Bc- Benedictine Military School November Banner Publication

BENEDICTINE 1902

M I L I TA RY S C H O O L

The Banner

Leaders are Made.

A BC Hero Returns SPC. Christopher “Kit” Lowe stepped up to the microphone and looked out at the faces of 315 Benedictine Military School cadets seated before him. Just four years ago, he was among them. Yet in a surreal personal moment Tuesday morning, Lowe took to the stage not simply as a 2005 school alumnus, but also as the decorated war hero he has become at the tender age of 23. “I remember sitting there, where you are,” Lowe told his audience. “I slept through the ring ceremony.” A low, knowing laughter rippled through the school cafeteria. “But what you learn here at school is something you will take into college and your personal life,” he added. Lowe went on to talk about the camaraderie he first discovered as a cadet at Benedictine and relied on down range in Afghanistan, when he deployed with the 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard. Lowe’s year-long deployment was cut short in August, when he took a bullet to the right leg while providing cover for a medic tending to the mortally wounded Marine Corps Pilot Capt. Matt Freeman, from nearby Richmond Hill. An enemy’s bullet ripped through Lowe’s leg and severed a nerve. He continued to hold his position - despite the wound - until reinforcements arrived. Lowe has spent the past two months in rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, near Washington, D.C. He walks without a crutch, but his leg is encased in a large, medical boot. “Alum gives Purple Heart to BC” -- By Pamela E. Walck Savannah Morning News 10.21.09 (cont. pg. 6)

November 2009

Letter from the Principal... Dear BC Family, This is the month during which we celebrate Thanksgiving. The month when little children learn about the Pilgrims and their travels, which landed them at Plymouth Rock. They use their little hand tipped sideways to draw a turkey and then they color it in with fall colors. As families, we gather and enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. It’s a time to count one’s blessings, big and small. In our house, in the kitchen, we have a plaque in Fall colors that says “Every Day is a Gift”. I see it and look at it every morning. Then I get in my car and drive here to work. I’d like to tell you one recent story that exemplifies why I’m so thankful to be here. At the end of October, one of our Cadets, a junior, lost his mother on a Saturday, after only two days of illness. A story that only begins not ends with heartbreak. First thing Monday morning, members of the Junior Class made it known to me that they were seeking permission to attend their classmate’s mother’s funeral. “Of course,” I said, “it’s the right thing to do.” I reminded them they would need a signed permission slip to leave. Not long after that, other class members came to me to say they all wanted to wear their Class A military uniforms and sit together. I admired their devotion to their classmate and their school. After lunch that same day, yet other Juniors came to me to say they would like to collect money to buy their classmate his class ring. Permission again granted, with my comments to them how pleased and proud I was of their efforts to help a fellow Cadet. They simply smiled and left as if to say “it’s a no-brainer what we’re supposed to do”. The day of the funeral, every Junior was present in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and they all sat shoulder to shoulder as their classmate served Mass at his mother’s funeral. At Mass’s end, the Cadets formed a column through which the casket passed on its way down the Cathedral steps to the hearse. A heart wrenching sight to behold, a true representation of the brotherhood formed, of the bond that exists between BC brothers. A quarter of the class went to their classmate’s house after the funeral, and, later, a handful took him for a burger at Five Guys downtown. This Cadet returned to school and classes the very next day, as if things were normal. For him, they were – he was back among his brothers, his teachers - parents away from home to him, back among his family, right where he belongs. Should he falter, we’re right there to catch him, should he need comfort, our arms are wide open. It is an honor and a privilege to tell you this story, as it gives further meaning to, and is yet another example of, the spirit that is in the soul of the Benedictine Military School Family.

Board of Directors Officers Chairman: Mr. William E. Schmitt Vice Chairman: Mr. J. Marc Friday ‘78 Secretary/Treasurer: Mr. Jeffrey A. Iannone ‘87

Board of Directors Mr. Odilo Blanco ‘55 Rev. Robert E. Chaney ‘78 Mr. Joseph M. Gannam ‘77 Dr. Joseph K. Hogan ‘82 John E. Jaugstetter, Ph.D ‘55 Rev. Philip Kanfush, O.S.B. Rev. Michael J. Kavanaugh ‘76 Sister Johanna Maguire, R.S.M. Mr. Thomas J. Mahoney III ‘81 Dr. James W. Miller Hon. Mary Kathryn H. Moss Mr. Walter B. Murphy III ‘71 Mr. William W. Shearouse, Jr. ‘66 Sister Lourdes Sheehan, R.S.M. Mrs. Kathy H. Siler Rt. Rev. Placid D. Solari, O.S.B. Mr. Donald M. Thompson ‘65 Mr. O.C. Welch III ‘73 Dr. Edward J. Whelan III ‘71

