|
|
|
|
| Bridgton Academy E-Newsletter | November 9, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family from everyone at BA! Campus is quiet as the Class of 2011 has headed home for the holiday and a much needed break. Upon their return, there are only three short weeks before final exams and the longer December break. Despite the current calm, we know from experience that this next push is a hectic time for students and faculty alike. It is a busy time for all of us, but also a special time to enjoy the things that matter most. Leaves still lay scattered around campus, but soon snow will be on its way. Today drizzle falls at BA, and, despite the weather, the maintenance workers are busy hanging a wreath on the new Wolverine Den. Ready or not, the seasons will soon be changing. Here is some recent news from campus: |
|
| Online Holiday Auction Set to Open this Sunday - BA's first ever Online Holiday Auction will open this Sunday, November 28th! We have over 110 items for your bidding pleasure, all proceeds of which benefit the 2011 Bridgton Academy Annual Fund. There really is something for everyone, with donations including sports tickets, apparel, jewelry, travel opportunities, BA items, and much more. We hope you plan to do some of your holiday shopping with us! Discover great deals on creative gifts that you can't find in the mall. To make a bid, you will need to first register for our Auction. To preview our current Auction selection visit www.biddingforgood.com/bridgtonacademy. Please note, bidding capability will not be available until Sunday, November 28th, at 12:01 a.m. The Online Holiday Auction will close on Sunday, December 12th at 8:00 p.m., with items shipping in time for the holidays. Thank you and happy shopping! |
 Calling all Hockey Players - Saturday, December 4th is the date for this year's Annual Alumni & Parent Hockey Game! All hockey playing Wolverine friends are invited to come skate in this fun event. Join faculty members such as Joe Daley '77, Jonathan Lounsbury '01, Chris Travis '06, Garrett Bamann '00, Dave Lepage, and others for a great game in honor of Bridgton's hockey tradition. Current and former BA hockey parents are welcome to attend! The game will begin at 3:00 p.m., followed by a Shot-on-Goal contest for some BA gear. Join us for dinner in the new Wolverine Den on lower campus, followed by the opportunity to check out BA's 2011 Hockey A Team competing later that evening at 7:00! No longer skate? You're still invited to attend! Catch up with alumni from all eras at this family friendly BA gathering. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Michelle Cross at 647-3322, ext. 229, or email mcross@bridgtonacademy.org. |
 Mrs. Dunckel Welcomes Twins to the BA Family - Dr. Eden Dunckel, Director of Disability Services, recently welcomed twin children, Eric and Eva, to the Dunckel family! Eden, along with her husband Matt, were thrilled to announce that the two babies were born on November 15th. The family is now enjoying their first days together at home, just in time for Thanksgiving. Congratulations to the Dunckels! |
| Admissions Office Hosts Successful Information Session on Veterans Day -
Veteran's Day brought many potential students and their families to the BA campus. Mother Nature helped make their day an enjoyable one, as temps were near 60 and the sun shown brightly throughout the day. All told, about 20 families visited campus to hear from various members of the BA community, including students, faculty, and staff.
"This fall has seen some of the highest numbers of visits to campus in the last 10 years. By Thanksgiving this year we have already surpassed the total numbers of students visiting campus through December of last year," explained Chris Webb, Director of Admission.
"Families can now apply online, and as a result, we have also seen a tremendous increase in the number of applications to BA," Webb continued.
Webb said that he looks forward to the first week of January, when he and members of the BA admission and coaching staff's will be visiting high schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut to speak with interested students, guidance counselors, high school coaches and Athletic Directors.
"We'll visit almost 200 schools in Connecticut and Massachusetts over four days, along with conducting student interviews. I'll be in Massachusetts, and Jenn Bamann, our Associate Director of Admission, will be in Connecticut. It will an intense few days for everyone, with most of our coaching and Admission staff on the road," Webb explained.
