Congratulations to our sixty-four Abbey students who have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams.

The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18% of the more than 1.8 million high school students worldwide who took AP Exams in 2016 performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award.

View the full list of AP Scholars here.

It is with faith in the promises of Christ that we share with you the news of the passing of Fr. Damian Kearney '45, beloved monk and priest of Portsmouth Abbey and alumnus of Portsmouth Priory School. Fr. Damian died the morning of September 8th at St. Clare-Newport, where he had been receiving palliative care since August 25th.

The Mass of Christian burial for Dom Damian Kearney, O.S.B., '45 will take place on Wednesday, September 14, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. in the Portsmouth Abbey Church of St. Gregory the Great. The service will be followed by interment in the Abbey cemetery and a reception in the Stillman Dining Hall.

Dom Damian's casket will be received for the vespers of the dead in the Abbey church on Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. and will remain in repose throughout the night under the watch of the Easter vigil candle. All are invited to attend vespers and the church will remain open for prayers into the night.

Please join the Portsmouth Abbey Monastic and School community in praying for the repose and eternal happiness of Fr. Damian.

For those wishing to honor Fr. Damian through a charitable contribution, the Monastery and School have established the Dom Damian Kearney, O.S.B., '45 Memorial Fund for Portsmouth Abbey School. Contributions to this fund will be used by the Board of Regents at its discretion to create, improve, and maintain the School's facilities and programs. For more information, please contact the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at 401-643-1307.

On Saturday, September 10, while parents enjoyed dinner and a welcome session in the Stillman Dining Hall, our new Ravens made the short hike over to the Green Animals Topiary Garden for a cookout. Students broke into groups, facilitated by our 2016-17 prefects, where they were immersed in Abbey facts and anecdotes. In this casual setting they were better able to meet and become acquainted with their fellow Ravens. Our dining hall staff provided a delicious array of appetizers along with a perfect outdoor end-of-summer dinner. After dinner and conversation, the group headed back to campus to bid farewell, for the time being, to their parents and to begin their first exciting year at the Abbey!

Mr. Mike Weber, of the Leadership Institute, was invited to campus to speak with student leaders on Thursday, September 8, to help prepare them for the start of the 2016-17 academic year. In the opening activity, which compared something that was simple vs. something that was easy, Mr. Weber challenged leaders in the workshop to think about school culture and how they can play a role in shaping it. He offered a simple system for change, with the goal of creating a great year at the Abbey. Leaders spent time in small groups to discuss and plan. Dean of Residential Life Paula Walter commented, "It was great to see the collaboration and enthusiasm in this particular group of student leaders. They are eager to shape and uphold a positive, warm, welcoming student culture at the Abbey. As a group, they are creative, outside-the-box thinkers, and so I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some fun new activities on campus this year."

Mike Weber works all across the country with organizations, schools and businesses helping them have more fun while figuring out creative ways to get more things done. He's coached soccer, taught creativity, raised two sons and is currently on a quest to climb every mountain in New Hampshire!

Many thanks to Mrs. Walter for arranging this wonderful opportunity for our student leaders!

Right Reverend Dom Matthew Stark, O.S.B., has been appointed Administrator of the Monastery of Saint Gregory the Great at Portsmouth for a period of one year, renewable annually for up to three years. The appointment was made by Dom Richard Yeo, Abbot President of the English Benedictine Congregation.

Headmaster Dan McDonough announced that seven Portsmouth Abbey School Sixth-Form students have received recognition of their outstanding academic promise from National Merit^® Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). A letter of commendation from Portsmouth Abbey School and NMSC, which conducts the program, was presented to these scholastically talented Sixth Formers: Anny M. Angel of Little Compton, RI; Johanna E. Appleton of Mattapoisett, MA; Chase F. Carter of Medway, MA; Oliver Ferry of Singapore; Kaiwen "Kevin" Jiang of Shanghai, China; Scott Powell of Portsmouth, RI; and Nicholas Velcea of Dartmouth, MA.

Approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2017 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students place among the top five percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 competition by taking the 2015 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

"The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue that pursuit of academic success."
Congratulations to all!

Sixth Former Molly Longson, of Newport, RI, addressed the School community at Church Assembly on Thursday, September 22, 2016. Molly spoke of her transformative journey to the Middle East and how she learned to question her own views in order to gain perspective.

The full transcript of Molly's talk follows.

