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 Bridgton Academy Set to Host First-Ever "BA University" - As BA prepares to welcome the Class of 2012 to campus later this month; we are excited to get ready for the school year with a new two week training program staff is referring to as BAU. Typically, staff training would take place in a two day faculty meeting in late August, but this year, Dean of Faculty, Fletcher Carr, and Dean of Students, Rich MacDonald, are rolling out a more intensive program that involves a variety of training sessions given by both faculty and administrators. BAU will offer more of a conference structure - with required sessions including tech primers, academic updates, advise
or training, CPR, and security overviews. Afternoon elective sessions include break-out groups studying topics ranging from digital storytelling to college counseling. In addition to sections led by faculty and staff, BA is excited to welcome well-renowned teacher, coach, and author, Mr. Joe Ehrmann to campus to address both our faculty and staff.
Mr. Ehrmann, a former NFL lineman for the Indianapolis Colts, was recently recognized by the National Institute of Sports as one of The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America. Parade Magazine referred to Joe as "The most important coach in America." Co-owner of Coach for America, the mission of Joe's work is "To inform, inspire and initiate individual, communal and societal change that will empower men and women to be their very best - personally, professionally and relationally. Joe's clients include the NFL, Ripken Foundation, Teach for America, NCAA, The United States Naval Academy, Verizon, Boeing, and many others. In preperation for Bridgton's training with Mr. Erhmann, all staff will be reading his most recent book InSide Out Coaching. To learn more about Joe Erhmann, please click here.
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Bridgton Academy Receives NEASC Vote of Approval - The New England Association of Independent Schools and Colleges Commission on Independent Schools recently accepted Bridgton Academy's Five-Year Interim Evaluation Report. "The Commission commends the school for pursuing and accomplishing the improvements recommended five years ago, and for turning the financial stress of the recession into positive changes for faculty and administration," stated the report. |
New Hires Ready to Get Started - Bridgton Academy is pleased to announce a number of new faculty and staff members that will be joining us this fall. Look for new staff bios coming up in the next e-news, but for now, here is a quick introduction!
Clay Adams - Clay will be joining us as an English/History Teacher, as well as working as an Assistant Coach for the Hockey program. He will serve as a Holt Hall dorm parent.
Miguel Barrera - Miguel will be teaching Math, along with working as an Assistant Soccer Coach. He will reside in Jillson Hall.
Ray Orio - Ray is one of our newest group of interns. He will be teaching Science, as well as working as an Assistant Football Coach.
Chad Parker - Chad will be interning as an Athletic Trainer and will serve as an assistant dorm parent in Sylvester Hall.
Cory Vejraska - A 2007 BA alumnus, Cory will be returning to Bridgton as a History Teacher/Intern. He will also be working an Assistant Basketball Coach under his own former coach, Whit Lesure.
Brian Farrell - Brian will be joining us as an intern, serving as an Assistant Lacrosse Coach as well as Assistant Athletic Director.
Deb Dutton - Deb just began her tenure at Bridgton this week as the new school Registrar.
Shawn Johnson - Shawn's position will be serving as the newest member of Bridgton Academy's Operations Staff. |
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Teaching Bridgton With "Ched" Chapels - Hello Faculty, Friends, Students, Parents, and Distinguished Alumni:
The Office of Residential Life would like to share the following message...
We would like to take this opportunity to invite you participate in a special program we are rolling out this fall for our current students. It is tentatively called Chapel Educational Discussions (Cheds) and is meant for our students to hear speakers who can share stories and experiences that engage our students in thought, and later discussion, of values, personal narratives and our mission.
We strongly encourage you to contact us about participating. Modeled after the Ted Talks, these presentations are designed to be approximately 20 minutes in length with an optional 10 minute question and answer period to follow. Speakers will be welcome to also participate in smaller group discussions with classes later in the day. Consider coming back to BA to share stories about your work, life, values, and lessons learned. Ultimately we would like to tie all Ched discussions back to our principal values - Intellectual Vitality, Community, Sportsmanship, Personal & Institutional Accountability, and Excellence.
