Bc Savannah Banner August 09

BENEDICTINE 1902

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

The Banner

Leaders are Made.

I Am One. For nearly a year, prospective students have been encouraged to “BE ONE.” Of course, this related to “THE 400” marketing campaign that was rolled out last September. On August 7th, over eighty incoming freshmen participated in the Freshmen Orientation program and received t-shirts that stated “I AM ONE.” The program was designed to help the students get acquainted with their new surroundings, as well as their new classmates. After lunch, the freshmen were taught the BC Fight Song, with the help of senior leaders Matt Shay, Jason Zettler, Nick Wright, Josh Whelan and Joey Friess. The freshmen were then divided into their homerooms and given valuable information to make their transition to BC a smooth one. The highlight of the program was the War Ball tournament amongst the four freshmen homerooms. Led by Coach Helton, Homeroom C-2 claimed the championship trophy. It was a fun day, however not all freshmen were able to participate. Due to the opportunity to enroll more students under the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, BC will be adding more students to the freshmen class just in time for the start of school. The Class of 2013 is expected to have over ninety Cadets once school starts! Written by: Will Fleming ‘01, Director of Admissions

August 2009

Letter from the Principal... Dear Benedictine Family, It seems like yesterday I was wishing you all a wonderful summer, and here we are at the beginning of a new academics year! My thanks to our staff who worked through the summer bringing closure to some tasks, continuing others, and preparing for this new year. The faculty returned for our first day of Pre-Planning activities on August 6th. It was nice to see everyone greeting one another, sharing summer stories, “talking shop” and doing all that is necessary to be ready for the return of our students on August 13th. There is truly so much more to being a teacher than most folks know. As a young teacher many, many (many, many!) years ago, it used to bother me when folks in other professions would say things like, “Teachers have it so easy. You’re off all summer and you get all those vacations.” Not that these aren’t facts, but in my mind I always said, “You think it’s so easy to have 100 kids in front of you all day, standing all alone in front of them while they wait (or not!) for you to teach them something, with all their different personalities and characters, ability levels and….”. I could go on and on. I do know there is no more noble and rewarding vocation than that of being a teacher. Those of us who, as eighteen-year-olds, head off to college with the intent of being a teacher know what I mean. When you choose education as your major, you have made a decision that will impact thousands of young lives in their course of your career. I would like to publicly thank our faculty for all they are and all they do. I have never worked with a finer, more dedicated group of professionals. We welcome three new faculty members to our family this year. Jacob Horne will be in our Social Studies Department, Ana Gerry joins our Mathematics Department, and Shelly Roberts, in January, will be teaching Latin in our Foreign Language Department. Each is most qualified to be with and will do a wonderful job with our Cadets. When you meet them, you’ll agree. I am also pleased and proud to introduce you to our two new administrators. Mark Stroud has been appointed Assistant Principal for Student Affairs and Instruction and Fr. Anthony Wesolowski will be our Assistant to the Principal for Instructional Technology and Academic Research. I look forward to an exemplary administrative team serving our faculty and students.

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 E. Schmitt

As important as all of the above is, nothing is more notable that our Cadets coming to Registration on Friday, August 7th. The seniors had their Senior Breakfast while the Juniors registered, followed by the registration of seniors, then the sophomores and, finally, the freshmen. You’d have chuckled as we did to see some of the boys shaving and trimming one another’s hair in the parking lot. They know what to do! Our freshmen had their Orientation that afternoon, getting to know one another, learning and having fun at the same time.

Mr. William W. Shearouse, Jr. ‘66

Our first day of school is Thursday, August 13th and thus begins “The Year of BC Family”. May this be the best year yet for us all.

Mr. O.C. Welch III ‘73

Sister Lourdes Sheehan, R.S.M. Mrs. Kathy H. Siler Rt. Rev. Placid D. Solari, O.S.B. Mr. Donald M. Thompson ‘65 Dr. Edward J. Whelan III ‘71

Warm regards, Deborah A. Antosca, Ed.D. Principal The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

