May 15 - Oratory Preparatory School
May 15 - Oratory Preparatory School
May 15 - Oratory Preparatory School
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ay<br />
OPEN<br />
A<br />
t the annual New Student Dinner, hosted by the<br />
Admissions Office, Mr. Kevin Donnelly welcomed<br />
the soon-to-be seventh and ninth graders and<br />
their families. While the parents heard from Head of <strong>School</strong><br />
Bob Costello and other administrators, the young men<br />
talked with the student leaders who fielded questions. At<br />
the end of the Q and A session, the boys were given T-<br />
shirts and sports sacks to get them psyched about coming<br />
to <strong>Oratory</strong> in the fall.<br />
<strong>Oratory</strong> Prep’s Electronic Newsbits, <strong>May</strong> <strong>15</strong>, 2010<br />
I F Y O U H A V E I N F O , C A L L S U S A N D O U G H E R T Y , X 4 6<br />
Welcoming<br />
New Student Families<br />
Racing for a Cause...Brandon Deger, top right, organized<br />
an <strong>Oratory</strong> team for a recent Susan G. Komen race in North Jersey.<br />
With a dress down day at the school which raised $1,000<br />
and the pledges these boys brought in, Brandon estimates over<br />
$2,000 was raised for the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness and<br />
this charity that he has embraced for years.<br />
The OP Family Grows<br />
O<br />
n Thursday,<br />
<strong>May</strong> 13, just<br />
after 6 a.m.,<br />
the Costello family<br />
grew with the addition<br />
of Kellen Neri Costello.<br />
Tipping the scales at 6<br />
lbs. and <strong>15</strong> oz., the<br />
youngest child of Bob<br />
and Evelyn Costello<br />
joins older brothers<br />
Logan and Robbie<br />
and older sister Shannon.<br />
Best wishes!<br />
Robbie Costello smiles for the<br />
camera at the Medieval Times<br />
trip with the Lower <strong>School</strong> trip<br />
last winter. He welcomed his<br />
baby brother on Thursday.<br />
1962 Alum in NJ Hall of Fame<br />
D<br />
anny De-<br />
Vito, movie<br />
star and<br />
<strong>Oratory</strong> Prep graduate<br />
‘62, was inducted<br />
into the NJ Hall of<br />
Fame on <strong>May</strong> 2,<br />
2010. Along with 14<br />
other inductees, De-<br />
Vito reminisced<br />
about his life in the<br />
Garden State. “I’ve<br />
always felt really<br />
close to the Garden<br />
State. I related pretty<br />
much everything I do<br />
to my roots, ” he said.<br />
According to the<br />
<strong>May</strong> 3, 2010 Star<br />
Ledger, Bruce Springsteen<br />
one of former<br />
inductees, invited<br />
DeVito to join him on stage in a<br />
rousing rendition of “Glory Days”<br />
during the event.<br />
<strong>Oratory</strong> teacher Steve Fava gives<br />
tidbits of information about the<br />
alum, although they are mere<br />
speculation and hearsay. “Danny DeVito was<br />
one of the boarders at the school when he<br />
attended here in the 1960s. Rumors have it<br />
that he was quite the cut-up in all his classes.”<br />
Established in 2005, the NJ Hall of Fame<br />
honors NJ residents who have made significant<br />
contribution their state. Susan Sarandon,<br />
Jack Nicholson and Frankie Valli were among<br />
the honorees. Former inductees include Toni<br />
Morrison, Malcolm Forbes, Harriet Tubman<br />
and Yogi Berra.<br />
An A & E TV biography of DeVito is being<br />
compiled and his biographer has contacted<br />
<strong>Oratory</strong> for pictures of him while he was at the<br />
school.