Our Ched chapels will occur on Mondays throughout the semester, and each week an advisor group will have the responsibility for assisting in the "leg work" needed to put the Chapels together.
If you would like to learn more about coming to Bridgton to present at our Cheds, please contact Dean of Students, Rich MacDonald at rmacdonald@bridgtonacademy.org or call (207) 647-3322, ext. 253.
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The Robert Stone Saulnier Memorial Basketball Locker Room Officially Opened- In the winter of 2009, Coach Whit Lesure realized that it was time to make some changes in the basketball team locker room. Everything about the space was out of date, including the lockers, paint, and furniture.
Year after year, Wolverine basketball players and staff work hard both on and off court. Coach Whit wanted his space to reflect a positive image for the team, a space that they could share and feel good about both on game day and beyond.
 In early 2010, with help from the Development Office, Coach Lesure began to fundraise for the locker room renovation project. Budgets for the renovation also included funds to purchase a popular basketball training tool called The Gun. By the end of the 2011 school year, Coach Lesure and the Development Office had raised close to $10,000 for these efforts.
The completed locker room is now open, much to the excitement of the Class of 2011, who was the first team to use the space. Finishing touches will be put on the space this summer to ready it for the Class of 2012.
Bridgton Academy is honored to announce that the newly renovated locker room will be named in recognition of Col. Philip J. Saulnier (Ret.), a Bridgton Academy trustee and member of the Class of 1958. Col. Saulnier was a leadership donor for this project, and without his advocacy and support, these renovations simply would not have been possible.
The new name was revealed on a steamy August morning in the Memorial Gymnasium. Coach Whit Lesure, Athletic Director Joe Sawicki, Alumni & Development Manager Jessica Priola, and Headmaster Grady Vigneau were on hand to hang the new naming plaque.
The Robert Stone Saulnier Memorial Basketball Locker Room is now officially open for use. The locker room is named in memory of Robert Stone Saulnier, the son of Philip and Judy Saulnier, who sadly lost his life in an automobile accident.
"I want to thank Phil (Saulnier) for being the lead donor on this project and for his generosity over the years I have known him here at BA," remarked Coach Lesure. "Many other friends of the basketball program have also contributed greatly to both our renovated locker room area and the purchase of The Gun, which happens to be the best shooting training device on the market. I think that most would recognize that Bridgton Academy is not all about the bells and whistles, but rather focused on the things that matter most to our mission. Upgrades like this, across all of our programs, compliment the people driven nature of our institution perfectly and will benefit the student body as a whole for years to come."
Thank you to everyone, especially the Saulnier family, for helping to transform our basketball team space. When you next visit Memorial Gymnasium, be sure to admire the Robert Stone Saulnier Memorial Basketball Locker Room - it's worth the visit!
Want to learn more about how you can support Bridgton Academy athletics? Please contact Jessica Priola in the Development Office at (207) 647-3322, ext. 219, or email jpriola@bridgtonacademy.org.
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 BA Crowd Enjoys Watching Sox Down KC - On July 26th, twenty-five Bridgton alumni, parents, and faculty donned their favorite BA and Red Sox gear for the annual Alumni Red Sox Game. In keeping with tradition, all who attended met for a pre-game get together at Jillian's for drinks and appetizers. After an hour or so of fun there, the group headed over to Fenway to watch the Sox take on KC. Amidst the consumption of peanuts and hot dogs, the Bridgton camaraderie continued, and all the Sox fans were treated to a 13-9 victory. Several who have attended past games came out, as well as quite a few first-timers. Those alumni present included: Brian Jones '85, Al Sewell '84, Mark Carlson '87, David '55 & Janice Petri, Chris Chandler '06, JD Blue '08, Doug Padden '99, and Terry Casey '11. Ben Thomas '04 stopped by at Jillian's to say 'hi' before the game. Home on leave before being deployed, both Tom '05 and Michael '04 Daley were able to join their brother Patrick '09 and dad, Coach Joe Daley '77, at the game. In addition, those past parents who took in part the evening's festivities were Victoria Baldasarre P'08, John Blue P'08, and Kim Leeman P'11. Tom Austin, Chris Webb, and Headmaster Grady Vigneau drove down from Bridgton to join the group. Thanks to everyone who participated in this fun outing! (Pictured are Headmaster Grady Vigneau and alumnus David Petri '55.)