"Stubborn." A word that has been used to describe me since before I can remember. Once I form an idea or opinion, it's pretty much set in stone and no one can change my mind. Perhaps the reason I've always felt so self-assured is that people have told me that I have a strong moral compass. Or maybe it's because pigheadedness is a hereditary trait from my dad's side of the family, which would explain all the fighting at family reunions.

Last year I doubted my judgment for the first time in my life. What inspired such uncharacteristic reflection? My family embarked on a National Geographic tour of Israel. I know what you must be thinking: "Oh wow, what a nice way to spend Christmas vacation." Well you're wrong. While I did visit the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem and float in the Dead Sea, this trip did not feel like a vacation. A vacation offers relaxation, which this trip had none of because most of the time we were learning about Israel's current political turmoil.

I had little to no prior knowledge of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, so when I arrived in Israel, I was overwhelmed with emotion and information. I learned that since 1947 Israelis and Palestinians have fought over control of the land that is current day Israel. The Israelis have won and displaced the Palestinians to the West Bank (which was where I spent most of my time) and the Gaza Strip. The Israelis restrict the rights of the Palestinians and where they can live by constructing walls to contain them. The Palestinians continue to fight the Israelis who are expanding their territory by placing Jewish settlements everywhere. Keep in mind: all of this fighting is over land the size of New Jersey, so I guarantee you that there will be no solution in the near future.

One day in particular caused my head to spin uncontrollably. The entire day we met with Israeli and Palestinian politicians who tried to justify their actions against each other. Later that evening, I finally had the chance to relax at a beautiful restaurant in Jerusalem with my tour group. As our meals were being served, two men walked into the room. They introduced themselves as our surprise speakers, Rami, an Israeli from Jerusalem, and Mazen, a Palestinian from the West Bank. Together they manage an organization called Parents' Circle that promotes reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian families who have suffered losses at the hands of each side.

Just as I prepared to dig in to my delicious dinner, Rami and Mazen told their life stories, and my appetite quickly vanished. Rami's fourteen-year-old daughter was killed on her way to school by a Palestinian suicide bomber. Mazen's ten-year-old daughter was shot and killed by the Israeli Defense Force who were raiding a neighbor's home. These are just two examples of all the horrific loss of innocent lives during this ongoing conflict.

By chance or fate, not sure which, Rami and Mazen attended the same dialog meeting following the deaths of their daughters. After bonding over one another's loss, both men discarded their anger and could see the other's viewpoint more clearly. To this day, Rami and Mazen are not only colleagues, but also best friends.

I couldn't understand it: how could people forgive and move on so easily from such devastating pain? I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that there's no definitive good guy or bad guy in this conflict. Out of habit, I felt like I had to make up my mind, and choose one side to be more sympathetic towards. But after witnessing the destruction and pain on both sides, choosing proved impossible. The more I learned about both perspectives, the more confused I was.

Throughout this crazy, transformative experience, I learned that it's okay to doubt yourself. In order to understand other people's views, you have to momentarily step away from your own. So my advice to you is this: use this new school year to question yourself and all of your values. Open yourself up and make a genuine effort to know your new classmates and teachers before judging them, because you never know whom you will find a connection with.

Unlike the Palestinians and Israelis, we don't have physical boundaries guarded by soldiers separating us. Our barriers are mental. Not only do I urge you to form new relationships, but I also hope that you mend old ones. If Rami and Mazen can surmount the ultimate grudge, than we should be more than capable of overcoming petty grievances and granting forgiveness. As Mazen told me, and now I tell you, "Hatred only hurts yourself."

Thank you.

Sixth Former Kaiwen "Kevin" Jiang, of Shanghai, China, addressed the School community at Church Assembly on Thursday, September 29, 2016. Kevin spoke of how he turned a personal imperfection into a source of positivity and humor.

The full transcript of Kevin's talk follows.

"Peace be with you." "Ew! Why is your hand so sweaty?" At age six, I was diagnosed with hyperhidrosis, an inability to control the sweating system. Seeing my look of confusion, my mom explained to me that I was just an abnormally sweaty child. By the time I was a teenager, I realized that whether it's the dead of Shanghai's scorching summers or Rhode Island's freezing winters, my hands perspired relentlessly, drenching all my exam papers and anyone's hand I shake. This made me the butt of my friends' jokes and also feel like an alien amongst my classmates.

