Seniors Sport College Attire, Celebrate End of Year Events
In honor of our senior’s last day of classes, we present our Class of 2025’s Senior Sweatshirt Day! On May 19th, students wore sweatshirts and t-shirts representing the colleges and universities they will be attending in the fall. We are so proud of our Stanners, and can’t wait to see where the future takes them!
Some schools that were highlighted by the Class of 2025 were Cornell University, Binghamton University, University of Michigan, St. John’s University, Columbia University, NYU, the US Naval Academy, Baruch College, Maritime College, the US Air Force Academy, University of Chicago, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Notre Dame, and many more! Congratulations, Stanners!
Graduation Liturgy
On May 27th, seniors and their families attended Molloy’s annual Graduation Liturgy at St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church. This annual Liturgy provides the senior class and their families an opportunity to slow down during a busy time and reflect on how far they have come.
During his homily, celebrant Fr. Nicholas Colalella said that heading off to college can cause one to feel both “overjoyed and fearful.” We can be excited, yet also fearful of changes like living away from home, greater responsibility, and not knowing how the future will pan out. Fr. Colalella related this to the Jesus’s disciples, particularly when they discovered his tomb empty. They were overjoyed that Jesus was alive, yet fearful that their lives would change forever. “Being a senior is not unlike being a disciple of Jesus. In these overjoyed and fearful moments, it is crucial that you know, believe, and trust in this one truth: Jesus is alive, he is praying for you, and he will be with you on your college journey,” said Fr. Colalella.
Several awards were also presented, including the St. Marcellin Champagnat Awards, recognizing outstanding service, and the Pillar Awards, representing each of the five Marist Pillars: Presence, Simplicity, Family Spirit, Love of Work, and In the Way of Mary.
Congratulations to the Champagnat Award winners (pictured above left): Mackenzie Clarke, Tiffany Esquen, Ana Hernandez, Joseph Hoermann, Jessie-Jaymes Lee, Christopher Leriche, Anabelle Montano, Kristen Mussalli, Michael O’Neill, Olivia Tabeek, and Brendan Twomey.
Congratulations to the Pillar Award winners (pictured above right): Moises Bien Nunag (Presence), Ryan Ladd (Simplicity), Jacqueline Capra (Family Spirit), Christina Sbano (Love of Work), and Samuel Hughes (In the Way of Mary).
Congratulations to all award recipients! Thank you to our Junior/Senior Chorus (joined by alumni and faculty!) for leading us in song, and thank you to all who attended the Liturgy!
After celebrating their Prom at Leonard’s Palazzo of Great Neck on May 28th, the seniors now look toward Commencement Exercises this Sunday, June 1st at St. John’s University. Please join us in prayer for our seniors as they celebrate this amazing milestone in the educational journey!
Athletic Awards Night Recognizes Outstanding Student-Athletes
On May 20th, Molloy recognized its many outstanding student-athletes during its annual Athletic Awards Night! Athletes representing all grades and all teams were joined by family and friends as they celebrated a plethora of individual and team achievements throughout the 2024-25 school year.
During the event, players from each team are selected as recipients of the Coaches Award or the Team MVP Award. The Coaches Award is determined by each coaching staff and presented to a player who, though not the MVP, is worthy of special recognition. The MVP award is presented to the best player of each team in a given year. Several other special awards are also presented. The Senior Scholar Athletes Award recognizes seniors who excelled both in competition and in the classroom. The Firefighter Timothy Klein ’08 Award, sponsored by the family of the late Tim Klein, provides tuition assistance to rising seniors who have been in good academic standing, have played at least one sport for all three years at Molloy, and who demonstrate the qualities that Tim Klein personified. This year, the Firefighter Timothy Klein ’08 Award recipients were Samantha Shoule ’26, Colin Sweeney ’26, and Drake Vestal ’26.
During the event, Molloy’s new CHSAA Captain’s Club representatives were announced. The CHSAA Captain’s Club is a league-wide group with representatives from each Catholic high school in Brooklyn and Queens. School reps attend meetings to discuss league policies and make recommendations to keep Catholic values in the CHSAA. Last year’s reps, Aoife Garvey ’25 and Brendan Twomey ’25, passed the torch in congratulating Molloy’s 2025-26 reps: Aileen Henning ’26 and Colin Sweeney ’26!
