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St. AnSelm’S Abbey School • WAShington, D.c. • Spring 2011 • Vol. 19 no. 2

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St. AnSelm’S Abbey School4501 South Dakota Avenue, NEWashington, DC 20017202-269-2350www.saintanselms.org

The Corbie Chronicle is published two times a year by the Communications Office of St. Anselm’s Abbey School.

We welcome correspondence and submissions from the St. Anselm’s Abbey School community. Please direct letters, class notes and other communication to James Leathers, ’04, at the School or via email at jleathers@saintanselms.org.

Photography in this publication has been provided by the St. Anselm’s Abbey School photography club and yearbook and newspaper staffs, as well as by David W. Powell and school faculty and staff.

We apologize in advance for any errors and/or omissions.

on the cover: Early-morning light pours into the Abbey Church.Photo: Br. Ignacio Gonzalez, OSB

The Corbie ChronicleSpring 2011 • Volume 19, Number 2

A Message from the President 3 Fr. Peter Weigand, OSB

Reflections from the Headmaster 4 Mr. Louis Silvano

Campus News 5

Panther Sports 12

Reunion Weekend 2011 14

Class Notes 16

In Memoriam 18

Above: Fourth Former Aidan Craver fights for a basket during the opening game of the St. Anselm’s Invitational Basketball Tournament.

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A Message from the President

Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:26-30

Dear Alumni, Students, Members of the Board of Trustees, Faculty and Staff, Past and Present Parents, Benefactors, and Friends:

By the time you read this spring issue of the Corbie Chronicle, I will have been at St. Anselm’s Abbey for 47 joyous years and will have just finished my 43rd year of teaching in the School. And let me say, no one could have a better job than I have had. During this time, I have mellowed, aged, and have become far more reflective; I hope I have grown in wisdom and grace. And I hope you do not find my ramblings below too academic or too personal.

Benedictine Education and Humankind’s Desires for Academic Excellence Are Today Recombining

Saint Anselm’s “fides quaerens intellectum” (faith seeking understanding) is present even after 900 years wherever one can find excellence in education at institutions of learning such as St. Anselm’s Abbey School in Washington, D.C., St. Louis Priory School in Missouri, Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island, or on the university level at St. John’s University in Minnesota, Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, and St. Benet’s Hall in Oxford, England, to name just a few. From Saint Benedict’s time until the modern age, the young huddled around monasteries to obtain an education. In the twelfth century, students gathered around Masters such as Lanfranc and Anselm in their search for knowledge and truth. Found in or near monasteries, these schools were small communities where nourishment of mind, body, and spirit were freely given through monastic libraries with their rare manuscripts, from refectories with their regimen of reading and feeding, in abbey churches or oratories with their routine of choral prayer and meditation. It was in these reflective places, around which the monks’ and students’ daily lives revolved, that education as we know it had its beginnings. It can be said that out of these ancient monastic communities eventually grew the notion of a University with its Halls and subsequent Colleges.

In truth, Saint Anselm was set on a course of scholastic development so rich in its variety of achievements that after 900 years his fundamental principles still shape today’s schools. Convinced that academic excellence was both a moral and a social responsibility, Anselm expected every cathedral chapter and Benedictine abbey to establish a school to provide an education for young men who had the intelligence and perseverance to follow a demanding course of study and prayer so that they could develop to their full potential as being created in the Image of God.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about my work among our students is my deepening realization that God dwells in them, that each one is created in His image. During some 40 years of teaching, it gradually came upon me that something had changed in my outlook. While listening to one young student, I was overcome with wonder and astonishment joined to unconditional love, joined to a whimsical glimpse of him as the cluttered house that hides the Holy One. I felt myself transformed in the depths of my being by such a new way of seeing—a seeing that draws from an ancient heritage of communal life, prayer,

study, and work.Then I looked at another student and then another, and I

truly understood that every student is a dwelling place for God, each in His image but some more cluttered than others. I felt evolutionary forces awaken in me by such a conscious way of seeing. It made me love and hold in awe each student even more than I had loved and respected them before. In my work as a teacher and as an administrator, I always enjoyed my labor; I always liked being with my students. But now such a labor had an even greater spiritual dimension.

Because of God’s presence in them, all the defeats and denigrations of adolescence are redeemed. I now truly understood what Saint Anselm meant by “youth resembling wax perfectly prepared to receive the impress of a seal. If the wax be too soft or too hard, it will take only a partial impression. Between these two extremes comes adolescence, whose dispositions are nicely balanced, and whose hearts may be molded to true teaching. That is why where the young are concerned I use a double solicitude.”

Anselm was always able to see that within the cluttered house of adolescence hides the Holy One. In humanity, which is begotten

Fr. Peter addresses guests in the Commons at the third annual Alumni Banquet on April 30.

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today, the Word prolongs the unending act of God’s own birth. God’s Word (Christ) is within each person in the same way as the blinding sun is before our eyes—just as the sun’s rays penetrate the depths of our chapel. If we come to see God’s presence in each one of us, we observe the same Incarnate Son (the Sol Justitiae) as our ancestors did, and yet we understand it in a much more magnificent way. All teaching, all learning, all understanding is a means to see and find this God who, as Saint John of the Cross says, “is already within us.”

