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Dear ,
Graduation has come and gone at Bridgton Academy. Campus is quiet for the moment, as the dust settles after a busy commencement weekend. Congratulations to the students, parents, and families of the Class of 2009. We are proud to welcome 172 new young men into the ranks of Wolverine alumni. And, speaking of alumni, we hope to see many of you back on campus the first weekend in June for our 2009 Reunion celebration! As Board of Trustees President and former faculty member Kevin Hancock says, "Once a Wolverine, always a Wolverine."
Here is some recent news from campus:
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Campus News:
Class of 2009 Celebrate, Honored for Achievements - Hundreds of family and friends arrived in North Bridgton on May 8th for two days of recognition and goodbyes. An athletic awards dinner was hosted on Friday night, along with a Parents Fund Fundraiser. The fundraiser included a variety of great silent auction items, all donated by Bridgton alumni including Patriots tickets, a Colonnade (Boston) hotel stay, and Red Sox box seats tickets. A special thank you to the following alumni for their donations: RT Agnew '94, Bob Bogan '83, David Colella '71, Conti Coluntino '83, Kevin Jones '81, Alex McWilliams '77, and past parent Rod Bolten P'97.
The 201st Bridgton Academy Commencement Exercises were held on Saturday morning. Major award winners included Matt Gallery who was the recipient of the Headmasters Award (most outstanding in character, deportment, and scholarship), and Jake Canty, who was the recipient of the Spooner Award (most outstanding in general excellence of studies, loyalty, and uprightness of character). To view the 2009 Commencement Program which lists all award recipients and college placements, please click here.
Parent Dignitary Talks About Peace - Bridgton Academy was proud to welcome a current parent and internationally known peace negotiator to campus for Commencement weekend. Dr. Saeb Erakat, the father of recent Bridgton graduate Mohammed Erakat '09, is the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, a position he has held since the mid 1990's. Dr. Erakat is often thought of as the "public face" of the Palestinian cause, and has met with many world leaders. Proud to watch his son graduate, Dr. Erakat spoke to the hundreds of guests assembled during Friday nights dinner. "His most important message was that peace is essential to this world," stated Headmaster Grady Vigneau. Dr. Erakat told fellow Bridgton parents that he was just like them. "I am a parent with a child just like you. My greatest dream is that my child is safe and comfortable." Longtime Faculty Member Receives McDonald Award - The Ray T. McDonald Award is presented annually by the Board of Trustees in recognition for distinguished service by a trustee or Academy employee. For the past few years, the award has been given strictly to retiring trustees. This year, a current faculty member was honored. Susan Dyer Cole was recognized during Commencement by Board President Kevin Hancock for her decades of hard work at Bridgton Academy. Congratulations to Mrs. Cole on this honor! Pictured are three decades of Dyer-Bridgton employees, Director of Marketing and Communications - Sven Dyer Cole, Director of Human Resources - Sue Dyer Cole, and retired Secretary to the Headmaster - Betty Dyer, also a past recipient of the McDonald Award. History Teacher Rescues Hikers - Coach Drew Inzer was trying to enjoy a few days off in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. An avid hiker, Drew had planned a three day camping get-away. It was early evening when Inzer, who had set up camp after a nine mile hike, saw two young women walking out of the forest. The girls, who had no maps, supplies, or even warm clothes, were lost in the woods. The two had set off for a hike late in the day, not realizing how long of a trail they were on. As darkness fell, they found themselves deep in the woods with no cell phone reception and no sense of where they were. Coach Inzer fed the girls and gave them warm clothes and his tent for the night. The next morning, he led them on the hike out of the forest, where they were met by their parents, and other searchers. To view a local news video on the story, click here. Faculty Conduct Phone-a-thon - You might be getting a phone call from Bridgton Academy in the next few days. BA faculty are calling alumni for a few purposes. First, younger alumni are being called to complete a brief phone survey about their lives after Bridgton. The purpose of the survey is to obtain updated information about the college graduation rates of Bridgton alumni. The second objective of the phone-a-thon is to try and increase alumni support of the Annual Fund. Help the BA Admission Office This Fall - The Admission Office is looking for College Fair volunteers for the upcoming fall. If your local school district holds a college fair, let us know! Bridgton Academy alumni are our best source for referrals...what a great way to help spread the word about BA! For more information or to volunteer, contact Jenn Gaworski in the Admission Office: jgaworski@bridgtonacademy.org or 207-647-3322 x 207.
You Can Promote Bridgton Academy - Want to help Bridgton get a mention in a book set to come out this fall? If you think Bridgton Academy is a special place then give this post a read regarding Seth Godin's re-release of his award winning book Purple Cow, which will feature an appendix full of stories about various organizations. "If you know a business or service or organization that deserves to be shouted about, I'd love to include it. Your help is really appreciated, and the people you write about will thank you." If you think Bridgton is worth of mention, submit 200 words on our behalf. Follow this link for more information. |
Wolverine Sports:
Wolverine Baseball Enjoys Record Season - Many individual and team records came tumbling down this season as the Wolverine baseball team won an unprecedented eighteen games against only five defeats, breaking the old record of sixteen wins set just last year. Offensively, the Wolverines had a potent attack that averaged over ten runs a game and posted a .407 team batting average, including fifty-five doubles, nineteen triples, and fourteen home runs. Infielder Sean Gavin put four new records into the books with a .507 batting average, including thirty-eight hits, forty runs-batted-in, and thirty-four runs scored. Nathan Cook led the nine-man pitching corps with a 4-1 record, and a 1.23 ERA while setting a record for home runs with six.
