collaboration breeds success - northwest catholic high school

Collaboration Breeds Success

Teachers AND Students Learn More with ProfessionalLearning Communities

2 L O G O S THE MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Letter from the President

Dear Friends of Northwest Catholic High School,

Last year, representatives from every sphere of the Northwest Catholic communityjoined together to discuss the future direction of our school. Faculty, staff, administra-tors, Board members, students, parents, alumni and even prospective parents engaged infocus group discussions that explored every facet of our program. The participants wereguided by a common purpose: to ensure a quality academic program that balances theintellect with the spiritual, social, artistic, and physical aspects of a student’s life.

By bringing together many different voices, experiences, and styles from our school com-munity, we welcomed a diversity of ideas within the framework of our Catholic mission.What emerged was a new five-year strategic plan that unfolds under four “pillars,” orcore values, central to the mission: Catholic Identity, Quality Catholic Education,Accessibility, and Advancement. Under each of the four pillars, we now have a series ofaction steps that serve as guideposts for our next five-year journey. (A summary of this

process appears on page 20, and the entire Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 is on our web site: www.northwestcatholic.org.)

This collaborative approach is thriving within our academic departments, as well. Margaret Williamson, Principal, introducedthe concept of Professional Learning Communities to our faculty this year. In the professional learning community, the conver-sations in department meetings focus on student learning by looking at student outcomes. Teachers begin by reviewing theperformance standards that are determined as being absolutely essential for student understanding and success in each level ofschooling and in life. As our cover story explains, we have deliberately carved out blocks of time for teachers to work collab-oratively on common assessment tools that give an accurate picture of student progress. By analyzing the data that emerge,teachers are provided with clearer insight into how well students are understanding the standards, what changes may be need-ed in instructional strategies, and how best to meet the needs of every student.

Using data to drive instruction ensures that all students are learning. The common assessments offer powerful feedback to allteachers in a department team, leading to better-quality instruction which in turn leads to increased learning and achievement.

In January 2008, Archbishop Henry J. Mansell unveiled a strategic plan for the Hartford archdiocese, the product of a two-year, grass-roots process involving more than 350 delegates from 70 schools. The Northwest Catholic strategic plan evolvedfrom the collaboration of more than 90 people who donated their time to give voice to our future vision. The collaborativeculture generated within our school and in the Archdiocese provides the backdrop against which we reflect constantly uponevery aspect of our school community, always with the goal of improving the education of the students we serve.

Sincerely,

Matthew O’N. FitzsimonsPresident

3THE MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL S P R I N G 2 0 0 8

The Magazine of Northwest Catholic High SchoolLLogogososFALL 2007

5 NORTHWEST CATHOLIC PIONEERSNEW EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY:

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES IDEA TAKES HOLD

11 ALUMNI PROFILE: JESSE WHITE III ’97

“Northwest Catholic really prepared me for the next level”

14 ALUMNI PROFILE: JOE COURTNEY ’71

“We were encouraged to think independentlyand to be intellectually serious”

17 FAITH IN ACTION

NWC: A FOUNDATION FOR CHALLENGE, INQUIRY AND LOVEBy David J. Lizotte, Jr., Ph.D. ‘82

CONTENTS

The Greek word or logos (pronounced lo-gaas) is defined as “word” or“meaning.” St. John’s Gospel opens: “In the beginning was Logos (the Word),and Logos was with God, and Logos was God.” The phrase “Word (Logos) ofGod,” found in John 1:1 and elsewhere, shows God’s desire and ability to“speak” to the human. The Dominicans (the founding Order of NorthwestCatholic) have been noted for their effective ability to preach the word. Themission of the Dominicans is to provide intellectual formation, social commu-nication, and service through word and action. Our publication, Logos, con-veys our mission and values through this medium of the word.

Logos is published three times a year by the Communications Department ofNorthwest Catholic High School. Please send comments or suggestions to:

Michelle M. MurphyDirector of Communications

Northwest Catholic High School29 Wampanoag Drive

West Hartford, CT 06117860.236.4221 x133

[email protected]

Editor: Michelle M. Murphy

President: Matthew O’N. Fitzsimons

Photography: Academy Photo; Connecticut Community Care, Inc.;office of Rep. Joseph D. Courtney; Mark Dodd; office of John F. Kearns, Esq.; Jane Leary; Matthew 25, Inc.; Michelle Murphy; Norwich Bulletin; Raymond Sinclair; Margaret Williamson

Design: GO media

Contributors: Christopher Garr, Patrice Hubert ‘08, Patricia S. Juda,David J. Lizotte, Ph.D., ’82, Christopher Prescott ‘08,Margaret Williamson

SPRING 2008

Depar tments4 FEEDBACK

20 NEWS FROM 29 WAMPANOAG

27 SPORTS NEWS

31 ALUMNI NEWS

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The cover illustration -- a deliberately abstract rendering of teacher collaboration – was created by Celina Marquis ’08, of New Britain. Celina’s formal study of art began in herfreshman year at Northwest Catholic; her favorite medium is oil painting. Next year, she plans to pursue a major in general studies (with a concentration in art) at the University ofHartford. Here at Northwest Catholic, she’s been involved with the Art Club, Northwest Passages (the student newspaper), and the Student Council. She also drew the artwork forthe posters used to help promote this year’s spring musical, “Anything Goes.”


Feedback

When I read the article about Fr. Frechette, I was deeply touched. God certainly issaving a special place in Heaven for people like him. I also wanted to comment on SarahSchwartz’s valedictory address. She is wise beyond her years! When I see the values shehas developed at Northwest Catholic, I am very proud to have been associated withyour school.

William FenoglioBenefactor;

Former NWC School Board Member

I just finished reading the most recent issue of Logos. I am always impressed with allthe great things that are going on at NWC, but I am even more impressed with the peo-ple (students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni) who are doing these great things …(the articles) brought back great memories of people and places from my days atNorthwest Catholic, and they have inspired me to continue to serve my own commu-nity, albeit in a small way.

I think of NWC every day working at Bishop Montgomery because of the similari-ties in schools and the feelings I get when I walk the halls here. The similarities give megoose bumps…

Last month, we had a survivor of the Holocaust come speak to our students and sheinspired our entire community to make the world a better place. She told our studentsto take care of their communities, to make them stronger and safer, and the countryand the world will be better. I am proud to be a graduate of NWC, especially when Ihear all the stories of wonderful students, teachers, and alumni who are doing their partto make the world a better place.

Andy Marafino ‘85Director of Development,

Bishop Montgomery High SchoolTorrance, CA

Editor’s Note: A number of peopletold us that the stories in the Fall2007 issue of Logos touched theirhearts in a special way. We weredelighted to receive this feedback,and welcome other comments fromreaders, as well. With the permis-sion of the authors, we are excerpt-ing two of our letters here.

We are most grateful to members of our community who notified us of errors or omissions that appeared in the 2006-07 Annual Report,which was included in the Fall 2007 issue of Logos. Philanthropic support from our constituents is a vital and important vehicle to main-taining an affordable tuition for the widest cross section of students. We regret the errors, and we are pleased to give proper recognition toour donors.

Errata

Founders’ Circle

• Mr. Michael McKeon and Mrs. Joan Keating-McKeonshould have been listed as members of the Green & White Circle onthe Founders’ Circle page.

• Sullivan, Schoen, Campane & Connon was misspelled in theRev. Colton Society.

Alumni Honor Roll of Donors

• The listing of the gift from Kathleen Collins ‘65 should havenoted that it was made in honor of William Kerin, the first editorof Northwest Passages.

• The listing for Brendan Durkin ’65 should also have includedthe name of his wife, Barbara Borawski Durkin.

• Kathleen Kelly Satut ’68 should have been listed as a Patron.

• Joanne Riordan Collins ’69 should have been listed as a Patron.

• The listing of the gift from Elizabeth Graves ’73 should haveincluded her maiden name, Roemke.

• Jean Donnelly Molloy ’78 should have been listed as aBenefactor, rather than as a Patron.

Faculty and Staff

• The credentials for Madonna Burke should be BA Religion;MA Pastoral Ministry/Youth Ministry; 30+ Credits, ReligiousEducation.

• The credentials for Joan Keating-McKeon should have includ-ed ABD, English Language and Linguistics, and JD, Law.


T here’s a bit of a revolution going on at Northwest Catholic

these days, but it’s a very quiet one – and it’s happening not

among our students, but rather, among our faculty.

Simply put, our teachers are engrossed in an exciting new educational strategy called“professional learning communities,” or PLCs. Introduced about a decade ago, thisapproach to teaching has been catching on like wildfire across the country. In fact, Mr.Dale Hoyt, the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Hartford, hasrequired that all schools adopt PLCs beginning with the 2008-09 school year.

What exactly is a PLC? As with many good things, the PLC is meant to be experi-enced more than defined; however, simply stated, the professional learning communi-ty is a model of professional development designed to make schools better by empha-sizing a culture of professional collaboration that, in turn, results in improved studentlearning. The “revolutionary” aspect of this concept is that it requires teachers not only

Cover Story

ProfessionalLearning CommunitiesIdea Takes Hold

BY

MARGARET

WILLIAMSON

PRINCIPAL

Northwest Catholic PioneersNew Educational Strategy:

to teach their lessons – but to make sure that their students areactually learning what they should be learning in a particularsubject in a particular grade.

How can they do this? The overly simplified answer: by usingtwo important PLC tools – namely, the sharing of “best prac-tices” among teachers (and the time during the work day to doso), combined with agreed-upon assessment tools (such as sub-ject-area tests given to all students in a certain course).

Here at Northwest Catholic, we were so excited about thisidea and what a great “fit” we thought it would be for us that wedecided to get started a little sooner than we had to — eventhough we weren’t quite sure exactly what shape the PLCs wouldtake. We were reassured by the fact that two of the leading PLCauthorities – Richard and Rebecca DuFour, authors of severalarticles and books on the topic – are so convinced of their effec-tiveness that they encourage schools to just get started with aplan and then refine the implementation steps along the way.

Last spring, school administrators decided that this would bethe “year of the PLC” here at Northwest Catholic. We explained

the idea to faculty, and we asked department chairs to come upwith a particular area of focus for their department for the 2007-08 school year.

For instance, our religion department decided to focus onsophomore religion. As a group, they wrote a single test thatevery sophomore religion teacher gave toward the end of the sec-ond quarter (in addition to the tests and quizzes they haddevised just for their own classes). The idea is for the teachers totake a look as a group at how the sophomores did on this “stan-dardized” religion test — how much have they gleaned so farfrom the Northwest Catholic sophomore religion curriculum? –and then tailor their teaching strategies accordingly.

The truly exciting thing about PLCs is that the focus is onlearning, rather than teaching – which is a major shift in educa-tional philosophy. It depends, at its heart, on trust: Teachersmust trust their colleagues (and the process) enough to sharetheir own best practices, the things that seem to work best withtheir students. This in itself is not new; teachers have alwayswanted to know what worked (and what didn’t) for their fellowteachers. It was just that before this, they never had enough time


Cover StoryF

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ture

(From left) Ron Swanson, Jennifer Puskarz, and Cory Carlson confer during a PLC meeting of the Social Studies Department.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 9


Professional Learning Communities

Professional Learning Communities create an atmosphere ofcollegiality and cooperation among students, teachers, andadministrators. They are not a passing pedagogical fad; rather,PLCs represent a real change in the educational process.

Through collaboration, teachers seek to identify strengthsand weaknesses. Through data analysis, teachers and adminis-trators focus on the areas that need attention and the studentswho may require extra assistance.Teachers work with each other to cre-ate classrooms and curricula that coverboth the demands of a challenging col-lege preparatory curriculum andNorthwest’s Catholic mission.

While collaboration is not a new ideaat Northwest Catholic or in other edu-cational settings, the process of comingtogether to assess data and specificclassroom activities in a more formalatmosphere and on a regularly sched-uled basis is something new to ourdepartment. While we have met infor-mally for years and enthusiasticallyshared ideas and insight, we had nevermeticulously taken stock of our owndevelopment vis-à-vis the development of our colleagues.