Benedictine monastic education sets its sights on the transformation of the whole human being: mind, heart, and body. And this is based upon a Benedictine life, which is first and foremost a response to God’s astonishing love for humankind, a love expressed in the free gift of his beloved Son. Monastic schools seek, above all, to be grounded in this love and are profoundly animated by it. The desire for God and the love of learning, celebrated as part of our 1,500-year-old Benedictine culture, make demands on everyone and are expansive enough to include and engage all students from all backgrounds who desire to learn and to study, to serve and to lead.

Each and every member of a Benedictine school is encouraged

to work, to understand, and to respect the viewpoints of others, to adhere to standards of excellence in thinking and communicating. To my mind, learning to listen well and respond deeply to others and the world is a prerequisite for growing in wisdom, and it requires courage and perseverance. To find the Kingdom of God among the young is well enough. But it is still better and more direct to see God’s presence unfold in them through intellectual exploration. And when it is all over, we can say with T.S. Eliot:

“We shall not cease from explorationAnd the end of all our exploringWill be to arrive where we startedAnd know the place for the first time.” From the Four Quartets Benedictine educational institutions put great

energy into cultivating lasting relationships between students, faculty, and staff. We seek to embed a vigorous exchange of ideas within the pattern of life found on the holy grounds of an abbey. Benedictine schools attempt to call all members of the educational community to move out of their comfort zone for the sake of learning and integrity. We are not afraid to focus on habits of mind that will require years to develop. And so we are one with and in God when monastic teaching and humankind’s desires for academic excellence are today recombining.

And so it is not surprising to hear from former students that “The bonds you form in a monastic school are irreplaceable.” Or again, “After studying at the Abbey School, nothing was difficult.”

Pax in Sapientia,

Fr. Peter Weigand, OSBPresident

Fr. Peter (back center) is pictured with alumni at a gathering at the home of Brian McMahon, ’79, in Weston, Conn. in February.

Summer 2011 Alumni Gatherings

Fr. Peter will once again be visiting with alumni around the country this summer. If you are near one of these sites, please join us. You can contact Mr. Lawrence Hamm, ’68 for details at lhamm@saintanselms.org or 202-281-1657. Please also feel free to contact Fr. Peter at his hotel, where listed, or on his cell phone at 202-476-0169.

New York City: June 9Joliet, Ill.: June 30-July 2Chicago: July 8Las Vegas: July 12-13 — Bally’s HotelEugene, Ore.: July 16

Albuquerque, N.M.: July 17-19Reno, Nev.: July 20-21 — Harrah’s Downtown RenoSan Francisco: July 22-24 — Andrews HotelLos Angeles: July 25 — Radisson LAX AirportMinneapolis, Minn.: August 10

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Reflections from the Headmaster

Imagine a place on the sacred grounds of a monastery where a young man can interact with monks who devote their lives to Ora et Labora and hear them sing ancient plainchant in the Abbey Church. This is a place where he does not have to make a name for himself—his own name will do just fine; where his idiosyncrasies are not only tolerated, but nurtured; where he is free to be himself.

He is known at this place, where he belongs to a House, where he will make lifelong friends. This is a place where he can study the Bible, Shakespeare, Molière, multivariate calculus and quantum physics; where he can design and build a solar-powered vehicle. Where he can play sports such as baseball, soccer, basketball, wrestling, tennis, fencing, cross country, track and lacrosse; learn Latin, Spanish, French, Arabic and Greek; and play in a jazz band and an orchestra. Here he will meet friends and teachers with whom he can visit Peru, France, and Italy; recite poetry to an audience of hundreds; see a field like Van Gogh did; and learn to make traditional ceramic masks.

Imagine a place where a young man can participate in national academic quiz competitions, help the homeless, feed the hungry, read to little children, and start his own philosophy club. Where he can sing in a musical or an a cappella group, perform in a recital, and deliver speeches at a Model United Nations conference. A place where he can act in a play, work as a “techie” backstage, lead a student retreat, and create a prayer labyrinth. Where he can be a big brother to a young boy, learn what it means to be a leader, and be recognized among the nation’s highest academic achievers.

Now imagine a place where a young man can learn from his mistakes and begin again each day; a place where he can find “peace in understanding”—Pax in Sapientia—and a place to which he can return 50 years later to find some of his beloved teachers and monks still there. I don’t need to imagine this place. I know it exists, and I witness it every day here at St. Anselm’s Abbey School.

Recently, as part of our strategic planning, the Benedictine Ethos Committee described the essence of our school thus: “A Benedictine School is a community of learning dedicated to the full human development of its students to enable them to serve God and the human community.”

Our graduates are the living embodiment of the School’s mission, manifested in the Anselmian dictum: Fides Quaerens Intellectum, or Faith Seeking Understanding.

As we prepare for the graduation of the Class of 2011, we congratulate our seniors on their college acceptances, and we celebrate their many accomplishments. In particular, I am pleased to note that 22 seniors have been honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and the College Board, which is more than 60 percent of the 35 students in the senior class. These young men are in the top 5 percent of high school seniors nationally. Over the past 10 years, more than 46 percent of St. Anselm’s graduates have been honored by National Merit.