May God blessings be upon Susan Jackson and her son, Jacob Geriner, now and always. May we all remember the meaning of “Thanksgiving”,

Deb Antosca, Principal

Letter from the Headmaster... Dear Friends of BC, First of all, I need to correct a mistake that I made in the last Banner; it was Patrick Eberwein who was the recipient of this year’s Lions Club, Hugh O’Brien Award for Leadership; my apologies to Patrick and his family and my congratulations for a distinction which was well deserved. My thanks go to Mr. Larry McDonald who pointed out my mistake. I must confess to mixed emotions during last Friday Night’s Senior Night event. How I hope that the memories of so many meets, games and practices will serve our seniors well in their years to come. I hope too that the moment itself was a deeply satisfying one for our senior cross-country runners, football players and cheerleaders. I can go back no further than their sophomore year and yet, I can readily say that they will be missed. I could only imagine how proud their parents must have been and what wonder they must have felt to have now come to this point. My appreciation for what they have done for BC and the commitment they made in order to make that contribution; it was great. My thanks too go out the coaches whose countless hours of practice gave our cadets and cheerleaders the confidence to tackle whatever came their way. I have to believe that far more than just technique was taught. These deeply committed men and women understood their role as the communicators of life lessons. Our cadets had the opportunity to hear from one who not so long before, sat in their seat and has since gone off to apply the lessons learned at BC on the world’s stage. Last week, SPC Kit Lowe related to our students his experience in Afghanistan and his role in saving another. His Purple Heart Medal, which he presented to the school, stood in eloquent testimony to what General Douglas MacArthur described as the “simplicity of true greatness”. Kit’s presentation of his medal to Dr. Antosca spoke to me of one brave soul communicating to another on terms that only they could truly appreciate. On Wednesday, the junior class, in an instant, displayed the meaning of brotherhood as they surrounded their classmate Jacob Geriner during his mother’s funeral. The testimony of their presence and Jacobs’ grateful response were eloquent beyond words. The prayers of the Benedictine community are requested for Mrs. Susan Jackson, Jacob and his family. Sincerely,

Fr. Frank

November Faculty and Staff Birthdays Carl Moore - 11/9 Dr. Antosca - 11/27

November Calendar 11/6 - Varsity Football @ Appling County - 7:30 11/8 - Cross County State Championships (Carrollton, GA) 11:30AM 11/9 - Student Fall Dance - 8:00PM - 11:00PM 11/11 - Veteran’s Day - HOLIDAY 11/13 - Sophomore Retreat 11/15 - BC Open House (2:00PM Program Start) 11/17 - School Mass 11/20 - BC Basketball @ South Effingham High School 5:30PM 11/21 - BC Wrestling - Groves Rebel Duals 9:00AM BC Basketball @ South Effingham High School 4:30PM 11/24 - BC Wrestling @ Appling County - 6:00PM 11/25-11/27 - Thanksgiving Holidays 11/25 - BC Wrestling @ South Effingham Duals - 9:00AM

THE 400. BE ONE. Don’t miss the BC Open House Sunday, November 15th. Program begins at 2:00 PM. Please contact Director of Admissions, Will Fleming at 912.644.6532 or [email protected] for more details.

8th Annual Grand Night in the Cathedral with Ole BC Benedictine Military School will present the 8th Grand Night in the Cathedral with Ole BC, on Sunday, 13 December 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. The concert will feature the BC Cadet Chorus and the Senior Class of 2010 directed by Dewain Smith, Ceremonial Brass directed by Robin Beauchamp, 13th Colony Sound Barbershop Chorus and the Savannah Storm Barbershop Youth Chorus directed by Jeremy Conover, the award winning quartet On Demand, and Timothy V. Hall playing the magnificent Cathedral organ. This concert is designed to help you get in the spirit of Christmas by enjoying and participating in the sounds of Christmas from a variety of musical genres. All of this for ticket price of $5.00. Tickets can be purchased at the Benedictine Military School Business Office (912-644-7006), beginning November 2, 2009.