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PAGE 2<br />
Mass, Ring Ceremony and Honors<br />
Awards for OP Students Place<br />
in National Latin Exam<br />
Koomars at West Point<br />
OP has been notified of the results of the students who<br />
participated in the National Latin Exam. The 40-minute test<br />
presented 40 questions on grammar, geography, history, literature<br />
and mythology and sight translation.<br />
Tests included Introduction to Latin, Latin I and II and the<br />
Latin IV, prose exam.<br />
Awards earned included: Gold Summa Cum Laude, Silver<br />
Maxima Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude.<br />
Seventy-one <strong>Oratory</strong> students took the exam with 45% of<br />
them winning an award.<br />
2 Gold awards – David Batista, Greg Koziol<br />
8 Silver awards – Angus McReynolds, August Atencio, Harris<br />
Hoke, McManus Dolan, Christopher Ditta, Ryan Montalvo,<br />
Daniel Fitzpatrick and Loren Reinoso.<br />
6 Magna Cum Laude awards – Brendan Dore, Alexandre<br />
Berberi, Cormac Quinn-Rada, Richard Montalvo, Sean Zimmerman,<br />
Michael DeNigris.<br />
9 Cum Laude awards – Gregory Toye, Alec Antunes, Joseph<br />
Koomar, Daniel Berberi, Fernando Garcia, Michael Brennan,<br />
Christopher Billups, Liam Ward and Brandon Deger. (Please<br />
note that due to an error, Christopher Billups was not called<br />
up for his certificate during the ceremony. We regret the error.)<br />
7 Intro certificates— Ribbon and certificate: Eric Kleppinger<br />
Brian McReynolds. Certificates: Brian Wasik, James Gagliano,<br />
Christopher Farrell, John McKenna and Andrew Coder.<br />
Latin teacher Mr. William McCrystal, Sr. congratulated<br />
the boys on their achievements.<br />
At the <strong>May</strong> 13 awards ceremony<br />
following the Ascension<br />
Mass, Joe Koomar accepts<br />
the Eisenhower leadership<br />
award from West<br />
Point representative John<br />
Dilley who praised the junior<br />
for his character, service<br />
and leadership<br />
The Koomar family and College<br />
Counselor Ann Geissler<br />
attended a special ceremony at<br />
West Point for honored high<br />
school juniors .<br />
Student Council Officers Take Oath<br />
Newly elected<br />
council officers<br />
Michael Rosella,<br />
Nick Barresi, Joseph<br />
Bizub, Tim<br />
Lynch and Cormac<br />
Rada recite their<br />
pledge to do the<br />
best job they can<br />
do for their school<br />
next year.<br />
Dore Heads to West Point, Rosella Takes Reins<br />
Passing a ‘Torch’<br />
Photo by Ann Geissler<br />
2009 —10 Student Council Secretary Tim Dore continues the<br />
<strong>Oratory</strong> tradition of passing the chalice to the incoming Student<br />
Council President. Michael Rosella earned the top spot in the<br />
recent student body elections. The cup that is passed to the<br />
senior class was donated by art teacher Mrs. Susan Preston on<br />
the anniversary of <strong>Oratory</strong>’s 100th year.
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MAY <strong>15</strong>, 2010 OPEN PAGE 3<br />
Fr. Sal Blesses Rings Before Parents<br />
of Juniors and Student Body<br />
M usic<br />
played, the<br />
altar servers processed<br />
and the<br />
gymnasium transformed<br />
into a<br />
place for the Ascension<br />
Mass. An<br />
OP tradition, the<br />
blessing of the rings,<br />
followed Fr. Sal’s<br />
homily.<br />
Then Mr. Owen<br />
McGowan, Dean of<br />
Academics and Mr.<br />
Bill Martin, Director<br />
of Co-Curricular<br />
Activities, distributed<br />
the rings and<br />
announced various<br />
awards. (See below)<br />
More Honorees<br />
Jon Schwolsky<br />
Additional<br />
awards were<br />
won by:<br />
John Plantemoli<br />
Mike Rosato<br />
Chris Kraft<br />
Tobias Kraft<br />
Daniel Sommer<br />
Spencer Berstler<br />
Jared Littlejohn<br />
Gus Exarhakos<br />
Brandon Deger<br />
Bob Vander Meulen<br />
Omega (newspaper) award winners<br />
Rings and Celebration<br />
After the ceremony, parents and students enjoy a<br />
continental breakfast for the juniors.<br />
