeare

Matra ’13 Advances inCompetition

Julian Matra ’13 beat out ten otherpeople from across Massachusetts to

win the State Finals of the English-Speaking union 2012 ShakespeareCompetition at Emerson College onSunday, February 5.

To earn his First Place Finish, Matraperformed a prepared monologue andsonnet. He then had to present a dramaticreading of a passage from one ofShakespeare’s works that was given to himduring the competition. He had fieenminutes to prepare his presentation of thematerial.

Matra will now travel to New York thisspring to participate in the NationalCompetition.



Excellence in the Fine Arts

Three Students Earn Artand Writing Awards

Malcolm Donaldson ’12, JoeTamburello ’13, and Mark Lane ’12

were recognized at the Boston ScholasticArt and Writing Awards for their work inthe arts.

Donaldson won a Gold Key (thehighest award given) for his work inphotography. His entry was then advancedto the national level, where he earned aSilver Medal. Donaldson, along withTamburello and Lane, were also presentedHonorable Mentions for their entries -Tamburello for his work in sculpture andLane for playwriting.

e Scholastic Art & Writing Awardshave an impressive legacy dating back to1923 and a noteworthy roster of pastwinners which include Andy Warhol, SylviaPlath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon,Robert Redford, and Joyce Carol Oates.Students in grades 7-12 can apply in 28categories of art and writing for the chanceto earn scholarships and have their worksexhibited or published. Submissions arejuried by luminaries in the visual andliterary arts, some of whom are past awardrecipients.

Studying the Classics

Ancient Play PerformedDuring Conference

Jack Goldman ’14, John Ryan ’15, andCJ Santosuosso ’15 performed a scene

from the ancient Roman comedyPseudolus on Friday, March 16, during theAnnual Meeting of the ClassicalAssociation of New England, which washeld this year at St. Sebastian’s School.

Pseudolus is set in Athens and waswritten by Titus Maccius Plautus. e playfollows the exploits of the slave Pseudolusas he works to help his master Calidoruswin his beloved. Pseudolus is the basis forthe Zero Mostel character in the modernmusical comedy A�Funny�ing�Happenedon�the�Way�to�the�Forum. n

Above: John Ryan ’15, CJ Santosuosso ’15, and Jack Goldman ’14 in Pseudolus.

Below: Jack Goldman ’14 and John Ryan ’15 in Pseudolus.

SPEAKERS


The Courage to Takea StandSt.�Sebastian’s�School�was�honoredto�host�two�people�who�are�true�American�Heroes.

Courage in the Face of Death

Medal of HonorRecipient Visits Classes

Thanks to the effort of Paul Haley(father of Michael '13 and

Christopher '15), Medal of Honor Awardrecipient Captain omas J. Hudner(pictured above) visited with studentsduring Mr. Cleary’s history classes onWednesday, February 1, 2012. Hudnerspoke with the students about his career inthe united States Navy and the eventswhich led to his receiving the Medal ofHonor during the Korean War.

Hudner is a 1946 graduate of the unitedStates Naval Academy in Annapolis,Maryland. Originally commissioned as acommunications officer, he applied to andwas accepted in Naval Flight School in1948. Certified as a Naval Aviator the

following year, he was assigned to FighterSquadron 32 aboard the uSS Leyte, wherehe piloted a F4u Corsair.

In October 1950, the uSS Leyte wasdispatched to assist with operations inKorea. Two months later, on December 4,Hudner was part of a six-aircra squadronsent to help u.S. Marine ground troups.During the mission Hudner’s wingman,Ensign Jesse Brown, had his plane hit byground fire. With his fuel tank ruptured,Brown’s aircra crashed onto a snow-covered mountainside. Brown was seriouslyinjured and trapped in the wreckage, whichat this point was beginning to catch fire. Inan attempt to save Brown, Hudnerintentionally crash-landed his plane on themountainside near what was le of Brown’saircra. Working alone at first, then withthe assistance of a rescue helicopter pilot,Hudner tried in vain to free Brown fromthe wreckage.

Although criticized by some for hisactions, Hudner was awarded the Medal ofHonor for “conspicuous gallantry andintrepidity at the risk of his life above andbeyond the call of duty” by President HarryS. Truman on April 13, 1951. Hudner waspromoted to the rank of Captain in 1965and held various positions in the u.S. Navyuntil his retirement in 1973.

SPEAKERS


Courage to Stand for Beliefs

Civil Rights FighterTalks during Assembly

Barbara Henry (pictured below), aBoston native and retired educator,

gave the keynote presentation during theannual Black History Month Assembly onMonday, February 6, 2012.

Henry, a white woman, rose toprominence during the Civil RightsMovement for her refusal to leave NewOrleans’ Frantz Elementary School during adesegregation protest on the first day ofclasses in 1960. As her colleagues andstudents le upon the arrival of RubyBridges, an African-American student,Henry stayed in her classroom.

