Prep Magazine: Spring / Summer 2020

SPRING/SUMMER 2020 SAINT PETER’S PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Wherever Two or Three are Gathered

My daughter, Rosie, is two years old. The Kinks are Rosie’s favorite band. That really goes back to her grandmother. My mom, 50 years ago, became one of the first women to graduate from what’s now Saint Peter’s University, and in what might have been a reversal for couples their age, the Beatles records in our house were primarily my dad’s. My mom liked them, too, but she always had to be a little different. The Kinks, part of that same first wave of the British Invasion, had faded in the mid-’60s from U.S. radio after drummer Mick Avory knocked out lead guitar player Dave Davies on stage (using his hi-hat, no less) and got the band blacklisted from touring here. Luckily for George Harrison, Ringo Starr was a bit more mellow. Luckily for Rosie, her grandma—as a teenager or as a septuagenarian—is the sort of person who likes what she likes, even if you can’t find it on top-40 radio, and is happy to share it in her own quiet way.

I, too, have long been grateful for an early introduction to the lyrical pictures painted by Ray Davies, truly a writer’s songwriter (no less a literary authority than Doc Kennedy told the Petrean in 1999 that the Kinks were his favorite band, and I’m not surprised). And so I gladly follow Rosie into the deep tracks, and I always oblige when she asks me to play a song again... and again...and again in that way 2-year-olds do. In the weeks and months we’ve spent primarily at home, she has become particularly fascinated with two songs from 1972: “Supersonic Rocket Ship” and one the she calls “La La Song,” (some would call it “Celluloid Heroes”). The latter is one of many songs in the catalog that ponders the meaning and nature of celebrity, juxtaposing the escapist appeal of old-time Hollywood (Celluloid heroes never feel any pain,and celluloid heroes never really die) with the scenes each of us create simply by living each day (Everybody’s a dreamer, everybody’s a star. Everybody’s in movies, it doesn’t matter who you are).

In these months of social distancing, so much of what usually transpires in public spaces has instead been happening in our homes and shared online, in real time or otherwise. And so I find one line jumps out each time Rosie asks me to play the song again: There are stars in every city, in every house, and on every street. I’ve thought about it every time I’ve used Prep’s social media channels to share a video check-in from a student or teacher working from home. I’ve thought about it during every weekly faculty/staff Zoom meeting, seeing my friends and colleagues in their little boxes, continuing our work in places and ways we wouldn’t have imagined in the fall. I certainly thought about it a lot as I drove up and down the streets of Union and Somerset Counties, delivering diplomas and yard signs to the homes of some of our seniors.

It was once, not so long ago, tempting to think of being Saint Peter’s Prep as something that happens primarily in a specific place—144 Grand Street, Jersey City, N.J., 07302—and with my love of the “Grand & Warren” metonym I’ve probably done a lot to reinforce that thinking myself. But the experience of this winter (together on campus) and this spring (scattered by COVID-19) has reminded us that Prep happens wherever two or three are gathered, even if we are only gathered virtually. It happened at MetLife Stadium, when Coach Rich Hansen reminded his team to“be Saint Peter’s Prep” before they brought home the state championship. It happened in department meetings as plans for distance learning came together this winter. It happened in homes throughout New Jersey as teachers and students and parents adapted to new routines. It happened in Massachusetts, as Jerry Sheehan, ’48 generously offered to help Prep families cope with unexpected financial struggles. It happened as we gathered virtually in prayer—for Holy Week in April, for our seniors in May, for racial justice in June.

A summer of extensive planning and preparation lies ahead as we look to re-center our daily experience at Grand & Warren to the extent possible, shaped by ever-evolving conditions and the health and safety guidelines that go with them. But this past semester, and the stories in these pages, remind us we need to take a broader view. As much Pride and Glory we may feel when we think of Prep, the physical place, it is the people and not the buildings who are the real stars in this 148-year saga. Being Saint Peter’s Prep means being together even when we are apart. Being Saint Peter’s Prep happens in every city, in every house, and on every street.