Letter from the Headmaster... I have the sense that I am writing to the many of the most committed people that I am likely to meet. In spite of the economic times, BC parents and alumni have reserved the means to continue to support our school to an unprecedented degree. I can’t begin to imagine what sacrifices so many of you have made in order to continue that effort. During the past year you allowed us to have our most successful Annual Fund drive and Auction, ever. Thanks to your sacrifices and the great efforts of our Annual Fund Coordinator, Greg Markiton, his tri-chairs, Don Thompson, Henry Hall and Bill Shearouse their captains, enrollers and callers BC realized over $300,000. The same was true for our Auction. Under the leadership of Maria Oxnard and Dianne Plunk the Auction raised over $80,000 for the school; again, a new fund raising height was reached. In both cases, these impressive results were all the more appreciated when seen in the light of the economic times. I cannot thank you enough. I just heard that the Vic Mell/Jim Walsh Golf Tournament had a capacity number of teams register for the event. My thanks to go out to Gene Hahne, Harry South, Jimmy Rourke, and John Mell for their great efforts in organizing this event which so greatly supports our students. As most of you have long known, we will begin our school year without one of our Icons, Coach Harry Deal. It won’t be the same not having Coach inviting himself into offices, calling sponsors for the football program, or waiting on the sidelines for the game to begin, Coach was a fixture here and he will be greatly missed. He helped to make BC what it is. May he rest in peace. As we usher in the new school year I am enormously grateful to the many who in their own way made BC possible for another generation of students. Thank you for all that you have done. Sincerely,

Fr. Frank, O.S.B. Headmaster



August Faculty and Staff Birthdays Buddy Vars - 8/6 Joe Tvrdy - 8/13 Pam Veiock - 8/25

Tentative 2009-2010 Calendar - Updated 8.3.09 August 6, 7,10,11,12 August 13 August 14 August 15 September 7 September 10 September 12 September 16 September 19 October 5,6 October 9 October 12 October 14 October 15 October 16 November 11 November 18 November 25-27 December 15 December 15, 16, 17, 18 December 18 December 22 – January 4 January 4 January 18 February 5 February 12 February 15 February 25 March 12 March 17 March 18 April 1 April 2 April 5-9 April 12 April 17 April 23 April 25 May 3-14 May 4 May 10, 11, 12 May 11 May 13 May 14 May 16 May 24-27 May 28 – June 4 May 31

Faculty Pre-planning Days First day of school for students – ½ day Vic Mell/Jim Walsh - Football 101 for Women Football Scrimmage vs. Jenkins Labor Day (Holiday) Meet the Teachers Night Commissioning Mid-quarter Ft. Stewart Band (Special Schedule) Savannah Academy Day Georgia Finance Commission Homecoming / Senior Night Columbus Day (Holiday) Terra Nova Part I – Seniors PSAT – Sophomores & Juniors Freshmen Retreat Terra Nova Part II Seniors, Part I Sophomores ASVAB – Juniors Freshmen Retreat End 1st quarter Veteran’s Day (Holiday) Mid-quarter Thanksgiving Holidays Financial Aid Day Semester Exams End 1st semester Christmas Holidays Faculty and Students return Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Holiday) Mid-quarter International Day Presidents’ Day (Holiday) Regional Formal Inspection (RFI) End 3rd quarter St. Patrick’s Day BC Holiday Holy Thursday - Holiday Good Friday - Holiday Spring Break (Holidays) Classes resume Prom Mid-quarter Mother / Son Dance AP EXAM dates Honors Day Senior Exams Senior Review Senior Dinner Senior Inspection Graduation Rehearsal 9:00 AM Graduation – 3:30 PM Underclassmen Final Exams End 4th quarter End 2nd semester Faculty Post- Planning Days Memorial Day (Holiday)

The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

JROTC - Camp Blue Heron This summer, the Benedictine Cadets fell into formation and attended Camp Blue Heron for military camp. Each day, Cadets woke up early and participated in P.T. After exercises, they ate breakfast and prepared for the upcoming challenges of the day. Each challenge was accomplished at a steady pace set by the cadre members, in preparation of the Blue Heron Challenge. The Blue Heron challenge takes place on the last day of camp. It is a race between the three companies for the Honor Company Award. In order to complete the Blue Heron Challenge, each company takes the knowledge and skill they have learned from the past week and uses it in the competition. The Blue Heron Challenge consists of various tasks that have to be successfully completed by your team’s effort and determination relative to the obstacle ahead. These tasks include: Rope Bridge, High Copes, Low Copes, Drown Proofing and Land Navigation Construction. First Aid, Liter Carry, and the Road March are the most physically demanding, and require the most teamwork for the cadre to observe. This military camp taught cadets how to use learned skills, teamwork and develop strategic operational relationships with cadets from surrounding area schools. The cadre members that represented Benedictine were: LTC Owens, CW4 Schaefer, CW3 Carl, and MSG Osorio. There were three returning cadets that helped assist MSG Osorio in the First Aid and Liter Carry: Jason Zettler, Tucker Stewart and Asa Anderson. Benedictine’s Conrad Tebyanian-Haro got the distinguished honorary cadet award for his company. -- Written by Asa Anderson, Senior

