April 2021
04.03.2021
April 3rd, 2021
Virtual Easter Mass Tomorrow
Join Victoria Withycomb '22 and Mr. Stephen Williams for Easter Mass tomorrow.
Father Patrick Armano, School Chaplain, will celebrate virtually Easter Mass tomorrow from the Chapel of St. Augustine. While many parishes are offering limited capacity services, we want to provide those in our community an opportunity to share in the Passion of Christ virtually. We will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. You can view the Mass via our YouTube channel here. The direct link will be sent tomorrow before the Mass.
These times of prayer will afford us the opportunity of gathering, although at a distance, together in prayer and unity for ourselves, our families, but especially for so many who have been invited this year to bear on their bodies the wounds of Christ (Galatians 6:17).
We are All Back!
Blessed are they who pull all the way forward...
On Wednesday, our entire student body returned to campus for a modified in-person return to classes, and we celebrated our community being together again with an "Opening Day" theme. The full return of students was the culmination of months of hard work and planning by many within our School community, and we thank our students and parents for their patience, cooperation, and resiliency all along the way. Despite the extra car and foot traffic, everything went well, and as noted, blessed are they who pull all the way forward.
Middle School Virtual Open Houses Upcoming
Parents, do you know someone interested in Austin Prep, or a family who would benefit from the Austin Prep experience? Some of our greatest referrals come from current families. The Office of Admissions at Austin Prep will continue its series of Virtual Events with our Middle School Open Houses on Thursday, April 8th at 6:30 p.m. (click here to register) and Wednesday, April 28th at 6:30 p.m. (click here to register). Both of these webinars will be conducted through Zoom. These events are designed for prospective families applying for the 2021-2022 school year. We encourage both parents and prospective students to attend. Presenters will include Head of School Dr. James Hickey and a panel of students. Come learn more about the Austin Prep Journey!
Giving Day is in Less Than Two Weeks
Last year, we had an incredible Day of Giving to help our community meet the challenges of the overwhelming pandemic crisis. We are ready to do it again this April 14th!
This year, we have an opportunity to raise the bar in support of the COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund supports unanticipated technology requirements, remote learning programs, teacher professional training, student support services, health and safety initiatives and financial assistance to families in need.
To cap off what will be an incredible day in support of Austin Prep, we invite you to join us for a special, one hour, livestreamed giving event, directly from the Austin Prep campus. The show, meant to educate, engage and entertain our entire School community, will be hosted by Trustee Joey Carregal '05 and TJ Dysart '21, and include appearances from Marvin Twombley '21, Jess Caputo '21, Maryellen Iannibelli P'22, '24, Mr. Jonathan Pollard '97, Mr. Patrick Driscoll '97, Ms. Celia Barletta, Ms. Marla Pascucci-Byrne, P'26 and others! It will be a unique event you won't want to miss, all in support of Austin Prep's Day of Giving and the Annual Fund. Information on how to tune in will be forthcoming.
That said, you can make a donation to the Annual Fund at any time during the Day of Giving on April 14th, or help us get started early and make a donation now! To learn more and make a donation, visit our website.
School Community Creates Easter Baskets
Austin Prep students delivered Easter baskets to Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Lawrence.
This Easter, Austin Prep partnered with Saint Mary of the Assumption Parish in Lawrence. Saint Mary's was founded by the Augustinian Friars over 150 years ago, and the connections between that Parish and our school are roots that run deep. Fr. Jorge Reyes, O.S.A., Director of Mission and Inclusion, frequently celebrates Mass at Saint Mary and is involved in the life of the parish.
Students and faculty contributed vegetables, sides, themed paper products and lots of Easter candy for Meal and Egg Hunt Kit baskets to accompany a pork shoulder for each family's Easter meal. On Monday, members of the Austin Prep Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society sorted goods and then created 55 beautiful Easter baskets which were delivered to the parish on Tuesday. The generosity of Austin Prep was so great that we were able to also fill the shelves of the Lazarus House Ministry Food Pantry in Lawrence as well. You can view photos from the entire process here.
This important community service project reflects the decision of the Austin Prep Chapters of the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society to focus on the topic of food insecurity this year through their readings, discussions, and service work.