During the PLC meetings in the Social Studies department,we have focused on four broad themes: geography; cultural lit-eracy and global awareness; a focus on writing history; and“doing” history with primary sources. Our first step was torevise the course syllabi and objectives, to incorporate a newemphasis on these four themes.Then, the focus shifted to howwe would share our resources and expertise in these areas.We created a common test for a unit in both AP U. S. Historyand World History, then analyzed grade distribution, questionchoice, essay rubrics, and the extent to which we covered thecurriculum we had previously devised. Finally, we took a lookat our common assessments to see where students werestrongest – and weakest.

Now, we will re-revise our syllabi and rethink the curricu-lum focus, as well as some of our teaching strategies and meth-ods of assessment. In addition, we have now identified strongpoints within our department, and we intend to capitalize onthat to the fullest. For example, if a U.S. History teacher has adeep affinity for the study of World War II, he or she maybecome the “point person” for his or her peers on that par-ticular topic.

PLCs definitely have some draw-backs, too. Some people worry that anoveremphasis on common assessmentjeopardizes teacher autonomy, andmay even constrain teachers by forcingthem to focus on test preparation,rather than on critical thinking andgenuine learning – which is of course isthe opposite of what’s intended.

So far, however, we have found thatour shared assessments are simplypointing out to us which parts of ourcurriculum are clearly well-coveredand which may need more attention.

In the Social Studies Department,we have always enjoyed an open and

cordial relationship. Now, with PLCs, we are coming to appre-ciate the benefits of sharing technology, teaching strategies, andour own areas of expertise with each other. Our students willbe the ones who benefit most from this new approach,because as teachers we will now have a broader arsenal of tal-ents and resources and will be able to create a more engagingeducational experience altogether.

— Chris Garr is in the middle of his first year as chair ofNorthwest Catholic’s Social Studies Department. A graduate ofFordham University (B.A., History, ’01) and Trinity College (M.A.,History, ’07), he has been teaching at NWC since 2001.The mod-erator of the yearbook since 2002, Mr. Garr is also an assistantcoach for the girls’ soccer team.

BY CHRISTOPHER J. GARR

CHAIR, SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT

“AS TEACHERS,WE NOW HAVE A BROADER ARSENAL OF TALENTS AND RESOURCES”


Cover Story

As a veteran teacher, I was interested in the ProfessionalLearning Community concept. After reading the book OnCommon Ground, various scholarly journal articles and hearingthe introduction at the opening faculty meeting, I becameintrigued about being given the opportunity to work withteachers in my department and in the entire school to estab-lish guidelines, share ideas to help implement the intended cur-ricula, and improve the overall achievement of NorthwestCatholic’s students through this new approach.

The Professional Learning Community program benefitsteachers, students, and parents in creating an environmentconducive to better learning. Teachers, veteran and new, areencouraged to work collaboratively in analyzing and improvingthe learning environment and achievement levels of the stu-dents.

As English Department Chairperson, the PLC has motivatedme to interact more with my peers in enhancing the English cur-ricula. Additional time allotted to this program during depart-ment and faculty meetings has allowed staff the ability to shareand implement goals in addition to a variety of teaching styles.

This year, the English Department is working on FreshmanEnglish and the Language Arts curricula. At least once a month,the department shares ideas and teaching methods. Englishteachers have begun implementing the curricula with morevertical teaching strategies, resulting in better coordination ofassignments, requirements, and common assessment practicesthrough all four years. Teachers are encouraged to drop in ontheir peers and observe a lesson being taught and evaluate thelesson at a later meeting.

Course requirements are reviewed, updated and put intopractice. Students benefit from this program because its coremission is to improve the quality of learning. Each student willbe assessed to ensure that he or she has mastered the lesson’sobjectives. If a student fails to master the objective, a specificstrategy involving the student, parent, guidance counselor, andteacher will be established.

The PLC program fosters sharing of ideas and teachingstrategies, hard work and the love of learning. It enables me asa teacher to continue to grow as a learning facilitator. For theschool, our learning environment is constantly improving.

As the program broadens, I believe the long-term effects willbe very positive. Initial implementation has resulted in someadditional work and change from “the norm.” But once inter-nalized by the organization, the PLC has the potential to trulytransform our approach to education with better understand-ing among teachers, parents, and administrators, as well as themost important component, the student.

— Patti S. Juda has been the chairperson of the EnglishDepartment at Northwest Catholic since 1996, but she beganteaching here in 1984. Previously, she taught and served as Principalat St. Mary’s School in Simsbury. Mrs. Juda holds a B.A. in Historywith a minor in English and a M.S. in Reading. She is the modera-tor of the National Honor Society.

BY PATRICIA S. JUDA

CHAIR, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

“PLCS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO TRULY TRANSFORM OUR APPROACH TO EDUCATION”

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Professional Learning Communities

to talk about it and to share in a constructive, meaningful waysome tangible ideas about how to impart knowledge and infor-mation.

Teaching is truly a craft and, as such, it must be honed anddeveloped. It sounds so simple, but with the way schools arestructured today we have just not had the time to do this right.At NWC, as at many schools, our teachers are very involved inextracurricular activities – coaching, moderating clubs andactivities – so that the time that they can devote to working witheach other is extremely limited.

Now, we’ve had to step back and create the time for this tohappen. The PLC puts learning first and provides the timerequired for professional discussion and examination of data tooccur. Here’s how we’ve made the time for our faculty:

• Reorganized monthly faculty meeting and department timeto allow teachers to devote some of these sessions to PLC discus-sions.

• Set aside one day each quarter for a half day for students and

(From left) Math Chair Claudia Hart,Terri Turley, Jim Shugrue, and Marisa Varney brainstormabout Algebra II teaching strategies.

During a PLC morning in March, the sophomores shared in aMass celebrated just for their class. (Above) Joel Adifon ’10assists Fr. Joseph Crowley as an altar server. (Below) EmmaGonsalves ’10 (left) and Caroline Garger ’10 lead their class-mates in song.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6


Cover Story

two hours of work time for teachers (these are early dismissaldays).

• Designated one day each quarter to run special assemblies forstudents, while most departments use this 90 minutes of worktime for PLCs. On one PLC morning, for instance, the seniorclass celebrated Mass as a class, while the other classes heard avery moving and effective presentation on safe driving from agroup called !Mpact, which was formed by the parents of teenskilled in auto accidents.

It’s been exciting to observe the teachers’ small group meet-ings. From their body language and the looks on their faces asthey sit in a circle in a classroom after school, they convey theenthusiasm they seem to be feeling for this new philosophy.

The program is still in its infancy, but it is gratifying to seedepartments working together with new goals, and it is equallyexciting to see some other departments that had already been

functioning along these lines finally have the time to really dothe job right.

The teachers are energized. We are energized! The strategy istaking hold, and it’s exciting to think about where it could takeus – and, most importantly, where it could take our students, aswe approach the 50th anniversary of our school in just a fewshort years.

— Margaret Williamson has worked in the Archdiocese ofHartford for 30 years. Principal of Northwest Catholic High Schoolsince 2000, she previously served as vice principal from 1987-2000and taught at Notre Dame Academy in Waterbury from 1978-87.She sits on several committees of the CIAC; is the president of theConnecticut Association of Catholic Secondary School Presidents,Principals, and Superintendents; and has been recognized in Who’sWho Among American Teachers. Mrs. Williamson is also the moth-er of two NWC alums and one alum-to-be; her daughter Kate is inthe Class of ’08.

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Members of the World Languages Department (from left) Barbara Iorillo, Katy Sibley, and Chair Ana Barrett share a laughduring a PLC session.


W hen Jesse White III ’97graduated from SacredHeart University in 2001

with a degree in biology, he never inthe world thought he’d become ateacher.

A research scientist, maybe (until heworked in a lab at Unilever Corp.). Ora pharmacist (until he worked onesummer in a pharmacy). Or even aphysical therapist (until he volunteeredin a clinic and realized he didn’t havethe necessary passion for the work).

It was Jesse’s mother, Lorraine – theprincipal of Mark Twain ElementarySchool in Hartford – who suggestedthat he try substitute teaching. Andso, eight months out of college, he puthis name on the sub list for theBloomfield Public Schools. The rest,as they say, is history.

Just five years later, Jesse White has become a beloved andhighly respected science teacher at Carmen Arace MiddleSchool in Bloomfield – so respected, in fact, that he was namedthe 2007 Teacher of the Year for the entire Bloomfield schooldistrict, an honor based on nominations from his peers.

True to the humble and spiritual form for which he was knownhere at Northwest Catholic, White says he was amazed anddelighted to receive this honor, which was highlighted in a largearticle in The Hartford Courant last October. “I love what I do,and whatever I do, I do to honor God,” said White, who’s also anordained minister in the First Church of the Living God. “I amdoing what God wants me to do, and I was rewarded for it.”

J esse White III grew up in the North End of Hartford, thefirst-born son of Lorraine and Jesse White, Jr. His fatherworked for the U.S. Postal Service in different communities

throughout the Greater Hartford area, including a stint as thepostmaster in Burlington. Now retired from the government,Rev. White works full time as pastor of the First Church of theLiving God, a Pentecostal church in Hartford.

“I always looked to my father to sort of have the answer (toeverything) – and if he didn’t know the answer, then he’d findout,” said White. “He really shaped me as a man.”

From his mother, White inherited a love of books. “Mymother was always into reading,” he recalled with a warm smile.“She was always taking us to the Hartford Public Library. Weknew where everything was. She helped us with homework, andmade sure we got the education we needed.”

For Jesse and his brother Josh ’00 that meant Catholic school– beginning with St. Justin’s in Hartford, where they attendedpreschool, and continuing with St. Brigid School in WestHartford. Northwest Catholic was the logical next step.

“I am so grateful to my parents that they bit the bullet and

Jesse White III ’97, Bloomfield’s Teacher of the Year for 2007.

Alumni Profile: Jesse White III ’97

“Northwest Catholic reallyprepared me for the next level”


Alumni Profile: Jesse White III ’97

sent me here,” said White. “I definitely had the tools I neededto go to the next level. Northwest really prepared me.”

At Sacred Heart, for example, White was one of 50 studentswho started as bio majors; by the end of the first semester, thenumber had dwindled to just half that.

“I was more than prepared for that major,” he said. “I had Mrs.Murphy for chemistry, and she did an excellent job. I also had agreat foundation in math – which I had always loved.”

Perhaps that’s why he slipped so comfortably into the role ofmath teacher during his first days as a substitute at CarmenArace back in 2002. “After I put my name on the sub list, I hadan interview with the principal – but we talked about all kindsof things, like baseball — not really about teaching,” he recalled.“As it turned out, they needed someone to fill in for an 8th-grade math teacher. The next thing I knew, the principal tookme down the hall to a classroom and said, starting Monday, this

will be your class!”

Although he’d had no formal training in education, Whitesaid he simply took the textbook and went through it, chapterby chapter. He found that his natural affinity for the subjecthelped him through those first uncertain days and weeks —that, plus the fact that he loved what he was doing.

“I really liked going to work every day,” he said. “I found Ijust enjoyed being there.”

The following summer, he entered the state’s Alternate Routeto Certification program, which enabled him to earn his certifi-cation in science before the beginning of the next school year.He returned to Carmen Arace as a science teacher with a class-room of his own. Its walls feature things like “The A Team” –where he showcases his students’ best work – and a list of con-sequences for students’ bad behavior.

He’s been blessed with a gift formaking it fun to learn his material,according to his students – whoinclude Northwest Catholic seniorsPatrice Hubert and Chris Prescott,both of whom were among his veryfirst crop of science pupils at CarmenArace (see sidebars).

Conceding that a career in educa-tion is fraught with its own challenges– “performance objectives, under-standing different learning styles, NoChild Left Behind issues,” he said,naming just a few – White says he stillknows it is the right choice for him.He’s contemplating a Master’s degreein educational leadership or technolo-gy in education.

“You definitely have to love it,” hesaid. “But I do. I love getting to inter-act with kids, to try to make a differ-

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During a visit to Northwest Catholic on Ash Wednesday, Jesse White spent time withPrincipal Margaret Williamson and two of his former students, Patrice Hubert ’08 andChris Prescott ’08.

Mr.White was a very good teacher who made learning fun.Hewas young and energetic and someone who was easy to relateto for middle-school kids. His class was something you neverwanted to miss. Outside of science, we both had common inter-ests, like basketball, and that’s what always made me feel right at

home in his class. I could relate to him in areas other than school.

-- Chris Prescott, a standout basketball player at Northwest Catholic,will be attending St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He received afull scholarship to play basketball at St. Joe’s,which is an NCAA Division1 school.

