CREIGHTON PREP ALUMNI NEWS MEET MICHAEL MICHAEL GIAMBELLUCA IS PREP'S NEW PRESIDENT ATHLETIC RECORD ENROLLMENT ALUMNI IN THE SUMMER 2013 10 FOR 2013 12 HALL OF FAME 24 WORKPLACE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Greetings I feel blessed and energized to be writing you as I begin my tenure as the 32nd president of Creighton Prep, a school whose formative mission, exceptional quality, loyal following and supportive atmosphere remind me so much of Jesuit High School in New Orleans, where I recently completed my 12th year as principal. Both school communities are so very blessed in so many ways. As I begin my work at Prep, I want to thank the Creighton Prep Governing Board, the Search Committee, my predecessor Father Andy Alexander, S.J. ’66, Tim McIntire at Carney Sandoe & Associates and all the Prep constituents who took the time to be part of the very thorough process that helped select and transition me to my role as president, a position from which I will be honored and humbled to serve a community that means so much to so many people, a community that has already been so welcoming to my wife Donnamaria and me. On page four of this Alumni News, you can find out more about the selection process and my background as well as some of my reflections on education and my priorities going forward. As mentioned there, I will be focused on advancing the mission of Prep for and through all members of our school community. As I begin my tenure, I will be doing a great deal of listening and learning about this wonderful institution, and this process will result in us both celebrating what we are doing well and improving upon what we might be able to do better. That is the “magis” to which each member of our community is called. Prep has been able to do such wonderful things for so many up to this point in its history, and for this special privilege of service we are blessed and grateful. But, with God's grace and guidance, and with our thoughtful reflection, planning, courage, innovation and persistence, Prep's best days are still ahead of us. That should be such an exciting reality for all of our constituents. As you will read on page 10, efforts to tell the Prep story to a broader audience resulted in the largest number of entrance exam test takers in the school’s history and an incoming freshman class that is both strong in number and in its potential for success considering the challenging academic requirements that will be placed on them by our hard-working, devoted and talented faculty. I am also excited to see the results of our faculty’s good work on a diverse and compelling group of new elective courses that will be presented in the upcoming school year as detailed on page 11. Just as important as the high level of education and care our faculty and staff will provide inside the school on a daily basis will be the actions you can take from beyond 74th & Western Avenue to complement and reinforce our ongoing mission to form men of faith, scholarship, leadership and service in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition. As we approach the start of another school year in Prep’s amazing history, I encourage you to take a few moments to reflect on the time, talent and treasure you might be able to offer in support of our mission in 2013-2014. With us all working together in our commitment to Prep, the future will shine even more brightly for our students, students who are being called by God to be not the best in the world, but the best for the world. And our world is in desperate need of God's light to shine through our students. AMDG. Loving and serving God in all things, Michael Giambelluca CREIGHTON P R E P ALUMNI NEWS Published by: Creighton Prep 7400 Western Avenue Omaha, NE 68114-1878 402.393.1190 Summer 2013 www.creightonprep.org President: MEET THE NEW PRESIDENT OF CREIGHTON PREP Michael Giambelluca On July 1, 2013, a new chapter began that will forever link together the two great cities of New Orleans, Louisiana [email protected] and Omaha, Nebraska and their Jesuit high schools… Principal: 4 1 No. 56 Volume John C. Naatz [email protected] Vice President of Development: 7 Alumni Events Kathy Bertolini [email protected] 10 Record Enrollment for 2013 Director of Annual Funds: Brad Burks ‘00 11 Five New Electives [email protected] Assistant to the President: 12 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME Rev. George R. Sullivan, S.J. ‘62 A baseball team, six former sports stars, Parent Annual Fund Director: the parents of three of them and a longtime 16 Sports announcer highlight the 2013 Creighton Daneen Pieper [email protected] Prep Athletic Hall of Fame class. 