Alumni Newsletter
April 7, 2022
|
|
Greetings from Pam Farmer
Director of Alumni Engagement
|
|
Dear St. Andrew’s Alumni,
I have been out with double knee replacements (it’s not easy getting old), and I missed St. Andrew’s so much. I appreciate all the love I got during my recuperation. I am finally back! I am generally in the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and I would love you to stop by for a visit. A lot has happened in the last few months!
|
|
Holly Mendes Memorial Game
It was wonderful to see so many of you at the tribute for Holly Mendes. Holly was honored at the boys' prep basketball game on February 12. There was a packed gym, and there were so many alumni in attendance to honor her. Holly was the academic advisor to the boys' prep basketball team, and she was tough on them. They couldn’t go to practice if they didn’t finish two assignments. But as Garrett Kissel ‘07 said, "she was also a comfort for those kids that needed a mom at the moment." Holly was also known to mend any uniform that needed repair.
|
|
|
At the event on the 12th, a special “Saints red” seat was dedicated to honoring the place where she sat for every game yelling ‘REBOUND.’ The players placed flowers there for her, and we retired her number 3.0, which was the grade point average held by the boys during her years as their study hall advisor. In the spring, we will get to enjoy a new garden that will be built in her honor. The garden will even contain plantings from Holly’s home garden. Check out the WPRI clip.
|
|
Ray Cross '04 KM Honored
We also retired the number of Ray Cross ‘04 (King Medal). His number "5" will now join the rest of the St. Andrew’s greats! Read more below about Ray, who now serves as St. Andrew’s director of enrollment management and financial aid, as well as our director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as he is our featured alumni.
Our Annual Gala — Back In-Person
In May, we will honor Susan and David Brown ‘52 at our annual Gala, which will be an in-person event for the first time in three years! David has been a Super Saint since he graduated! This year is the 70th anniversary of David’s Commencement, and we are celebrating him and Susan at our Gala on May 21. David has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1987 and has served in many leadership roles with Susan by his side. They have deep compassion and a very generous spirit. They have invested in many capital projects such as the David Brown Science Center and the Brown Tennis Center. They have also sponsored many students who have attended St. Andrew’s. We hope to see you at the Gala as we pay tribute to this wonderful couple and their legacy! Find out more at: www.standrews-ri.org/gala.
Squash at St. Andrew’s
Squash at St. Andrew’s has begun in the new Robert L. Wolf Squash Center. It has opened for student activity use and will be officially dedicated this spring. Adding this sport to our student offerings is an exciting opportunity for our athletes. As an alumni, do you play squash? We’re considering hosting an alumni game. Let us know if you play and would be interested in being part of the game.
Alumni Reunion
The reunion this year will look a bit different. We looked at which event brought the most alumni to campus and it is the annual alumni basketball game. Last year, we had about 70 alumni come back to play and watch. We have decided to make a weekend of it and include the annual alumni soccer game as well as other activities like tennis and squash. We will start on Friday night, August 12, at one of our local breweries, and then on Saturday morning, we will start the games — with basketball, followed by the soccer game. We will also have the tennis courts and the squash courts open. We will finish the evening with food, beverages, and a fire pit on campus. We hope you can join us.
Of course, you are welcome to visit for Commencement on Saturday, June 4, and we will have a reception immediately following for alumni in the new Robert L. Wolf Squash Center with lemonade and cake.
New Website and Social Media
Make sure you check out our new school website and our alumni Twitter account @SASRIAlumni. Please send me your news so I can tweet it out. This then goes to our website for all to see your accomplishments.
Hope to see you all on campus soon!
With love,
Pam
|
|
Ray with his wife Kayla and daughter Callie
|
|
 |
Ray Cross was born in New York City and lived there for 11 years prior to moving to Rhode Island. He attended Cumberland High School in grade 9 before transferring to St. Andrew's in grade 10. Ray graduated in 2004 and was awarded the King Medal. While at St. Andrew's, Ray was a member of the boys' prep basketball team, involved in theater, and a frequent participant in the annual monologue contest. When not involved in extracurricular activities, Ray was focused on maximizing the academic opportunities afforded to him.
After St. Andrew's, Ray attended Providence College where he earned the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship and played basketball for the men's basketball team. He was a team representative for the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Council and a member of the student groups AfroAm and Women's Will. Following his time at Providence College, Ray taught and coached at Hillside School in Marlborough, Massachusetts. After Hillside, Ray worked at Marianapolis Preparatory School and made a shift from teaching to admissions. He was named the school’s director of admission and enrollment management in 2014, and he assumed the same role at St. Andrew's when he returned "home" in 2018.
