resilience perseverance St. Mary’s Ryken a catholic school in the xaverian brothers tradition gratitude 2019- 2020annual report contents dear donors and friends 1 Board of Directors 2019–20 of st. mary’s ryken, 2 D.J. Downs ’98: Living the Happy 40th anniversary to St. Mary’s Ryken! For Xaverian Values of Compassion our ’81 graduates, I am sure 40 years has gone by and Service to Others quickly. I can personally attest to the amazing progress and innovations that have transformed our school 6 The Class of 2020 community in the 24 years I have been part of SMR. 9 Giving Tuesday As I begin my second year as president of SMR, it has been full of challenges, challenges for which no 1 0 Career Fair Supporters one could have predicted or planned. Despite these 1 0 Knight Gala challenges, I am impressed with our SMR community in their resilience, perseverance and flexibility to deliver 1 1 Financial Report a top-notch educational experience for our students. SMR was one of the few schools in the state of Maryland 1 2 SMR Named Scholarships that returned students to school for in-person instruction. As we celebrate our 40th year, 1 3 Scholarship and Tuition the success of our graduates continues to assure us that the mission of a SMR education Assistance Donors is making an impact on their lives. The Class of 2020, who are featured on the cover and throughout this Annual Report, had near-record numbers in the amount of scholarship 1 4 Event Supporters dollars earned and the amount of Christian service hours served. We are very proud of their accomplishments as Knights, and look forward to watching them succeed as young 17 Volunteers adults and successful members of their communities. 1 8 Special Gifts This year, SMR is excited about embarking on a new Campus Master Plan that 2 0 St. Francis Xavier Society aligns with our Strategic Plan. Through this planning process, SMR will create a path for the bright future of our facilities, and academic, athletic, fine arts, faith life and 2 0 Endowment Donors service programming. 2 1 Alumni Giving by Class Please keep SMR in your prayers, as we continue to keep you in ours. 2 5 Thank You, Donors: Current Peace, Parents, Alumni Parents, Grandparents, Friends and Employees of St. Mary’s Ryken 2 9 Annual Fund Giving Circles Dr. Rick Wood 3 2 2019–20 Contributions President and CEO 3 3 Planned and Legacy Giving Opportunities Mission Statement Editors Design Please send alumni news, updated contact information St. Mary’s Ryken is a Jerrilyn Borneman, Ideal Design Co. and corrections to Catholic, coeducational, Director of Development Photography [email protected] college preparatory Betsy Haley, or call 301-373-4162. school community Betsy Haley Director of Communications operated under the and Marketing Legacy Studios St. Mary’s Ryken High School Xaverian Brothers’ 22600 Camp Calvert Road sponsorship dedicated MeMe Stauffer, One Heart Leonardtown, MD 20650 to academic excellence Raiser’s Edge Photography and individualized Database Manager Chris Palombi smrhs.org student growth. Laurie Vergott, Kyle Weaver Copy Editor Photography 2019-20 Board of Directors Mr. James M. Burke, SMR ’86 Mrs. Susan Keller Miller, SMA ’78 Mrs. Mary Lynn Stone Retired: Keller Transportation President and Co-Owner chairman of the board Waldorf, MD Century 21 New Millennium, President and Chief Risk Officer NM Management Inc., Community Bank of the Chesapeake Mr. Patrick Murphy, SMR ’87 and NM Commercial Real Estate Waldorf, MD Vice President & Lead Counsel Alexandria, VA Robert Half and Protiviti Mrs. Sue Ann Lewis Armitage, SMR ’83 Alexandria, VA Mr. Robert Taylor, RHS ’68 Attorney President Armitage & Armitage, PA Mr. Brian K. Norris, SMR ’84 Bob Taylor Engineering Inc. Lexington Park, MD Developer, President and CEO Lexington Park, MD The Cherry Cove Group Dr. Paul Barker Lexington Park, MD Mrs. Eleanor Long Tennyson President Managing Director – Investments Our Lady of Good Counsel High School Mrs. Laura J. Roland Tennyson Wealth Management Group Olney, MD Owner of Wells Fargo Advisors Encounter Grace LLC Washington, D.C. Dr. Leonard Brown Jr. Washington, D.C. Vice President for Student Affairs Mr. Daniel White Norfolk State University Mrs. Enid Sanchez-Bubb Senior States Attorney, St. Mary’s County Norfolk, VA President and CEO and CFO, Compass Marketing Inc. C3 Innovations Inc. Leonardtown, MD Mr. Brendan Donohue California, MD Principal Dr. Glenn P. “Rick” Wood II Xavier High School Mrs. Christine Senese, SMA ’72 President and CEO Middletown, CT Director of Finance and Administration St. Mary’s Ryken High School Cedar Lane Senior Living Community Leonardtown, MD Mrs. Gabrielle Forte Leonardtown, MD Engineer NAWCAD Patuxent River Patuxent River, MD Mr. Derek Greer, SMR ’99 Chief Engineer Naval Air Systems Command Patuxent River, MD