mount magazine - winter 2013

News and Information from Mount Saint Charles Academy • Brothers of the Sacred Heart • Winter 2013 • Issue 15

From mount Saint CharleS to mount evereSt

Mount_issue#15.indd 1 1/11/13 10:25 AM

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Inside this issue of Mount:

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Bishop tobinCelebratesmass at mSCBishop Tobin visited Mount Saint Charles Academy and celebrated All Saints Day Mass on November 1st.

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mSC teachertravels to Sister School in africaMarc Monahan, religion teacher at Mount, shares his experience of visiting and teaching at The Shitima School in Zambia.

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35th anniversary of Blizzard of ’78Two MSC sisters, whose school bus was stranded in Manville, share their story.

President’s letter 3

Principal’s letter 4

Class notes 18

mSC alumnusendures everest trekAt 67 years old, Louis Jacques, Class of 1962, fulfilled a dream and climbed to base camp at Mount Everest.

m o u n t S a i n t C h a r l e S aC a D e m Y • B r ot h e r S o F t h e S aC r e D h e a rt • m o u n t S a i n t C h a r l e S aC a D e m Y • B r ot h e r S o F t h e S aC r e D h e a rt


On the cover: Louis Jacques, MSC Class of 1962, ascends to 17,800 feet, to base camp on Mount Everest.


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G reetings from Mount! I wish you all a happy, healthy, prosperous, and

peaceful New Year. In the fall of this new year, in the fall of 2013, Mount will begin its 90th year of ministry — 90 years of educating, form-ing, evangelizing, and challenging young men and women; 90 years of “developing young people as creative and responsible members of society;” 90 years of providing knowledge, developing skills, and affirming values that “contribute toward the students’ self-esteem and their future success in col-lege studies, career goals, and life commitments.” The above quotes are taken from the Philosophy Statement of Mount Saint Charles Academy and provide us a good reflection of what Mount has meant to so many for all of these nearly 90 years. We seek to prepare our students, as we have throughout our history, to meet the goals and challenges that lie before them- those which they anticipate and the many unanticipated challenges we all inevitably face as we jour-ney through life. Two of our feature stories are symbols of our lives’ journeys. Our cover story features Louis Jacques, Class of ’62 and proud father of Jon, ’90, and Sarah, ’98. At a time when he should be kicking off his shoes and enjoying the leisure of his retirement, Louis chose instead to climb Mount Everest. Congrat-ulations, Louis! If Mount achieves its mission, Mount prepares all of its graduates to conquer their own Everests. Each of our students today has

personal goals and ambitions they hope to conquer. Each has moun-tains they want to climb, oceans they hope to cross, and rivers they need to navigate. The same is true for each and every student who has passed through Mount since 1924. Mount is successful because those who leave here with a diploma in hand, leave with so much more than a piece of paper. They leave here with the “spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and social” tools to conquer the challenges they have set for them-selves. In this issue, we also remem-ber the Blizzard of ’78 which marks its 35th anniversary this February. On the first day of the blizzard, a bus load of students left Mount destined for Johnston. The weather conditions did not cooperate and the bus and its pas-sengers were stranded just a few miles from school in the village of Manville. Luckily, a community of Brothers of the Sacred Heart had a residence at Saint James Parish in Manville. The brothers graciously opened their home to these students, provided them shelter and fed them for nearly a week’s time. It’s one of the many legend-ary stories that alumni share when they recall their days at Mount. That fateful bus trip might also be symbolic of the many unex-pected challenges that inevitably will meet our graduates once they’ve set off on their life’s jour-ney. Mount’s mission is to prepare them to meet these challenges.

And in the persons of the Broth-ers of the former Saint James Resi-dence, we also have an example of what it means to reach out to others who face unexpected challenges, to share our gifts and talents with others.

Through nearly 90 years, Mount has been educating young men and women. But more than simply educating them, Mount has been preparing them to meet and conquer the challenges of life — to climb the mountains and to survive the storms. Most importantly, Mount’s mission is to encour-age its graduates to share others’ challenges — to help others climb their mountains and survive their storms by placing our gifts and tal-ents at their disposal. This is what it means to be a Mountie.

Excelsior!

Herve Richer ’74President

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M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T



“ If Mount achIeves Its MIssIon,

Mount prepares all of Its graduates

to conquer theIr own everests.”


M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R I N C I P A L

Dear alumni and friends of Mount,

Let me begin by wishing each of you a very Happy New Year. I sincerely hope that

this year will bring you and your families many blessings. With a dependence on Almighty God we enter the New Year full of hope for the future of Mount Saint Charles Academy, a future that depends on your continued as-

sistance and support. Knowing that all we do each day is guided by our mission in Catholic education to evangelize the young entrusted to our care and by fidelity to the Tradition of the Charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, we wholeheartedly and joyfully embrace the opportunity to offer an excellent academic program to our students. In light of the recent tragedy in Connecticut, we are increas-ingly committed to advancing the message of the sanctity of life in a culture which often degrades the human person. Our school com-munity and culture seeks to impart the Gospel message of love for one another with the cooperation and support of the many families who send their children to our

school. This is an integral part to our identity as a Catholic school and to the greater mission of the Church. News of the tragic, unfath-omable, and irrational events of December 14th reached the faculty and staff, as we were gathered at an educator’s symposium. On this day of professional development, when we had the opportunity to share with others in Catholic

