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Boston College Honors Patrick Beer with Distinguished Alumni Award

April 26th, 2019

Patrick Beer, Third Form Dean, Humanities Teacher, and Yoga and Mindfulness Instructor at South Kent School, has received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston College. At a dinner and awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 16th, Patrick was honored by the college as "a graduate who embodies the Jesuit ideals of men and women for others, who pursues the greater good in all things and exemplifies care for the whole person." Former professors and colleagues were in attendance to support, celebrate, and congratulate Patrick.

It was especially meaningful for Patrick to be at the event with his wife, Chris, and son, Anthony. Patrick explained, “I was overwhelmed to receive the award and share the experience with my family.” As the first person in his family to graduate high school and college, Patrick noted that his education at Boston College was a crucible experience in his life path. At Boston College, Patrick graduated with a bachelor’s in English, magna cum laude, received the Doyle Award from the English department, and was inducted into the Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma Nu, for his excellence in the classroom and service to others. Following his experiences at Boston College, Patrick sought a vocation as an educator, completing a bachelor’s of education and master’s of education in leadership at Vancouver Island University. Reflecting on these experiences, Patrick explained, “the Distinguished Alumni Award 2019 brought to light, once again for me, how many people have helped me to develop myself and get to this point in my life.”

During an assembly, South Kent Head of School Lawrence A. Smith ’73 explained, “This award was given to Patrick for his sterling career as teacher and administrator.” Prior to joining South Kent in 2016, Patrick taught and served diverse communities in Myanmar, British Columbia, Québec, and the Miꞌkmaq First Nations. Boston College lauded Patrick Beer’s work as principal of New Richmond High School in Québec, where he “facilitated concerted action between the parents, students, and the school team to foster academic success for First Nations, Québécois, and Anglophone communities. This initiative significantly reduced the drop-out rate of high school students, and Mr. Beer was recognized for his support of at-risk students by the Québec Ministry of Education.” Boston College noted that Patrick “loves the magic of the classroom and the optimism of adolescents, and feels fortunate to be surrounded by curious students.” At South Kent School, Patrick strives to provide a caring environment and foster lifelong learning in his students.

South Kent is fortunate that Patrick chose to continue his illustrious career here on the Hillside. The space he creates is greatly appreciated by both his students and colleagues. Congratulations to Patrick Beer on this well-deserved accomplishment!