Molloy Hosts First Financial Workshop

On January 14th, Stanners and parents attended a workshop at Molloy designed to provide information about long term financial goals and planning strategies. Many people progress through their lives and careers without giving enough consideration to their long term financial standing until it becomes an absolute necessity. However, it is perhaps more important than ever to map out your financial future well in advance of any potential surprises down the road. In 2014, Molloy assembled a group of alumni boasting over 80 years of experience in the finance industry. From insurance, to investments, to accounting and beyond, these professionals have worked with dozens of clients who were reluctant to discuss these difficult topics at one time, but now feel relieved having finally taken the plunge. Molloy was fortunate to have three of its finance panelists, James Delahanty ’81, Danny Moore ’95, and Paul Tuomey ’02, in attendance to lead the forum. They covered an array of topics including college saving tips (for students and parents), financial aid myths and facts, the benefits of life insurance, knowing your tax assets, and more. The panelists also spent time after the workshop had concluded with any alum or parent who had additional or more in depth questions. “I think the workshop was a great first step in this process,” said Danny Moore. “The audience participation was a clear indication that there are people in the Molloy community who have real questions about managing their financial situation, but sometimes don’t know where to turn for guidance. I believe that going forward these workshops will provide a great resource for the community.”

“I thought the event was great and I was pleased with the range of people that attended,” said Jim Delahanty, a Financial Services Representative with MetLife. “One thing about many financial topics is everything ‘depends.’ You can’t broad brush everyone because it’s not a one size fits all situation. Everyone’s circumstances and priorities are different, but this workshop at least gives our community a venue to get in front of Stanners to ask the tough questions. There’s more of a comfort zone. I hope in the future we can talk more about living wills, healthcare proxy, power of attorney, long-term care, and life insurance.” Please take a moment to browse some photos from the event below.

Athletes Shine at Stanner Games

Saturday, January 17th marked the milestone 20th anniversary of Stanner Games, a large track & field meet hosted annually at the legendary Armory in Manhattan. Hundreds of students representing over 170 high schools around the tri-state area and upstate New York come together to compete in their signature events. The all-day program captures the tenacity and competitive spirit of some of the best athletes around, and Stanners are among those turning heads. Jared Lovelace ’15 continued his dominance in the triple jump, posting a 50 foot 1.75 inch distance. He is leading the nation in this event, and was recently named December Athlete of the Month by USA Track & Field New York. Sarah Kowpak ’16 set a new school record with a 5 foot 7.25 inch height in the high jump. Molloy also saw its Girls Shuttle Hurdle team, consisting of Deanna Lucci, Grace Crockett, Isabelle Poptean, and Jenna Piller, post a 36.74 time in their race and finish in first place.

Stanner Games also welcomes dozens of alumni volunteers who enthusiastically return to lend a helping hand throughout the day. Whether they are former track stars or simply loyal to their alma mater, the volunteer efforts of our alumni is very important. There are a great number of events and athletes to account for, and our volunteers do an excellent job of supporting Molloy’s coaching staff and keeping the event running smoothly from start to finish. We applaud the efforts of our athletes, coaches, and volunteers at this year’s Stanner Games and thank them for all of their hard work. If you are interested in volunteering at a future meet or next year’s Stanner Games, please contact Coach AJ Power ’84 at apower@molloyhs.org. Click the links below to see a list of our volunteers, or browse the Stanner Games Program created by Coach Joe Dombrowski. Joe is happy to field any questions about the event or program at jdombrowski@molloyhs.org.

Stanner Games Program | Officials & Volunteers

View full Stanner Games Photo Gallery

Around the School

Over 900 Attend Winter Open House

Molloy typically hosts two Open Houses each school year. The first, which takes place in October, encourages prospective students to learn about Molloy and eventually include it among their top choices when applying for high school. Once these students are accepted to their schools of choice it comes time to decide which to attend in September. Molloy’s Winter Open House gives students who have already been accepted another opportunity to visit the school and learn more about the curriculum, family atmosphere, and school grounds while meeting more thoroughly with teachers, students, and other members of our community. It is an important night that highlights all the best features of Molloy not only for students, but for their families. “It’s great to see that our new approach to student recruitment has resulted in even more interest in Molloy,” said President Richard Karsten ’81. “We’ve seen the number of visitors at our Winter Open House double for three years in a row, with over 900 attending in January 2015.” Visitors were greeted with opening remarks by the school’s administration and were later given the opportunity to tour presentations around the campus covering the Marist spirit as well as a wide range of subjects, athletics, and after school activities. “This year for the first time we hosted a Scholarship Recipient Program before the Open House began. All academic and named scholarship recipients and their parents/guardians were invited and over fifty-three attended,” said Admissions Director Ms. Leslie Poole-Petit. “Throughout the night many visitors commented that the evening was very informative and filled with energy and enthusiasm for Molloy.”