My Third Form year, I decided to put an end to my sweaty hand situation. I arrived at breakfast on the first day of Spirit Week, my hands adorned with bright yellow dishwashing gloves. I thought I was such a genius for concocting this brilliant solution, but my plan failed immediately. Clearly, I wasn't the smartest science student. The heat and lack of air circulation inside the gloves caused immediate perspiration, which reacted with the silicone material, drenching my hands in an extra-sticky sweat because none of it could evaporate through the rubber gloves. Even worse, of course my friend instantly asked, "Kevin, what on earth are you wearing on your hands?" As everyone at the dining table cackled away, I rushed to the bathroom and threw the gloves into the trashcan. I rubbed my hands with soap again and again, but I could not wash away the feeling of shame. I was a freak, like Elephant Man.

In hindsight this incident seems quite trivial in the larger scheme of things. However, in that moment, which remains the most embarrassing moment of my life, I had an epiphany. The bad news: As Salvador Dali once said, "Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it," trying to hide my imperfection was hopeless. Good news: if I accepted my imperfection, I could change my reality. If I wanted, I could treat my hyperhidrosis not as a shameful secret, but as my own superpower.

Nowadays, when my family jokes about my sweaty paws, I brag about my "Poseidon Hands." No, I cannot control the ocean or torment Odysseus, but I can easily open new plastic bags and grab tiny objects, from silver pins to the smallest anti-anxiety pills, which immediately stick to my sweaty fingers. Furthermore, they ward off unwanted interactions because people actually run away to avoid my horrible handshake. Last but not least, my constantly moist, soft hands have saved me thousands of dollars on hand lotion and assured me a glamorous future in hand modeling.

Imperfection taught me positivity and humor. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "we can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." We cannot fix all our flaws, but we can change our attitude. We can laugh at ourselves. You might even say that happiness lies within our own hands, even my sweaty ones.

Thank you, my imperfections. Thank you, my friends!

Sixth Former Grace Fink, of Washington, D.C., addressed the School community at Church Assembly on Thursday, October 6, 2016. Grace spoke of overcoming her fear and anxiety as the Portsmouth Abbey School 2016 Ali Sacco '05 Intern at Boston Children's Hospital. To learn more about the internship and former recipients, visit

http://www.portsmouthabbey.org/page.cfm?p=535

The full transcript of Grace's talk follows.

The average heart beats about 60 to 100 times per minute; however, I can say that when I first walked into Boston Children's Hospital this summer, my heart rate doubled its normal speed. Just like right now.

I was about to start a two-week internship working with some of the greatest cardiologists in the country, and I had no idea what I was doing. As I sat in the lobby waiting to meet Dr. Marshall, my hands were shaking, either from nerves, or the iced coffee that I drank immediately beforehand—probably a combination of both.

I was given a brief tour of the Cardiac Wing of the hospital, and then went to the Catheterisation Lab with Dr. Marshall. Before we entered the lab, Dr. Marshall turned to me and said, "Wait, I forgot to ask if you get squeamish around blood."

"I think I'll be ok," I responded.

"Oh ok, good. Don't worry, we've only had one person faint before."

"Oh really?" I said.That was comforting. We pushed the doors open, and I was met by a dozen doctors and nurses dressed in scrubs scurrying around while yelling out what seemed like random numbers and taking blood samples, surrounded by giant x-ray machines and monitors. The patient lay flat on the table in the center of the room, hooked up to countless wires and machines. I watched the lines on the various screens as they moved up and down, beeping with each beat of the patient's heart. I assumed that the one labeled HR was heart rate, but other than that, all the terms seemed foreign to me. I was lost. Literally. I didn't even know which building I was in.

The catheters were in the patient's heart and other surrounding arteries, and the doctors were injecting a contrast dye into the bloodstream, in order to see where any leaks were.Dr. Marshall pointed to the screen showing the x-rays, and asked me if I knew which chamber the catheter was in.

Suddenly, I came to a horrible realization: I had missed the first day of Chapter 33 in bio because I was giving a red key tour. That chapter? Cardiology.

"Um... left... uh... ventricle?" A complete guess, my mind was blank. I'm surprised I even remembered the word ventricle.

"That's right!" Dr. Marshall replied. "How did you know?"

"Oh, well, I just got lucky."