education the ideas and practices to improve what we do each day, we were shaken by the violation of the sanctity of a school community,

and especially that of such a young group of students. They are among our most innocent, in the begin-nings of their lives with so much promise and potential. Lives that were taken through violence and evil leave us to question why. As we concluded our day with Mass, we did what I expect many others did that day, we offered prayers for the souls of those who perished and for those who knew and loved the victims of this event. Our hope is in the resurrection promised and won by Christ. The entire Mount community has been affected by this trag-edy, and like so many other tragic events of the past, the requests to offer assistance, comfort, and prayer came flooding in to the school office. While we cannot

physically accompany our brothers and sisters in their grief, we can offer our “gifts” of support, prayer, and condolence to them through the entirety of this process. It must be sustained through the months and years ahead, not just while the event is present in the news. So often the public forgets as the months pass. The initial outpour-ing of support and encouragement wanes. As a school community of faith, we continue to pray for all those who were involved or impacted. We review our proto-cols and procedures on a regular basis to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Efforts to provide a sanctuary of hope, safety, and love permeate all that we do on a daily basis. This nation and community is shocked and saddened by this at-tack on precious lives. Once again, as a nation and community of faith, let us resolve in this year of faith to be advocates for the value of human life in all its forms.

Loved be the Heart of Jesus.

Edwin BurkePrincipal

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“ our school coMMunIty and culture seeks to IMpart

the gospel Message of love for one another wIth

the cooperatIon and support of the Many faMIlIes

who send theIr chIldren to our school.”


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Bishop tobin Celebrates all Saints Day mass at mount Saint Charles academy

Fr. Stephen Dandeneau, Class of 2001, served as concelebrant during Mass on November 1, 2012

L to R: Fr. Sistare, Fr. Courtemanche, John Rolleri, Matt Lepine, Chris Lepine, Bishop Tobin, Emily Cardosa, Jen Lepine, Nick Liotta, Fr. Dandeneau, Fr. Fissette, and MSC’s Deacon Tony.

MSC senior, Domenic Paolo

doing a reading during Mass.

Fr. Stephen Dandeneau, MSC

Class of 2001.

Chief celebrant, Bishop Tobin, and all of the concelebrant priests offering prayers during Mass.

Fr. Dandeneau offering prayers during Mass.

MSC junior Moira McCarty with Bishop Tobin during a reception Mount’s Campus Ministry held for the Bishop after Mass. Moira and Bishop Tobin were sharing stories about their pets!


M O U N T S A I N T C H A R L E S A C A D E M Y

In celebration of Relevant Radio 550 AM’s one year anniver-sary, the Go Ask Your Father Show™ is coming to Mount and broadcasting live! Not only will the show be heard on 550 AM, but on Relevant Ra-dio’s network of 34 stations! The show will air on Monday, march 18th, from 1-2pm where students will ask faith questions answered by the host of the show, Rev. Francis Hoff-

man “Father Rocky.” “Every weekday afternoon, listeners have the opportunity to

ask a priest questions related to Church history, the Bible, the saints, the Vatican, the meaning of specific prayers and traditions and much more. Go Ask Your

Father is a radio show that provides listeners with a fresh opportunity to learn and grow in their faith.”* Mount is honored to be a part

of the anniversary week celebra-tion! In addition to the live broad-cast, Father Rocky will also be celebrating Mass with us during Fine Arts Day on Sunday, March 17th. Relevant Radio is broadcast in over 34 stations in 13 states and can be heard across the world through internet streaming at www.relevantradio.com . As the date approaches, log on to www.mountsaintcharles.org for more information!* From relevantradio.com

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relevant radio to Broadcast live from mount

roYal mountie CeleBrationOn Sunday October 28, 2012 Mounties who graduated 50 years ago or more came together for Mass and a delicious turkey dinner in Chapel Hall! This is an annual tradition held in honor of Mount’s distinguished Royal Mounties. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Charlie Quinn and Deacon Tony, Director of Campus Ministry.

Deacon Tony & Fr. Charlie

celebrating Mass.L to R: Jim Mullin, ’61; Conrad Fortin, ’61; Richard Garceau, ’61.

L to R: Robert Badeau, ’55; Andre Fontaine, ’55;

Br. Louis Laperle; Gerald Graves, ’55; Louis Coulombe,

’55; Ralph Champagne, ’55; Denis Thibeault, ’60. L to R: Bill Belisle, ’48; Br. Roland Champagne; Peter Belisle, ’90.


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On Sunday, October 14, 2012 URI’s University College recog-nized and honored the very best in the previous year’s freshman class. These students were those who excelled both in and out of the class-room while in their first year of college — which is surely one of the most challenging and changing times of their lives. Scholars were first chosen by their high academic achievement. URI then invited these top stu-dents, who have grades exceeding

3.94, to share their involvement at the university, in their community,

and in their disciplines. Based on these criteria, the top ten winners were selected. Recipients received a recognition certificate along with a gift of $500.00 from an anonymous donor. MSC’s very own Mary Grande was chosen as a URI University Scholar!

Mary is from Johnston, RI and is majoring in Wildlife and Con-servation Biology. She is also very involved out of the classroom.

