June 2026: A Moment in Time: Looking Back and Moving Ahead

I was fortunate to know and work with amazing board members, as well as parent and alumni volunteers, in addition to the members of the faculty and staff, many of whom were my teachers when I first arrived on campus in the fall of 1984. At the invitation of Father Joseph McLaughlin, O.Praem., I became the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, learning much as I worked beside Headmaster Emeritus, Fr. Justin E. Diny, O.Praem. It was a challenge to call my former teachers by their first names; however, I recall all of them being so very supportive of the fundraising, public relations, and alumni outreach plans that we developed. Father Diny had a “rolodex” mind, as we used to say, pre-computer. He remembered each graduate, it seemed, and we needed to transfer all of that knowledge into a database - the first on campus in 1984. It was a learning experience for me, too, coming from banking and finance, where stand-alone desktop computers were being “tested” in certain applications, in deference to the large data centers.

When I left Archmere in 1996 amid administrative transitions at the Academy, I never imagined I would return for a third time as Headmaster. While serving as Headmaster at Saint Edmond’s Academy, where I had previously spent twelve years as Associate Headmaster and then Headmaster, I received a phone call from a fellow alumnus encouraging me to consider applying for the position. Fr. McLaughlin was preparing to step down after his second term as Headmaster, and the school’s bylaws were being amended to allow a layperson to serve in the role for the first time after 78 years of Norbertine priest leadership.

While things had certainly changed since I left in 1996, the same spirit was present within the school community as I remembered. It was the people who created the atmosphere. Starting with a supportive Board of Trustees, the group included Bob Shields ‘60, incoming Board Chair, Tony Latini ‘82, outgoing Board Chair, Fr. Joseph Serano, O.Praem., Finance Committee Chair and Head of Finance at Daylesford Abbey, Mike Hare ‘79, Advancement Committee Chair, educators, Kate Wunner and Barbara Wasik, and parent, Debbie Whitby-Norman, who all played an active part in my interviews for the position and proved, along with all of the other trustees, to be a wonderfully supportive and knowledgeable resource for me as I transitioned into the Headmaster position. Over the past 16 years, I have been fortunate to work with many members of the Board who were supportive and engaged, led by accomplished board chairs: Bob Shields ‘60 (2010-2014), John Gerard (2014-2017), Chris Dougherty ‘85 (2017-2021), Kathryn McCord (2021-2024), and David Hogan ‘87 (2024 to present).

John Flynn ‘60 and I met at a dinner at the former “Admiral’s Inn,” now “Harry’s Savoy Grill” some time during the 1984-85 school year, when I suggested to Father Diny that we host a dinner to invite interested alumni to restart the alumni association that had been dormant for quite a number of years. At the time, John and his wife, Mary Lou, were already active members of the Archmere community, with their sons enrolled at the Academy. He sat next to me at the dinner, and when it was time to ask who would be willing to serve as President of the newly-established organization, John leaned over and said that he would be willing, if Father Diny and I agreed. Of course, we did, and from that evening, John and I have been such good friends, staying in touch even after I left Archmere. 

The initial Alumni Council of the Association was established from a group of volunteers who agreed to meet several times to develop by-laws and a calendar of events for the newly-formed Association. The group decided that three alumni from each of the decades from the 1940s through the 1980s should form the fifteen-member Council. When the calendar of events was discussed, it was clear that Homecoming and Class Reunions were a priority. We were fortunate to have the collective creative minds and enthusiasm of the first Council. Many others helped to expand the work of the Association to include a Varsity Shop, Golf Outing, Sports Hall of Fame, Senior Class Gift Program, Class Reunion Gift Program, along with maintaining communication with the alumni community through the transition in governance of the Academy from the Norbertine Community to the Board of Trustees as an independent school.

The Mothers’ Guild has always been a powerhouse. The commitment of all of the volunteers has been remarkable, taking on fundraising and friendraising events each year. The Guild was the first group to organize when the school opened in 1932. The Guild began supporting the school with funds raised from card parties and other events over the years: “Auktions,” Fashion Shows, Designer Bag Bingo, and wine-tasting evenings. The “mega” Garage Sale event every Spring provided funds for the school and invited the general community to find “treasures” among all of the donated items at a very reasonable cost. As the event grew, the Fathers’ Club volunteers helped, particularly with the acceptance of furniture and large items that needed to be moved and stored. The Fathers’ Club also managed the concession stand at home fall football games, presented an evening of “Auk-madness” during the college baseball tournament, held sports ticket raffles, sold personalized bricks, and hosted “comedy nights.” The collective contribution of the parent’ associations has been significant, and has made a difference in the lives of the students and their Archmere experiences. 