For the remainder of the school year,the parents of the white students assignedto Henry’s class staged a boycott of theteacher, but Henry was not deterred. Shearrived each day and taught Bridges. Nearthe end of the school year, the parents ofthree white children decided to add theirkids to Henry’s class.

Henry described what it was likewalking through the mobs of angry peopleeach day. She related how even her fellowfaculty members treated her with disdain.undaunted, she kept going, knowing whatshe was doing was right, and allowing faithand love to guide her.

Student speakers set the stage forHenry’s presentation, providing thehistorical background which led to thelandmark court case “Brown vs. e Board

of Education” and the events that followed.Video clips highlighting Ruby Bridges andher thoughts on Barbara Henry’s decisionto stay and teach her were also included aspart of the event. Finally, the music of theDana Hall Gospel Choir, under thedirection of David Coleman, and St.Sebastian’s student Marlon Matthews ’14,accompanied by Meyer Chambers, greatlycomplemented the speaking portion of theassembly. n

ATHLETICS WINTER SPORTS


Arrows in ActionA�complete�summary�of�the�2011-12varsity�winter�season.

Coach Sean McCann

Varsity Hockey

This year’s senior class was the drivingforce behind one of the more

successful hockey seasons in recenthistory. eir commitment to excellence,dedication, and leadership skills propelledthe 2011-12 varsity hockey team to thechampionship game in the Martin/EarlTournament. Brendan Burke, StephenBrown, Gordon Donnelly, DavidLoughborough, Danny O’Regan, andConor Reenstierna were all instrumentalin various components of the game. eyled by example and established a cultureand foundation that future teams will tryto emulate.

e season started out extremely wellwith impressive performances againstRivers and Milton. Eleven players factoredinto the scoring as the Arrows beat Rivers7-0. Noah Hanifin ’15 led the offense with2 goals, Nick Flanagan ’14 scored his first ofthe season and defensemen Matt Ouellette’14 recorded his first varsity point. eMilton game continued the offensiveexplosion with a 10-3 victory. JohnDoherty ’13 opened the scoring on thepower play only 2 minutes into the contest.Specialty teams played an instrumental roleas Seb’s scored 5 power play goals and 2shorthanded goals. Cam Askew ’16 scoredhis first ever varsity goal and the team’s firsthat-trick of the season as he led the chargewith 4 points.

e following three games were allmuch tighter, but fortunately the end result

was the same. BB&N took control of thegame with a strong second period scoring 3goals in 12 minutes. An outstanding effortby O’Regan and Corey Ronan ’14 tied thegame late in the third to force an overtime.e heroics were delivered byLoughborough, who scored one of hismany key goals this season to complete thecomeback. First time opponent NewHampton fell 5-2 because of strongperformances from Brown, Reenstierna,and Jake McCarthy ’14. Brooks Academy,who had beaten the Arrows, last year cameto campus looking to run the streak to 2games, but a hard fought 3-2 victoryallowed the Arrows to start the season 5-0.

Injuries at this time were taking its tollon the team and contributions by ConnorMcGuirk ’13, Teddy Griffin ’14, AustinLewis ’14, and Charlie Canty ’14 were



instrumental in the continuing successearly in the season.

e Annual St. Sebastian’s HockeyTournament was only days away and St.Andrew’s was scheduled to play the host inthe first game. Seb’s jumped out to a 2-0lead with Burke and O’Regan bothcontributing a goal and an assist. AlexCalabro ’13 scored his first varsity goalearly in the second to extend the lead to 3-0; however, St. Andrew’s showed greatdetermination by tying the game before theend of the second and then completing thecomeback by winning in a shootout. eArrows then beat ayer Academy in thesecond round 5-1, but unfortunately fell toWinchendon in disappointing fashion 4-3.

e Mutch Cup was the last game forthe Arrows before the break. e team wasextremely aggressive early on in the game,but the Catholic Memorial goalie rose tothe challenge on numerous occasions tokeep the game scoreless. Two early goalsby CM in the second period gave them alead they would not relinquish. Seb’sscored late in the second to close the gapand although they outshot CM 47 to 18 theArrows could not get the equalizer.

Aer the holiday break St. Sebastian’swelcomed Berkshire and WillistonNorthampton to town for a New YearShowcase. With the aid of 3 specialty teamgoals, Berkshire won convincingly 6-2.Fortunately, the Arrows were able to playagain the next day and break a three gamelosing streak. Loughborough was stellar innet, leading the Arrows to a 5-1 victory.Burke and O’Regan were once againinstrumental with 4 points each.