Year End Senior Activities
We are looking forward to celebrating our Senior Class of 2021! This has certainly been an unprecedented year filled with challenge, and the patience, flexibility, and positivity our seniors have displayed has been both appreciated and inspiring. After the Easter Break, seniors will have the opportunity to attended class wide outings to Lynnfield MarketStreet, K1 Speed in Wilmington, and Richardson's Ice Cream and Mini Golf.
Additionally, we also look forward to Senior Week, taking place April 26th-30th. This week will include, among other activities, Prom on April 29th at the Lanam Club in Andover. Finally, the senior class barbeque will take place on May 13th, and will be held on the upper level of the stadium with good food, lawn games and music.
We hope that these activities bring joy, laughter and fun as our seniors close out their Austin Prep journey. As an additional reminder, the Baccalaureate Mass for the Class of 2021 will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 14th, with a rain date of Saturday, May 15th.
Grandparents' Day Mass April 11
Although the state of Massachusetts continues to ease the restrictions regarding large gatherings, Austin Prep remains vigilant and committed to keeping our community safe. With everyone’s safety in mind, we will continue to hold off hosting Grandparents' Day on campus until sometime during the next academic year. This is a very special day for our community. We know that our students are who they are as a result of the wonderful families they come from.
In the meantime, we invite you to join us virtually for a special Mass honoring grandparents on Sunday, April 11th at 9:00 a.m. The Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Patrick Armano, School Chaplain, from the Chapel of St. Augustine on the Austin Prep campus. The Mass will be available on Austin Prep's YouTube channel, and we will send you a specific link to view the Mass on the morning of April 11th.
Rest assured, we look forward to hosting Grandparents' Day when it is completely safe to do so. Thank you again to all our grandparents for the impact you have had on all our students' lives. We look forward to hosting you when the opportunity allows.
Baseball Players Named to Preseason All-American Teams
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. and Perfect Game, announced its annual Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region Teams to recognize the top senior and underclass high school baseball athletes in the U.S. The annual teams highlight Rawlings’ and Perfect Game’s commitment to high school athletics and next-level players nationwide. The Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All-Region selections comprise players from nine regions around the country.
Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason Senior All-American honorees are the top 150 players from the All-Region pool. Each recipient is named on one of three, 50-man roster national teams. The Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason Underclassman All American 1st, 2nd and 3rd team recognizes 300 players from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Each team consists of 100 players who are currently juniors, sophomores, or freshmen in high school. There is also a high honorable mention and all region lists to identify other potential top underclassmen.
Austin Prep's Jake Elbeery '21 (Senior All-American) and Evan Blanco '22, Aidan Driscoll '24, Dominic Gabardi '23, and James Mahoney '22 (Underclassman All-American) were recognized. Congratulations on the honor!
Last Call for National Honor Society Service Drives
The Austin Prep National Honor Society has partnered with the The Stoneham Food Pantry, who has created an Amazon Wish List of needed items that are shipped directly to the pantry itself. This year, the National Honor Society has focused on the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on certain populations. A result of this impact is the inability of many food pantries to serve food in their normal capacity, it has been harder to get food to those who need it.
In addition to the food pantry, the aging population has dealt with increased isolation over the course of the past year. A committee of National Honor Society members created an Amazon Wish List with items to create activity bags for the Stoneham Senior Center residents. The items are shipped directly to the center and will be assembled by NHS members.
This initiative will run through Easter break. Any donation of items, big or small, will help these organizations immensely. When placing your order, please make sure that the correct shipping address is selected. Thank you for collaborating with NHS in our collective support of these organizations.
Seventh Graders Interview World Health Organization Technical Officer
Swathi Iyengar with seventh-grade students on Tuesday. Iyengar is a former student of Mr. Michael McLaughlin from Mercy Cross High School in Biloxi, MS.
On Tuesday, a panel of seventh-grade students had the opportunity to interview Swathi Iyengar of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Iyengar is a health economist at the WHO, where she developed the WHO MedMon mobile application-- the first low-cost, rapid data collection and analysis tool to determine price, availability, and safety risks of medicines worldwide. She has helped to bring MedMon to more than 25 countries, including in emergency settings such as the Rohingya refugee camps. Ms. Iyengar was recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 for Science and Healthcare. Seventh graders inquired about what it is like to work at the WHO especially during a global pandemic as well as about Iyengar's educational and professional journey. With Women's History Month coming to a close, Aaria Nagpal '26 inquired about trailblazers who inspired Iyengar. In the days ahead, other seventh graders will view a recording of the interview and draw connections to their studies on virology and disease in their unit on the immune system.
