THE PROUT SCHOOL 4640 Tower Hill Road Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879 401.789.9262 Parents! Update us with your student's current address by emailing us at [email protected]. Thank you! Battle of the Classes! Support The Prout School Use your phone's camera to scan the QR code below Crusader Spirit will get us to the home stretch on the new field. Scan this QR code with the camera on your cell phone to make a donation to the Prout Alumni Challenge NOW. • ApplyOr visit: your donation to a particular class. https://givebutter.com/BreakingGround • Give your gift “in memory of” or “in honor of” somebody near and dear. • PayPowered via by Givebutter credit card, PayPal or Venmo — or indicate you’re sending a check. Our goal is to raise $250,000 so we can finally break ground on this beautiful field! The Prout class that raises the most money gets to represent the alumni at the ribbon-cutting ceremony! On behalf of ALL of our students, thank you! See page 12 inside for details! The Prout School the CRUSADER A magazine for alumni, parents and friends of The Prout School FALL 2020 Founded in 1966, THE PROUT SCHOOL is a Catholic, diocesan, THE PROUT SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT: coeducational, college-preparatory high school. The school enrolls The Prout School is a vibrant Catholic community that over 400 students from almost all Rhode Island communities and prepares the whole person for productive membership parts of Connecticut. The Prout School is a member of NEASC and in the global community by fostering quality in is Rhode Island’s only International Baccalaureate School. spiritual, academic, artistic, and athletic pursuits. Inside this issue... 8 Visual & Performing Arts 2 6 Our Catholic The Class of 2020 Identity 11 4 Athletics Academics LIKE US ON FACEBOOK The Prout School OR The Prout School Alumni Page 14 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER Alumni @Proutschool 17 News Prout Transitions 19 FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM Philanthropy @The_Prout_School The Crusader is a publication of The Prout School’s Office of Institutional Advancement. David J. Estes / Principal Nicole Kelly, MBA / Director of Institutional Advancement / 401.789.9262 x 537 / [email protected] Abigail Clarkin / Communications Associate / 401.789.9262 x 516 / [email protected] Sharon DeLuca / Director of Admissions & Enrollment Management / 401.789.9262 x 514 / [email protected] Photography / Abigail Clarkin, Michael Derr, Jim Healey, Nicole Kelly, LifeTouch, George Moniz, Rose Slusarczyk The Prout School / 4640 Tower Hill Road / Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879 / 401.789.9262 / www.theproutschool.org Members of the Class of 2021 assemble outdoors for a socially-distanced group photo. The seniors had just About the Cover received their Crusader pins following Opening Mass, a Prout tradition. They're pictured here with Dave Estes, Principal and Sr. Una O'Connor, CP who represented the Sisters of the Cross and Passion at the ceremony. dear Prout Community, This certainly has been a year like forward to celebrating Spirit Week, albeit with a few no other. And, while the school accommodations! looks very different than it did last Many of our returning families have you to thank. Over fall, we are grateful for God’s grace the course of three weeks in June, parents and alumni and strength as we opened the contributed $50,000 to an online fundraising campaign 2020-2021 academic year with our called Prout, Now & Forever. The bulk of the money students back at school. raised allowed us to extend additional financial aid to Our faculty and staff, students and parents have come families that were experiencing financial challenges together to take a very difficult situation and, through due to the business shutdowns and layoffs that have trial and error, hard work and a lot of prayer, have occurred since March. brought about the best possible outcome. September 2 marked the 200th birthday of Elizabeth Large white tents scatter the campus and, thanks to a Prout, the foundress of the Sisters of the Cross and very mild fall, much of the learning and community- Passion and the namesake of our school. I think building still takes place outdoors. Screens have been Elizabeth Prout, who worked tirelessly and under very added to the casement windows, allowing for fresh air difficult conditions to improve the lives of the working to circulate through the school. New HEPA filters will poor in industrial England, would appreciate our ability clean the air come winter. to persevere – despite hardship. Cameras have been installed in all classrooms, allowing I ask that you keep our school in your prayers and I teachers to livestream classes to the small group of pray that God continues to keep you and the entire students who have opted for distance learning. Prout community healthy and in good spirits. And, while