In fact, I was very lucky. Each day thereafter, I learned more and more about cardiology. I sat through meetings, went on rounds with the doctors, and observed clinical appointments. I saw patients ranging from 12 hours old to 42 years, each with his or her own story and unique cardiac defect. One boy, just a few days older than I, had been referred to a cardiologist after his pediatrician noticed a small murmur when listening to his heart during his annual sports physical. Little did he know that he had been living with an Atrial Septum Defect, a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart that allows un-oxygenated blood returning from the body through the superior vena cava to mix with the oxygenated blood coming from the lungs and pulmonary veins. This mix is sent through the aorta to the rest of the body and the brain, preventing the body from receiving as much oxygen as it needs, leading to constant fatigue, shortness of breath, and frequent respiratory infections. See? Slowly, all these terms were starting to make sense to me, until one day, when it all finally clicked.

During a routine appointment in the clinic, I was entertaining a toddler while Dr. Marshall talked to her parents.Their daughter had one of the loudest heart murmurs that her pediatrician had ever heard, due to her congenital heart defect. But because it sounded so much louder than it had before, they decided to bring her to the clinic. Dr. Marshall explained to them that this was totally normal: since she was growing, her heart was growing, too, and it was ok for things to sound a little funny. Her murmur was caused by the hyperextension of her valves as they closed, so instead of the blood being pumped, it was constantly flowing.

I must have looked confused, because Dr. Marshall asked me if I would like to take a listen with her stethoscope. When I put the earpieces in and placed the diaphragm on the girl's chest, I could instantly hear the rushing that Dr. Marshall had described. It finally all made sense. After the textbook terms, the numbers and screens and machines, here was the real thing, a living human heart. I could hear it, and picture it working in this little girl. I saw the smile on Dr. Marshall's face as she realized that my eyes had finally been opened, just the way that hers had when she was my age.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that ignorance isn't bliss. Take it from me, it can be pretty nerve-wracking to be the only one who doesn't understand in a room full of some of the most accomplished people in their fields, but not knowing is also an opportunity. If you can overcome the fear and anxiety of something new, you may learn something life-changing.

Thank you.

View the video of Grace's Church Assembly Talk.

The skill and diversity of Portsmouth Abbey student artists is currently on display in the McEvoy Gallery of the McGuire Fine Arts Building on campus.

Overall, more than 75 individual students are exhibiting work in a variety of media in the gallery, and the students chosen to participate in the exhibition are from all grade levels. Included in the exhibition are two Scholastic Art Award Winners from 2016, Sydney Welch '16 & Steven Ma '16 while the array of portrait drawings are a representation of last year's final project from the Fundamentals of Art courses. The show also includes entries in ceramics, 2-D art and photography, representing recent and current student work from each of those courses.

Head of Visual Arts Kevin Calisto explains, "Each year we choose a variety of work from students who show a good understanding of key concepts in their specified courses. The Visual Arts Department at Portsmouth Abbey strives to bring awareness to the arts with student exhibitions every few months, and we are continuously incorporating new projects, concepts and inter-curricular programs every year."

The 2016 Student Exhibition will be on view until Friday, November 11th. Many thanks to Mr. Calisto and Ms. Swift for curating this wonderful exhibition!

On Thursday, October 20, Portsmouth Abbey School hosted its first lecture of the year and the first of three Dom Luke Childs lectures.The speaker was Mr. Dean Cardinale who delivered a talk entitled, "Everest and Beyond."

Mr. Cardinale is an avid mountain climber, outdoors enthusiast, and adventure lover. The founder of World Wide Trekking and the President and Founder of Human Outreach Project, he has climbed and led expeditions to North America, Central America, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Himalayas, including summiting Mt. Everest in 2005.

The Human Outreach Project, with Mr. Cardinale as president and his wife Alison as vice president, "owns and/or funds orphanages in Tanzania and Peru and supports a dental clinic in Nepal, in addition to regularly contributing food and clothing and other gear to dozens of other locations. Every year, Dean guides doctors from Salt Lake's Moran Eye Center to the Himalayas where part of the trip is devoted to cataract surgery." Read more about Mr. Cardinale and his excellent work at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865583751/Life-is-a-world-wide-trek.html?pg=all or visit http://wwtrek.com/.

Mr. Cardinale currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife and children.

Many thanks to Mr. Cardinale for sharing his extraordinary story with the Portsmouth Abbey School community.

Sixth Former Nick Velcea, of Dartmouth, MA, addressed the School community at Church Assembly on Thursday, October 27, 2016. Nick spoke of the importance of prioritizing one's available time and spending it wisely.