Like so many of the St. Anselm’s students, parents, faculty and alumni I meet, I feel truly blessed to be part of such a vibrant and supportive school community. Thank you for helping to make St. Anselm’s Abbey School the place that it is.

Pax in Sapientia,

Louis SilvanoHeadmaster

...a place where a young man can learn from his mistakes and begin again each day.

Imagine a Place

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Campus News

The It’s Academic TV team of (from left) Brendan Ziebarth, Aidan Mehigan and Jacob Wasserman pose with their excited mascot on the set at NBC-4.

Academic Tournaments: Far From TrivialSt. Anselm’s competes in two types

of academic quiz tournaments, It’s Aca-demic and Quizbowl. Our Varsity team—Aidan Mehigan, Form V (co-captain), Jacob Wasserman, Form V (co-captain), Brendan Ziebarth, Form VI, and Patrick Merkle, Form IV (alternate)—has had a very successful year on all fronts.

It’s Academic (www.itsacademic quizshow.com), the longest-running TV quiz show in the world, is hosted by the venerable Mac McGarry on NBC-4. This year we defeated Hayfield and Magruder high schools in Round One and Walter Johnson and Watkins Mill in Round Two. In the semifinal, we came in second to W.T. Woodson High School while defeat-ing St. Albans. Next year, with just a little luck, we should make it all the way to the championship.

Our very own Jazz Band entertained the studio audience at all three of our tap-ings this year. Thanks to Jack Anninos, Andrew Fois, Pierre de Dreuzy, Sam Gi-rardot and band leader Conor Hearn for such enthusiastic support, and to Camer-on Johnson for cavorting around the stu-dio dressed as our Panther mascot. Many students, parents and members of the mo-nastic community, including Prior Simon and Br. Ignacio, came to the tapings to cheer on our team.

We also have had a very successful re-cord at this year’s Quizbowl tournaments. These all-day events can have a team fac-ing 800 or more questions before the Championship rounds are played. Our Varsity team qualified this fall for the National Scholastics Championships by winning first place at tournaments at the University of Pennsylvania and Virginia Commonwealth University. We travel to Chicago in June and hope to better last year’s fourth-place finish.

In February, co-captain Aidan Mehigan was the overall high scorer in our win at Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax. Only Aidan and Patrick were able to com-pete at Georgetown Day School’s April tournament, but we still took fourth place, so even at half strength we managed an impressive finish. Next, Aidan competed solo at the Mid-Atlantic Championship at Virginia Commonwealth University in May and won first place.

St. Anselm’s hosted the inaugural Peter Samp Academic Tournament in March for 22 of the best teams in our area. Pe-ter, who passed away in 2009, was captain of the team when I took over as coach. With gentle good humor, he taught me all I needed to know to lead a very successful team for these last three years. Matthew Bollinger, ’10, our former captain who was ranked number one in the nation last year, came back to help, as did Mark Sella, ’08, Peter’s friend and teammate.

A month later, the D.C. Metro History Bowl, the regional championship compe-tition in the National History Bowl Tour-nament, was held at St. Anselm’s. Our Varsity team was joined by two Middle Schoolers, Charlie Ladd and Harry Daley-

Young. We took first place and went on to place fifth in the national competition a month later.

Speaking of future Varsity stars, our Mid-dle School team came in first after playing 10 teams in 10 rounds at the Longfellow Middle School Quizbowl Tournament in Virginia. First Formers Charlie Ladd and Adam Wasserman and A Formers Harry Daley-Young, Michael Libanati and Amir Khuller have a great future!

Next year should be very exciting. We are losing only one Varsity player, and our young Middle School team is showing great strength and determination. The best is yet to come!

- Ms. Hajnalka Enzel, Coach

Academic Coach HonoredSpanish teacher and It’s Academic coach Ms. Hajnal-ka Enzel was named the 2011 Sophie Altman Coach of the Year by NBC-4 in May. The annual award is based on student nominations. Ms. Enzel was selected from nearly 100 faculty advisors at area high schools that compete on the It’s Academic TV show. Congratulations!

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Campus News

Faculty NotesUpper School Chemistry teacher Dr. Antonio Chaves will present a chemistry lab exercise he developed at St. Anselm’s during the American Chemical Society’s 15th Annual Green Chemistry Conference in late June. Dr. Chaves’s presentation is part of a session on transformative education methods and the role of science education in facilitating the transition to green technologies and processes.

School counselor Mrs. Maura Rohde gave birth to Benjamin Leo Rohde on May 5. It is the first child for Mrs. Rohde and her husband, Nicholas. All at St. Anselm’s are excited to welcome Benjamin to the Abbey family!

Fr. James Wiseman, OSB, was among scholars interviewed in a two-hour PBS documentary titled “The Asian and Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America.” It was shown at various times on WETA-TV in early April. Later that month, Fr. James preached on the Seven Last Words of Christ during a service at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Good Friday, a service that immediately preceded the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion. Among his recent publications was an article “Teaching Meister Eckhart: A Lonerganian Approach,” which appeared in the 2010 issue of the Eckhart Review, and a shorter one on “Peacemaking and Peacemaking,” published in the February 2011 issue of New Theology Review: An American Catholic Journal for Ministry.