“You Get the Best of Both Worlds” Starting July 20th and continuing through July 24th the BC campus was inundated with something we don’t see very often around here, 140 girls ages 4 to 11 who were attending this year’s BC Mini Cheer Camp led by the BC Cheerleaders. This year’s cheerleading team is led by Seniors Alyssa Barnhill (Captain), Dria DeLoach, and Meg Massey. Returning Juniors are: Victoria McCuen (Co-Captain) and Toni Gallo. And new to the team this year are Sophomores Willa Bouy, Hannah Kicklighter, Hayle Mathis, Megan Mowers, Emily O’Connor, Jordan Spivey, and Katelyn Whelan. The theme of camp was the popular Disney character Hannah Montana played by Miley Cyrus. In fact, this year’s theme statement was “You Get the Best of Both Worlds at BC Mini Camp” and boy did attendees ever! Girls were treated to a week worth of learning cheers, chants, dances and jumps culminating in an exhibition for their parents held on Friday. Participants came from all over Chatham County and included teams from St. Peter the Apostle, Hancock Day School, and St. James. The BC Cheerleaders would like to thank each of the girls who attended and hope that we see everyone at next year’s camp! The BC Cheerleaders not only held camp this year, but attended a Universal Cheerleading Association camp as well. The Cheerleaders spent a jam packed two days learning new cheers, chants and dances and came away from camp being named a Superior Squad for the second year in a row!

The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

2009 Football Outlook

Written by : Mark Stroud ‘85

The 2009 Cadet Football Team has been hard at work during the summer off season lifting weights and participating in throwing drills with local high schools. The coaching staff, while looking much the same has a new leader in Mark Stroud ’85. Formerly the Defensive Coordinator, Coach Stroud steps up to the Head Coach position this year and is eager to make his mark. The offense this season will be different than teams in the past as the Cadets will open up the offense by getting their playmakers the ball more while relying on the Super 11 pick John Williams to bolster the run game. Alex Hunt is back to lead the wide open offense at QB while having playmakers in Michael Summers, Howie Pavlo and Joey Friess. The defense will rely on the experience of Matthew Shay (28 starts) to lead them throughout the year. The defense will be multiple to counter the different sets they will see throughout the season. The strength of the defense will be the front seven, and look for the strength of the senior returners: Andrew Johnson, Colin Oxnard, Ira Jones and Taylor Robinson to add considerably. The kicking game will also be strong as Luke Boyd and James Deal will share the field goals and kickoff duties, while Alex Hunt will return as the punter. GO CADETS!

Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House has designated October 12th as BC Family Night Here’s your chance to eat a great meal and support BC at the same time! On October 12th, head into Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House and let your server know that you are a BC supporter and 25% of your payment will be donated back to Benedictine. The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION Welcome to the returning and the “new” students. We look forward to a very exciting year as your PTO Presidents. Our goal is to bring Benedictine to a higher level of communication and participation. We need all of you (parents & students) to help in this process. Without you, our school would be the ordinary...we are the “extra-ordinary”! We feel privileged to have people with such energy and dedication that have dedicated their time to the PTO. We have so much confidence the PTO Officers / support team. We would like to introduce you to the officers for this years’ PTO: Secretary: Barbara Hook Treasurer: Carolyn Diaz The PTO is here to make the “connection”! Please join us in any capacity this year. If you missed our table at registration don’t worry, you can contact us or any of the officers and we would be glad to discuss volunteer opportunities! Brigitte Rentiers and Susanna Powers PTO President CO- PTO President