She is a member of the Newman Club (a Catholic organization that is involved in many volunteer ac-tivities), the RAM marching band, the URI concert band, and serves as a docent at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. She currently works in the spermatogenesis lab in the Animal Science Department at URI, working with molecular biologists to better understand Bovine RNA. Mary’s dream is to help protect and support the world’s resources as a conserva-tion biologist. She would like to eventually earn a Ph.D. and be-come a professor so she can work with students like herself who are committed to helping protect our world. Congratulations, Mary!

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mSC’S Fine artS hall oF Fame!

The purpose of the Mount Saint Charles Academy Fine Arts Hall of Fame is to recognize and celebrate individuals who best exemplify the spirit of Mount Saint Charles Academy through their contributions to and achievements in the fine arts.

The Hall of Fame Induction will be at Mount’s Excelsior Dinner will be on April 27, 2013. Go to www.mount-saintcharles.org to see the list of inductees!

mary Grande, Class of 2011, is a 2012 university Scholar at uri!

Connor mcCarty, Class of 2012, visits World trade Center memorial and Pays respect to Fellow mountieConnor completed the NYC Tunnel to Towers Run in honor of a 9/11 firefighter who ran with his fire gear from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center on 9/11. While at the WTC Memorial, Connor paid a visit to a friend of ours from Mount — Amy Jarret, Class of 1990. She was a flight attendant on the second plane to hit the twin towers on 9/11. Connor currently lives in West Point, New York and is studying at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School.

Mount website

Mount on Facebook

AluMni on Facebook

like uS on FaCeBook viSit uS on the WeB



A t an elevation of 29,035 feet, Mount Everest is the earth’s highest point above sea

level. It is located on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China and in the 1500 mile long Himalayan mountain range. Climbing to the top of Everest, which is literally the top of the world, is a dream of many mountain climbers and adventure seekers. But it is also a dream not often achieved. Even trekking to Everest’s base camp at 17,800 feet is a challenge and life threatening—but a feat Louis Jacques overcame. His fascination with Mount Everest began in 1998 when he saw the IMAX film Everest. Louis said, “It was that first impression that really hit me. Despite the fact that I didn’t feel I was capable since I had no mountaineering experience, I started researching and discovered that there were expeditions that trekked to base camp. So I put it on my bucket list—it was my big-gest goal on there.” Louis recalled how at Mount, the initial seed was planted to see and experience different parts of the world. “In my senior year, my brother was in the Air Force and stationed in Germany. With the help of my entire family pooling their money, I was able to visit my brother for three weeks in May. We drove around the country and also saw Switzer-land, Austria, and France. After this trip, I was never the same. It changed me and opened perspectives to want to know and see more of

what the world had to offer. ” Upon graduating from Mount in 1962, Louis married his first wife Margaret and then went into the service. From 1966-1968 he attend-ed Yuba College in California and

then moved back home to Bellingham, MA in August of 1968 where he worked with his brother in the flooring business until 1976 (and also spent some time at Northeastern studying mechani-cal engineering). By 1978, Louis was hired at Digital

Equipment Corporation as a com-puter programmer. He stayed there until 1993, when he and Margaret decided to leave their jobs and open up a coffee shop in Medway, MA named “Coffee Sensations.” Not soon after the shop opened, Margaret was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away leaving be-hind Louis and their three children: Danielle, Jonathan ’90, and Sarah ’98 (however, you will later find out how Margaret’s death eventually be-came Louis’ motive to finally climb Everest). After some time went by, Louis befriended a woman named Joyce who actually worked in his coffee shop. They were married in 1998. Louis owned and operated “Coffee Sensations” for 19 years

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From mount Saint Charles to mount everestAt 67 years old. Louis Jacques, Class of 1962, Conquered a Dream and Climbed to Base Camp at Mount Everest


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until he sold it and retired in 2012. “When I decided I was going to climb Everest and trek to base camp,” Louis said, “Joyce wanted nothing to do with it—especially the few weeks before I left. She got really nervous since the climb and all of the dangers involved were becoming a reality. ” However, it took Louis more than a few weeks to prepare for his journey. He had been preparing for a year. “I booked my trip a year in advance with a company called Himalayan Glacier Trekking, LLC. I researched them and read the reviews and couldn’t find anything really bad. I also liked how they had a US office in North Carolina so I was able to commu-nicate with a US rep. He answered all of my questions and was very helpful. My budget for the trip and the year’s worth of preparations for it was $5000. I ended up spending $8000.” Louis had to account for his plane ticket, the Himalayan Glacier Trekking company’s $1800 fee, a personal trainer, clothing, b oots, supplies, and travel insurance. But perhaps the best investment Louis made when preparing for his trip was the $1100 hypoxic training tent.

