BROTHERHOOD Patterson explained, “I was in a fairly advanced math class, and I wondered if they could accommodate me. They said, ‘If you finish our curriculum, we’ll hire a teacher just for you’…I was sold.” With his academic fears assuaged, Patterson took the plunge and enrolled in St. Sebastian’s as an incoming freshman. His only worry now was whether the other students would already have friends, leaving little room in their lives for him. He quickly found this was far from the case. “The sense of brotherhood at St. Sebastian’s encourages people to reach out and bring others into the fold,” he stated. “At orientation I was sitting in the corner because I didn’t know anyone. Chris Riley ’13 and Matt Donovan ’13 introduced me to all of their friends. At my old school, it wouldn’t have worked that way. Here it’s just such a welcoming environment. “When there are people like that who are willing to go out of their way with other people, you know you’re in a good environment that fosters such things. It says a lot about the kind of people here. It’s not just about getting good grades. Of course, you would expect a school to want you to get into a good college but here it’s also about making sure you are a good father and a good brother and good son.” After settling in, Patterson began to understand the tone and tenor of the School, the balance between work and play. He was surprised at how good-natured the faculty and student body were. “Humor is a huge part of Seb’s. There’s definitely a time—and it’s a lot of the time—for being serious, but much of what you learn about your teachers and classmates comes from humor,” he said. “You learn a lot about personalities through different styles of humor…You can tell you’ve made a good friendship when you can joke about someone and they can joke about you.” Patterson talks so passionately about St. Sebastian’s because, like many Arrows, he is deeply involved in the extracurricular life of the School, especially with the Drama and Chess Clubs. “Chess Club in particular has grown into something much larger than when I joined,” he noted. “It’s pretty neat to see that when people get together, it’s not just people trying to beat each other, but we’re trying to learn and get a sense of how to play.” Patterson says with a smile that the St. Sebastian’s Chess Team has seen unrivaled support during home matches. “Actually my friends have come out to support the Chess Team on occasion, which is fun because chess isn’t really a spectator sport. They sort of lurk outside the windows, and I think that intimidates the other teams.” In the classroom, Patterson finds his classmates to be equally supportive. ...outside of school, these guys are my life. Now that I’m at Seb’s, my whole life is built around the School. You share the experience, you know what’s going on with your classmates, you see them every day. You grow together. “The stress of school can sometimes become burdensome, so it’s nice to send someone a text and see how they are doing with their work. They’ll help you look over your papers. Mr. Drummond’s class, for example, was so hard that it was mandatory that you bounce ideas off other people before you’d dare to submit it to him. There’s always going to be a certain amount of stress in the classroom, especially when we’re so academically-minded all the time, but there’s always someone to talk to, always someone quick to reach out.” He continued, “And outside of school, these guys are my life. Now that I’m at Seb’s, my whole life is built around the School. You share the experience, you know what’s going on with your classmates, you see them every day. You grow together.” Although it was not a main concern when he applied here, Kevin has been impressed at how St. Sebastian’s has helped him grow in faith. “We all have a shared bond in our religion—but even if someone isn’t Catholic, that person can share the practices and beliefs,” he said. “We all understand from where others are coming. The Catholic Church itself does emphasize a strong dependence on human relationships.” As a senior, Patterson is excited to be a leader within the School community. “The family feel here has a lot to do with senior classes who learn to project that attitude to everybody,” he noted. “The sense of brotherhood comes from a great sense of leadership…it’s a virtuous cycle. As a younger student, I saw the sense of community kick in. I would look to the top and see all these teachers and all these seniors…and now that I’m a senior, I see all these students looking at me about how to act. It’s my job to provide the positive influence. Someone must have started this cycle way back and it’s just kept going.” With the increased stress of the college process well underway, Patterson has the foresight to know that the support he sees from his classmates now will only continue in the future. He concluded, “It’s really cool to think about how after I’m graduated, the relationships won’t die. It’s a bond we’ll always have in common. It’s more than the St. Sebastian’s brand—it’s that we’ve grown together so much.” • Pictured next page: Kevin Patterson ’13 practices the piano. 40 | <strong>ST</strong>. SEBA<strong>ST</strong>IAN’S MAGAZINE Volume VIII, Issue I
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