What’s Happening at Bishop Guertin?

2021-22

 

 

 

 

JUNE

 

The Class of 2022 Becomes BG’s 56th Graduating Class

We said goodbye to the Class of 2022 in the familiar confines of the Field House on Sunday, June 5 in front of hundreds of family members and friends. The Class of 2022 was celebrated for their resilience and maturity in the wake of their incredibly memorable and oftentimes challenging four years at Bishop Guertin. Salutatorian Tamara Golosarsky and Valedictorian Sam Dunlay spoke of community and the values they learned at BG, while Principal Strniste lauded the class for their ability to uphold the Bishop Guertin culture and be role models for the classes to follow. Complete Graduation Recap.

 

Girls Lacrosse Goes Back-2-Back…

On the evening of June 7, the Bishop Guertin girls lacrosse team defeated rival Bedford, 13-7, in Exeter to claim their second straight New Hampshire Division I Championship. It really was the fourth straight for the Cardinals dating back to 2018 with the exclusion of the 2020 season that was not played. Overall, it marked BG’s sixth state title in program history.

 

…So Does Boys Lacrosse!

Less than a week after the girls won their state title, the boys lacrosse team also captured the crown in Exeter. The Cardinals took down the home team, 11-6, on their own field to win their 11th title in program history and the second in as many years. All 11 of the boys titles have come since 2005, giving them nearly two-thirds of the state championships in that span. It marked the second time in school history that both the boys and girls held the honor of being state champions in the same year with the first such instance coming last spring in 2021.

 

MAY

 

Senior Sunset and Trip to Kimball Farm

In the final week before graduation, the Class of 2022 was able to go to Kimball Farm for a day of fun playing mini golf, hitting the driving range, driving bumper boats and cars and playing beach volleyball. They would follow that up with Senior Sunset; an evening in the BG parking lot playing games, making s’mores, eating shaved ice and watching an outdoor movie projected on the side of the building.  

 

Senior Send-Off and Pinning Ceremony

The day after Senior Sunset was the annual Senior Send-Off held in the gymnasium. The Class of 2026 started the day with guest speaker Ed Gerety and his speech about their next steps after BG. They then received their caps and gowns and headed back into the gym for the assembly in front of the entire school where their class banner was lowered and they were presented their Coindre Cross pins by the senior advisors in an emotional presentation.  

 

Mr. BG Pageant Smashes Fundraising Goal

In a field of seven, senior Thomas Bond was named Mr. BG 2022. Thanks to the efforts of organizers and our contestants’ fundraising abilities, BG was able to raise $18,053.63 at the Mr. BG event alone, smashing our goal of $10,000! In total, Bishop Guertin students, parents and staff raised $40,508.78 this year going directly to Sacred Heart High School in Rutenga, Zimbabwe as part of our African Mission Drive.

May 20… A PACKED DAY

The day started with the seniors getting their yearbooks in the cafe before meeting up with the rest of the school for the talent show in the gymnasium where guitar-playing Matt Broduer ’23 was crowned as the winner. A day filled with outdoor games, dodgeball tournaments and other carnival-type activities followed before an early dismissal. Later in the evening, many of the BG students reconnected in downtown Manchester for the 2022 Junior-Senior Prom. John Brennan and Maria Crivac were crowned Prom King and Queen.

 

APRIL

 

Band and Chorus visit E.D. White High School in Louisiana

During the April Vacation, members of the Bishop Guertin band and chorus traveled to Louisiana to visit E.D. White High School in Thibodaux, Louisiana. While there, they performed for the host music program and parents. Parents of E.D. White student musicians provided a homestyle dinner one night of traditional Louisiana cuisine. The BG musicians also had time to visit and explore New Orleans and the surrounding areas of bayou.

 

Bishop Guertin students explore Italy 

Also during April Vacation, a group of students and staff made the trip to Italy for eight days. Beginning in Venice, the group explored much of the country with stops in Florence, Pompeii, Capri and Rome amongst other places. While there, they experienced the culture, visited numerous historical landmarks, traveled across the wide range of Italian geography and strengthened friendships.