Fr. James has also been appointed to the editorial boards of two new journals: Medieval Mystical Theology: The Journal of the Eckhart Society, and Dilatato Corde (“An Expanded Heart”), an online, international, multilingual journal of monastic interreligious dialogue.

On Sunday, March 27, Dr. Herb Wood accompanied several medical personnel from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and 15 “Wounded Warriors” (men and women who have lost limbs in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan) to the White Sands Missile Proving

Grounds in New Mexico to participate in the 22nd Memorial of the Bataan Death March. Dr. Wood’s son Chris is an Army nurse and has been taking the amputees on hikes throughout the city to prepare them for the March at White Sands. The March was initiated by the New Mexico Army National Guard to commemorate the members of the Guard who had been sent to the Philippines prior to the beginning of World War II and were captured during the Japanese invasion. They were forced to march 60 miles to POW camps, and more than 4,000 of the soldiers died along the march either from exhaustion or were killed by the Japanese soldiers. An uncle of Dr. Wood’s wife was a Marine who had been stationed in the Philippines and was captured.

About 4,300 people participated this year in the March at White Sands and 14 survivors of the original Death March were present. One of them, who is 93 years old, hiked the first seven miles of the March. The March began at dawn with a very impressive ceremony at which the survivors were introduced and then rode in golf carts behind a group of 15 bagpipers while the participants followed to the starting line of the March. The March was 26.2 miles long and was very rigorous as it wound through the beautiful mountains surrounding the Army base.

Benjamin Leo Rohde

Acclaimed Saxophonist Performs For Abbey Music StudentsOn March 8, saxophonist Irvin Peterson gave a recital accompanied on the piano by St. Anselm’s choral director Michael Lodico for the entire Middle School and all Upper School music students. The repertoire ranged from more serious works by David Hurd and Eugene Bozza to whimsical works such as “The Pink Panther” and Jimmy Dorsey’s “Oodles of Noodles.” Peterson is the retired saxophone section leader of the United States “Pres-ident’s Own” Marine Band, with which he performed at more than a half-dozen Presidential Inaugurations.

Photo: Yakntoro Udoumoh (Form IV)

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Campus News

FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

As we approach the end of the 2010-2011 school year, I want to share with you what a successful and fun year this has been for us in the Development Office—thanks to all of you. Our supporters—our current parents, alumni, Form VII Forever parents, and friends —are amazing, and all year they have continued to reinforce the Benedictine mission and work of St. Anselm’s Abbey and School, and for that we are truly grateful.

The Annual Fund looks like it’s going to surpass our budgeted prediction. Thanks to the generosity of our constituents, we anticipate that by the year’s official end on June 30 the School will have raised over $300,000. As you may remember, the purpose of the Annual Fund is three-fold: it helps fund the portion of the operating budget not covered by tuition; it enables St. Anselm’s Abbey School to remain accessible to all academically gifted young men regardless of their family’s financial circumstances; and it helps support the monastic community.

The Annual Fund, which kicked off our fundraising year, was followed closely by our Fall Scholarship Gala in October. This year we honored Theodore Cardinal McCarrick for his dedication to and support of Catholic education in general, and his support of St. Anselm’s in particular. The Gala was a success on all fronts—the hard work of our volunteer committees truly paid off, and the event was a wonderful way to strengthen the scholarship program at St. Anselm’s. Mark your calendars now for the 2011 Scholarship Gala, scheduled for Saturday, October 29. Our theme for the evening will be Putting on the Ritz: A Tribute to Irving Berlin. We hope you are able to join in the fun.

Throughout the year we had several gatherings for Form VII Forever, our organization of past parents. It has been so much fun to have them back on campus and, in many cases, reconnect with our school for the first time in years. Their excitement about being back is truly infectious. We will be planning at least three Form VII Forever events in the next school year: one will be a Sunday Mass in the monastery chapel with brunch to follow, and the other two are cocktail receptions scheduled to coincide with a school play and concert. We invite all past St. Anselm’s parents to join us. If you know of any past parents who have not received our previous invitations to these events, please contact me so we can add them to our list.

As you can see, this has been a very good year for St. Anselm’s Abbey School. For all of this good news, we truly thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Valerie A. Brown Director of Development

Several members of the Class of 2011 have advanced to finalist standing in the annual competitions administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Headmaster Louis Silvano presented these finalists with certificates of recognition at an all-school assembly on March 7.

Thomas Hansen, Michael McCutchen and Abraham Secular have all been named finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. They are in the top 15,000 of more than 1.5 million

entrants based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. Each of these young men is now eligible to receive one of approximately 8,400 National Merit scholarships awarded annually to graduating high school seniors.

Benjamin Beidleman, Christopher Epps, Yaw Oteng-Agipong and Askari Rushing have all been named finalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program, which recognizes outstanding Black American high school students

from across the U.S. These young men are in the top 1,300 of more than 170,000 entrants in the 2011 NASP and are eligible to receive one of approximately 800 National Achievement scholarships.

In September, 22 members of the Class of 2011 were honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and the College Board in this year’s scholarship competitions, corresponding to over 60 percent of the 35-man senior class. Congratulations to all of the honorees!