From a Student’s Perspective: Chris Prescott ’08


Jesse White III ’97

ence with them, to maybe help to formulate their future. It’svery rewarding for me to hear Patrice (Hubert) say that shewants to study medicine. It really makes you feel good.

“The toughest part is really trying to hit home with the kids,”he continued, “to help them make life-changing decisions. Itseems that kids are so numb these days. I’m always trying toimpress upon them that they need to take life seriously and real-ly live it. Don’t just go through the motions.”

He’s also hopeful that some may consider a career in educa-tion, too. “A lot of kids see what teachers have to go through interms of classroom management, behavior issues, etc., and theythink it’s too hard,” he said. “That’s disconcerting. But I thinkthat seeing a role model in class might encourage more studentsof color (to consider the career) – just like they might with anyrole model in any field.”

Ultimately, though, he believes that it’s the quality of theteacher that matters most. “The key issue is how a teacher canrelate to a student,” he said.

White points out that although he was not Catholic, here atNorthwest Catholic he always felt accepted and respected for whohe was – and inspired by the spirituality he observed in others.

“This whole community (at NWC) is a faithful community,no matter the religion you practice,” he said. “Here, I really wit-nessed the teachings of others and the way they lived their lives.I watched the teachers’ participation in Mass. I rememberwatching Ms. (Claudia) Hart take Communion – that made animpression on me.”

He said he realizes he may have a similar impact on his ownstudents. “The first way we witness to people – even withoutopening our mouths – is the life we live in front of them,” hesaid. “So you try to live a life of service … to show a child what

it means to give back.”

At Carmen Arace, he started a young men’s group at schoolthat serves dinner at a homeless shelter on the second Mondayof each month. He also helps to organize jump-roping activitiesfor the benefit of the American Heart Association, and figuredout a way to tie in the student/staff basketball game with aneffort to replenish the shelves of a food bank. “The entry fee forthe game was two non-perishable food items,” he said. “(Thesethings) take a little more time to do, but it’s second nature to menow – it becomes a part of who you are.”

Northwest Catholic is clearly a part of who is he, as well. “Imade great friends here, and really got involved in athletics forthe first time,” he remembered. “I looked up to so many people– Chuck Mears ’95 (an All-State running back who went toUConn). Jonathan Reed ’94 – he was the man when I was inschool, and now I’m in a flag football league with him! HaroldLee ’97 is one of my closest friends. Kurt Reis ’97. Josh Reese’95. John Shukie.

“I’m always talking about Northwest Catholic to my kids,telling them about my high school experiences,” he continued.“One story I tell is about the time I had to make a presentation,an oral presentation, and I’d forgotten my prop. So instead, I useda Bible. I got an A on that presentation – and it helped to makeme comfortable talking about the Bible and my faith anywhere.”It’s also how he got his Northwest Catholic nickname: “Rev.”

Jesse White has a whole new perspective on school these days,and on the gift of his Northwest Catholic education – that of afather. He and his wife Walidah, who’s currently staying at homewith their two-year-old daughter Savannah, are starting to con-sider preschools for next September. Someday, White said, he’dlove to be able to send his daughter to his alma mater.

I had Mr.White for science in eighth grade.When I think ofhim, the first thing that comes to mind is how happy he alwayswas to be in class. Since he was young and a relatively newteacher, he related well to the students in the class.There wasnever a day I did not look forward to going to his class. I actual-ly can remember how he used to talk about Northwest duringclass sometimes,and he is one of the reasons I chose this school.

Ever since I was a child, I always had a love for science, andMr.White just helped to further my interest in the field. I am

thankful to him for that.

-- Patrice Hubert plans to major in biology in college, because she’dlike to pursue a career in either the medical field or forensic science.Here at Northwest Catholic, she’s been involved with the dance pro-gram for the past three years and monthly soup kitchen visits withCampus Ministry. She is also one of the managers for the NWC boys’basketball team and tutors second-grade students through theConnectiKids program.

From a Student’s Perspective: Patrice Hubert ’08


Alumni Profile: Joe Courtney ’71

R ep. Joseph D. Courtney ‘71 – believed to be the onlyNorthwest Catholic alum ever to serve in Congress–waselected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 in

a nail-biter: He beat Republican Rob Simmons by just 83 votes.

As the Democratic congressman from the Second District,which extends from New London all the way up toThompsonville, on the Massachusetts border, Courtney isresponsible for a jurisdiction geared heavily toward defense andeducation. His seats on the House Education and Labor andArmed Services Committees enable him to represent the inter-ests of his district well.

Although this is his first time holding national office,Courtney has been involved in public service for much of hisadult life. He worked in the state public defender’s office from1978-81, he was Town Attorney in Vernon from 1999-2001and again from 2003 until being elected to Congress, and hewas elected to four consecutive terms in the state GeneralAssembly (1987-94).

But Courtney’s interest in politics began even before he wasofficially an adult – in the hallways of Northwest Catholic HighSchool: He was a reporter for the school newspaper, a memberof the Student Council, and president of the junior class. ”I gota little bit of the bug back then,” he says. “If you talk to any ofthe people I knew about the fact that I ended up in politics, they

just kind of smile and nod their heads.”

Courtney graduated from Tufts University in 1975 and fromthe University of Connecticut School of Law in 1978. He livesin Vernon with his wife, Audrey, a pediatric nurse practitioner,and their children, Robert and Elizabeth, both of whom attendCatholic school.

Northwest Catholic – indeed, Catholic education in general– remains very close to Joe Courtney’s heart. During an inter-view in December 2007, he shared some thoughts about theeducation he received here and how it has informed the choiceshe’s made throughout his life – as well as the voice he brings tothe Congress of the United States.

Please tell us a bit about your childhood. Where did yougrow up?

I grew up in West Hartford, right near Northwest Catholic, actu-ally, on Drury Lane. I had four older brothers – Bob, who went toCranwell, a Jesuit boarding school in Massachusetts (which hassince closed), Phil ’69, and twins Steve and Don ’70. It was a greatneighborhood to grow up in. It was the baby boom era, and thestreet was teeming with kids. Like a lot of families in the area, wewent to St. Timothy School (which at that time was a K-8 elemen-tary school, but is now a middle school). My parents, Dorothy andRobert, were firm believers in Catholic education in general and inthe quality of the Northwest Catholic education, in particular.

You entered high school in the late 1960s, a turbulent timein this country. What was the atmosphere like at NorthwestCatholic?

It was very lively. Government and politics were swirling allaround the place. Student government was very active. The teach-ers were very much interested in political and social issues, so itwas a great place to nurture students who were also interested inthese things. The faculty – Fr. Bock, Paul Reardon, LeeCallahan, Sr. Marguerite, are some that I remember — verymuch proselytized the importance of being involved in the com-munity. The school provided a very stimulating environment

“We were encouraged to think independentlyand to be intellectually serious”

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The Courtney Family (from left):Robert, Elizabeth,Audrey, Joe.


given the time that we were living in. It was a pretty intense time,but it was a happy time.

Do you feel you were well-prepared intellectually?

Definitely. When I went off to Tufts, where I majored in his-tory, I was able to keep up from day one. I never felt like I wasbehind the curve. In high school, I was a total verbal guy – mathand science were things I sort of did to get out of the way.Unlike my son! (Courtney’s son scored a perfect 800 on themath portion of the SAT.) That’s my wife’s genius.

I guess the strongest legacy that I would point to is that wewere really encouraged to think independently and to be intel-lectually serious. The basics were very strong, but Fr. Bock alsohad us reading existential writers and edgy theologians. For hisclass, we would go up to the rectory and spend two or threehours talking and discussing what we were reading.

It’s funny. Some people might have this view of Catholic edu-cation as sort of narrow-minded. Restrictive. I think it’s com-pletely the opposite. Our teachers were all about tryingto get students to think for themselves, to challengethemselves. It was very stimulating.

Have you taken any heat, politically speaking, fornot using public schools yourself?

No, I have to say, I really haven’t. The fact that ourfamily chose parochial school just like our parents did iswell known. My son Robert is a senior at East Catholic.He’s done terrific there. My daughter Elizabeth is in sev-enth grade at St. Joseph’s School in Rockville – which isthe school that my wife Audrey graduated from. Herfamily is deeply rooted in that parish.

Education is of tremendous importance to my con-stituents – it’s as much a part of this district as defense is.We’re home to both UConn and Eastern ConnecticutState University. That’s why it was so important to me to

get a seat on the Education Committee in the House. I’m prettypassionate about the fact that this country has really neglected itseducational challenges. I believe in investing heavily in education.But I also believe that parochial schools have a niche and a placeand can be a really positive addition to the American educationsystem.

What about vouchers? Do you favor them for families likeyours who choose not to use the public schools?

I’m not a real big fan of vouchers. My parents never expectedvouchers. Neither do I.

I think that would be a situation of “be careful what you wishfor.” I think it’s impossible to design vouchers in a way thatkeeps the government from intruding on Catholic schools’strengths. With government dollars comes government man-

Joe Courtney ’71

Joe Courtney on the campaign trail, with other Connecticut politicians.


Alumni Profile: Joe Courtney ’71

dates and regulations. When a school is accountable to the tax-payer, there are mandates required that may interfere with theindependence of the private school.

Having served for many years as the town attorney in Vernon,I know that we have our hands full in this country in terms oftaking care of the bare minimum. The challenge of paying forpublic education is so brutal. I just don’t see vouchers on thehorizon.

Are you still in touch with any of your high school friends?

Yes. Brien Horan ’71 was my best friend in the class, and he’sstill my best friend today. Bill Curry ’70, who was a year aheadof me, and I have stayed friends for life. A number of NorthwestCatholic people worked on my campaign, so that broughttogether some people who hadn’t seen each other in a while —Amy Hughes ’71, Kitty-Jo Bracken ’71. At a fundraiser wehad in Boston, Bob Griffin ’71 showed up.

What is the most vivid lesson you learned at NorthwestCatholic?

My education at Northwest Catholic certainly informed mycareer choices — working in the public defender’s office, forinstance. The importance of social justice and giving back tosociety were a big part of the ethic of Northwest.

Recently I attended one of the more interesting discussionsI’ve seen about the war in Iraq. It was organized by Rep. RosaDeLauro, and it concerned the church’s position on the inva-sion. The room was loaded with members who went toparochial schools, to Jesuit schools … the new Archbishop ofD.C. was there, as well as the bishop of Pittburgh. Unlike someof the talk show shouting about the issue, this discussion was ata much deeper level — what is the responsible, ethical thing forour country to be doing next in that part of the world?

It took me back to something I learned in Sr. Ann Margaret’sreligion class – that the whole of Judeo-Christian civilization canbe summarized in one sentence: All acts have consequences.That’s the sort of basic rule that people in public office shouldalways keep in the forefront of their minds. Going to war is not avideo game. That grounding, that world view, has stuck with me.

As I look back at my Northwest Catholic education, the thingthat stands out most emphatically to me is this: Northwest real-ly taught me to think for myself.

What are the first three words that come to mind whensomeone says Northwest Catholic?

Diverse, lively, rigorous.

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Joe Courtney, a member ofthe Executive Committee ofthe 1971 Student Council.


Faith In Action

Northwest Catholic has an important tradition of celebrating aca-demic excellence by hosting an Honors Breakfast twice a year. Onlythose students who have made first honors for an entire semester areinvited. The breakfast always features an inspiring speaker, generallyan alumnus or alumna, who has distinguished himself or herself pro-fessionally, personally – or both. In September 2007, David Lizottewas the Honors Breakfast speaker. The thoughts he shared that day,which are reprinted here, seemed an excellent example of an alumnusexhibiting “faith in action.”

It is a great thrill to have been invited to speak here at NorthwestCatholic — a place that had such a great impact on me, a placewhere much of the foundation for my life as I live it was set.

I want to recognize the academic reputation, the academicprowess, the academic rigor of Northwest Catholic. This schoolis highly regarded at The College of the Holy Cross, where Itaught for ten years. Your ability – the ability of everyone who issitting in this room — is also recognized, for your achievement is

putting you on a track to attend a place like Holy Cross or anoth-er school with a similar reputation – smaller, less significantschools that are also in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:Harvard, MIT, Tufts, BU, and what is that other Jesuit school?The Hawks? No… no… The Pigeons? No … The Eagles? Ah,yes: The Eagles of BC!