The BC Cadet Shop Come visit the Cadet Shop! The Cadet Shop has all of your clothing and accessory needs to put you in the BC spirit including PE uniforms, string bags, gym bags as well as BC spirit wear! Remember, all proceeds from The Cadet Shop go back into the school. We look forward to seeing you! The Cadet Shop will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30-8:30am during the school year and open the first week of school everyday from 7:30-8:30am. The Cadet Shop plans to expand store hours this school year and are always available by appointment. Drop by, the ladies of The Cadet Shop look forward to meeting you! Please call Betty Shay (691-5729) or Paula Summerlin (352-4543) for additional information. The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

Exploring the Galapagos Islands A typical summer vacation for most of us probably includes a trip to Florida, or for the lucky ones, a trip to Europe, some shopping, some beach time…how many of us entertain the idea of spending eleven days traveling and exploring the archipelago known as the Galapagos Islands? Well for one of our distinguished faculty members, Brennan Lemieux ’01 (Biology), that idyllic dream became a reality during the month of May 2009. Mr. Lemieux was originally presented with the opportunity to travel to the Galapagos Islands during his studies in the Masters of Biology program at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA. It was at Georgia College where Mr. Lemieux met and worked with Dr. Kenneth Saladin who invited him to participate in the excursion. The trip began with 2 nights spent in Quito, Ecuador which included a trip to the Cotopaxi National Park to see the world’s tallest active volcano. After the visit to Quito, the excursion group flew 600 miles west to the Galapagos Islands where they boarded an 85ft. yacht which consisted of 3 decks and a crew of 5. The group, made up of college professors Mr. Lemieux and his traveling companions tried on from Georgia College and current Masters Program students traveled to empty tortoise shells to see what life is like for the eleven islands studying biological elements and animals, participated Galapagos tortoise. in snorkeling adventures, and visited, among many places, Pinnacle Rock. Pinnacle Rock is home to aquatic life such as sea lions and penguins…yes, penguins. The Galapagos penguins were brought to the Galapagos Islands via the Humbodlt Current which brings cold waters and nutrients north from Antarctica. Through the vast experiences provided to Mr. Lemieux through this trip, he says that his favorite part was “getting to experience the biological diversity found only on the Galapagos Island archipelago. This diversity is unlike that you can experience anywhere else in Mr. Lemiuex pictured with a group of Galapagos the world.” Mr. Lemieux sea lions found on Sante Fe Island. looks forward to bringing the experiences and knowledge that he gathered while on his trip back to his students in the form of his Biology classes this school year. As if traveling to the Galapagos Islands this summer weren’t enough, Mr. Lemieux also spent a great deal of time reworking his thesis and performing additional research to get it ready for publication. This process includes putting together new information on a species of aquatic beetles that had previously not been described. Look for Mr. Lemieux’s thesis research to be published sometime next year.

The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

One of 12,000 breeding pairs of Waved Albatrosses found on Espanola Island. These birds mate for life, so they find each other year after year to produce only one egg person season.

Only 194 Days Until A Night in Ol’ BC!

Save The Date!

A Night In Ol’ BC

February 27, 2010 The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

Written by: Jan Rogers and Larry McDonald

GUIDANCE

BC SAT “Top Gun” Display There is a new student recognition display located in the hallway in front of the BC Guidance office. This display recognizes students from the class of 2009 and thereafter by their SAT scores. Scores are determined by adding the Critical Reading plus Mathematics scores from a single sitting of an SAT test. The highest possible score is: CR (800) + Mathematics (800) for a total of 1600. The scores are arranged as follows: 1300 Club, 1400 Club, and the 1500 Club. The highest score achieved is labeled “Top Gun” and is displayed at the top. At present, Andrew Whelan holds the “Top Gun” spot. Three individuals from the Class of 2009 have qualified for the display. They are (in alpha order): Pearson Beasley, Brian Haggerty, and Kevin Lewis. To date, six individuals have qualified from the Class of 2010. They are (again, in alpha order): Phillip Conlee, Joseph Friess, Ryan Salmon, Will Summerlin, Andrew Whelan, and Josh Whelan. Congratulations to all!! Good Luck to all future “top guns”!

