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DR. IVAN LAMOURT '82

St. Benedict's Preparatory School is proud to announce its third and final honoree for the 2018 Annual Scholarship Gala - Dr. Ivan Lamourt '82. St. Benedict's Dean of Counseling Services joins Prudential Financial and Steven M. Grossman as the Medal of St. Benedict's recipients at this year's Gala, which benefits our vital scholarship program and continues the Sesquicentennial celebration at The Hive. Please click here for information on how to register for the Gala or for sponsorship packages for our May 10th event.



Dr. Lamourt entered St. Benedict's Prep in 1978 after being born and raised in Newark by Pablo and Maria Lamourt, who had emigrated from Puerto Rico and settled in New Jersey's largest city, where they found steady factory work to provide for their family. The Lamourts stressed hard work and education as a way to move forward in life. Ivan is the youngest of three children. His brother Carlos and his wife Marsha are successful business owners in New York; and his sister Doris assists in St. Benedict's admissions office.

Ivan attended Newark Public Schools up to sixth grade, where his principal at Avon Avenue School encouraged him to enroll in Project Link School. There, the sisters urged him to continue his education at The Hive. While at St. Benedict's, Ivan participated in the wrestling program and received his varsity letter under legendary coach Michael DiPiano H'82 and on the track and field team coached by Fr. Philip Waters '63. Ivan was a captain and commander in the early years of the Backpacking Project and a counselor for the freshman overnight, both of which were under the supervision of Fr. Mark Payne '68.

Upon graduation from St. Benedict's in 1982, Ivan attended St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH and received his B.A. in criminal justice in 1986. Ivan's first job was at First Security Services Corporation as an investigator for Fortune 500 companies, which led him to live and work in the Boston area, where his two children, Jimmy and Jennifer, were born. Ivan returned to St. Benedict's in 1990 where he taught freshman history and coached the freshman soccer, wrestling and baseball teams while assisting Fr. Mark with the backpacking project and Fr. Matthew Wotelko'58 with the Freshman Overnight for the next 10 years. During this time, Ivan met Tara Fuller, the art teacher at St. Benedict's, and they married in 1995.

Dr. Lamourt received his M.A. in Counseling from New Jersey City University and a Professional Diploma in School Psychology. Ivan received his doctorate in psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2013.

As Headmaster, Fr. Edwin Leahy '63 recognized the need to accompany students in their struggles. He asked Ivan to help him and the Assistant Headmaster Bernard Greene '73 with crisis intervention issues at the school. Ivan was one of a group of faculty including Gerard Figurelli, Ph.D., to spearhead development of the St. Benedict's counseling center - today, a comprehensive mental health services department that rivals any to be found even on major college campuses across the country. The department is at the forefront of applied school psychology and is a resource virtually nonexistent in other urban school settings, an achievement which was featured in the documentary "The Rule" by Marylou and Jerome Bongiorno.

Along with additional counselors and individual meeting times, Dr. Lamourt also established focused therapy groups for the St. Benedict's students, such as Alateen for students with a loved one who abuses drugs or alcohol and Unknown Sons for students who do not have relationships with or knowledge of their fathers.

Dr. Lamourt has also established relationships with the psychology departments from Rutgers-Newark, NJCU, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Fordham University, Caldwell University, New York University and St. Vincent College in order to provide practicum experience for undergraduate and graduate students.

In 2005, Dr. Lamourt, along with Dr. Figurelli and later Jill Hall, helped establish the Velvet Rope program in the Leahy House, which helps resident students deal with a variety of socio-emotional issues that impact their learning. In 2009, at the urging of Fr. Edwin and Stephen N. Adubato, Dr. Lamourt ran for and was elected to the Newark School Advisory Board with the help of Newark North Ward Councilman, Anibal Ramos and the North Ward Center. He served the students of Newark for three years. He is currently an adjunct psychology professor at New Jersey City University and Montclair State University, and he serves on the board of trustees at St. Anselm College.

Dr. Lamourt was honored by Steve Adubato and the North Ward Center with the Msgr. Geno C. Baroni award in 2014. In 2017, he received the Illustrious Award for Education by the Institute for Latino Studies. He was recognized as a distinguished teacher by the St. Benedict's Alumni Association in 2012 and is a member of the St. Benedict's Hall of Fame as a coach with the 1991 wrestling team. Dr. Lamourt has appeared on film representing the students and community of St. Benedict's including Religion and Ethics, NJ Caucus, The Rule and 60 Minutes.

Ivan and Tara have lived in a restored 1905 Heller house in the historic district of Forest Hill in North Newark for the last 23 years.