Seniors Advance in Merit Scholarship CompetitionsMembers of the Class of 2011 Are National Merit, National Achievement Finalists

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Campus News

ACTIVITIES & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Fifth Former Garrett Jansen won the School’s third annual “Poetry Out Loud” competition in February, when he and more than a dozen other Upper School students recited classic poems in an all-school assembly. The contestants had all advanced to the school-wide com-petition by winning their respective class competitions. Garrett advanced to the city-wide “Poetry Out Loud” finals, held this year at the GALA Hispanic Theater in Columbia Heights.

Form A student Michael Libanati placed in the top ten at the Washington, D.C. Geographic Bee on April 1. The Bee, which featured a field of bright middle school students from across the city, took place at the Beacon Hotel downtown, across from the National Geographic So-ciety headquarters. Michael advanced to the city-wide finals after beating out his fellow Abbey Middle Schoolers at a com-petition at St. Anselm’s in March, the first A Form student in recent memory to do so. Michael will look to defend his school title next year and advance to the national finals.

Ten Upper School students took part in the second annual All-Catholic High

Schools Art Exhibition and Compe-tition at Gonzaga College High School on April 8. The event was run and orga-nized by Gonzaga students and featured artwork from around the Archdiocese. Professional judges were brought in to offer their critiques. Art teacher Ms.

Elizabeth Peak reports that our students gave an impressive showing at the exhibi-tion, showcasing a diverse range of tech-niques and skills. Alexander Atienza, Form III, took third place in the Pho-tography category for his photo entitled “Oasis,” shown above.

St. Anselm’s Students March for LifeDespite temperatures in the low teens, a group of 25 St. Anselm’s stu-dents and faculty head-ed to the National Mall on January 24 for the 38th annual March for Life. Fr. Michael said Mass for the group in the Abbey Church prior to their departure. This year’s March attracted over 250,000 students, activists and other pro-life supporters.

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Campus News

A recent United Nations report projects that the world’s population will grow to over 10 billion by the end of this century. Africa, a continent already struggling to feed a population of 1 billion, is expected to see its population triple by 2100. U.N. population forecasts have been accurate in the past. Clearly, if these projections pan out, the challenges posed by population growth will grow exponentially. Can world governments step up to these challenges?

The St. Anselm’s Model U.N. club has also grown exponentially over the past year, as have the challenges associated with organization, conference preparation, and general administration. Not surprisingly, he Abbey Boys have stepped up to meet these challenges time and time again.

The year started off with 54 boys packed into the Reid Auditorium for our first meeting. Seniors Patrick Riechert, club Secretary General, and Chris Bragale, his deputy, laid out their plans for the year—leadership, conferences, practices and expectations. With help from an excellent leadership team—seniors Marco Cerritelli, Mike McCutchen, Askari Rushing, Farrell Sheehan and Brendan Ziebarth, and junior Christian McConville—the club got off to a very strong start, assisting the club from the Academy of the Holy Cross in hosting their first-ever scrimmage. It went very well, with eight of our students taking awards.

After the Holy Cross conference, selection and preparation began for Harvard Model U.N. We were once again blessed with the generous support of Mr. Richard Stafford, ’53, a Harvard alumnus, whose contribution made our attendance at Harvard possible for the second year. Selection was especially tough this year as the team was limited by Harvard to six members. After a test, faculty recommendations, grade check, club advisor recommendations, and a position paper “test,” the Harvard team was selected: three juniors, Christian McConville, Adam Reed and Nick Tucci, and three sophomores, Vince Marcantonio, Winfield Miller and Maurin Mwombela. Under the guidance of Patrick Riechert and Chris Bragale, the team met twice a week for two months to prepare their topics, which ranged from financial regulation to infectious diseases.

With over 24 hours of committee time and 19-hour days, the Harvard conference seemed to come and go in a flash at the end of January. The conference was a great opportunity for the boys to meet other high school students from around the world and interact with the Harvard students running the conference. A campus tour on Friday morning was one of the highlights, and we learned many interesting things about the school – who knew about the relationship of the Titanic to Harvard’s fantastic library!

Next up was a conference at Georgetown, the North American Invitational Model UN, which we attended for the first time. We fielded a strong team of sophomores and a few seniors, as all the juniors and the club faculty advisor were at the Karios retreat. Nevertheless, the Abbey Boys did their usual good work, and seniors Mike McCutchen and Chris Bragale took home awards for their work as the international press corps. We look forward to making NAIMUN a regular part of our schedule.

The Washington Area Model U.N. Conference (WAMUNC) at George Washington University was our final conference of the year. The competition was stiff as always but our guys stood above the rest, winning eight awards. Lucas Obleander (Form I) stood out as the only Middle Schooler in a high school competition—and he won an award! We hope to build on his talent and grow a robust Middle School Model U.N. program next year.

Aside from the conferences and awards, the most important thing that occurred this year was the students’ continued leadership and team-building. This happened naturally, driven in part by the club’s growth but also by the boys’ own initiative in taking charge. In my relatively short four years at the School, Model U.N. has clearly illustrated that given the responsibility and accountability, Abbey Boys can and will meet even the most demanding challenges. Thanks to the efforts of this year’s team, we have a charter, a website (www.stamun.org), and well-defined roles with a clear organizational structure. While the club has grown, the boys have grown with it—becoming more mature, more responsible and more conscientious about what it means to be an “Abbey Boy.”