“The tent made my trip so much better. Its

purpose is to help your body make more hemoglobin so there is more oxygen in the blood. It’s from the same company Michael Phelps used when training for the Olympics. I would set the tent to simulate as if I was sleeping at a high altitude so

when I was sleeping at this altitude for real, my body would already be adapted. Each night I would adjust the levels in 500 feet incre-ments to acclimate my body a little at a time. At 10,000 feet I started experiencing headaches and nausea. So I brought the level down to 9,500 feet for two nights and then started incrementing up again. I was instructed that once I could sleep in the tent at 21,000 feet comfort-ably for two weeks, I would be fine. ” This tent also helped Louis’ body adjust and fight off the other life threatening dangers of climbing Everest due to the altitude and lack of oxygen: altitude sickness, blisters, diarrhea, dysentery, kidney shut-down, pulmonary edema, and ce-rebral edema. He also had to make sure he received all of the proper immunizations before leaving for the trek. Louis left from Boston on April 2, 2012 and arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal (after 23 hours of traveling from Boston to London to New Delhi) on April 3rd. He had rented a global phone, which broke right at the beginning of his trip so he had extremely limited contact with his wife while he was gone for 3 weeks. Once he landed in Kathmandu, Louis had two days to rest and then took a twin engine, puddle jumper airplane from the Lukla Airport in Nepal to where the Everest trek started. Louis said, “The Lukla Air-port is a remote mountain airstrip that’s at an altitude of over 9,000 feet. It’s the #1 most dangerous airport in the world since the runway is only 1,600 feet.” As soon as Louis got off the plane, the trek started. He was supposed to hike with three other people, but they all rescinded. So Louis was conquering this expedition alone

with just a Sherpa and Porter, his Mount Everest guides. “Since the people living in Mount Everest’s val-ley are born at a high altitude, their bodies can naturally survive,” Louis explained. “My Sherpa was not only my guide, but my means of support. He was my doctor, waiter, and since he spoke English, he was like my concierge. He also carried my sleep-ing bag, sleep apnea device, and my parka. Typically, everything else is carried either on back of a Porter or on a yak. In my case, my Sherpa used his nephew as the Porter who carried the rest of my supplies. The Porter would usually hike faster and get to the destination first, waiting for our arrival. All I was respon-sible for carrying was my backpack that had water, clothing, and some snacks in it.” (Louis is pictured below with his Sherpa).

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Continued on page 10



Louis’ trek took 19 days. He could have chosen a route where he would climb in 14 days, but since it was much more difficult he opted not to. “Every day was planned out,” he said. “On the second day, we hiked to the first location. It was on this day, that I also got my first glimpse of Everest. We stayed at the first village for a couple of days so my body could adjust. There was no heat or electricity in the lodge I slept in. It was just a roof over my head. The higher I climbed, the smaller the villages got. It was harder to eat and sleep. I had to force myself. At 12,000 feet I start-ed getting headaches. The closer I got to base camp, my pace slowed and I thought ‘What did I get myself into?’ At one point, my Sherpa told me ‘We don’t need to go to base camp.’ But it was my goal. I kept telling myself ‘I gotta do this!’ So with persistence and determination I trekked on.” A great motiva-tor for Louis was his “Trekking for Cancer” campaign. Since his first wife, Margaret, passed away from cancer, he was hon-oring her memory through his climb and raising money for the American Cancer Society. If someone donated $100 and had a loved who passed away from cancer, that person’s name went on a shirt that Louis took with him to base camp. “As I struggled with my trek, Louis explained, “I kept thinking Trekking for Cancer is my motive and pur-pose. I solicited people to donate money; people are supporting me to do this!” As of July 2012, Louis had raised $2,300 for the American

Cancer Society. As Louis approached base camp, he had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. “As you’re climbing or eat-ing dinner during rest time,” Louis explained, “you talk to and meet people every day. I met people from Africa, New Zealand, the Ca-nary Islands, Australia, Thailand, and practically everywhere in Europe. I met a young couple climbing, some young guys, a mother and daughter, and two Israeli soldiers.” But what is unfortunate is that often times, some of the people met along the way, either fall extremely ill and can’t continue with the climb or the mountain claims them and they pass away. Climbing Everest is obviously extremely dangerous so death is a common occurrence, especially as climbers come down from the sum-mit. “I met a doctor on my climb, but later found out that he didn’t survive and passed away on his trek,” Louis recalled. People die on the way up, but the risk of death is

much greater when

coming down due to complete lack of oxygen and sleep, as well as extreme physical stress and exhaustion. Most climb-ers die around the death zone which is at 26,000 feet or higher. Their bodies have to be left on the mountain because it is simply too

dangerous to bring them back down which is why bodies on the moun-tain is a common sighting. The entire trek, whether a person is climbing to basecamp at 17,800 feet or the summit, is an acclimatization process allowing for the body to adjust to the lack of oxygen. Louis said, “At base camp alone, there is only 10% of available oxygen to breath.” There are 5 different levels to reach before sum-miting Everest: base camp at 17,800 feet; level 1 at 20,000 feet; level 2 at 22,000 feet; level 3 at 24,000 feet; and level 4 at 26,000 feet. The pin-nacle of it all is at the summit which sits at a majestic elevation of 29,035 feet. Louis explained how climb-ers attempting the summit have to climb high and sleep low. They will climb from base camp to level 1 and then back to base camp to rest. They will climb to level 2 and go back to base camp. Then they will climb to level 3 and back to base-camp for more rest. This pattern continues until they reach the top. Louis said, “It’s so intriguing what summiteers will do.” “The experience of setting this goal, and achieving it as well as experiencing how much I could en-dure was more difficult than I ever thought it would be,” Louis said. “But getting to base camp was the absolute climax of my journey.” Louis returned home to Medway, Massachusetts, his wife, three children, and three step-daughters on April 22, 2012. But it was what he learned in his other home, Mount Saint Charles Acad-emy, that had a great impact on him being able to achieve his dream to climb Everest. “Mount set me up to do great things,” Louis said. “The Mount environment had a great impact on my life. It instilled in me that if you push yourself and you re-ally want to achieve something—if you just continue to persist, through preparation and hard work you’ll get there.”