Mike Jiran, ’03 Director of Communications

Volume 30 - Number 2

Spring-Summer 2020

Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 President Jim DeAngelo, ’85 Principal

Mike Jiran, ’03 Editor

John Irvine, ’83, P’11 Sports Editor

Gen. Ed Daly, ’83 Jim DeAngelo, ’85 Russell Fiorella Trish Fitzpatrick, P’07,’16

Russell Jenkins

Jim Hollywood, ’66 Jim Horan, ’70

Mike Murcia, ’08 Contributors

Mark Wyville, ’76, P’11,’18 Select Photography

Mace Duncan Ohleyer | Hotplate Original Design Concept

Mike Jiran, ’03 Layouts and Additional Photography

Prep Magazine is a publication of the Office of Communications of Saint Peter’s Preparatory School. It is distributed in print, free of charge, to Prep alumni, faculty, staff and parents, and online at spprep.org/prepmag

Copyright © 2020, Saint Peter’s Prep. All publication rights reserved.

CONTACT US:

Alumni Relations: alumni@spprep.org or 201-547-6413 Communications: info@spprep.org or 201-547-2308

ON THE COVER: When “Together”was chosen as the theme for the 2019-20 school year at Prep, no one could have known just how meaningful it would become. This giant banner was just one reminder that Prep (and Jersey City) remained together, even as the pandemic forced us all to be apart.

Photo by Mike Jiran

Together, Separately Dispatches from a spring semester like no other in Prep’s history Feature 8 Not Immediately, but Eventually Prep Football’s state championship season was a lesson in perseverance. Its final five minutes were iconic. Its value as a metaphor for the school year as a whole only became clear months later.

Grand A religion teacher’s semester abroad; a virtual sleepout for Covenant House; celebrating the families of the Prep family.

To Whom Much is Given Admidst economic turmoil, Jerry Sheehan, ’48 once again comes through for Prep familes in need of tuition support.

Soccer and Basketball take county titles; Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Swimming defend them.

Alumni

Jersey City kid becomes a four-star general; Class of ’55 tele-lunches; Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes an eclectic class.

General Instruction

In December, Maj. Gen. George Smith, ’66, spent a day at Prep talking to the math classes of his Prep classmate, Jim Hollywood ’66. Gen. Smith spoke to three of Mr. Hollywood’s classes on the topic of Tradition, Leadership, and Teamwork, both at Prep and in the military.

After graduating from Prep, General Smith attended Saint Peter's University, and then its co‑op program in engineering with another Jesuit institution, the University of Detroit. General Smith has received two Master's Degrees and attended several Army programs, including Ranger School, while serving in the U.S. Army. General Smith started his 30 year military career in the Saint Peter's University ROTC program, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation from the University of Detroit.

General Smith's last assignment was at the Pentagon, and he continues to make his home in northern Virginia today. He is an avid bicyclist and has taken multiple multi day bike trips throughout the United States and many foreign countries.

Mr. Hollywood looks forward to having General Smith return every year to speak to his classes of Prep freshmen.

Practice, Practice, Practice

This past winter, two members of the Class of 2021 earned honors for their musical performances and played on prestigious stages. In December, Thomas DaCosta Lobo, ’21 auditioned for the NJMEA Regional I Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band and was selected as a mallet percussionist. He performed in the ensemble’s 68th Annual Concert at Parsippany Hills High School in January.

Joshua Sumague, ’21 placed first in the Crescendo International Piano Competition, and performed in February in the Crescendo Winners’ Recital at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Recital Hall. This was Joshua’s third performance at Carnegie Hall!

’21,

Prep’s Summer Scholar

Tomek Botwicz, ‘21 was one of just 39 rising seniors statewide selected to participate in the 2020 New Jersey Scholars Program at the Lawrenceville School. Now in its 44th year, the NJSP brings a diverse group of students together to experience “a free, ungraded, diverse, inclusive, and residential interdisciplinary learning environment that sharpens critical thinking, writing, and research skills, stimulates a desire for life long learning, and fosters lasting interpersonal connections.”

Guidance counselors at New Jersey high schools nominate students of extraordinary demonstrated academic potential, with a maximum of two nominees per school each year. Nominees are invited to submit an application, which includes essays, a paper written for a class, a letter of recommendation and a transcript. From this pool, semifinalists are selected for an intensive group interview. In a sign of the times, this year’s interviews were conducted via Zoom rather than on the Lawrenceville campus.

The interdisciplinary curriculum encourages students to make connections rather than distinctions between different areas of learning. Working with faculty drawn from colleges and universities around the world, students participate in lectures and small group seminars, complete extensive reading and research, write essays, and work closely with a faculty member to produce a 10 15 page interdisciplinary research paper relating to the program’s theme for the year. This year’s theme is Mind and Body: The Future of Being Human

Joshua Sumague,

during one of his previous Carnegie Hall appearances, in the Weill Recital Hall.