To quote the song "In the End" by Linkin Park, "time is a valuable thing." Although, especially here at the Abbey, it is also a very strange thing. At exactly 8:15 a.m., except on most, but not all Thursdays, we find ourselves struggling to stay awake through whatever class we might be in, but then at 1:15 a.m., the next morning we might be riding the phenomenal wave of sleep deprivation; tired enough to no longer exhibit any symptoms of stress, yet awake enough, albeit from the four Red Bulls you just had, to be able to finish that English essay. We had what felt like a lifetime, three whole weeks, to get that essay done, but despite having told ourselves time and time again that we wouldn't find ourselves back in the same situation, with barely a paragraph written just seven hours before the deadline, here we are, at 1:15 a.m., all hopped-up on energy drinks. What seems like a very straight-forward task—500 words, double-spaced, thesis- driven, 12-point Times New Roman font—becomes incredibly difficult when you consider all the other things going on in your life here. You have up to five other classes, each with its own papers, tests, projects, homework. You have friends, you hang out with them, and relax. You have games, hours and hours away, and then your bus bursts into flames. That's an entire day gone right there. Slowly but surely, those three weeks become two weeks, then one week, then two days, and then it's 1:15 a.m.on the due date, and you're riding the false wave of confidence that you can actually write a coherent essay in your current condition.

Now, I'm not telling you this because I care about your English essays. (Sorry, Ms. Smith) No, but instead of three weeks, think about it as four years, or the decades you will have in life. Until I was in seventh grade, I had very little understanding of time. I did not have to listen for bells, because I could follow the other students from class to class. I did not have to worry about coming home too late, because I would always be done playing outside by dusk, and my parents wouldn't be home until after. But then came March 8th, 2012.

It started as an average Thursday morning for 7th grade Nick Velcea. Wake up, lazily get dressed, and hop in the car to go to school. My friends and I were very excited for the annual Parent versus student basketball game that afternoon. But later that day, when I went down to the locker room to get dressed, I got a phone call. "Your cousin is coming to pick you up," my mother said, in an uncharacteristically somber voice. After I pleaded in hopes of staying for the game, she stated: "You said you wanted to be here. He'll be outside." For the previous few months my dad had struggled in his fight against cancer, and despite my optimism throughout the period, the battle was finally coming to an end, and we were on the losing side. Even though I saw this coming, It came way too soon. I was out of time with my dad, and I was full of regret. All the times he invited me to spend time with him, and I said no, because I had other things that I thought were more important. And now, the chances I missed are gone for ever.

Just like with our English papers, there were so many things, like that basketball game, or wanting to hang out with friends, that clouded my prioritization, and they did not clear up until it was too late. Carpe Diem: Seize the Day. Make something of it. It can be just about anything: do something memorable, spend time with somebody that matters to you, if you're feeling really bold, start working on that English essay.

Thank you.

View the video of Nick's talk here.

Portsmouth Abbey School is proud to present, The Diary of Anne Frank. In this transcendently powerful new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, Anne Frank emerges from history a living, lyrical, intensely gifted young girl, who confronts her rapidly changing life and the increasing horror of her time with astonishing honesty, wit, and determination. An impassioned drama about the lives of eight people hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic, The Diary of Anne Frank captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence - their fear, their hope, their laughter, their grief. Each day of these two dark years, Anne's voice shines through: "When I write I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death!" This is a new adaptation for a new generation.

Portsmouth Abbey School's dynamic staging (in-the-round with music and projections) will create an intimate and powerful theatrical experience.Also, proceeds from the bake sale at intermission will be donated to Catholic Relief Services and their on-going support of the Syrian refugee crisis.

The Diary of Anne Frank will be presented in the auditorium at Portsmouth Abbey School on Saturday, November 12th at 7:30pm, and Sunday, November 13th at 2:00pm.Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors (children 12 and under are free) and can be purchased at the door.

On November 4, 2016, Portsmouth Abbey hosted its second Dom Luke Childs lecture of the School year, featuring award-winning documentary photographer Alison Wright. Ms. Wright's photographic presentation was entitled, "Women Swimming Upstream with Alison Wright: National Geographic Photographer and Traveler of the Year," and focused on the pressing global issues that dominate Wright's work. For many of her projects Wright "travels to the remotest regions of the globe photographing endangered cultures and people while documenting issues concerning the human condition." Her work "captures the universal human spirit" and especially the "empowerment of women at work in developing countries." Wright's photography has been published in numerous magazines including National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Islands, Smithsonian Magazine, American Photo, Natural History, Time, Forbes, Oprah and The New York Times.