 

Maddy Bowen ’23 Named WMUR Hometown Hero

 

March

 

Warren Chen ’23 Participates in US Senate Youth Program

Warren Chen was one of two students from New Hampshire selected to participate in the program of high schoolers from across the nation to learn about the inner workings of the US federal government. Chen recapped his experience and thanked those who helped him in the application process. Click HERE to read his recap.

 

BG Puts on Spring Musical ‘Legally Blonde’

Members of the student body put on three shows bwteeen Friday and Saturday evenings, March 18-19, in the gymnasium. The entire cast was outstanding in their performance of the 2007 Broadway musical based on the 2001 movie of the same name. Evie Holt ’22 played Elle Woods, while Thomas Bond ’22 played Emmett Forrest in addition to a cast of nearly three dozen students and stage crew members. 

 

“Oozma Kappa” Wins Intramural Basketball Title

The team of senior boys who played under the name “Oozma Kappa” (an homage to ‘Monsters University‘) defeated a team of spunky freshmen in overtime of the championship game, 37-32, to take the 2022 intramural title.  

 

February

 

Girls Basketball Completes Comeback to Win State Title

The Bishop Guertin Girls Basketball Team won its sixth Division I New Hampshire Championship in seven years by defeating Bedford, 48-46, UNH’s Lundholm Gymnasium on Sunday, Feb. 20. Trailing by seven in the final minutes, the Cardinals rattled off 11 straight points on free throws to take the lead they would never relinquish en route to the title.

Complete Game Recap

 

Accepted Student Night
In one of the most fun evenings of the year, Bishop Guertin welcomed many prospective members of the Class of 2026 into the community. Accepted Student Night provided future Cardinals the chance to come to campus to meet classmates and current students in a fun-filled night of activities. Parents came for an informational evening in the field house that included panel discussion and testimonials from current students and parents. The night concluded with a pep rally in the gymnasium for the Class of 2026 to demonstrate the unmatched level of school pride at BG.

Winter Spirit Week Leads into February Break
The second spirit week of the 2021-22 school year saw BG students dress like dads, their favorite teachers or twin with the friends as part of some of the themed dress-down days. “Anything-But-a-Backpack Day” gave the students opportunity to showcase their creative side with many ways of getting their books to class, while pajama day allowed them to kick back and relax. A snow day on Friday cut the week short, but provided an extra day of February vacation that began the following week.

 

BG Celebrates Catholic Schools Week

The Bishop Guertin community joined with schools from across the county to celebrate Catholic Schools Week in the first week of February. It began with a mass on Monday morning and ended with a snow day on Friday… pushing back the celebratory cake and dress down day to Monday. The week-long celebration honored all of the aspects that make being a part of the Catholic School Community so special. 

 

January

 

BG Girls Basketball junior Brooke Paquette named WMUR Hometown Hero

Junior point guard Brooke Paquette was named the WMUR Hometown Hero on Jan. 13. Paquette was honored for her ability on the court in being the Cardinals’ floor general, while also being recognized for her continued strong academic prowess in the classroom. Congratulations to Brooke on this honor and representing Bishop Guertin student-athletes in such a positive light.

 

Tom Cassetty Named New Hampshire Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year

Bishop Guertin’s Tom Cassetty was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) 2021 New Hampshire Boy’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Cassetty led his team a Division I state title and followed it up just a week later with a Meet of Champions crown and a berth at New Englands. 

 

Bishop Guertin Welcomes the Class of 2026

On Friday, Jan. 28, the Office of Admission sent out its acceptance letters to the students who will comprise the Class of 2026. Administrators, current students and mascots made the trip to Presentation of Mary Academy in Hudson and Saint Christopher Academy in Nashua to hand out the first acceptance letters of the year to students who were the first in the class to apply to Bishop Guertin. Later in the day, emails went out to the rest of the students set to join the BG community in 2022-23.