A Family Celebration

It’s only fitting that the Mother Son Dance was one of the last major Prep gatherings before the switch to distance learning. After all, the “MomProm” is a celebration of the families that make up the Prep family—not to mention one of the largest single Prep events of the year. Few would have realized back on March 1 that families would become such a part of day to day Prep life, or that the meaning of being “together” as one Prep family would shift so much, in just two weeks’ time. More than 500 moms and sons flocked to the Venetian to continue a tradition that has grown year after year for more than two decades. Some of the usual highlights included seniors gifting their moms with roses, and each mom receiving a note of thanks from her son(s). Another special moment came when Mrs. Irene Gomez, P’84,’87,’91 made a cameo appearance via speakerphone while her youngest son, Prep President Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91, gave his welcoming remarks. Mrs. Gomez reminded all the students on hand to dance with their moms, extended congratulations to the recently crowned county champion basketball team, and forgave Dr. Gomez for not wearing a tie to the event, proving a mother’s love is truly boundless!

Sleeping Out (Virtually) for Covenant House

Following the 2018 19 Arrupe Week on Homelessness, Campus Ministry hosted a Sleep Out for Covenant House of New Jesey, raising more than $13,000 for the organization’s efforts to assist young people experiencing homelessness in our area. It was also a valuable learning experience, providing an opportunity for group discussion and guest speakers before the participants spent the night in Prep’s gym.

So it was only natural that hopes were running high for a repeat of that success in April 2020...until COVID 19 forced the postponement of the 2020 Sleep Out (not to mention this year’s Arrupe Week, whose topic was to be Education). Amazingly, though, Prep was able to organize a meaningful and successful virtual event in late May.

Over the course of the night, 33 students heard the stories of young people who transitioned out of homelessness with Covenant House’s support, learned about the essential work Covenant House does, and wrote letters to encourage front line staff who are still working to support their clients. At the end of the night everyone “slept out” in their own way—some in backyards or on porches, others in living rooms and bedroom floors. On Saturday morning the participants gathered for a closing reflection and prayer, all looking a little groggy but clearly impacted by the experience.

“I want to share a huge thank you to everyone for supporting us and praying for us through this event,” wrote John Dougherty, Director of Campus Ministry. “I honestly cannot express how inspiring it was to see this Sleep Out happen, after thinking for quite a while that we would have to cancel. Obviously I should never underestimate the dedication and resilience of the Prep community—especially our students!”

Global Education: Not Just for Students!

Although it remains an open question what “global education” will look like in the next school year, forming global connections remains a key component of Prep’s educational outlook...and it’s not only students who build those bridges. This past fall, Prep’s global programming exchanged Russell Fiorella of the Religion Department with Pablo Sitges of Jesuites Sarria Sant Ignasi in Barcelona.

Mr. Fiorella lived abroad for three months teaching English classes to high school aged students who tackled advanced grammatical concepts, composed creative writing pieces, and participated in group discussions about American and Spanish culture, fears, love, politics, dreams, and all the best things about living and going to school in Jersey City and Barcelona. He also taught a largely project based course on the European Union to gaggles of inventive eighth grade level students who used a variety of tools, from popsicle sticks to Minecraft, to build 3 D models, colorful diagrams, informational posters, and witty video presentations.

When not teaching, Mr. Fiorella was usually getting lost in Barcelona’s medieval streets, attending high profile football matches at Barcelona Football Club’s storied Camp Nou Stadium, or solo traveling to cities within and beyond Spain’s borders like Madrid, Toledo, Girona, Athens, Nuremberg and Cologne. Grand cathedrals and opulent shrines, tasty cuisines and elegant art galleries, ancient ruins and centuries on top of centuries of history, all added color to his experience. Fortunately, there were opportunities to slow down as well! In December, Mr. Fiorella accompanied students from Jesuit schools across Spain to Taize, France, to visit a world renowned monastery where worship and prayer is almost always sung rather than spoken. The gift of prayer, reflection and long, peaceful walks through France’s countryside proved the perfect change of pace!