Although the work I did in Northwest’s classrooms was critical-ly important, to tell you the truth, it is not the first thing thatcomes to mind when I think about my experiences here. I fond-ly remember many of the challenges: On the football practicefield, where Mr. Shukie and Mr. Tyler asked more from us thanwe thought we could give; at a tenement house in the North Endof Hartford, struggling to carry an old hospital bed up threeflights of stairs, and muttering words of despair and irritation atthe impossibility of the job; in history class, being upset afterbeing told we could not run Ronald McDonald as president inour mock election; in the chapel before a football game, trying toreconcile the seeming unselfishness of prayer with our unabashed

Dr. David Lizotte greets Northwest Catholic administrators Principal Margaret Williamson, Academic Dean John Cusson andPresident Matthew Fitzsimons just before delivering his remarks at the school’s Honors Breakfast in September 2007.

NWC: A Foundation for Challenge, Inquiry and LoveBY DAVID J. LIZOTTE, JR., PH.D. ‘82


Faith In ActionF

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ture desire to win. These challenges helped form me. I hope you

experience and reach for such challenges also.

My hope is that this school will provide you, as it providedme, balanced growth in academics, athletics (I was on both thefootball and track teams), and an understanding of religion, mypersonal relationship with God. The privilege of my NorthwestCatholic education has allowed me to appreciate the love ofknowledge and the pursuit of truth within the perspective of thelife I am now living.

To illustrate, I would like to share with you two stories. Forfive years, I traveled with a group of Holy Cross students toKingston, Jamaica – one of the poorest places in the NorthernHemisphere – to work for three weeks with the Missionaries ofCharity, the organization founded by Mother Teresa in Calcutta,India to attend to the sick and dying. Each time, we spent threeweeks there on what we called “reverse mission” trips — remem-ber Christopher Columbus and his peers during the Age ofExploration bringing God to the poor? We saw these trips toKingston as going to seek God in our interaction with the poor.

On one trip, I was with a student whom I consider a closefriend. He was contemplating joining the Jesuits, and he hopedthis reverse mission trip would help his discernment. While work-ing in the house for the dying, he encountered a young Sister ofCharity who had joined her order at age 16. After working at thehouse for a couple of days, he asked her why she decided to join.How did she know? What convinced her that this was the paththat she should take? Understand — like the Jesuits, the Sisters ofCharity take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He ques-tioned her about not owning anything, giving all her possessions

away. He asked her about living with a superior who could directher to move to Alaska or Afghanistan, far from her home inFrance. Her response was quite simply: “This is what I am sup-posed to be doing.” He asked again: “How did you know?” Shesaid: “It is not about knowing, it is about doing. I am here, andGod is here.”

My student and I contemplated her response over a long dia-logue that night. We were amazed at her faith. But also weencountered a challenge to our own faith.

We know God’s revelation to Moses, the burning bush event,as the name Yahweh; translated, it means “is” or “I am.” God isall, God is more than we can believe or understand – mind-blowing stuff. As humans, especially in our culture, we attemptto control our world and ourselves. We value the power of deci-sion making — often called a freedom — to decide what we areand who we are. We live with an image of ourselves, a processfor becoming, and strive toward goals. Our notion of success hasmuch to do with achievement. Yet here was a young woman say-ing that she has gifts of love and compassion for the sick anddying, and she does not need to think about who she is or whatshe is to become because she knows what she is doing is right.Powerful stuff.

The second story happens in the same place as the first, theMissionaries of Charity’s center for the sick and dying. It so hap-pened that while we were there, a Holy Cross alumnus who is amember of one of the island’s most wealthy families visited thecenter. This man offered a quite large sum of money to theSuperior of the center. She thanked him for his offer butdeclined the gift. My students and I became aware of the situa-tion. The Superior asked to speak to me. She gave me her sideof the story. She said that she asked him to give it to an organi-zation that was in need at this time. The gift was an extraordi-narily large sum of money. Wow… she refused it.

I immediately started thinking about what she – and theMissionaries of Charity – could do with the money: a new, big-ger health clinic; a farm to help with the food shortages; a newschool; a fleet of vans to transport the poor and help the food res-cue ministry. Yet she told me the Missionaries of Charity did notneed the money. I had a hard time accepting her logic.

Maybe because I was caught up the word “want.” And thereis a big difference between the word “need” and the word “want.”Should she not “want” the gift?

We live in a society where we are inundated with images,sounds, tastes that swamp our senses. Advertisers have created aninsatiable marketplace, real and virtual, in which goods and serv-ices flow freely, and consumers consume as much as they possi-bly can. We buy and spend and are told that it is a “good” thing.

David Lizotte and one of his Holy Cross students during a“reverse mission” trip to Jamaica.

We are rewarded for wanting more and participatingin the complicated system. We all rememberSeptember 11, 2001; the strong message from theWhite House was: do not stop shopping; keep theeconomy going. Certainly the idea was that the U.S.economy is powerful and needs to stay powerful.

But the Superior of the Missionaries of Charitycommunity saw the money as a complication to herworld, and that the ability to live simply is the bestpossible situation for her. What about the option oftaking the money and giving it away? She did not wantto have such power in her hands. It reminded me ofthe man and the woman who came to understand thatthrowing the pearl back into the ocean was the bestpossible situation for them in John Steinbeck’s novel,The Pearl.

Would it not be easy for me to say, after telling youthese two stories, that you should not worry aboutwhat you are doing in your life — just follow your con-science and give up your earthly possessions? I couldthen just leave this podium, get in my car, and go back to my workin Worcester. You all would say that guy told interesting stories,but boy is he a dreamer.

This is where I look upon my education and life experiences andsay thank God for the privilege of living the life that I have hadwith the experiences that I have had. The process of inquiry andquestioning is a gift. Although I do not have all the answers, I dohave a strong tradition to lean on to help me with my questionsand insecurities.

Let me explain what I mean. I am very privileged to have themany experiences I have had. Yet a question still bothers me: Whatdoes it mean to have so much wealth that we can help the poor? Ican go to these places and see, think, hear, smell, taste, feel all aboutthe poor lifestyle — and then go home to a comfortable bed andfresh food, water, heat or air conditioning. This is a question andcontradiction with which I am not comfortable. Which is OK!

I have come to understand that this state of inquiry, of not know-ing, is connected to how I live my everyday life. It is about my inter-actions with every person with whom I come in contact. True, Godis love. We are told this over and over again. I have come to seemuch truth in that. It is within this love that we are able to live andwork. Without the gift of love, we are helpless and unable to help,and unable to receive others’ love. But remember: We cannot fullyunderstand God; we can only come to understand how God wishesus to live. We are to live with questions.

The most powerful rule is the “golden rule” — Love God withall your heart and soul. Know that you are to love. And love yourneighbor as yourself.

I have also come to see love as dialogue. Dialogue can happenonly when you and others are able to freely give and freely receive.It is a two-way street.

Although trips to Jamaica, Micronesia, Appalachia, Indianreservations in South Dakota, the Bayou of Mississippi and manyurban cities sound exotic and interesting, they are good places tofind God, give to your neighbor and receive.

But truly, the best place to find God and experience love is righthere and now in your life. Notice the peer sitting alone withoutfriends in the cafeteria, notice the elderly person who lives on yourstreet who is reserved and has secluded themselves from the com-munity, notice the teacher having a frustrating day with a group ofunresponsive or overly active students. And do something aboutit. Reach out in a manner that is genuine and a manner that is notjust that I am giving but I am also receiving. Act out of kindness,but also act out of love.

Thank you for close attention and your time. I wish you the best.

—David Lizotte ’82, is the Director of Matthew 25, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Worcester, MA that works in partner-ship with the local technical high school to construct and providehousing for low-income families. Previously, Dr. Lizotte taught for12 years in the teacher education programs at the College of the HolyCross and Tufts University, following stints at Cardinal MindszentyHigh School (Micronesia) and Central Catholic High School(Lawrence, MA). He holds a B.A. from Providence College and anM.A and Ph.D. from Boston College. For more information aboutMatthew 25, Inc., please contact Dr. Lizotte [email protected].


David Lizotte ’82 (far right) pauses in the middle of a house restorationproject with a team from Matthew 25, the nonprofit housing organizationhe heads.

Faith In Action

NWC’s Advanced Jazz Band made school history inFebruary, by bringing home an Honorable Mentionfrom Berklee College of Music’s 40th Annual Jazz

Festival in Boston. It’s the first time that a Northwest Catholicband or choir has won an award at this event.

Two individual musicians were also honored as outstandingsoloists. Chris Brown ‘08 received a Judges’ Choice award foroutstanding solo performances in voice (“Fly Me to the Moon”)and instruments (he plays the vibes). Brian Flanagan ’08earned a Judges’ Choice award for his trombone performance of“Freddy the Freeloader.”

Northwest Catholic brought 35 students to Berklee, a presti-gious national competition that this year attracted schools fromFlorida, Ohio, and Colorado, among many other states. NWCwas one of only five Connecticut schools to earn an award ofany kind, according to band director Raymond Sinclair.

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Advanced Jazz Band and Soloists Snag Berklee Awards

I n October 2007, the School Board approved a comprehen-sive, five-year Strategic Plan that provides definitive goalsand key objectives to guide the administration as it contin-

ues to operate and progress in a way that embraces the school’smission and values. Success in achieving these goals and objec-tives will promote a healthy and vibrant future for NorthwestCatholic to the benefit of generations to come. TheSuperintendent’s office, school administrators, and the SchoolBoard embrace this plan and are committed to its successfulimplementation.

The creation of the new Strategic Plan, which covers the years2007-2012, began during the 2006-07 school year, with a cohe-sive, community-wide process involving more than 90 individu-als: alumni; parents of current and past students; prospectiveparents; administrators, faculty and staff; students; School Boardmembers; and the office of Mr. Dale Hoyt, Superintendent ofSchools for the Archdiocese of Hartford. In a series of focusgroup discussions held in the winter and spring of 2007, partic-ipants responded to questions related to our future challenges:changing demographics; emerging charter and magnet schools;competition from local private schools; evolving technologies;and a commitment to quality Catholic education that is accessi-ble to all, among others.

The 2007-2012 plan continues the vision of those who pre-ceded us by building upon the foresight and accomplishments ofearlier strategic plans. The administration and School Boardunderstand that the next phase of the school’s history will

require both tradition and innovation as it prepares students tobecome all that God wants them to be in heart, mind, body,soul, and spirit.

Northwest Catholic remains committed to a traditional,focused program in academics, the arts, athletics, and religion.We affirm our Catholic tradition through monthly liturgies, reli-gion courses, community service, and retreats. Emphasizing acollege-preparatory curriculum, we will continue to strive forsocial, economic, ethnic, racial, and academic diversity in ourstudent body, along with the development of character, respectand a life-long love of learning. We will maintain a school sizethat allows faculty and students to know and learn from oneanother. We will continue to attract and retain the best facultyin the marketplace who are representative of the diversity of ourstudent community. Our admissions policy will ensure that ahigh-quality education is affordable and accessible.

To fund the Strategic Plan, Northwest Catholic and its sup-porters must make a major commitment to build the currentendowment. Minimizing tuition increases is an ongoing objec-tive. Alternative funding sources will be vital to mitigate futuretuition increases and to fund scholarships, financial aid, andfacilities maintenance. The challenge, as always, is to finance theschool's aspirations in a thoughtful, orderly, and comprehensiveway, weighing options and trade-offs in light of our mission andvalues. The Strategic Plan is available on our web site:www.northwestcatholic.org.

Vision for the Future: 2007-2012 Strategic Plan


News From 29 Wampanoag

T wo years ago, something new and different was added toNorthwest Catholic’s wide array of extracurricular activities:the Lycea Club. Modeled on 17th and 18th century French

salons, where people gathered to learn more about different topicsthrough readings and conversation, the Lycea Club is for studentswho wish to stretch their minds by exploring subjects more deeplythan is generally possible during the regular school day.

According to school President Matthew Fitzsimons, co-founder of the club with History teacher Paul Fitzpatrick, thegoals of Lycea are:

• to generate input, share knowledge, stimulate innovative think-ing, and explore action possibilities around real-life issues andquestions;

• to engage classmates (and adults) in authentic conversation;

• to conduct in-depth exploration of challenges or opportunitiesthat face our world; and

• to deepen relationships and broaden our horizons about oneanother through an understanding of various perspectives.