JROTC Cadet of the Month Winners for October are: Cadet SGT Nick Mock, 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion. Cadet SGT Conrad Ezequiel Tebyanian-Haro, 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, D Company, 2nd Battalion. Cadet Ben Cannoles, 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, F Company, 3rd Battalion.

JROTC Squad of the Quarter Winners for 1st Quarter Are: 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion. Squad leader is Cadet CPL Thomas Mahoney. 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, D Company, 2nd Battalion. Squad Leader is Cadet CPL Bryce Bailey. 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, F Company, 3rd Battalion. Squad Leader is Cadet SGT Davis Remler.

Fr. Frank and Fr. Anthony Celebrate at the Pulaski Jubilee On October 9th, Fr. Frank and Fr. Anthony participated in a ceremony held at Ft. Pulaski in remembrance of the 230th anniversary of the mortal wounds received by Brigadier General “Count” Casimir Pulaski, “Father of the American Cavalry”, during the October 1779 Siege of Savannah and in observance of the 85th anniversary of the creation of Fort Pulaski as a National Monument by proclamation issued by President Calvin Coolidge. Fr. Frank and Fr. Anthony participated in the parade of flags of Pulaski’s life and legacy which included the United States, France, Haiti, UK, China, Poland, Ireland, Hungary, Greece and Germany.

A BC Hero Returns (cont. from cover) “What SPC. Lowe isn’t telling you is that he’s standing before you with 70 stitches and a bullet hole in his leg,” said Deborah Antosca, the school’s principal. “He can’t feel his right leg from the knee down. “And when he leaves Savannah today to go back to Walter Reed, he will undergo a painful surgery there to take the nerve out of his left leg and place it in his right leg.” Antosca tried to get her cadets to understand the gravity of Lowe’s war experience. She read the definition of “hero” from a tattered Webster’s Dictionary. She reminded them that just four years ago, Lowe sat among them. She noted he wasn’t BC Seniors Joey Friess and Howie Pavlo lead the Cadets in a round of The Fight Song talking big about his injuries, but rather about in honor of Spc. Lowe. a school-wide drive to collect supplies to send to the children of Afghanistan, many of whom don’t even have the tiniest pencil stub for school. It was an idea Lowe said Freeman had but never got to implement. And the import of the moment finally seemed to sink in, moments later, when Lowe presented the cadets and Antosca a rectangle-shaped box. “This is the only medal you never want to receive in the military, because it means you were a bullet-catcher,” Lowe said, as he opened the box to reveal the Purple Heart he received for his injuries. He has a matching medal back home. One given to him by Theresa Freeman, the slain Marine’s wife, as a thank you for Lowe’s efforts that day. Lowe said he can’t wait to get better, so he can go to college and become an officer in the Marine Corps. So he can honor Capt. Freeman’s memory. At that moment, the significance of Lowe’s sacrifice hit its mark. The cadets jumped to their feet and applauded. They honored Lowe with the school fight song. And a few lingered afterward, to meet the kind of man they hope to become.

A Generous Heart The year’s Canned Food Drive to benefit America’s Second Harvest Food Bank is $1,000 more successful due to the generous heart of BC Senior, Chip Reisman. During the summer, Chip an avid golfer, played in the Walmart First Tee Open and had the opportunity to apply for a Unilever Leadership Grant to benefit his local community. Chip chose to donate that check in a presentation held on October 22nd in front of the student body to America’s Second Harvest Food Bank. Congratulations and thank you to Chip for his generous spirit! Fr. Frank, Chip Reisman, Mary Jane Crouch, Director of America’s Second Harvest Food Bank and Mark Stroud.

The True Meaning of “SUCCESS” On October 27, 2009 BC Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, and Board Members, along with Hancock Day School middle school students, were treated to an awe inspiring presentation from Lt. Clebe McClary, USMC. After an introduction like no other from his wife Deanna, McClary, who described among other things, the strength and passion for life her husband has maintained, Lt. McClary arrived and took the stage in his dress Marine Corps uniform with one lost at the elbow, an eye patch and a commanding stage presence. From the first moment he began speaking, all eyes were riveted on him, a Vietnam Veteran, rattling off jokes about Clemson football intermixed with family anecdotes and, of course, the main reason for his visit, to impart his lessons learned to the Cadet student body. With his infectious laughter and his soothing South Carolina accent, Lt. McClary spent the majority of his hour long talk on the true meaning of “SUCCESS.” In a most entertaining way, Lt. McClary detailed “See, U you, Communicate, Commitment, Enthusiasm, Start, Sustain the Pace.” Sprinkled with serious discussions of his experience in Vietnam and how he lost an eye, his arm below the elbow and how he has come through 33 surgeries successfully with his faith in God and the love of his wife and family, Lt. McClary finished with several other acronyms he finds useful. “PIG” – Professionalism, Integrity, Guts. “PRIDE” – Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort. “BIONIC” – Believe It Or Not, I Care, and “FIDO” – Forget It and Drive On. After his presentation, Lt. McClary and his wife stayed on to sign copies of his book “Living Proof” and speak with the Cadets. For more information on Lt. McClary, visit www.clebemcclary.com.