While there were so many who made such remarkable contributions to the Archmere culture, I think of my former teachers: Norbertines, Frs. Joseph McLaughlin, Vincent Frieberg, Stephen Rossey, Maurice Avicoli, Salvatore Cuccia, and Thomas Hagendorf, and lay faculty members: David Barnard, Robert Kwapinski, Bill Hufnell, Patricia Cunningham, Paul Clemens, Pauletta Clemens, Joseph Moglia, John O’Meara, Thomas Manerchia ‘61, Paul Pomeroy, Louis D’Angelo ‘64, Louis Lobosco ‘64, William Doyle, Vincent Filliben, and many other engaged faculty members that I never had in class, but were a presence on campus, including Father Daniel Kent and Bernard McFadden. They instilled in me a love for the school and underscored a strong work ethic that promoted independent thinking and learning.

When I returned in 1984, I also met a wonderful development office staff that included Dolores Zakielarz (whose children and grandchildren graduated from Archmere) and Mary Fissmer, whose son-in-law, Dr. “Skip” Kuhn was an Archmere graduate from the Class of 1965. Geralyn Getty Brostrom ‘79 worked in the office part of the time, in addition to assisting with French classes in the World Languages and Cultures Department. After Dolores and Mary left, Valerie Walker, Helen Udovich (whose sons and daughter are all Archmere graduates), and Sharon Scarpitti all played important development office roles in administrative and database work. 

Geralyn Brostrom ‘79 would return to assist with fundraising and marketing full-time, and we would enjoy working together to create new fundraising ideas and approaches. One of the ideas was the “Headmaster’s Wassail,” an event for our leadership donors held before the Christmas concert. Geri and I had Italian mothers, so the amount of wassail we made per Geri’s recipe could have filled my borrowed Aunt Rose’s silver punch bowl multiple times to feed the population of Claymont. Needless to say, we left those evenings with jugs of wassail, but very satisfied that no one left hungry or thirsty!

Following Geri, Bill Gehrman ‘88 joined the development team. When he arrived at the interview, he was driving a huge “hot dog,” as he was one of an elite group of individuals who was selected by Oscar Mayer to drive the Wienermobile around the country. Bill was total “energy” and “marketing,” and I could add so many other words to describe his amazing work ethic and drive. I remember that he enjoyed “Mountain Dew” and “Hot Pockets for lunch, but did not have any affection for Barney, the Purple Dinosaur, which, at that time, my children adored. So, for his birthday, my wife and I presented him with a purple-frosted cake and a miniature Barney that we “borrowed” from our son. It was “a moment,” as Fr. McLaughlin would say. All kidding aside, adventuresome Bill was the first at Archmere, to my knowledge, to explore Archmere’s presence on this new thing called, “The Internet.” Both Geri and Bill were “powerhouses” and are dear friends.

After working in the Development Office for a couple of years, I proposed to David Barnard, Academic Dean, that we offer business courses as electives to juniors and seniors. An economics course created by Junior Achievement included an online, computer simulation stock market game. Huddled around a desktop computer in the development office, teams of students took turns entering their data, and waiting for printouts of the results of their transactions, based on their research. This was, by today’s technology standards, a fairly primitive attempt to integrate technology into the classroom. Team-teaching the course with me was Al Minutola ‘68, who made his career in banking and financial planning. The second course I taught integrated multiple business disciplines, including accounting, marketing, and finance. I recall one of my former students at a class reunion telling me that she became an accountant because of that first introduction to the field in the class at Archmere - a very reaffirming comment. Because I was given the opportunity to teach, thanks to David Barnard, I would later be offered an adjunct teaching position at the University of Delaware. I taught a similar business course in the evenings for a number of years.

David and Mary Ann Barnard became such good friends of my wife, Diane, and me. We would often socialize and include other Archmere family members. David, having been my teacher and a senior administrator, especially provided me with the confidence to pursue my work at Archmere, and mirror the commitment that he and Mary Ann had developed for the Academy. Unfortunately, Mary Ann passed away, but David and I still keep in touch. He was a significant presence for me as a freshman whose father had died suddenly the April before I started as a student at Archmere.