A New BC Tradition

Written by :Carl Moore

In an effort to constantly broaden our offerings, both academic and athletic, BC announced at the end of last year a new tradition that is set to begin in the spring. BC Lacrosse. In preparation for the season, in July, three cadets, Scott Mowers, Robert Crider and Jake Adair participated in the USMA Lacrosse Skills Clinic at West Point. Together they racked up several awards and accolades: Scott Mowers was named Best Attack with 29 points and an equal number of assists, Jake Adair was named Most Improved, with 15 points and Bobby Crider scored 10 points while attending the camp. These camp performances definitely set the stage in a positive light for our upcoming Lacrosse season. Give these cadets a “high five” when you see them and remember to support them during our football and lacrosse seasons. GO CADETS!!!

The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

BC is Reaching for the GOAL! A recent $600,000 donation to BC’s GOAL (Greater Opportunities for Access to Learning) from an anonymous benefactor is providing at least 15 public high school students the opportunity to attend the private school for up to four years. This appears to be the largest donation to date in this area as part of Georgia’s relatively new school choice program venture. “We are honored to receive such a generous donation and are actively seeking students who meet the eligibility criteria so that they can attend our school beginning this school year,” Pam Veiock, BC’s Director of Marketing & Public Relations said. “This extremely generous donation will provide many benefits to prospective students, the school and the community. The 15 students that meet the program’s eligibility criteria will also benefit from help with school tuition and fees. And, in conjunction with the GOAL program, additional aid may be available from the Benedictine Financial Aid Department.” “This is a win-win-win for scholarship recipients, private schools such as BC and Georgia taxpayers,” Veiock added. “Our BC parents, alumni and corporate supporters love the idea of being able to re-direct some of their Georgia income taxes to such a worthwhile scholarship program.” Students eligible for GOAL must currently be enrolled in Georgia public schools. It is recommended that their parents’ combined income not exceed $88,000 annually in order to receive funding (no more than 85%) towards private school tuition and fees. A student cannot enroll in a private school until they have received GOAL approval. The GOAL program is funded by Georgia individual and corporate taxpayer contributions to qualified student scholarship organizations (SSO). BC recently became involved with the GOAL program and the $600,000 marks its first major GOAL donation. A 2008 Georgia law now allows Georgia taxpayers to receive Georgia tax credits for their contributions to SSOs. Individual taxpayers can receive a Georgia income tax credit for contributions of up to $1,000; married couples can contribute up to $2,500 and receive a corresponding tax credit. “C” corporations may contribute up to 75% of their Georgia income tax liability and receive a corresponding Georgia income tax credit. In all cases, a Federal charitable income tax deduction is available. Benedictine is especially excited about participation in the GOAL Scholarship Program because since there are now funds that can be specifically allocated to public school students through the GOAL program, it allows for funds that would be used from the Benedictine Financial Aid account to be available for Catholic school students. In a sense, all Benedictine students benefit from the GOAL Scholarship program! To learn more about BC’s GOAL program or to make a donation please visit www.thebc400.com or read additional information about GOAL at www.goalscholarship.org.

Save the Date! BC Christmas Concert at the Cathedral December 13, 2009 The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

Campus Ministry By: Fr. Ronald Gatman, O.S.B. - Campus Minister “NOT A WEED” Recently, Dr. Antosca has chosen as the theme for this coming school year, “The Year of the BC Family”. I would like to take a moment and reflect upon the meaning of family, at least as I understand it from my upbringing. My mother and father were married for some 48 years. They brought into this world four children, my two brothers, my sister, and myself. We lived in a small cottage in a place called Latonia, Kentucky. My father worked at a number of jobs throughout the years as we grew up, as did my mother. My brothers and my sister and I attended 9th District School in Latonia, which went to the 6th grade (later to the 7th or 8th grade I believe). After the sixth grade we ‘boys’ went to Holmes High School in Covington, Ky. which had classes from the 7th grade to the 12th inclusive. I graduated from that school in 1961, so by now, if you don’t know already, I am an “old coot”. My sister was sent to our parish high school, Holy Cross High School, and graduated from there. We grew up in a family where there were arguments between my father and mother, between the kids and our parents, and between the children themselves. Arguing among ourselves was not a problem, we did it, it passed away, and we went on. It wasn’t a problem because our family was rooted in care and concern for one another, we loved each other. We didn’t have everything that we wanted, but we had everything that we needed. We criticized each other if we felt that one or the other was doing something wrong. We were taught to be honest, not to lie, and to help one another. We worked and played with one another and our neighbors and relatives. In short, we had a good life. It was only many years later after I grew up that I learned, as I have related to some, that we were “poor”. I was surprised to hear that, it never crossed my mind. We had a wonderful life, loving and supporting one another. Yes we had our faults as all families do, but we saw that as just a part of the package that we call life. You go through things, you take your knocks, but you never let it get you down, you maintain a positive attitude, because the world is good. God himself, attested to this fact at the end of His creation when He looked around at all that He had made and saw that it was “very good.” BC is a family. It contains many of the elements that are found in my own family. It has father figures, mother figures, and the young men who attend it form a band of brothers, who always get along with each other perfectly well. (Sure.) In my own family we studied, we learned, and we grew into adults who were able to make our way in the world. It is the same with the BC family. There are ups and downs, but the overall thrust is to become more, to grow and to develop into a wholesome and balanced person. And this does not go just for the students but for everyone involved, faculty, staff, parents. When your family joins our BC family it will experience ‘growing pains’. That is because when a person is growing they are shedding the old self and becoming something new, and that shedding is painful at times. What is stripped away is the old selfish, self-centered self, the loss of which hurts, but at the same time they are acquiring a sense of community with its attendant demands upon the person for service to it. And the interesting thing about a family, if it is a true family in the best sense of the word, is that there is “not a weed” in it, only flowers in various stages of blooming. None of us is a weed, none of us is unwanted, all are people of value and importance. It couldn’t be otherwise, since God made all of us, and The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009