Over the next eight games the Arrowsstruggled with injuries and consistency. A2-5-1 record was the low point of theseason with losses to Belmont Hill atFenway and St. Paul’s aer the exam break.However, a hard fought tie againstAndover and a great win against aGovernor’s team who had gone 11 gameswithout a loss started to turn the teamaround. A one loss Nobles team was upnext and although the outcome was not inSeb’s favour, the work ethic wasoutstanding. is approach paid off with asolid 7-2 victory against ayer and a hard

4-1 loss against Exeter, a team that wasranked number two in New England. estring of defeats continued with anunfortunate 4-2 loss to Milton.

At this point in the season the team hadstumbled to a .500 record and a dauntinggame against Tabor for the Travis Roy Cuploomed ahead. e game was extremelyphysical, but the Arrows were ready torespond. A penalty filled first and secondperiod allowed Seb’s to grab the lead, butTabor responded and tied the game in thethird. Brown, O’Regan, and Burke playedextremely well but Corey Ronan scored twogoals, the second being the eventual gamewinner with only a couple of minutesremaining in the game.

e game versus Tabor propelled thevarsity team to a 6-1-1 record for theremainder of the regular season. Aconvincing 5-1 win at Belmont Hillanchored by Hanifin and Reenstiernademonstrated the potential this teampossessed. Although the team lost tonumber two ranked Lawrence 3-1 the nextgame, they were not discouraged headinginto the contest against Nobles. Rankednumber one in New England at the time,Seb’s led by a Tommy Kelley ’13 hat-trickand the goaltending of Donnelly defeatedNobles 5-2. Donnelly continued hisoutstanding play with his first shutout ofthe season to beat St. Paul’s 1-0. Aer a 4-4tie against Governor’s, Seb’s was once againto face Lawrence. At this point they hadrisen to number one in New England, butoutstanding positional play and greatoffensive counters enabled Seb’s to claiman exceptional 4-3 victory. A playoffposition seemed possible and aer a 6-3win against ayer to finish the regularseason, the varsity team was informed theywere indeed playing in the post season.

unfortunately, being the higher seed inthe playoffs does not always mean being athome. e team traveled almost two hoursaway to play Brunswick in WesternMassachusetts. However, the outstandingsupport of the school changed theenvironment in the rink as three busesdescended upon the area to cheer on thesquad. e game was fiercely fought andsome outstanding goaltending by

Winter SportsAwardsThe following student-athletes wererecognized with special sports awardsduring the Winter Athletic Awards As-sembly on Tuesday, March 6.

All-League ISL (Independent SchoolLeague)Hockey - Brendan Burke, Noah Hanifin,Danny O’ReganWrestling – Brian O’Malley

Honorable Mention All-LeagueBasketball – Mickey AdamsHockey - Tommy Kelley, Conor Reen-stierna, Corey RonanWrestling – Billy Behman

All-New England HonorsWrestling - Brian O'Malley

Danny O'Regan was awarded the ISLFlood Shield in hockey. This award ispresented to the player whose enthusi-asm for hockey and true devotion tothe game is marked by his playing abil-ity and physical toughness, and yetwhose competitive spirit is balanced byemotional control and a real desire toplay within the rules of the game.

O’Regan has also been chosen to rep-resent the United States at the Interna-tional Ice Hockey Federation’s WorldU18 Championship Games, being heldin Helsinki, Finland, on May 4-20, 2012.

Stephen Brown was awarded theCoaches Award in Hockey. This award ispresented to the member or membersof the St. Sebastian's varsity hockeyteam whose commitment to excellenceand devotion to the game has repeat-edly been evidenced by aggressive andspirited play and selfless contributionto the total team effort.



Brunswick forced the contest into overtime.Brendan Burke and Cam Askew teamed-upto send the crowd into a frenzy whenAskew scored 5 minutes into overtime.

e following weekend Seb’s wasscheduled to play Kent in the semi-finals inSalem, NH. An outstanding first periodhelped the team jump out to acommanding 5-1 lead. Kent refused to giveup and fought back in the second period toclose the gap to 5-3. e team settled downin the third and did not give up anothergoal. Kelley finished off the scoring withhis third hat-trick of the season.

e championship game matched upSeb’s against Berkshire, who had beaten theArrows earlier in the season. Berkshirejumped out to a 2-0 lead but Kelleyanswered. Aer going down 3-1 O’Reganclosed the gap to one with an outstandingindividual effort and Loughborough scoredon the power play to tie the game. edetermination by this team wasexceptional, but a fluke goal by Berkshire inovertime brought the season to an end.

e accomplishments of this seniorgroup were incredible and the loss of themwill leave a huge hole to fill by theunderclassmen. ey will be missed, yetremembered for their immensecontribution to the school.

Matt Fechtelkotter ’12

Varsity Basketball

Ayear ago, the St. Sebastian’s varsitybasketball team was stuck in a

blizzard driving back from St. Paul’s. Withthe banquet that was supposed to takeplace aer the game now cancelled due tothe weather, all we had to look forward towas the long drive home from NewHampshire on slippery roads.

is ride basically summed up lastyear’s season - we had some good games,but, for the most part, we were slidingtoward a tough ending. Sadly, that endingcame with a loss in a tough game thatresulted in a three win season.