- Mr. Kirk Otterson

For Model U.N., a Year of GrowthStudents in Popular Club Win Awards, Develop Leadership Skills

The Harvard team is pictured with Fr. Peter. From left: Nick Tucci, Adam Reed, Mau-rin Mwombela, Christian McConville, Vince Marcantonio, Winfield Miller.

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For Spring Break this year, I was fortunate to travel with Fr. Peter, Fr. Castro and 13 Abbey Boys to Peru for a week of touring, hiking and cultural exploration.

We arrived in Lima late after a long flight from Dulles, and after a good night’s sleep we boarded our next flight, to the city of Cusco. At over 11,000 feet, Cusco is a chal-lenge for most people, but most Abbey Boys are in great shape and seem to be immune to high alti-tude. This was the third time tak-ing St. Anselm’s students to Peru, so I speak from experience!

Highlights in Cusco included a church built on the remains of an Inca temple, traditional Peruvian folk dancing, and a number of re-markable geological formations. In Cusco, we slept in the Sacred Valley city of Ollantaytambo on the River Urubamba, which is dominated by a huge Inca fortress.

Our first attempt at visiting Ma-chu Picchu was derailed by a land-slide that blocked the train from Cusco, but our second try proved well worth it. The group was awestruck when we arrived. It was drizzling, the llamas and their crias (baby llamas) had come down from the higher slopes to graze, and there were very few people on the mountain.

On from Cusco, we traveled to the Lurin Valley, where we saw the famous Peruvian Paso horses perform (and we appeared on Peruvian television!). Not far from there is the Monaste-rio de la Encarnación, the Benedictine monastery in Peru where Fr. Simon was the superior for five years before coming to St. Anselm’s. We dropped in unannounced, but the monks received us with open arms. The monastery itself is very modern with a beautiful garden.

Back in Lima, we stayed in the neighborhood of Miraflores, near the beach, and truly “did the town!” We visited the colo-nial downtown, the Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Martin, and the cathedral; we saw the changing of the guard at the Presidential palace; we toured the Franciscan monastery and the catacombs. We ate lunch in Chinatown. We saw a delightful folklore show, in which one of our boys participated. We ate a wonderful din-ner overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The sounds of Peru were also distinctive and memorable: a raging river, the melancholy of the Andean flute, and the abso-lute quiet of a 17,000-foot, snow-covered mountain peak.

Although we hit some unusual and difficult bumps along the way, including multiple canceled flights, it was wonderful to trav-el with this group. Our boys are kind, considerate, silly, and very nice to each other. They treated their chaperones with respect and good cheer. They ate constantly, had tremendous stamina and were sincerely interested in the world around them.

- Ms. Hajnalka Enzel

Form V students at Machu Picchu, from left: Jacob Wasserman, John Madden, Luke McCormick, Eric Yde and Kyle Winkler.

The whole group at the Monasterio de la Encarnación.

Campus News

A Spring Break to Remember in Peru

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Panther Sports

Middle Schoolers Pioneer New Lacrosse ProgramForm I student Cameron Underwood charges downfield during a game at McLean School on May 6.

Under the leadership of coach Mark Kent from Next Level Athletes and assistant coach Peter Young, ’01, St. Anselm’s fielded a lacrosse team for the first time this spring. This Middle School-level team attracted over 20 students in Forms A, I and II and was an exciting ad-dition to the usual slate of spring sports at the Abbey. School nurse Robin Barth was also instrumental in help-ing the team get started in their first year.

Season highlights included a big 7-3 win over Barrie School on May 11 and competitive showings against St. Albans and McLean.

With a strong roster of returning players in Forms A and I, the team will look to build on its success in the 2012 season with an expanded schedule and some home games. The coaches look forward to expanding lacrosse at St. Anselm’s to the J.V. and Varsity levels.

Right: The lacrosse team after their first game at St. Albans.

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Panther Sports

J.V. / FRESHMAN BASkETBALLThe J.V./Freshman basketball squad was coached by Athletic Director José Padilla. The teams played a very rigorous schedule this year, facing Gonzaga, St. Mary’s Ryken, St. Albans and Byron Mouton’s AAU team, the Sixth Man Warriors. The tough schedule paid off as the Panthers rattled off five straight conference victories late in the season en route to a semifinal appearance in the PVAC tournament. Cassius Blount led the J.V./Freshman team in scoring all season long. Ellis Berns was the defensive glue that held the team together, while sophomores Maurin Mwombela and Cameron Johnson gained valuable experience and made significant contributions in leadership.

- Coach José Padilla

The young men of the Varsity wrestling team had a very good season. Under the guidance of head coach Steve Roush and assistant coach Jake Shilling they learned that hard work pays off; that only they can make themselves better; that to gain any-thing truly worth having requires personal commitment; and that they, and only they, are accountable for the outcome. In meets head-to-head against other teams, the team was 12-9; if we only look at matches wrestled (not including forfeits), they were 14-7. Our wrestlers placed second in the league tourna-ment, up from fifth last year. Diego Torres, Geri Dunellari and Yaw Oteng-Agipong are league champions. Tomas Husted and Alex Jankovic both placed second in the league, and AJ Church, Blaise Fortier, Chang-Wu Mungai and Joe Downs all placed third in the league. Dan Magee and Nick Tucci both placed fourth.