In 2011, I proposed a theology elective on Norbertine history and spirituality. It was initially taught by Michael Burdziak. When Fr. Zagarella was a member of the faculty, he taught the course until he returned to Daylesford Abbey full-time as Prior. At that point, I returned to the classroom and taught the course, which was also a learning experience for me, each year researching and digging deeper into the scholarship around the life of Saint Norbert, the history of the Order, and the particular charism of the Norbertines. What I enjoyed most was getting to know some of the students a little better.

Marie Parks, who still helps in the administrative offices today, managed the main office, while the dedicated and amazing Joanne Gioffre (whose four children and grandchildren attended Archmere) was the assistant to the Headmaster and Directors of Finance (Fr. Thomas Meulemans), Student Life (Fr. Michael Collins), and Academics (Mr. David Barnard), a true feat of efficiency and top-notch skills! When not tending to the needs of the students, nurse Trudy Giles (whose five children and grandson attended Archmere) helped with some “all-hands-on-deck” projects, including preparing bulk mailings of several thousand Archmerean magazines three times-a-year, as well as preparing the mailing of Fr. McLaughlin’s monthly letter to parents. Rita Marinelli (my sister-in-law) was a part of the group, working in the college counseling office with Mrs. Carolyn Doyle. I cannot leave out Carolyn Letts, who worked in the Writing Center with students, and whose husband, Bill ‘58 and three children attended Archmere. She would often help in the office in her “spare” time working with students, and share her wonderful spirit and dry humor. There were also very conscientious cafeteria, facilities, and cleaning staff that helped to make the school run smoothly. During this decade of the 1980s, a few of my fellow alumni joined the faculty and staff, including two that I would work with closely when I returned in 2010: Carl Campion ‘76 and John Jordan ‘80. 

Carl Campion ‘76, my classmate, graduated from Saint Joseph’s University and signed his first teaching contract as a Chemistry teacher with then principal, Fr. Albert Bozzelli on May 20, 1980. In the following year, Carl became Student Council Moderator, and in 1983, he was appointed Maintenance Director, supervising the maintenance program for buildings and grounds, overseeing janitorial services, ordering supplies, repairing cleaning equipment. This was in addition to his teaching chemistry classes. In January 1984, because he was teaching more classes, Carl retained charge of the cleaning crew and operation, while Jerry Causse took over daily maintenance, with Domenic Nardone as the HVAC specialist. That following September is when I started working in development and public relations at Archmere, and I remember seeing Carl everywhere. I thought, “Just how much is he expected to do?”

In 1987 Carl became Prefect of Discipline, teaching physical science to 9th grade students, as well as AP Chemistry. He still kept the Director of Maintenance position while prefect and teacher. In 1990, Carl added the job of arborist in charge of campus plants and trees to his resumé. Two years later, Carl became the Junior Class Counselor. That still was not enough diversity of skills for Carl, so in 1998, he became the Mac Network Administrator, in addition to managing the landscaping, and teaching chemistry. The technical position evolved in 2002, to the Director of Academic Technology, and later in 2010, Carl was named Director of All-School Technology, still teaching AP Chemistry. 

Finally giving up classroom teaching after 31 years, Carl became Director of Technology full-time, as the administrative and academic needs of the school grew with the adoption of the 1:1 laptop program, something so innovative in its day, and now thought of as just another teaching and learning tool. Still evolving, in 2019, Carl became Director of Operations, which blended his knowledge of technology and his history and familiarity with school facilities. 

Before his “official retirement” in June last year, he relinquished the responsibility of managing school facilities; however, you could catch him planting seasonal flowers, making sure classroom supplies were refreshed, and helping with whatever someone asked him to do. For the last year, Carl has been in a part-time transitional position, as he finishes some larger campus-wide technology upgrades with the tech staff. I am quoting the words of Fr. McLaughlin when Carl was presented with the Alumnus of the Year Award in 2007. He wrote, “In his first teacher evaluation, department chairperson, Paul Pomeroy wrote, ‘No job is ever too tough or too menial for Carl. He is totally dependable . . .to me he is the perfect representation of what Archmere stands for.’”

John Jordan ‘80 was someone that I met when I returned to Archmere in 1984, as he started at Archmere the fall after I graduated. We shared a mutual friendship with Fr. McLaughlin, who, as he reached out to me, reached out to John to offer him a part-time English teaching position in the fall of 1985, just a year after John finished his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. I don’t remember seeing John that much in that year, but I know we met and I recall thinking what great energy and enthusiasm he has, so he is probably an amazing teacher. In the mid-1980s, I recall that the school contracted in enrollment, after a real growth period due to coeducation, so there was not a full-time teaching position available. In 1987-88, John taught English and coached cross country, JV girls’ basketball, and track, and the following year he accepted a full-time teaching position, teaching five classes of English. From 1990 to 2002, he served as head coach of the cross country and girls' varsity basketball teams.