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everest — Continued from page 9


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two Generations of mount alumni are Constructing mount’s new tennis Courts!

Catalano Construction is building Mount’s tennis courts under the direction of Bernie Catalano, Class of 1969, and his son Jason, Class of 1998! Bernie is Vice-President of Catalano Construc-tion and Jason is the Project Manager.

From left to right: Bernie Catalano, Vice-President Catalano Construction, MSC ’69; Donald Demers, Director of Institutional Advancement at MSC; Brother Roland Champagne, SC, Director of Facilities at MSC; Herve Richer, President of MSC; Richard Lawrence, Athletic Director at MSC; Jonathan Ford, Tennis Courts Engineer; Jason Catalano, Project Manager at Catalano Construction, MSC ’98

to follow the progress of the tennis courts construction, please visit: www.mount-saintcharles.org/giving/tennis_courts

Gina DiBona, Class of 2010, Dances her Way Back to mount to teach Salsa and merengue!Gina came back to Mount in December to teach Salsa and Merengue to some of our Spanish students! She is currently enrolled at Rhode Island College and is Vice President of the RIC ballroom dance team! She is studying Social Work as her major.

Charlie Blanchette, Class of 1974, and the MSC Band brightened the day for Charlie’s Severe & Profound Special Education Students!

Charlie, a school nurse, packed up his students and brought them to Mount to spend a December morn-ing watching the MSC band perform some Christmas carols! It was a joyous occasion that really showed the true meaning of Christmas!

BrinGinG ChriStmaS Cheer to SPeCial eDuCation StuDentS

Gina DiBona, in plaid shirt, is pictured here surrounded by MSC Spanish students, and with fellow RIC students directly by her sides.

Charlie, whose brother is Mount Music Director, Marc Blanchette ’76, also had the chance to follow in his brother’s footsteps by conducting the Mount band during one of their songs!



Mount’s sister school, The Shitima School, can be found in central Africa in

a country called Zambia. It is specifically located in a very poor city called Kabwe with a population of about 280,000 people. For the most part, people here are surviving on only one meal per day. This school was created, through the joint efforts of The Brothers of the Sacred Heart as well as a very generous benefactor by the name of Julie-Anne Uggla, to save children who have lost their parents, are abused and beaten or have simply been abandoned. The school has grown from five stu-dents to approximately 300 and goes from grades 1-12. When children who are orphans and have no one to take

care of them attend the school, they are able to live in, be cared and provided for in the Julie-Anne Children’s Home. Unfortunately

however, orphan children are permanent fixtures on Kabwe’s streets. It was this type of environment that Marc Monahan volunteered himself to spend time with in October. “I mentioned it would be nice if I had an opportu-nity to go. When there

was a group going to Kabwe from our sister school, St. Columba’s, in England, administration approached me so I happily welcomed the op-portunity to go. If I had the chance, I’d go back tomorrow,” Marc said. First, he traveled to London where he was hosted by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in St. Alban’s. From there he made the trip to

Africa with 10 women from London. “I was the only guy,” he said. “It was like being on vacation with my older sisters.” When the group arrived in Africa, they stayed in a hotel in Kabwe. It was the nicest hotel in town, but by US standards it rated only one or two stars of out five. “The staff was very gracious,” Marc said. “But the room mainte-nance was definitely less than the American standard.” He has been to Northern Africa and the Middle East before, so being in a third world country was not a new experience for him. “No matter how many times I go, I am still overwhelmed by the way they live.” Marc, and the group he trav-eled with from London, spent five full days in Africa touring The Shitima School. “It was much larger than I thought it would be,” he said. “The property was quite

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marc monahan, religion teacher at mSC, travels to africa to visit the Shitima School


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extensive.” When they arrived, the group brought with them 22 duffle bags filled with all kinds of humani-tarian items including: books, medi-cal supplies, clothes, shoes, and sporting goods. “Mount had soccer uniforms that we couldn’t use anymore, so I brought those with me. As a result of this donation, we outfitted 3 full soccer teams. The Office of Development also donated MSC T-Shirts so I was able to bring those with me as well.” While at the school, Marc had the opportunity to spend time with the African teachers there. “Since this area used to be a British colony of North Rhodesia, the locals know the English lan-guage. We were able to speak with the teachers

and talk about education practices in the US and England. I was also able to observe and teach in the classrooms. I never taught in an-other country. I found that the stu-dents were not only very gracious, but also very open to learning

because they know that the education they’re receiving could deliver them from their present situation.“ This opportunity that Marc was afforded also gave Mount Saint

Charles the chance to make a connection with

something that

Mount and our students have been dedicated to for so many years (such as the Lenten Mission Drive the students run every year which is dedicated to raising money for The Shitima School). Marc said, “My hope is that in time, we have

the opportunity at Mount to expose our students

to the partnership we share with The Shitima School as well as with our other sister schools. I can’t speak

enough about how the students in Africa

changed me.”

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Varsity senior boys soccer players and coach Paul Jacques holding up the uniforms that outfitted three soccer teams at The Shitima School.



