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• Blue & Gold Auction Recap• Expanding Ignatian Offerings• Senior Service Projects
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Winter 2016
THE HOLLOW PARTYFEATURING LOYOLA BLAKEFIELD’S OWN POP-ROCK SENSATION
Message from the President
“We are a campus of artists, writers, musicians, scientists, singers, dancers, and athletes. And, the best part is that there is no shortage of opportunities for our students to pursuetheir passions.”
ContentsWinter 2016
Staff
Campus News 4
Alumni Events 6
Expanding Ignatian Offerings 8
Blue & Gold Auction Recap 10
Senior Service Projects 12
Alumni Spotlight: Brian Marana ’00 14
The Hollow Party 16
Class Notes 18
In Memoriam 19
EditorMichael J. NittiMarketing Coordinator
PhotographyMichael J. NittiJames BerglieJerry DzierwinskiLiz Peterson
DesignInkwell Communications, LTD
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10 Blue & goldauction recap
ignatianidentity 8
14alumni spotlight:Brian marana ’00
12senior serViceproJects
the holloW party 16
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CAMPUS NEWS
oyola Blakefield hosted five international students from Colegio San Luis, a Jesuit high
school in Antofagasta, Chile, from Feb. 4 through April 18. During this time, each student resided with a Loyola host family, attended classes at Loyola, and took part in several clubs and activities. While visiting, students received their own schedules which were designed specifically to meet each of their needs. Additionally, in the beginning of March, Loyola hosted six Austrian students for one week. These students who attend Schulzentrum Friesgasse, a private, Catholic school in Vienna run by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, stayed with Loyola host families, shadowed sophomore students, and visited many of the local attractions.
ast October, students in Loyola Blakefield’s Cyber Science program began competing in the eighth season of CyberPatriot—the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. During the state round of the competition, one of Loyola’s
high school teams placed first in Maryland for the third year in a row, while another team of Dons captured 2nd place. Loyola admitted a total of five high school teams into the regional round—three wild card slots were secured by finishing in the top 36 nationally. Team Black (Greg Peterson, Mark McCoy, Matt Bavett, Drew Haiber, Chris Ptak, and Brenden Huegel) captured first place in the Mid-Atlantic Regional round in March. Out of the original 3,379 teams that started the competition last November, Team Black was one of only 12 teams (top 0.8% in the country) that qualified for the CyberPatriot National Finals, which were held April 11–13 at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore. Additionally, the middle school team (Brayden Libby, Henry Mackay, Manny Spanos, Gabe Pongchit, Grant Abbott, and Kyle Zgorski) finished first in the state of Maryland and 8th overall in the nation out of 480 teams.
oyola Blakiefield’s Jazz Combo Blue and Jazz Combo Gold bands performed at the prestigious
Berklee College of Music in Boston for the 2016 Berklee High School Jazz Festival on Feb. 6. Jazz Combo Blue came in 2nd place out of five schools in their division, and Jazz Combo Gold placed 7th out of 14 schools in their division. According to Band Director
Dave London, the ratings of both combos fell in the range of “excellent” based on national high school music festival rating scales. In addition, the judges were extremely impressed that, although typically high schools perform music from major publishers at these festivals, both combos performed their own original arrangements, all of which were created by ear.
LOYOLA HOSTS EXCHANGE STUDENTS
FROM AUSTRIAAND CHILE
JAZZ BANDS PERFORM AT BERKLEEHIGH SCHOOL JAZZ FESTIVAL
CYBER SECURITY TEAMS ADVANCE TO REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ROUNDS OF CYBERPATRIOT COMPETITION
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n Feb. 19, the Office of Admissions delivered acceptance letters to more than 375 students for the 2016–17 school year. On Feb. 26 and March 2, these newly accepted students were invited to
attend Upper and Middle School Welcome Nights, which provided an opportunity to meet teachers, coaches, students, and other members of the Blakefield community. Congratulations to the newest members of the Classes of 2020 and 2023 and all those in between.
LOYOLA BLAKEFIELD WELCOMESITS NEWEST DONS
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Winter 2016
n March 6, more than 250 members of the Loyola community attended the Father-Son Communion Breakfast
hosted by the Fathers’ Club. The event included Mass celebrated by Archbishop William Lori in Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel, followed by breakfast and a time of reflection for Loyola fathers and their sons.
FATHER-SON COMMUNION BREAKFAST
THREE DONS NAMED NATIONALMERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS
THE BLAKEFIELD PLAYERS PERFORM HAIRSPRAY MUSICAL
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he varsity swim team took home its 20th MIAA championship in 21 years on Saturday, Feb. 6, after a 505–375 triumph over
runner-up and host McDonogh. This was the team’s first MIAA title under new head coach Matt McDonough.
LOYOLA SWIMMING CAPTURES 20TH MIAA TITLE IN 21 YEARST
2016 STUDENT BLOOD DRIVEMIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS INDUCTEDINTO NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETYhirty-two members of the Class of 2020 were inducted into the Loyola chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) on March
10. The ceremony took place in Our Lady of Montserrat Chapel on campus. In order to qualify for the Loyola chapter of the NJHS, students must excel in the areas of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character, and Citizenship, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale.