Ms. Wright spoke to the School community about her life's journey, rewarding and at times perilous, and encouraged students to follow the path that ignited their passion – "...because I did, and I love my life," said Wright. Much of her story can be found in her autobiographical book, Learning to Breathe; One Woman's Journey of Spirit and Survival. Wright also described her love of the people and culture of Tibet, including a close friendship with the Dalai Lama, and her need to become involved in the lives of her photographic subjects, eschewing the opinion that photojournalists should remain objective, even aloof. "If I'm called an activist then, I'm fine with that," she declared. As a result of her travels and photojournalistic work, Ms. Wright founded the Faces of Hope fund, a non-profit that helps provide medical care and education to women and children in crisis around the world and continues to photograph for various humanitarian organizations globally.

Following the talk, Ms. Wright answered questions, spoke with students, sat for an interview by Beacon editor Teddy O'Connor '17, and critiqued student work in Advanced Art.

Find out more about Alison Wright's life and work at http://alisonwright.com/

Right: Guest speaker photojournalist Alison Wright speaks with Mary Lena Taylor '17 following her Dom Luke Childs lecture, "Women Swimming Upstream with Alison Wright: National Geographic Photographer and Traveler of the Year."

The Portsmouth Abbey Boys' Varsity Soccer team has clinched the EIL Championship by defeating Berwick Academy 2-0 in Maine on Saturday, November 12. As a result, the soccer Ravens have been selected to participate in the NEPSAC Class C tournament. The team closes out a terrific season with an overall record of 12-0-3 and an EIL record of 12-0-2. They are seeded #3 in the upcoming quarterfinal tournament and will host #6 seed, Holderness School, at home on Wednesday, November 16 at 2:00 p.m. The semifinals will take place on Saturday, November 19, at the high-seeded school at 2:00 p.m., and the finals will be hosted by Deerfield Academy on Sunday, November 20, at 12:30 p.m. "Yes, it's been an amazing season so far," says head coach Kent Rudasill '86. "It has been so much fun to coach this team, and we hope that everyone will come out to watch us play."

In the pivotal Berwick game, Sixth-form captain Ryan Madden scored an insurance goal in the 72nd minute after being sent in by Kel Eleje '17. Madden split two defenders, held them at bay for three touches, cut back in, and calmly sent the ball to the right of the keeper.

George Humphreys '17 had the first Raven goal, finishing a beautiful run after Madden found him cutting to the 18. Humphreys moved even closer with his first touch, and then struck a clever left-footed ball that found the back of the net in the 51st. The goal, his 8th on the year, gave the Ravens a big shot of confidence. Berwick is a talented team that gave the Abbey all it could handle a few weeks ago in a 2-1 Parents Day contest, and after a scoreless first half that saw some quality chances on both ends, the Bulldogs had their hopes on getting some revenge.

Humphreys and Dom Cappadona '17, who had another solid afternoon in the middle, are now tied for second on the team's scoring list.

The Abbey defense, led by the Fifth-form Kelleher twins, Spencer and Preston, along with Drew Fonts '17 and Thomas Kirker '19, kept things in check for the majority of the match, but Nick Nadalin '17 needed to make eight saves to preserve the shutout, his fifth clean sheet this year. Three of the saves were fantastic, as each time he fearlessly charged forward to dive and block the ball away from a Berwick attacker. Nadalin's play in the crease was truly first rate, as he came out to pick off services all day.

The center of the pitch was controlled by Alberto Ponce '18, David DeMieri '17, Rodrigo Goff '19 and Foster Davis '18, and they each did a great job with distribution of the ball.

Coach Rudasill is enthusiastic in his assessment of the talent on the team, "Nick Nadalin has been terrific in goal, the Kelleher twins have provided fantastic defense, we've gotten great midfield play from about ten different guys, and Ryan Madden has scored in each of our last 11 matches and has 15 goals on the year."

League officials have just announced that Ryan has been named EIL Player of the Year! In addition, All-League status will be awarded to Dom Cappadona, Spencer and Preston Kelleher and George Humphreys, with honorable mention going to Nick Nadalin and Kel Eleje.

Congratulations to the team and to coaches Kent Rudasill '86, Michael St. Thomas and Mike McLarney!

Watch the team's spirit video here.

