HGP Ghost Stories -- March 23, 2018 (revised for website)

During the March 16^th dedication ceremony of the Brennan Family Innovation Center, Holy Ghost Prep president Gregory J. Geruson ’79 had the opportunity to thank John and Jean Brennan for their generosity toward STEM education at Holy Ghost Prep. To read more about the ceremony, click more.

Holy Ghost Prep speech and debate team finished in fourth place in the team competition at the 2018 Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament held March 16-17 at Bloomsburg University. To read more the competition, click more.

Andrew Iannacone's time of 58.27 set a new school record in the 100 breaststroke and also earned the Holy Ghost Prep junior a fifth-place medal at states. To read more about Andrew (pictured), click more.

With the new additions to facilities and curriculum, there is an opportunity for each and every student to find his place at Holy Ghost Preparatory School. We are so very proud of the advancements we have made and the goals we have to improve the education of our young men. Every member of the HGP team plays a unique role to impact positively the lives of our students. Please consider joining our team or sharing these employment opportunities with someone you think would be a good fit at HGP!

Father Alain Mayama, C.S. Sp., a Spiritan priest and a member of the order's general council from Rome, will visit Holy Ghost Prep on March 27 as part of a three-week stay in the United States. To read more about Father Mayama, click more.

The purpose of Holy Ghost Prep's summer sessions is to provide HGP students with unique elective courses that allow for engaging, real-world experiences with trips to NYSE, Broadway, Philadelphia Magazine and ESPN Studios. To read more about the three summer electives (Indie Film & Theater, Journalism, and Finance), click here.

For the 2018-19 school year, enrollment contracts will be completed online. Information regarding this process will be communicated within the next week.

The VEX Robotics season has finally come to an end. Holy Ghost Prep, coached by Brandon Petcaugh, competed with three robots in the state championship in Norristown on March 4th. At the end of the day, HGP's top team was ranked second, out of 74 competing teams. This was a tremendous achievement, and required a lot of precision, good driving, consistency, and some luck. Holy Ghost Prep then went to the elimination rounds, where the team lost in the semifinals. That team was made up of the following students: Jack Pinkstone, James Castner, Aiden Schmidt, Ben Scuron, Sean Smith, Mason El-Habr, and Andrew Pflaumer.

Other highlights from this season:

242C was awarded the Judges Award, for outstanding team recognition from the judges: Nick Madaio, Alek Seibel, and Robert Braun.

242A has some impression statistics: ranked 10th in the state in Robot Skills, and 446th in the world (out of 10,000 teams)

Overall the team was very happy with their performance this year, and is already brainstorming improvement for the next season, which begins April 28!

Next Mothers' Guild Meeting and Alumni Mom Celebration - Monday, April 9, 2018

We invite all Moms and Guardians to join us for our April meeting. At this meeting, we invite our
Alumni Moms and Guardians back to HGP as we honor them with a buffet dinner for all to share, hosted by the
Senior Mothers. In addition, elections will take place for open board positions for the 2018-2019 school year.
The Aramark school store will be open until the start of the meeting. Try your luck with our 50/50 and raffle
drawings.

All Mothers/Guardians are invited to attend the April meeting and Alumni Mothers celebration. If you plan to
attend this event, please click here to RSVP by March 31st so we can plan the dinner accordingly.

Senior Moms/Guardians, if you would like to help host this celebration by volunteering or donating, please
click here to view the volunteer Sign-Up Genius.

We are continuing our collection of gently-used suits and blazers for our Suit Swap Program. Items may be
brought to the April meeting. Please remember to return your Legacy of Life baby bottle if you took one at the March meeting.

Mother-Son Dance Was A Rockin’ Good Time!

