We say often that our students are our greatest ambassadors. This is certainly the case with these Crusaders, and with legions of our students who represent our school exceptionally well. I suppose we can debate Chipotle vs. Chick-fil-A another day!

Gratitude and Praise

Our thanks to all our SAC Leaders, especially Celina Hanna ’25, to Mrs. Timson, to the Homeroom Teachers, to the Spring Sports Captains, and to everyone who helped with our Spirit Week and Pep Rally last week. What a great way to get us through the long month of March!

We recognize our AP students, and their teachers, who are hard at work preparing for their May exams. These scholars have already begun “the practice test season,” as students in AP French and in AP Modern European History were here on Saturday for their practice tests! We encourage these scholars, and all our students, to put school first – and to immerse themselves in the habits of daily practice and studious preparation.

We commend one of our deserving Catholic Schools Foundation Scholars who has intentionally pursued summer opportunities through CSF. She has gained acceptance to the Summer Experience Program at Boston College! This is a two-week immersive experience in college life, where she will be living on campus, engaging in lectures and workshops, understanding the Jesuit philosophy, learning and living with students from all over the world, developing academic and professional skills, and participating in cultural and social outings around Boston. Kudos to Sarah Hernandez Rodriguez ’27!

We also commend those students who made the Honor Roll for the Second Trimester! Yesterday, we recognized the President’s List Scholars during our all-school Fenwick Connect. In the coming days, we will celebrate the Principal’s List and the Deans’ List Scholars. Congratulations to these hard-working and high-achieving scholars for their steadfast commitment to excellence for their personal investment in learning.

Yesterday, we also welcomed JET – the Jesuit Excellence Tour – to campus. Our Juniors had the unique opportunity to engage face-to-face with admissions representatives from the following Jesuit colleges and universities from across the country: College of the Holy Cross, Le Moyne College, Santa Clara University, Fordham University, John Carroll University, Saint Louis University, Fairfield University, Marquette University, Saint Joseph’s University, Loyola Marymount University, University of San Francisco, Canisius University, Loyola University Chicago, University of Scranton, Loyola University Maryland, Loyola University New Orleans, and Xavier University!

Updates and Announcements

We are excited to debut our annual one-act plays this weekend! Fenwick’s thespians present “A Night of Laughs,” which promises to be a fantastic evening for folks of all ages. This year’s student-directed selections are Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion, directed by Oli Homem ’26, John Reilly ’26, Autumn Wiseman ’26, and When Bad Things Happen to Good Actors, directed by Kati Lehman ’25. The shows are Friday and Saturday at 7:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Hope to see you at the theatre!

Local College Fairs: Please know that all students and families are invited to take advantage of the Greater Essex County College & Career Fair this Thursday, April 3, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at Newburyport High School.

Calendar Reminders:

• April 4, 5, 6 – Night of Laughs
• April 10, 11, 12, and 13 – Encounter Retreat
• April 13 – Palm Sunday
• April 17 – Holy Thursday
• April 18 – Good Friday – no classes, start of April Break

Finally, today is April 1. In lieu of a good April Fool’s Day prank (I wish I had one), I share this poem from Robert Frost, as spring is slowly coming to New England:

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfil.

May we experience spring as an invitation to live in the present – and to be present to each moment. May we understand our own spring-like rebirths and resurrections to be part of God’s divine plan for us.

Blessings to you and to your family. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Go Crusaders! Take care.

Tom Nunan, Jr.

President