Watch the slide show of the terrific 2016 season below:

The cast and crew of the Portsmouth Abbey production of The Diary of Anne Frank extends its gratitude to all who contributed to the bake sale last weekend during intermission. Your generosity enabled the Abbey drama department to make a $1,200 donation to Catholic Relief Services for their ongoing help with Syrian refugees. This money will go specifically to health and education services for children. Director and Performing Arts Head Jay Bragan says, "Anne Frank said in her diary, 'I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death.' We believe she has."

Three student-athletes signed NCAA National Letters of Intent this month. On November 9, Dan Locke '17 committed to College of the Holy Cross and Ryan Hall '17 signed on to the United States Military Academy at West Point; both Ravens will be playing Division I lacrosse. On November 10, Caroline Villareal '17 made her commitment to St. Anselm College, which participates in Division II athletics. Called "Signing Day" by the nation's high schools, the National Letter of Intent is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution; however, it is a voluntary program with regard to both institutions and student-athletes. No prospective student-athlete or parent is required to sign the NLI and no institution is required to join the program. Started in 1964 with seven conferences and eight independent institutions, the program now includes 650 Division I and Division II participating institutions. Congratulations to Dan, Ryan and Caroline!

Above left (l-r), Ryan Hall '17 and Dan Locke '17 sign their letters of intent to play lacrosse for the United States Military Academy at West Point and the College of Holy Cross, respectively. Above right, the Villareal family gathered to celebrate Caroline's commitment to St. Anselm College for lacrosse (l-r), sister Caitlin '12, who played lacrosse at St. Anselm for four years and is currently a member of the Portsmouth Abbey faculty, mom Ann, Caroline '17 and dad Bill Villareal.

Portsmouth Abbey's Varsity Field Hockey team ended its season with a league win, capturing the Eastern Independent League (EIL) title, Pool A, on November 12. The Ravens defeated the #3-seeded Winsor School with a 2-1 victory and brought down #1-seeded Newton Country Day with a hard-fought 1-0 win. Scoring goals for the Ravens were Jane Jannotta '18, Grace Fink '17, and Faith Cournoyer '19. The team finished in the EIL number two spot overall in the regular season with an impressive record of 11-4-1. "The girls worked so hard the entire season," says Head Coach Kelly Gallo. "It was a great accomplishment for them to end the season on such a high note. The field hockey team had not beaten Newton in eight plus years!"

Well done, Ravens!

Save the Date! The Blood Drive hosted at Portsmouth Abbey School is open to the public. Please stop by our administration building, the main (second) entrance to campus, to help out during this holiday season when donations are especially needed. For additional information, please contact Dean of Residential Life Paula Walter at pwalter@portsmouthabbey.org.

The Portsmouth Abbey Boys' Cross Country team bested its competition for the Eastern Independent League (EIL) Championship on November 4. The running Ravens placed first of eight teams that included Concord Academy, Landmark School, Bancroft School, Pingree School, Berwick Academy and Beaver Country Day School. Although the boys had been 7-0 in league competition, the final race determines the league championship, and defeating teams in a dual meet does not always translate into winning a championship with all teams competing.

Lexington Christian Academy's top runner crossed the finish line first with a time of 16:57. The Ravens followed in the next three spots with Dan Rodden '18 in second place (17:21), David Appleton '20 in third (17:27), and Owen Brine '20 in fourth (17:37) in a field of 140 runners. With the top five competitors from each team scoring, the Abbey's first three were immediately followed by FOUR runners from Concord Academy placing fifth through eighth. Co-captain John Billings '17 captured the 13th spot while Andrew Aubee '18 finished 15th, both ahead of Concord's fifth runner – sealing the win! The Abbey clinched the victory with 37 points, leaving Concord in second place with 43 points, followed by Landmark, Bancroft, Pingree, Lexington, Berwick, and Beaver.

The following week, the team traveled to Kimball Union Academy for the NEPSTA Division III Championship Race, facing a much-expanded field of competition of 22 teams. Dan Rodden '18 placed fifth (18:45), Davey Appleton '20 finished in seventh place (18:53), and Owen Brine '20 captured the eighth spot (18:55). Abbey veteran captains rounded out the top five, with John Billings '17 coming in 44th with a time of 20:24, and Kevin Jiang '17 placing 64th with a time of 21:01. The Ravens captured fourth place overall within the 22-team field of competition. Congratulations to the team and to coaches Dan McDonough and Nick Micheletti '04!