On April 17, juniors at Malvern Prep had a day full of reflection, learning, and brotherhood, all leading up to the mass where they received their class rings and pins. Students got to learn from the wisdom of alumni and faculty members about the brotherhood and history of Malvern, including how it has become what it is today.
The idea for a day like this came up a few years ago, when the previous ring mass was missing something. The old ring mass was run by the mothers club, and it took place on a Sunday. It was a well run event, but it lacked the unity of the full class. Prior commitments would be put in higher priority over the mass, and around half the class would be there. The new installment of the ring ceremony brings much more unity and connection. When asked about the most important part of the day, 11th Grade Faculty Academy Leader and Upper School English teacher Mr. Jason Sammartino ‘05 shared his thoughts.
“I think the most important element of it for us in the design was that you guys would spend the whole day together. It would be a day solely dedicated to the junior class,” Sammartino said.
Many faculty members put a lot of effort into trying to make this day special for the junior class. The most important part of the day that faculty wanted to be apparent was unity and togetherness. The people who put this event together, as well as the students, all seemed to feel that the most important and vital part of the day was the brotherhood aspect. With this goal in mind, to create a day that revolved around these things, the team put a lot of effort and planning into the event. In discussing the planning of the event, 11th Grade Student Academy Leader Mr. Dante Coles talked about the planning that went into the event to make sure everything was successful.
“We consistently meet to make sure things are in place, to have people who will volunteer to help us out and make sure they’re confirmed. It took a lot of time in meetings to get done,” Coles said.
This unity was definitely demonstrated to the students, and they appreciated the brotherhood in the day. Malvern junior, Pieter Schwab talked about his experience.
“The day was awesome, I liked being with my brothers and feeling all together, taking a step back, being grateful, and realizing how many great things have been done as a class so far,” Schwab said.
A secondary focus of the day was to be the start of the senior year for the juniors. It was planned to be an introduction, and first time where they were the oldest on campus. The senior year is such an important year, and in order to try to start that, they utilized a lot of alums. Throughout the day, many alums talked to the students and gave their insight and advice to the upcoming seniors.
The students started the day hearing from a 2020 Malvern alum who is finishing up college right now, and then that was followed up by a walk around the ring road hearing from many other faculty members that were once students at Malvern. Talking with these people, students received a lot of good advice and wisdom on ways to make the most out of their last year in high school. Mr. Coles shared his thoughts on the importance of alumni interaction.
“Absolutely, because they can give their experiences of what they did here at Malvern and what that did for them once they graduated from Malvern and how they’re living their careers right now. So I think bringing those guys back, absolutely give them a great idea of what the future is going to entail,” Coles said.
The day took a lot of planning and effort to make this a fun day for the students. The team met every week for the previous couple of months to iron out all the wrinkles, and secure all the alumni to speak. The event has evolved every year, starting off as just a mass on a Sunday to where it is now. Associate Head of School, Mr. Ronald Algeo ‘87 thinks that there is still room for improvement to make this day perfect.
“So with input from students and with the teams involved, I think that’s always going to be a goal of ours to always see if we can help strengthen and make something better and the Ring Mass would be no exception,” Algeo said.
Another question that has been discussed throughout the team is whether or not rings mean what they used to mean. They have wondered for the past couple years whether the ring really has the same importance that it had in previous years. Other options of what could be given out would be a sport coat or jacket. Malvern Prep Junior, Declan Abromavage talked about his preference,
“I like the rings, they are all similar and different in their own unique ways, and they set a reminder of all the memories and connections made during your time at Malvern,” Abromavage said.
The schedule of the day started off with hearing from alums, then there was the mass, where students received their rings, and got to be celebrated with their families, and then following that there were food trucks and drinks for everyone to enjoy.
During the ceremony the calling of the names became an issue. In past years, the name calling consisted of just Mr. Coles, Mr. Goyer, and Mr. Sammartino, but this year they also incorporated Mrs. Canavan and Mrs. Becket to bring in more people, and just have it run smoother. There were however a few problems. During the calling of the names there were many mispronunciations, and also some names forgotten. Mr. Coles said that mispronouncing these names hit him, and he felt bad about it.
“That was tough for me because it’s important to know people’s identities. And I think that’s why after the first one, it kind of, set me back but because identity is so important to me of your identity, so for me, it was like an apology to all like just messing things up and just going through that whole flow but I did catch myself and got back on track, but it’s tough, especially coming from me because because that’s important,” Coles said.
Overall, this event has appeared to be pretty successful for students and parents, and they all seemed to enjoy the day and have fun.
