Bridgton Academy e-news

Dear Wolverines,

We hope this email finds you well and getting ready to spend some time with family and friends during the upcoming holidays. The last few weeks of the semester always prove to be a bit busy and sometimes stressful for the young men at BA. Pete Gately's mantra of "Don't Count the Days, Make the Days Count," has been repeated multiple times at Chapel. While everyone is buckling down for this last push before the New Year, we aren't forgetting the importance of having fun, and recent campus activities including Five-Pin Dodgeball and dorm decorating have provided some good old fashioned BA rivalry. Helping the holiday spirit was the first snow storm of the year this past Saturday, with close to a foot more falling today.

Break out the hot chocolate and catch up on some other recent news from BA:

Campus News:

Need to Find Some Holiday Gifts - Problem solved! Look no further than the new online Wolverine Bookstore for something to outfit any and all Wolverines. The online school store is now open for business. Check out some great new gear from Adidas and other top brands. Show your Wolverine pride - or surprise someone in your family with a special BA something under the tree. Visit the new store today!

Search Begun for New Teaching Chair - In 2004, Andrew Barr '99 and his parents, Ed and Nancy, began the Laferriere Chair for Excellence in Teaching in honor of late faculty member James 'Jake' Laferriere. This endowment is dedicated to enhancing the professional development of Bridgton Academy's teachers by appointing a faculty chair that embodies some of the characteristics Mr. Laferriere represented including the mastery of one's discipline, the fostering and development of academic courage in one's students, and a genuine concern for the well-being of the young men entrusted to one's care. The Chair is provided a stipend to help augment his/her professional development, in turn sharing this knowledge with the entire faculty body. The inaugural Laferriere chair was Mr. Peter Gately. During his tenure as the Laferriere Chair, Mr. Gately provided several exciting development opportunities for faculty and staff. Most recently, Pete was able to travel to New Zealand to attend and present at the International Conference for Boys, a trip that was made possible by this endowment. This winter, the search for the second Laferriere chair will begin as Peter ends his four-year tenure. Nominees will be presented by faculty and staff, and the 2010 Laferriere Chair will be announced at this year's Commencement exercises.

Walker Hall Announced Best Dressed in Deck the Halls Competition - The BA campus is looking very festive after this year's dorm decoration challenge. An official judging panel toured campus last night including faculty and their children. In an attempt to possibly sway a few votes, judges were even treated to some holiday carol performances at a few of their stops. Walker Hall was announced as the Deck the Halls winner today in Chapel. For their first place effort, Walker will be treated to a combination pizza/Chinese Food dinner later next week. Pictured is second place finisher Holt Hall.

BA Guys Help Local Families - Four members of the Class of 2010 are doing their best to help two local families who otherwise would be without a Christmas. Jonathan Price (New Canaan, CT), Jarrell Greene (Dorchester, MA), John Despres (Leominster, MA), and Tyler Hannon (Great Falls, VA) are leading the effort to raise money to purchase Christmas gifts for six local children that have fallen on hard times. Along with faculty member Sue Cole, the students met with counselors at Stevens Brook Elementary School to get a sense of what the children would like for Christmas. Along with other students, these four are doing their best to provide children they have never met with a holiday to remember.

Think of BA This Holiday - We realize that there are many worthy charities out there, so many we probably could not support them all even if we tried. During this season of giving, please consider the impact you can have by supporting the young men of Bridgton Academy. As many of you can attest, Bridgton provides a year of growth - a year to discover abilities that you may never knew you had. This year, Bridgton Academy has an Annual Fund goal of $300,000 - and to date we have raised $92,522 from 250 people like you. Please take a moment to help us reach our goal by visiting our online giving form today, or send your gift to Bridgton Academy, PO Box 292, North Bridgton, ME 04057.

Final Exam Schedule Online - Do you want more information about your son's exam schedule? Click here for the 2009 fall exam schedule.

E-News Archive Now Online - Miss a recent e-news edition? The BA e-newsletter is now available through online archives. Catch up on past news stories and publications through archived e-news listed by date. To visit the archives, please click here.

Bridgton Hall of Fame Nominees Needed: Nominations are now open for the Bridgton Academy Hall of Fame Class of 2010. Nominations should be sent to Chairman Matt Burgess by December 24th, 2009. Who is eligible: Alumni who graduated prior to 1989 and teachers and coaches who have retired from BA. Posthumous nominees who meet the above criteria will also be accepted. Nominees must be distinguished as leaders or contributors in their field, sport, or in service to the Academy. To submit a nominee, send their name and reason for nomination to Matt Burgess - mburgess@bridgtonacademy.org or mail to: PO Box 292, North Bridgton, ME 04057. To view current members of the Bridgton Academy Hall of Fame, please click here.

BYOB at BA - The BA Admissions Office is organizing the first ever BYOB - Bring Your Own Brother weekend at BA. In an effort to develop a better legacy constituency, the Admission Office will be sponsoring a night in January for current students to bring their younger brothers to stay over night. The BYOB Weekend will take place on a closed weekend and include a variety of activities including athletic events, Wii competitions and more. If you are interested in this event, please contact Chris Webb in the Admission Office by phone (207) 647-7669 or email cwebb@bridgtonacademy.org.

Wolverine Athletics:

Basketball Team Faces Hefty Competitors, Earn Strong Home Court Victory - The 2009-2010 Wolverine Basketball squad was busy the weekend before Thanksgiving as they headed south for the National Prep Showcase in Connecticut. In their first game of the showcase, the Wolverines were beaten by #1 nationally ranked Hargrave Military Academy (VA) 80-57 Saturday afternoon. Out of the top ten in ESPN/NERR polls for the first time in many years, Bridgton Academy set out this weekend to prove they still belonged in the conversation among elite prep school basketball teams. In the first half, BA led at the midway point but costly turnovers forced them to settle for a 32-24 deficit at the break. Hargrave extended their lead to open the second half. Although the Wolverines were competitive, they did not seriously threaten the top ranked team in the country. Balanced scoring was the highlight of the Bridgton Academy attack with all 13 players making contributions on the afternoon.