Reflecting more on the experience now, Mr. Fiorella believes the most meaningful moments were those shared with others: enjoying dinners with colleagues and families connected to Sant Ignasi’s community, hiking from dawn to dusk with newfound friends in the dazzlingly beautiful valley of Puigcerda, building relationships with students each day in the classroom, walking in the footsteps of St. Ignatius in the serrated mountains of Montserrat or sitting beside him in the cave at Manresa. He explains:

I’m grateful to have experienced the best of what Saint Peter’s Prep and the global network of Jesuit schools has to offer its educators, now and moving forward: an opportunity to experience real depth within oneself and in others.Teaching in a different context has deepened my craft as a classroom educator and I believe similarly taught students from both institutions a few powerful lessons. I look back with a smile at every time a young woman or man struggled to communicate a sentence in English or attempted to explain “how things are done here,” not only because it almost always made us giggle, but because we were meeting each other in a strange place.That’s exactly how immersing oneself in a different context is supposed to feel! These beautifully awkward experiences have the power to reveal and to teach. I can say my students and I were pushed to be more comfortable with being vulnerable and that taking risks together is a lot less scary than taking risks alone; we came to see clearer the richness of learning from failure, to be more aware of what is out of our control, to recognize the value of listening and questioning rather than telling and making statements, and how differences between our experiences make for stimulating conversation.

This experience not only gives me great excitement for what more is possible between Prep and Sant Ignasi, but also great hope and confidence in the critical role exchanges between Jesuit, Catholic schools will have in shaping future global citizens and good humans who must enter into an increasingly connected world. I look forward to witnessing how Saint Peter’s community will continue reaching across the globe to our brothers and sisters in the Jesuit network and learning more about what God’s Greater Glory has in store for each of our teachers and students as well as all of us, together.

ABOVE: “Ignatius in Contemplation” at the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona. LEFT: Sant Ignasi has partnered with Prep on student exchanges for several years. Last fall’s teacher exchange was the next step.

RIGHT: Mr. Fiorella with his students from Sant Ignasi.

A World of Welcome

Prior to the shift to distance learning in March, visiting students and teachers from Prep’s Jesuit partner schools were once again a common sight at Grand & Warren, in keeping with recent tradition. Our 2019 20 visitors are pictured on this page, top to bottom:

• Eleven students and two teachers from Sant Ignasi in Barcelona, Spain arrived in late September.

• Ten students and two teachers from Le Caousou in Toulouse arrived in late October.

• Fourteen students and one teacher from Istituto Gonzaga in Palermo arrived in November, allowing the Italian students the additional opportunity to experience the Thanksgiving holiday with their host families.

• Ten students and two teachers from Colegio de la Inmaculada in Lima arrived in January.

All four exchange groups enjoyed a blend of on and off campus activities, both with their Prep hosts and on their own.

Picture Perfect!

The 2019 Prep Fashion Show, Lights, Camera, Fashion was a great success, not to mention a great time! The long running event’s new setting at The Venetian in Garfield proved picture perfect for the 450 guests on hand. With over 250 baskets raffled, plus Swag Bags filled with goodies, everyone walked away a winner. On the runway, 28 Men of Prep and 14 Sisters of Prep modeled formal and casual looks by Morilee by Madeline Gardner, Tuxedos by Rose, Berek Collection and Oran Boutique.

Special thanks to the many guests, tricky tray donors, and supporters, especially co chairs Kathleen Musico, P’21, Denise O’Brien, P’21, Claudia Ross, P’20, and Beth Toolen, P’21, whose leadership and guidance helped execute a wonderful event.

LEFT: The Sisters of Prep and the formal Men of Prep. BELOW: Joseph Doody, ’20 and Mimi McVey complete their turn on the runway. BOTTOM: The casual Men of Prep

Woman for Others: Virginia Piccolo

by Trish Fitzpatrick, P’07,’16

Virginia Piccolo made history when she was appointed Prep’s first CFO in February of 2019, succeeding Jack Caulfield, ’71, P’01,’03 as head of Prep’s finance office. A native of Paterson, she attended public grammar school and then Mary Help of Christians for high school.

Virginia started her career as a Junior Accountant in a small private company, United Weight Control Corp. in Englewood Cliffs. She then moved on to a mid size public accounting firm, Lerch, Vinci & Higgins. This boutique firm specialized in municipal, non profit, and real estate accounting work. As she recounts: “I studied all week long and weekends, working toward my CPA and RMA. Life was not that fun!” After becoming fully credentialed, she made a move to Schonbraun, Safris, McCann, Bekritsky & Co, a larger firm, which broadened her experience in accounting and tax work.

