Friends,

In this season, we are reminded of the need to give thanks. For each other. For the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country and our world. For the good food and warm homes which we are so blessed to have.

This year, keenly, has put focus on the things which we might have taken for granted in the past. Our ability to be close to loved ones during the holidays. Our health or financial stability. Our cherished routines and traditions. This will be the first year in my entire life without a BC High Football game on Thanksgiving, other than the single year I missed while serving in Belize with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. I will miss seeing your smiling faces as we cheer on our Eagles, and the passion and energy they inject into every Thanksgiving morning.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, Principal Lewis and I want to thank you for your compliance and commitment to our protocols in order to keep the boys on campus. We are grateful to our faculty, staff, coaches and moderators for accompanying the boys each day in the Xavier, Ignatius and Faber Cohorts. We are walking together as companions at BC High.

Coronavirus has led us all to reflect and reconsider the things we hold dear. And, as a Catholic community, we give thanks even through struggle, sacrifice, and strife because we know we are blessed. We know that brighter days are promised tomorrow, and that we will share in the good fortune together.

And, for BC High, those days are looking brighter than ever before thanks to a record-breaking $5 million gift from Jack Shields '79, P'06 to establish the Shields Innovation Center, developing a multi-dimensional curriculum and strengthening student and alumni ties to Boston's evolving business community. The Shields Center is our newest Center for Excellence, alongside the beloved Hyde Center for Global Education, and the Michael D. White '70 Center for Emerging Leaders, which was announced last year. These Centers will radically transform the BC High experience for our students, expanding their horizons and affording them more opportunities to grow than ever before.

There is a groundswell of support from leaders in our alumni community to continue inspiring us in pursuit of the magis. In particular, several of our new Board of Trustees members have made an impact in recent weeks - and for that I thank them. Trustee Stephen Fulton '83, P'25, '26, Deputy Director of Boston Catholic Charities recently spoke to our students and is helping organize a new food drive for the community. Vice-Chair Serge Georges, Jr. ’88 attended our recent virtual meeting for Class Agents, and gave powerful insight on the work BC High is doing to be the best school it can be. And, our very own Trustee Fritz Friedman ’68 was recently named was named one of the 75 most influential Filipino-Americans for 2020.

I'm thankful for all of these people who make BC High such a special place... and for you. Each of us contributes to the BC High experience in a unique way with our own talents and gifts. And it is this time of year when I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for this family we share. I wish you and your loved ones a happy Thanksgiving wherever you may be. Thank you.

AMDG,

Grace Regan P'12

It comes as no surprise that our public transit system is facing significant challenges in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind, there are proposed changes in service and potential cuts to some of BC High’s most traveled lines. The MBTA Fiscal Management Board met yesterday (11/9) and will be hosting regional meetings in the coming weeks to hear from the public on the impact of transit in the given regions. We expect a decision in early December. We are asking for your help in attending these virtual meetings which are open to the public and sharing your story.

We were pleased to meet hundreds of prospective students and their families on Sunday during our Virtual Open House on a teleconferencing platform called Remo. Our Enrollment team was hard at work throughout the fall to find the best means of sharing our BC High community with these families, and Remo fit the bill as a tool that offered Zoom functionality with far more flexibility.

Guests were able to independently move around more than 50 "tables", as they would at an in-person event, to learn more about what their interests. Our students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni, and parents were on hand to talk about the clubs, sports, and classes they love.

From these conversations, a Livestream Mass, live performances, virtual tours, informative videos, and more we were able to share what makes the BC High experience well and truly special. Thank you to everyone who participated!

One of BC High's key differentiators is the level of support we are able to provide students. Our commitment to cura personalis - care for the whole person - is felt everywhere in our school, but perhaps most noticeably in our Guidance Department. Our adjustment counselors have launched a full slate of great activities and awareness initiatives for Mental Health Awareness Week, starting by asking students how they take care of their mental health! 

In recognition of Veterans Day, students gathered during lunch to write letters of support to BC High alumni who have served our country. Joseph Cook P’03 spoke to the boys about his late son, Navy Corpsman Tim Cook '03, who served in Iraq/Afghanistan and was diagnosed with PTSD after returning home. Joe has setup a foundation in his honor which awards scholarships to students who attend Catholic schools from South Boston.

Congratulations to our students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program - 17 Commended Students and one Semifinalist! Of the 1.5 million entrants only 50,000 students with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores qualify for recognition.

Commended:

Brady Connolly '21

Giovanni Coraluppi '21

Stephen Crowley '21

Boyuan Duan '21

John Ellis '21

Lucas Hurley '21

Avery Jennings '21

Sung Youn Jun '21

Sanjeeva Praveen Kalva '21

Owen Kenney '21

Lukas Miracky '21

Conor Murphy '21

Conor Patten '21

Christopher Recupero '21

Steven Roche '21

Brandon Thomas '21

Roy Zhu '21

Semifinalist:

Maxwell Obermann '21

Throughout November, our wonderful Jesuit Community has and will be praying for the loved ones who have left us. We have placed these names near the altar in Loyola Chapel to be remembered in our Masses, prayers, and sacrifices as an expression of our faith and in gratitude for your being part of the BC High community. We invite you to list the names of your beloved deceased on the form here.

You can make an important impact on our young men by making your gift to the Fund for BC High on #GivingTuesday, an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas season.

The Fund for BC High provides vital unrestricted operating support for our school, supporting virtually every aspect of our boys’ education and, this year, there’s an emphasis on that “virtually”! This summer BC High installed more than $1.2 million dollars in technology upgrades for our Connected Learning model, so our boys and teachers can be together in the classroom even when they’re learning from home. Your support of our school makes these kinds of investments possible.

All members of our community are invited to participate. Participating at any level is a vote of confidence in the mission, faculty, and administration. There is no better way to show your loyalty to BC High, and this year we are hoping to set record numbers for participation in a single day – so every gift makes a difference! It is going to be an exciting day of gratitude (and maybe a few surprises, too!), so we hope you will join us in making this year’s #GivingTuesday a success.