T T he American Red Cross Student Blood Drive took place on Feb. 11 in the Four-Court Gym where 78 students, along
with a number of parents and faculty members, donated enough blood to help save 219 lives. Some highlights included sophomore Damian Stifter making a donation in honor of his mother, whose life was recently saved thanks to donor blood, senior Tanner Selby making a double red donation, and Mr. James Katchko reaching his 9-gallon milestone, meaning he has given 72 pints of blood in his lifetime.
eniors Jack Morton, Alex Wilson, and Evan Pham were named finalists for the
2016 National Merit Scholarship Program in February, of which only 15,000 high school students were selected (less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors). Additionally, Jack and Alex were named candidates for the 2016 United States Presidential Scholars Program. Their candidacy is based on outstanding performance on the ACT Assessment or the College Board SAT. Of the nearly 3.3 million high school seniors graduating this year, only about 4,000 students (0.1 % of students) were extended this invitation.
rom March 4 through March 13, the Blakefield Players performed six shows of the Baltimore-themed musical Hairspray. To help prepare for the performances, Blakefield
Players Director Chris Garretson and Peter Pferdeort ‘16, who starred as Edna Turnblad, visited John Waters at his Baltimore home. Peter presented him with a drawing he created that features a young John Waters with Divine, the transgender actor who played Edna in the original 1988 Hairspray film written and directed by Waters.
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Alumni Events @ Blakefield
n March 16, Michael Abromaitis ‘58 received the 2016 Rev. Joseph M. Kelley, S.J., Medal during the
annual Kelley Medal Breakfast for his outstanding work in the community as an attorney with Wright, Constable & Skeen, LLP, his guidance on numerous boards of local nonprofits including Loyola Blakefield, Baltimore Opera Company, Walters Art Gallery and Notre Dame Preparatory School, and his service to this country as an Infantry Company Commander in the U.S. Army. Find out more about the Kelley Medal and this year’s recipient at loyolablakefield.org/kelleyaward.
he LBAA held its 3rd Annual Alumni Blood Drive on Dec. 26, collecting 37 units of blood, which equates to a total of 111 lives saved. This event continues to see more and more
donors each year. We thank everyone who came out to give blood, or simply volunteered their time to help!
n Ash Wednesday, over 150 alumni, parents, students, and friends packed into the Chapel of Our Lady of Montserrat for an ashes service presided over by Fr.
Bruce Steggert, S.J. Following the service, the attendees were treated to a lecture, Q&A session, and book signing with John Gehring ’92, author of The Francis Effect: A Radical Pope’s Challenge to the American Catholic Church. Thanks to all those who attended the event. Be on the lookout for similar events in the coming months. Mr. Gehring’s book may be purchased on Amazon.com.
ore than 800 members from the Loyola community gathered in Knott Hall for A Taste of Blakefield on Feb. 6, where they experienced some of the
best food and drink the Baltimore-metro area has to offer. Special thanks go out to event chairman Ben Yingling ’02, James McCeney ’98 of Bridges Wine Company, who donated multiple cases of wine for the grab-bag fundraiser, Matt McErlean, P ’17, for providing the music, all of our loyal vendors for their generous contributions, and the many volunteers who worked diligently to make sure the nightran smoothly.
n Feb. 27, an enthusiastic group of Loyola Blakefield alumni, families, students, and staff took time to help those in our community who are in desperate need of
support. The group gathered in the Franciscan Center to bag a variety of healthy food to help feed the hungry during the Lenten season. Loyola is proud to have such a generous group of individuals volunteer their time to support those in need!
he Loyola Blakefield Alumni Association held a Clothing & Backpack
Drive for Paul’s Place on Feb. 20. An entire bus was filled with hundreds of items including coats, shoes, gloves, backpacks, blankets, and more all donated by the Loyola community. Thanks to Brett Holmes ‘07 and Brendan Moag ‘92 for organizing this event and all those who donated to help support families in southwest Baltimore.
ALUMNI BLOOD DRIVE
THE FRANCIS EFFECT LECTURE
A TASTE OF BLAKEFIELD
FRANCISCAN CENTER SERVICE EVENT
PAUL’S PLACE CLOTHING& BACKPACK DRIVE
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MIKE ABROMAITIS ’58 NAMED 2016 KELLEY MEDAL RECIPIENT
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Visit www.loyolablakefield.org/events to stay up-to-date on all alumni events.
Upcoming Eventsgolden dons dinner may 5, 2016
loyola tennis open may 6, 2016
aquatics Bull roast may 7, 2016
lBaa Board meeting may 11, 2016
Frank Fischer golf classic may 20, 2016
50th reunion Weekend June 3–5, 2016
Kelley medal Breakfast
dons in raleigh, nc
The Francis Effect lecture dons in charlotte, nc paul’s place clothing drive
alumni Blood drive
dons in naples, Fl
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As part of Loyola Blakefield’s Strategic Plan through the year 2022, one area in which the school is seeking growth is its Ignatian offerings for students, faculty, staff, alumni, families, and friends of Loyola. The goal is to expand campus ministry and service programming, as well as mission and identity programs, to deepen Ignatian formation of all members of the Blakefield community, and above all grow as a center of faith in the region.