Alumni Association Breaking Bread with Commissionees In honor of their recent achievement, the newly commissioned senior officers were treated to lunch on September 16th by the Benedictine Alumni Association. The lunch, catered by Barnes Restaurant and owner Hugh Barnes ’80, is part of an initiative for the Alumni Association to be more involved with the school and the student body. Paul Painter ’95, President-Elect of the Alumni Association, spoke to the seniors, reminiscing about his own Commissioning experience and how his participation in JROTC has influenced his life.

PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION Can you believe it’s that time of year -starting to think about the holidays!! I smile, but I also get that moment of panic. Every event is like that -so many things are coming and going. Take advantage of the moment...don’t put off another opportunity to volunteer. We have completed two events: the Tuition Raffle and Butter Braids. Thank you to Kathy Vaught, who led this year’s outstanding Tuition Raffle. Kathy and her crew made this tuition raffle the best ever-with a 41% increase from last year! Thank you for all of your hard work!! Thank you to Lisa Ganser, the chair of the Butter Braid fundraiser. This is a short but sweet event. Thank you all for taking advantage of this opportunity to order a tasty treat for yourself or as a gift! Just a reminder that the Second Annual “A Night in Ol’ BC” Auction is February 27th and if you would like to volunteer, you can e-mail Susanna Powers at [email protected] and Kim Fogarty at [email protected]. What’s coming up immediately...We are in need of chaperones for the Fall Dance- November 7th. Please call or e-mail Brigitte Rentiers if you can help: 484-4793 cell or [email protected]. We would like to thank you for the time and energy you put into your son’s school. These are the years that go by so quickly -take a chance and volunteer -you will be glad you did!! See you at the next event!! Brigitte Rentiers and Susanna Powers (Co-President) (Co-President)

DON’T MISS THIS YEAR’S AUCTION... SAVE THE DATE!

It’s Almost Time to Take it to the Hoop! Date Day Nov. 20 Fri Nov. 21 Sat. Dec. 5 Sat. Dec. 8 Tue. Dec. 11 Fri. Dec. 12 Sat. Dec. 15 Tue. Dec. 18 Fri. Dec. 19 Sat. Dec. 21 Mon. Dec 17-19 Dec. 29 Tue. Dec. 30 Wed. Jan. 8 Fri. Jan. 9 Sat. Jan. 12 Tue. Jan. 15 Fri. Jan. 16 Sat. Jan. 19 Tue. Jan. 22 Fri. Jan. 23 Sat. Jan. 26 Tue. Jan. 30 Sat. Feb. 5 Fri. Feb. 6 Sat. Feb. 12 Fri.

Opponent Brantley County Rockdale County Glynn Academy Long County Jeff Davis Pierce Co. Windsor Forest Calvary Day School Sav. Holiday Classic Sav. Holiday Classic BC JV Christmas Classic Sav. Country Day Effingham / Jenkins Brantley Co. Tattnall Co. Appling Co. Charlton Co. Brantley Co. McIntosh Co Long County Jeff Davis Pierce Co. Charlton Co. Tattnall Co Appling Co. McIntosh Co (Senior Night)

Place Fresh JV Varsity S. Effingham 5:30 S. Effingham 4:30 Glynn Academy 5:00 6:15 7:30 Ludowici, Ga 5:00 7:30 BC 5:00 6:30 BC 6:15 7:30 BC 5:00 6:15 7:30 Calvary TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD BC Check Brackets for time Effingham High 5:30 Effingham High TBD BC 6:15 7:30 Tattnall 4:15 7:30 Appling 5:30 7:30 Charlton 7:30 Brantley 8:00 McIntosh 4:30 7:30 BC 5:00 6:30 Jeff Davis 4:00 7:30 Pierce Co. 7:30 BC 7:30 BC 5:00 6:30 BC 6:15 7:30 BC 6:15 7:30

New Seats for Basketball Fans! When basketball season starts, BC fans will get a nice surprise in the form of new bleachers that have arrived in one of the home seating sections! The new section of bleachers comes complete with several insets for handicapped accessibility, hand rails, and an overall sense of security that the outdated wooden bleachers could not provide any longer. Thank you to the BCAA for their generous donation and hard work getting the bleacher project rolling. The completion of the bleacher project is dependent upon donations, so if you would like to contribute to the BC Gymnasium Bleacher Project, please contact Rick Saunders with the BCAA at 912.398.7359.

