Principal/Associate Head of School Dr. Keith Crowley, School Counselor Melanie Paresi, and Head of School Dr. Ed Hardiman P'19 '21 '26 following Friday's Founder's Week Liturgy.
St. John’s 32nd Ryken Award recipient exemplifies Pope Francis’s ideal—the “fullest expression in acts of selfless love for others”
St. John’s 2024 Founder’s Day Liturgy concluded with the annual Ryken Award ceremony and the all-school gathering took on a decidedly personal tone—at least in as much as a family dog was involved. Following the celebratory Mass, attendees rose and cheered heartily when St. John’s Head of School Ed Hardiman, Ph.D. P’19 ’21 ’26 invited School Counselor Melanie Paresi to the stage as this year’s winner.
The assemblage’s enthusiasm reflected the air of suspense that preceded the announcement. In keeping with tradition, Hardiman punctuated one of the most anticipated events of the weeklong celebration by gradually revealing the identity of the Ryken honoree. During the course of his remarks, Hardiman praised the as-yet unnamed winner for “personifying” a commitment to being “grounded in faith and grounded in an understanding that to be a person of faith, one must be inherently committed to peace, justice, and the education of the whole person.”
Hardiman’s revelation that the recipient, without fail, “greets students with a smile and a ton of positive energy,” coupled with the next data point that she “is a consistent presence at campus events and on retreats” narrowed the field even further. Moments later, he spilled the beans all at once when he added, “Over the last few years, she has brought great joy and comfort to campus as her four-legged friend, Dusty, has joined the Prep community.”
That was the ‘ah-ah’ moment for Paresi, who urged the Prep to incorporate a full-time campus comfort therapy dog (the aforementioned, two-year-old English Cream Golden Retriever) into its culture in 2023, then promptly the role of trainer and guardian. That said, hearing wasn’t a case of instantly believing for Paresi.
“It took me a moment to realize what was going on,” she said. “What’s startling to me about this is, it’s a peer-nominated award. That makes it incredibly meaningful.”
Fellow school counselor My Doan couldn’t think of a more deserving recipient of Ryken recognition.
“We all work hard in this office, but if I had to pick one person who works the hardest, it would be Melanie,” said Doan, now in her fourth year at the School. “She’s always showing up for some sporting event or a theater performance or an open house or anything like that. She’s everywhere. There are other ways to be all in on this community, but hers is a real, tangible, concrete, in-your-face way. She is the exemplar of ‘being there,’ and she never makes it seem like it’s a chore. She genuinely wants to be there because it’s her ‘people,’ she loves to support her people, and she makes everybody feel like they’re the center of her being.”
A native of Dracut and now an Andover resident, Paresi earned her bachelor’s degree from Stonehill College in 1999 before entering the Jesuit Volunteer Corps to serve as a coordinator and crisis line counselor. She obtained an M.A. in the Arts from the University of San Francisco in 2003 and an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology/School Counseling from Cambridge College in 2012. This past spring, she added an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Policy from Boston College.
She’s now in her eighth year at St. John’s, having previously taught at St. Joseph’s Prep, where she also served as Director of College Counseling and Guidance from 2012-17. She was Director of Guidance at Trinity Catholic High in Newton for eight years prior to that.
Fr. Ronan '62 celebrates the Founder's Day Liturgy.
“I think when Melanie wakes up in the morning, she looks at the ceiling and asks, ‘What I’m I going to do for people today?’ And I think that’s her, 24-7-365,” said Conor Dowley, director of school counseling. “She has a huge heart. She really cares. And she’s not doing it to look good. She’s not just doing the job description, either; she’s bringing a social-emotional authenticity that is paramount in every interaction she has. She has an extraordinary ability and drive to support people, and she also has a wonderful content mastery (of school counseling) that matches that passion. When you put those two together, it's just like … a superhero school counselor.”
Paresi is the 10th woman to win the award in its 32-year history and the first member of the School Counseling Department to earn the honor since 2014 (third overall).
“I’ve not had a conversation with her about anything substantive that I’ve come out of without feeling better prepared, better informed, and seeing the best in a situation,” said Elizabeth Solomon, a Latin teacher now in her 21st year. “She was a teacher before this, so she has impacted lives in the classroom directly, and I think that has really informed the manner in which she serves as a counselor.”
Now in its fourth decade, the Ryken award is the highest honor given by Xaverian Brothers Sponsored schools and is presented annually to a member of the staff or faculty for exceptional dedication and commitment to the vision and goals of Xaverian education worldwide. Past St. John’s Prep recipients span multiple academic subjects and departments, including fine arts, information services, and front office staff.