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Jack Curran Outstanding Senior Athlete Award, presented to the top male and female athletes in the senior class. This year’s recipients were swimmer Sean Green ’25 and multi-sport athlete Camille Munoz ’25. A team captain, Sean’s resumé includes four MVP awards, appearances in the State Championships in multiple events all four years, five school records, records in league, city, and state competition in two events, membership on the Junior National team, being named the fastest swimmer in the country at the high school level in the 500 free, a Junior National Champion in the 400 IM, and he competed in the Olympic Trials in June 2024. He is committed to competing on the swim team at the University of Georgia. Also a team captain, Camille is one of the most decorated female athletes in Molloy history. Her resumé includes 12-times All-League, 13 school records, 13-time B/Q Champion, CHSAA City and State Record Holder, 14-time City Champion, 4-time Eastern State Champion, 8-time All-American, and a recipient of the CHSAA Sportsmanship award. Camille was also key member of Molloy’s Girls Varsity Swimming team. She has committed to competing in Track & Field the U.S. Naval Academy.
Archbishop Molloy High School congratulates all student-athletes and award recipients on an exceptional season. You are amazing representatives of our school and help to carry on an incredible legacy of athletics that has spanned nearly 135 years. Go Stanners! (Photos by Ms. Shawnda Gerold)
Science Symposium Showcases Multi-Year Student Research Projects
On May 19th, members of Molloy’s Science Research Program showcased their presentations at our annual Science Symposium! Sophomores, juniors, and seniors shared their findings to classmates, family, friends, and Molloy faculty and staff, illustrating their hard work and dedication to Science Research. The event even welcomed alumni who participated in the program as recently as last year, as they came out to show their support for our current students!
Stanners in Science Research conduct original research on any topic they’re interested in. Beginning as sophomores, students first perform literature reviews, then work with a mentor to design their own experiment, and finally perform their own research and present their findings. This year’s Science Symposium featured a huge array of projects, with topics ranging from holography to mitigating pollution to engineering cancer immunity!
Michael Lee ‘27, a sophomore in the program, decided to begin his Science Research journey with reviews of literature about the occurrence of the Fibonacci numbers in accounting, and to see if there were patterns that indicated if a company would succeed or fail. When asked why he chose this particular topic, Michael said that it was “interesting to see how math relates to the science of business,” and that he was excited to connect his love of math to his desire to conduct research. Junior Westen Lipan ‘26 joined Science Research because he “is a huge fan of rockets,” and understood that “there is a big issue with fuel efficiency and waste of power” when it comes to powering them. He had the idea to use an electric motor to spin the pump that pressurizes the rockets, and his goal for the summer is to build and test the pump he made for the symposium. Fellow junior Daniel Del Toro Devia ‘26 connected with a psychology professor that specializes in ADHD and used his expertise to help him create an application to help students focus. Daniel said that every time he would try to find a good tool to help him focus, it would be stuck behind a paywall or would just be another “to-do” list. His app uses a glowing orb to visually represent the user’s focus, and it grows and becomes clearer as the timed tasks are completed. Niyat Issak ‘25, a senior in her last phase of the program, chose to study the variability in plastic pollution on Long Island beaches. After working with both the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and the Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity, Niyat wanted to find ways to mitigate plastic pollution. She said her project inspired her to continue her research in college.
Members of the Science Research Program are exposed to incredible opportunities early in their research careers. Niyat said that she always knew she wanted to conduct research, and “liked that she didn’t have to wait until college to do so.” She continued, “I feel like I have a good start as a high school student writing a research paper, and I’ll be more prepared for my science classes in college.” Members of Science Research are also encouraged to publish and compete in outside competitions. Senior Gisele Habibulla ‘25 competed in the New York City STEM Fair, taking third place!
Ms. Mary Mallia, moderator and teacher of our Science Research Program, says that this year’s Science Symposium “went very well,” and she’s immensely happy with the large crowds coming to see her student’s work. She continues, “I’m really proud of all of my students. Everyone did an exceptional job, from the sophomores and juniors with their trifolds to the seniors and their presentations.” Congratulations, Ms. Mallia, and all of our Stanner scientists!