If you want to meet with the BA staff while they are in Massachusetts or Connecticut this January, or if you know of a student that could benefit from a year at Bridgton Academy, please call Chris at (207) 647-3322 x212, or email cwebb@bridgtonacademy.org. |
 Annual Report Now Available Online - The 2009-2010 Annual Report on Giving is now available online! We are pleased to announce that Bridgton Academy's Annual Fund raised a record amount of unrestricted dollars last year - thanks in no small part to you! BA continues to focus on the undeniable need we have to try and inspire our constituents to give a gift in support of our institution. While the average alumni participation rate at private schools and colleges is 10%, Bridgton Academy hovers at less than half of that. Only 4% of our active alumni base made a donation last fiscal year. If you would like to help inspire your Class to give a gift in honor of your BA experience, please contact the Development Office and we will help you get started! A special thank you to all of our donors who continue to help Bridgton Academy reach towards our institutional dreams and goals - we couldn't do what we do without you! Would you like to ensure that your name is listed in next year's Annual Report on Giving? Make an online donation today, contact Jessica in the Development Office at (207) 647-7657, or email jpriola@bridgtonacademy.org. |
BA Interns Score New Opportunities - Working as an Intern at Bridgton Academy has turned into new career steps for several employees. BA is excited to announce that Craig Moody, our current Assistant Athletic Trainer, was recently offered, and accepted, a position with the Philadelphia Phillies as the Assistant Athletic Trainer and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach! In addition to Craig, former Sports Information Director and assistant basketball coach Kyle Benner recently accepted a position working for the University of Southern Mississippi (Div. I) basketball program as the Director of Video Operations/Camp Director. Congratulations to both Kyle and Coach Moody!
 Another former Bridgton employee, Coach Matt Burke, is now working with the Detroit Lions. Coach Burke taught English at BA, and was the dorm parent in Sylvester Hall. Matt is now coaching the Detroit Lions linebacker core. Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz described Coach Burke in a recent ESPN blog, stating, "You knew Matt had a passion for coaching - he was a GA at Boston College, he coached at a post-graduate school in Maine, and coached at Harvard as a part-time coach. When you're willing to do that when you have a Dartmouth degree, that says a lot about your passion for the game and how hard you're willing to work. Matt's very, very good in preparation, outstanding in evaluating the opponent and giving the players what they need to do their job on Sundays." |
 Alumni Return to Speak to BA Students - Over the past month, three Wolverine alumni have returned to campus to address the Class of 2011. Trustee Robert Bogan '83 held a special Chapel in early November to share his lessons on life with the students. This past week, BA Hall of Fame member George Reed '70 also utilized the Chapel stage, this time to try and drum up support for the rebirth of the theater program at Bridgton Academy. George entertained students with a number of impersonations, challenging them to get out of their comfort zone and explore the world of theater during the second semester. Most recently, Bridgton grad and former faculty member Gregg Speed '73, addressed several sports psychology classes on topics relating to athletics. A special thank you to all three of these gentlemen, along with the other alumni presenters this year, who have taken time to share their knowledge and message with the current Bridgton class. |
 New Work Starts on "Mastodon" Batting Cages - New baseball coach Aaron Izaryk is already hard at work putting projects in place to improve the baseball facilities at BA. The work to build two side-by-side batting cage tunnels down the right field line of the baseball complex have already begun. These "Mastodon" batting cages are seventy feet long, and will provide enough space for bull pen mounds in each cage. Coach Izaryk says that the cages will allow for greater development in both pitchers and hitters. |
Fall Seasons Wrap-up and Winter Schedules Begin - Bridgton Academy had a mix of competition the last few weeks, surrounded by the exciting home opener for the 2010 basketball team. The soccer team started things off as they traveled to Bryant College to face South Kent, ending their season with an upsetting 6-0 loss. The Jr. B hockey team faced the Maine Wave at home, skating away with a 5-1 victory. The basketball team played their long awaited home opener on November 11th, beating Robinson Academy 93-85. They also played last Saturday against Leadership prep, winning 81-60. The football team had a long drive to Columbia University, where they unfortunately lost 30-14 in their last regular game of the season. Over the course of the weekend of the 12th, the Jr. A hockey team played several games at the Warrior Classic in Haverhill, MA, walking away with a 4-1 record and a heartbreaking loss in a championship game overtime shootout. Rounding out the week was the lacrosse team who finished their fall season at the Beantown Classic in Braintree, MA, winning two of the three games they played.
In their last game of the 2010 season, the soccer team faced South Kent and left with a disappointing loss. While they ended this game with a score of 6-0, their overall season wrapped-up with a winning record of 7-5-2. The team overcame many obstacles and worked hard to produce some great results. With their games over, the team is looking forward to starting their off-season training. Coach Ashenfelter will work with each Wolverine on strength and conditioning, as well as working on individual skills.