<strong>May</strong> <strong>15</strong>, 2010
ay<br />
If you have information or<br />
photos to share, please send<br />
them to OPEN editor Susan<br />
Dougherty, PR Coordinator<br />
Phone: 908-273-1084, x 46<br />
E-mail: sdougherty@oratoryprep.org<br />
Tennis Fun at the MS Consortium<br />
Photo by Dr. Peter Astor<br />
VARSITY<br />
BASEBALL<br />
A<br />
ccording to<br />
Pat Gist, Athletic<br />
Director<br />
and head coach of Varsity<br />
Baseball, the best game this<br />
season had to be against<br />
Roselle Park, which they<br />
won 9—2. “It was pretty exciting<br />
that this is the first<br />
Union County Tournament<br />
game we have played in<br />
years,” he said.<br />
He invites the OP family<br />
to come out next Friday,<br />
<strong>May</strong> 21 to the home game<br />
against Newark Academy.<br />
“It should be a good match<br />
and decent cap off to our<br />
season,” he said.<br />
Mark McDonnell<br />
won second<br />
place in the<br />
Middle <strong>School</strong><br />
Consortium in<br />
tennis last week.<br />
Dr. Peter Astor,<br />
the JV tennis<br />
coach chaperoned<br />
the boys.<br />
Photo by Jeneen Perrella<br />
Robotics Club Slated for the Fall<br />
Sports Updates<br />
TRACK: Union County Conference<br />
Valley Division Meet Results<br />
1st Place, 400 Hurdles — Alex Martynetz<br />
1st Place, Shot Put — Marcus Laroche<br />
1st Place, Discus — Marcus Laroche<br />
2nd Place in various events: Bobby Vander<br />
Meulen, Alex Martynetz, Joey Mascolo,<br />
Digno Andino. Conference Champions:<br />
Marcus and Alex Martynetz.<br />
LACROSSE<br />
Under<br />
the<br />
direction of Coaches Kevin<br />
Donnelly and Denis<br />
Noonan, the lacrosse team<br />
won a hard-fought game<br />
against Verona , 4-3. They<br />
are on a roll, winning three<br />
games in one week.<br />
GOLF<br />
Junior Scott Miller<br />
won third-place in<br />
the Prep B finals<br />
and placed fifth in<br />
the recent Union<br />
County Championship<br />
Tournament. At<br />
that same meet, Robbie<br />
Weeks placed<br />
8th at counties.<br />
Scholar Athlete<br />
Matt Pigott<br />
Mr. Ted Dore<br />
holds an informational<br />
meeting of<br />
the newly<br />
formed Robotics<br />
Club<br />
that will officially<br />
commence<br />
in the<br />
fall.<br />
P<br />
ast president<br />
of the<br />
Parents’<br />
Guild Ted Dore recently<br />
paid a visit to<br />
the school for a<br />
presentation to interested<br />
students in<br />
forming a Robotics<br />
Club next year.<br />
“This is no small<br />
undertaking,” Dean<br />
of Co-Curricular<br />
Activities Bill Martin<br />
said. Mr. Dore concurred.<br />
“This is a club<br />
that has national<br />
competitions where<br />
we build the robotic<br />
element and compete with others.” Although<br />
the club officially is for high school students, Mr.<br />
Dore made it clear that seventh and eighth graders<br />
are welcome to come to meetings to learn about<br />
the process of building and strategizing together so<br />
that they will be ready to compete when they are in<br />
high school.<br />
In September, there will be announcements<br />
about the meetings.<br />
A<br />
four-year varsity swimmer and<br />
four-year varsity tennis player<br />
who was named MVP as a<br />
sophomore and Coach’s Award winner<br />
as a junior, Matt Pigott received a<br />
$1,000 scholarship, a commemorative<br />
watch and a plaque from the Interscholastic<br />
Conference Scholar Athlete Association<br />
at a dinner on Wednesday, <strong>May</strong><br />
12.<br />
Varsity Tennis<br />
Mr. and<br />
Mrs.<br />
Robert<br />
Pigott and<br />
Athletic<br />
Director<br />
Pat Gist<br />
congratulate<br />
Matt<br />
at the<br />
Pines<br />
Manor<br />
event..<br />
Next OPEN: Brandon King Scholar Athlete<br />
Congratulations to the Varsity Tennis<br />
Team that had what the coach called “a<br />
memorable season.” The team made it to<br />
the Union County Tournament, the Prep B<br />
Tournament and won their first round at<br />
states.