Around the School
Guest Speaker
Detective Peter Montella ’83 paid a visit to Mr. Diorio’s Government classes to serve as a guest speaker. Det. Montella is a 20+ year veteran of the NYPD and a member of their Counterterrorism Division. Det. Montella spoke to students about terrorist activity, the cause and effect of attacks, what to look for in identifying suspicious behavior, and specific events to draw knowledge from. Det. Montella stressed the importance of remaining alert at all times; knowing your environment and immediate surroundings is key to being able to alert emergency services, save others, and yourself in the face of danger. Another critical part of remaining alert is being well equipped with the proper tools and supplies. Det. Montella asked everyone where their flashlight was on their person, and very few students could respond. Det. Montella explained that having a flashlight in one’s “go kit” for a potential loss of power is extremely important. In addition, he listed several items that should be in everyone’s supplies at home, including at least 3 day’s worth of bottled water. In closing, Det. Montella reminded everyone that if they see something, they must say something; a lesson we all need to remember.
Marist Youth Presents…
Marist Youth recently performed for Brother John Raeihle’s freshmen religion students in the Ralph DeChiaro theater. The presentations, produced since 2002, offer perspective on the life and virtues of St. Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers. Stanners took the part of narrators, St. Marcellin, and the young boy Jean-Baptiste Montagne, whose death inspired St. Marcellin’s devotion to the religious education of youth. Students were asked to close their eyes, breathe deeply, and imagine themselves in different circumstances meant to simulate the trials of St. Marcellin, a lesson in how deeply he loved Mary and God. The overall reaction from students was positive and according to Br. John, “I think they got the message.” He went on to say, “I’m very proud of Marist Youth, they did a great job this year. They put in a lot of effort. The students try to tweak the presentation every year to make it even better.”
Student Spotlight
Kimberly Darbouze ’11 is one of Molloy’s best and brightest. If there are pictures from an event at Molloy or from volunteer opportunities, chances are you’ll find Kim. As a freshman she immediately knew she wanted to join the Briarwood Shelter program and was both excited and overwhelmed after participating. Working with underprivileged people gave her some important perspective, realizing the people in the shelter were not faceless, but rather people not so different from her – people that could be a part of her own family. She made it a point to encourage the folks in the Briarwood shelter to feel comfortable and not inferior. “It gave me clarity,” Kim said. “You don’t know it until you live it.” Kim went on to work at a children’s summer camp to get more experience in her role as a mentor.
One of Kimberly’s biggest achievements so far has been participating in the Get Up & Go Program this past fall. The New York City Parks Department contacted Mr. Niklaus and asked if Molloy would lend their help to the pilot program, which is part of first lady Michelle Obama’s new health initiative “Let’s Move.” Mr. Niklaus and Ms. DeNoto gathered willing students together to participate in the program, which is meant to get kids ages 11 and up thinking about fitness and exercise. Kim (pictured front row, far left) took to the fields at Flushing Meadows Park on Saturdays during September and October 2010, and when the Parks Department employees were surprised to see so many Molloy students had volunteered, Kim said “Hey, we’re Stanners. This is what we do!” In providing physical activities and fun exercise programs to follow, Kim and the other students made an impact on the children, who she said “didn’t want to leave” when the program came to an end. The Get Up & Go Program was a huge success after parent reviews raved about the experience, and everyone at Molloy is hoping it will return in the spring. Kim felt proud to be a part of the pilot program as a Stanner. Kimberly has thoughts of attending NYIT and getting involved in a physical assistant program before transferring to CUNY Sophie Davis. After visiting the school, Kim realized she wanted to get involved in their 28 month program, and luckily for her volunteer work is required. Add volunteering for Molloy’s Phone-A-Thon, the Liturgy Committee, and donating coats to Land’s End and National Coalition for the Homeless to her already impressive resume. “You have to go for it, if that’s what you want” said Kimberly, who no doubt knows what she wants and will surely get it.
Upcoming Events
Inaugural Women’s Alumni Networking Event
Save the day for our Inaugural Women’s Alumni Networking Event. On Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 we invite Stanner alumnae and spouses of alumni to come together at Archbishop Molloy High School for an evening of networking and panelist discussion, moderated by Ms. Mary Pat Gannon and led by several professional women in the areas of finance, law, medicine, and other industries. We are very excited to provide a forum to Stanner Alumnae to network, build relationships, and gain insight from leaders in the professional landscape. The event will begin at 6:30 PM and include light refreshments. There will be more details to come. In order to express your interest and “pre-register” for this event, please contact Craig Katinas ’93 at ckatinas@molloyhs.org
Tommy Ashton Basketball Tournament
The Tommy Ashton 3-On-3 Basketball Tournament is scheduled for Friday, April 8, and Saturday April 9, 2011 at the St. Sebastian Parish Center in Woodside, Queens. Tommy Ashton, class of 1997, was a lifelong resident of Woodside who lost his life on September 11, 2001 while working as an electrical apprentice for Local 3 IBEW. A proud graduate of Archbishop Molloy HS, Tommy was a Peer Group Leader. He also swam on the Varsity Swim team for 4 years and was captain of the team in his Senior Year. A basketball tournament was established to collect donations for those in need in Tommy’s memory. This year’s proceeds will be donated to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a project at St. Sebastian School. For more information on this event, please click here.