Mrs. Sue A. Greer Attorney Law Offices of Sue A. Greer La Plata, MD Mr. Mark Guadagnoli Vice President Rainbow Construction Corp. Waldorf, MD Mr. Brian Harper, SMR ’87 Senior Executive Director Sabre Systems Inc. Lexington Park, MD Mr. F. George Heinze, RHS ’80 Owner Pizza Hotline Charlotte Hall, MD 2019–2020 Annual Report 1 d.j. downs ’98: Living the Xaverian Values of Compassion and Service to Others David “D.J.” Downs graduated from Regional Planning degree from Rutgers, St. Mary’s Ryken in 1998 and went on and a joint Masters of Infrastructure to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Planning from the New Jersey Institute architectural history from the University of Technology’s School of Architecture. of Maryland. While in college, he was It was during this time that D.J. turned fortunate to study abroad for a semester his passion for architecture and art history at the American University of Rome. into a career serving others. Today he is After a few years in Philadelphia working as an innovative community development a grants manager with the Schuylkill River practitioner with over 15 years of diverse Heritage Area, D.J. pursued a graduate experience as an affordable housing degree from Rutgers University’s Edward developer, program manager, and planner J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public with established nonprofit, public, and Policy. D.J. earned a Masters of City and private sector relationships. D.J. currently D.J. with wife Cindy and son Jack serves as deputy director of Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corp., the affordable housing development affiliate of Catholic Charities, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Catholic Charities POP Development is an experienced nonprofit developer with nearly 50 completed residences, several buildings in construction, and an active development pipeline. It is one of the largest faith-based developers of affordable housing in the country and provides 3,750 units of housing for low-income seniors, families, and the formerly homeless, with an additional 750 units of special needs housing, throughout the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. With New York City reeling from a health epidemic and economic crisis, countless community members in Brooklyn and Queens are turning to Catholic Charities for assistance in the form of basic services such as housing, nutrition, and health. Through his role, D.J. can envision vacant land and blighted buildings as affordable housing and community centers, and D.J. at the Bishop Valero Residence construction site. Workers accessing the site adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols, including daily monitoring and contact tracing, to ensure health and safety for all construction team members. smrhs.org 2 St. Mary’s Ryken Aerial view of the Bishop Valero Residence, a 100+ unit, multifamily building for seniors under construction by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York. transform lives of those who live or visit families, but also the working poor, an Charities, especially bringing solar power those places. D.J. serves as the ringmaster, often-overlooked population. In New York to the underserved communities he serves carefully guiding each phase of the project City, access to housing is inequitable and in Brooklyn and Queens. from conception to fruition, linking every often out of reach to households earning Today, D.J. resides in New York City aspect of project initiation: strategic less than $90,000 a year (or 80 percent with his wife, Cindy, and son, Jack. At the planning, pre-construction, construction of the NYC metro Area Median Income writing of this article, he is at home in his monitoring and quality control, and finally of $114,000 for a family of four). apartment with his family, grateful for good marketing and lease-up to assist tenants health, and hopeful for a steady recovery in into their new residences. Proper and Through D.J.’s multifaceted role, he the city, and for the residents in the Catholic complete execution of these progressive remains focused on affordable housing Charities portfolio in Brooklyn and Queens. tasks establishes the strategic framework for development, policy, and sustainability More than 20 years after graduation from each project and is essential to ensure success. models, including energy efficiency, SMR, D.J.’s daily commitment to creating D.J. oversees projects that will directly resiliency, and healthy living. He is passion- quality housing for all continues the Xaverian benefit not only homeless individuals and ate about the work he does with Catholic value of compassion. 2019–2020 Annual Report 3 discover the difference SMR Faculty are committed to being accessible to students and parents, and they