Students Prepare for Next Steps in Choosing Right College

The first full day of the 2014-15 school year was September 8th. The first day a college representative visited Molloy to recruit Stanners was September 10th. The college application process begins almost immediately after summer break, which is in the best interest of schools such as Columbia, Boston, St. John’s, Fordham, SoCal, Northeastern and many more who know that Molloy boasts top-tier students. “Great schools will always be interested in Molloy because of its track record of producing quality students,” said Gus Esgro of the University of Scranton. “Scranton will always seek out Stanners because of their service and community values.” Kimberly Major, a recruiter for St. Anselm, shared similar thoughts. “My annual visit to Molloy is a highlight because Stanners are consistently among the most engaged in and well-prepared for the college process.” (Pictured: A senior thumbs through a brochure for Columbia University)

To get a leg up on the competition, many colleges also participate in “Instant Decision” days in which college recruiters visit high schools, interview students who have applied, and inform them on the spot whether or not they have been accepted to that college and if they have qualified for a scholarship. While choosing the right college is a tough task, taking advantage of meetings with college representatives helps students focus their attention and learn about their choices in greater detail. (Pictured: A student is accepted into St. John’s University during an “Instant Decision” day)

In 2015, students are preparing for the next steps of the process. Molloy’s college guidance counselors Ted McGuinness ’81 and Christine Loo are hoping to confirm several college trips for the benefit of juniors and seniors. In the past, our counselors have chaperoned trips to schools as far as Pennsylvania, Rochester and Vermont. This year, the goal is to focus on colleges closer to New York City. “Students sometimes think they know a lot about a school because it’s local, but they may overlook aspects of those schools because of that assumption,” said McGuinness. “We really want them to look deeper into these local schools to learn more than they would in a brochure. When we get our students to campuses they become vitally aware of the education opportunities that lay before them.” Schools being considered for visits include the University of Connecticut, Fairfield, Yale, and Fordham. (Pictured: Students ask Gus Esgro questions about Scranton University)

“Stanner” Issues From ’74 & ‘75 Added to Website Archive

Dan Clements ’75 started his new year off with a bit of nostalgia. The enthusiastic alum was recently thumbing through old issues of The Stanner newspaper he had kept over the years when he decided to scan and submit them to the Stanner Alumni Center. Issues he has shared include December 1974, March 1975, and June 1975. It was a very interesting time in Molloy history to say the least. The Class of 1975, as well as students from later and more recent years, may find this look into the past to be of interest. You can find these issues by clicking the links below and other archival issues on The Stanner homepage. Please note: the PDF files may require you to rotate them using Adobe software or your browser to change the orientation from landscape to portrait view.

The Stanner Archives: December 1974 | March 1975 | June 1975

Sports Update

Congratulations to the Girls Varsity swim team and coaching staff, who just completed their third consecutive undefeated dual meet season with a record of 9-0. Congratulations also to the Boys Varsity swim team, who finished their dual meet season at 5-0.

Elsewhere, Molloy’s faculty all-stars mystified a team of seniors last week during the annual Senior Vs. Faculty Football Game on Stanner Field. Teachers and staff had momentum throughout the game while scoring an impressive 63 points. The seniors could only muster 28 points in the contest. Photos were provided by faculty favorite and MVP for life, Mr. Chris Dougherty ’91.

Stanners Tour Police Lab

A small group of Molloy students were granted the opportunity to visit a local police firearms and ballistics lab thanks to some Stanner connections. Capt. Dennis Burke ’89 provided several procedural and safety demonstrations while showing students real equipment used by police in the field and lab. The facility also houses a historical “museum” featuring various items from past high profile cases in New York City, which Capt. Burke was happy to speak about. Students were later allowed to test high tech microscopes that help police examine and compare evidence. The trip was set up to supplement the Forensics curriculum, which is a senior elective course offered at Molloy and taught by Mr. Jim Sheldon ’88. (Photos courtesy of Mr. Sheldon)

Victoria LoBosco ’11, a senior at St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn, was named to the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) All-Conference Tennis Team. This is Victoria’s second selection to the team, with the first coming in her sophomore year. Victoria also made it to the duo finals in the HVIAC Championships after blanking the opposition with her teammate. Victoria was an instrumental part of the Lady Bears success this year, helping the team to produce finalists in eight of nine flights while finishing as the runner-up in the championships overall. Victoria tallied four wins with a 3-3 record at the number three singles position. (Photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s College of Brooklyn)

Charles Huber ’55 has been retired for several years and has spent many of his recent summers at his home in the Catskill Mountains and his winters in Naples, Florida. Charles hopes to relocate to Florida full time this coming summer. He sends best regards to his fellow St. Ann’s classmates from the Class of 1955.

Former teacher and Stanner Golf Classic founder Jim Kinnier visited Molloy earlier this week. During his visit he shared an anecdote from last summer in which he had been in the hospital for a procedure. While in the hospital he was placed under the care of a young intern who he asked to show him around the facility. As they walked, the intern asked Mr. Kinnier where he worked before retirement. Mr. Kinnier answered, “I used to work at a Catholic school in Queens. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Archbishop Molloy High School.” The intern immediately turned her head and shared that she was in fact a graduate of Molloy. Jim was very happy to meet Shannon O’Brien ’06. Just as we shared in last summer’s Stanner Life magazine, it seems there’s a Stanner connection everywhere you go.

Matthew Maneri ’14 has received the Filomena J. Peloro Scholarship on behalf of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). Maneri is currently enrolled at St. John’s University and is majoring in Economics.  Since 1975, NIAF has awarded millions of dollars in merit-based scholarships and grants across the country. Scholarship winners are selected based on academic merit and are academically outstanding with an average GPA of 3.95. The average scholarship awarded in the US this year has been worth over $3,000.

Caleb Oliver ’14 was recently featured in Mount Saint Mary College’s “Knight Life” blog. Caleb is a student in the college’s Hispanic Studies Program, and in the feature he shares his favorite aspects of the major as well as his thoughts on the classes and teachers he has met through the program so far. He also shares advice for prospective students who are interested in Hispanic Studies. You can read all of Caleb’s answers HERE.

We were recently informed of the passing of Joseph F. Lisa ’82 on July 24th, 2012. Please keep Joseph in your prayers.