The D.C. Classic, the city championship tournament, took place during the weekend of the Kairos retreat this year, so many of our wrestlers were unable to compete. Even so, sophomores Diego Torres and Geri Dunellari became the fifth and sixth St. An-selm’s wrestlers ever to win a D.C. championship. Diego and Geri advanced to the National Prep Championships in Bethlehem, Penn. in April. There, Diego lost to the eventual seventh-place finisher from St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) 9-2 and was only behind one point going into the third and final period against a young man from the Kinkaid School (Tex.), but lost. Geri lost to the

eventual fourth-place finisher from Wyoming Seminary (Penn.) and to a wrestler from the Peddie School (N.J.). Diego and Geri represented St. Anselm’s well and were within two wins of being named prep-school All-Americans.

The Middle School wrestlers also had a good season. Under the guidance of coach Andrew Schiff, ’06, eight wrestlers went to a tournament at McLean School, where five earned medals: gold for Ryan Dalbec (Form II) and David Polhemus (Form I), and silver for Max Morreale, Pablo Ruiz and Patrick Lally (all Form I). They did well in meets against McLean and St. Thom-as Aquinas but had a very tough go against St. Albans. These young men now have a greater appreciation for the self-disci-pline, commitment, courage and accountability that is needed in wrestling, as in life.

- Head Coach Steve Roush

The Varsity wrestling squad is pictured with coaches Steve Roush (far right) and Andrew Schiff, ’06 (left).

A Strong Season for Abbey WrestlersSophomores Dunellari, Torres Win at City Championships

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VARSITY BASkETBALL

The 2010-2011 Varsity basketball season never lacked for excitement as the Panthers made it to the championship games of three of the four tournaments in which they played.

An impressive playoff run put them in the PVAC title game the night of February 26 on the campus of Gallaudet University. Despite a strong start, St. Anselm’s was unable to hold off an incredible fourth-quarter comeback by a bigger Covenant Life squad. The Washington Post praised the Panthers’ gritty de-fensive effort in the loss, which came before several hundred very vocal fans in an atmosphere that coach Paul Grenaldo called one of the most exciting he had experienced in his coaching career.

Joining Coach Grenaldo on the bench as assistant coaches for this, his 25th season at St. Anselm’s, were two former players from the Class of 2006, Jack Leath-ers and Scott Salandy-Defour.

Senior co-captains Joe Breslin and John Hamm were standouts for the Panthers all season, both earning all-PVAC first-team honors. Among the other strong contributors over the course of the season were two newcomers to Varsity, junior guard Sean Attridge and sophomore forward Aidan Craver.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BASkETBALL

The Middle School Panthers finished 12-8 against a very difficult lineup of opponents under coach Paul Commins and advanced to the PVAC semifinals. Back row, left to right: Thomas Bui (Form II), Conor Sloan (II), Sean Swartz (II), Ross Young (I), Tarik Wright (II), Nino Suffoletta (II), Coach Commins. Front row, left to right: Brendan Sloan (I), Teofan Fletcher (I), Stephen Kpundeh (II), Danny Swentkofske (I), Nick Klinkenbergh (I).

The 2010-2011 Varsity basketball Panthers. Back row, from left: assistant coaches Jack Leathers, ’06 and Scott Salandy-Defour, ’06, Chris Epps (Form VI), Luke McCormick (V), Joe Breslin (VI), Aidan Craver (IV), John Hamm (VI), head coach Paul Grenaldo. Front row, left to right: Andrew Houghton (V), Sean Attridge (V), Sydney Kpundeh (V), Connor Williamson (V), Jack Anninos (IV), John Recchia (IV).

Panther Sports

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The weather was near-perfect for the third annual All-Alumni Re-union Weekend, April 29-30 and May 1.

The inaugural Peter Samp, ’08 Memorial 5k, co-sponsored by the Alumni Association and the Parents Association, attracted more than 150 participants—students and alumni, current and past parents, faculty, staff, and even a few monks. The Alumni Barbeque, which fol-lowed the 5K awards, was a huge success, thanks to the efforts of Tim May, ’83, Alumni Association Vice President.

The Alumni Banquet—attend-ed by 175 alumni, spouses and friends—featured the presentation

of the third Abbot Alban Boult-wood, OSB Alumni Award for service to the alumni community. This year, the award went to a sur-prised Pat Attridge, ’74. Pat has been Treasurer of the Alumni Asso-ciation for more than 20 years and has managed the Alumni Golf Out-ing since its inception 18 years ago. The evening ended on a light note with the “Celebrity Faculty Roast and Toast” of baseball coach and social studies teacher Mark Dean by Mark Romano, ’86.

If you missed this year’s reunion, mark your calendar! The next All-Alumni Reunion Weekend is already scheduled for April 27-29, 2012.

- Mr. Lawrence Hamm, ’68

Third Annual All-Alumni

Reunion Weekend

Fifteen members of the Class of 1961 were present at the Alumni Banquet on April 30 to receive their golden anniversary medals.

Alumni Association President Awenate Cobbina, ’98 (left) presents the Abbot Alban Boultwood, OSB Alumni Award to Pat Attridge, ’74.