“The purpose of our talks is open-ended exploration, not prob-lem-solving,” Mr. Fitzsimons explained.

Before each meeting, a topic is selected, and readings and ques-tions are distributed to all Lycea members. Topics have included:

• Aristotle’s treatise on Friendship from Nicomachean Ethics

• Non-violence, with excerpts from the Catechism, St. Augustineand Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience

• An art discussion that juxtaposed Picasso’s Guernica withKindred Spirits by Edmund Durant (a Hudson River Schoolartist)

• Existentialism, using Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

• The military industrial complex and the war in Iraq

“When we meet, we begin with a topic but often discuss a myr-iad of ideas that stretch our thinking well beyond the subject mat-ter,” says Zachary Omichinski ‘08. “I get to sit among students,friends and faculty – all of us as equals – and we engage in opendialogue that allows me to contemplate diverse topics fromAristotle to theological liberation, Saudi oil to moral sovereignty.”

In addition to Mr. Fitzsimons and Mr. Fitzpatrick, Lycea wel-comes other Northwest Catholic teachers as guest moderators,including Christopher Garr, Deacon Richard Santos ‘82, andBeth Casey ’96.

“The teachers who come to the meetings don’t treat Lycea as alecture or class, and we get to know them as more than the adultwho gives us quizzes,” says Travis Lynch ‘08, a regular Lycea par-ticipant. “The teachers act as guides, rather than directors, andthey give us ample time to express our views. The meetings seemlike college seminars, and I look forward to taking such a class inthe future.”

Indeed, Diego Mas ’08, another Lycea regular, adds, “Lyceacalls for critical thinking, but it’s critical thinking that isn’t restric-tive. It allows us to branch out and speak of whatever we findimportant. Teachers and students alike, there is no hierarchy,everyone is an equal in thought.”

Lycea Club: Stretching the Mind“The unexamined life is not worth living” — Aristotle

Taylor Knortz ’08 poses on March 6 with the “Drop of Blood” (a.k.a.Mike Golic, Jr. ’08),

who was helping to promote Northwest Catholic’s annual blood drive sponsored by

the Student Council in conjunction with the American Red Cross. Under the leader-

ship of Eric Kelly ’08, dozens of faculty and staff, parents, friends, and students donated

enough blood (70 usable pints) to save 210 lives – and to surpass the goal set at the

beginning of the drive.

Some of the members of the Lycea Club ponder the mysteries ofthe universe. Seated, from left: Sean Polley ’10, Paul Fitzpatrick,Keating McKeon ’08, Matthew Fitzsimons. Standing, from left:Travis Lynch ’08, Ryan Mead ’08, Chris Garr, and Diego Mas ’08.



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D uring a visit to Northwest Catholic on February 29, 2008,Archbishop Henry Mansell congratulated four seniorswho have been named Finalists by the National Merit

Scholarship Program – the largest number in school history.

The four students are (from left) Kenneth G. Rousseau, sonof Mrs. Yvonne Ellis-Rousseau of Collinsville and Mr. HenryRousseau of Burlington; Jessica C. Gioia, daughter of Ms. AlisaConte of Rocky Hill; Carolyn G. Spalluto, daughter of Mr. &Mrs. Joseph Spalluto of West Hartford; and Hannah L. Pelton,daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Russell Pelton of Enfield.

“These students have worked very hard to excel not only intheir studies, but also in numerous activities,” said PrincipalMargaret Williamson. “They continue to enhance the commu-nity of Northwest Catholic with their gifts. This is an incrediblehonor for these students, their families, and our school.”

Qualification as a Finalist is based on the scores the studentsearned on the PSAT/NMSQT taken in October of junior year.About 1.4 million students took the test at that time, and about15,000 were named Finalists.

Four Seniors Named Finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Program

I n January, Northwest Catholic entered into an agreementwith an international placement agency that representsoverseas students – from Europe, South and Central

America, and Asia -- who wish to attend high school in theUnited States. Applications are starting to come in from stu-dents who seek enrollment in September 2008. These appli-cants will need to meet the same rigorous standards for admis-sion as any candidate for Northwest Catholic.

NWC President Matthew Fitzsimons is excited about theopportunities this new program will afford – for current stu-dents as well as those from overseas. “The value of a NorthwestCatholic education is its diversity,” he said. “By increasing thenumber of international students within our community, webroaden the horizons of our current students through personalcontact with people of other cultures.”

The liaison between Northwest Catholic and the placementagency is NWC academic advisor Matt Martorelli ’03. In addi-tion to communicating frequently with the agency and otherU.S. high schools that already have this program in place,Martorelli is charged with lining up host families for the inter-national students. These families, who will receive $600 per

month for room and board expenses, are expected to treat theguest student as they would their own: with love, concern, kind-ness, and the little extra parenting that helps a young persongrow into adulthood. He will also be available throughout theschool year – for the family and the student -- should questionsarise. Potential host families are invited to contact Mr.Martorelli at [email protected].

“The internet and e-mail help to make the world seem small-er by expediting communications and the transfer of informa-tion,” said Mr. Martorelli. “But there is nothing like direct con-tact with students of other cultures to help establish lasting, suc-cessful friendships and partnerships.”

“The diversity of the Northwest Catholic community is apowerful educational engine that serves to broaden the perspec-tives of its young people,” added Mr. Fitzsimons. “By welcom-ing additional international students to the community, we canexpand the horizons of our young men and women by openingthem to the knowledge and understanding of cultural habits thatwill offer them a deeper understanding of their neighbor andwho God is calling them to be.”

Expanding Horizons: NWC Launches International Students Program



This year’s Founders’ Circle Dinner – held on October 3,2007 to honor people who donated $1,000 or more toNorthwest Catholic’s 2006-07 annual fund– included a specialfeature: the presentation of the very first Dr. Michael S. GriffinTeaching Chair Award to longtime Social Studies and Latinteacher Ronald Swanson.

In presenting the award to Swanson, who was nominated byhis peers, school President Matthew Fitzsimons said that thepopular teacher is well-known to thousands of NorthwestCatholic students for the dedication and support he’s offered,inside and outside the classroom, for 26 years.

In addition to teaching Honors World History and four lev-els of Latin (including AP), Swanson is an assistant baseballcoach and has at times coached football. A leader in the ClassicalAssociation of Connecticut, he was also honored as AssistantBaseball Coach of the Year at the All-State Banquet in June2006.

A quiet but reassuring fixture at student events of all kinds,Swanson often assists with ticket sales and has been known toattend students’ games even over the summer. “Ron is a worthyrecipient of this award because he lives out the mission ofNorthwest Catholic and is a credit to the school in every way,”said Mr. Fitzsimons. In addition to a beautiful plaque, Swansonreceived a $500 voucher to be used for professional growth ordevelopment within the next two years.

Named for the immediate past President of NorthwestCatholic, who served from 1996-2005, the Dr. Michael S. GriffinTeaching Chair Award is one of two that the school now gives tocelebrate excellence among its faculty. The other, named for Rev.Henry C. Frascadore, who was school President from 1985-1996,was first given in 1998, and has been awarded every other yearsince then. The recipients of the Fr. Frascadore Award have beenClaudia Hart ’78 (1998); John Mirabello (2000); Jim Shugrue(2002); Patti Juda (2004); and Joyce O’Rourke (2006).

Ron Swanson Receives First-Ever Dr. Michael S. Griffin Teaching Chair Award

Dr. Michael S. Griffin (left) congratulates Social Studies andLatin teacher Ron Swanson, the first recipient of the teach-ing award established in Griffin’s name.

For almost 50 years, green and white have been the colorsof Northwest Catholic High School. Now, in the wake of asignificant energy-savings effort begun this past fall, green hastaken on a whole new meaning on Wampanoag Drive.

Over the course of several months during this school year,hundreds of lights throughout the school were replaced andfitted with motion-sensitive devices, to reduce the amount ofelectricity being used to illuminate empty rooms. In addition,the heating-delivery control system was switched from pneu-matic to electronic (digital). The control units in the class-

rooms were also changed out into hard-wired or wirelessunits, depending on where they are located in the building.This means that heat will be distributed more evenly (andmore cost-effectively) throughout the plant.

The amount of energy being saved by these improvementsis startling:According to the Trane Corporation, which super-vised the project, the reduction in emissions is equal to theelectricity used by 1,871 households for one year. Of course,this means a smaller environmental footprint, too, because ofthe associated reduction in greenhouse gases.

“NWC Green” Has New Meaning



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KUDOS TO …• Michael Davis ’08, who won a $300 savings bond and a certificate of appreciation from the American

Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 for his participation in a Constitutional oratorical contest held in January.Michael tied as a runner-up with a student from Conard High School.

• Hannah Pelton ‘08, named as a candidate for the highly prestigious Presidential Scholars Program, estab-lished in 1964 by the U.S. Department of Education to recognize students who demonstrate exceptionalacademic, artistic, and leadership abilities. Hannah is one of 2,600 candidates nationwide; a maximum of 141students will eventually be named as Presidential Scholars.

• Kate Williamson ’08, for being honored by the Kiwanis Club of West Hartford for her volunteer workwith children at The Gengras Center and The School for Young Children. In January, Kate was one of eightpeople – five students and three adults – who received the Kiwanis Club’s “Stars for Kids: People Lightingthe Way for Children” award.

• The 2006-07 staff of The Writer, which won a bronze medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

• The 62 newest members of the National Honor Society, who were inducted during a beautiful, can-dlelit ceremony at the school in December.

• The staff of NOWECA: Minutes are Metaphors, the Northwest Catholic yearbook for the Class of2007, which won a first-place award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

• Syncopate, the Northwest Catholic dance team, which qualified to take eight routines to the DanceAmerica/Dance Olympus national competition in Orlando in July.

• Kevin J. Cavanagh, the father of four Northwest Catholic alums (Michele Cavanagh Burris ’81,Michael K. Cavanagh ’82, Maura Cavanagh Dick ’86, and Daniel P. Cavanagh ’88), who wasinstalled as Mayor of the city of New London in December 2007. An extremely active parent when his chil-dren were here – among other things, he was chairman of Saturday Night Live and a member of the NWCSchool Board – Kevin is now familiar to hundreds of other school families as the “voice” of NorthwestCatholic basketball and football games.

• The 2006-07 staff of Northwest Passages, for winning first-place awards from the National ScholasticPress Association and American Scholastic Press Association, and a silver rating from the ColumbiaScholastic Press Association.

John F. “Jay” Kearns III ’75, a nationallyknown expert on elder law and estate plan-ning, offered a life-planning seminar atNorthwest Catholic in October 2007. Theseminar, which was free of charge and forinformation only, was sponsored jointly bythe Northwest Catholic AdvancementDepartment and the Development Office ofthe Archdiocese of Hartford.

The clear message from the event: Make awill. Kearns, a partner at Kearns & Kearns inWest Hartford, noted that nearly 70% of peo-

ple die without a will in place, enabling thestate to distribute property -- often not inthe way a person may have wished. Kearnsintroduced several estate-planning methodsthat can encourage charitable giving,increase a person's income and reduce estatetaxes.

For information about future seminars orincluding Northwest Catholic in estateplans, please contact Colby Thresher,Advancement Officer, at 860-236-4221,x156 or [email protected]



S ocial Studies teacher Paul Fitzpatrick has been selected asa reader for the 2008 Advanced Placement U.S.Government and Politics test – the first Northwest

Catholic teacher ever tapped for this prestigious role.

Fitzpatrick will spend the first week of June in Daytona Beach,FL, reading and grading the exams administered by the CollegeBoard. “I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to spend a

week with those individuals from around the country whom theCollege Board considers to be the best teachers in the field of U.S.Government and Politics,” said Fitzpatrick. “This appointmentwill provide me with unique insights as to how the advancedplacement exams are created and scored. Additionally, I will beable to share tips on developing such important skills as essaywriting, the application of analytical data, and test preparationtechniques with my colleagues so that our students can do evenbetter on the advanced placement exams.”

A 1986 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Fitzpatrickearned a Master’s degree from the University of Texas in 1989.During his nine years here at Northwest Catholic, he has taughtWorld History (honors and regular level); World Today; AP U.S.History; U.S. History; and currently, AP U.S. Government.