 

DECEMBER

 

BG Students and Staff Come Together for Annual Toy Drive

The Bishop Guertin community helped make the Christmas Season special for many children in the Nashua region. Advisories pulled the name of a local child from the tree during the Thanksgiving Prayer Mass and went shopping to get as many items on those wish lists as possible. On the first Friday of the month, an extended advisory period allowed for the wrapping of those gifts before they were collected and delivered to local organizations to be distributed to ensure that the holidays were special for those boys and girls.

 

Advisories Compete in Annual Door Decorating Competition

On the same morning that members of advisories wrapped gifts for local children, others participated in a friendly school-wide competition to see which advisory could decorate their door the best and with the most spirit. A tough competition to judge with so many festive and creative doors, the Band room was tabbed as the winner for its extensive decorations not only on its door, but cascading down the staircase that leads students and staff to the room. Rooms 219 and 11 rounded out the top three for their depictions of a fireplace and elves (advisory members) wrapping gifts.

 

Warren Chen ’23 Named to the 60th Annual US Senate Youth Program

It was announced on December 3 that BG junior Warren Chen had been selected to participate in the 60th annual US State Senate Program. The prestigious honor was announced by the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Commissioner Frank Edelblut as Chen was one of only two honorees selected from a pool of students nominated by principals from schools across the Granite State. Chen receives a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship and will participate in an intensive week-long study of the federal government.

 

NOVEMBER

 

Boys Cross Country Team Proves to be the Best in the State

In late October, the boys cross country team ran away with the Division I State Championship. The fifth in team history and the first since 2011, the title came in Manchester on a dreary day at Derryfield Park, but that did little to dampen the thrill of victory. Just a week later, the boys continued to add to the trophy case as Bishop Guertin won the New Hampshire Meet of Champions by the slimmest of margins, needing to go to the sixth-place runner for the tiebreaker.

 

Bishop Guertin Students and Staff Participate in Formation Day of Service

On Monday, Nov. 1, students and staff alike volunteered around the Nashua community. From raking the yards of neighbors, to building beds in the field house for local children with the help of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to helping clean and organize at local food shelters, the Bishop Guertin community showed up in a big way as part of the founding principles of the Brothers on Formation Day.

 

Girls Soccer Team Wins Division I Crown for the First Time in Nearly Three Decades

The BG girls soccer team defeated Bedford, 1-0, to win the 2021 Division I State Championship at Bill Ball Field in Exeter. It was just the second state title for the Cardinals and the first under the Bishop Guertin name as the 1992 championship was won in the final year under the Mount St. Mary’s moniker and colors. The title was also the first in soccer for either the boys or girls team since 2004. Including the run to the title, the team finished the 2021 season with a 17-1-1 record.

 

Senior Tamara Golosarsky Has Research Paper Published in Scientific Journal

In early November, Tamara Golosarsky had her research paper entitled, “An Examination and Categorical Analysis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma” published in the Journal of Scientific Research: High School Edition, a national publication that highlights the best scientific analysis by students. In doing so, she became the first student from New Hampshire to have her work selected to be highlighted by the publication since its formation over a decade ago. 

 

Team 811 (Robotics) Competes in the Governor’s Cup

Team 811 — the Bishop Guertin robotics team — participated at Governor’s Cup, held at Prospect Mountain High School in Nashua the first weekend of November. The annual event featured 35 FIRST Robotics Teams from across New England. BG reached the semifinal round of competition and was presented with the Judging Award, given to the team that best exemplifies efforts in community outreach and gracious professionalism, core values of both Bishop Guertin High School and FIRST Robotics. 

 

BG Student-Athletes Make Their College Commitments

During the annual Fall Sports Awards ceremony, members of the Class of 2022 signed their National Letters of Intent, making their college athletic commitments known. Numerous members of the Cardinals athletic teams used the opportunity to sign their NLI alongside family, friends and teammates and in front of the Bishop Guertin community.