The Wolverines put a solid defensive group on the field as well, with great depth at every position. Season highlights include a 14-6 opening game win over Springfield College, a thrilling ten-inning 8-7 win over Harvard University, and a 14-1 thumping of ISL powerhouse Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. The Wolverines were again undefeated in conference play, winning their tenth regular season championship in the past eleven seasons. Coach Brad Smith credits much of his team's success to the hard work and unselfish efforts of everyone on the team as well to his assistant coach, Conor Sullivan for his outstanding leadership and support. End-of-season awards went to Sean Gavin and Brandon Dutch (Coaches Awards), Mookie Nelson (Wolverine Baseball Award), Nathan Cook (Most Valuable Player), and Gavin Scott (Douglas R. Avery Award).
Baseball Scores - (18 wins, 5 losses) - 2009 BA 14 Springfield College 6 BA 4 Springfield College 12 BA 4 Milton Academy 5 BA 2 Phillips Andover Academy 5 BA 24 Hebron Academy 3 BA 14 Buckingham Browne & Nichols 1 BA 22 Holderness School 7 BA 5 Southern Maine CC 6 BA 28 Gould Academy 0 BA 8 Harvard University JV 7 (10 inns.) BA 2 Central Maine CC 1 BA 5 St. Joseph's College 2 BA 28 Winchendon Schools 0 BA 10 Kents Hill School 0 BA 10 Westbrook High School 6 BA 15 New Hampton Schools 1 BA 8 Kents Hill School 4 BA 9 Navy Prep 0 BA 3 Navy Prep 6 BA 13 Southern Maine CC 11 BA 3 Hebron Academy 1 BA 4 Tilton School 3 BA 8 St. Joseph's College 3
Want more sports news? Be sure to visit the Wolverine blogs for complete game recaps, photos, and more..
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Alumni News:
Registration Numbers Growing Daily - Many great events are planned for Reunion Weekend 2009. Be sure to visit the Reunion webpage for a schedule, brochures, and online registration form. Activities will take place on both Friday and Saturday, culminating with the Reunion Dinner on Saturday evening. A memorial service for Headmaster Robert E. Walker will be held on the Saturday morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. As usual, the festivities kick-off at noon on Friday with the Fuller-Avery Alumni Golf Classic. Do you ride a motorcycle? Bring it back to campus for a Saturday bike tour led by faculty member Pete Gately!
Alumni, parents, and friends from all years are invited to attend the Weekend events. Special milestone reunions include the following classes:
Class of 1959 - 50th Reunion Class of 1969 - 40th Reunion Class of 1979 - 30th Reunion Class of 1989 - 20th Reunion Class of 1999 - 10th Reunion
Class of 2004 - 5th Reunion
Questions about Reunion Weekend 2009? Contact Stacey Inzer at (207) 647-3322, ext. 217, or email alumni@bridgtonacademy.org. We look forward to seeing you June 5th-7th!
2009 Hall of Fame Class Announced - Hall of Fame Chairman Matt Burgess '88 officially announced the 2009 Hall of Fame Class as voted on by Hall members and the Hall of Fame committee. This year's inductees are: Ted Kershaw '48, Jack Crowley '57, Al Symes '57, Bob Fanning '62, Dennis Lister '76, Sally Hapenney, Coach Lee Harriman, and the McNeil Family: Dr. Jim McNeil, Kevin McNeil '70, and David McNeil '71. Posthumous inductees that will also be recognized are Francis Shottes '49 and Dick Denison '42. Congratulations to these individuals for their remarkable individual achievements. North Shore Hosts Alumni Association Meeting - On May 13th, the Bridgton Academy North Shore Chapter of the Alumni Association (The Second Chance Club) held its inaugural meeting. Spearheaded by alumnus and Academy trustee Bob Teel '65, the North Shore Chapter was established in an effort to encourage alumni from the same geographic area to connect on a more regular basis. The Club held its meeting at the Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, overlooking Beverly harbor. A dozen alumni attended the event, including both familiar and new faces. Graduation years spanned from the 1950's to the 1990's. Headmaster Grady Vigneau spoke about the completion of his first full year at Bridgton, and introduced alumni to some exciting initiatives in place for the upcoming school season. The North Shore Chapter will meet again sometime this October. For further information on how you can participate, please contact the BA Alumni Office at (207) 647-3322, or email alumni@bridgtonacademy.org. Alumni in attendance included: Randy Gregory '95, Dexter McKenzie '88, Mark Carlson '87, Rob Gray '84, John Jennings '78, Salvatore Pizzimenti '72, Jack Kelleher '68, Walter Diachisin '68, Bob Teel '65, Eric Ericson '63, and Ruth Bartlett Butler '50. Join the Alumni Portal - Over 300 members and growing. Have you joined yet? Email alumni@bridgtonacademy.org with your name and class year, and we will be sure to promptly send you an invitation. For a listing of links to BA social networking pages, click here.
Want to submit a Class Note or update your contact information, simply fill out our online Update Us form. |
Other Stories of Interest -
Upcoming Events -
Thursday, May 21st: BA @ the Red Sox
June 5th-7th: Reunion Weekend June 5th: Fuller-Avery Alumni Golf Classic
June 27th: BA Admissions/Alumni Reception in Kensington, NH @ the home of Academy Trustee and Alumnus Kevin Jones '81
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