Two MSC sisters, who were on the bus stranded at Saint James Parish in Manville, share their story!

O n Monday morning, February 6, 1978, Elizabeth and Michelle

White (now Elizabeth Cannata ’83 and Michelle Murray ’82) hardly expected to be facing one of the worst blizzards to ever strike New England when they were dismissed from Mount. For the next 3 nights and 4 days after the blizzard hit, they were snowed in at the Brothers of the Sacred Heart residence at St. James Parish in Manville, RI. This is their story. It was expected to be a typical Rhode Island snowstorm. Business as usual was conducted through-out the state. Since the true im-pact of the storm was not predict-ed, when the snow started falling, students at Mount were only let out of school shortly before the nor-mal dismissal time which was between 2 and 2:15p.m. The bus that Beth, Michelle, and their brother Jimmy left Mount on was en route to their home in North Providence. “When we were dismissed and went outside,” Michelle said, “the flakes were so big, they looked fake! As we

were driving, it looked like we drove right into a white cloud. We couldn’t see two inches in front of

us. I can remember the bus broke down near a cemetery on Old River Road. The driver tried to get it started multiple times, but we were stuck.” At this point, all of the students on that bus started on foot and ended up at a CYO center/gym next to Saint James

Parish where the Brothers of the Sacred Heart had a residence. After getting situated in the gym, the students were all brought into the residence to eat and stay. Beth and Michelle both recalled how

the whole time they were there, they ate like royalty enjoying steak, pork chops and lots of pancakes! “At night,” Beth said, “the boys and girls were separated to sleep. The girls slept on the pews in the residence chapel. The boys stayed somewhere else. It’s been 35 years so it’s hard to recollect!” Beth also said, “My dad remem-bers not knowing where we were until the next morning (Tuesday). But he knew that since all three of us were missing, we must have been together and ok.” While at the residence, the brothers and housekeepers made sure the students had tooth-brushes and clean clothes. Mount did not wear school uniforms in 1978, so the students were wear-ing their casual clothes that were washed every day. To pass the time, the students

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February marks the 35th anniversary of the Blizzard of ’78!

Michelle Murray ’82 (left) and Beth Cannata ’83 (right)

Maple Street, Woonsocket, a snowball’s throw from Mount.


W I N T E R 2 0 1 3

would gather in the chapel to socialize or would go to the gym next door to play basketball. How-ever, getting to the gym was quite the challenge. Since the door to outside wouldn’t open, they had to dig out as much snow as possible so they could climb to the top of the snow bank and walk to the gym that way. By the third day of staying with the brothers, the fun was wearing off and Beth and Michelle remember how they began to realize the seriousness of the situa-tion. Their father, who was a state trooper at the time, somehow found out about the group taken to Saint James. Beth, Michelle, and Jimmy were the first three to leave the residence on Thursday (some of the other stranded students didn’t make it home until Friday). A state trooper was sent to pick them up and arrived at the resi-dence driving a snow mobile with a side car attachment. Michelle

said, “When we got on 146, we realized the devastation the state was in. There were tree limbs down and no one was walking around. It was like a ghost town. There was no life out there except

for tanks and other army vehicles sent to help us.” Since their dad was a state trooper and their mom was a nurse, the entire White family was not reunited for over a week. Because they couldn’t be home with their parents, Beth, Michelle, and Jimmy were brought

to their aunt’s house. Beth said, “We were running out of food so we had to eat canned goods, and I remember thinking—‘I want to

go back to the brothers!’ Just to get milk, we had to walk on Smith Street with our sleds.” Due to the state of disaster and Mount having February vaca-tion, MSC was closed for 3 weeks. However, Beth and Michelle both agreed that throughout their whole experience they never felt a sense of danger. They always felt safe, especially when taken in at the residence. Not only are Beth and Michelle both alumni, but they also have their kids currently enrolled at Mount. Beth has two sons, Ryan (11th grade) and Colin (9th grade). Michelle’s daughter Emma is in the 10th grade. “It’s fun coming back, Michelle said, “seeing everyone and sharing our stories.” Beth added, “Being back here with our kids is like being home. Mount is in our blood—it’s like we never left.”

Beth currently resides in Cumber-land, RI with her family. Michelle and her family reside in Pawtucket, RI.

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Snow drifts towered over windows at the back of the school, near the old gym.

A plow is dwarfed by the snow in Mount’s upper

parking lot.View of the front steps.

Side door entrance to old gym near the

soccer field.



By Chris Bouley

Did you know you can arrange a gift to Mount Saint Charles Academy now but defer completion of the gift until later? For example, when you include Mount in your will or trust you make a two-step, or “deferred,” gift. The first step occurs when you work with your attorney to create your will or trust. It is at this point that you may decide to name Mount as a beneficiary, thus allowing the school to receive a future gift from your estate. There are three

common forms that these gifts usually take-on. They are, a specific bequest, in which a certain amount of cash, securities, or a particular piece of personal property is distributed to Mount, a percentage, whereby a stated gross or net percentage of the estate is left to Mount, and finally a residue of the estate, when the remainder of the estate is turned over to Mount after the obligations to other beneficiaries have been met. The second step in this two-step giving process takes place when you pass-away and Mount receives your gift. Some other two-step gifts in which you can name Mount as a

beneficiary are your life insurance policy or when you designate Mount to receive the remainder of your retirement fund. These types of two-step gifts have one important thing in com-mon, they allow the donor to revoke the bequest prior to completion. Because these deferred gifts can be reversed, they are called “revocable” gifts. Since these gifts are incomplete, they often appeal to those donors who may not be able to lock up a major gift at this time. They provide the donor with the satisfaction that a planned gift is in place, while adding the assurance that the asset can be retrieved should a family emergency occur. The trade-off for

