Fine Wine, Delicious Food, and the Molloy Family
On Thursday, February 11th, Molloy hosted its latest successful wine tasting event. Alumni, parents, faculty, and friends came together to sample six delicious wines selected by the one and only Mr. Jim Sheehan ’75. A man who wears many hats at Molloy, including English department chair, chorus director, AP teacher, mentor, and friend, Jim is also a knowledgeable and experienced wine enthusiast. His passion for wine comes through every step of the way, as he instructs participants to carefully and methodically observe the color, transparency, aroma, flavor, and finish of each sample. (Pictured L-R: Andrew Savino ’85, Jim Sheehan ’75, Richard Karsten ’81)
For this year’s event, Jim selected exclusively Spanish wines from several different regions. He touted their elegance and diversity – as well as their price tags. When participants were asked to guess how much each wine cost, they were generally surprised at how affordable they were. It was also a lesson in itself to formulate an opinion about flavor before knowing the true cost of a wine. Selections included: Jaume Serra Cristalino (Brut), El Circulo (Crianza), Cesca Vincent (Priorat), El Circulo (Blanco), Vina Eguia (Rioja), and Hidalgo La Gitana Manzanilla.
It was wonderful to see alumni from several generations in attendance, with class years from the 1970’s through 2012 represented. Each participant came away from the event having learned something about wine they didn’t know before, whether it was the affect of oak barrels on flavor or simply what to look for in an affordable, delicious wine. “This was a great event. My compliments to Jim. I have already started telling friends they need to check out next year’s tasting,” said Andrew Savino ’85. “I’m so happy I attended. I really learned a lot, and Mr. Sheehan is so interesting,” said Samson Zachariah ’12 in his review. (Pictured left: Mr. Sheehan answers questions for Samson Zachariah ’12)
“I would like to thank Jim Sheehan, MaryAnn Safrey, Frank Gambino, and the team at the Stanner Alumni Center for hosting another wonderful event,” said President Richard Karsten ’81. “This year’s wine tasting was bigger and better than ever. It brought together alumni, faculty, parents, and friends for a taste adventure to regions of Spain. It’s not often that we take the time to enjoy a good glass of wine and each other’s company. Jim’s enthusiasm for fine wine is both interesting and fun and makes for a great evening. I hope those who may have been on the fence about attending in the past will seriously consider participating next year. They won’t be disappointed.”
View full photo gallery from the 2016 Wine Tasting
Education Internship Opportunity for Young Alumni
Joelle Tirado ’15 recently contacted the Stanner Alumni Center with an opportunity for fellow college age alumni. Joelle is currently interning with a nonprofit organization called Practice Makes Perfect, which is “an innovative education organization that partners with schools to create high quality summer learning opportunities in high-need communities.” The organization is currently seeking applicants who are interested in participating in an education-based internship this summer. The deadline to apply is February 29th, so there is not much time left! More information about this opportunity as well as a link to apply can be found here: http://practicemakesperfect.org/summer/fellows/. Thank you, Joelle, for sharing this information with the Stanner community.
Around the School
Students Earn Scholarships to SJU at “Academic Bowl”
The Super Bowl wasn’t the only big game last week. A group of Molloy seniors were invited to participate in the St. John’s University College Advantage Academic Bowl on Saturday, February 6th. The event invited four local schools to participate in an academic trivia challenge. To qualify, each participant must be currently enrolled in the College Advantage Program at St. John’s. After a hard fought game, our Stanners finished in second place. This feat earned each Molloy team member a $1,500 annual scholarship to St. John’s University to be awarded beginning this fall. Our talented scholarship students include seniors Evan Georgio, Michael Esposito, Nicole Balina, Carlo Crivo, and Antonio Ortega. Congratulations to all students and to Mr. Ed Cameron for coordinating this opportunity.
Professional Flutist Guest Lectures
We would like to thank professional flutist Angela Massey for recently taking time out of her busy schedule to serve as a guest lecturer at Molloy. Angela led Stanners in song during a unique workshop for members of the school band who were looking to brush up on their woodwind skills after school. Angela performs with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and also as a member of the Massey Duo with her husband, clarinetist Taylor Massey. She is an impressive and experienced talent who has performed across the United States and Europe, and our students were thrilled to learn from her. The workshop featured basic concepts, theory, and warm ups and playing techniques. Special thanks to music teacher Ms. Ya Ting Yang for coordinating Angela’s visit.
