Catching Up With: Matthew Bischoff '09

In today's post, Mr. Turner '00 chats with alumnus Matthew Bischoff '09 (Sicklerville, NJ) about St. Joseph's Prep, iOS apps, and his job at Tumblr.

It was clear that Matt had an interest in computers. While some students preferred a pen and pad for notes, Matt's PowerBook suited his learning style. But like all Prep guys, Matt's interests were varied - drama, service, retreats, and course work complemented his tech background. I had the chance to talk with Matt, a former student, about his time at the Prep, his current job, and what it takes to thrive in the tech world. Here's what I learned:

What have you been up to since June 2009, Matt?

Matthew Bischoff '09

After the Prep, I attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), studying Human-Computer Interaction for two years, before landing a job at The New York Times as an iOS engineer. While at NJIT I played Tobias in the school's production of Sweeney Todd, and did some research related to my major.

My Prep classmate, Brian Capps '09, and I starting writing iOS apps during senior year at the Prep. Our first app, Quotebook, was released while I was at NJIT. Since then we released another app called Velocity. We also do contracting for other people - building iOS apps. That's also my full time job - I'm an iOS engineer at Tumblr.

Can you take me through your day-to-day at Tumblr?

I come in and look at a list of things we need to accomplish - some of them are going to be bugs (problems in the current app), and other things are new features, exciting stuff that we want to add. I work with my team to decide who is best suited for each task and then we start developing it. We write code to start making things happen, and then we share those changes with each other before submitting a beta version to the internal community at Tumblr. Once we're confident with the update, we submit it to the App Store.

It's my favorite job I've ever had. It's such a creative place to work - we're all so focused on making the best publishing platform. And it's incredibly exciting.

Tumblr is the best way to follow the world's creators. And if you're a creator yourself, it's the best way to share your work with an audience.

What skills and background does one need to do what you do?

I was interested in computers from an early age, so that helped. Studying computer science as much as possible. Advanced math skills are nice to have, but not essential.

A lot of it is logic - critical and rational thinking. Anything that would bolster those kinds of skills is good.

But the way that I really learned how to do it was by coming up with the thing that I wanted to exist in the world - an app that I wanted to build. If you commit to that, you're forced to learn how to do it. If you're learning how to do it because you think you'll make a lot of money or because it sounds interesting, I don't think you'll persevere due to the amount of failure in this line of work. Several hours and even days are spent building things that don't work the way you want them to. That's hard to stomach unless you have an end goal in mind.

Matt's senior yearbook photo

Did the Prep prepare you well?

Absolutely. No question about it. The Prep helped me both to think critically and to make an argument in a rational and respectful way. I consider myself to be well-read and can see things from multiple perspectives. I have the Prep to thank for that. In addition, I can usually draw from something that I learned in, say, Latin or History class when I'm trying to solve a problem.

What about your Prep experience are you most thankful for?

My teachers truly cared about me as a person. I remember times when I was stressed out because I had so much on my plate and my teachers could sense that. They were very empathetic.

Why should a family consider St. Joseph's Prep?

It's different for every family - I was drawn to the Prep's excellent theatre program and the level of trust the school gave to students with respect to the use of technology. So my advice to families is: talk to people who've experienced the Prep and be sure to visit the school. Once you're there, you'll feel that St. Joe's Prep is somewhere that you should be.

This blog post was written by Mr. Ed Turner '00, Director of Admission.

Image credit: mttb.me

Great Courses @ the Prep: American Studies

In today's blog post, read about one of the great courses the Prep offers - American Studies with Mr. Connors '80 and Mr. Rupertus.

Breaking down silos

Back in the late 90's, St. Joe's Prep faculty from several academic departments shared work space in what is now the Modern Language office. Bill Connors '80 (History) and Chris Rupertus (English), "jammed in there like sardines", sat back-to-back and frequently chatted about their craft. Since Rupertus and Connors were used to spending so much time together during prep periods and since they shared a passion for the lesser known chapters of American history, from that crowded corral emerged the course known as American Studies.