Campus Ministry found us ‘very good’. Sometimes people don’t recognize the worth of others and they go around uprooting or mowing down those that they perceive as ‘undesirable’. This idea was brought home to me this summer when I went to our Benedictine motherhouse, St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa. In addition to the paid grounds keepers, various monks tend to areas of the landscape. Fr. Fred, our Vocation Director, looks after flowers that grow between our basilica and the St. Gregory Chapel. Near a side entrance to the church I noticed a plant that was newly imbedded. It had a sign alongside it that simply said, “Not a Weed”. One day Fred was out working in his ‘garden’ and I commented upon the sign. He said that he had to put up that sign because others, unaware of its preciousness would come along and pull it up or cut it down,not recognizing it for what it truly was, a flower. There are no weeds at BC, only flowers that at times are disguised as weeds. If we rush through life and fail to ‘stop and smell the roses’ we might eradicate all that we feel is in our way that we find inconvenient and is keeping us from wherever it is that we think we are going. One of the great assets of the BC family, being a true family, is that like a true family it is patient with those who belong to it, allowing them to make mistakes and to grow. When mistakes are made, the children are not uprooted and thrown away, but are tended to and nurtured so that experiencing loving care they may eventually blossom and bear fruit. This attitude reflects a teaching of Fr. Andrew Cusack that it would do well for all of us to learn, (and it may take some time),he says, “No one is a problem to solve, everyone is a person to love.” Here at BC we are about the commandment that Jesus gave to His disciples, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” It is only in the light of love that we can truly grow and become our true self, the self that God intended us to be. This is what we desire for all in our BC family, but most of all for our young men. When I see where they start as freshmen at BC and where they end up as seniors, I am reminded of a beautiful verse that the Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis put into the mouth of a poet in one of his novels. It was the dead of winter and everything was bleak and bare on the landscape. The poet encountered an almond tree and addressing it said, “Sister, speak to me of God, and the almond tree blossomed.” May we all emulate that almond tree and grow in grace and favor in the sight of God, thus bringing glory to Him who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save all of us. Amen.

Fr. Raymond Geyer: 1922 - 2009 Father Raymond Geyer, a monk and priest of Belmont Abbey for more than sixty years, died peacefully on July 26. The son of Joseph A. Geyer and Kathryn Nuwer Geyer, Father Raymond was born on September 24, 1922, in Lancaster, New York. Father Raymond entered the novitiate for Belmont and made his first profession of vows on July 2, 1943. He was solemnly professed on July 11, 1946, and ordained a priest on June 4, 1949. In addition to his service at Belmont Abbey and in Richmond, VA, Father Raymond was assigned to Sacred Heart Priory, Savannah, GA, where he taught at Benedictine Military School from 1950 to 1959. He is survived by his brother, Father Kenneth Geyer, O.S.B., and the monks of Belmont Abbey, by his sister-in-law, Mrs. Robert Geyer, of Lancaster, New York. The Banner • Benedictine Military School • August 2009