Looking ahead to this year, our teamknew we had to improve from last -improve every day. And, that’s exactly whatwe did throughout the season.

We had skill in the guard positions,which was great, but it also proved to be anobstacle since the majority of the players onthe court were guards. Our main problem,one that we couldn’t fix through practice,was height. e tallest player on our rosterwas 6’5”. However, the majority of ourteam was under 6’1”. e majority of theteams we played this year had players thatchecked in at over 6’8”. Despite this, we

were still able to put forth avaliant effort.

Even though our seasonconsisted of only a few wins,we still managed to collect aseries of highlights that theplayers will always remember.

e first happened duringthe game against St. George’s,the team’s first official ISLgame of the year. Last season,the Arrows chalked up arelatively easy win against St.George’s, which we had hopedto repeat again. What greetedus this year, though, was animproved team – one withbetter skills and more accurateoutside shooting than the teamwe faced last year. Despite theloss of an Arrows’ starter to an

injury the day before the match-up, theArrows were able to come out strong. Ouroffense was working well and everyone wasmaking shots. Mickey Adams ’13, JordanBrydie ’14, and Tommy Kenney ’12 all hadmultiple three pointers behind the arc. Wealso played a great defense that was able toshutdown St. George’s two best guards,limiting their ability to match the Arrowsscoring. With our spirits bolstered by thefans in Henry’s Corner, the Arrows wereable to start the season with a 51-34 winover St. George’s. We were, for themoment, in First Place in the League.

Our next memorable moment was ourgame against Belmont Hill, where we wereonce again able to come out strong. istime, however, so did Belmont Hill. It was aclose one throughout the first half, witheach team trading baskets. In the end,though, it wasn’t meant to be, and Seb’s fell60-53.

Phillips Andover proved to be atalented non-league opponent, a team thatwas projected to do well in the playoffs.ey had a few good shooters and a 6’10”forward who would prove difficult to cover.Sophomore Dan Fulham was given the testand managed to get into his head –figuratively and literally – when heaccidently collided, head to head, with theirforward. roughout the entire game Seb’skept it close, and it was anyone’s guess whowould walk away with the win. Toward theend of the day, however, Andover began tomake more of their shots. As a result, theyedged us out by a score of 53-46.

Our match-up with Middlesex in thefinal game deserves to be recognized. Earlyin the season, the Arrows played Middlesexand it did not go well. ere was minimalhelp from the defense and our offense stillhadn’t clicked. We were missing shots. esecond game proved to be the exactopposite. It seemed as if every shot we tookhit the mark. Tyler Sweeney ’12, MickeyAdams, Jordan Brydie, and Jordan Barros’14 all hit key threes. We were also about toshutdown Middlesex’s two leading scorers.As a result, St. Seb’s found itself leading byover twenty with two minutes le, andwere able to make it to the buzzer with a67-51 win.



Memorable moments for the teamweren’t restricted to game time only thisseason. e players also managed to createsome great memories during team practicesand game warm-ups.

Most notably was our warm-up beforethe St. Mark’s game. Last year, the Arrowshit the St. Mark’s court to the sounds ofAndrea Boccelli’s Time�to�Say�Goodbye,which St. Mark’s was playing during thewarm-up period. With the Arrow’s hostingthe match-up this season, the Seb’s squaddecided to play a little music of its own,choosing Billy Joel’s Piano�Man,Augustana’s Boston, and Peter Gabriel’s InYour�Eyes.

e players will also always rememberJersey Day, which was when every teammember came to practice wearing thejersey of an NBA player.

Overall, the season may not have beenwhat the Arrows had hoped it would be.However, it was definitely a great season,one of which the players should be proud.ough we did not have a winning seasonon the court, the support of the fans inHenry’s Corner and the dedication of ourcoaches – George Morelli, Papa Morelli,and James Keefe ’02 – provided the playerswith the encouragement and determinationthey needed to keep up the fightthroughout the year.

Andrew Sullivan ’13

Varsity Wrestling

The St. Sebastian’s varsity wrestlingteam, coached by John Ryan and

Edmund McCarthy, achieved its mostsuccessful season since the team’s debut in2005. Co-captains Alex Morin ’12 andBrian O’Malley ’13, along with seniorsAnthony D’Amato and John Donovan, ledthe team to an overall record of 9-10, thebest record the team has achieved to date.When the entire team was healthy, everysingle weight class was filled for the firsttime in the team’s short history.

e most memorable match of theseason for the team as a whole was the tri-meet against Middlesex School andConcord Academy. With the help of a

strong start from the JV wrestlers and adeafening fan section, the team was able tosqueeze out a win against Middlesex 42-36and a win against Concord 48-33. ewrestling team also made its presenceknown during the Graves KelseyTournament, the final ISL Tournament, atwhich the team took 9th place overall out of13 teams, a very remarkable standing forsuch a young and developing team. At theGraves Kelsey Tournament, Brian O’Malleytook First Place in the 182 pound weightclass, Alex Morin took Fih Place in the120 weight class, sophomore Sam Carrolltook Fih Place in the 113 pound weightclass, and junior Billy Behman took irdPlace in the 195 pound weight class.

