The Beehive – 1/29/24
Molloy Welcomes Accepted Students to Winter Open House
On the evening of Thursday, January 25th, Archbishop Molloy High School welcomed accepted students and their families to our Winter Open House, offering another opportunity to tour Molloy as they make their high school decision.
The event began with a welcome address from Principal Dr. Darius Penikas, who spoke with pride about the exceptional students that Molloy is blessed to work with every day. After highlighting our academic programs, retreats, and extracurriculars, Dr. Penikas invited senior Joseph Castaño-Medina ’24 to the podium to share his story with the crowd. Joseph said that attending a retreat at the Marist Brothers’ Center at Esopus was a turning point in his Molloy journey, which inspired him to become even more involved around school, to make new friends, and to take on more leadership roles. Joseph has since enjoyed great success at Molloy, culminating in accepting a full scholarship to Columbia University. Joseph encouraged the accepted students to come to Molloy to forge their own paths to success.
Following the opening presentation, accepted students and their families moved freely throughout the school building, visiting academic departments, sports teams, clubs, counselors, and much more. At each stop, students, faculty, and staff were eager to speak with our guests and help provide information to help make their high school choice an easier one. The evening concluded with cookies and refreshments served up by friendly student volunteers in the cafeteria.
On behalf of everyone at Molloy, thank you to our accepted students and families for attending our Winter Open House. We look forward to seeing you all at our Freshman Welcome Event in March!
New Employment Opportunities at Molloy
Archbishop Molloy High School has announced three new employment opportunities in its Office of Advancement. Please review the brief position snapshots below and click the button under the descriptions to learn more on our website.
| Advancement Operations Manager Molloy seeks to hire an Advancement Operations Manager to drive productivity and ensure cohesion across all Advancement Functions. Reporting directly to the President, this position will function as the linchpin for the Advancement Functions at Molloy, including Enrollment Management, Communications, and Engagement. The Advancement Operations Manager will serve as the central coordinator and driver of all Advancement tasks at Molloy. This person should be detail-oriented, organized, and able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. |
| Engagement Coordinator Molloy is looking for an Engagement Coordinator to assist with the internal stewardship of scholarships and alumni engagement. Reporting directly to the President, through the Advancement Operations Manager, this position integrates the efforts of Admissions, Finance, Development, and Academics with a focus on scholarship stewardship, named, academic, and need-based. The Engagement Coordinator will be empowered to engage students, faculty, and parents to ensure that there is reciprocal support for the benefactor’s gift intention and the student’s experience. This position will also be crucial in cultivating young alumni through creating and organizing alumni engagement events and engaging affinity groups. |
| Athletics Information Coordinator Molloy seeks to hire an Athletics Information Coordinator to ensure that the school has consistently up-to-date athletics information and assist in promoting the school’s sports programs and achievements. Reporting to the Director of Communications, this position will serve as the central point of contact for all athletics information. This person should be able to quickly create robust relationships with the athletics staff and coaches to ensure that Molloy can showcase the achievements of our student-athletes and teams to the Stanner Community. |
AP Government Conducts Mock Congress Simulation
During the week of January 15th, Molloy’s AP Government classes participated in a Mock Congress simulation. The project, which is College Board approved, satisfies the civics project requirement for the AP Government and Politics course, and allows for students to better understand the workings of Congress and prepares them for their future civic duties.
The project requires each AP Government student to write their own bill based on their interests, randomly assigned political party’s ideology, or what they feel is beneficial to the US as a whole. Students then work together in small groups made up of six committee members to decide whether or not to present/pass a randomly assigned student-made bill.
The project concludes with floor debates, where students with leadership roles (Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Minority Leader, and Minority Whip) help run and foster debate on the bills. The course is taught by Ms. Diana Rayappa ’04, who shares, “Of all my years of teaching AP Government, this project is the one activity that alumni always tell me that they enjoyed the most because it made them more aware of how Congress works. It has also encouraged them to go vote in local, state, and congressional elections, not just the presidential elections.”