Leading the charge is Director of Ignatian Mission & Identity Ben Horgan who has begun collaborating with Director of Campus Ministry Brendan O’Kane and Director of Ignatian Service Beth Ann Szczepaniak. “As we work under one umbrella now, we have unified our approach to ministry at Blakefield,” said Horgan.
Taking over this role in 2013, Horgan admits much of the department’s solid foundations were developed by John Weetenkamp ‘65 who served in the role since it was created in 2002. “While he was in this position, John laid a lot of groundwork for the success this department has had, and I think because of his good collateral and the slightly different lens my team has taken to that, it has really allowed the program to prosper.”
The Pastoral Ministries team has come up with some great new ways to engage members of the Blakefield community. One new initiative they have been piloting this year in collaboration with the Athletics Department is an athletic formation program. “Once the strategic plan got approved, this was the first thing we wanted to check off our list,” said Horgan. The program allows coaches and parents to come together and go through a formational program which translates the spirit of athleticism and being a team
Pastoral Ministries Team Seeks to Expand Ignatian Offerings at Loyola
“The spiritual formation of our students is alive and well here, so we want to extract some of that and deliver it to parents, alumni, and friends of the school as well.”
— Ben horgan, director of ignatian mission & identity
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player to Ignatian spirituality. “We wanted to get across that these are the ideals we’re instilling in our Dons, and we want to make sure parents are aware of and demonstrate the same ideals on the sidelines.”
“I thought it was a great idea,” said Mike Coan, P ‘12, ‘16, Fathers’ Club President and father of two sets of twin Dons. “It reminded us all how we should be keeping sports in perspective, and that we all represent Loyola at all times.” Since the pilot was so well received, they are planning a six year rotation—the life cycle of a student-athlete here—so there will be a different topic and presentation each year. In conjunction with this, Brendan O’Kane is looking to start a student-athlete retreat program next year with the hope that in the future each sport will take part in a team retreat either before or after each season.
“We are exploring the implementation of team retreats as yet another way to try and meet students where they are,” said O’Kane. “Retreats will help with the understanding that God blessed our athletes and coaches with talents, and the cultivation of these talents is the response to that gift.”
The team has also started exploring ways to implement service learning into Loyola’s curriculum. Instead of pulling students out once a year for a service trip, the group is looking to provide opportunities as part of a full-time class or elective to engage in social justice work. “We want students to be thinking about service on a daily basis. A service learning curriculum would allow students to reflect more deeply on their service experiences,” said Beth Ann Szczepaniak. “Students would be challenged to look more closely at the injustices present in our community and learn how to respond to the needs of those on the margins.”
In addition, Ben and his team are trying to improve upon outreach with other local Jesuit and Catholic schools and organizations. One initiative involves collaboration with Loyola University, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, and Notre Dame Preparatory School for a two-week summer immersion program in July called Cura Urbi, or
“Caring for the City.” Teachers from each of the three high schools will partner with Loyola University professors to guide a group of 20 rising seniors through specific social justice issues within Baltimore City. “One of the topics this year is the housing crisis.” said Horgan. “We’re going to look at it through the lens of a history teacher, an economics teacher, and through literature to give the students full context.” In the afternoons, the group will travel to different service agencies to take part in service work, or visit government agencies to learn about what they are doing to address the issue. The program
will culminate with a research project where students will advocate for the cause and present potential solutions tocity council.
Another way in which the Pastoral Ministries team has combined efforts with local schools is the annual Faculty and Staff Day of Reflection with members of the Cristo Rey and Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy communities. Ben and his team have also started promoting guest speakers at Loyola University and special
events like the Runners For Others: An Ignatian 5K, organized by Bill Macsherry ‘88 and Chip Cooke ‘92, which raises funds for all local Jesuit social ministry programs. “We are trying to use these local resources to show our students, faculty, parents, and alumni that there are opportunities all across the Baltimore area to learn more about Ignatian spirituality,” said Horgan.
Whether it is by hosting their own guest speakers or evening programs for adults on campus, the team is eager to continue to add opportunities for all members of the Loyola community to explore Ignatian spirituality more deeply. “The spiritual formation of our students is alive and well here, so we want to extract some of that and deliver it to parents, alumni, and friends of the school as well,” said Horgan. “Whether it’s participating in an 8-week program on campus or learning about the history of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits through virtual resources, we want to have more adult members ofour community engaged in the Ignatian identityof Blakefield.”
if you are interested in participating in adult formation opportunities, please visit our website for upcoming events or contact Ben horgan at [email protected]. to learn more about the work of our office of ignatian
mission and identity and to view our full strategic plan, visit loyolablakefield.org/strategicplan.
“As we work under one umbrella now, we have unified our approach to ministry at Blakefield.”
— Ben horgan, Beth ann szczepaniak and Brendan o’Kane
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The stars turned out and the red carpet was ready for over 500 parents, alumni, and friends to gather for the 2016 Blue & Gold Auction on Saturday, March 19. Our premier fundraising event featured an exciting live auction, live music by Mood Swings, and a special fundraising initiative to support renovations to the religious studies wing in Burk Hall.