Morin, who has wrestled for 3 years,finished his final season with a record of 17-5 in the 120 pound weight class, one of thebest records on the team. Because of hisFih Place finish in the ISL Tournament, healso qualified for the prestigious NewEngland Prep School WrestlingTournament. With his strong record, he hasbeen instrumental in sealing many closewins for the Arrows. He has also been agreat leader in practices. His presence onthe mats will be missed, but his 3 years ofdedication to the team will be rememberedin the minds of his teammates.

D’Amato fought his way through thevery difficult 160 pound weight class tofinish his season and wrestling career with a

record of 13-10. He could never be countedas an easy win, and his hard work and skillhelped him pull off a few unexpected upsetsthroughout the season. A fighter until thewhistle blew, D’Amato won many matchesby fighting off of his back and flipping hisopponent for the pin. e highlight of hisyear was when he took Fourth Place in theNorthern New England Tournament, a goalwhich he worked hard all season to achieve.D’Amato’s dedication to the team can besummed up in that during his 4 years ofwrestling for St. Seb’s, he never once missedweight. No matter who his opponent wason the mat, D’Amato could be trusted to beon weight and give a good fight.

John Donovan, the final senior on thisyear’s squad, had to compete with ColeEden ’13 and Arturo Adkins ’14 for his spotin the 215 pound weight class, but eachweek he came out on top and took the matfor varsity. Donovan wrestled three yearsfor Seb’s and provided the younger wrestlersin the heavier weight classes with anexperienced partner in practice and anintelligent teacher in matches. He finishedhis season with an overall record of 9-6, buthis best match was during the final meet ofthe year against Beaver Country Day, wherehe ended his season with a decisive pin tohelp drive the team to a season-endingvictory. Donovan always came off the matwith a smile no matter what happened in

Jack Connolly ’12 has been selected to play in theShriners All Star Game, which will be held atGillette Stadium in June. The Aleppo Shriners AllStar Football Classic is a charity football gameshowcasing the top senior players from through-out Massachusetts. The game is sponsored bythe Massachusetts High School Football CoachesAssociation and Aleppo Shriners. The proceedsfrom the event benefit the Shriners Hospital forChildren. Connolly was one of four players se-lected from the I.S.L. Earlier this year he was se-lected to the state coaches Super 26 All Stateteam sponsored by the Gridiron Club of Boston.

Connolly ’12 to Play on Two All StateFootball Teams



his match, for he genuinely loves the sportand competitiveness of wrestling.

Billy Behman ’13, a first-time wrestlerfor the Arrows, immediately showed hisstrength in the team’s first match against St.Paul’s School. In this hard-fought match,Behman won by points and was the onlyArrow to win his personal match, savingthe team from a shut-out. Behman’swrestling experience was continuallydemonstrated throughout the season as heworked hard to finish the year with a 17-4record, which placed him ird in the ISLTournament and qualified him for the NewEngland Prep Tournament. Behman’sleadership will be crucial for next year’sseason.

Brian O’Malley ’13 led the team withthe best record, winning 17 matches andlosing 2 in the 182 pound weight class.Aer his First Place finish in the ISLTournament, he moved on to take FourthPlace in the New England Prep SchoolWrestling Tournament, qualifying him forNationals. At Nationals O’Malley lost hisfirst two matches, but the sheer fact that hequalified as being one of the best wrestlersin the country is still very impressive.O’Malley’s leadership and dedication to theteam is evidenced every time he shows upto practice. He is always one of the hardestworkers and his leadership and devotion tothe team were recognized when he waselected to be a captain next year, along withjunior Andrew Sullivan.

In closing, on behalf of the entire team Iwould like to thank the coaches for theirhard work and support. Mr. Ryan - yourdedication to the team and love for thesport inspires us all. You always keep usworking hard in practice and we know thatall of the conditioning and repetitive drillshelp us when we are on the mat during amatch. Mr. McCarthy - your expertise withthe middle school team and ability torecruit and motivate younger wrestlers isthe reason we have such a full roster on thevarsity team. Without your hard work andknowledge of the sport, our team would bemuch smaller and much less talented. Welook forward to seeing your young recruitsgrow into wrestlers feared throughout theISL. Both coaches, working together to

teach and mentor our wrestlers, are thereasons we can have so much success in ourseason. ank you. I know the team looksforward to even more success next season.