With John teaching full-time and being on campus all the time because of sports activities after classes, I got to know John a little better. What all of us were speculating is that he and Miss Noreen Oakes, a mathematics teacher, would make a great couple. That speculation became a reality with their wedding in July, 1991. Another Archmere “power couple” was created - two people dedicated to the students and life of the school. They even lived on campus in, what used to be, one of the Craftsmen-style houses along Manor Avenue owned by Archmere, now where the facilities building and lower field are located. To demonstrate his dedication to Archmere and to his students, I found in our archives a letter written in the summer of 1991 from Coach Jordan to his cross country team members, beginning with “Dear Running Stud.” The letter goes on to say that he is writing this letter as he was sitting by the pool with his bride on their honeymoon in Hawaii, panicking and realizing that he needed to communicate with his team members about the upcoming season. So, he and Mrs. Jordan dash off to the airport, and he scribes the letter on the plane ride home. The letter offers a glimpse of John’s sense of humor that was ever-present in his teaching, coaching, and administrative work.

John continued teaching and coaching at Archmere until the Spring of 1998, when he left to pursue other career opportunities outside of education. He was very successful in his work, but was convinced to return to Archmere in 2002. That was also the year, I believe, that Father McLaughlin returned to campus as Chaplain, so it was a reunion of close friends in a place that was so very special to both of them, since Father’s departure in December 1996, and John’s last teaching days in May 1998.

When I arrived at Archmere in 2010, John had been appointed the Director of Admissions, working with our former teacher and mentor, Paul Pomeroy, who served as Director of Admissions during my first years at Archmere in the 1980s and 90s. Paul returned to Archmere as Principal to assist Fr. McLaughlin as he assumed the headship for a second time in 2006. So, it was a natural progression to have John Jordan represent Archmere to prospective families, based on his years of experience, mentorship, and friendship. In 2012 when Bill Doyle, another of my fabulous teachers, decided to step down as Principal to teach full-time until his retirement, John was selected from a national search to serve as the next Principal. He and I worked together for eight years: 2012-2020. He shared with me that he wanted to do something different “beyond Archmere” before the end of his career. He accepted the Head of School position at Saint Edmond’s Academy, where I had been for 12 years in that same position from 1998 to 2010. It was a gift to have John still nearby, and with the connections between the schools being historically strong, it was as if John really never left; he was just in the next room!

In 2022, we began making plans for our next capital campaign, having completed the Saint Norbert Hall renovation campaign successfully in 2017. The timing was right. Elaine Reilly ‘83, former board member and accomplished attorney (and dear friend) who had retired assumed the head development position at Archmere. After three years, Elaine decided to fully retire, and John returned to Archmere, filling the position to become the Director of Development and Constituent Relations. John’s fundraising experience at Saint Edmond’s Academy provided him with the foundation to manage the programs at Archmere with energy and passion. He connected with many members of the Archmere community that helped make the “Let’s Renovate the House” campaign for the renovation of the Rocco A. and Mary Abbessino Performing Arts Center a success. Working with John has been a joyful experience, one that came to a close this May, when he decided to pursue other opportunities. 

In both of these instances, you may notice that Carl and John wore a number of hats during their time at Archmere. That seems to be what you do at Archmere, especially if you make your life’s career at the Academy. It is this level of commitment that creates the foundation for the school’s identity and creates the unbreakable narrative that withstands all sorts of setbacks and challenges.

I feel blessed to have been associated, to have worked, and to be friends with people like Carl and John. It has certainly made my years at Archmere much more fulfilling and productive. However, Carl and John would agree with me that there was no person at Archmere quite like Fr. Joseph McLaughlin. A combination of sincere humility, humor, open-mindedness, Father was a significant influence in many people’s lives. 