Happy Easter!
04.10.2021
April 10th, 2021
Annual Day of Giving is Wednesday
Join Trustee Joey Carregal '05 and TJ Dysart '21 at 7:00 p.m. as they host the Giving Day Telethon
Last year, we had an incredible Day of Giving to help our community meet the challenges of the overwhelming pandemic crisis. We are ready to do it again this Wednesday!
This year, we have an opportunity to raise the bar in support of the COVID-19 Relief Fund. The fund supports unanticipated technology requirements, remote learning programs, teacher professional training, student support services, health and safety initiatives and financial assistance to families in need.
To cap off what will be an incredible day in support of Austin Prep, we invite you to join us for a special, one hour, livestreamed giving event, directly from the Austin Prep campus. The show, which starts at 7:00 p.m., is meant to educate, engage and entertain our entire School community, and will be hosted by Trustee Joey Carregal '05 and TJ Dysart '21, and include appearances from Marvin Twombley '21, Jess Caputo '21, Maryellen Iannibelli P'22, '24, Mr. Jonathan Pollard '97, Mr. Patrick Driscoll '97, Ms. Celia Barletta, Ms. Marla Pascucci-Byrne, P'26 and others! It will be a unique event you won't want to miss, all in support of Austin Prep's Day of Giving and the Annual Fund. On Wednesday night, click the button below to view the telethon. The link will also be emailed to the community before the event.
That said, you can make a donation to the Annual Fund at any time during the Day of Giving on April 14th, or help us get started early and make a donation now! To learn more and make a donation, visit our website.
Join us for Grandparents' Day Mass this Sunday
Although the state of Massachusetts continues to ease the restrictions regarding large gatherings, Austin Prep remains vigilant and committed to keeping our community safe. With everyone’s safety in mind, we will continue to hold off hosting Grandparents' Day on campus until sometime during the next academic year. This is a very special day for our community. We know that our students are who they are as a result of the wonderful families they come from.
In the meantime, we invite you to join us virtually for a special Mass honoring grandparents on Sunday, April 11th at 9:00 a.m. The Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Patrick Armano, School Chaplain, from the Chapel of St. Augustine on the Austin Prep campus. The Mass will be available on Austin Prep's YouTube channel, and we will send you a specific link to view the Mass on Sunday morning.
Rest assured, we look forward to hosting Grandparents' Day when it is completely safe to do so. Thank you again to all our grandparents for the impact you have had on all our students' lives. We look forward to hosting you when the opportunity allows.
Time Change for Baccalaureate Mass for the Class of 2021
As has been recently communicated by the Office of Academic Affairs and within the Cougar Courier, we look forward to celebrating our Senior Class with a special Baccalaureate Mass and conferring of diplomas for the Class of 2021. In order to provide the most meaningful experience possible for our seniors and their families, there has been a slight time change for the Mass. The updated information is as follows:
BACCALAUREATE MASS FOR THE CLASS OF 2021:
- Friday, May 14th: 3:30 p.m.
- Rain Date: Saturday, May 15th (Time TBD)
We are currently planning and are working closely with local officials to finalize additional details for Baccalaureate Mass. More information will be forthcoming when we receive approval for our plan. Until then, enjoy the coming weeks together as a class. We look forward to having the seniors and their families together on May 14th.
Emma Kilbride '21 Essay Continues to Claim Honors
Emma Kilbride '21
Emma Kilbride's '21 piece “The Palimpsest of Anne,” continues to earn recognition, both regionally and nationally. Emma recently won a National Gold medal, which is the highest national honor that a work can receive from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She also won the American Voices Medal for the Massachusetts region, designating her piece as the number one essay in the Commonwealth. You can read her essay here.
"My piece is about my relationship with my grandmother and how that relationship changed as her dementia progressed. I illustrate this through games of Scrabble played throughout my childhood, as playing the game was our favorite thing to do together. She passed away just weeks after I wrote this piece, so I hope that it will continue to be a loving tribute to her," Emma said.
Emma has always loved to read and write, starting as a young child and taking her to where she is today. Planning to study political science or gender studies in college, Emma still wants to study writing in some capacity once her Austin Prep journey comes to an end.