Molloy Senior Honored by Local Veterans Chapter
Back in December, senior Matthew Leonard ’24 was honored by a Veterans Chapter in Maspeth, Queens in recognition of his summer volunteer work supporting the Chapter. Matthew, looking for volunteer opportunities in his community, reached out to the Veterans Chapter and offered to lend a helping hand where needed. “I have a lot of Veterans in my family, so it seemed like a good idea,” said Matt. The Veterans often travel to street fairs across Queens, where they sell merchandise to raise money for the Chapter. Matt would wake up early to commute and assist with setting up and breaking down their merchandise tables at various street fairs. “The Veterans are mostly older gentlemen, and they bring heavy boxes, racks, and tents to these street fairs, so I was able to help them out a lot with that.”
Matt also volunteered to help when the Veterans Chapter hosted the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Moving Wall is a memorial that travels across the country to visit different cities and neighborhoods, serving Veterans who do not have the capacity to travel to see the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. At this event, Matt assisted with unpacking, assembling, and disassembling the wall, along with supervision and serving food.
Matt was recognized for his volunteer efforts at the Veterans Chapter holiday party on December 2, 2023, receiving a plaque from the Veterans and a Certificate of Excellence and special congratulations from Queens leaders.
“I’m thankful to the Veterans Chapter for allowing me the opportunity to volunteer. I enjoyed hearing all their stories, and being around them was a great experience,” said Matt. Congratulations, Matt!
Speech & Debate Winners
Congratulations to the team of Camila Burga-Alcon ‘25 and Moises Bien Nunag ‘25, who won first place in Public Forum Debate last week at the Brooklyn Queens Catholic Forensic League tournament! Camila and Moises competed in and won five rounds. They also qualified to compete at the State Championship in April!
Girls Varsity Swim Win B/Q Championship, Notch Undefeated Season
by Brendan Twomey ‘25
Girls Varsity Swimming recently defeated the previously undefeated Xaverian High School 104-66 in their biggest meet of the season! Molloy swimmers took first in three individual events: the 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle, both won by Izzy Flores ‘24, and the 100 backstroke, won by Grace Gilroy ‘24. Grace dropped 4 seconds off her previous time! Molloy also won the 200 and 400 Freestyle relays.
This victory made Molloy’s Girls Varsity Swim team the Brooklyn/Queens Champions for this season! Seniors Delia Locurto ‘24, Grace Gilroy ’24, and Alice Martin ‘24, junior Aofie Garvey ‘25, and sophomores Karolina Heerey ‘26 and Makenzie Capria ‘26 have all placed in the top 2 in all their events for the season so far.
Following B/Q Champs, the Girls Varsity Swim team closed their perfect season with a final win over Notre Dame Academy by a score of 103-67! The girls placed first in 3 events: Aoife Garvey ‘25 won the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke, and Grace Gilroy ‘24 won the 100 Backstroke. The girls also took second and third in most of the events, helping to solidify their win. Next up: Good luck to the girls as they now train for the City Championship meet in February!
Thousands of Student-Athletes Compete at Annual Stanner Games
On Sunday, January 14th, Molloy hosted another successful Stanner Games at the legendary 168th Street Armory in Manhattan! Stanner Games is a premier annual track and field meet run by Molloy’s amazing coaching staff with the support of dedicated alumni and parent volunteers. Thousands of athletes from New York and across state lines take part in a variety of events including relays, sprints, hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot put, and much more. Alumni in attendance represented decades from the 1960s all the way through the 2020s.
The scale of Stanner Games is truly remarkable. This year’s meet welcomed 2,903 total student-athletes who competed in 3,388 events. 2,497 of those were individual events. 1,369 student-athletes competed specifically in relay events. A total of 127 different teams were represented.