After having spent years in the northern part of New Jersey, she made a move to Monmouth County and spent 18 years at the firm WithumSmith+Brown. There she rose through the ranks to become a partner. She particularly enjoyed working with clients in the nonprofit sector, such as private schools and charitable organizations. After many years of success there, she began to contemplate a next step, and perhaps a call to do something different. Although she loved the client relationship aspect of her work, she discerned that a life in public accounting, demanding as it may be, was perhaps not giving her the fulfillment she sought.

This period of reevaluation led her to the realization that dealing with schools had been one of her favorite aspects of her work. When she spotted the Prep job and saw that she met the desired qualifications, Virginia took the big step of applying for her first job in 18 years indeed, the first job for which she ever applied. She took the long drive up the Parkway to Jersey City and met with then President Ken Boller, S.J., and members of Prep’s Board of Trustees. That Christmas, after making a few more trial runs of the commute, she accepted Prep’s offer with great excitement. When asked about her observations of the Prep atmosphere, she reflects that it is different from her former life: “Everyone is happy at Prep; they love what they do, and it is more than a job. This is culture shock in the best way possible.” Time spent with Jack Caulfield, Kate Ford, Jess Norton, Diane McCabe, and Marisol Albino ensured a very smooth transition. She comments on how supportive the department is, and how comforting to know that Jack is just “a phone call away.”

An avid theater and opera lover, Virginia has joined Saint Peter’s Prep Performing Arts Club (SPPAC) for several performances. She enjoys the opportunity to get to know the students, which isn’t really part of her “day job.” She can also be seen enthusiastically cheering on sports teams at Prep and attending as many events with parents as she can. During her long commute, she takes time to catch up with friends and family on the telephone, and in particular uses that time to strategize with Prep President Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91. The relationship between president and CFO at Prep is a critically important one, and Prep is in the unique position of having both key roles being filled only recently. Dr. Gomez says: “It’s awesome to work with Virginia! She is great at what she does, and she has fallen in love with Prep. She also is really funny.”

Prep’s Board Chair, Philip McGovern, ’76, reflects: Virginia had large shoes to fill when she took over the role of Vice President for Finance from Jack Caulfield. Not only has the transition been seamless, but Virginia has enhanced the position given her substantial background and experiences in the public accounting field during her years with WithumSmith+Brown, one of the most highly regarded of the national public accounting firms.Virginia’s businesslike approach to matters, coupled with her affability and warmth, made her the perfect candidate to succeed Jack.We are fortunate to have someone of her caliber here at Prep.

The final word comes from Virginia Piccolo herself, who says: “God led me to Prep.”

As the clock ran down, as the team swarmed onto the field, as Coach Rich Hansen and company hoisted the trophy, something happened: what might have seemed impossible midway through the fourth quarter, and what felt like a razor-thin margin for hope with a minute to go, now, in retrospect, looked inevitable. It was always going to be this way. It had to. These Marauders, who time and again wore their hearts on their sleeves as their fans watched with their hearts in their throats, had to win it this way, had to write the Hollywood ending to a season full of plot twists, had to dig deep for one last ounce of Prep Magic and come up victorious. It had become their identity and their destiny.

Not Immediately, But Eventually

THE ROAD TO METLIFE

The seeds had been planted on a hot afternoon in Oradell back in September. Coming off season opening wins over Millville and Erasmus Hall, Prep had played 46 minutes of back and forth football at Bergen Catholic in their first division matchup of the year. But with 1:55 to play, a Bergen touchdown and two point conversion had put the Marauders down 30 27. Two plays later, quarterback Tahj Bullock, ’21 found himself in an unenviable position: third down and 23 after being sacked at his own 14 yard line, with just 1:19 on the clock. And then, as though someone had flipped a switch, Prep’s offense sprung back to life. Bullock found Jelani Mason, ’20 for a 36 yard gain, and a 15 yard penalty put the ball in Bergen territory. A few plays later, it was Bullock to Mason again, this time for a 26 yard touchdown and the win.