Why American Studies?

CR: Before I got to the Prep, I taught for a year at Marple-Newtown Senior High School (Newtown Square, PA). A course existed at Marple-Newtown somewhat similar to ours in structure, but not in content. So during our shared prep periods, Bill and I talked about this course. Bill said, 'Wow. That's an interesting idea. I wonder if we could do something like that here.' 

We did a boatload of research; we went to Marple-Newtown and observed; we got course syllabi from other schools' classes that were interdisciplinary in nature. Our proposal for the new course was approved unanimously by academic council to begin the following fall.

The original reason Bill and I wanted to teach the course was that we thought the two subjects (History and English) inform and complement one another. Since then we've learned that the double-period (80 minutes) fosters a sense of community and camaraderie that is difficult to replicate in a 40-minute period; having two teachers for each class means we're now twice as likely to connect with a student who may be struggling in any way; it also means that Bill and I get to model collaboration for our students.

Two consequences have been the classroom's diversity - with regard to socioeconomic status, geography, GPA, racial and ethnic identity, and family make-up. And second, our class's character and complexion engender some valuable and authentic discussions and even some respectful disagreements. In that sense, our class is truly collegiate in nature.

Could you walk me through the course?

CR: In order to synthesize these two disciplines, we take a quasi-chronological thematic approach. We have 8 units of study which expose our students not only to literature, but also to primary and secondary historical texts. Our main secondary source for history is Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States:

1. The History of Native American White Contact
• We read Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie which is set on a modern-day reservation.
2. People's Movements during Colonial America
• Shay's Rebellion, for example
• Since there isn't a whole lot of literature from that period, we fast-forward and we'll read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne one year, or Arthur Miller's The Crucible the next year so we can get a flavor for the period.
3. Slavery and Abolition
• Confessions of Nat Turner
• David Walker's appeal
• Excerpts from Frederick Douglass' Narrative
4. Women's Movement
5. Immigration and Industrialization
6. Harlem Renaissance
7. The Depression
8. Cold War & Vietnam
• Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried
• We use O'Brien's book as a lens through which we examine more current geo-political and military issues.

How do you assess your students?

CR: Our participation in the school's 1:1 device pilot program has allowed us not only to find new ways to assess our students through the use of Google Apps for Education, but also to employ traditional forms of assessment (e.g., blue books) if they suit our purpose.

BC: Yeah, we found that for simple quizzes, the blue book is still the best tool.


CR: This year we've become more project-based than ever before. And we've asked our students to collaborate more in ways that we can evaluate. During our Slavery and Abolition unit, our guys had to create a Google Presentation - part in class, part at home - on a slavery excerpt and the ripples of the document's publication. We didn't invent anything with the presentation, but by using Google, it afforded us the opportunity to ask them to dig deeper because they had the time. We also ask our students every quarter to evaluate themselves, to give themselves a grade. What's amazing is that our students are within one or two points of the grades they earn.

Any upcoming changes for the course?

CR: We are constantly evaluating what we do. We're fortunate to take field-trips that aren't too disruptive because of the time our class runs (periods 7-8, end of day), so we're always looking for new areas of the city to connect the present to the past. We're interested in examining more contemporary social and civil rights movements. It is easy and comfortable to look back and say that the civil rights movement was so obviously right, how could anybody be against it? It is much more difficult to look at current movements of a different ilk and negotiate that with an eye towards mission and justice. 

What's your favorite thing about teaching American Studies?

CR: I love my job. I never wake up with a pit in my stomach. I think that speaks volumes about the Prep. But if during the course of the day there are any bumps in the road, I can always look forward to American Studies. The level of intellectual effort, and of conversation, is humbling. We have fun together, we laugh. And to be able to work alongside as fine a teacher as Bill Connors - that has made the course fulfilling. Not to mention the atmosphere of the class - which is created organically - it is awesome to witness.

