Sacred Heart Honors Michael Travers with the Ketteler Medal Award

KINGSTON, Mass. - Oct. 20, 2016 - PRLog -- Sacred Heart School (www.sacredheartkingston.com), a private, Catholic, co-educational school for students in preschool through grade 12, is proud to announce that Michael Travers, Class of 1987, has been presented with the Ketteler Medal Award, the high school's highest alumni honor.

A natural student leader, Travers served as class Vice President and was a member of the Student Council. A dedicated athlete, he played on the Saints soccer and track teams, earning All-Star recognition.  He earned multiple awards in the fields of Math and Science as a student at Sacred Heart High School.

A graduate of Tufts University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Travers earned a Master of Science degree in Business Administration from the NYU Stern School of Business and began his career in the field of power plant engineering.

With a desire to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Travers joined VFX house DreamQuest Images where he specialized in fluid simulation and environmental phenomena on such films as "The Rock" and "Crimson Tide." He joined Sony Pictures Imageworks as lead technical director on "Anaconda" and "Starship Troopers, the later earning an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. He lead the character animation on the film "Godzilla," and in 1999 oversaw the groundbreaking effort to fully simulate photo-real clothing on lead characters in the live-action/ animation feature film "Stuart Little," which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Travers joined Blue Sky Studios in 2000 and led the VFX department in its development of a fully formed CG pipeline for the studio's first animated feature "Ice Age," which received an Oscar nomination and many industry accolades. Most recently he produced "The Peanuts Movie" for 20^th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios.

He is an active volunteer in New Rochelle, NY where he lives with his wife Joan and their children Colette and Gordon. He is a Cub Scout Leader and provides career day presentations in local schools. His interest in improving the lives of others, in particular at-risk youth, is clearly demonstrated by his willingness to selflessly devote his time to helping disadvantaged teens in Mississippi. Via Skype, Mike frequently hosts seminars with the teens sharing his professional experience, discussing how animated films are made, and the many career options that exist in the film business.

Sacred Heart High School initiated the Ketteler Medal to recognize alumni whose lives reflect the school's philosophy and the work of Bishop Wilhelm von Ketteler of Mainz Germany who founded the Congregation of Sisters of Divine Providence to assist him in attaining social justice for the working class. Ketteler's work in this field was deemed so important that Pole Leo XIII publicly recognized his influence on the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum.  The philosophy of Sacred Heart School, Kingston, established by the Sisters in 1947, was based on his charism and his ideal.

"Mike has carried the Sacred Heart philosophy with him daily; his life and volunteer efforts, career and his dedication to works of social justice clearly reflect the ideals of Bishop Ketteler – to give of oneself freely, to promote strong Christian values, and to actively work to improve the lives of children and the disadvantaged," said Sister Myra Rodgers, CDP, President at Sacred Heart School.

About Sacred Heart School

Sacred Heart School is a private, co-educational Catholic school system, providing educational opportunities for students from preschool through grade 12 in 35 communities throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.  As a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence, Sacred Heart School strives to inspire minds, define character and encourage responsible leadership through a curriculum that prepares students to pursue knowledge throughout their lives.

Situated on 100 acres with a present enrollment of 725 students, the Sacred Heart campus encompasses an Early Education Center, Elementary School and High School. The school offers a strong liberal arts curriculum and cutting-edge technology programs in combination with extensive athletic, arts and extra-curricular activities to ensure students a well-rounded education.

Founded in 1947, the school has seen many changes since its inception, including the recent construction of a $2 million Science and Innovation Center, upgrades to the Observatory, the addition of a large organic garden, a new robotics program at the kindergarten level and a full complement of beautiful athletic fields and facilities.

The campus is in use throughout the year as the site of several vibrant summer programs, including SHIELD (Sacred Heart Interdisciplinary Education Leadership Development), the school's proprietary summer enrichment program and Camp Morningstar, a long-standing recreational camp with sailing, swimming, sports, games and field trips.

Sacred Heart is proud of its near 100% college acceptance rate and pleased to offer its students opportunities to participate in internship programs with regional financial and technological firms.

Sacred Heart is led by President Sister Myra Rodgers, CDP, who holds Masters Degrees in Theology and Music.  Both High School Principal Michael Gill and Early Childhood Center and Elementary School Principal Kim Stoloski hold doctorates in education.

Sacred Heart School welcomes students of all faiths and diverse backgrounds. The school prides itself in a commitment to developing the whole student, offering an independent school atmosphere and top-tier academics. The Sacred Heart campus is located at 251-399 Bishops Highway, Kingston, MA 02364. For additional information about the school, please visit www.sacredheartkingston.com or call 781-585-7511.