Three weeks later, with Union City and DePaul in the rearview mirror, the setting and the opponent had changed. But the final minutes vs. Don Bosco at Caven Point looked eerily familiar. The Ironmen had battled back from a deficit of their own, and grabbed a 22 19 lead with just under three minutes left. Working against the clock to strike back,

by Mike Jiran, ’03

Bullock again found himself with a tall order if he wanted to move the chains: 4th and 19 near midfield. Under pressure from the Ironmen in the pocket, the intrepid QB bought some breathing room with a pump fake before unloading a bomb down the left sideline to Zyeiar Miller, ’21 in heavy traffic. Miller willed his way to a 39 yard gain, and one play later it looked so easy: Ethan Rodriguez, ’21 took the handoff and ran 21 yards to put Prep on top to stay.

“Tahj, as he does so often, turned chicken feathers into chicken salad,” Coach Hansen told the Record after the game. Prep, now 6 0, continued to feast on opponents one way or another. The Marauders took wins over Paramus Catholic and Pope John in their stride. Although Saint Joseph Regional handed Prep their first loss to close out the regular season, another goal was checked off: defending the United Red Division title.

After a bye week, Prep was back in action at Caven Point, hosting Notre Dame in a wild one that saw Prep reel off 23 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Bullock completed 16 of 22 passes for 296

yards, 50 of which came on a touchdown pass to Miller. Also finding the end zone for Prep were Byron Shipman, ’20, Jelani Mason, Paul Lefkowitz, ’20, Tyion Smith, ’21, and Jaylan Sanchez, ’22. Notre Dame tried some Bullockesque fourth quarter heroics of their own, with two touchdowns closing the gap to 8 points before Prep’s defense slammed the door. Prep 43 Notre Dame 35, and one last home win needed to reach MetLife Stadium.

In the semifinal vs. Saint Augustine, Prep wasted no time pulling out to a 14 0 lead, but the Hermits, fresh off an upset win over Seton Hall Prep, were not about to go quietly. Early in the fourth quarter, Saint Augustine’s Kenneth Selby intercepted a Bullock pass and ran it back for a touchdown. For the first time all night, the Marauders trailed, 28 21. A few possessions later, though, after G.J. Mazella, ’20 forced a fumble, recovered by Andrew Robinson, ’20, Prep had a golden opportunity to strike back. Right on cue, Bullock found Byron Shipman for a 60 yard touchdown, evening the score at 28. A David Benoit, ’20, interception gave Prep possession once more with about a minute and a half to play, and once again Bullock and company went to work. In the end, #12 took it himself, smashing over the goal line with one second left in regulation. Prep was headed back to the state final!

JUST BE SAINT PETER’S PREP

A clear, frigid night in the Meadowlands. Prep was now one win away from the state championship. Hansen’s pregame message to his players was simple: “We fight this fight, not because of who’s in front of us, but because of who’s behind us. You have a whole lot of people behind you. The most important thing right now is that we play harder than they do. The most important thing right now is that we be Saint Peter’s Prep. Just be Saint Peter’s Prep.”

Cody Simon, ’20 drew first blood at the midpoint of the first quarter. The All American and Ohio State commit evaded a tackle at the Prep 35, hugged the sideline at the Prep 42, turned the corner at the 50 yard line, and then he was gone, not to be seen again until he ended his 70 yard punt return in the end zone. But by the end of the quarter, Bosco had answered and then taken a 14 7 lead. That’s where it stayed, and stayed, and stayed for most of the second half. The Prep crowd was getting anxious. Something had to give.

THE GREATEST FIVE MINUTES

As with so many great stories, there are many ways to tell this one. One option is to step back and introduce a character. Often this is someone who ordinarily lurks on the sidelines. In this case, it’s literally true.

Mark Wyville, ’76, P’11,’17 has been Prep’s go to sports photographer for more than 20 years, and throughout his career—from the rise of Bruce Springsteen to the thundering excitement of the Kentucky Derby to the heights of Prep Football heroics and everything in between— Mark has seen it all, and covered it all well. He’s also the picture of a cool customer, laid back and soft spoken. Suffice it to say he is not a man given to hyperbole. So when his first batch of images from that Saturday night arrived in the inboxes of several Prep administrators with a seven word note, it truly spoke volumes: “Greatest five minutes

in Prep football history!”

That final stanza began with a bang. As the clock wound down to 5:00 remaining in regulation, Bullock was taking matters into his own hands, smashing his way over the goal line for a rushing touchdown. It capped a 12 play, 73 yard drive, cutting the deficit to one point, 14 13. Hansen had a decision to make: play it safe and look to tie the game with the extra point, or take the risk of a 2 point conversion attempt in hopes of grabbing the lead.