BC:  It's the interactive nature of the class - with Chris, with the students, with the disciplines, and when the kids make these connections. When the guys connect across the subjects, across time, and with one another, it's very rewarding.

This blog post was written by Mr. Ed Turner '00, Director of Admission.

Mothers' Club Fashion Show - A Prep Tradition

In today's post, two Prep moms, Stephanie Lyons [Sean ‘16] and Sandra Fecca [Chris ‘16], share their story about how the Mothers' Club Fashion Show was a catalyst for friendship and an opportunity to become more closely connected to other Prep families.

The Fashion Show is one of many Mothers' Club traditions, and in the spring of 2012 we met at the “Feeling Groovy" themed show. Our boys would be freshmen in the fall. We remember feeling nervous, not knowing if we would feel comfortable in the Prep community or among the other mothers that we would meet.

2014 Mothers' Club Fashion Show

The two of us were seated together at the Fashion Show and after we introduced ourselves we immediately started to talk about where we were from and about our amazing sons. We got along and felt comfortable with each other from the start. We had a great conversation and lots of laughs. We remember leaving the Fashion Show excited about the new journey our sons were about to take – and the one we too were now on.

We kept thinking, “WOW", what an amazing group of women we met today, not only at our table, but in the whole room! In May of 2012 we met again at the Incoming Mothers’ Reception where we exchanged information and kept in touch throughout the summer. Today our friendship has grown and we've been blessed to meet other amazing moms on our journey. We all keep in touch and often get together for a girls night out. This past year we co-chaired Homecoming 2013 (O Holy Night theme). We are thankful and honored to call these amazing women our friends! And we owe it all to the Fashion Show.

Homecoming 2013

This blog post was written by Stephanie Lyons and Sandra Fecca, loyal Prep moms.

Getting to Know: Anthony DeRita '14

In today's post, Mr. Turner '00 chats with Anthony DeRita '14 (Blackwood, NJ) about his time at the Prep and what lies ahead.

As a talented eighth-grader from Blackwood, NJ, Anthony DeRita '14 had some options before saying yes to St. Joe's Prep. It came down to one thing for him: diversity. And as Anthony, a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, completes his last semester at 17th & Girard, the Prep's blended community is still his favorite thing about the place.

Anthony DeRita '14

Why the Prep?

The Prep is so different from where I come from. When I interviewed with Mr. McCloskey for my Ignatian scholarship, he asked me a similar question and I said diversity. So I'll stick with that answer. I come from South Jersey and I love the area, but I just wanted something different.

What do you want your Prep teachers to know, now that you're almost done?

I am so grateful. I would say, "Thank you for everything you've done" and that I'll be back soon to say it again.

What do you enjoy most about the Prep's faculty?

That's tough because I can only pick one thing - but I truly enjoy the faculty-student relationships. For example, Mr. Fitzpatrick's (Physics) availability and dedication are remarkable. I can show up before school, during a free period, or after school and find him offering extra help in the lab. Mrs. Primick's (Classics) willingness to incorporate creative projects into a strict AP Latin curriculum is also inspiring. I even wrote a college essay (ahem, Harvard) about it.

Have you applied to other colleges?

Uh, yeah. Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Stanford are the so-called top-tier schools I've applied to. I've also received full scholarship offers from Northeastern, Temple, and Fordham. I'm still waiting to hear from a few others.

When you're not applying to the nation's top institutions of higher learning, how do you spend your time?

I'm president of the Forensics Team (speech and debate), I'm involved in Cape & Sword (drama), I'm a student officer for Breaking Barriers (club advocating inclusion and tolerance), a co-editor for the Hawkeye (student newspaper), and I'm on the Mission and Ministry Board (student retreat leaders/organizers). I'm surprised, however, by how much free time I have. I hang out with friends, go to the mall, and some days I just sit around and watch TV. My three main shows right now are: Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and American Horror Story. I'm a big cinephile, too.

Any plans for the summer?