He is also the moderator of the Model UN Club; the co-moderator of Lycea; a chaperone of the senior graduation cruisesince its inception; and he organizes the school History trip toEurope during February break. Last year, Fitzpatrick was elect-ed president of the Greater Hartford Catholic EducationAssociation, which represents more than 150 teachers in thefour high schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

NWC History Teacher Makes Some History of His Own

Social Studies teacher Paul Fitzpatrick.

Wow! There are nearly 400 years of service to Northwest Catholic represented by the people in this picture – all former facultymembers who gathered at school in January for lunch and to reminisce about the time they spent teaching here. (Seated, fromleft): Paul Reardon, Kathleen Gauthier, Kathleen O’Neill Reilly, MaryLou Roland, Mitzi Conlon, Patricia Lynch. (Standing, fromleft): Ron Ferri,Walt Stosuy, Lorraine Florio, Janice Maluccio, Ruth Wolfson, Carol Schave,Audrey Van Brocklin, Dan Carney, JohnShukie, John Moore, and Mary Fran Hennessy.



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Northwest Catholic Teachers Honored at Home and Away

I n keeping with the school mission statement and with a keytenet of the new strategic plan (and with help from a gen-erous donor), Northwest Catholic this year added a new

staff position: academic advisor for students who are academi-cally at risk.

Hired in October as the first academic advisor, MattMartorelli ’03, a 2007 graduate of the University ofNew Hampshire, hit the ground running. Workingwith students referred to him by Academic Dean JohnCusson and the Guidance Department, Martorellireviews progress reports, meets with teachers andarranges students’ appointments with peer tutors,supervises homework completion in the resource room,and teaches study skills.

In addition, Martorelli has been tapped as NWC’sinternational students’ program representative, servingas a liaison for the school, for the students applying herefrom overseas, and for the local families who have vol-unteered to host them.

The “gentle giant” also helped coach at NorthwestCatholic football games this past fall – territory that is

very familiar to him. While playing for NWC himself, he wasnamed to the All-State first team in 2003. At UNH, he helped theWildcats to a 9-4 record in 2006 and a berth in the FootballChampionship Subdivision National Tournament (formerlyNCAA Division I-AA Tournament).

Matt Martorelli ’03, academic advisor for students.

New Academic Advisor Joins Staff

During the Catholic Educators Conference sponsored by the Archdiocese of Hartford in October, eight members of the NorthwestCatholic faculty were honored for their years of service to Catholic education. “It is quite a tribute to these individuals and to the schoolto have so many achieve these milestones,” said Principal Margaret Williamson. The teachers who were honored were:

• Richard Luddy, Ph.D. and Jeffrey Przech (10 years) • Deborah Metzler and Virginia Murphy (15 years)

• John Mirabello (20 years) • Ronald Swanson (25 years)

• William Tressler and Francis Laffin (30 years)

Northwest Catholic has a tradition of presenting its own awards – for service here at this school -- during

the Faculty/Staff Christmas party in December. This year, service awards were presented to:

• Madonna Burke (25 years) • Claudia Hart (20 years) • Rev. Edward Moran (15 years)

Congratulations to all – and thank you!


Sports News

It was a great Fall season — one of thebest ever for Northwest Catholic! For thefirst time in school history, every one ofour teams qualified for postseason statetournament play. This is a testament to thehard work and sacrifice of a truly devotedcoaching staff, as well as the dedication ofour student athletes, who honed their skillsevery day in practice.

They weren’t working hard just on thefields, either: 61 students were named tothe Northwest Conference All-Academicteam, meaning they earned a varsity letterwhile maintaining at least Second Honorsduring the fall season.

FootballLeading the way was Coach Michael

Tyler’s hard-hitting group that dominated

Nutmeg play once again on the gridiron,finishing the season with an 8-3 record. Theseniors on this team have led the football

program to unprecedented success duringtheir time here, qualifying for the State play-offs in 2004, 2005, and 2007 while captur-

BY JOSHUA REESE, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

So this must be what it felt like whenthat young man jaunted out to short-stop the day Cal Ripken Jr. finally satdown, or when the new Chicago Bulls’shooting guard was announced inMichael Jordan’s spot in the startinglineup. Like you, I do not remember thenames of those replacements, either!

It is very easy to recognize greatness when it is right on stage infront of your eyes, but not so much when it goes on quietly, behindthe scenes.With dignity and class, my predecessor, John Shukie, quiet-ly gave Northwest Catholic more than 30 years of greatness. He builtour Athletic Department, brick by brick, into one of the finest pro-grams in the state.Our teams consistently win titles.Our athletic offer-ings are constantly expanding in an effort to increase the number ofstudents participating in sports. Perhaps most significant, our programhas turned out scores of student-athletes who have matured intorespected leaders in their careers and in the community at large.Thatis because John Shukie – a fantastic teacher, a trusted friend, and agreat family man – demonstrated with the example of his own lifewhat it means to be a truly successful man.

I am honored to follow in John Shukie’s footsteps as NorthwestCatholic’s fourth Director of Athletics. As someone who played onNWC teams myself, I am humbled and amazed that my name is nowassociated with the likes of Shukie, Stosuy, and Larson.These gentle-men have been part of the backbone of our school for the past fourdecades.As AD, I intend to follow their lead, emphasizing that athlet-

ics are a positive part of the high school experience – a critical com-ponent of our mission to educate and develop the whole student.

With the help of Mrs.Williamson and other administrators, I havebeen working hard since taking on this job to improve upon ourexcellent athletic program:Thus far this school year, we have devel-oped a new Chemical Health Policy; created a survey to enable par-ents to evaluate our athletic programs at the end of each season; andworked to improve our communication with parents and studentswith tools like Edline.

Fortunately for me, Daniel Martinez ’06 – a longtime support-er of Northwest Catholic athletics – has come on board as the part-time Assistant Director of SportsInformation. In addition to writingdaily sports updates for Edline,Danny also updates the NWC infor-mation on the CIAC webpage and isthe webmaster for the NorthwestConference webpage (www.north-westconference.net). On top ofeverything else, Dan is a Dean’s Liststudent at Central ConnecticutState University and an assistant coach for our varsity boys’ basket-ball team.

When I get to school each morning, I never quite know what theday will bring – but it’s been one heck of an enjoyable ride so far,especially in light of NWC’s truly historic Fall sports season.

From the Desk of Joshua Reese ‘95Director of Athletics

The NWC Indians were an imposing presence on the Northwest Conference gridiron.

ing three Nutmeg League conference titles— the first in school history. Their runended in the State playoffs, when they lost25-7 to undefeated Ansonia, which waseventually named the #1 team in the state.The great leadership of Tyler’s coaching staffshould come as no surprise, since many ofthese men are no strangers to NorthwestCatholic: Trevonn Coleman ’92, KevinDoyle ’98, Mike Lenz ’91, MattMartorelli ’03, Scott Rapport, Sean Ring’98, Jeff Soto ’94, and Thanh Truong ’92make up an impressive group. On top ofthis, NWC also sent five players to the All-State team (another first for the school):Kevin Eagan ‘08, Michael Golic, Jr. ‘08,Jacob Golic ’09, Dean Spence ’08, andNathan Tyler ’08. Thirty-five years ago,the Connecticut All-State team also includ-ed two players with the names of Eagan andTyler — Mike Eagan ‘73 and Coach MikeTyler ‘74 are the fathers of Kevin Eaganand Nathan Tyler.

Highlights of the season includedimpressive defeats of conference foe Berlin,34-6, and perennial power Middletown,15-0, en route to the conference title. BothBerlin and Middletown went on to repre-sent the conference in the State playoffs. Afeisty defense led by Nick Balkun ’08,Lucius Couloute ‘08, Tito Gautier ’08,and Brendan Jasper ’08 compiled fourshutouts on the season, limiting confer-ence opponents to 45 points for the year.

Kevin Eagan and Mike Golic, Jr. were co-MVPs, while Lucius Couloute and NathanTyler shared the Coaches Award. With tal-ented underclassmen continuing to workhard in the off-season, this impressive runseems likely to continue.

Cross CountryThe Boys’ Cross-Country team is

responsible for yet another conference ban-ner in the Johnson Gymnasium, havingwon the league title and finishing fourth inClass SS under the leadership of coaches

Scott Fletcher and Richard Luddy.Captaining the league champs were BenPluta ’08, the Coaches Award winner, andAll-State and All-Conference representa-tive Adam Mortillaro ’08, who finished5th in the Class SS State meet and wasnamed the team MVP. Joining the confer-ence victory party was Brandon Forrester’08 and Nico Greco ’10, who also werenamed All-Conference. The Girls’ teamalso finished with another fine seasonunder captains Stephanie Frazao ’08 andAll-Conference selections Mary KateKearney ’08 (the team MVP) andCoaches Award winner Genevieve Quinn


Sports News

Mike Golic, Jr., a 6’5,” 265-pound center and co-captain of the NorthwestCatholic High School football team, made it official in February during a NationalSigning Day ceremony: Next year he will be playing for Notre Dame, formalizing averbal commitment he’d made a year earlier.

But in January, he donned the jersey of another elite team: the U.S.Army All-American football team. One of only 84 players nationwide chosen for the team,Golic traveled to San Antonio,TX for the Jan. 5 game, which was played in theAlamodome and was broadcast live by NBC. Several professional football players– including Reggie Bush,Vince Young,Adrian Peterson, and Brady Quinn – madetheir national debut on this All-American team.

Golic, the son of ESPN personality and former pro football player Mike Golic,is not just a standout athlete, but is also an excellent student – he carries a 4.0GPA – and is highly respected by his peers for his humility and down-to-earthleadership.

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Members of the Boys’ Cross-Country team, holding their Northwest ConferenceChampionship plaque (from left): Connor Deneen ’10, John Whiting ’09, Eric Kennedy’10, captain Brandon Forrester ’08, captain Adam Mortillaro ’08, captain Ben Pluta ’08,and Nico Greco ’10.

Sports News

’08. Coach Fletcher also touted KateWilliamson ’08 for her tremendous workover four years as manager of both theBoys’ and Girls’ squads. There is a talentedand hard-working group of underclassmenpoised to be highly competitive in the con-ference next season.

SoccerThe Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer teams also

had great playoff runs in the tournament.Led by Coach Terry Phillip and assistedby Roger Clapper ’72 and Bill Dorn ‘78,the Boys’ squad finished with a 12-8record, reaching the State Semifinal of theClass S tournament. Jakquan Jackson ’09had an extraordinary All-State season,posting 22 goals for the season – the high-est on the team. Equally remarkable werebrothers Ted ’08 and Jack ’10 Randazzo,who combined for ten goals and 19 assists.Leading a stellar defense were JonOlszewski ’08, Will Dodds ’08, andfreshman goalie Michael Kucharz ’11,who tallied 120 saves on the year. Doddswas named MVP, while Olszewski cap-tured the Coaches Award. In a post-seasonhighlight, the State Soccer Coaches’Association honored Emmanuel Simpini’08 with the Keith Johnson Adversity Award,which recognizes one athlete in the statewho has overcome hardship during his orher career.

The Girls’ Soccer team did equally well,finishing 13-6 on the season. First-yearcoach Todd Sadler and longtime assistantChris Garr put together a fine season,ending with a 2-1 loss to Lauralton Hall inthe quarterfinals of the Class M tourna-ment. After starting the season at 1-2, theteam went on a tear, winning ten of theirnext 12 games. Leading the squad was All-State selection Shannon Morales ’08, theteam MVP, who finished a remarkable sen-ior outing with 17 goals and 13 assists. Hercounterpart Kristina Ciotto ’08 added 17assists for the season, while All-Conferenceselection Shealagh Begley ’09 punched ina notable 15 goals. Ciotto won theCoaches Award. Leading a very stingydefense that recorded eight shutouts wasAll-Conference pick Melissa Horn ’09,who played an exceptional 1,460 minutes

out of a possible 1,535 for the year. A veryyoung squad looks to keep Coach Sadler’sclub heading in the right direction foryears to come.

VolleyballOn the hardwood, the Girls’ Volleyball

team qualified for the State tournament,finishing 11-10 before bowing out in thesecond round of the Class S State tourna-

29THE MAGAZINE OF NORTHWEST CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL F A L L 2 0 0 7

An exultant Girls’ Soccer team rejoices after their 1-0 defeat of previously unbeatenLyman Memorial, enabling them to advance to the quarterfinals of the State tournament.

Maura Eagan ’09 prepares to return aserve, while Caitlin Kearns ’09 backs upthe play.

