June 2021
06.05.2021
June 5th, 2021
Eighth Graders Come Together for Final Middle School Assembly
The Class of 2025 at the Final Middle School Assembly on Friday.
On Friday morning Head of School James Hickey, Ph.D., Head of Middle School Michael McLaughlin, and National Junior Honor Society officers welcomed eighth graders to Meelia Hall for the Final Middle School Assembly celebrating the Class of 2025. Families, friends, and Middle School community members were invited to view the assembly via livestream. Select students provided reflections on their Middle School Journey, and Saint Rita of Cascia Medals were distributed to the Class as each eighth grader was recognized. The program for the event can be found here, and you can view photos here.
"As we head into the summer, and as each of you head to the Upper School, let us reflect on this (Gospel account of the Transfiguration) and permit me a moment to impart some advice that I pray will shape your continued Journey, " Mr. McLaughlin offered in his remarks to the Class. "Find a mountain where you can retreat to and reflect from as you search within to discover your purpose and the gifts to set it in motion. Take in the view - cherish the opportunity to see things from a different perspective and appreciate the full picture. Find friends who will be loyal and dependable, who will believe in you, who will love you both in times of trouble and moments of marvelous glory. Be open to finding the mentors and motivators in your classrooms, advisories, teams, and activities who will dialogue with you."
"Let us also delight in being together, especially as we emerge from the pandemic, and echo the words of Saint Peter: 'Lord, it is good that we are here.'"
Congratulations to the Class of 2025, and best of luck as you continue on with your journey.
Tuition Raffle Winner Announced
Dr. Hickey, with Susan Belanger, Assistant Head for Administration, phone Nicole Ouellette P'19, '25 with the good news on Thursday.
Congratulations to Mrs. Nicole Ouellette P'19, '25, who was the winner of this year's Tuition Raffle! The winner was drawn Thursday and announced to the community via video livestream, which was followed by a phone call from Dr. James Hickey, Head of School, to Mrs. Ouellette. The raffle prize is a credit for up to the full tuition cost for one student for the 2020-2021 or 2021-2022 academic year. This year, all 250 Tuition Raffle tickets were sold! Thank you to our entire parent community for your continued support of Austin Prep, and to those who joined us on the webinar announcement.
Summer Reading and More
In the last week, Mr. Michael McLaughlin, Head of Middle School, and Dr. William Driscoll, Assistant Head of School and Head of Upper School, sent newly enrolled families information regarding special activities and important dates for the summer. Returning students will receive this information in a "start of summer letter," which is forthcoming. In the meantime, we would like to share with you both the Upper and Middle School summer reading books. Our shared Upper School novel is David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giantsby Malcolm Gladwell and our shared Middle School novel is Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. Enjoy the summer reading!
Spring Playoffs: Stay Tuned...
The Austin Prep Girls Lacrosse Team is currently 8-1.
In a normal year, with the end of classes behind us, our sports teams would be wrapping up their game schedules or preparing for league or MIAA playoffs. But this year, we played football in February and ran indoor track outdoors, so welcome to Spring Sports 2021! It is anticipated that our spring sports teams may continue to play throughout the month of June. Be sure to follow our sport specific or athletic department social media accounts for all the latest game related updates. Good luck to our student-athletes as you complete your seasons!
2021-2022 School-Wide Student Government Officers Announced
On May 27th, Austin Prep held an election for 2021-2022 School-Wide Student Government Officers. All Middle School and Upper School Students were eligible to vote in the School-Wide Student Government Election. Your 2021-2022 School-Wide Student Government Officers are noted above. We look forward to a great year next year under their leadership!
Austin Prep Presents Concludes June 29
Our monthly series Austin Prep Presents will close-out the 2020-2021 APP series on Tuesday, June 29th at 7:00 p.m. with Sharon Driscoll Klardie ’96, Sr. Manager Salesforce Labs at Salesforce and “#IAmRemarkable Empowerment Workshop.”
#IamRemarkable is a 90-minute workshop created by Google that strives to empower women and underrepresented groups to speak openly about their accomplishments in the workplace and beyond, thereby breaking modesty norms and glass ceilings. In this interactive course, you will participate in group discussions and exercises around self-promotion and unconscious bias to develop the confidence and skills to promote yourself effectively.