For the fourth summer now, I'll be working at Morey's Pier in Wildwood, NJ. I love that job so much. I meet so many young people from around the world - mainly East Asians and Eastern Europeans.

Finally, why should a family consider St. Joe's Prep?

It's not just a school, it's a community. It's easy to market the statistics - how many AP's we offer, what our average SAT scores are, and so on. It's a little harder to articulate the brotherhood that exists here until you experience it. But it's here, for sure.

This blog post was written by Mr. Ed Turner '00, Director of Admission.

Image credit: PowerSchool 

Kairos @ the Prep

In today's post, Mr. Turner '00 chats with Sr. Kathleen Woody G.N.S.H. about the origin and history of Kairos at St. Joe's Prep.

A recent tumblr. post, shared with the St. Joe's Prep community by Mr. Tony Braithwaite '89 and written by a Jesuit high school grad, reminded me of something that I should never forget: Kairos is one of the best things we do at St. Joe's Prep.

Sr. Kathleen Woody G.N.S.H, whom countless Prep alumni fondly recall as both a teacher and the Amazing Kairotic Ixthotic Supernun, spent some time with me to discuss the origin and history of this "intense retreat."

What is Kairos?

Now, I have to say this: I can give you the basics, but as you know, there is an element of secrecy and privacy to this retreat. OK, here we go.

Table 5 - '99

Kairos, an ancient Greek word that means the right time or God's time, is a three-and-a-half day retreat for adolescents that is based on the Cursillo retreat for adults. Kairos follows, roughly, the same pattern, and the topics of the retreat's speeches are modified for teenagers. I think the beauty of it is that the retreat takes you where you are. If you're someone whose relationship with God is solid, then the retreat confirms you and gives you a boost. If you're having problems at the time of the retreat, your experience might be more profound. It's absolutely the work of the Holy Spirit. During the first couple of retreats, I used to worry about how things might turn out. Around the eighth retreat I said to myself, "Why am I worried? I'm not in charge of this. I just order the buses."

How did Kairos come to the Prep?

There are a few different creation stories out there, so let me give you the one I'm familiar with. We got Kairos by way of Kentucky, I believe, through a Franciscan priest who was familiar with the Cursillo retreat. This priest and his faculty colleagues tweaked the retreat to make it appropriate for high school students. Since Kentucky isn't that far from Chicago, Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois got a hold of it. And once in got into the Jesuit network, it took off. We got it from Gonzaga high school in D.C. We sent seven Prep kids and Fr. Joe Michini, S.J. to D.C. to make the retreat and bring it back. The students thought it was a great retreat, they loved it. But one student said to Fr. Michini, "It'll never work at the Prep." Of course we made him the first rector! (student retreat leader).

How were those first retreats?

Since I hadn't made the Gonzaga retreat, that first Prep Kairos was led mainly by the students. We decided that we would not push the seniors to make it. We knew that if a priest and a nun pushed a retreat, it'd be the kiss of death. The kids would think that you pray all day and that'd be the end of it. So we let the word spread - and it did. We ran three retreats the first year, and for four years after that. One year we added a fourth retreat, then a fifth, then a sixth. We learned real quick, also, that a full four day retreat was too long - by the afternoon of the fourth day, they want to see their loved ones.

What are some of your favorite things about Kairos?

Now that I'm a full-time classroom teacher and no longer in Campus Ministry, I miss the experience of knowing on Monday night that in a few days I would have a much deeper understanding of who these young men were and what made them tick. I miss the students' creativity - I'll never forget a makeshift, Kairos-wide bowling tournament complete with brackets and team names. I also miss seeing how Kairos affects our adult leaders, some of whom said it was life-changing. I don't miss the planning or the worrying.

Are you sure you don't want to share any good stories about Kairos?

Oh, I'm sure.

What do students get out of the retreat?