| Stanner Games 2024: Molloy’s Top Performers |
|---|
| Eva Gonzalez ’24 – AMHS School Record – 300M – 42.15 – Qualified for National Championships |
| Benjamin Paula ’25 – AMHS #10 All-Time – 55M Dash – 6.84 Seconds |
| Maria Badalamenti ’25, Eva Gonzalez ’24, Camille Munoz ’25, and Jenna Wright ’24 – Qualified for the Milrose Games – CHSAA 4x400M Relay to be held on February 11, 2024 |
| Camille Munoz ’25 – Qualified for the National Championships with a High Jump of 5’4″ |
According to Coach AJ Power ’84, one of the leader organizers of Stanner Games, the meet ended 20 minutes ahead of schedule, which is a testament to the hard work of the over 50 alumni and parent volunteers. “It was another superb job by the best officials in the country,” said Mr. Power. “Thank you to everyone who volunteered for your professionalism, efficiency, and kindness to all our competitors. You all make Stanner Games a coach and athlete favorite. I am honored to work with you all!” Mr. Power thanked President Richard Karsten ’81, Nurse Mrs. Maria Gallagher, Mrs. Helen Belen-Kelly, and Mr. Brian Kelly ’94 for their support. He also extended special thanks to volunteers Brian Farley ’71 and Kevin Farley ’68 for traveling from Rhode Island, and Artie Dohler ’82 and Phil Vetrano ’74 for traveling from Florida.
Congratulations to all in the Molloy track and field community and to all who competed in this amazing event!
Girls Track & Field Wins B/Q & City Championship
Congratulations to our Girls Track & Field team! On Saturday, January 27th, the team captured the Brooklyn/Queens and New York City CHSAA Championships at the 168th Street Armory! City team scores were as follows: Molloy 46 | St. Joseph-by-the-Sea 44 | St. Francis Prep 30. Brooklyn/Queens team scores were: Molloy 58 | St. Francis Prep 54 | The Mary Louis Academy 54.
Camille Munoz ‘ 25 was the B/Q and City Champion in the 55M Hurdles and High Jump. Eva Gonzalez ’24 was the B/Q Champion in the 600M. Caroline Rozmus ’24 was the B/Q and City Champion in the Pole Vault. The 4x800M Relay team of Maria Badalamenti ’25, Aoife Garvey ’25, Kylie Liriano-Montalvo ’25, and Gianna Gonzalez ’27 were B/Q Champions. Saige Swift ’25 was the B/Q Champion and voted Outstanding B/Q Field Performer in the Triple Jump.
Go Stanners!!!
Alumna & MSK Researcher Visits with Pre-Med Careers Club
Molloy was privileged to welcome back alumna Ashley Regazzi ‘04 to speak to the students of the Pre-Med Careers Club. A researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Ashley discussed her academic and professional career, as well as the decisions she made to advance to her current position.
A translational research manager, Ashley runs dozens of clinical trials simultaneously, studying how patient immune systems evolve throughout cancer treatment. To get to this position, Ashley emphasized the importance of extracurriculars in high school. “At Molloy, I was on the Chess Team, Science Olympiad, and Student Council,” shared Ashley. “Each one taught me invaluable life skills, such as working well with others, training my brain to think multiple steps ahead, and the importance of volunteerism.” After high school, Ashley went on to study Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in cell and tissue engineering at Columbia University.
Ashley emphasized the number of options available for those who study engineering. “I know engineers that are lawyers, astronauts, chefs, teachers, doctors, and of course, researchers.” She continued, “Even though I didn’t go to medical school, I work with doctors and nurses all of the time, in a medical setting. I still get to work with patients.” Ashley then gave the Pre-Med Careers Club a very brief rundown of how cancer cells form in the human body, as well as how cancer treatment works, and then opened the floor to student questions. Thank you, Ashley, for coming to speak to our students and showing them what a possible career trajectory in your field looks like!
The Beehive congratulates Lisa Morgado ’09, who has been named an ambassador for Project Purple, a non-profit dedicated to supporting patients, raising awareness, and educating the world about pancreatic cancer.
Vincent Bonini ’60 and family request prayers from the Stanner community. Vincent is currently undergoing treatment for an illness.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Colum H. Carey ’90, who passed away on January 12, 2024. | Click Here for Memorial Page
Please join us in prayer for the repose of the soul of Raymond Bonini ’61, brother of Vincent Bonini ’60.
We were recently informed of the passing of Paul M. Puletz ’56 on November 19, 2023. Please keep Paul and his loved ones in your prayers. | Click Here for Memorial Page