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Clockwise, from above: the Class of 1986 after receiving their silver anniversary medals; Mark Dean at the Alumni Banquet after being “roasted” by Mark Romano, ’86; Prior Simon with Rich and Luci Samp before running the Peter Samp, ’08 Memorial 5K; the entire 5K crowd of over 150 runners. Bottom: The Class of 1966 and their spouses celebrate their 45th anniversary at the Alumni Banquet on April 30.

Reunion Weekend 2011

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Class Notes1958Thomas Berg writes: “I retired as Ohio State Geologist in 2006. I continue service to the Church as a Permanent Deacon at St. Joan of Arc in Powell, Ohio, and have been an ordained deacon for 28 years. Betty and I celebrate 50 years of marriage in 2011. We have 15 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.”

1961Jim Cooney addressed the St. Anselm’s student body on Friday, April 29. A former Vice President at Placer Dome, Inc., one of the world’s largest mining companies, Jim spoke on our society’s dependency on the extraction industries and the balancing of economic, environmental, social and political risks that our dependency entails.

Fifteen members of the Class of ’61 came back to campus to celebrate their 50th anniversary at the All-Alumni Reunion Weekend. For a photo of the class, see page 15.

1974Pat Attridge was the recipient of this year’s Abbot Alban Boultwood, OSB Alumni Award at the third annual Alumni Banquet on April 30. The award was initiated by the Alumni Association in 2009 to recognize service to the St. Anselm’s alumni community. For more on the All-Alumni Reunion Weekend, see page 15.

1975Carl Siebentritt is finishing his State Department assignment developing the multi-agency Civilian Response Corps and is preparing for his next assignment to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, beginning in the summer of 2011. Carl has been a popular speaker at the Alumni Association’s annual Career Day for juniors and seniors for several years.

1986Mark Romano was the commencement speaker at the School’s 66th Vespers of Graduation on May 28, continuing the tradition of having a 25th-anniversary alumnus speak at graduation.

Mark was also a featured speaker at the Alumni Banquet on April 30, where he (with some help from classmate Jim Filpi) “roasted” longtime teacher and coach Mark Dean. Fourteen members of the Class of ’86 joined in the festivities and received their silver anniversary medals from Fr. Peter (see opposite).

1996Yovani Soto was elected to the Alumni Association Board of Directors in March. Yovani is the brother of Fabian Jarrin, ’03. He lives in Silver Spring with his wife and daughter.

1999Nesti Arène was elected to the Alumni Association Board of Directors in April.

Nesti, the son of former Spanish and French teacher Michelle Arène, lives in Takoma Park.

2000Pankaj (P.k.) Agarwalla completed his M.D. at Harvard Medical School in 2010 and is now a neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

2005Ian kennedy graduated from Cornell in 2009 and is now serving in the Army.

Eamon Nolan joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors in February. Eamon lives in Georgetown and works at a consulting firm in Washington.

2006Colin Strylowski departed in May for a two-year assignment with the Peace Corps in Fiji. Colin graduated from the College of Wooster in 2010. His service in the Peace Corps continues a family tradition started by his father, who was a volunteer in Brazil.

2007After graduating from Boston College in May with a degree in History and German, Patrick Feeney will spend the next year in Würzburg, Germany, as a Fulbright Scholar. Patrick and his brother Martin, ’05, visited the School earlier this academic year.

Jim Cooney, ’61 with Fr. Christopher Wyvill, OSB.

Mark Romano, ’86 and Jim Filpi, ’86 at the Alumni Banquet on April 30.

Patrick Feeney, ’07, with Fr. Peter.

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2008Dan Black is a junior at Gettysburg College, where he is president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Cameron Jacobs is president of Kappa Sigma at Dickinson College, where he is a junior. Cameron’s father, Terry Jacobs, serves on the St. Anselm’s Board of Trustees.

Matthew Moniz was the fastest alumnus to finish in the Peter Samp Memorial 5K run held on Saturday, April 30. Matthew completed the race in 20:38, finishing sixth overall. More than 150 alumni, parents, students, monks, teachers and friends participated in the race.

2009Wesley Hilliard is attending Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., where he is majoring in Biochemistry. Wes joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, made the MSU Dean’s Honors and loves the Big Sky Country of Montana.

We Extend Our Deepest Sympathy to the Families of Those in Our Community Who Have Died

Dr. Suzanne BeickenMother of Sascha Beicken, ’93

Mr. Frank J. FreiseisClass of 1952

Mr. James McNallyClass of 1963

Mr. George J. MeiburgerMrs. Joyce S. Meiburger

Parents of Damien Meiburger, ’74, James Meiburger, ’77, and John Meiburger, ’77

Mr. Matthew NeedhamNon-graduating member of the Class of 1992

Mrs. Michelle NyirjesyMother of Francis Nyirjesy, ’74+ and Paul Nyirjesy, ’77;

Grandmother of Christopher Bragale, ’11

Mr. Robert D. PeloquinFather of Robert D. Peloquin, Jr., ’72

Mr. Lawrence E. PetersClass of 1946

Mr. Melvin I. PotoskyFather of Arnold Potosky, ’79

Dr. Paul P. TraverFather of Mark Traver, ’79, and Jared Traver, ’86

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