Revenue from sponsorship, ticket sales, live and silent auctions, and raffle proceeds resulted in over $400,000 in net proceeds. Funds raised from the Blue & Gold provide valuable operating revenue that bolsters our robust academic, co-curricular and spiritual programs, while also enabling us to keep tuition costs down and provide financial assistance to our families. “The Blue & Gold is always a great opportunity to bring alumni, parents, and friends of Loyola together to celebrate our mission,” said President Anthony Day. “It’s also a vital component to the success of our annualfundraising efforts.”
Deanna and Greg McElwee ‘87, P ‘17, served as co-chairs and led a dedicated group of volunteers in the planning and execution of the event. “We can’t thank our volunteers enough for so humbly dedicating themselves to the success of the Blue & Gold,” said Todd Langenberg, Director of Development and Institutional Advancement. “From the long hours during the summer to the very last details on the day of the
SAVE THE DATE: Join us for the 2017 Blue & Gold Auction on March 25, 2017.
Over$400,000Raised for
Loyola!
event, our volunteers were always enthusiastic and worked tremendously hard knowing that our Dons would benefit from their labor.”
During our evening program, we announced plans to renovate the religious studies wing of Burk Hall, which includes broad projectable surfaces, powerful new projection devices, document imaging cameras, and push-button control paneling
—all creating a more flexible and modernized learning environment. Over $50,000 was raised to help fund the work, which will commence during
the summer of 2016. “The history and math wings have been updated most recently, so it’s important that we continue to invest in our academic space,” said Steve Morrill, Director of Technology. “The changes will be
well beyond cosmetic and will ensure a classroom setting perfectly suited for 21st century students and teachers.” Biafra Okoronkwo ’16 spoke about his experience as a student and how his faith journey is rooted in lessons learned through his religious studies at Blakefield. “No matter how many service trips or retreats I took part in, they would not have had the same impact on me without lessons learned in classes like Ignatian Spirituality or Quest for the Divine,” said Okoronkwo.
“These classes taught me how to explore a part of myself I neverknew existed.”
T H E 2 0 16 B L U E & G O L D A U C T I O N
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“The Blue & Gold is always a great opportunityto bring alumni, parents, and friends of Loyola
together to celebrate our mission.”– president anthony day
To view Biafra’s remarks and additional highlights of the event, visit loyolablakefield.org/blueandgold.
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SeniorService
At Loyola, service is at the forefront of our Dons’ formation. So much so, that during a student’s senior year, he must complete 40 hours of independent community service in order to graduate. Students’ service projects must address the needs of those less advantaged, involve a long-term commitment to one group or service agency, and consist primarily of direct contact and face-to-face activity. Many times, however, our Dons go above and beyond the requirements and get involved with something they are truly passionate about. Read about how two seniors are making a difference in their communities.
Jeffrey MoranJeff Moran got involved with the Baltimore Saints after learning about the program from Director of Ignatian Service Beth Szczepaniak. “I wanted to learn about different ways I could get involved in service on the weekends and Mrs. Szczepaniak mentioned this program that helps kids and adults with special needs learn howto skate and play ice hockey.”
Having never played ice hockey before, Jeff actually spent the previous summer in Ocean City at a small ice rink learning how to skate so that he could try out for the ice hockey team in the winter. After a last-minute decision not to pursue a spot on the team, he decided to use what he learned to help the Baltimore Saints.
The Baltimore Saints were founded 8 years ago by James and Teresa Zinkhan. “We were asked if we would start a program in the Baltimore area since there was a need
for such a program, and since we both enjoyed Ice hockey, it was a good fit for us,” said cofounder Jim Zinkhan. The program provides both children and adults with a traumatic brain injury or intellectual disability, such as autism or Down syndrome, the opportunity to play ice hockey in an environment adapted to each of their abilities. The program is not only recreational, but therapeutic. It emphasizes social interaction, self-reliance, and concentration and willingness to adapt to new experiences with a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Jeff serves as a mentor in the program along with other students from area schools such as St. Paul’s and Calvert Hall. He is on the ice for three hours every Saturday morning at the Reisterstown Sportsplex, helping teach the fundamentals of ice hockey. “We have three sessions each week,“ said Moran. “In the first session, we teach younger players how to skate, in the second session we work with more advanced players by refining their skating and passing, doing drills, and teaching them about teamwork,
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and the third session consists of a lot of adults who do drills and scrimmage. Some weeks we are also joined by other local hockey teams and play a game.”
“Jeff and our other mentors allow us to keep the program running,” said Zinkhan. “Without their help we would not be able to provide the one-on-one help that is necessary. We have over 120 players in our program, so we are always looking for more mentors.” And apparently Jeff isn’t the program’s first Don to come through. “We’ve had about eight students from Loyola help throughout the years,”said Zinkhan.
Jeff’s most meaningful experience came when a younger player he skated with several times was able to stay on his
much and was more content with just floating in the water than actually swimming. Any effort I made to get him to kick more or reach further with his stroke was pointless, because he wouldn’t change how he swam. I started to feel like I was failing as a coach because I couldn’t make him better. One morning while swimming next to him, upon reaching the wall, he thanked me for always swimming by his side. He called me one of his best friends and gave me a hug. Before then, I thought the main reason the volunteers were there was just to be coaches, but it made me realize that what we are doing is much bigger than that. Not only are we improving their swimming ability,
but we are also building relationships with these people, and that is something truly special.”
