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Welcome to the Loft An online hub celebrating the vibrance of the St. Augustine Prep community

THANK YOU, SENIORS!

#HermitStrong2020

We salute the Class of 2020, a senior class who will forever be remembered for putting the safety of the community ahead of their own - true agents of change and men ready to serve. Your leadership will be missed by your Hermit Brothers but we are eager to see you spread your wings and achieve your dreams.

CLICK HERE to download the Class of 2020 Portrait Poster

Senior Insights

graphics produced by student graphic designer Rob Stefanelli '20

There is always room to have a little fun at the Prep. Some of our seniors have gotten a head start on the time-honored alumni tradition of trying to look like the Hermit mascot! Let's check in on a few of them in the video below. Dr. Puggi, Mr. Hale, look away for a moment!

St. Augustine Prep - Instagram Stories Question of the Week

What is your favorite spot on campus and why?

Rodio Gym

"Capturing the Richland Rowdies in Rodio Gym supporting our Hermit Brothers as the school's student photographer is one of my favorite parts of being a Hermit. Artist, athlete, bookworm, musician, it doesn't matter – we're all in as one brotherhood when it comes to being there for our classmates."

- Liam Shurman '22

The Study Commons

"The Study Commons because it is a great place to study and get work done with my friends."

- Anthony Infranco '22

The Forum Fireplace

"My favorite spot on campus is the fireplace in the forum. There is no better place to chat with friends or teachers on a cold winter day. Not to mention, the chairs are pretty comfortable as well."

- Rob Stefanelli '20

LaRosa Turf Field

Selected by a collection of Richland Rowdies and scholar-athletes alike, Austin Leyman '22 selects LaRosa Field as "...there's nothing like Friday Night Lights in the Glen."

To submit your response for a chance to be featured on The Loft, keep an eye on our Instagram stories for the question of the week!

More responses from the Prep Community

HERMITS IN THE COMMUNITY

This section celebrates the resourcefulness and generosity of the Hermit Brotherhood. While the buildings of the Prep are closed, school is certainly not! These Hermits have found ways to improve themselves with the time spent at home and most importantly, have sought out opportunities to contribute to their communities.

Pictured in the background is Cameron Compare '21 who used his own savings, built through a pair of summer jobs, to acquire much-needed personal protective equipment for Shore Memorial Hospital. With its workers suffering from a severe shortage of PPE, the donation was welcomed by the hospital with open arms and Cameron's act of kindness went a long way!

Victor Simonin '23 sought to save his family and community a trip to the store by producing his own homemade hand sanitzer!
(Pictured left to right) Rocco Gallelli '21, Gavin Curran '23, and James Kurtz '21 each jumped into action to serve their communities. Rocco's efforts involved volunteering alongside his family to provide meals through a community drive-up initiative. Gavin sought to help ease the challenges health care providers have faced while wearing personal protective equipment for extended periods of time. Last, but certainly not least, James Kurtz's deliveries to a community of seniors resulted in an unexpected and heartwarming outcome. The recipients of his kind act eagerly awaited the interaction with Jimmy even more than the delivery of their meals!

FAITH FORMATION AT THE PREP

Now more than ever, our faith serves as a beacon guiding us through our present realities. The Prep's tradition of an All-School Wednesday Mass has continued during the Prep's Distance Learning initiative.

The efforts of Head of School, Fr. Murray and his fellow Augustinian Friars (Fr. Devlin (Prior, Allegrini Monastery), Fr. McStravog, Fr. Kerns, and Fr. Girone) along with Augustinian Brother turned cameraman/producer, Br. David Graber, have helped deliver the tradition of Wednesday Mass directly to our homes. The most recent Mass along with all previous recordings are available below.

St. Augustine. Pray for us!

To view previous Masses, you may access the Wednesday Mass playlist HERE.

Play it while you're cleaning up the kitchen, re-modeling that new room, or driving with family to the recently re-opened Jersey Shore. This playlist is courtesy of your favorite teachers and staff members from The Glen!

Faculty Favorites

  • "Coming Home" - Leon Bridges
  • "Mr. Blue Sky" - Electric Light Orchestra
  • "Don't Stop the Music" - Rihanna
  • "ABC" - The Jackson Five
  • "Ants Marching" - Dave Matthews Band
  • "Still the Same" - Bob Seger
  • "American Girl" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • "Thunder Road" - Bruce Springsteen
  • "Carolina on my Mind" - James Taylor
  • "Into the Mystic" - Van Morrison
  • "Listen to the Music" - The Doobie Brothers
  • "Lo/Hi" - The Black Keys
  • "Can I Kick It" - A Tribe Called Quest
  • "Help!" - The Beatles
  • "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" - Jake Owen
  • "Free Fallin'" - Tom Petty
  • "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - Tears for Fears
  • "Last Dance" - Donna Summer
  • "Africa" - Toto
  • "Cecilia" - Simon & Garfunkel

Hermit Faculty and Staff - click the button below to submit your Pop Picks for the following week.

HERMITS AT HOME

Joining the rest of the academic world, the Prep Community has used the time outside of the virtual classroom to pursue their passions. Shared below, enjoy some of the photo submissions from students, faculty, and staff. To submit your photos, email us at communications@hermits.com. Please include your name (or your son's name, graduation year (if applicable), and a brief description of your submission.

Nicholas Galinus '23 gets to enjoy the engineering ability of his brother, Anthony '21. The older Galinus brother produced this go-kart from scratch and was kind enough to let his younger brother get the first spin! UPDATE: The drive shaft is currently undergoing a repair, the culprit shall remain anonymous...
While the spring usually involves teaching his theology classes along with duties as Assistant Director of Admissions and Head Coach of the Hermits Rugby program, Mr. Towell (pictured left) found time to break out the bass guitar. (Any Hermit musicians looking to start a band with him?) On the student end, Patrick Coyle '21 has filled his time away from the cyber classroom by building a fire pit (and maintaining quite the beard!).

Hermits Football may be home but they are staying sharp through check-in's hosted by Head Coach, Pete Lancetta and his assistants, Coach Brunozzi '96 and Coach Hovermale

Hermit Golfers have kept themselves in midseason form by getting creative at home. Check out the trick shot mastery of Ethan Infranco '20 in the video below!

The Consalo Dining Hall Corner

We all miss the culinary artwork of Chef Berti, Chef Barr, and the entire dining services staff of the Prep. This section will share the recipes that have helped the school community through the past few weeks. To be featured, submit your recipe along with your name and class year (if applicable) to communications@hermits.com. Photos of the finished product are encouraged!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

(We even thought of our vegans in the community. Turn the recipe Vegan Friendly by substituting original ingredients with the vegan options placed in bold)

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Katie Cloonan-Dijamco (wife of Jonathan '05)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 C butter (*Vegan Friendly - earth balance butter works well)
  • 3/4 C packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 C chocolate chips + 2C for melting (*Vegan Friendly - enjoy life brand dairy-free chocolate chips)

Directions:

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
  • Mix butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and water until well combined.
  • Mix in flour.
  • Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Roll chilled dough into 1" balls and place on prepared parchment sheets.
  • Melt remaining chocolate and let it cool to room temperature.
  • Remove dough from freezer and dip dough into melted chocolate. Remove dough with a fork, and tap to remove excess chocolate.
  • Place coated dough back onto baking sheets and refrigerate for an additional 30 minutes until chocolate is set.

Enjoy!

Quote of the Week from St. Augustine

"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."

Want to contribute or have a request to submit?

Don't forget — you'll get The Loft periodically throughout the rest of the spring and the summer! If you submitted something and didn't see it in this edition, don't worry, it will be included in another one!