New bleachers in the gym, folded into the wall.

PTO Tuition Raffle Winners Announced 1st Prize $5,000 cash………………….L. Brady’69 2nd Prize $1,000 cash………………….B. Sharpley 3rd Prize $500 gas cards………………Judy Byers 4th Prize A Big New Desk! ……….....170 current and future students of Benedictine!

and: THE GRAND PRIZE! …………….. Win or Lose - the joy and satisfaction in joining with others in supporting the raffle that makes such good things happen for our school and our students. Congratulations and thanks to everyone - Faculty, Staff, Board, Students, Parents, Alumni and Friends that sold a ticket, bought a ticket, or in any way supported this year’s PTO Tuition Raffle. Good job! Together you raised $31,000 dollars that will benefit current and future BC students for years to come. CADETS PERFORMANCE REPORT: • WIN - Students were challenged to exceed the prior year’s accomplishment of 642 books sold - hanging in the balance was the prize of a Day Off from School. Their goal was set at 643 books. When it was over – the student body had sold over 800 books – and won a welldeserved day off from school! • WIN – Homeroom classes were challenged to become the homeroom with the highest equivalent ticket sales per student -hanging in the balance was a restaurant lunch-out for the entire homeroom. Chief Schaefer’s freshmen homeroom (A-2) obliterated the competition with sales equating to 4.84 books per student and will be missed by all in the cafeteria as they will be dining out for lunch in the near future! • WIN – This year, coinciding with the PTO Tuition Raffle, was an “In-House Raffle “where for each ticket book sold by a cadet he received an “in-house raffle ticket” that would be thrown into the pot for a random drawing at the end of each week of the month-long raffle. The prize was $100 cash- on -the spot. It was a win, win, win, win!! Week 1 – David Zambito Week 2 – Travis Tucker, Jr. Week 3 – Matt Shay Week 4 – T.J. Mahoney Outstanding job y’all – enjoy the desks!

Football, Hotdogs and Homecoming Queens, Oh My! BC SPIRIT!! BC SPIRIT!! Nothing less could be seen or heard by one walking the halls of BC during homecoming week this year. The cadets kicked off the week with collegiate spirit day, dressing up in their favorite college team’s apparel being the biggest fan they could. It was almost like living in Athens. The students also competed by homeroom in the Banner Drawing contest. If you never knew about the artistic side of BC, you should have seen some of these banners. They looked great. Winners were picked for each grade and were: Mrs. Gerry’s homeroom for freshmen, Mr. Horne’s homeroom for the sophomores, Mr. Blackston’s homeroom for juniors, and Mrs. Ganem’s room for seniors. Moving into Tuesday with spirits high the students faced character day with big smiles. They dressed up in costumes resembling superheroes, cartoon characters, animals, and the crowd favorite… mocking teachers. Costumes were judged in the gym just before the start of the War Ball Tournament. Of the best dressed were Lt. Dangle (Matt Shay), CW4 Schaefer (Tim Dotson), and Chris Turk (Derek Smith). Well, the War Ball Tourney put on by JROTC was a huge success once again. Headquarters proved to be the company to beat. Thursday found the boys decked out in all of their maroon and white for BC spirit day. Closing the day was yet another competition between homerooms and grade level…. touch football. The boys loved getting to play against their fellow classmates in the clash. Thursday night found teachers, students, parents, and alumni back at school for one awesome pep rally. The senior student council officers did a great job of planning the evening’s events and keeping the crowd’s interest and spirits high. Friday was homecoming T-shirt day where they wore their new or old homecoming T’s. We ended the week with the annual hotdog eating competition, where one individual from each homeroom is selected to eat as many hotdogs and buns as possible within three minutes time. This year’s champion, two years running, was Cinnegar White representing the A-6 Houligans. Closing out the Homecoming festivities was the annual Homecoming football game where at halftime the Homecoming Court was announced. This year’s 2nd runner up is Dria DeLoach, a Senior at St. Vincent’s. 1st runner up is Molly Regan, a Senior from St. Vincent’s and the 2009 Homecoming Queen is Alyssa Barnhill, a Senior from St. Vincent’s.