Bailey also participates on one of the unified relay teams which are comprised of two Special Olympic athletes and two teenage volunteers. “This season we are training 95 athletes and probably 82 to 86 will qualify to go to Summer Games with their teenage partners,” said Waschak. “Both the athletes and the unified partners take great joy in competing as a team.”
Bailey’s desire to serve others began way before his senior year at Loyola. “Loyola encouraged volunteer work right from the beginning when we went to Beans and Bread in middle school. In seventh grade, we went to Ridge Ruxton and worked with students with special needs. This was the first time I got the chance to do something like this, and it helped me learn how to work with children with special needs.”
Bailey has grown to love SOHC so much that he even convinced his brother, Loyola freshman Camden, to help out this year. Two other Loyola brothers, Robert ‘10 and Matthew Klein ‘12, also participated in the program, which, according to Waschak, is always looking for more volunteers for a variety of Special Olympic sports.
“We always need unified partners and coaches for flag football, soccer, basketball, alpine skiing, cross country, and bowling.”
SeniorServiceProjectsfeet after scoring a goal. “He has trouble hitting the balls—we don’t use pucks for the younger kids—and staying up at the same time. So when he scored a goal and stayed up, he started laughing and yelling with joy.” For Jeff, the players have taught him a lot more than he could ever teach them. “They never give up, even if they fall a hundred times, they get up and try it again. They want to get better. This program has helped me see how strong a person can be, and it has really been great to watch each player grow.” Jeff credits his time at Loyola in helping him discover his passion for serving others. “Being at Loyola has helped me accept others no matter what, and I love helping people whenever I can.”
Bailey GilmoreOn Sunday mornings in Harford County, you can find Bailey Gilmore coaching swimmers for the Special Olympics. Bailey Gilmore has been volunteering for the Special Olympics at Harford Community College in Belair for about a year. “I started volunteering last year after my neighbor introduced me to the program. Originally, I got involved because I needed service hours, but I also wanted to give back to the community, and I really enjoyed working with mentally and sometimes physically disabled children.”
Special Olympics Harford County (SOHC) Aquatics is the largest team in the state. Last year, 74 athletes and 16 unified partners—high school students serving as volunteer coaches—qualified to swim at the Summer Games at Towson University, similar to a state championship. This year’s group consists of 10 adult coaches, 34 teenage volunteers, and 95 special needs athletes who take part in 30 to 45 minutes of stretching and warm up drills and then 45 minutes swimming everySunday morning.
“The growth and the quality of our program is dependent upon our teenage volunteers,” said Allan Waschak, who is in his 21st year as Fund Raising Chairman & Aquatics Coordinator at Special Olympics Howard County.
“Volunteers like Bailey who show up at nine on Sunday mornings to coach five different athletes over three-and-a-half hours in a pool, swimming anywhere from 50 to 60 laps.”
Aside from Kairos, Bailey credits this as one of his best high school experiences. “Every practice is rewarding, but the most rewarding part is being able to celebrate after swimming in a race and seeing how much improvement the swimmers have made over the season.” Many swimmers in the program are children, but some are older. Because of the level of Bailey’s maturity, the coaches in the program matched him up with some of the older and more difficult athletes with communication issues. One of the athletes Bailey works with is about 40 years old.
“When I was paired up with Scott at the beginning of the season, I struggled to coach him because he didn’t talk
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Religious studies teacher Brian Marana grew up in Cockeysville, Maryland, and entered Loyola in the 7th grade. He recalls early memories of his first interest in speech and debate, playing flute in the band, and what it was like to form his first connection on campus. “I’ll never forget the first person I met on campus,” said Marana. “I was walking across the sidewalk in front of Kennedy Field House—now the site of Knott Hall—and someone greeted me. That was Mike Hoppa ‘00, and we are still friends tothis day.”
Looking back on his time as a middle school student, Brian credits his teachers for preparing him for the next level. “I remember Fr. Lloyd George and Jose Albornoz as teachers, and they were both such great examples for me and helped me come to understand the importance of self-discipline and organization in my studies.”
As a student, Marana was always drawn to religious studies. “I had Bill Kennedy and Joe Mohler as teachers and they had this way of making discussions
around faith so relevant to us. Whether it was in the manner they presented information or lessons to us, or how they framed religious belief as counter-cultural to things occurring in our world, I always felt engaged and energized.”
Marana was involved in Amnesty International, the Asian Student Union, and the Peer Educator program. It was his experience as a peer educator that first helped develop his desire to teach. “There was this great feeling that came with teaching and facilitating dialogue,” said Marana. “That, combined with the Ignatian concepts of reflection and action, excited me. It started to become clear that teaching might be something I wanted to do.”