To see a full list of past Austin Prep Presents programs, please visit here. Registration information for the June 29th event will be made available before the program.
If you are or know an alum who would like to be part of the Austin Prep Presents series, please contact Jennifer Hodgdon, Director of Alumni Relations and Giving at jennifer.hodgdon@austinprep.org.
Spanish National Honor Society
(La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica)
Recently, the Austin Prep Chapter of La Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica welcomed new members. Students who are inducted into the group must have maintained excellent standing in their Spanish classes as well as meet the requirements set forth by the national sponsoring group, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. A full list of the new members is below.
Seniors
Juyeon Chung, Julia Clifford, Deniro DeMarco, Cassandra Valentine.
Juniors
Brendan Ardito, Anthony Beaulieu, Matthew Chatelle , Aidan Connors, Jacob Coons, Michael Doherty, Liam Gildea, Annie Hamilton, Nyree Kourkounian, Christian Kuntz, Sofia Lee, Olivia McDonald, Meredith McDonough, Brianna Meroli, Jenna Nadeau, Jacqueline Plante, Ashlyn Rago, Emmi Shearer, Madison Terry, Nicole Theriault, Joseph Zuccola.
Sophomores
Matthew Ardito, Jaclyn Brand, Jonathan Brand, Sasha Callaway, Samantha Cecchini, Thomas Hayes, Riley O’Connor, Alyssa Pacheco, Hailey Payne, Emily Schena, Sara Simpson, Ayla Urquizo.
Newly Enrolled Students Welcomed at Middle School BBQs
Newly enrolled 6th and 7th grade students at Tuesday's BBQ.
Despite the academic year just coming to a close yesterday, we are already excited for 2021-2022! This week we hosted BBQs with carnival style games and great food for newly enrolled and returning Austin Prep Middle School students and parents. It was a great opportunity to meet new classmates and families before we break for summer! BBQs for newly enrolled 9th grade students will take place next week. #unitas
Spanish Students Write and Perform Skits to Close Year
Juniors in Ms. Celia Barletta's Spanish 4 classes ended the year with class skits in which students wrote scripts and performed scenes from some of their favorite stories. Each student in the classes collaborated in both the writing and the performance.
Summer Programs at Austin Prep
As a reminder, registration remains open for the 2021 Austin Prep Summer Session. This innovative virtual program for Middle and Upper School students includes a series of engaging courses designed to sustain students’ enthusiasm for learning and maintain connections between students during the summer months. Classes are capped at 15 students and led by a member of the Austin Prep faculty, students benefit from a sense of community as they keep their academic goals on track. We invite you to learn more about the Austin Prep Summer Session and peruse the Summer Session Catalog here.
The Academic Summer Session is being coordinated by Head of Middle School Mr. Michael McLaughlin. He can be reached directly with any questions about the program or any of the specific courses.
Additionally, Austin Prep will once again be offering a number of youth sports camps on the Austin Prep campus for Summer 2021. Our summer programs will help keep your children active and learning all summer long. Austin Prep’s Varsity coaching staff will be running the majority of these programs, so it's a great opportunity for the school’s younger athletes, and prospective students, to get an inside look at athletics here at Austin Prep. These programs are a great way to help get prepared for the upcoming 2021-2022 athletic season! You can learn more about what camps will be offered, when they will be taking place, and how you can register by clicking here. For questions about our summer programs, please contact Mr. Joe Desjardins.
Stay Connected with us this Summer on Social Media
Be sure to keep up to date with all the current events at Austin Prep this summer by following us on our official social media accounts below:
Have a Great Summer!
We made it. A year marked by a Reopening Plan, Cohort A, Cohort B, and the Covenant also brought us livestreamed editions of The Nutcracker and Lessons and Carols, a return to sports -- for some, after an almost two year break -- and a Senior Prom. As Dr. Hickey noted in his email to the School community yesterday, "we have much to be proud of and much to celebrate."
This is the final weekly edition of the Cougar Courier, but a special 2020-2021 Year in Review Edition of the Cougar Courier will be arriving in your inboxes in the not so distant future. Thank you for reading, and we will see you in the Fall!