Although we break students down into groups, the retreat is geared towards the individual because each reaction is individual. Here are the two big graces from Kairos: you recognize that you are a person loved by your God, by your family, by your friends. It then teaches you that everyone else is lovable. Once you know another's story, you're much more accepting of the person and therefore it's much easier to receive someone in a Christian spirit. It can, if you are open to it, change your attitude to become much more open and much more tolerant towards others.

This blog post was written by Mr. Ed Turner '00, Director of Admission.

Image credit: sjprep.org

What's On Your Agenda?

In today's post, Mr. Turner '00 relates the 2014 State of the Union (SOTU) address to your final grade school semester.

"An informed citizenry is the bulwark of a democracy." - Thomas Jefferson

If the past two covers of the Sunday edition of The New York Times, displaying potential GOP presidential candidates for 2016, are any indication, then it's safe to say that our sitting president doesn't have too much time left - at least in the eyes of the media. And although his successor won't take the oath of office until January 2017, President Obama has a narrow window of time to accomplish the several tasks on his and his party's agenda. I'm no political analyst, but perhaps a dimmed media spotlight and a ticking clock will permit him and his administration to tackle their to-do list more aggressively.

So I ask all you second semester eighth graders out there, what's on your agenda? Now that your high school admission journey is almost complete, and your time in grade school nears its end, where and how can you still make your mark?

Some of our government teachers have asked their students to watch and react to this year's address and the opposition's rebuttal. I encourage you all, if you have the time and interest, to watch this year's address - it'll be good practice for a budding St. Joe's Prep scholar. And I challenge you to make the most of your remaining time in eighth grade.

This blog post was written by Mr. Ed Turner '00, Director of Admission.

Image credit: whitehouse.gov

Snow Day!

In today's post, Mr. Turner '00 fondly recalls a memorable sitcom episode, polls Prep students and staff on how they spent their time off, and thinks about the summer.

"I gotta study, man." - Bart Simpson

742 Evergreen Terrace

An early evening ritual at the Turner house circa 1994-2000 was watching reruns of The Simpsons. Yesterday, while digging out two cars and shoveling several neighborhood sidewalks, I recalled an early episode called "Bart Gets an F". Here's the gist of Season Two's poignant and, at times, spiritual opener: Bart's feeble oral book report on Treasure Island prompts Mrs. Krabappel to ask a question that he can't answer correctly. Ever the vigilant and caring educator, Mrs. K warns Bart - and eventually Homer and Marge - that continued poor performance might result in his having to repeat fourth grade (I know, I know, Bart's been in fourth grade for 20 years). It gets to the point where Bart prays and asks God for a miracle so he can have more time to study. Bart's prayer is answered - Springfield is walloped by a serious and unexpected winter storm (was it named Janus?) forcing his school's closure. Bart, who can't wait to go sledding and build forts, immediately forgets that God has answered his prayer. But Lisa, his sister, does not. She tells Bart that she heard his prayer and that Bart "owes Him big."

I couldn't help thinking if some of our students were either grateful for more time to prepare for their Latin and History exams, or frustrated with the Good Lord for delaying the inevitable. I also asked my co-workers what they did during their snow days. Here's what I learned:

Mr. Scannapieco '09 - Alumni Service Corps

"My roommates (fellow members of the ASC) and I painted our dining room, 2-3 coats. Trim and everything."

Ms. Mascio - Admission Office

"I caught up on plenty of guilty pleasure TV."

Mrs. McKenna - Admission Office

"I'm moving next week, so I packed up my whole house."

Mr. McCloskey '91 - Admission Office

"Lots of snow-blowing then sledding at The Willows."

Andrew Hayn '15

"I was in Ontario for the weekend, so having Tuesday off was nice. But on Wednesday I just stewed."

Joe Egler '16

"It was helpful to have a little extra time to look over my notes and prepare, so I'm grateful."



If all this talk of snow and the polar vortex makes you think about summer, take a look at our summer programs at the Prep. And let us know in the comments how you spent your snow day.

This blog post was written by Mr. Ed Turner '00, Director of Admission.