spectators are masked and socially distanced, Sincerely, our Crusaders are back on the soccer fields, the tennis courts and the cross country courses. The Bishop celebrated Opening Mass in our auditorium, which was livestreamed to our classrooms. We’re even looking the crusader X1 our catholic identity Elizabeth's birth. The celebration Mass took place in the Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara in Elizabeth's hometown. Bishop Mark Davies, who presided over the Mass, said, “[Elizabeth] saw clearly that it was only by discovering that we are loved by God that the innate and eternal worth of every human life is PROUT WARMS MORE THAN Lachapelle who taught the senior-level According to an article by the Catholic HEARTS: STUDENTS DONATE class for many years. “I think the students News Agency, Elizabeth became a nun at 1500 PAIRS OF SOCKS were impacted most by the realization that 28 and moved to Manchester, England. Students from Prout’s social justice class the homeless population included children While there, she aided some of the most were able to make winter a little warmer and babies.” vulnerable populations at the time: factory for many Rhode Islanders. Last fall, workers, women, and Irish migrants. the students organized a school-wide Although Elizabeth passed away due to tuberculosis in 1864, her mission event to gather more than 1,500 pairs of SISTERS OF THE CROSS AND brand-new socks for the homeless. The continues through the Sisters of the Cross PASSION CELEBRATE 200 YEARS and Passion. socks were distributed to local shelters SINCE BIRTH OF ELIZABETH including Lucy’s Hearth in Middletown, PROUT “Of all the ministries that the Sisters Warm Shelter in Westerly, and the have founded, our school is the only Jonnycake Center in Peacedale. Elizabeth Prout – also known as Mother Mary Joseph Prout — is The Prout School’s one that bears her name,” says Principal “It was the responsibility of the class to namesake and the foundress of the Sisters Dave Estes, “As we celebrate the 200th become aware of some of the injustices of the Cross and Passion. anniversary of Elizabeth Prout’s birth, in society, and then to help rectify those I am humbled by her courage to serve injustices,” said religion teacher Marie On September 2, 2020, the Sisters of the children during the difficult conditions Cross and Passion observed 200 years since found in her day.” X2 the crusader our catholic identity con’t celebration at the Cathedral of Saints the distribution took place outdoors where Peter and Paul in Providence on March 8, Sister Una O'Connor, CP – who came on 2020. This award is the highest national her own to represent the sisters – addressed youth ministry award a Catholic youth can the assembled students. She spoke of the receive for integrity, leadership and service. legacy of Elizabeth Prout – the school's She is pictured here with Lily Araujo, foundress – and of her admiration for the Prout’s Director of Campus Ministry. students, faculty, staff and parents during these difficult times. HOLY CROSS AWARD CHERISHED TRADITIONS In June, Michael Slusarczyk ‘20 was CONTINUE awarded the Holy Cross Award. The award On October 7, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin is presented to a graduating senior who is celebrated Prout's 2020-2021 academic an example of discipleship and outstanding year's Opening Mass in the school's service to the school and to Prout’s Office auditorium, though the majority of of Campus Ministry; it is inspired by students participated via a livestream Mother Mary Joseph Prout, patroness of into their classrooms. The music for the The Prout School. Mass was provided by a pianist, a guitarist “Michael was the ‘go-to’ senior for liturgical and three student singers, all socially and spiritual celebrations,” says Director of distanced in a space in the auditorium, Campus Ministry Lily Araujo, “Father and formerly occupied by seating. Bishop Tobin I could always count on him to help.” was joined by Father Jeremy and Prout Chaplain, Father Carl Fisette. The Bishop During his four years at Prout, Michael was graciously remained in the school after an altar server, assisted in the preparation Mass to bless the classrooms, hallways and for sacramental celebrations, and trained common spaces. younger altar servers. He served as a Peer Minister, an ambassador to any visiting In previous years, seniors would receive priests, and an invaluable part of Campus their Crusader pin after Opening Mass, Ministry. with the pins distributed by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion. This year, however, ST. TIMOTHY AWARD Prout student Madison Gioffreda ‘20 received the St. Timothy award at a the crusader X3 2019-2020 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS We are grateful to the families that have established scholarships in memory of lost loved ones. Additional arts-related memorial scholarship recipients appear on page 10.