 The Wolverine Hockey B Team overcame a sluggish start and finished strong to win 5-1 over the Maine Wave AAA U-18 on November 9th. "Our first period was not good. We didn't move our feet and had way too many power turns," said Head Coach Mike Meserve. Ba eventually found their stride later in the game. Todd Brow (Winslow, ME) drove the net on a 2 on 1 and banged in a Sam Parent (Hinesburg, VT) shot giving BA a 1-0 lead. However, about 45 seconds later, BA couldn't clear a rebound and the Wave evened the score at 1-1. Tied at one after one, BA needed to come out with a more consistent effort. John Delpadre (North Providence, RI) buried a power play goal from the lower right circle to make it 2-1 BA. The Wolverines showed they can score in bunches, crashing the net when lighting quick Charlie Gendron (Boxford, MA) worked a 2-2 with winger Alex Bartlett (South Burlington, VT), burying his 3rd goal of the year. On the power play, Erik Burke (Manchester, NH) scored his 2nd goal of the year off a Brow rebound. BA ended their scoring run with a Sam Parent (Hinesburg, VT) goal. John Fitzgerald(Arlington, MA) received the start in goal and calmly stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced. Additionally, Fitzgerald utilized his puck playing skills to set up a few quick breakouts which led to scoring opportunities.
The Jr. A team played the following afternoon and had an exciting start to the game. After the Eastern Kodiaks took a 3-0 lead, BA knew they would have to work hard to make a comeback and secure the win. Ryan Donovan (Bridgewater, MA) was the first to take action as he finished a pass from Dan Sullivan (Burlington, MA) to give BA their first goal. Charlie Cobb (South Burlington, VT) scored next with assists from Stephen Laliberte (Falmouth, MA) and DJ Cavicchi (Plymouth, MA). Brendan Moore (Springfield, MA) scored BA's third and fourth goals giving BA the lead with Dan Concannon (Everett, MA) and Ryan Menard (Ashland, MA) assisting his first, and Mike Peacock (Barnstable, MA) assisting his second. Alex Bartlett (South Burlington, VT) netted BA's fifth off a feed from Laliberte. Moore then secured the win and his hat trick as he capitalized on a pass from Brad McGovern (Haverhill, MA). Tyler Gallagher (Nahant, MA) played in net and stopped 15 of 18 shots that came his way.
 It took five extra minutes of overtime to do it, but the Bridgton Academy basketball team earned a hard fought 93-85 victory over Robinson Academy (NJ) last Thursday evening at the Wolverdome. Robinson Academy forced overtime with a late three point bucket. The first half saw Bridgton Academy extend a lead to 16 points (30-14) before the visitors dug in and forged a 38-38 deadlock at the intermission. Center Daniel Franca (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the first half attack with ten points. The second half the game went back and forth with Robinson taking a five point lead with just under five minutes remaining. BA guard Tommy McDonnell (Durham, NH) ignited the home rally with a deep three point basket and the two teams went back and forth in the final minutes.
In overtime, BA seized the lead behind some stellar play from guard Kareem Canty (New York, NY), and the front court tandem of Donnie Hale (New Albany, IN) and Ryan Martin (London, UK). Five Wolverines scored in double figures for the evening to pace a balanced attack led by Martin's game high 22. Hale added 17 and Canty 16 for the 1-0 Wolverines. BA coach Whit Lesure was pleased with the overall play of team. "I'm not sure it was technically pretty, but we showed some guts down the stretch and that is something positive to build on," Lesure said.
In a much different ballgame, Bridgton utilized decisive runs in both halves to defeat Leadership Academy 81-60 on Saturday afternoon in North Bridgton. Once again Ryan Martin (London, UK) led the Bridgton Academy offensive attack with a game high 22 points and was joined in double figures by Donnie Hale (New Albany, IN) (13) and Josh Altman (Rockport, MA) (10). BA sprinted to an 11-2 lead before getting stuck on fifteen and allowing the visitors to keep it a game for much of the first half. Bridgton Academy closed the first half well and took care of business to begin the second half by building a decent advantage and comfortably completing the game.
All players contributed significant minutes and each individual found their way into the scoring column for the well balanced offensive attack. Coach Lesure was satisfied with the outcome but less than thrilled with the overall performance of the Wolverines who were coming off an emotional and well played season opening victory on Thursday evening. "You cannot play as sloppily as we did and feel too good about it," Lesure remarked. " I am glad to see some individuals step up for us, but as far as team play goes, we have an endless amount of work to do."
The Bridgton Football team ended its 2010 campaign with a loss at Columbia University on Friday, November 12th. Many injuries prevented the Wolverines from having a productive game on both sides of the ball. The final score was 30-14. Wide Receiver Stephen Sweeney (Mahwah, NJ) had the only two scores on the day and the extra points added in by Marcus Hackett (Montclair, NJ). Joe McCarthy (West Roxbury, MA) also had a strong day with significant catches and quality return yards during the game. Defensively, Connor Candito (Shrewsbury, MA) consistently made plays across the field.