After graduating from Blakefield, Marana attended Loyola University, where he pursued undergraduate degrees in philosophy and psychology. He also volunteered with the campus ministry department and continued as a peer educator. As he progressed, Marana looked to pursue a Jesuit program to study abroad in Italy. It was one of the reasons he chose to
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
BACKTO WHERE IT ALL
BRIAN MARANA ’00BEGAN
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attend the university, but the inspiration came during his time at Blakefield. “During my junior year at Blakefield, I went on a trip to Italy led by Ms. O’Hara. I had such fond memories of that experience, so I committed myself to study abroad in college.”
What happened next would turn out to be a major turning point for him. After missing the scheduled information session for the study abroad program in Italy, Marana spotted a flier for another program that was going to China. “It was starting in five minutes, so I went,” said Marana. “I remember calling my mother to tell her that I was now going to study abroad in China and she was surprised because she knew I had my sights set on Italy fora while.”
Marana ended up spending six months in China, immersing himself in the language and culture. He eventually ended up working for the program as a recruiter. In 2006, however, he applied for a teaching positon at the Xavier School in the Philippines, an all-boys Jesuit school with approximately 4,000 students. “I was ready for a new challenge, but I also realized that I was now speaking Chinese, but couldn’t carry a conversation with my family in Filipino,” said Marana. “The idea of teaching in the Philippines excited me, but I was also very interested in learning more about the language and culture.” Marana taught classes and coordinated a study abroad program to China while at Xavier. He eventually directed their International Baccalaureate Diploma program as well.
In 2012, Marana married his wife, Avegrace, and within a few years they began exploring where the latest chapter in their lives would take them. “We explored our options and knew we wanted to make
a change,” said Marana. “In many ways, it was family that brought me back to Maryland, and the opportunity to work at Loyola made it a perfect fit.”
Reflecting on the path to his teaching career, Marana recalls that much of the foundation for his passion began during his time at Blakefield, which only blossomed further during his college studies. “My experience with forensics and peer
education developed my confidence in regards to public speaking and facilitating conversation,” said Marana. “In college, however, it was my study of philosophy and time in campus ministry that made me passionate about our shared human quest for truth and meaning. This desire to journey with
others on this quest is ultimately what inspired me and shaped me as a teacher.”
Now that he is back where it all started, and despite all that has changed during his time away from Blakefield, Marana believes the most important characteristics remain the same. “The culture here on campus hasn’t changed, and the commitment to excellence in the classroom, on the field, and in programs such as forensics and theater is still going
strong,” said Marana. “It is also wonderful to see that many of the great teachers I experienced are still here doing such extraordinary work with our students.”
Brian currently resides in Hunt Valley, MD. He is one of three brothers to attend Loyola (Joseph ’96 and Michael ’04). He is currently
pursuing a M.A. in Education from Ateneo de Malia University. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling,scuba diving, hiking, photography, and martial arts.
“In many ways, it was family that brought me back to Maryland, and the opportunity to work at Loyola made it a perfect fit.”
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Four seniors who have been best friends throughout their time at Blakefield have quickly taken the Baltimore metro area by storm with their pop-rock band The Hollow Party. The band’s origin dates back to 2008 when Drew Bostwick and Andrew Vendelis met.
“My dad and Drew’s dad are business partners and good friends, so I met Drew when we were about 10 years old,” said Vendelis. “We quickly found out that each of us played an instrument—Drew on drums and me on guitar—so we decided to jam.” A friendship quickly formed and the following summer they attended Rock Shop Camp at McDonogh School where they found out they would both be heading to Loyola for 6th grade in the fall. With that, the foundation of the band was formed.
It did not take long into their first year at Loyola to find bass player Danny Vinton. “We heard around campus Danny was playing bass, so Andrew and I asked him about joining the band in October, and he was in,” said Bostwick. The band began learning cover songs from bands like Rush, Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, Nirvana, U2, and Black Sabbath. The group landed its first gig the following spring at the middle school mixer earning $20 apiece. It was the first time in school history a band was permitted to play a mixer at Loyola. They opened with “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Vinton belting out the lyrics to the Nirvana classic over a sea of his peers.
The fourth and final piece to the puzzle was Quinn Hopkins. “Drew and I were playing JV water polo together and Danny was busy with sports and other stuff, so Drew asked me to
fill in to play bass in during the fall of our sophomore year,” said Hopkins. “I bought a bass and an amp and I played one gig before Danny came back. So then they asked me to play guitar, which is what I actually play, and that was that.”
The first show as a four-piece was at Café 611 in Frederick, MD, in January 2014. After picking up steam, the group was invited to play Vans Warped Tour at Merriweather Post Pavilion in August, which is where they were introduced to their manager Zach Neil from New Gold Management.
“Zach has really supported us in the creative department, and he got us in touch with our publicist, Sneak Attack Media, which helps out with our marketing and social media presence,” said Vinton.
From then on it was a snowball effect. The first big change came by way of renaming the band. “Switching from All Rights Reserved to The Hollow Party was just a transitional period for the band in general, and it was just a good time to evolve,” said Vendelis, who along with Bostwick realized it was crunch time now that they were just over halfway through their high school career, and they really wanted to create a foothold before they split up for college. ”We were trying to rebrand ourselves and make something new and more marketable,” said Bostwick.
The renaming process took between 3–4 months, and although frustrating at times, the end result provided a sense of unity among band members. “The name The Hollow Party is tied to this school that brought us all together,” explained Bostwick. “The Hollow at the center of
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campus is where we’ve had a lot of fun times throughout our years here.”