18 Here & There Alumni & Development Operations Director: Nate Driml ‘96 22 Leo McManus '35 [email protected] 23 Friday Morning Prayer Program Special Events Coordinator: Amy Gilroy Knight 24 ALUMNI IN THE WORKPLACE [email protected] Here & There Editor: 27 Please Remember Terri Haller [email protected] 30 BASH 2013 Gift Coordinator: Creighton Prep graduates throughout history Grace Cominoli have gone on to use their formation in 31 2013 Alumni Council Senior Breakfast [email protected] faith, scholarship, leadership and service Development Associate: to advocate successfully for clients as they Pat Neary ‘78 advanced the legal profession… [email protected] CALENDAR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2013 Men For Others Golf Loyola Dinner of Honor and Distinction Creighton Prep Open House Omaha Country Club Henry L. Sullivan, S.J. Campus Center SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2013 Alumni Memorial Mass Sports Night featuring Gary McCord Mother/Son Mass and Breakfast Henry L. Sullivan, S.J. Campus Center Heider Center Embassy Suites La Vista Michael GIAMBELLUCA Meet the New President of Creighton Prep On July 1, 2013, a new chapter began that will forever link together the two great cities of New Orleans, Louisiana and Omaha, Nebraska and their Jesuit high schools, Jesuit High School of New Orleans and Creighton Preparatory School, as longtime Jesuit New Orleans principal and graduate Michael Giambelluca takes over as the 32nd president of Creighton Prep. The Search Process New Prep President, Michael Giambelluca, with outgoing The search process that ultimately resulted in Michael’s selection as President, Fr. Andy Alexander, S.J. '66 Prep’s new president included work early on by the Creighton Prep Governing Board and its five Jesuit members to attempt to locate a Jesuit to fill the position. Working with Fr. Thomas Lawler, S.J., Provincial of the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus that sponsors Prep, the names of a number of Jesuits surfaced. In the end, however, no Jesuit was able to be assigned by July 1, 2012. In the ensuing months, with help from premier educational recruiting firm Carney Sandoe & Associates, the Search Committee widened the appeal to include both Jesuit and lay candidates, which resulted in over 50 applicants from around the country. The candidate pool was reduced to 13 after phone interviews then to four who were invited to Omaha for personal interviews. After personal interviews, the pool was narrowed to two finalists who were brought to Prep’s campus in late October 2012 for meetings with numerous members of the Prep community over the course of a number of days. After receiving feedback from many Prep stakeholders who met the candidates during their visits, the Search Committee received approval on their selection of Michael from Fr. Lawler, who interviewed him and would mission him to his new role. The committee then recommended that the Governing Board offer Michael the position of president of Creighton Prep, which it voted to do at its November 14, 2012 meeting. 4 CP ALUMNI NEWS Michael’s Background As a student at Jesuit High School, Michael was awarded both the Reverend Father President’s Spiritual Leadership Award and the Julia Ferguson McEnerny Memorial Trophy, which, respectively, recognize the senior who has “exerted the greatest spiritual influence on others by living a life exemplifying his Catholic faith” and one who has “a good scholastic record, actively participated in extracurricular activities, and possesses those qualities which symbolize the most representative student of Jesuit High School.” To this day, he is the only alumnus of Jesuit New Orleans to have received both awards. AN: How did you keep the students and the rest of the Michael obtained a bachelor’s degree in Latin and philosophy at community committed to the school while it was closed? Tulane University, graduating magna cum laude, then taught and MG: coached at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans for two Fr. McGinn (Jesuit High School president) and I moved quickly years. He went on to earn a law degree at Tulane and work as an on two fronts with the assistance of many wonderful Jesuit High attorney in a private civil practice for four years before returning to staff members. First, we made a decision to honor the contracts his vocation guiding young people. of our faculty members during the closure and, second, we made arrangements to open temporary school sites in Texas—one at Strake He became a teacher and coach at St. Martin’s Episcopal School Jesuit in Houston and the other, later on, at Jesuit Dallas. St. Martin’s in New Orleans and later served as the athletic director.