Freshman Retreat Every year, each grade level has the opportunity to participate in a grade appropriate retreat led by the Campus Ministry Department and Fr. Ronald Gatman, O.S.B. the Campus Minister. This year the Freshmen Retreat took place in the BC Gymnasium where the Fr. Ronald performed a Mass specifically for the Freshmen. After Mass, Chris “Pig” Phillips ’79, father of Will Phillips of the Class of 2013, gave a presentation on what a Benedictine education truly means and recounted some of his favorite memories from his time at BC. As a special treat, the Class of 2013 feasted on a lunch provided by Spanky’s thanks to David Silverman and the Alumni Association.

Class of 2013!

The Cadet Shop Time is flying by....before you know it the holidays will be here! Please keep the Cadet Shop in mind for your Christmas shopping! We have new items that will make great gifts for everyone. We just received ladies pink baseball caps, beautiful maroon Christmas ornaments, maroon skullies for the cold weather, hoodies and children’s t-shirts in white. We also have 3ft X 5ft maroon flags and umbrellas and beach towels are on the on the way (just in time for summer!). Remember that all monies go right back to the school. Also, don’t forget to check us out on www.thebc400.com at the “Cadet Shop” link! Thanks for your support--call for special appointment times-644-7018/644-7000 Betty Shay Paula Summerlin

Congratulations to Ricky Mcallaster for being selected as a member of Team Palmetto, the select traveling South Carolina Lacrosse team. Look for Ricky to be a part of the new BC Lacrosse Team this year!! For more information on Team Palmetto visit www.teampalmettosc.com.

GOAL Scholarship Deadline Extended The opportunity to make a no cost donation to the GOAL Scholarship Program has been extended. The Georgia Department of Revenue (DOR) has informed us that the November 1 deadline for submitting the IT-QEE-TP1 pre-approval forms to the DOR was only intended to be a recommendation to facilitate the timely processing of these forms. Thus, the DOR is waiving the November 1 filing deadline and will accept pre-approval forms filed after that date. However, the deadline remains in effect requiring taxpayers to have their contributions to GOAL postmarked by December 31, 2009. The DOR has indicated that it will do its best to process TP1 Forms on a timely basis; however, the sooner that taxpayers submit these forms the better. GOAL donations are deductible as charitable contributions on the taxpayer’s federal return. For Georgia income tax purposes, the GOAL donation is returned to the donor with a dollar for dollar tax credit. This credit reduces the donors’ Georgia income tax liability by an amount equal to the donation amount. Limits for GOAL donations are:

$1,000 for single filers $1,250 for married filing separately $2,500 for married filing jointly 75% of the Georgia income tax liability for C Corporations

Please contact John Boyle at [email protected] or (912) 644-7017 for additional information on making this donation to Benedictine.

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You...BC LIVE! New to www.thebc400.com is a tab on the left hand side of the site that says “BC Live.” Here’s your opportunity to see events such as student assemblies, honor ceremonies, cross country races and other events that are going on around the BC campus that you may not otherwise get the chance to see. The events will be “live” streamed to your computer at a specific time and date, no events will be catalogued on the site. Don’t miss the first BC Live event, the Cross County State Competition which will be broadcast on Sunday, November 8th at 7:00PM. Just click on the “BC Live” tab on the left hand side of the website and it should begin immediately! A schedule of upcoming BC Live events will be posted on the “BC Live” tab on the website. For any questions concerning BC Live, please contact Fr. Anthony Wesolowski, O.S.B (912.644.6500).