Coach Deirdre Rynne

Varsity Skiing

Oscar Wilde once cautioned that“Conversation about the weather is

the last refuge of the unimaginative.”ough I find Wilde clever and insightful,I respectfully disagree. Weather is nothingshort of drama here in New England! eimpact of the snow drought of 2012 on theheels of snowmageddon 2011, le ourskiers parched for snow this season.

Conditions for our practices, and oenraces, consisted of a muddied mix of boggyslush set upon hard packed boiler plate ice.e predicaments of low snowfall madenavigating a practice course challenging atbest. More than once I urged skiers,“Imagine there isn’t any ice under your skisand just go for it.”

roughout the season I aided fellowcoaches in preparing the course byinstalling the drill gates into dirt and CoachPowers helped direct our skiers towards the

path of snow that only covered half ourtrail.

Our team relied on steadyperformances from each of our twelveskiers. We finished the season in SeventhPlace out of 7 teams, but are grateful tohave finished the season with no injuries.Our team learned how important theirindividual performance was to our team’sstandings and the team felt the impact ofhow critical an individual’s attendance toeach practice and race truly is. e poorconditions were easier to endure thisseason because of the assistance andpositive attitude of new Assistant Coach,Kara Powers. Her enthusiastic help andpatience inspired positive thinking for allskiers.

is season Arrows skiing was led by atrio of committed captains James Astrue’12, Patrick Ciapciak ’12, and Kevin Wolfe’12. Together, our small team of twelveworked to make each run count. Consistentperformances from underclassmen RichardArms ’14, Henry Finnegan ’14, and LukeJones ’17 helped anchor our teamstandings. e team enjoyed the additionsof Alex Walsh ’14, Luke Packenham ’13,and Malcolm Donaldson ’12, who each



serve as superb examples of how it’s nevertoo late to join a team! Will Barnard ’12transitioned from a top finisher in the SkiEast Snowboard Division to a NEPSACVarsity participant in Alpine. Both GusGordon ’12 and Bobby Wright ’12 will bemissed, joining a total of six seniors whowill depart from our current twelve personteam. Despite the odds, we were able tocomplete 8 out of 10 of our scheduled races.

Highlights from our varsity team’s 2012season include the addition of racer, AlexWalsh ’14, who had a 28th place top finishjust behind Kevin Wolfe in the GiantSlalom on January 18. Walsh has speed andexperience. With some more timepracticing with the team, he is sure to beone of our top skiers next season.

If there was a “most improved” awardfor the season, it would be awarded to LukeJones ’17, who attended nearly everypractice and only missed a race due to aninjury. Jones was committed to the teamand demonstrates the energy and focusneeded to bring his racing to the next level.

Senior Will Barnard established himselfas a varsity skier this season, travelling tothe NEPSAC Championships for the firsttime to compete in the Slalom. Barnardrose to the challenge enthusiastically. It isworth mentioning again that Barnard wasthe top snowboarder in the Ski East Leaguebefore we switched to the ISL in 2009.Many a student athlete would not make thisdifficult transition, but Barnard took risks,took falls, and hiked hard if he missed agate. He kept going and continued trying,which made him an example of ahardworking athlete and a good teammate.

Gus Gordon ’12 rose to the ranks ofvarsity this season aer performingadmirably on junior varsity when he wasnot devoted to his aspiring career as anengineer in the Physics lab.

e team relied heavily on theconsistency and very admirableperformances of sophomores HenryFinnegan and Richard Arms, who will leadthe team next year as Co-Captains.Finnegan ’14 had an outstanding seasonwith a top 17th place finish on January 18in the Giant Slalom. He led the team as ourtop scorer twice - on January 11 and in our

last race on February 22. Hard-working andself-motivated, Finnegan is willing to pushhimself beyond his comfort zone, but isself-aware enough to recognize what worksfor him. On our last race, Finnegan took aconservative high line on the course, whichpaid off for him and kept him out of thedanger zone of the fall line ruts. With smartskiing like this, Finnegan promises to be atop contender next season.

is season was a standout season forArms ’14. His top finish in ISL races was 13on January 28 in the Giant Slalom. Hisstrongest performance was at the NEPSACChampionships on February 15 atBerkshire East. Donning his signature dressshirt and tie under his Arrows GS Suit,Arms earned a 12th place in the GiantSlalom and 14th place in the Slalom, bothtremendous runs in a highly competitive BDivision. We earned 11th place that day asa team in large part because of hisconsistency on each event. Anaccomplished racer and an intense athlete,Arms approaches the course with disciplineand confidence and will no doubt continueto inspire teammates to reach theirindividual potential.

is season we had three captains whoeach possessed traits on what it means to bea good athlete and good leader. JamesAstrue ’12 has been a loyal and steadfastmember of the ski team for five seasons andhas helped the team transition from the SkiEast League to the ISL League in 2009. Hewas with the team dutifully racing when wetraveled on Saturdays for all day races atRagged Mountain and endured late nightraces at Blue Hills. Over the years Astruehas gained more confidence in his ability asan athlete and has taken the steps heneeded in the gym and on the hill to gainmore physical strength. His individualhighlights include a 42nd place finish in theGiant Slalom. Astrue skied the GiantSlalom at NEPSACs. Every practice Astruewas thoughtfully and attentively loadingand unloading the skis on and off the bus,collecting the team’s bibs, and offering toassist coaches with organizational aspects ofthe team. e entire team is grateful for histhoughtful help and stoic loyalty to theteam.