Read Latest Issues of The Stanner Newspapers
Congratulations to the staff at The Stanner newspaper, who have completed the last of their four annual issues! The Stanner recently published their spring and senior issues within the span of one week, and we invite our community to download each issue! In the spring issue, our reporters highlighted the many wonderful events that made the season a vibrant one at Molloy, while the senior issue shines the spotlight on many of our outstanding impending graduates, including Valedictorian Nikitas Vlachos ’25 and Salutatorian Grantland Tighe ’25.
Click the buttons below to download. You can also visit The Stanner on our website: www.molloyhs.org/stannernewspaper
Varsity Softball & Boys Varsity Lacrosse – City Champions!
Congratulations to our Girls Varsity Softball team, who won both the Brooklyn/Queens Championship and the City Championship within days last week 
! First, Molloy defeated Xaverian 1-0 with a walk-off win to win the B/Q Championship! After Kimmy Piazza pitched a great game, she singled and advanced to second on an error in the 7th inning. Diem Nenadich then bunted her to third, followed by Victoria Barrientos knocking the game winning hit!
A few days later, at St. John’s University, Molloy defeated St. Joseph by the Sea High School by a score of 2-1 to become NYCHSAA City Champions! This incredible accomplishment qualified them for the NY State Semi-Final vs. St. Anthony’s. Molloy entered the game ranked #8 in New York State (17-5)!
Congratulations to our Boys Varsity Lacrosse team, who won their first CHSAA Boys B Division City Championship last week ! The Stanners defeated Mount St. Michael Academy in the championship game by a score of 9-7. The team had entered the playoffs as regular season champions with an impressive 8-0 record in their division and 8-2 overall. Since their City Championship, the team went on to conclude their season as NY State Finalists. We congratulate Coach Beaudet, Coach Adamek, and the entire team on these incredible accomplishments in just their second season!
Special thanks to Sports Management Club for contributing the photo and information for this story!
Varsity Baseball Are Back-to-Back Brooklyn/Queens Champions!
Photos by Kaiden Emeghebo ’26.
Congratulations to our Varsity Baseball team, who captured their second consecutive Brooklyn/Queens Championship! Coming off a State Championship in 2024, the team is motivated to bring home even more hardware. They will next compete as the #2 seed in the City Intersectional Playoffs – a double elimination tournament. Their first opponent will be Moore Catholic.
Follow @molloyhs_athletics on Instagram for baseball updates and more Stanner Sports news!
Remembering Stanners on Memorial Day
Every Memorial Day, we pray for all the brave members of our armed forces who gave their lives in service to and for the protection of others. Our special intentions are for all Stanners who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
Molloy thanks the members of our Class of 1963, who continued their tradition in observance of Memorial Day, donating a floral wreath in honor of their classmate, Private First Class Louis Willett ’63. PFC Willett was a posthumous recipient of the military’s highest award, the Medal of Honor, “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.” He was mortally wounded on February 15, 1967, in Kontum Province, Vietnam, while purposefully drawing heavy enemy fire away from his platoon mates, enabling their safe exit from the area. Thank you to the Class of 1963 for helping to bring PFC Willett’s story to the forefront each year, as we remember this important part of Stanner and American history. | Read PFC Willett’s Medal of Honor Citation
We also pray for all the Stanners who gave their lives in the line of duty during the Vietnam War. A plaque in the halls of Molloy memorializes their names: Herbert H. Dilger ’60, Charles V. Donohue ’60, Cosmo F. Pacetta ’63, John T. Reilly ’63, Peter M. Roche ’63, PFC Willett, Peter R. Martin ’64, Gerard F. Paulsen ’64, James E. Stolz ’64, John F. Downey ’65, Kevin R. Hoag ’65, and Bruce N. Sweeney ’66.
And The Emmy Goes To….
Congratulations to Nick Trotta ’95 for receiving two Emmy Awards for his outstanding work as Executive Producer. The Comeback won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary Series, while The Turnaround earned the Emmy for Outstanding Short Documentary. Both projects showcase Nick’s talent and dedication to storytelling and are currently streaming on Netflix. Incredible work and a well-deserved recognition for Nick!