Five Northwest Catholic players -- (from left) Ryan Siegel ’10,Will Dodds ’08, Jon Olszewski’08, Boris Garcia ’09, and Manny Simpini ’08 – descend on one opponent (and the ball).


Sports NewsD

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nts ment. The talented coaching staff includes

Coach Patrick Douglas ’97, alumni parentMary Swetcky and former All-StateVolleyball player Lauren Martocci ’04. Theteam, which advanced to the conferencetournament for the first time, was hard tobeat at home, going 6-3-0 on the season.Leading this young squad were captainsAudra Wooldridge ’08, who was second onthe team with 103 kills, and All-Conferencepick and team MVP Casey Curry ’08.Coach Douglas noted the fine play ofMadeline Deneen ’08, who won theCoaches Award. Deneen was third on theteam with 218 serving attempts. As a team,the ladies registered a 90% serving rate outof more than 1,500 attempts. The attackwas topped by Caitlin Kearns ’09 andDanielle Gilmour ’08, who compiled per-sonal serving bests of 98% and 91%, respec-tively. Gilmour also added a very respectable118 kills on the season. The seniors inspireda very young squad, which looks to be atough competitor for years to come.

Field HockeyCompetition on the field was intense as

the Field Hockey squad also went to theState tournament, finishing with a 10-4-1record under the leadership of Coach JillMullady. Assisting Jill in the father/daugh-

ter coaching tandem was Athletic Hall ofFame inductee William Mullady ‘66.Captaining the squad was Nora Regan’08, along with Northwest Catholic’s firsttime All-State award winner DiannaSoucier ’08 (the team MVP) and CoachesAward winner Alexandria Marandino’08. Another notable performance cameoff the field as Julianne McAndrews ’08was named All-Academic All-State. AlyGualtieri ’09 led a very strong defense,registering 128 saves while giving up only14 goals for the entire season. Scoring

threat Kayleigh Donnelly ’09 was secondon the team with eight goals, while TaylorKnortz ’08 and Anastasia Feola ’08added five and four goals, respectively. As ateam, the ladies scored 45 goals on the sea-son, while limiting their opponents to 14and never losing a contest by more thanone goal.

For up-to-the-minute information aboutNorthwest Catholic sports, visit www.north-westcatholic.org and click on Athletics.

Northwest Catholic basketball legend Norm Bailey ’80 was on hand in November2007 when Chris Prescott ’08 signed his letter of intent to play Division I basketballat St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

The field hockey team made it to the State tournament this year – only their second full season as a varsity sport.


Alumni News

60sEd Bello ’68 sends greetings from Hawaii,where he’s been for more than 30 years.Lately, Ed has been spending a lot of timein Breckenridge, Colorado, working onreal estate projects. His son Jason is now inthe family business. Ed and his wife Pamhave two grandchildren, with another onthe way. They keep active snowboarding inColorado and biking in Hawaii.

Nancy Blaschinski ’68 will be retiringfrom the West Hartford Public schoolsafter teaching for 35 years.

Teresa Fuda Burhoe ’68 is living in WestHartford and is a Reiki practitioner andesthetician.

Mary Ellen Sullivan Connors ’68 isproud to announce that she became agrandmother this year to ThomasConnors O’Connell.

Jack Facey ’68 is living in Rutland,Vermont and has three children: Chrisgraduated in ‘05 from Providence College,Justin is a member of the Class of ’08 atthe University of Colorado, and Michael isa sophomore at Providence College.

Laura Franco Jeppesen ’67 reports thather daughter, Brittany Wilson, recently

received a B.A. from Emerson College inBoston, MA. A Dean’s List student,Brittany studied at Emerson’s Los Angelescampus, where she interned at Flauntmagazine.

Barbara Roohr-Karas ’68 teaches kinder-garten at the Metacomet Schol inBloomfield. Barbara’s children both grad-uated from Northwest Catholic – Sarah in2000 and Joseph in 2001.

Thomas McKone ’68 was recently electeda Commissioner of the East Lake (FL) FireSpecial Control district. He is chairman ofthe East Lake Community Library Boardand is also a fourth-degree Knight ofColumbus. Tom and his wife Olivia live inTarpon Springs, Florida.

Dr. Elaine Blondin Mello ’65 isExecutive Director of A Better World, anadoption agency specializing in interna-tional adoptions, which is based in WestHartford.

John and Liz Mirkin Seifel ’66 are proudto announce the March 2007 arrival oftheir granddaughter Meredith Eve Seifel,daughter of Richard and Jessica Seifel.John and Liz have two others sons, as well:Brian and David.

Janet Tonucci Waters ’68 resides in Avonwith her husband Frank. They have twochildren: Jody, 28, a special education

teacher in Massachusetts, and Tyler, 26, aplumber. Janet has been a special educa-tion paraprofessional at Simsbury HighSchool for 15 years, working with autisticstudents. She and Frank escape to theirvacation home on Cape Jellison in Mainewhenever they can.

Susan Fay-Wilcox ’68 lives in Louisville,Kentucky. Susan continues to consult forschool districts in the area of autism spec-trum and neurobehavioral disorders. Sheand her husband Jeremy have three chil-dren: two daughters and a son-in-law livein New York City, and her son is a Navypilot in Afghanistan.

Linda Giuca Zemmel ’68, the editor ofthe “Flavor” section of The HartfordCourant, and her husband are “emptynesters.” Their daughter Molly is a fresh-man at Endicott College in Beverly, MA,and their son Ben is a junior at BostonUniversity. Linda’s husband owns Alforno,an Italian restaurant in Old Saybrook, CT.

70sLillian Kocha Baruffi ’78 and her hus-band have been living in Farmington forthe past 13 years. In September they willcelebrate 22 years of marriage. With theirtwo teenagers, they enjoy camping (tent),kayaking and hiking.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has named Molly Rees Gavin ’67, president of Connecticut CommunityCare, Inc. (CCCI) for more than 10 years, to serve on the Advisory Committee for theConnecticut Homecare Option Program for the Elderly (HOPE Fund).

The HOPE Fund is a savings program created to encourage and help families plan for theirfuture long-term health care needs and to reduce the state’s share of the costs.

Ms. Gavin graduated from St. Joseph College in West Hartford in 1971 with a degree inSociology. She earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers University in 1973.An accomplished clinical social worker and advocate for care management services forConnecticut’s elderly, she is the President of the National Academy of Certified CareManagers (NACCM) and is a Past President of the Connecticut Chapter of the NationalAssociation of Social Workers.

In 1996, Gavin was named the Social Worker of the Year by the CT Chapter of theNational Society of Social Workers.

Gov. Rell Taps NWC Alum for Long-Term Care Panel


Alumni News

Joan Pion Daignealt ’77 has been livingin Montreal since 1981. After working asan ICU nurse for 20 years, Joan earned anMBA and works for Merck. She and herhusband and two sons enjoy vacationing inGeorgian Bay (north of Toronto).

Patty Sullivan-DiGangi ‘77 recently com-pleted the second annual “Swim theHudson to Save Dolphins.” She swam 1.25miles across the Hudson River to raiseawareness about dolphins in captivity.

Nancie Winchell Fernandez ‘77 lives inLafayette, CA with her husband and twochildren, Jesse, 4 1/2 and Chelsea, 2 1/2. Apartner with Deloitte Consulting, Nancieconsults mostly to high-tech companies.She and her family come back East everyyear and hope to return to New Englandwhen her children are a little older. Nanciewrites that while most of her classmates arepreparing for the empty nest syndrome,she is preparing for kindergarten!

Tom Hickey ’78 was named Park RoadBusinessman of the Year in January 2008.Tom is the owner of HometownMarketing, which publishes the “Living In…” suite of magazines in the GreaterHartford area (among many other publish-ing ventures).

Joe Maglaty, Ph.D., ‘73 lives in thePhiladelphia area, where he is Director ofOutreach Education for the MerckInstitute for Science Education. Joe writesthat he always enjoyed science in schooland now has the chance to instill thatenthusiasm in the students and teachers inthe local schools supported by Merck.

Susan Hickey McCabe ’73 is a librarian atPine Grove School in Avon, CT.

Kathleen O’Connor ’73 lives in Andover,CT. She has three children: Connor, 10;Cameron, 7; and Emma, 3. Kathleenworks part-time teaching water cycling,Pilates, and water yoga.

80sTherese Schiffer Brehm ’82 and her hus-band Les live in Seoul, Korea, with theirtwo youngest children, Zach and Maggie;older daughters Laura and Kara attend col-lege in the United States. Les is a Colonelin the U.S. Army and is the comptroller forU.S. Forces Korea and 8th U.S. Army.Therese is a senior financial analyst forComputer Sciences Corporation based inStuttgart, Germany (she telecommutes!).

Adam Cloud ‘87 has been appointed byHartford Mayor Eddie Perez to serve onthe Metropolitan District Commission,the water authority for the City ofHartford and seven surrounding towns.Adam will be chair of the DiversityCommittee, which is designed to engageminority women and disadvantaged busi-nesses in the public works bidding process.He will also serve as vice-chair of theBureau of Public Works.

Christopher Cloud ’87 and his wife Stacyare the proud parents of twin sons, Prescottand Sanford, who were born on September26, 2006.

Maura Shea Crowley ’88 lives inArlington, MA, with her husband and twochildren, Ellie, 6, and Kieran, 2. A senioreditor at Bedford/St. Martins, Maura alsojuggles roles as active PTO volunteer andchorale singer.

John K. Hampton ’84 was elected to histhird term on the Simsbury Board ofSelectmen in November. Hamptonreceived more votes than any other candi-date and was appointed Deputy FirstSelectman when he was sworn in onDecember 3rd.

Andy Marafino ’85 is the Director ofDevelopment at Bishop MontgomeryHigh School in Torrance, California (about10 miles south of Los Angeles InternationalAirport and about 1 mile from the PacificOcean). He started work there as anEnglish teacher in 1990, following gradua-tion from Loyola Marymount University.After nine years, he moved into develop-ment. He’s also entering his tenth year asthe school’s head baseball coach. He andhis wife Kathy, a nurse, have three children:Brian, 12, Brendan, 10, and Nicole, 8.

Judi Czaja McCaffrey, M.D. ’83 had quitea surprise while she and her family were vis-iting Disney World in January 2008. Infront of Cinderella’s Castle, she found her-self sitting next to Julie McElaney ’83.Julie and her husband Peter Gorman, wholive in Reading, MA, were vacationing withtheir two sons and daughter. As Judi says, ittruly is “a small world after all!” Judi is ahead and neck cancer surgeon at theMoffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL. Sheand her husband Tom have twin five-year-old daughters, Katie and Libby. A Tamparesident for 10 years, Judi says she does notmiss shoveling snow.

Laurie Kramer Murphy ’81 is a projectmanager with Finalsite in East Hartford –the company responsible for the design ofthe recently relaunched NorthwestCatholic web site. She and her husbandJohn, the Deputy Chief of Police in EastHartford, have lived in South Windsor forthe past 20 years. Their children, Johnnyand Kelly, are students at East CatholicHigh School; Johnny, a senior, is on thegolf team, and Kelly is on the freshmangirls’ basketball team.

Jennifer Samolyk ’88 and her husbandJohn Romney are the proud parents oftwin girls, Summer Amanda and CapriElizabeth Romney, who were born onApril 1, 2007. A senior staff attorney atHowrey LLP, Jennifer and her familyreside on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Twins Summer (left) andCapri Romney; “they just makeJohn and me laugh,” reportstheir mom, Jennifer SamolykRomney ’88.

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Alumni News

90sAndrew MacPhail ’98 released his newalbum, “Indiana Roads,” at It’s A GrindCoffee House in West Hartford’s BlueBack Square in February 2008. When he’snot singing, Andy teaches employabilityskills for disadvantaged young people atthe Hartford Job Corps Academy. He livesin Suffield.

Meghan Myott ’99 graduated from TuftsVeterinary School in 2007 and is currentlyperforming her internship.

Anabela Felicissimo Xavier ’93 is a third-grade teacher and has worked in theGlastonbury school system for 10 years.She and her husband live in West Hartfordwith their two children Juliannah, 4, andNicholas, 22 months.