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q i Want to make a tax-deductible Gift to mount St. Charles academy

q My check for $__________________ payable to Mount Saint Charles Academy is enclosed.

q My pledge of $__________________ can be deducted from my checking account (voided check enclosed).

q Please charge my gift of $_______________ to my: m VISA m MasterCard m Discover

Card#_____________________________________Exp. date ___________

Name on card ______________________________________________ (please print clearly)

Signature__________________________________________________

q I would like my total gift amount broken up in payments over time: m Monthly m Quarterly m Semi-Annually

Name ______________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ________________________________________________________

E-mail _______________________________________________________________

Phone ______________________________________________________________

q My company _____________________________ will match my gift.

If interested in making a donation to the tenniS CourtS initiative, please contact Donald Demers at [email protected] A naming opportunity for the tennis court complex is also still available for any family or corporation that may be interested.

mail to: Office of Advancement • Mount Saint Charles Academy • 800 Logee Street • Woonsocket, RI 02895-5599 Stock gifts or transfers can be made by contacting Donald Demers at 401-769-0310 x111 or [email protected].

online contributions are also accepted at www.mountsaintcharles.org, click Welcome on the left, then On-line Giving at the top.

tWo-SteP GivinG

Donors age 70½ or older are once again eligible to move up to $100,000 from their IRAs directly to qualified charities without having to pay income taxes on the money. Congress recognized the issues with a late extension and provided two special transition rules:

1) Qualified distributions made by Feb. 1, 2013, may be counted retroactively for the 2012 tax year.

2) A taxpayer who took a distribution from an IRA in December 2012, may make a contribution to a qualified charity before Feb. 1, 2013, and treat this as a direct transfer.

the ira charitable rollover is back for 2012 and 2013

Continued on page 17


17

Class of 2002 reunion

L to R: Alicia Merrill, Erin Dilis, Kara Moulter, Elizabeth Hyder

(McMorrow).

L to R: Jennifer Corvese, Vanessa McDougall, Cristy Golden, Kyle Richard, Heather Scoffone, Dan Healey (with guest).

L to R: Alexandra Fandetti, Mount teacher Mr. Emond, and Alexandra’s fiance.

Travis Pavoni (left) and Steve Snizek accompa-nied by their wives.

L to R: Liz Leahey, Lauren Denizard, Jennifer Corvese, Alicia Merrill.

this flexibility is that revocable gifts do not qualify for an income tax charitable deduction. Such is not the case with “irrevocable” deferred gifts. Once initiated, these types of two-step gifts cannot be undone. Conse-quently, the IRS allows an income tax charitable deduction in the year the gift is made. An example of an irrevocable deferred gift is the charitable gift annuity. Suppose a donor gives $25,000 to Mount Saint Charles for

an immediate payment gift annuity, every year for the rest of the annuitant’s life, he or she will receive a set amount from Mount, paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually, depending on how the contract is written. Since our policy forbids us from using any part of the gift upon receipt, the entire amount is set aside in reserve. Only when the annuitant passes away are the funds available for our use. There are other irrevocable deferred gifts as well, such as the charitable remainder trusts. Though these gift arrangements differ in vari-

Giving — Continued from page 16 ous respects, they each provide tax and other benefits to the donor. To learn about Mount’s “two-step” giving program, or other ways in which you can assist Mount Saint Charles Academy, please contact our director of institutional advance-ment, Donald Demers, at 401-769-0310 x111. You can also contact him through our website at www.mountsaintcharles.org

Christopher J. Bouley, ’82 is a Vice President Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch.


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C L A S S N O T E S

1959 Julien “Butch” ayotte wrote his first novel Flower of Heaven. It is available both on Createspace and Amazon.com.

1985Jeff Cournoyer was named Vice President of business operations for Cox Communications’ New England-Cleveland region. He will be in charge of the finance team and supply chain as well as real estate and loss pre-vention operations in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Ohio. Jeff currently lives in North Smithfield with his wife and daughter.

1997michael Goodier worked on a documentary film, The Waiting Room, where screenings have been playing throughout

the coun-try. He was Social Media Director for the

storytelling project and Assistant Editor on the film. He also created another documentary called Love Lafayette. Michael studied film scor-ing at the Berklee College of Music as well as film studies and art history at Rhode Island College. In 2008, he received his Master’s Degree in Media Arts from the California College of the Arts. For more information on The Waiting Room, you can visit the website: http://www.whatruwaitingfor.com.

2000Cassandra agredo (Daigle) was recently named Executive Director of Xavier Mission, a non-

profit organi-zation in NYC. She is a member of Advisory Boards at the Beck Institute for Religion and Poverty at Fordham University and the NYC Coalition

Against Hunger. Cassie lives in Riverdale, NY with her husband Rob and twin

daughters, Sammie and Ella, who just started Kindergarten this year and are loving it! This picture is of Ella (L) and Sammie (R) on their first day of Kindergarten in September of 2012.