 

Musicians Earn Classical All-State Festival Honors

Four members of the BG Music community earned spots at the Classical All-State Festival to be held in April. After a rigorous audition process, BG saw the follow students earn their acceptance into the top high school band in the state: senior Thomas Bond (trombone), junior Sabrina Sterrett (clarinet) and freshman Zoey Gagne (alto saxophone) will play with the All-State Band, while junior Smrithi Menon (soprano) will sing with the All-State Mixed Choir.

 

 

OCTOBER

 

Walk-A-Thon Raises More than $100,000

Once again, the annual BG Walk-A-Thon proved to be a massive success for the school. In the month that followed the Oct. 6 Walk-A-Thon event through Mines Falls Park, returned mailers collected helped BG surpass its goal of raising $100,000. Students and staff spent the morning participating in the event that has proven to be the most engaging and successful fundraiser each year. Highly anticipated, the event falls in the middle of Spirit Week and provides a great bonding opportunity for classes, while also providing the school with an outstanding source of generosity from friends, families and alumni.

 

Students Show Their Support With Several Charitable Events

This fall saw students and staff give back in so many ways. Project Blackout shirts were sold to raise money for local pediatric cancer charities with students wearing them to a football game and players wearing special black jerseys with the names of loved ones affected by cancer to show support and raise awareness. Prior to the team’s 13-point win against Merrimack, fans also packed the minibus with canned goods and other non-perishable food donations as part of the NH Tackles Hunger campaign. Additionally, the entire BG community rallied around Vandebilt Catholic High School. The generosity of the Bishop Guertin community was able to provide our sister school with $9,000 to be used in providing immediate assistance in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

 

Mock Trial Team Has Record-Setting Performance in Denver

The BG Mock Trial Team put together an impressive showing in Denver at this year’s Providence Cup. Abbey Linskey ’22 and Maddie Billings ’23 won outstanding witness awards, placing second and fifth, respectively, out of 78 witnesses. Lexi Martin ’22 and Catherine Hinse ’22 won outstanding attorney awards, taking home first and second place, respectively, in a field of nearly 80 competing attorneys. As a group, Bishop Guertin was awarded the Outstanding Team Award, presented for presence, character and demeanor both inside and outside the courtroom. No other team in the history of the event had ever claimed five awards in a year prior to Bishop Guertin in 2021.

 

BG Opens Piwowarski Sports Performance Center

Bishop Guertin officially opened the J. Richard Piwowarski Sports Performance Center on Saturday October 24 with a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony. The newly upgraded fitness center was named in honor of the first and longtime head coach of football and Athletics Director at BG. The improved facility features all new free weights, racks, cardio and training equipment and more. The room has also added several more video screens for instruction and other presentations as well as a memorial wall dedicated to the 45-year employee and school legend who passed in 2016. The project came together thanks to generous gifts of numerous donors who had their lives touched by “Coach P.”

 

Two Students Recognized for Their Musical Talents

Thomas Bond ’22 and Smrithi Menon ’23 were successful in their auditions for the NHMEA’s Jazz All-State Festival in October. Bond will play the second trombone in the Honors Jazz Band, while Menon will sing soprano in the Jazz Choir! The festival will be held at Pinkerton Academy from Feb. 3-5 and will feature the top high school jazz musicians in New Hampshire.

 

 

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

 

BG Welcomes Back Students With 100% In-Person Learning

After a year and a half of mixed-environment learning, Bishop Guertin students returned to campus for the start of a normal school year in August. Though classes remain equipped with televisions and zoom classrooms for the occasional absence, in-person learning within the confines of the building once again became the norm at BG for the 2021-22 academic year.

 

The Manchester Radio Group Names Bishop Guertin the Best High School in the State

Not long after returning to campus, students and staff were made aware that their school had been named the recipient of the Manchester Radio Group’s Best of the 603 Awards. The annual publication tabbed Bishop Guertin as the best high school in New Hampshire for 2021. The honor came thanks in large part to BG’s response to COVID-19 and its ability to pivot successfully from in-person to online learning and continue the seamless transition of high-level educational opportunities for students in the 2020-21 year and beyond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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