By Matthew Quattrocchi ‘21

On Sunday, Oct. 4, Brother Rice hosted its first open house of the year, allowing 7th and 8th graders to capture a glimpse of what a day in the life of a Crusader is truly like. 

Although the event ran smoothly, there were significant changes compared to past open houses, due to COVID.

This year’s open house was much smaller compared to prior years. Many traditional open house demonstrations were limited or outright canceled, making it especially difficult to host a successful event.

Mr. Greg Nye, the director of the Admissions Department, said, “Our large welcome speech, breakout session for financial aid, and our parent panel were all canceled this year.”

He also said, “Providing a safe environment was our number one priority. I feel strongly that by limiting the number with preregistration, the temperature check upon arrival, and monitoring the guests in all locations, we provided a safe event that met all CDC protocols.”

Similar to previous years, NHS students continued to provide individual tours to visiting families and students.

Although the round trip was much shorter this year, the tours successfully provided visiting families a unique experience into what Brother Rice has to offer.

NHS President Conor Durkin, shared insight to the event’s success: “I like how the guys stepped up and made the open house run as smoothly as possible. I am grateful for my co-president, Frank Cunnea, and the NHS Moderator, Mr. Denis Bergsted.t for throwing together such a great event.” 

In recent years, open house has had an immense impact in ensuring that Brother Rice attracts enough admission interests in incoming students. 

This year especially, the stakes were high. Due to the uncertainty of what’s to come within the upcoming months and with numerous changes to Brother Rice’s culture, it was crucial this open house was a success. 

Mr. Matthew Prunckle, the Dean of Students, said, “Prospective families were still able to learn about the curriculum, meet faculty and staff, and check out all of Brother Rice’s extracurricular activities, while maintaining all safety protocols.”

He also said, “The event not only showed off Brother Rice, but also our ability to thrive during a global pandemic.”

Despite the changes to an ideal itinerary, the open house was a great win for Brother Rice, sending a clear message and a positive outlook to those who attended the event!

The administrators, faculty, staff, and students all played a major role in hosting such a successful event!

 The Crusaders look forward to hosting the upcoming open house on Nov. 8, hoping to build upon the great success formed throughout this school year!