In their second game of the tournament, the Wolverines managed to pull out a dramatic 71-70 victory over defending national champion Tilton School (NH). Dashaun Wiggins (Bronx, NY) had his halfcourt prayer answered when he swished home a 50 foot desperation heave following a missed free throw by Tilton. The dramatic shot completed a gutty comeback which saw BA erase a 13 point hole with less than ten minutes to play in the game. In fact, it was a game largely controlled by Tilton but taken over late by inspired defense and improved execution on the offensive end by Bridgton Academy. Tilton finished the first half with a pair of baskets to lead 30-26 at intermission. In the second half, the game remained close before Tilton built a double digit advantage setting the stage for the late game heroics that saw multiple contributions from BA players that shared plenty of action. In addition to Wiggins (24 points), Alexander Harris (Richmond, CA) played his best game of the year (24 points) to pace the offense. But Coach Lesure was quick to praise the contributions of several other players that did not stand out in the official stat sheet for the afternoon. Ron Blossomgame (Atlanta, GA) stepped up inside as did Jeff Schmeltz (Pascoag, RI). Ruben Kanya (Hamilton, Ontario) was a defensive stopper, and Addison Williams (Boulder, CO) contributed his most significant minutes in the early season. "Like so many good wins, it was easy to point out the difference that so many individuals made by not hanging their heads," Lesure said.

In their third victory of the season, the Wolverines defeated Ernst Academy (SC) 87-66 at the Wolverdome on Wednesday night. Five players scored in double figures for BA led by Dashaun Wiggins with 19 points. Chance Jones (Knoxville, TN) (16), Paul Dick (Belfast, Ireland) (15), Alexander Harris (12) and Ruben Kanya (10) all contributed to the balanced attack.

This past Saturday, the team opened up their home NEPSAC schedule with a hard fought 79-74 win over Worcester Academy. In what Head Coach Whit Lesure called, "Our most complete game so far," the Wolverines were able to get key contributions off the bench to hold off Worcester. Chance Jones contributed a season high 21 points. "The hope is that every year you can build around a number of guys to make big contributions, and tonight Chance, Addison (Williams), and Justin Miller (Agawam, MA) did that for us," commented Coach Lesure.

Unfortunately, the team's home winning streak was ended on Sunday. Emotions were running high as BA took on the Winchendon School in their second home NEPSAC contest in as many days. In a game of runs, Winchendon was able to hold off Bridgton and earn a 69-62 victory. With this loss, Bridgton slipped to 4-4 on the year, and 2-2 in NEPSAC play. The Wolverines close out the first semester by hosting instate rival MCI Wednesday, December 9th at 6:00 PM.

Hockey Team to Play Kents Hill Tonight - The Bridgton Academy hockey team came back from a much needed Thanksgiving break and showed Coach Lounsbury and Coach Meserve how much they love playing hockey. "To date, this has been our best week of practice. Guys were highly motivated and truly impressed me with their attitudes" said Head Coach Jon Lounsbury '01. The coaching staff used a very high tempo practice plan all week and they expect the effort to carry over in the team's next game. After a game tonight against Kents Hill, the Wolverines will have several weeks off before they compete in the EJHL Showcase beginning on January 8th.

Alumni News:

BA Loses a Leading Lady - Many BA alumni fondly remember the Avery family, and were deeply saddened by the passing of Doug Avery in 2006. After Doug's passing, the Avery family, who for years called BA home, stayed highly involved with the Academy. Nancy was a key organizer of the Fuller-Avery Alumni Golf Tournament, and in 2009, daughter Nickie Avery joined the Bridgton Academy Board of Trustees. Bridgton Academy is saddened to report that Nancy Avery passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on Tuesday, December 8th. She will be dearly missed by the entire Bridgton Academy family.

Great Time at Alumni & Parent Hockey Game - The Wolverine mascot was perhaps the only person not breaking a sweat at this year's Alumni & Parent Hockey Game on Saturday, December 5th. Over twenty skaters took part in the game including alumni, past parents, current parents, and faculty members. The score was close for much of the game, with hat tricks earned by players on both sides. Goalies Joe Daley '77 and Anthony Greely '96 were certainly busy, and the alumni were not shy about taking shots on goal. As is now tradition, faculty member Pete Gately provided running commentary on the game, including a few hockey jokes and the award for tackiest hockey socks. During a break between periods, the Wolverine donned skates (perhaps for the first-time ever?) and took a few shots on Joe Daley '77. Alumnus Ray Ruggieri '61 of Florida dropped the puck along with Headmaster Grady Vigneau. Despite the snowy conditions, a number of alumni, parents, and friends stayed for a post-game reception and dinner before watching the 2010 Wolverine Hockey game later that night. Thank you to all that attended this year's game, and we hope to see you again next year. A special thanks to Justin Ward, owner of Bridgton Books, for volunteering as a referee for the game. For a list of participants and additional photos, please visit the Alumni News page.

Become a Facebook Fan - With over 500 fans - make sure you become a fan of the BA Facebook site today! Featuring daily updates, pictures, event listings, and more. Also, check out BA on LinkedIn. For a listing of links to BA social networking pages, click here. For more alumni news and notes, be sure to visit the alumni pages of our website at www.bridgtonacademy.org.

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