2005rose m. martin (Cournoyer) was married to Caleb J. Martin on June 19, 2011. After MSC, Rose graduated from the

University of Rhode Island and the University of Connecticut. Currently, she is continuing her edu-cation by pursuing a doc-toral degree in Biology at URI. She also works as a graduate assistant at URI. The couple spent their honeymoon in New Hampshire and currently live in Cranston.

2010kevin Carriere is one of ten undergraduate students at Clark University who has been documenting his college experience on the Clark University website. He was chosen by the Office of Admissions to serve as a Clark Diarist for the 2012-2013 academic year. To read his entries, go to http://admissions.clarku.edu/kevin/.

Bibeault Family Picture, Christmas 2012— it’s full of Mounties! This is the Bibeault family and their spouses and kids.

Back row, left to right: Ron Lancaster and wife Lynn Bibeault Lancaster, ’82; Paula Bibeault Roberge, ’85 and husband Ray Roberge, ’86; Tara Lahar Bibeault, ’89 and husband Jeffrey Bibeault (attended MSC in ’81).

Front row, left to right: Roger “Pepere” Bibeault, ’51 and his lovely wife Arline Bibeault who worked at MSC for 23 years; Trevor Roberge, ’15; Cassie Roberge, ’13 (son and daughter of Paula and Ray); Nicholas Lancaster (son of Ron and Lynn); Brandon and Dylan Bibeault (sons of Tara and Jeff).

SuBmit Your neWS!

Contact Gail at [email protected] OR

https://www.mountsaintcharles.org/alumni/class_notes


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alumni Soccer Game

Class of 2012 Yearbook Signing

Jeanne Kohutanycz and son Daniel, ’12.

Scott DiChristofero, ’84,

and daughter Jacqueline, ’13.

Michele Wolny with her son Nick, ’13 and

daughter Caitlyn, ’10.

L to R: Billy Burns, ’14; Peter O’Brien, ’14; and Nick VanWinter, ’11. Marc Staelen, ’71 and daughter Danielle, ’14.

Alumni and current students spent an October afternoon on the field.

L to R: Ben Handanyan, Tim Stein, Mike Walsh, Steve Donohue II, Drew Lambert.Foreground: Kayleigh Murphy; Background L to R:

Christine Dickinson, MacKenzie Wild, Danielle Guindon.

L to R: Patrick Craven, Mathieu Cardif, Kyle March, Ben Whitney, Angelica Paquette.

L to R: Gian DiCostanzo, Spencer Soucy, Adam Landry, Bryan Peloquin. L to R: Dylan Schaffer, Caroline Tillinghast, Meghan

Lydon, Mr. Guevremont, Taryn Gaquin.

L to R: Erin Dixon, Taylor Towery, Brandon Fontaine.

In November, members of the class of 2012 reunited in Chapel Hall.


Mount Saint CharleS aCadeMy800 Logee Street

Woonsocket, RI 02895-5599

PresidentMr. Herve E. Richer ’74

PrincipalMr. Edwin Burke

Board of DirectorsBr. Robert R. Croteau, SC Chairman of the Board Br. Mark E. Hilton, SCBr. Clifford King, SCBr. Daniel St. Jacques, SCBr. Roger Lemoyne, SC

School Board membersDonna Gamache Griffiths ’90, Chair Albert P. Valliere Jr. ’65, Vice Chair Dr. Mark Andreozzi ’90 Wayne Cottle Br. Robert G. Gagne, SCJohn Hoyceanyls Christopher KeyesBr. Robert Lavoie, SC Kathleen McGuireJill (Savini) Moylan ’95Br. Roland Ouellette, SCGerald R. Piette ’76Alan Tenreiro ’92

admissionsMr. Joseph O’Neill, Director401-769-0310 [email protected]

advancementMr. Donald M. Demers, PhD, CFRE, Director401-769-0310 [email protected]

alumniMrs. Gail Bryson, Director401-769-0310 [email protected]

marketing/CommunicationsMs. Penny C. Federici, Director401-769-0310 [email protected]

Non ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit #72

Holliston, MA


See us on Facebook — Official Mount Saint Charles AcademyOfficial Mount Saint Charles Alumni

uPCominG eventS

February 10: Accepted Students Day, Mount Saint Charles AcademyFebruary 14: Blackstone Valley Jazz Festival, The Stadium Theatermarch 17: Fine Arts Day, Mount Saint Charles Academymarch 18: Relevant Radio 550AM—Go Ask Your Father Live Broadcast, Mount Saint Charles Academyapril 6: Auction on the Mount, MSC Gymapril 25: Senior Art Show, The Cakery in Woonsocketapril 27: Excelsior Dinner/Fine Arts Hall of Fame Ceremony, Chapel Hallmay 4 & 5: Choral Cabaret, Mount Saint Charles Academymay 18 & 19: Pops Concert, Mount Saint Charles Academymay 20: Art in Motion, Mount Saint Charles AcademyJune 7, 8, 9: 1963 50th Reunion

June 9: 2013 Commencement

entranCe eXamS

testing Date 1: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 8:15am testing Date 2: Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 8:15am


mount magazine - winter 2013

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