“I always hope I’ve made some impact on my students that will surface at some point down the road,” said Paresi. “I’m always mindful that they themselves make me a better person of faith.”
For Doan, Paresi’s impact is profound and instantaneous.
“You can’t tell when Melanie’s having a bad day,” she said. “Her sole focus is on whoever is sitting in front of her. I’ve learned so much from her. She’s been a great mentor. She is a constant in terms of being somebody to bounce ideas off of because she won’t tell you what you want to hear. She’ll give you the positives and the pitfalls of whatever you’re proposing. She’s able to see the overarching big picture of things, and she does it in such a professional and thoughtful way.”
And she does it, seemingly, with ease.
“She brings joy everywhere she goes,” Solomon said. “There’s not a room she walks into that she doesn’t make better. Everyone talks about her compassion and her care, and rightly so, but she’s extremely smart. Not only have I seen her be an advocate for the students both in and outside her assigned group, but also, she’s helped me and many adults on this campus through difficult times, more times than I can count.”
DUAL MISSION
Friday’s liturgy was a culminating opportunity for school leaders and the Xaverian congregation to remind students of the meaning behind Founder’s Week, which features accompanying activities and events that reflect on a shared mission and cultural priorities, all highlighted by prayer services, community service, social events, and community gatherings that build on the enduring, personal relationships that are a hallmark of the Xaverian Way.
The occassion commemorates Theodore James Ryken, founder of the congregation, and the continuing influence of the Xaverian Brothers in Catholic education worldwide. A poor cobbler with no formal education, Ryken became a visionary who founded the congregation in 1839 in Bruges, Belgium. The liturgy is celebrated each year by the 13 Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools in the United States, including St. John’s Prep.
“This week, we’ve focused on how Xaverian education has been a living experience for others and we’ve talked about the lives and ministries of Theodore Ryken and St. Francis Xavier, the patron of the brothers,” said Hardiman. “For both of these men, faith was about being in relationship. Ryken’s vision wasn’t to do it by himself, but to create a community. Xavier left all that he knew in Europe to travel east. He met others, he established new communities, he encountered new cultures, and came to understand his life of faith in different ways.
“If it were not for the faith of Ryken, we wouldn’t be here today,” he continued. “If not for the faith I’ve come to experience in my own journey, I wouldn’t be here today. As we gather for prayer, no matter what our experience of church or faith, I invite you to think about your journey, to think about the people who have brought you joy, who have comforted you in times of challenge, and those who have done things for you that you’ve never even noticed in each of these encounters. (In those moments), God was with you, encouraging you, celebrating you, sustaining you, consoling you, and journeying with you.”
Hardiman concluded his remarks by enjoining attendees to give thanks for the entire Prep community and for the gift of the Xaverian Brothers. As a whole, the ceremony drove home the importance of remembering that the individual at the foundation of Xaverian education changed each of our stories, but was, nonetheless, very much on the margins during his time. Ryken was not a typical founder of a religious congregation, but he had bigger dreams.
To mark the occasion in this 118th academic year of the school’s history, celebrant Father Jim Ronan ’62 urged the audience to “step into the prayer and make it your own.”
“I believe the extraordinary nature of Theodore Ryken is that he actually believed that God, working in and through his heart and hands, could do remarkable things,” he added. “And 185 years later, (his vision) is still happening. Our extraordinary character and the nature of a person comes from the inside, and that’s about our relationship with our Creator, God. And, it’s about this understanding of love and that call to live that love for others within our own lives . That’s the two purposes of Xaverian schools: To facilitate the formation and growth of faith in our students, and also provide them with the finest academic rigor and training.”
History of Ryken Award Winners
2024 Melani Paresi
2023 Steve Ruemenapp
2022 Bill Britton and Diane Hastings
2021 Raisa Carrasco-Vélez
2020 All Faculty and Staff
2019 Alicia Greenwood
2018 Elizabeth Dobrowolski
2017 Peter Mathison
2016 Leslie Tremblay
2015 Bob Marinelli
2014 Jim Stager
2013 Br. Tim Paul, CFX
2012 Pat Yanchus ’67
2011 Amir Ghali
2010 Dave Malaro
2006 Chris Lynch
2005 Bill Boyle
2004 Joe Lovett
2003 Bill Mackinson
2002 Dianne Carey
2009 Wendy Larivee
2008 John Klein
2007 Br. Ron Santoro, CFX
2001 James Dupre
2000 D. Edward Dooley
1999 Jody Meyer
1998 Frederick Glatz
1997 Michael Walor
1996 Paul Smith (deceased)
1995 Eileen Larkin (deceased)
1994 John Boyle
1993 Robert Combe