Written by: Jan Rogers and Larry McDonald

GUIDANCE

exchange club student of the month for october Congratulations to Matthew Shay for being selected as the October Exchange Club of Savannah, Student of the Month. On October 19, 2009, Matthew and his parents, Betty and Rick were invited to the monthly luncheon meeting of The Exchange Club of Savannah to receive his award. During the meeting, Matthew had an opportunity to speak to the Exchange Club members about what receiving the award means. Freshman/Sophomore News Freshman and sophomore teachers are in the process of meeting with parents regarding grades for the first quarter. Parents are advised to contact the guidance office @ 644-7010 for scheduling meetings with teachers regarding grades of their students. Students with three or more failures will have counselor conferences, and the parents will be called to schedule teacher conferences. These conference topics will include grade and/or discipline issues. Most grade issues involve students not giving enough time for study outside of school. A set time for study and review of homework and class work is a necessity for students, once they leave school. Having a time and place for uninterrupted work is important for building good study habits for college and for reinforcing class work at BC. Parents are reminded that the first and second quarter grades are averaged for a first semester report that is incorporated into the transcript that is sent to college for initial entrance. The semester grades are part of the official transcript from our school.

Please Note as of October 1st the Guidance Counselors will be operating on an alternative schedule. Jan Rogers will be in the office on Mondays and Wednesdys while Larry McDonald will be in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both will alternate Fridays. The Guidance Department can be reached at 912.644.7011 or 912.644.7010.

BC Basketball

Fan Fest Friday, November 13th 8:00 PM BC Gym Come see the players in action at the BC version of “Midnight Madness” Don’t miss: *Inter-squad scrimmage *3 Point Shooting Contest *Slam Dunk Contest and your first chance to join HELTON’S HOULIGANS for more details contact jason helton at 912.644.6520

Campus Ministry By: Fr. Ronald Gatman, O.S.B. - Campus Minister I AM A BOW IN YOUR HANDS LORD The Greek writer, Nikos Kazantzakis, wrote an autobiographical novel titled: “Report to Greco.” In the pages immediately preceding the main text he presented three brief sentences which have stayed with me over the years. He said, “I am a bow in your hands Lord, draw me lest I rot. Do not overdraw me Lord, or I shall break. Overdraw me Lord, and who cares if I break.” These three short sentences capture our relationship with the Divine that we have all probably experienced at one time or another. The First: “I am a bow in your hands Lord, draw me lest I rot.” From time to time in our lives for longer or shorter periods of time we all become stagnant, unproductive, and inert. Life proceeds along at an easy routine pace, we coast. We become comfortable with the lowest common denominator, our efforts at work or at home become minimal. We just exist. We are not using our God-given talents to the full. Certainly we all need our proper rest, but God does not want us to go to pot. (No pun intended). Jesus made this clear when he stated his mission to his disciples. He said, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.” Christ demands the very best that we have to give. He calls upon us to use the gifts that he has bestowed upon us. He calls us to strive for excellence. The root meaning of ‘excellence’ is to move away from where you are, meaning to continually grow and improve your lives every day. Above all in the end it means to draw closer to God, the source of our life and of eternal life. But how do we exercise our potential to the fullest and develop into a well-rounded, balanced, and wholesome person, in other words, become holy? Jesus gives us the answer. He tells us that we must serve the needs of others. It is only by going outside ourselves that we truly become our best self. When we serve the needs of others out of our love for God we become truly alive since we are dying to ourselves and living for others. This is the key to peace and joy and happiness that Jesus revealed to us through his service to others and especially in his sharing of himself in the Eucharist and his death on the cross. May we all imitate our Lord Jesus Christ and live. “Draw me Lord, lest I rot.” The Second: “Do not overdraw me Lord, or I shall break.” Years ago a spiritual writer, Rudolf Otto,described our condition when we are in the presence of God as one that is: “Mysterium tremdum et fascinans,” meaning that we are at one and the same time both drawn toward God and repelled by Him. We are drawn toward Him because we are attracted by His goodness and love, but we are repelled by Him because we fear his almighty power. We are like a moth which is drawn to the light of a candle, but fear to come too close lest we burn up. We know that our God is a demanding God and that He desires to see us become perfect. He wants to get everything out of us that He can, and He does this for our own good, not His. As followers of Christ we want to surrender ourselves to the will of the Almighty Father. We want Him to take us and do with us what He wills. Yet at the same time we are afraid that if we give ourselves totally to God and leave ourselves behind we will be led into the unknown, the unfamiliar, and this frightens us. And in fact we are unable on our own to give ourselves totally to God unless we are aided by faith in Him. This is the only thing that permitted Abraham to say, Yes, to God when God told him that He wanted Abraham at the age of 75 to leave his homeland and family and go off into an unknown land that He would show him.