On Saturday, March 10, over 500 mothers and sons rocked the night away at the Firebird Fieldhouse. We are grateful to all those who contributed to the success of this event! Thank you to our Mothers’ Guild dance chairs Keya Watkins and Nancy Castner for a fantastic, memorable dance. Thanks also to Judy Krohn for her outstanding design work, Sara Volpe and Sheila Stauffer for a beautiful Mass, all of our alumni moms who returned to help us out, our fantastic facilities and maintenance staff, HGP administration for their support and to all the volunteers. It was great seeing so many moms/guardians and sons having an amazing time together.

Please click here to view the entire Mother-Son photo gallery courtesy of Catalano Studio.

Nominations still needed for Alumni Secretary and Corresponding Secretary

We are still seeking candidates for open positions on the Executive Board of the Mothers Guild. In particular, we are in need of one Alumni Secretary (current Senior Mother/Guardian or Alumni Mother/Guardian) and one Corresponding Secretary (two-year position) for the 2018-2019 school year. Joining the Mothers' Guild Board is a great way to get involved and meet others in the HGP community.

Please click here for a description of these positions. If you would like to nominate yourself or another candidate for one of these positions, please click here for the nomination form.

Elections will take place at the April 9th Mothers' Guild Meeting.

May 7th Mothers' Guild General Meeting, Senior Mothers' Celebration, and Annual Mass of Remembrance

Monday, May 7th will be our last general meeting of the year. We will come together as a community to remember loved ones we have lost at 7 p.m. Mass, followed by a dinner honoring our Senior Mothers/Guardians. All are invited!

If you have a deceased loved one you would like us to remember at the Mass, please click here.

Moms and Guardians of all grades, please RSVP here if you plan to attend the May meeting and dinner. Junior Mothers/Guardians who would like to help host this event or donate items for the dinner, please click here.

Class of 2018 Senior Memory Video

Copy: The Class of 2018 Senior Memory Video can now be ordered. Included is footage from the Prom, Charity Ball, Mother/Son Dance, Baccalaureate Mass, Graduation, etc. Please click here to print and mail the order form through All Occasion Video Productions.

Approximately 60 Holy Ghost Prep alums gathered together at Parx Casino on March 22 for HGP's fourth annual March Madness alumni event. Holy Ghost Prep alums spanning multiple decades recalled their days at HGP and enjoyed some terrific games in this upset-filled NCAA tournament. (Photos courtesy of Joe Pargola '96)

The 2018-2019 Course Registration is almost complete. College Guidance Counselors have met with all members of the junior and sophomore classes. Course selection verification forms have been sent home for parent signatures. All sophomore and junior forms have been returned. Freshmen course selection forms have been sent home and were due in the main office by Monday, March 19. All requested courses are now entered in PowerSchool and can be viewed by choosing the “Class Registration” tab on the left upon login. Any changes in course requests will be updated in PowerSchool as they occur. Please keep in mind that at this time these are only course requests and enrollment in electives cannot be guaranteed as conflicts will occur. Please check the course requests regularly and, if there are any concerns, please contact the current teacher, department chair, or Dean of Studies.

Ten Holy Ghost Prep students have their work displayed at the "Emergence II" art show in Bristol, Pa. and HGP's Austin Moran (pictured) received the "Best in Show" honor for his oil painting. To read more about the show, click here.

Six Holy Ghost Prep artists will participate in the 23rd annual Bucks County Community College High School Art Exhibit. Four of the HGP artists whose work will be exhibited next month at Bucks County Community College are pictured here: (left to right) Jack Keating, Andrew Iannacone, Bruce Jiang, and Shane Marott. To read more about the exhibit, click here.

In just four days, HGP's latest team will leave for mission in West Virginia March 27-31, and for the first time ever, they will be followed by a second group April 2-6. What a fitting way to celebrate the program's 25th anniversary! The 24 students, four teachers, and one parent will be traveling to a site new to HGP in Lewisburg, WV. Once there, the team will be installing new drywall for an elderly resident as well as rebuilding a 16x8 porch for another family. Over the years, close to 400 students, parents, and faculty members have worked in nine different counties in southern West Virginia. "Their willingness to serve in places where the Church has difficulty finding workers, to do the jobs no one else wants to do, and to go wherever they were sent is a clear example of some of the core principles of the Spiritan Rule of Life," says Mr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the trips. HGP is very grateful to all the alumni, alumni parents, and faculty members who have built and sustained this program as a means for HGP to live out its mission of "generous service to the poor."