Presently, I have also been fortunate to work with an administrative team that is not only effective and efficient, but caring and considerate: Principal, Katie Thiel; Assistant to the Head of School and Admissions, Pat Tolvaisa; Director of Admissions and Enrollment, Leah Lightcap; Associate Director of Admissions and Enrollment, Logan Duffie; Marketing Manager, Fred Voelker; Marketing and Admissions Associate, Denise Starnes ‘93; Annual Fund and Alumni Relations Manager, Ainsley Palladino ‘05; Database Coordinator, Vicki Leon (who also assisted in Admissions, Facilities, and the Head of School office during her tenure); Director of Institutional Advancement, Katherine Ball-Weir; Director of Finance and Operations, Paula Hager, who was preceded by John Cirillo (whose two daughters are Archmere graduates); Finance Coordinators, Christina Carr and Angela Smith, preceded by Elizabeth Smigelski and Janet Crouse. The small but efficient technology department staff of Maria Elena DiPietro and Ed McFarland are responsive to immediate needs and forward-thinking at the same time. The administrative staff, along with our faculty members, make it so pleasurable to come to work each day.

I don’t recall having to go to the nurse on Rita Lee’s watch (whose children and grandchildren are Archmere graduates and whose husband, Ron Lee ‘61, was a great friend, as is Rita and their family). I did have a spill on the ice one winter morning that bruised some ribs and another episode with a column in the Patio on a dark rainy morning that required the help of Becky Hendrixson, Rita’s successor, who is and was an amazing resource, especially during the pandemic years.

The facilities team, headed by Dan Lutz and devoted members, John Grace, Billy Phillips, PJ Wicks, and Mike Wicks, are multi-talented and multi-tasking. I am also grateful to Larry Osborn, who, although he retired a few years ago, continues to come to campus to stay in touch and offer his help. 

Working with Jim Tosi, who was Director of Facilities when I arrived at Archmere in 2010, was a very special experience. Actually a cousin of mine on my father’s side (his mother introduced my father, her first cousin, to my mother), Jim is a gifted artisan, who appreciates good art and architecture, making the Patio restoration projects, in addition to other campus modifications, pleasurable and possible. We all recognized that Jim and his facilities team were the “private construction company” for the school. They created the Oratory in Saint Norbert Hall, with the pro bono design assistance of architect Dennis O’Flynn O’Brien ‘74. Jim personally painted much of the detail and trim in the space. He and his team also brought back to life so many rooms in the Patio that had been left to deteriorate with water infiltration, falling plaster, and lost ornamental details. Faithfully, each year, a bit more of the historic Patio was restored, often with meager budgets and a lot of favors from Jim’s artisanal contacts. Jim retired in 2016, but his work at Archmere will remain for many years to come.

My interest in the Patio began when I was a student on the yearbook staff. Working with the yearbook moderator, Fr. Stephen Rossey, he shared with me his interest in the architecture, art, and early 20th century lifestyles of the wealthy. After I graduated, Fr. Rossey would spend a sabbatical in Europe, researching the inspiration for the Patio’s design details by architects, Harper and McClure. That research was the foundation for more information to be added over the years.

As the home approached 100-years-old in 2018, I felt it important to create a book that would preserve the body of work that Fr. Rossey had begun, and continued to build upon it. In talking with Paul Pomeroy during one of our regular morning coffee visits, I mentioned the idea to him, saying that I had created an outline for a book, but did not feel competent enough to write it in an architectural or “docent” style. Paul immediately said that Tom Manerchia ‘61 was the man to do it. He had been a docent/interpreter at Winterthur Museum and Gardens and the Nemours Mansion since he retired from teaching at Archmere. He could provide the right balance of content - facts and details with good storytelling. Assisting with the mechanics of the book were  Gina Poletti, Marketing Director, Chuck Anerino, Photographer (and Archmere parent), and myself. We missed the 2018 publication deadline, but we did produce the book with beautiful photographs and a comprehensive narrative. Tom Manerchia is a brilliant person, who can take on any project - just give him time to research and practice - whether it’s learning to play the trumpet or write a book. This biology teacher, coach, theater manager and person who wore so many “hats” created a beautiful book for future generations.

During the time of the pandemic, I suggested to Tom Manerchia that we create walking tours of the estate. He and I would assemble a script and visit various parts of the Patio and Manor, while being recorded by Joel DeMartino, who happened to be a member of the facilities staff, but was also an accomplished videographer. A series of these tours were made that included the basements of the Manor and Patio, discussing the innovative and “modern” construction techniques of 1916, as well as the many rooms of the Patio. I believe you can still find them on YouTube.

The Patio spaces presented well for the photographs in the book, only because of the restoration work by so many. Retired art teacher, Jody Hoffman and her daughters (who attended Archmere), extracted layers of baby blue paint from 19th century barnwood paneling in the basement lounge next to the bowling alley. With students, she also created a stencil from the painted designs on the walls of the entry hall and upper loggia that had faded, and reapplied the original colors, making the spaces look as they once did.