“I think it’s important to never forget your roots,” added Vendelis.
With the change in name also came a change in sound. “After meeting our manager, he really taught us a formula for how to write music and it kind of led to more pop-alternative sound which we all liked,” said Vinton. The band members described the style of music as somewhere between 5 Seconds of Summer, All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, 1975, and Twenty One Pilots.
After nailing down the sound of the band, the group spent a week in a small cabin in the Poconos writing their first EP as The Hollow Party. “We all sat down together and started out with an acoustic guitar and keyboard hooked up to a computer with Pro Tools, and we just bounced ideas off each other and voted on the best idea,” said Vendelis. “It was very democratic, and everyone’s voice was definitely heard.”
“It’s fun to write music with these guys because we all come from really different styles, and we always bring different and exciting ideas to the table,” added Bostwick, whose musical influences include Rush, Yellow Card, and Benny Goodman. “We all have artistic differences, but we all share a common ground, so when we write music, that shows.”
looking out at them. Right before we went on, we huddled together in a circle like a sports team and said the Prayer of St. Ignatius and then went out and killed it.”
Another great experience was filming their first music video for their song “Basic Girl.” They filmed the music video on the roof of an abandoned parking garage in Scranton, PA.
“We got six of our female friends to come up and volunteer to be in the video, and it was a really fun process,” said Vendelis. “Yeah, besides the fact that the parking garage would shake whenever we jumped and there were potholes big enough that we could see all the way down to the bottom, it was great,” added Hopkins.
Watching these four perform together, it is clear there is an unbreakable bond between them. “It’s definitely a brotherhood, and I say brotherhood because we’re brothers—we fight, we argue, but in the end we have each other’s backs, and that’s what I love about this band,” said Vendelis. Speaking of brotherhood, the group credits much of their success to their peers at Blakefield. “Loyola has helped us so much with our following,” said Bostwick. “All of our friends in our grade, the grades below us, and the class that graduated before us, have been nothing but supportive of our music.”
As each member departs for college next year, they have high hopes to keep the band going. “Everything is done digitally these days by email, text, and social media,” said Bostwick. “Come show time, all we need to do is fly in, and
Their manager also got them in touch with promoter 24-7 Entertainment, which handles all of the band’s bookings in Baltimore and beyond. The group has played at venues including Ottobar, The 8x10, Hard Rock Café, Rams Head Live, and Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore City, the defunct Recher Theatre in Towson, and they even opened for Fuel at Fish Head Cantina in Halethorpe. Their biggest show to date though (besides Warped Tour) was the Boys Scouts of America’s 100th Anniversary Camporee Rock the Ridge concert at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville in front of a crowd of 5,000.
One of the band’s most memorable shows was at Rams Head Live last August. “We really built it up and it was our first show since writing our EP, so it was us coming out with all of our new stuff,” said Hopkins. “Before the show, they played our music video on the overhead and the crowd was cheering and singing along as we were hidden backstage
“Right before we went on, we huddled together in a circle like a sports team and said the Prayer of St. Ignatius and then went out and killed it.”
we are all east of the Mississippi for college, so it’s not that bad. The plan at the moment is to get as far as we possibly can before we leave. Our focus is right now.”
Bostwick will be attending Belmont University in Nashville to study music business with an emphasis on management, Vendelis was accepted to High Point University, St. Mary’s College, and Loyola University New Orleans, but is still waiting to hear from New York University for music production, Hopkins is deciding between Penn State and Florida State for business, and Vinton will be at Northeastern studying computer science and music.
The band will be releasing a new single titled “Ray Bans” very soon. Follow The Hollow Party on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat to stay up to date on all of their latest shows and music.
DREWDANNY
Bass Guitar, Vocals Drums, Vocals Lead Guitar, Vocals Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
ANDREW QUINN
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Winter 2016CLASS NOTES1965James Taneyhill ‘65 was presented with a Distinguished Service Award by Catholic Charities of Baltimore on March 30. A semi-retired dentist, Taneyhill established a pro bono clinic four years ago at Our Daily Bread for the men in its Christopher Place Employment Academy.
1973Stephen Giblin ’73 has retired from the international law firm Jones Day where he primarily practiced environmental law for 35 years. He has recently become a member of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps and is
currently volunteering at Migration and Refugee Services of Cleveland Catholic Charities.
1979Bill McCarthy ‘79, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore and Loyola
Trustee, met Pope Francis at the Vatican in March and presented him with an apron from Our Daily Bread
Employment Center that was specially embroidered with his name.
1982Michael H. Jessup ‘82 was named the new chief executive office of the Center for the Arts, the nonprofit organization He assumed the duties of the position January 4. His background includes overseeing operations at the University of Florida, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Salisbury University, American Diabetes Association, Archbishop Spalding High School, and Capital Caring. Among his many career accomplishments, Jessup secured a $21 million gift for cancer research and a cancer hospital, raised $26
million in the first two years of a seven year $55 million national capital campaign, and generated a 500 percent increase in major gifts for Salisbury University.