Save the Dates: HGP's performances of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" will be April 19-22

Holy Ghost Prep will perform its spring show "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" in the new Holt Center on the following dates and times.

The 2017-18 school year at Holy Ghost Prep will end soon, but yearbooks last forever. So please click here to order the 2018 Firebird Yearbook today.

Student Dance Parking

A special thank you to the dads who came out and coordinated the parking activities.

Updates and Announcements

April 2018

4/10 - All are welcome and encouraged to attend our next Fathers Association General Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in Sager Conference Room

May 2018
5/6 – Father/Son Communion Breakfast

5/8 - All are welcome and encouraged to attend our next Fathers Association General Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in Sager Conference Room

June 2018

6/1 - Baccalaureate Mass - Parking

6/2 – Graduation - Parking

6/12 - All are welcome and encouraged to attend our next Fathers Association General Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Sager Conference Room.

Fathers Association Dues Donation
The Fathers Association would appreciate a suggested donation of $15 per son/class to assist with offsetting the costs of the various community-building events we host each year.

Donations can also be sent to school with your son, brought to a meeting or mailed directly to the school at:

Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Attn: Fathers Association
2429 Bristol Pike
Bensalem, PA 19020

Please make your Donation check payable to: Holy Ghost Prep Fathers Association. Thank you for your support.

For additional information regarding the Fathers Association, contact Ron Spangler at rgspangler@comcast.net.

Holy Ghost Prep will be hosting an Innovation and Technology Fair before, and during, the Philadelphia 76ers game on March 26th. HGP will be bringing some of our more recent technological achievements and acquisitions, including: VEX competitive robots, a 3-D printer, and a Virtual Reality setup. There will be other local middle schools, high schools, and universities in attendance as well, all showcasing some of the amazing things they have been doing at their schools. Anyone interested just needs to purchase a ticket to the game. This should be done by emailing Brandon Petcaugh (bpetcaugh@holyghostprep.org), all tickets can be picked up the week before the event. Ticket-holders are allowed special access to the concourse before the general public (around 5:30 PM). The fair will be located on the concourse, and will run until halftime, at which point the students will be treated to talks by local professional engineers. The focus of this fair is on learning about new and exciting technologies, from the perspective of students of all ages. So get a ticket, and come out to learn something and support our newer HGP programs!

Senior class portrait will be taken April 24

FYI: HGP senior students will be photographed April 24th (rain date 4/26) for their commemorative Class Portrait. This image, taken by Catalano Studio, will be created on the school campus with the seniors in their NAVY BLUE BLAZERS, khaki pants and tie featuring the cherry blossoms. To find out more information or to order this keepsake, click here.

Catalano Studio's "Senior Experience"

Go above and beyond with your son in capturing his monumental high school moments with a Senior Portrait from Catalano Studio. Jeani Grady, award-winning master photographer and owner of Catalano, has been asked to document the Holy Ghost seniors’ drive for excellence. Her portraits are more than just photos, they capture the face of Holy Ghost and the components of a strong young man. Your son's portrait will also be featured in special section in the yearbook.

You send your son to Holy Ghost for an extraordinary experience, so let Catalano capture their picture-perfect senior year in an extraordinary portrait.

Contact Catalano Studio today to schedule "The Senior Experience" session for your son!

www.catalanostudio.com

(215) 604 - 4000

Know an alum who recently had a baby? If/when you get the news about the child, can you pass along that information (boy/girl & name) to Advancement? We can be sure that our database gets updated while taking the opportunity to send a gift to the newborn!

Ghost Stories

March 23, 2018

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