The Jr. A Hockey team spent November 12th-13th in Haverhill, MA, where they played in the Warrior Classic. In the first game of the tournament, the Florida Eels came out hard but were no match for the Wolverines as BA rolled through their first opponent 6-1 with a win. Will Husic (Glastonbury, CT) kicked aside 16/17 shots in the win.
Goals came from Marco Spisso (Highland Falls, NY), Brad McGovern (Haverhill, MA) Tyler Albano (Beverly, MA), D.J. Cavicchi (Plymouth, MA), Dan Concannon (Burlington, MA), and Ryan Kulik (Pembroke, MA).
The second game of the tournament was considered the best game of the season from an entire team perspective. In a rematch against St. Foye, the Wolverines came out on top with a 3-1 win. Everyone on the team bought into the system and played as a whole for 50 solid minutes. The Quebec Junior team again was no match as Bridgton put together the most complete game of the season.
McGovern, Kulik, and Cavicchi all tallied goals for BA, while Brad Cray (Raleigh, NC) stopped 20/21 shots in a very impressive performance.
In game three, the team skated away with another 3-1 win over the Atlanta Knights. Though things got a little rough at the end, the boys stuck together and had each other's backs, winning in impressive fashion 3-1 against a very big and skilled Atlanta team. In this game, Brendan Moore (Springfield, MA) scored two goals, while McGovern tallied the third. Cray put together back to back games with another win stopping 22/23 shots, and really started to find his form with his most impressive start of the season.
In game four, Bridgton looked very good early against the National Sports Academy. Brad Cray started his third game in a row, making several point-blank saves to keep the BA boys on top. He stopped a total of 18/20 shots in the 3-2 win. Alex Bartlett (South Burlington, VT) broke out with an impressive game winning goal on a solo effort moving his feet through the neutral zone and beating opposing goalie just under the cross-bar. The other two goals were thanks to Ryan Menard (Ashland, MA) and Ryan Donovan (Bridgewater, MA).
In the final game of the tournament, after an hour and half layover between games, the BA boys showed little signs of being tired as they played their 5th game in three days, this time against the Jr. Bruins. Going down 4-2 with 13 minutes to play the coaching staff called for a time out to regroup. After a motivating speech from Coach Lounsbury the team kept their heads high and battled back scoring two goals and owning the final 10 minutes -- forcing the game into overtime. After a scoreless OT, the tournament format went into a 5 man shootout. BA had some good opportunities as McGovern and Bartlett both beat the goalie but rang their shots off the post. It came down to the final shooter as the Jr. Bruins scored the lone goal ending the very impressive run from the BA Jr. A hockey team. Cray again had his most impressive start of the season stopping 32/36 shots and 4/5 in the shootout. The goals in the final game were scored by Moore, McGovern, Bartlett, and Spisso.
Coach Lounsbury brought the team together at the end of the tournament and told his players he has never been more proud of their efforts and how well they played as a team, always sticking together.
Coach Chris Travis was happy with the weekend's results. "I am very proud of these young men, they stuck together and played five outstanding hockey games as a team. They should be very proud of themselves for their efforts and putting themselves on the map to the entire hockey world," said Coach Travis.
 The lacrosse team ended their season on a high note as they produced great results at the Beantown Classic. The team won their first two games, and despite strong play, dropped their last. With their fall season all wrapped up, the lacrosse team will look forward to starting their off season training, preparing for a full spring schedule just around the corner.
|
Class Reps Wanted - Are you wondering if there is an extra way you can help BA? Consider volunteering as a Class Rep. The main job of a Class Rep is to organize and communicate with their class. This year, we would particularly like to see Reps from the year's ending in 6's and 1's - as these classes will be celebrating milestone Reunions in 2011. Bridgton Academy needs the support of alumni - and there is no one better to appeal to fellow alumni then someone who has walked in the same shoes. If you want to work to rally your Class in support of Bridgton - whether to get them to attend an event, make a special gift to BA, or even just get back in touch with each other, please contact Jess Priola in the Development Office by email or call (207) 647-7657. |
Upcoming Events:
November 28th: Start of Bridgton Academy Online Holiday Auction
December 4th: Annual Alumni & Parent Hockey Game |
Thanks for reading the Bridgton Academy e-news!
Don't forget to check us out on:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