Ray says that St. Andrew's afforded him opportunities that he would not have had available to him had he stayed in a public school setting. “Small class sizes, meaningful engagement in athletics and the arts, faculty members that cared about my well-being aside from my academic achievement, and peers that accepted me for me were all important in my development as a person,” he says. “St. Andrew's provided me with a solid academic foundation and instilled confidence in me that has enabled me to believe in myself, trust my abilities, and experience success. I became a better all-around person as a member of the St. Andrew's community."
Since being back at St. Andrew's School, Ray has led the school's admission efforts and in 2021 was named the school's first director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. "My hope in my various roles is to provide students with the example, support, and connection that enables them to benefit from their experience the way I did years ago,” he says. “Every student brings value to the community, and helping everyone feel valued for who they are and the talents they possess will ultimately help unlock the potential that lies within." Ray strives to influence an inclusive environment that allows every member of the community to experience a sense of belonging.
Ray lives in Barrington with his wife, Kayla, and four-year-old daughter, Callie. Ray and Kayla met at Providence College and just celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary. They have enjoyed being back in Rhode Island near family and their alma mater. Soon after they welcomed Callie into the world, they realized how important it was to be part of a supportive community for themselves and their child. Kayla is a nurse practitioner at Women and Infants Hospital and an adjunct lecturer in the nursing program at Regis College. She is currently working toward her doctorate. Callie loves dance, gymnastics, all colors of the rainbow, and unicorns. She looks forward to being a Saint and a Friar in the future.
"St. Andrew's helped mold me into the individual I am today,” Ray says. “I aim to positively contribute to the growth and development of the young people with whom I now have an opportunity to interact as members of this community."
|
|
|
|
|
Alumni Survey about Service at SAS
St. Andrew's is looking for feedback about your experiences, positive and constructive, with the previous iterations of our service program. Please take this anonymous five-question survey to help us create the best program possible. Direct any questions to the Service Coordinator, Kelsey Shea, at kshea@standrews-ri.org.
|
|
|
|
|
Jon Nikolyszyn ‘13 and his daughter, Charlotte, came for a visit.
|
|
|
|
Cassandra Hoyt '21 stopped by and attended the spring arts production!
|
|
|
|
|
Brian Kissinger ‘85 KM came back, and we had a great visit. Brian is the owner of
in State College, PA.
|
|
|
|
Andrew Wallace ‘87, Billy Jones ‘87, and David Shaw ‘86 came by with David’s wife, Robin. The little one is my granddaughter, Cora.
|
|
|
|
|
Laurie Spivey Ankoma ‘02 came for a visit with some of her family!
|
|
|
|
Sean Cristy ‘18 was on campus serving up quesadillas, chips, and guacamole. His work with the food truck is part of a community-based capstone project for his senior year.
|
|
|
|
|
Mustapha “Taff” Wadda ‘16 has been serving as a fellow at St. Andrew’s this school year, being a dorm parent and coaching soccer and basketball teams. He is the first St. Andrew’s alum to win a NEPSAC championship as both a player and a coach at our school.
|
|
|
|
Felicia Garro '19 is a dance and graphic design double major at Rider University in New Jersey. She is also part of the Conservatory Program of the Princeton Ballet School, which is part of the American Repertory Ballet Company. She recently designed the graphics for the New Bedford Ballet's production of Jungle Book and Swan Lake.
|
|
Mark Norton ‘78 retired from the East Providence Police Department. Congratulations and thank you.
John Holmes III '00 KM is hiring. John is the owner of Holmes Landscaping. If you would like to join John's team, give him a call at 401-230-3569 and mention you are a St. Andrew's alum.
John Cronan III ‘01 is now a partner at Preti Flaherty Law Firm. John is a key member of the firm’s workers’ compensation practice group and a trial lawyer in the litigation practice group, frequently representing national insurance companies and group self-insurers before state courts, regulatory agencies, and mediators in regional, national, and international matters. John also provides comprehensive counsel to clients navigating insurance claim issues, unemployment appeals, and creditor’s rights disputes while maintaining a significant commercial and antitrust litigation practice. John has been repeatedly recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star and by Best Lawyers as One to Watch. He is a graduate of the New England School of Law and Providence College. John practices from the firm’s Portland office.
Demetris Nichols ‘03 has been inspiring in Syracuse.
Alex Sigman ‘04 is bringing back the Newport Burger Bender! Alex is the Executive Chef at Surf Club Newport. Check him out on the Rhode Show. I can’t wait to go down and try his food!
Sonya Berry '05 had her last work on the cover of The Bay Magazine as it hangs on the wall of the Pivotal Brewery in Bristol. It is a 5 feet by 10 feet acrylic and it is on sale for $1,000.