Campus Ministry It couldn’t have happened otherwise because we are attached to our finiteness, we are mortal, and want to save our lives. Here again we see one of the profound spiritual insights that Jesus shared with his disciples. He tells them, “Whoever saves his life, (that is, clutches it, holds on to it for dear life), will lose it. While he who loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will find (save) it.” Although we know that Christ spoke the truth often we still hold back, we don’t give our all to God. We are afraid that “we will break.” We must pray always, Lord, send your Holy Spirit to us to strengthen us and give us the courage to do whatever You will on earth, as it is done in heaven. The Third: “Overdraw me Lord, and who cares if I break.” Finally, what would happen to us if we did give ourselves over completely to God’s will and do what He asks? Would we ‘break’? Would we be destroyed as the moth in the flame? I think not. Certainly we would suffer,because if we enter into the fire of the Holy Spirit we will be cleansed and transformed like the Scripture says happens when gold is tested in fire. The dross is burned away and the gold becomes pure. The famous Trappist monk, Thomas Merton,said, “He who gets involved with the Holy Spirit gets involved with death.” One must die to self in order to live. This must be understood in light of the words spoken at a Mass of Christian Burial in the Catholic Church, “for your faithful Lord, life is changed not ended.” It is only through the process of death that things are transformed, whether this be in smaller matters such as dying to hateful anger, or relinquishing the hold that things have on us, or in the great exodus to the heavenly kingdom at the end of life here on earth. Death to self in this life which leads to everlasting life as I see it,is like the scene in the Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Scriptures, where Moses is on Mt. Sinai and he encounters a bush that is on fire but is not consumed by the fire because it is the Fire of God that transforms and raises us to new life. This same image in its exalted form is found in the scene of Jesus dying on the cross, where he passes over from death to LIFE. A thing to consider when pondering over this last statement about being overdrawn and breaking is the words of Scripture that tell us that God will not let us be tested beyond our limits, but with every testing He provides a way out. This holds true even for the death of our mortal selves. At the hour of death a door opens for us. And when that door opens we find Christ standing before us welcoming us. Remember Jesus said, Here I am standing at the door and knocking. Whoever opens to me I will enter in and we will sit down and have supper together. (paraphrase) A final plea. Lord God, overdraw me each and every day, that I may break away from my selfish self and live in the light of Christ, that holy light in which we experience the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. Amen.

New Materials Available in the Media Center Fiction F Bra

Fahrenheit 451 (3)



Bradbury, Ray

F Bro

The Lost Symbol

F Doy

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume I (3)

Doyle, Arthur Conan

F Fit

Babylon Revisited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott

F Fra

Cold Mountain

F Haw

The Scarlet Letter (3)

F Hem

The Old Man and the Sea (3)

F Hur

Their Eyes Were Watching God (3)



Brown, Dan

(3)



Frazier, Charles



Hawthorne, Nathaniel



Hemingway, Ernest



Hurston, Zora Neale

F Lon

The Call of the Wild

F Mel

Moby-Dick (2)

F Oco

A Good Man Is Hard to Find (2)



O’Connor, Flannery

812 Wil

The Glass Menagerie (2)



Williams, Tennessee

F Rem

All Quiet on the Western Front (2)

822.3 Sha

Hamlet (3)

F Ste

The Grapes of Wrath

F Wil

The Picture of Dorian Gray (3)



London, Jack



Melville, Herman



Remarque, Erich Maria



Shakespeare, William



Steinbeck, John



Wilde, Oscar

Nonfiction 921 Bak

Growing Up

DVD DVD 217

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (133min.)



Baker, Russell

Join us for the inaugural

Coach Harry Deal Classic Sunday November 8th Hunter Army Airfield Golf Course Shotgun start at 12:30 ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ

The tournament is an 18-hole, Father/Son* two man scramble. Entry fee is $100 per team. Mulligans will be sold for $10 with a limit of 5 per team. Hole Sponsorship $100 All proceeds will go to fund the golf team with items such as: Shirts, Tournament Entry Fees, Gas, Lodging, etc.

Names_______________________________________________________ Phone Number_________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________ E-mail_______________________________________________________ Please send your entry fee and the info above to: Chip Reisman 103 Winterberry Drive Savannah, GA 31406 912.355.6591 [email protected] Entry deadline is October 31st or the 1st 64 teams. Entries may be mailed to the address above or brought directly to BC with attention to Chip Reisman. You may request two teams to play with and we will do our best to accommodate one of these requests:

_____________________________________________________________ If you are not able to play in the tournament but would still like to make a donation to the BC Golf team, please contact Doug Willett, Head Golf Coach (912.644.7000).