Julia Mastronardi Yakovich ’96 marriedDavid Yakovich in January 2008. Thebridal party included Anne Mastronardi’98, Michael Mastronardi ’02, andChristine Prince ’96. The couple wasmarried by Rev. Edward Moran, and guestsincluded Katie Brayton, Liz CarpenterBrantley, Mary Beth Sweeney, JaimeAnderson Ward, Paul Peltier, and JamesRiley – all from the NWC Class of ’96.

Julia is a Spring 2008 candidate for aMaster’s in Public Administration from theUniversity of Connecticut.

00sCristin Cossette Auten ‘00 recentlypassed the National Council for InteriorDesign Qualification exam. She is now aregistered Interior Designer with the Stateof Connecticut, Department of ConsumerProtection. Cristin and her husbandDaniel Auten celebrated their one-yearwedding anniversary on September 16,2007, in Niagara Falls.

John Brickley ‘02 has been the sportsanchorman at Cable 11 News in Ephrata,PA since December 2006. A 2006 grad-uate of Seton Hall University, John was thesports director of 89.5 WSOU. He wasalso a sports producer at WFSB; his storiesincluded the Buick Championship, thePilot Pen and UConn basketball. He alsoworked as a sports reporter for TimeWarner Cable’s “Sports Time,” covering allhigh school sports.

Margaret Molloy ’07 is one of only twostudents in Connecticut (and 62 studentsin the country) to be awarded a Knights ofColumbus Fourth Degree Pro Deo and Pro

Patria Scholarship. The scholarship is givenfor academic excellence. Margaret, thedaughter of Mark ’77 and Jean DonnellyMolloy ’78, is a freshman at the College ofthe Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

Shannon Nelson ’02 is a nursery schoolteacher at First Congregational Church inBloomfield.

James Prignano ’01 and Marcia MintoPrignano ’02 welcomed their secondchild, Jonah, to the family on January 28,2008. Jonah joins his big sister Selah, 14months. Julie Facey Prignano ’74 is theproud grandma!

Brendan Riley ’03 is a Lieutenant on theBloomfield Center Fire Department.

John Yokow ’06 is a defenseman on theice hockey team of Stonehill College, aDivision II school.

After changing her own diet ten years ago with the advice of aCertified Clinical Nutritionist, Allison Reck Anneser ’82 decided towrite the book she wishes she’d had back then: a common-sense guidefor how to shift healthy, whole (“real”) foods into our diets in a man-ageable way -- for life. “I was an elementary school teacher for manyyears and always loved writing,” she said. “I was submitting children'sstories when the idea for this book evolved. Now I write, speak, andcounsel clients regarding health and nutrition full time. My husband andI moved to New Hampshire for his work 13 years ago and have twochildren (Grace, 8 and Scott, 6). Attending NWC was a wonderfulexperience for me -- such exceptional, quality people. It truly formedthe person I have become today. I am so thankful for the opportunity.”

Joshua Sider ’03 graduated from the United States Military Academy at WestPoint on Saturday, May 26, 2007, with a degree in Civil Engineering. Commissioned aSecond Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he is currently posted to Fort Benning, GA forofficer leadership training. He will join the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell,Kentucky following completion of his training.

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ALUMNIJennifer J. Joyce ‘91, of Valrico, FL passed away Thursday, October4, 2007 at her home. The daughter of Thomas M. Joyce, Sr. andBarbara J. Stockwell, she had lived in East Granby and Granby beforemoving to Florida three and a half years ago. Jennifer was an accom-plished equestrian and trained at the Farmington Polo Club and rep-resented the Polo Club in horse shows. In addition to her parents,Jennifer is survived by her brother Scott C. Joyce of Florida; sisterHeather and her husband Andrew Astarita of Coconut Creek, FL; andbrother Thomas M. Joyce, Jr. and his wife Tracy and their childrenJulia and Michael, all of Shrewsbury, MA.

Timothy McGunnigle ’65 of Lutz, FL passed away on December 11,2007, from injuries sustained in a car accident. Tim grew up in WestHartford and graduated from John Carroll University in Clevelandafter graduating from Northwest Catholic. Following in the footstepsof his father, Tim had a long career in the insurance industry, work-ing for MassMutual, Northwest Mutual, and MetLife. He and hiswife Barbara made their home in East Longmeadow, MA before mov-ing to Florida seven years ago. In addition to his wife, Tim is survivedby his mother, Mary, who still lives in West Hartford; his son Kevinand daughter-in-law Vanessa; his daughter Caroline McGunnigle;and his brothers George and Michael.

BENEFACTORSMichael Mittica, a longtime supporter of Catholic secondary educa-tion, who established the Patricia Mittica Scholarship Fund at SouthCatholic High School in memory of his daughter, and then moved thescholarship to Northwest Catholic after South Catholic closed.

FACULTY AND STAFF

Joseph E. Reese, M.D., father of Principal Margaret Williamson andgrandfather of Patrick Williamson ’99, Meghan Williamson ’03,and Kathleen Williamson ‘08

J. William Shea, husband of Fay Shea, former administrative assistantto Fr. Henry Frascadore and Dr. Michael Griffin

Thomas M. Doyle, Sr., grandfather of Kevin Doyle ’98, assistantfootball coach

CURRENT FAMILIES

Lawrence Colling, uncle of Maryssa Hunter ’07 and ZacharyHunter ‘11

Kathleen Flaherty, grandmother of Noelle Bellefleur ‘08

Ralph “Hawk” Haflin, grandfather of Gus Haflin ‘10

Paul W. Hansen, uncle of Michael Golic ’08 and Jacob Golic ‘09

Jose Alfredo “Fredo” Lopez, father of Christina M. Lopez, ‘11

Pauline E. Pelletier, grandmother of Drew Pelletier ‘09

Mary “Pat” Ryan, grandmother of Mary Kate Kearney ’08 andPatrick Kearney ‘10

Rose St. Pierre, grandmother of Nicole Kelly ‘09

IN MEMORIAMNorthwest Catholic extends its prayers and sympathies to the families of members of our community who have passed away recently. We regret that the Fall2007 issue of Logos, which included a condolence notice for notice for Jean Donnelly, omitted the name of one of her daughters, Peggy Donnelly ’85.

Raymond J. Acquaotta, father of David Acquaotta’70 and Anne Acquaotta Biancamano ’72 andgrandfather of Jody Biancamano ‘04 and JohnBiancamano ‘05

Mamie P. Weaver Copes Bailey, mother of NormanBailey ‘80

Maureen M. Bennett, mother of Scott Bennett ’88and Jill Bennett Chapman ’90.

Kathryn Bracken, mother of John Bracken ’66,Meg Bracken Cherchia ’69, and Kitty-JoBracken Reynolds’71

William J. Brimmer, father of William Brimmer’67, Brian Brimmer ’68, Bruce Brimmer ’68,Deborah Brimmer Catolane ’70, BradfordBrimmer ’73, Margaret Brimmer Rollins ’77,Susan Brimmer Gabriel ’78, Timothy Brimmer’79, and Robert Brimmer ’84, father-in-law ofBarbara Curry Brimmer ‘67

Timothy F. Brodeur, brother-in-law of MegRandall Brodeur ‘79

Frank D. Craemer, father of Elisa CraemerGenovese ‘77, Rosanne Craemer Shea ’82, andJames Craemer ‘86

Alvina DaCunha, mother of Kathleen DaCunhaCleary ’68 and Kenneth DaCunha ‘73

Theresa DeConti, grandmother of Brian DeConti’00, Marianne DeConti ’03, and LaurenDeConti ’06

Robert B. Denton, Sr., father of William R.Denton ‘80 and father-in-law of CatherineO’Toole Denton ‘82

Michael J. Donnelly, husband of Anne DanaherConnelly ’70, and brother-in-law of R. CorneliusDanaher ’65, Eileen Kelly Danaher ’66, JamesDanaher ’67, and Margaret Danaher Garikes ‘77

George Michael Evica, father of Mariana Evica ‘84

Rhea Mae Grant, mother of Carroll J. Grant ‘67

Viviana S. Gugliotti, daughter of Ariel Gugliotti‘92 and Anna Bordonaro Gugliotti

Kenneth J. Kelly, father of Kenneth Kelly ’66,Richard Kelly ’68, Nancy Kelly ’70, Paul Kelly’71, and Mary Beth Kelly Collings ‘73

David Kirwan, father of David Kirwan ’69 andJames Kirwan ‘71

William E. Ladish, father of Gretchen Ladish ‘98

Gertrude McGee, grandmother of MichaelLeCours ’01 and Matthew LeCours ‘05

Madeline McLaughlin, mother of MarieMcLaughlin Koontz ‘67

Marlene Wnek Nixon, mother of Michael J.Nixon ‘01

John “Butchy” Franklin Reed, Jr., father ofJonathan T. Reed ‘94 and Jasmine Reed Gibbs ‘97

Syionara Reis, mother of Kurt Reis ’97, SayonaraReis ’00, and Amanda Reis ‘02

Nancy Cavanagh Starrett, sister of KevinCavanagh, the “voice” of Northwest Catholic bas-ketball and football, and aunt of MicheleCavanagh Burris ’81, Michael K. Cavanagh ’82,Maura Cavanagh Dick ’86, and Daniel P.Cavanagh ‘88

Joseph E. Tracey, father of Kathleen Tracey Bulger’84 and Megan Tracey ‘85

Thomas Wagner, grandfather of Steven Hansen’03 and Brian Hansen ‘06

Genave J. “Jane” Wolf, mother of ChristopherWolf ’65 and mother-in-law of Elaine CivittoloWolf ‘66

ALUMNI FAMILIES

For the 24th year in a row, Saturday Night Live – NorthwestCatholic’s signature parent-run fundraiser – was a huge hit. Heldon November 17, 2007, the evening featured such perennialfavorites as the Starlight Café, the Comedy Club, theInternational Food Court, the Gospel Choir Room, and a fantas-tic silent auction. This year’s Karaoke Room included a modernvariation on the theme of audience entertainment: Guitar Hero.

And on top of everything else, the evening was enormously prof-itable, netting $37,600.

Mark your calendars now for the 25th anniversary edition ofSaturday Night Live, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 22,2008. Plans are already in the works to mark this Silver Jubilee ingrand style. Check www.northwestcatholic.org (click on Parents)for details.

Who Needs New York When You’ve GotSaturday Night Live in West Hartford?

Nicole Krupa ’03 enjoyed her very first SNL with friends (fromleft) Adam Gooley ’03, Bobby Cintolo, and Tim O’Rourke ‘03.

SNL Co-Chairs Carol Ciotto (left) and Gail Riley

Saturday Night Live was the perfect venue for current parentsColleen and George Foster-Bey (left) to introduce NWC to Denise

Chappelle, godmother of Simone Foster-Bey ’11.

Volunteers Liz Stafford ’00, Nadia Johnson ’99,and Liz Cenci ’96 seemed to have had as much fun in

the Irish Pub as their customers did!

SAVE THE DATE!

31st Annual Northwest Catholic Golf TournamentWampanoag Country Club | 9- and 18-Hole Rounds | June 2, 2008

To join the fun as a golfer, a sponsor, a donor, or a volunteer, please contact Jane Leary,Director of Constituent Relations, [email protected] or 236-4221, x131

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Northwest Catholic High School

29 Wampanoag Drive

West Hartford, CT 06117

www.northwestcatholic.org

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDHARTFORD, CTPERMIT NO. 246

Now it’s time for alums from classes ending in“3” and “8” to celebrate the “three Rs” ofreunions! Round up your friends and makeplans to come back to campus on Saturday,April 26, 2008. Registration begins at 5pm, fol-lowing by a liturgy in the Northwest Catholicchapel at 5:30pm. Enjoy tours of the school (and be amazed at how it’s changed!) starting at6:30pm, followed by separate cocktails and dinner for the Classes of ’73, ’83, ’88, and ’93 begin-ning at 7pm.

(Note: The Classes of ’68, ’78, ’98, and ’03 are encouraged to come for Mass and tours, but willhave their own reunion celebrations later in the fall.)

The Three Rs of Reunions

NWCREUNION ’08

Class of ’67Class of ‘77

Class of ‘07

Photos from the Fall 2007 reunions say it all: Northwest Catholic alumsdelight in getting together to reconnect, reminisce, and remember what theyloved about this place and its people.

For more details and up-to-date information, visit www.northwestcatholic.org; click on Alumni, then Reunions. See you in April!

collaboration breeds success - northwest catholic high school

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