Patrick Ciapciak ’12 was an enthusiasticand energetic skier who pushed to improvehis stance and form as a skier. Aersuffering a midseason concussion, Ciapciakremained undaunted. His individualhighlights include a 36th place finish in theGiant Slalom. When I needed to get wordout or organize our team, Ciapciak took theinitiative to help and conveyed schedulingand instructions to teammates. Last seasonCiapciak set the goal to ski at NEPSACsand, this season, he skied in both theSlalom and Giant Slalom events at theevent. He clearly loves skiing and beingoutside. His joy inspired his teammates.

Kevin Wolfe ’12 set his goal to finish inthe top ten at an ISL Race and he achievedthis goal in an ISL Giant Slalom race. Heserved as an example of what self-motivation and determination can do if youare willing to take risks. At practice Wolfetreated each run as though it were a race.As an athlete Wolfe fought for each second.In doing so he earned the respect of andhelped raise the bar for each of histeammates. Wolfe’s consistent intensity,athleticism and motivation will be missednext year.

A special thank you to Mr. BrendanSullivan, Mr. Bob Souza, Mr. KernFitzgerald, Mr. Nick Laurence, Mrs. NancySanderson, Mrs. Patricia Lutch, and Mr.Dan Tobin for their help and support ofArrows Skiing. ank you to all of theparents who volunteered their time gate-keeping, recording scores, carpooling, andkeeping our skiers well-nourished. ankyou, skiers for a good season! With six ofour twelve skiers graduating, we hope thatwe can count on more skiers to join theteam in 2012-2013. No racing experience isnecessary to join the team. We practice atBlue Hills and race each Wednesday atNashoba Valley in both the Giant Slalomand Slalom.

Coach James Jenkins

Varsity Swimming

Arrows swimming returned anexperienced group of young talent

and completed the season with an 8-4



record in dual meet competition. eteam finished ird at the ISL Invitationaland ird at the EIL Championship, withseven swimmers continuing to the firstDivision II NEPSSA Swim Championshiphosted by Westminster Academy, wherethe team finished Eighth.

is season, Jack Adams ’15 chased the100 yard backstroke record set by his olderbrother Will ’11. He earned first at EILsand set a new meet record of 1:00.2 in the100 back, along with Second in the 200IM(2:19.60). e following Saturday at NewEnglands, Jack finished Second in the 100back with a 57.8 in the morning pre-lims tocapture the team record. He also swam a53.24 in the 100 free for ninth Place overall.

Will Supple ’15 dropped forty secondsoff his 500 free with a 5:49 personal best. AtEILs, Will earned Second in the 500 freewith a time of 5:53 and ird in the 200 freewith a 2:12.

Greg DeMatteo ’16 earned two FirstPlace finishes at EILs in the 200 free (1:54)and the 100 butterfly (56.09). Matt Vandini’13 earned Fourth in the 100 free ( 57.25)and ird in the 50 free (25.54).

Newcomers Matt Rocco ’15, MattFachetti ’13, Ryan Lee ’15, Michael Capone’17, and MJ Muldowney ’12 addedversatility and depth, while Cameron Kelly’14, Ian Kelly ’16, and Peter Fantozzi ’15returned bigger and stronger from lastseason. With only one senior graduating,the experienced returning squad will carrylots of promise for the 2021-2013 season.

Coach Ryan Moore

Squash Team

This past season was a great success forthe squash team. For the first time

since its creation in 2006, interest in theteam was so great that we split the squadinto two groups: JV and thirds. Bothsquads welcomed multiple new playersthis year, and every member of the teamhad great success over the course of theseason.

Aer almost a month of night practices,the thirds squad had their first matchagainst Milton Academy in early January.

Milton is quickly developing into a strongprogram in the ISL, and this match wassomewhat one-sided in terms of scores.Still, the young team acquitted itself well,and their coach remarked on the high levelof skill exhibited by even our most noviceplayers. Our next match at Brooks wasmore successful as we split evenly with theirthirds squad with several players notchingtheir first win for the Arrows in the process.Continuing on the positive trend, the boysplayed a large squad at Groton thefollowing weekend with a great result —our first team win. In the process, the boysalso played several competitive matchesagainst the Eaglebrook varsity team; someof them won or split against the mostadvanced competition they had seen. ewhole squad took great steps forward asplayers over the course of the season, andI’m excited as their coach to see what theydo next year.