Tyler Dubuc ‘12 KM shared the following: “As a freelance lighting director, I tend to work on dozens of projects every year from the live broadcast, series TV, to music videos. The Super Bowl is definitely one of the largest and most stress-inducing projects of the year! The Super Bowl LV Halftime Show starring The Weeknd in 2021 was my first time on the project. Working on a nationally broadcasted live event can be equally nerve-wracking and rewarding. Having 100 million people see my work was something that I never thought would happen, but I can easily trace my skills, ability to communicate, and ability to collaborate effectively back to what I learned at St. Andrew’s School. I miss this special community very much and I look forward to visiting again soon.” Tyler also recently designed for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards that aired live in Las Vegas on April 3.
Jeremy Romanul ‘13 is the program coordinator at Massachusetts Public Health.
John Geary ‘14 is the assistant district attorney in Bristol County Massachusetts.
Wyatt Martineau ‘15 graduated in December 2020 from Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, with a bachelor’s degree from the school of architecture. He now works at JPS Construction & Design Inc. in Middletown RI. He works as a carpenter and is in training to become a project manager — and also assists the in-house architects from time to time.
Roni Diniz ‘16 scored his first professional goal with Unica City FC.
Madison Peck ‘16 exhibited her photography at the Water Fire Arts Center in December and had a gallery reception on December 9.
Kyle Clark ‘18 has finished his senior recital at Baldwin Wallace University. Check him out!
Janai Crooms ’18 is getting it done at Providence College. Check out this Providence Journal article.
Cole Swider ‘18 had the best game of his career. Cole has decided to enter the NBA Draft. Good luck, Cole!
|
|
Congratulations on the new additions in your lives. Welcome, little Saints!
Jason Morin ‘94 and his wife, Erika, welcomed a baby girl, Tilly Grace, in December.
Sarah Alinovi ’96 and her husband, Anthony ‘Mackie” McComas, welcomed baby Timmy into the world in March.
Claudel Jean-Louis ‘03 and his wife, Emily, welcomed Naomi Lorette in December.
John Holmes III '00 KM and his wife, Christine welcomed baby John IV in January.
Loren Provenzano ‘01 and his wife, Meredith, welcomed baby Jillian in November.
Kevin Palmer ‘03 and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed their second child, Cameron, in August 2019.
John Shumate ‘07 and his wife, Michelle, welcomed Samuel Jon in February.
Jake Mallen ‘08 and his wife, Sara, welcomed their daughter Harper in January.
Michael Carter-Williams ‘11 and Tia married and had a new baby! They welcomed Redd in July.
Doug Anthony ‘15 married Cayla Schmidt in September 2021 and welcomed twins Gavin and Hailey in December.
|
|
|
Wishing you a lifetime full of happiness and love. Congratulations, Saints!
Corey Charness ‘11 got married to Cayla Komarow in Santa Barbara in October 2021.
|
|
|
To the memory of our dearly departed alumni. We will miss you, Saints.
Arthur “Rocky” Rawcliffe ‘60
Anthony Harden ‘10
Gerry Habershaw (former faculty member)
|
|
|
Saints Give Back to Financial Aid
Thank you to all of our alumni who supported St. Andrew's on 401Gives and contributed to current-use financial aid at the school! I'm so grateful for your generosity. If you were unable to make a gift on April 1 but would like to, there's still time to show your support at givebutter.com/SAS401Gives.
Saints Gala Auction!
We are looking for items for our Gala Auction. Do you own a business and are you able to offer something for our auction? Gift certificates are great, I offer my Airbnbs, and we have had great items in the past from generous and creative alums. Please contact Jessica Chace with your offering.
|
|
Make a lasting impact!
Planned and deferred gifts include bequests, life income plans, life insurances, and estate gifts. Many offer significant and immediate income and estate tax advantages. All offer a forward-thinking and thoughtful way to support St. Andrew's mission. If you have already named St. Andrew's in your estate plan or would like to learn more, please contact Kerrie Donahue, director of development, at kdonahue@standrews-ri.org.
|
|
"I often think that our decision to send our daughter to St. Andrew’s was likely one of the best decisions we ever made. It saddened us to consider all the students for whom St. Andrews would be a game-changer, but could not go due to financial reasons. We have supported the scholarship program for many years and including it in our estate plan was the perfect way to continue that support. We hope that our bequest will help other students achieve the same success that our daughter has had." — Bonnie Bower, parent of Sarah Hosley ‘08
|
|
|
|
Newsletter Reminder
We love to hear from you!
Update Pam Farmer on your happenings to be included in the Summer Alumni Newsletter. Thank you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