Sebastian Vélez ’08 visited Molloy and let us know he plans to graduate from MIT in 2012 as a Biology/Chemical Engineering major. He’s enjoying his work in the lab and is currently working on a project with a grad student. The project involved In Vitro targeted mita-genesis, where specific genes are mutated to mimic evolution. Sebastian is currently in an undergrad research program and has signed up for a study of energy and a class on Thermo-Dynamics. Sebastian is also a teacher’s assistant for multi-variable calculus & differential equations. He hopes to attain a process engineering internship in 2011 to help him as he prepares to enter MIT’s grad program. Sebastian said his Molloy experience helped him prepare for MIT because it requires discipline, which he learned how to exhibit in high school. Sebastian went on to say, “MIT has been one of my more humbling experiences,” based on the heavy workload. He named Ms. Safrey, Mr. Diorio, Mr. Sheehan, and Mr. Stoltze as mentors during his Molloy years and beyond. Sebastian met up with Ms. Safrey later to talk about his MIT experience.
After our “Stanner Life” magazine hit mailboxes across the globe, we received a lot of great responses and more than a few updates from alumni, friends and family. Here is just one of them from Scott Miller, Class of 1985:
“Hello. I just read my Stanner Life magazine and enjoyed seeing how much the school has progressed. Although I wasn’t a stellar student at Molloy my memories of my days there remain good. Any bad memories are due to the fact that I did not take advantage of the excellence the school represents or use that to my advantage. I spent most of my career after college in the IT industry working for such companies as Disney, Dreamworks, MTV and Time Warner. I became a fireman in 1997, but I was still able to work in the IT industry as a consultant until 2000 when I got the call from the NFL. Now this was a lifelong dream so I had to do some serious debating with myself…Well my decision has worked out for the best as I now run the NFL Auction business via the internet. The job has allowed me to attend 7 Super Bowls and 6 Pro Bowls in which I retrieve the kickoff football and coin to sell on the NFL Auction website. I also still help run the FDNY baseball team as I did play for Coach Curran back in my day. Anyway, my days at Molloy were some of my best memories and I met some great people. Just thought I would share my story of what happened after I left.” – Scott Miller ‘85
Thank you, Scott, for the wonderful update. Of course, we send an open invitation out to all Stanners to share your stories with the Stanner Alumni Center. Please refer to the “Share Your Stanner Story” section in the right column for further contact information. If you haven’t received “Stanner Life” magazine at home yet, please call us at (718) 441-9210 and provide us your new address so we can mail it to you right away.
Class Updates
George K. DeHaven ’72 has announced that he and wife Brenda will be expecting their 4th grandchild in June. The new baby girl will join big brother Gavin (3), and cousins Angela (6) and George V (almost 3). Congratulations to the DeHaven family, and good luck!
Marc Garlasco ’88 sent us a note to inform us he is serving as Deputy Director at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. In this position, Marc runs the war crimes office. Marc is currently based in Kabul, but works country-wide.
Aminta Kilawan ’06 is in her first year at Fordham Law School in Manhattan. She originally wanted to enter the political world, earning her BA in political science, but she has since decided to earn a degree in law. She is passionate about women’s rights and immigration rights, and has an interest working domestic violence cases in the future. She is excited about the potential to work in the world of “big firms”, but she hopes to open her own practice someday. Aminta participates in the Pre-Law Society at school where she resides as Vice President and has volunteered at a local district attorney’s office as a special prosecution intern. She has also participated in Peacegames, which addresses conflict resolution with inner-city kids. Still, after all of her hard work after high school, Aminta professes “Molloy has my heart. If a place changed my life, it’s Molloy.”
The Stanner Alumni Center is saddened to share news of the passing of Richard A. Williams, St. Ann’s Class of 1952. Richard had passed away suddenly in October, 2010. Richard had a long career as an educator, teaching at Yeshiva University and most recently at Touro College. Richard remained involved with the Stanner community, having attended the St. Ann’s Communion Breakfast at Molloy for a number of years. In addition, he started the Brother Stephen Urban Scholarship. Please pray for Richard and his family.
We were informed by Peter Pellegrino ’60 that his cousin Vincent Pellegrino, Class of 1960, passed away after battling a brief illness in 2010. According to Peter, “He was a great, smart man.” Vincent attended SUNY Maritime in the Bronx and later worked for IBM and Electric Boat on projects involving nuclear submarines. Vincent had been living in East Lyme, Connecticut and is survived by his wife and four children. Please pray for Vincent and his family.
Matthew G. Monahan, Class of 1973, informed us of the passing of his father, Matthew J. Monahan, at age 87, on February 15th, 2011. Unfortunately Mr. Monahan battled melanoma for five years before his passing. He was a long time member of Our Lady of the Angelus parish in Rego Park, which was the site of his funeral Mass held on the 19th. Please keep the Matthew’s father and the Monahan family in your prayers.