NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mark your calendars with the following dates!

1. SAINT BERNARD SCHOOL
   MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING PREVIEW
   Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2007
   Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
   
   
2. SAINT BERNARD SCHOOL
   MIDDLE SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAM
   Date: Wednesday, March 21, 2007
   Time: 8:00 – 11:30
   
   
3. DONNELLY’S SCHOOL APPAREL
   UNIFORM FITTING
   Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2007
   Time: noon to 2:00 MS conference room
   2:00 – 5:00 MS/HS library
   
   
4. DONNELLY’S SCHOOL APPAREL
   UNIFORM PICKUP
   Date: Monday, July 9, 2007
   Time: 2:30 – 4:30 SBS foyer

NEWS

August 30, 2006

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

How appropriate that my first communication to you comes at the same time as the weather forecasters are tracking and trying to predict the eventual path of Hurricane Ernesto, the first of the upcoming hurricane season. Over the past two weeks, Saint Bernard administrators, many faculty and staff members, have had to face moments akin to being in the eye of a hurricane; sometimes scary and always exciting.

Earlier this month, following meetings with Bishop Cote and members of the Norwich Diocesan Board of Education, I was asked to accept the position of Headmaster of Saint Bernard School. The change to a new name signals the merging of our two schools, St. Bernard High School and St. Bernard Academy, into one. Each school has earned a rich heritage of excellence. Our new Name, Saint Bernard School, does not negate these two heritages. As we prepare to celebrate the past 50 years of excellence and tradition, it seems a perfectly appropriate time to start the future journey of 50 years on such a stable educational foundation and heritage. I hope you agree.

As Headmaster, I will utilize my professional background and experience as a Xaverian administrator to help introduce the various segments of the Saint Bernard School community to the advantages of membership in the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School (XBSS) model. We are now part of a much larger ‘whole’ – a community of Catholic schools dedicated to providing academic, spiritual, social, communal, and athletic excellence to our students.

The XBSS governance model (with a new Advisory Board and a Headmaster) will not change the essence of Saint Bernard’s schools. As the school’s official spokesperson, I will be expected to articulate the school’s philosophy, goals, and objectives to the various segments of the Saint Bernard School community and public sector. Meanwhile, the Principal, Br. Robert of grades 9–12 and Mrs. Dillman of grades 6-8, will continue to oversee the total educational program of their school. In other words, the normal administrative functioning of the schools will continue as usual.

Should you have more questions, please refer to the FAQ sheet included. We will have more opportunities to exchange information beginning with the Back-To-School Night on Wednesday, September 20, from 7 to 9 p.m. I look forward to meeting you at that time.

Respectfully yours,

William P. McKenna
Headmaster

(The FAQ sheet referenced is included in the Frequently Asked Questions section of this web site.)

October 19, 2006
Published in The Lyme Times
By Stephen Chupaska, Times Staff Writer / Photo by Stephen Chupaska

A CONVERSATION WITH FATHER BRIAN ROMANOWSKI
SAINT BERNARD SCHOOL CHAPLAIN

On Faith and Fifty Years of Saint Bernard High School

This year, Saint Bernard High School is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Last week, Father Brian Romanowski, who graduated from the school in 1994 and is now a priest at St. Patrick in Mystic, talked with Steve Chupaska, a fellow classmate, about the changes St. Bernard has undergone, as well as the role of faith in the lives of young people.

Q: What role has St. Bernard played in the community and what role do you see it having in the future?

A: It’s played a big role. There’s a future for St. Bernard, but we’re in transition. In August, we joined with the Xaverian school system. We have a new headmaster and we combined the junior high and the high school. It’s been pretty positive.
Q: How has the school changed since we graduated?

A: We changed a lot of the technology. It’s a vast improvement over typing on the electric typewriters with Mrs. Booely. (Laughter) The spirit, though, is still the same. They went through a rough patch, but there has been continuity (with the faculty). The kids are different. They are going through different experiences than what we went through. It’s different teaching and counseling them.

Q: What are some of the issues that are different?

A: There is a lot more pressure - more than I remember – to conform to norms. When we were here we didn’t have any drug or alcohol testing; now there is random drug testing.

Q: Really?

A: We never had that in high school. (The school) takes those things seriously. But it’s more about helping the kids. It’s not like if you get caught you’re expelled. They bring in the parents and try to get counseling. We are trying to be more conscious of where the kids are coming from to help create healthy lifestyles.

Q: What are some of the concerns you’ve heard from young people at the school about the church? What are the students curious about in terms of faith?

A: You hear a lot of talk from older people that kids are turned off from God or faith. I don’t think that’s true. There is a spiritual hunger. But (the students) go about it in a different way. There are a lot of rules in the church, and (they ask) why can’t you experience God on your own terms. There is that aspect of it. They want a relationship with God and to explore their spirituality. Sometimes they are doing it without even knowing they are doing it. Most of the questions are about making the church a lived reality, and not just doctrines and rules. How do the doctrines and rules apply (to their lives), that’s what a lot of kids and adults are struggling with – and how do they mesh them together and make it one.

Q: Well, I know that with teenagers, it’s always such a rebellious time – lots of questioning of authority, or yourself or the world around you. Is that a good thing in terms of your faith?

A: Oh, I never feel threatened when someone comes at me asking really off-the-wall questions. When I first came here I went to all the classes and I told them who I was. Then, I just threw it open for questions – no topics. They (asked) about all the hot topics – abortion, homosexuality, just to see where I’m coming from. I don’t believe in flinching from questions. You have to be open to hearing what they have to say and I have been equally open in explaining my faith. You can’t deny their genuine need to ask questions and understand things.

Q: How can the church or faith stay relevant in a young person’s life?

A: For me, I think it’s just living it. A lot of people compartmentalize their lives. We’re bombarded with so many things, especially if you’re a kid. You have school, sports, your friends, your family – it’s a balancing act. It’s easy to compartmentalize your life: We’ll put God in this section here, have our friends over here. For me, to keep faith relevant is to be unafraid to make God part of everything we do in life. Because God wants to be part of everything, he doesn’t just want to be with you inside the church building on Sunday. He wants to be on the soccer field, he wants to be in the movies. I try to ring God wherever I’m at. If we invite the Lord into everything we do, it’s a way of making it relevant. If we try to see the face of God in the person next to you, it’s a way of making it relevant.

(The Emergency Broadcast System-style bell at Saint Bernard goes off)

Q: They haven’t changed the bell?

A: No, see, that’s one thing that hasn’t changed. (Laughter)

Q: A lot of global conflicts have their root in religion. Does that trouble you?

A: It does. I don’t think the heart of any religion is based on conflict. It’s about the baggage we bring into religion. Jesus preached about bringing peace to the world and the good news of God’s love. And yet, in the Middle Ages, there were the Crusades. I think it’s about how we apply religion. I think it is what we make of religion. There is a lot of anger in the world today. People are looking to channel that anger and I think sometimes they take religion and twist it to resolve their conflicts.

Q: What do you think is the common thread running through all religions and faiths, not just for Christians but for anyone who is seeking spiritual fulfillment?

A: I think everyone is searching for goodness. Last year, a student invited me to his mosque in Groton during Ramadan. I had never been to a mosque and to prayers before, and they were really welcoming. A lot of the concerns they have are the concerns we have. I think people want God, or the “good” in their life and religion is a way of channeling that. I think we are more similar than we are different. Sometimes we get hung up on the doctrinal issues. God is beyond our understanding and beyond our comprehension at times. I think we should allow God to be God and let him work in our lives.