Upcoming Events
Molloy to Celebrate 40 Years of Mens’ Soccer Program 
- When: Saturday, April 16th, 2016 | Time TBD
- Where: Archbishop Molloy High School
- Who: Mens’ Soccer Alumni
- REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED
We are excited to welcome alumni back to Molloy to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the mens’ soccer program. Those in attendance can participate in an alumni soccer game (weather permitting and flat shoes only on Stanner Field) with a formal dinner reception to follow. The entire event will take place at Molloy. In addition, it is our pleasure to announce that longtime coach Andy Kostel is scheduled to be available for the duration of the event to celebrate with our alumni. Ticket information, online registration, and other details will be made available soon. We look forward to welcoming you back to Molloy to celebrate our mens’ soccer program! (Pictured: Coach Kostel on the job)
30th Annual Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic: PRIZE RAFFLE!
- When: Monday, May 2nd, 2016
- Where: North Hills Country Club and Plandome Country Club
- Contact: Matt Rizzotti ’04 | (718) 943-3186 | mrizzotti@molloyhs.org
- Details: www.molloyhs.org/golf
- REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED
Archbishop Molloy High School is excited to present its 30th Annual Jim Kinnier Stanner Golf Classic on Monday, May 2nd, 2016. You may have found an invitation to the event in your mailbox last week! By now you’ve heard that the Classic is a wonderful opportunity to gather with friends, family, and colleagues for a memorable day of golf while also supporting a good cause. Money raised by the Classic helps students enjoy the benefits of a Molloy education by way of our scholarship program. Golfing, however, is not the only way to help these students! Even if you have never picked up a golf club before, there are other great ways to extend your generosity to Molloy that also provide you a chance to win big. Included with the invitation you received in the mail are five raffle tickets. By purchasing these raffles at $25 each, or five for $100, you immediately enter yourself into a drawing to win one or more fantastic prizes. Our third prize raffle winner will take home a 55 Inch High Definition TV. Our second prize winner will enjoy a 4 day, 3 night stay for two guests in Las Vegas, Nevada. Airfare and hotel accommodations (to be determined) are included with this prize. Last, but certainly not least, the grand prize winner will land two tickets to the biggest sporting event of the year, Super Bowl 51, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 5th, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Airfare and hotel accommodations (to be determined) are included with this prize as well. A tough ticket to find, this once in a lifetime trip to the Super Bowl could be yours for just the price of a few raffle tickets.
Brittany Dombrowski ’09 is currently living and working in Bangalore, India, which is the capital of the state of Karnataka. After 30 hours of travel, Brittany arrived there in late January, and in the days since has been blogging about her experiences in her unfamiliar new surroundings. Brittany’s blog covers topics such as everyday life, the challenge of commuting or even crossing the street, her daily run ins with animals on the streets, the abundance of Christmas decorations (to Brittany’s surprise), and interacting with her new neighbors and colleagues. The blog is an interesting read for any Stanner, particularly those who have considered living and working abroad. | Read Brittany’s Blog
Joe Howard ’79 will be honored by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Academy on Saturday, April 16th as part of their Inaugural Benefit event. Joe is a proud member of OLL’s Class of 1975 and maintains strong ties in the school community. The event will include a cocktail hour and buffet dinner with open bar. Joe invites his classmates and friends to support him as an honoree by attending the event at Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, NY (7200 Douglaston Parkway). The benefit begins at 6:30PM. More information about this event, including ticket pricing and more, is available by contacting alumni@ollqv.net or (718) 464-1480.
Jack Coulter ’52 responded to an article published in The Beehive in January about the Marist Brothers’ celebration of Fourvière Year. Fourvière is a district in Lyon, France where St. Marcellin Champagnat and the early brothers made a pilgrimage to formally pledge to live out their promise of creating the Society of Mary. In Jack’s words: “I read, with interest, the article in The Beehive about the Fourvière Year Bicentennial Celebration. During river cruises on the Rhone River in 2002 and 2008 our tour group briefly visited, by bus, the Fourvière Cathedral in Lyon, France. I followed up both times by walking up the steep hill, by myself, to reach the cathedral at the top, attempting to find evidence of the founding of the Marist religious order there. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any plaque about the Marist order in either visit. Here is a photo showing the cathedral at the top of the hill.”
The Stanner Alumni Center responded to Jack with the evidence he initially missed! President Richard Karsten ’81 sent Jack the photo below showing a plaque that indeed references Champagnat at the Marist Brothers. Jack took the opportunity to translate the plaque and share the translation with us, which you can read below. Thanks for responding to our article, Jack!
“Near this altar, on 24 July 1816, MARCELLIN CHAMPAGNAT, Marist priest, decided to found The Institute of Little Brothers of Mary, or MARIST BROTHERS. On 29 May 1955, Pope Pius XII proclaimed him BLESSED. On 18 April 1999, Pope John-Paul II declared him a SAINT. All to Jesus through Mary.”
We are saddened to share the passing of Mrs. Dolores McGovern, mother of Brendan McGovern ’86, Tim McGovern ’88, and Terence McGovern ’90. We ask that you pray for the McGovern family during this difficult time of mourning. Brendan, Tim, and Terence send their thanks to you on behalf of their family.
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