"There are so many wonderful English teachers at Austin Prep that have helped me along the way, notably Ms. Jamie Schefen, Mr. Vince Parrella, and Mrs. Nicole Putney P'26. I am very appreciative to them."
LoCoco a Jumbo
Sal LoCoco '21 with his parents Domenic and Sara.
This past week Austin Prep hosted another celebratory signing for a college bound student-athlete. Sal LoCoco '21 has committed to play football at Tufts University, home of the Jumbos. Congratulations to Sal and best of luck as you continue your athletic career!
Clubs Return with Cougar Block
Students Signing up for the Softball Club on Thursday
We are excited to announce the return of our club offerings for this quarter. Beginning Thursday of this past week, Austin Prep phased in a return of club meetings. Below are the dates that have been designated for clubs to meet.
April 15th
April 27th and 29th
May 4th and 6th
May 11th and 13th
May 18th and 20th
May 25th and 27th
Clubs will meet again this Thursdays, but after the April break, they will begin meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please see the attached Club Resource Guide for club opportunities this quarter. Take some time to read the club summaries and decide if any of these clubs are of interest to you by clicking here. If you're interested in a particular club or two, please reach out to the Moderators to learn more about their club. We strongly encourage all students to participate in at least one club per week.
Senior Class Activities Continue
Seniors enjoyed a trip to Lynnfield MarketStreet on Tuesday.
We are looking forward to celebrating our Senior Class of 2021! On Tuesday, our seniors enjoyed spending part of the day together at Lynnfield MarketStreet. On Monday, April 12th, seniors will visit K1 Speed in Wilmington and on Friday, April 16th the seniors will visit Richardson's Ice Cream and Miniature Golf in Middleton.
Additionally, we also look forward to Senior Week, taking place April 26th-30th. This week will include, among other activities, Prom on April 29th at the Lanam Club in Andover. Finally, the senior class barbeque will take place on May 13th, and will be held on the upper level of the stadium with good food, lawn games and music. We hope that these activities bring joy, laughter and fun as our seniors close out their Austin Prep journey.
Memorial Scholarship Winners to be Announced Next Week
Memorial Scholarships are available to our students due to the generosity of Austin Prep families and friends who have created funds in memory of a loved one. Students in Grades 9, 10 & 11 were eligible to apply for the Memorial Scholarships for the 2021-2022 school year, and we were overwhelmed by the number of qualified applicants who submitted materials to be reviewed for an award. Award recipients will be notified early next week. Please direct any questions via email to Ms. Susan Belanger, Assistant Head for External Affairs.
Project Adventure Dates Scheduled on Campus
Unitas - community - is a pillar of the Austin Prep Journey. As we welcome all of our students back to campus this quarter, we are excited to provide them with opportunities to connect with classmates and build friendships. For April, we have partnered with Project Adventure. Our 6th and 7th grade students will participate in a day full of fun and community building on campus on Tuesday, April 13, rain or shine, and our 8th grade students will participate in the same program on Friday, April 16th. Details for the day have been sent to the families. Project Adventure dates for the 9th and 10th grade classes are scheduled for May.
Senior Tribute Advertisement
Senior families, the deadline to create a Senior Tribute Advertisement for your child in the 2021 Omega Yearbook is fast approaching. Tribute ads are a great way to celebrate your child's achievements and include a personal message, such as pictures that show his or her growth throughout the years. The Yearbook Innovation website is designed to easily help you create an ad even if you don't feel very comfortable with technology. To order a Tribute Ad, click here. Step-by-step instructions guiding you through the online process can be found in the attached PDF document. The deadline to submit an ad is Sunday, May 2nd (deadline extended).
Thank you, Jay Tebbens
We wish Mr. Tebbens well in his future endeavors. "What a powerful man."
Jay Tebbens, Dean of Students, recently informed the School that this year will be his last at Austin Prep, as he plans to depart at the end of the academic year to pursue other opportunities. Dr. James Hickey, Head of School, noted, "I'm grateful to Jay for his contributions to Austin Prep during his tenure as Dean of Students -- in particular his focus on the social-emotional wellness of students." During the final stretch of this academic year, please take the opportunity to thank Mr. Tebbens for his service to Austin Prep over the last three years, and to wish him well as he continues on with his journey.