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 Construction Started on New Wolverine Lacrosse Locker Room - The sounds of hammers, nails, and table saws resonate in Bridgton Ice Arena. On any given day over the past few weeks, you can find members of the BA Operations Staff hard at work constructing the new and improved home of Wolverine lacrosse. Over fifty feet in length, the full-size locker room located on the ice rink mezzanine will provide a dedicated professional space for the team and will house approximately 36 full-size wooden lockers. Coach Bamann '00 is excited to move into the new space and get ready for the 2011-2012 season. Stay tuned for more details on this project in the near future!
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| BA College Counseling is Now on Facebook! - Bridgton Academy's College Counseling office is now on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/BACollegeCounseling. Please 'like' us to see reminders and events happening in the college office. Alumni and parents, we'd love for you to share your experiences with us. Please feel free to post have your advice and/or questions as the year progresses. We are looking forward to working with the Class of 2012! |
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Four Decades of BA History Represented at Luncheon: The turnout for this year's annual Alumni Luncheon was larger than we've had in a few years, with all in attendance seemingly eager to see how the North Bridgton Village Church had been transformed into "The Wolverine Den," Bridgton's new student center.
 This event was originally started by Norma Relihan Doody '42 as a way to get the snowbirds who summered in Maine together before they went south again. It remains a wonderful opportunity for any Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire alumni to have an excuse to get together for lots of reminiscing about their days at the campus on the hill. Alumni began arriving at 11 a.m., giving them an hour to socialize over coffee and look through yearbooks from all class years represented. A delicious lunch was prepared by Sodexo, followed by a fun game of guessing senior pictures of nearly every guest present. Congratulations to Jean Russell Holden '50 for getting 20 out of 23 correct, and winning a Bridgton Academy sweatshirt as the prize! Over thirty alumni and spouses came out for the event including: Madelyn Buck '37, Jean Russell Holden '50, Marion Flint Brooks '57, Phyllis Adams Wakefield '46, Marguerite Frisbie Dale '47, Harry Smith '48, Phil Denison '48, Joann Bean Fillebrown '48, Lois Witham, Dana Lord '50, Penny Davis '56 & Al Light, Peggy Packard Poskus '56, Norma Relihan '56 & Donald Doody, Dick '69 & Sherry Waldron, Glenn '44 & Ruth '43 Chute, Frank Bennett, Jr. '48, Durward '51 & Evelyn '52 Kimball Maxfield, Albert '42 & Lynette Bradford, Janet Marston Bodwell '51, Carolyn Bradford Williams '51, Bill '41 & Judy Haynes, and Rod '57 & Priscilla McGarry. As with past years, it was once again a wonderful time to celebrate the rich and diverse history of Bridgton Academy. |
Former BA Coaches Land New Positions - Two BA veterans were recently offered and accepted exciting new coaching jobs. Alumnus and former faculty member Matt Burgess '88 will begin work this summer as the new Head Football Coach of Gardiner High School (ME). Matt is truly coming full circle, as he played for the Gardiner High football team, and his father was also the former Head Football Coach many years ago.
Former BA soccer coach Kevin Mellon was recently offered and accepted a position at the University of Connecticut. Kevin will be working as UCONN's Director of Soccer Administration, along with serving as an assistant soccer coach. Congratulations to both of these BA vets! |
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Hot Off the Press -
Several of the 2012 Wolverine athletic schedules are now available online...
Click here to view the following:
2011-2012 Football Schedule
2011-2012 Golf Schedule
2011-2012 Soccer Schedule |
Upcoming Events:
August 27th - Class of 2012 Registration Day
September 7th - Alumni Picnic at Crystal Lake Park (Harrison, ME)
September 18th - BA Alumni Tailgate @ Curry College (MA)
September 30th - Parents Weekend
October 29th, 2011, Connecticut - Alumni Lacrosse Game
The 2012 Academic Calendar is now available online. |
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