Fr. Stephen Rossey was instrumental in helping select the color palettes for the main rooms on the first floor. He accepted my invitation to spend a week at Archmere each year for two years, so that we could work together to refurbish the public spaces and some original furnishings in the house. We replicated Fr. Rossey’s design of the draperies in the dining room that had been removed some years earlier. Those draperies and those in the living room and main stair landing were made by Patti Atkinson, Carl Campion’s relative. Terry Meheringer, Spanish teacher and parent of alumnus, Michael, made the draperies for the children’s playroom and reception room.

Artist and teacher Terry Newitt immortalized the interior courtyard of the Patio with his first original painting in 1988. Many of us in the Archmere community have prints of the piece, and a good number of families had Terry add a “remarque” to their prints, depicting their sons and daughters in cap-and-gown on graduation day. Terry would often volunteer his time to create caricatures of the seniors during the after-proms. His last Archmere-themed piece, "Yellow Brick Home,” was another large work, of which many of us have prints in our homes. We were so fortunate to have Terry as a member of the faculty for over 40 years.

In my student years and working years in the 1980s and 1990s, the staff in the pink block cafeteria in the basement of Saint Norbert Hall were all employees of Archmere, and, I believe all, if not mostly, women. They prepared and served the food, and kept the kitchen clean. Our school records indicate that Anna Marie Metzger was hired in 1990, and she managed cafeteria operations, working with Fr. Blaise Krautsack. In the early 2000s, with the completion of the McLaughlin-Mullen Student Life Center, Archmere engaged Sage Dining Services to operate the food service. Some of the existing workers were hired by Sage. In particular, one employee, Anne Wisgo, (whose daughter, Denise ‘79 attended Archmere), continues to work today! She serves her special affection and concern for each student with his or her meal. The current staff, led by talented Chef Jon Wilcher, truly cares about our students and staff, making all of them a part of the Archmere community.

Principal Katie Thiel gave us all an “early” summer reading book, The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. In one of his essays entitled, “Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance,” based on a 1914 photo by August Sander, Green writes about history and the future as he studies the photo of three young men dressed in their finest, standing in a rural location in Germany just before World War I. He writes, “And so, for me, it’s a picture about knowing and not knowing. You know you’re on your way to a dance, but don’t know you’re on your way to a war. The picture is a reminder that you never know what will happen to you, to your friends, to your nation. Philip Roth called history, ‘the relentless unforeseen.’ He said that history is where “everything unexpected in its own time is chronicled on the page of the inevitable.’ In the faces of these young farmers, we glimpse how profoundly unexpected the coming horror was. And that reminds us that there is also a horizon we cannot see past.” (p. 265, The Anthropocene Reviewed).  

Two other quotes Green includes in his essay about a moment in time captured by a photograph whose subjects have a past and a future. The first is, “History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised again.” (Kurt Vonnegut) The second is placed in the context of Green’s reflection about the picture: “. . . though static, [it] keeps changing as its viewers change. As Anais Nin put it, ‘We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.’” 

In thinking about the six decades I have been associated with Archmere and a part of the school community, I have always felt there were plans for a path forward that reached into the future, achievable because of the talents of those engaged in our work, which provided for me a certain level of comfort and the assurance of Archmere’s success. At the same time, reflecting on all of those years, the school managed through many challenging circumstances that were unpredicted, and plans had to be adjusted, but the adjustments were effective because of the people that collectively worked together.  As my current role at Archmere comes to an end and becomes a part of history, I am confident that the unknown of the Academy’s future will be replete with amazing, unimaginable things - successes perhaps not without setback - but committed to a vision supported by our Catholic Norbertine tradition. I wish my successor, Dr. Dan Hickey ‘89 all of the blessings and support to lead Archmere forward toward its centennial anniversary and beyond!

I am currently reading, The Eternal Pilgrim: A Life of Saint Norbert by Fr. Dominique-Marie Dauzet, O.Praem. The author quotes the words of St. Augustine, with which I will end this quite lengthy reflection of my long tenure at Archmere. 

“Two things are necessary here below: life and friendship. These are natural goods. With my friends, I confess, I give myself up entirely to their affection, weary as I am of this troubled world. When I am with them, I sense that God is there and that it is to Him that I surrender myself, in complete security.” (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 299)

May God continue to bless Archmere Academy and my friends, the members of the school community. 

With Gratitude for Your Trust and Support,  

Michael A. Marinelli, Ed.D. ‘76

Head of School