1987James Sheridan ’87 retired from the Air Force in 2012 and is now flying for United Airlines out of Dulles on the Boeing 777. His eldest daughter is a student at the University of Virginia.
2002Benjamin Yingling ‘02, vice president of Crawford Yingling Insurance in Westminster, was named board chairman
The First Annual Frank P. Fischer
Golf Classic
The Loyola Blakefield Alumni Association Presents
Hosted by Loyola’s African-American Alumni
All alumni, family, and friends of Loyola Blakefield are invited to play in the 1st Annual Frank Fischer Golf Classic on Friday, May 20th at The Woodlands Golf Course. Event proceeds benefit
the Frank P. Fischer Diversity Scholarship Fund at Loyola Blakefield.
For sponsorship and event information, visit loyolablakefield.org/fischergolfOr contact Pat Muth '99, Director, Alumni Engagement – 443.841.3672
ALUMNI
share your news with fellow dons!loyolablakefield.org/classnotes
Louis Van Hollen ‘35Philip A. Kernan ‘35Frank T. Kasik, M.D. ‘36Harry F. Clifton ‘39Adrian P. Grape ‘42Francis X. Wells ‘46Edward O. Clarke, Jr. ‘47Joseph M. Conner ‘47Alan E. Harris ‘47*Frederick V. Furst III ‘48Thomas J. Murphy ‘48Albert S. Santoni ‘49Charles C. Vogel III ‘49Joseph V. Castagna, Jr. ‘49Charles B. Leonard, Jr. ‘49Rev. John L. Lippold ‘49Theodore T. Niznik, Jr., M.D. ‘49Joseph A. Mead, Jr., M.D. ‘50Bernard A. Coyne ‘51R. Bruce Nolan ‘51H. Stafford Bullen, Jr. ‘53
Gerald T. Albrecht Sharon Ann Bruns Sandor B. Csobaji Michael A. Dorn, M.D.
Bruce M. Bidinger, S.J.Katherine E. Cochran Patricia R. Connor Margaret G. Crook Marvin Ellin Eileen M. Feild
PAST PARENTS
FRIENDS
of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce in February.
2005Dr. Ben Kable ‘05 married Christina Shoemaker on October 10, 2015, at the Antrim 1844 Country House Hotel in Taneytown, MD. Their wedding was featured by The Baltimore Sun.
2012Jonathan Moran ‘12 was a senior starter on special teams and saw action at tight end on Dartmouth’s football team that ended the 2015 season with a 9-1 record and as Ivy League Champions for first time in 19 years.
Matt Dunn ‘12,Deemer Class ‘12, and TJ Neubauer ‘12 were selected 7th, 10th, and 34th overall during the 2016 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft held in Baltimore on January 22.
Matt Dunn ‘12 was named one of 20 candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award in collegiate lacrosse. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and
competition. The Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The winner will be announced in May.Connor Moran ‘14 was named to the Big East All-Academic team as a defenseman for the #12 nationally ranked 2015 Georgetown Men’s Lacrosse team.
2007Gerard Savarese ‘07 married Lindsay Grant on October 10, 2015, in Kitty Hawk, NC. They both met and graduated from Washington and Lee
University and now reside in New York City. Several Dons attended the wedding including Oliver Bennett ‘11, Devin Gordon ‘07, Michael Strassner ‘07, Brady Cashen ‘07, Pete Santry ‘07, Matty Ryan ‘07, Alex Bennett ‘13, Ryan Scully ‘07, Spence Daw ‘07, David Hubbard ‘73, and Casey Rector ‘07.
2015Alex Roesner ‘15 and Ryan Conrad ‘15 were officially named to the final 25-man roster for the 2016 U.S. Men’s Lacrosse National Under-19 Team in January that will travel to the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship July 7–16 in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
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IN MEMorIAM
Lawrence J. Pazourek, M.D. ‘53Joseph V. Delclos ‘55Michael I. McGuire ‘55Neal J. Prendergast, M.D. ‘55John J. Coyle ‘59William M. Anderson III ‘60Ward C. Pleines ‘60Robert M. McDonough ‘63L. Joseph Rosendale, Jr. ‘63John L. Sunderland III ‘63James T. Casey, Jr. ‘64Walter A. Chrzanowski ‘64James A. Morton III ‘74Ronald L. Gutberlet, Jr., Ph.D. ‘84Rodney J. Brooks IV ‘02
Ann Draper M. Claire Edwards Mary Stang Furth, M.D.Ann D. Gardiner John M.E. Hasslinger Eric L. HildebrandSanto Lombardo IIAndrew E. Lucas, Jr.John S. Mahle, Jr.James J. McGoughSandra B. MintonValentine A. Szczepaniak Peter J. Woytowitz, Esq.
Emily K. Fitzpatrick Edward Glynn, S.J.Penelope W. Hylbom Jacqueline M. Jenkins Harvey C. Jones IILucille B. Karr Dennis J. Lane Charles E. Nolte Joann Pelikan Taft R. Phoebus Margaret Prendergast Velma Russ SimonettiCatherine Strott Elmer H. Wingate, Jr.Donna M. Zurowski
Michael Bruno, Sr.Nicholas E. Feurer Jack Hardwick
GRANDPARENTS