Recent Guest Speakers Include Alumni
During its last meeting of the year, Molloy’s Political Science Club hosted alumnus Jim Quent ‘89 and Jennifer Cruickshank for a Poli Sci panel! Mr. Quent, a partner at Statewide Public Affairs, and Ms. Cruickshank, the Director of Public Policy & Community Engagement at Amazon, spoke to students about lobbying and its impact on state policy making.
Ms. Rayappa ‘04, moderator of the Political Science Club, says that members “participated in a discussion about how the process works, the different methods of lobbying, how different interests are represented to lawmakers to impact potential laws, and how students can get involved to influence lawmakers and have their voices heard.” Molloy and the Political Science Club thank Mr. Quent and Ms. Cruickshank for visiting Molloy and presenting to our students!
Students in Ms. Kristine Woo’s AP Environmental Science and Chemistry Honors classes had the opportunity to hear from an inspiring alumni guest speaker, Dr. Damian Sciano ’85! Dr. Sciano is the Technical Advisor of Energy Markets and Planning at ICF. He also serves as an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. With over 30 years of experience in electrical engineering at Con Edison, he brings a wealth of knowledge in clean energy innovation, energy infrastructure, and strategic planning.
In his presentation, “Our Clean Energy Future,” Dr. Sciano walked students through the evolution of energy—from traditional sources like coal to renewable technologies such as solar panels and wind turbines. He explained the science behind electricity, including how it flows, the differences between AC and DC currents, how electricity can create magnetic fields, and much more. His talk emphasized the critical role electrification will play in building a sustainable energy future, encouraging students to think critically about the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Cheers to Molloy’s Class of 1983, who held their third annual “DirtFest” gathering at Park Pando in midtown Manhattan. A fine time was had by all!
We are saddened to share the passing of Thomas J. Gibbons ’92 on May 25, 2025, brother of Timothy Gibbons ’03 and nephew of late faculty member John Gibbons. Tom is also mourned by the Xavier High School community, where he worked for over 25 years in numerous roles including teacher, coach, counselor, college counselor, and dean of students. In a post to social media, Xavier High School noted that Tom “recognized the goodness and humanity of all he encountered.” Loved ones remember Tom as a devoted husband, loving father, and cherished son, brother, nephew, cousin, and loyal friend. Please join us in prayer for Tom, his family and friends, and all the students and athletes he positively impacted at Xavier High School. | A visitation for Thomas will be held Saturday, May 31, 2025 and Sunday, June 1, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ 07675. A funeral mass will occur Monday, June 2, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 69 Valley St, Hillsdale, NJ 07642. | Click Here for Memorial Page
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing Gerald (Jerry) McGowan ’85. Jerry was born on February 3, 1968, in New York, NY. He was a beloved husband to Lisa McGowan and a devoted father to Lexie and Spencer McGowan. He is also survived by his loving two brothers, Peter (Erika) and Matthew (Katie) McGowan, and his parents, Mary and Gerald McGowan. Jerry enjoyed a long and successful career as an advertising sales executive. He was a proud graduate of Our Lady of Victory Elementary School, Molloy High School and Boston College, where he competed as a Division 1 varsity swimmer. An avid golfer and runner, Jerry loved sports—especially when it meant spending quality time with friends and family. Known for his outgoing and friendly nature, warm heart, and witty sense of humor, Jerry will be deeply missed by all who knew him. | There will be a Memorial Mass on Saturday June 14 at 10:30 AM at Our Lady of Victory Church, 2 Floral Parkway, Floral Park, NY, with a reception immediately following at Trinity Restaurant, 190 Jericho Turnpike, Floral Park. | Click Here for Memorial Page
Please join us in prayer for the repose of the soul of Sheila Leidl, mother of Rudy ‘67 and Rich ‘69, and aunt of Bill Delaney ‘77 and Tim Delaney ’84. According to family, Sheila was always proud that her sons and nephews attended Molloy and enjoyed meeting their many Stanner friends over the years.