Despite their arduous schedule, theboys JV squad also had a great deal ofsuccess this year. eir first match of theyear was against Belmont Hill and wasundoubtedly the strongest match I’ve everseen the team play. Although the team lostas a whole, strong matches played by JohnCheever ’12, Andrew Bono ’12, Will

Jundanian ’13, and newcomer Erik Jones’16 were all big highlights. e Belmont Hillcoach was visibly impressed with the skill ofthe competition. e team’s later matchesagainst JV squads were all similarlycompetitive, the highlight being an almostperfect win against a Brooks JV squad thatfeatured a key final win by sophomore AlexPappas.

Next season will be a big change for theteam with the loss of many seniors, mostnotably our top three players - John Cheever,Andrew Bono and Kevin Dillon. eir losswill be difficult, but with so many youngplayers coming into their own this season, Ihave little doubt that next year will besimilarly successful if not more so. We willcontinue to spread interest in squash andattract more new players in coming years aswe strive to build our reputation in the ISLwith each match won. n

ARROWS IN MEMORIAM

In Memoriam We�extend�our�deepest�sympathy�to�the�families�of�the�graduatesand�friends�of�St.�Sebastian’s�School.


Thomas Daley ’59Mr. Daley passed away on December 21,2011. While at St. Sebastian’s he playedfootball, hockey, and baseball. He was alsoa member of the Alpine Club and aparticipant in the Minstrel Show. Daleyheld a marketing degree from BostonCollege and was a member of the NewYork Stock Exchange until his retirementfrom Henderson Brothers in 1997. He issurvived by his wife, Sheila, and theirchildren, William, Christopher and Maria.

Rev. Robert McAuliffeFr. McAuliffe passed away on February 4,2012. He was a former Math DepartmentChair and Headmaster at St. Sebastian’sSchool. Fr. McAuliffe was an alumnus ofTabor Academy, Boston College, and St.John’s Seminary. Prior to becoming apriest he served in the u.S. Navy duringWorld War II. e Class of 1979 dedicatedtheir Yearbook to Fr. McAuliffe, noting,“Fr. McAuliffe has taught us mathematicsand religion and, in the course of this, hehas told us about life and honesty... He is alasting friend.” Fr. McAuliffe is survived byhis siblings, Eugene, Francis, and John,and many nieces and nephews.

Dr. John Doherty ’50Dr. Doherty passed away on February 25,2012. While at St. Sebastian’s he playedfootball, hockey, baseball, and tennis. Hewas also a member of the DebatingSociety and was a writer for the Walrus.He held degrees from Notre Dame andTus Medical School and practicedmedicine for 45 years. He is survived byhis wife, Marie, and their children,Elizabeth, Alison, John, Lynne, Peter,Brian, Matthew, and Joanna.

Henry O’Bryan, Ph.D. ’52Mr. O’Bryan passed away on March 11,2012. While at St. Sebastian’s he playedfootball and basketball. He also participatedin Debate and was a member of the Walrusand Arrow staffs. O’Bryan held degreesfrom the university of Notre Dame and theuniversity of Michigan. until hisretirement in 1999, he was employed as amaterials scientist. He is survived by hiswife, Joan, and their children, Joseph, Jean,Martin, John, and omas.

Muriel Canavan— February 10, 2012Former staff member. Mother of Mark ’73.Edward Daniel— February 29, 2012Grandfather of Matthew ’15.Jean Davis— February 21, 2012Mother of Edward ’65. Grandmother ofKeith ’88 and Kevin ’90.Brian Donahue— February 9, 2012Son of Philip ’57.Agnes Dowling— January 23, 2012Mother of William ’62 and Stephen ’68.Rev. Nicholas Driscoll— January 5, 2012Former faculty member.Martha Gregory— January 11, 2012Mother of Edward ’77 and Christopher ’79.Patricia Harrington— March 14, 2012Former Guild of St. Irene President.Mother of John ’70, Marc ’71, Frank ’74,Matthew ’80, and Patrick ’81. Aunt offaculty member Gretchen Maloney.Edward Murphy— April 1, 2012Grandfather of Ned ’16.Caroline Sanderson— March 15, 2012Grandmother of Michael ’10 and Ryan ’12.Mother-in-law of staff member Nancy.William Tierney— February 6, 2012Father of John ’77 and James ’79.

Rest In Peace

William L. Burke IIIHeadmaster

Richard F. ArmsDirector�of�Alumni�&�Development

Dan TobinDirector�of�Communications

Phone 781-449-5200 www.stsebastiansschool.org Fax 781-449-5630

1191 Greendale AvenueNeedham, Massachusetts 02492

Nonprofit Org.uS Postage

PAIDBoston, MA

Permit No. 19943

The exterior of the new Science, Math & Library Center as it looked onMarch 21. An update on the project can be found on pages 12-13.

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Issue II - St. Sebastian's School