In its sixth year, SquashBusters Lawrence is fully grown with nearly 100 students in grades 6-12 and our very first graduates are college-bound – setting the stage for future success in classes to come.
First SquashBusters Lawrence Class is College-Bound
2018 was a special year for SquashBusters Lawrence, as it marked the graduation of six students from the program’s first-ever class of recruits. The college acceptances received by these seniors were a direct result of years of commitment and dedication to their goal of a college education.
Building on the numerous college visits that students completed through their first five years in the program, and intensive SAT tutoring that each student received weekly during their junior year, each rising senior made multiple trips to the SquashBusters office during the 2017-2018 program year to continue their work on the college process. Extra time in the office was spent working on financial aid applications, essays, further research on different schools and more SAT practice tests. The fall months also offered the opportunity for additional college visits – many of which were crucial when it came time to make a decision later in the school year.
One of the most memorable moments of their senior year came during a December practice when, in a ceremony adapted from the Boston program, seniors read their college essays to the younger SQB students. The occasion not only allowed the oldest students on the team to share their personal stories with the rest of their teammates, but also gave all students in attendance a glimpse into the hard work required to succeed in high school. All in attendance, including middle schoolers, staff, and volunteers, were moved by the honesty and openness of the essays.
With the help of student mentors from Merrimack College as well as the SQB Staff – especially Post-Secondary Access & Success Program Coordinator Mike Shannon – every senior is poised for success for the next four years and beyond with a college choice that is a good fit academically and financially.
The SquashBusters Lawrence class of 2018 will be attending the following schools:
JEREMY DEL ROSARIO –Northern Essex Community College
BENITO DERAS – Bridgewater State University
ASHLEY FLORES – UMass Lowell
ANTAR JIMENEZ JR. – Babson College
KATHERINE LEIVA – St. Lawrence University
JIBERLY SANDOVAL – Dickinson College
Lawrence Program Readies for its Busiest Summer Yet!
Though schools are on vacation during the summer months, our students will remain active through dozens of summer programs and opportunities made available to them through SquashBusters. Whether they are stimulating their intellectual curiosity in the classroom, honing their squash skills on court, or spending the summer outdoors and sleeping in log cabins, dozens of SQB Lawrence students will be making the most of their time off from school at a variety of day and sleepaway camps.
This summer, SquashBusters Lawrence has connected students to the following opportunities:
- Academic enrichment programming like Exeter Summer at Phillips Exeter Academy and Phillips Academy Andover Summer Session, opportunities coordinated in conjunction with the Squash + Education Alliance.
- Improving their squash skills at numerous camps across New England like Peter Nicol Squash Academy at Amherst College, Premier Performance Squash Camp at Wesleyan University, Williams College’s Squash and Beyond Camp, Hansi Wiens Squash Camps at Dartmouth, and SEA Squash Squads at Deerfield Academy.
- Days and nights spent in the wilderness at several of the YMCA’s day and overnight camps in New Hampshire – Camp Lawrence, Camp Nokomis, and Camp Otter – as well as the West End House Girls Camp in Maine, and Camp Waban in Canada.
- Road tripping and sight-seeing our way from Lawrence to the Urban Squash Midwest Regionals at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
- Learning about careers in government and public service through SEA’s Citizenship Tour. The eight day trip will pass through New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. where participants will meet leaders in politics and media. Past panelists have included U.S. Senator Corey Booker, NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt, and Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.
In addition the these external programs, students remaining in Lawrence will have the opportunity to stay involved with SquashBusters through our own summer programming and squash squads through the month of July on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover. These sessions will be comprised of team building activities, team trips, and an excursion to our sister program in Providence, as well as two weeks of intensive squash training. This allows students the opportunity to remain engaged with the program as well as benefit from many of the positive aspects of summer camps while staying close to home. To learn more about our middle school summer programming, click here!
Furthermore, rising seniors will participate in multiple college prep sessions where they will get a jump start on applications, essays, as well as further SAT tutoring before the start of their final year of high school.
Huge thanks to Essex County Community Foundation for supporting our internal summer programs at SQB Lawrence!
A Whirlwind Year of Squash
The 2017-2018 year was the busiest ever in terms of squash competitions for our students here in Lawrence. Over the course of the year, we participated in 24 matches and 14 tournaments, travelling to seven states for numerous day trips and weekend overnights.
Though each competition had its own individual triumphs, there were a few moments in particular that stood out among a year of on-court achievement for SquashBusters Lawrence.
In the first-ever StreetSquash match consisting of players from four different program sites (Boston and Lawrence for SquashBusters, Harlem and Newark for StreetSquash) SquashBusters emerged victorious in a thrilling affair. The 19th iteration of this friendly competition pitted the top fourteen male and female players from the two programs and drew a crowd to watch the day of squash at Yale University. Thirteen high schoolers from Lawrence competed and were proud to make sure the trophy returned to Massachusetts for the third straight year.
We continued our strong relationship with Portland Community Squash, with four matches throughout the winter months. One of these excursions was the first-ever squash match (and first-ever trip to Maine!) for many of our first-year students. Portland and Lawrence students helped each other through serving, rallying, and scoring before sharing pizzas after a great day on court.
The high school team also continued its tradition of facing off against St. Paul’s School – a duel which not only pits our top players against the JV teams of one of the strongest high school programs in the region, but also sees SQB Lawrence coach Darryl Soto face off against his old SquashBusters coach, Chris Smith. This matchup marked the first time an SQB team got the better of these particular opponents, with the Lawrence girls narrowly edging the St. Paul’s girls 8-6, before the whole group headed back to Lawrence for a team dinner.
SquashBusters Lawrence also had several exciting individual results from the multitude of tournaments attended – including 11th grader Winipher Romero winning the GU17 A Draw at Urban Individual Regionals, and 8th Grader Julissa Morales taking home the top spot in the GU15 B draw at Urban Individual Nationals.
Still to come this summer, students can look forward to squash time during our summer programming sessions at Phillips Academy, as well as two weeks of intensive squash squads for our most motivated students looking for a leg-up before the start of the new year in September. Also, a group of nine intrepid high schoolers and three staff will be road tripping to Kenyon University in Gambier, OH for the Midwest Urban Squash Regionals.
Want more SquashBusters news?
Read the 2018 year-end newsletter for SquashBusters Boston.
Read the 2018 year-end newsletter for SquashBusters Providence.