But there was never really any question, was there? Not for this team, not on this night, not after those three prior fourth quarter comebacks. Bullock and the Prep offense lined up once again, and took care of business. The handoff to Mason was flawless, and #1 in maroon eluded the grasp of several Ironmen as he put Prep on top 15 14. For the sea of Prep fans that braved the cold, it would have been tempting to exhale. But five minutes with the thinnest of leads in hand can feel like an eternity, and the Ironmen were not going to go quietly. Sure enough, with just under a minute remaining, Bosco battled their way into field goal range. One way or another, this was sure to be a pivotal moment. The long snap seemed to hover in the air. Bosco kicker Justin Frey connected with his left foot. In more than one highlight reel, more than one cameraman followed the ball as it rose, and continued for a moment to pan toward the uprights...but the ball wasn’t in the shot! It had vanished. Call it Prep Magic.

BELOW LEFT: Tahj Bullock engineered more than his share of heroic comeback drives this season, and took matters into his own hands to complete the biggest drive of them all. This touchdown brought Prep within 1 with five minutes to play. BELOW RIGHT: Moments later, #1 scored 2 as Bullock’s handoff to Jelani Mason yielded the go-ahead 2-point conversion.

THE BLOCK. THE INTERCEPTION. THE END.

At the same moment Frey strode toward the ball, at the line of scrimmage, two figures in maroon broke through the wall of white. One reached skyward with yellow gloves, and the ball, just beginning to climb, struck him in the shoulder. It was Quentin Lemon, ’20. The other Marauder was Avery Powell, ’22, who cradled the loose ball on a hop, and hauled it in. His place in Prep Football lore lay just over a white line painted on the turf, 65 yards away, and he wasted no time in getting there. For the first time in more than three quarters, Prep once again led by 7. The lead would hold, thanks to a decisive interception by G.J. Mazzella that closed the book on any chance of a Bosco striking back. Prep 21 Bosco 14. One last magical comeback had capped this magical season. In a school year that began with Prep’s president, Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91, telling students the persistence to believe, “I will win, maybe not immediately, but eventually,” was essential to Prep’s identity, Prep Football had brought those words to life in spectacular fashion. Nobody could have known it at the time, of course, but in a school year that would end amid worldwide trepidation, the inspirational story of this team that refused to lose would take on even greater meaning. They had taken their coach’s words to heart: Just be Saint Peter’s Prep.

NJ.com Team of the Year

All-American: Cody Simon USA Today All-State Tahj Bullock (first team off.); Cody Simon (first team def.); Jelani Mason and Isaiah Wright (second team off.); Ben Silver and George Rooks (second team def.)

NJ.com All-State Cody Simon (first team def.); Tahj Bullock (second team off.); George Rooks (third team def.)

NJ.com All-Non Public Tahj Bullock and Jelani Mason (first team off).; George Rooks and Cody Simon (first team def.); Isaiah Wright (second team off.); Ben Silver (second team def.); Byron Shipman (third team off.)

Hudson Reporter All-Area Tahj Bullock, Paul Lefkowitz, Byron Shipman, Jelani Mason, Zyeiar Miller, Isaiah Wright, K.J. Miles, Alexander Prescott (off.) Ben Silver, Juan Miranda, George Rooks, Cody Simon, Andrew Robinson, Colin Elliott, G.J. Mazzella (def.)

Hudson

Hudson

Hudson

Educating

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Quentin Lemon (#7) blocks the Bosco field goal attempt. Avery Powell (#29) would recover. Powell celebrates his 65-yard return for a touchdown. G.J. Mazella’s interception assured Bosco would not strike back. Coach Hansen and Dr. Gomez drive the trophy home to Grand & Warren.

Reporter MVP/Offensive Player of the Year Tahj Bullock

Reporter Defensive Player of the Year Cody Simon

Reporter Coach of the Year Rich Hansen

Athletes Coach of the Year Rich Hansen

It began with a simple phone conversation near the end of March—a call to check in with Prep’s largest benefactor, to see how he and his wife were coping during the coronavirus pandemic. It also was an opportunity to share some insights from Prep’s first two weeks of distance learning and working remotely.

The benefactor was Jerry Sheehan, ‘48, the founder and driving force behind the Sheehan Scholarship Program, and also a constant supporter of various other major initiatives on campus over the years.

On Prep’s end of the call was Dr. Gomez and a few colleagues who coordinate the Sheehan Program.

After catching up on various issues, the topic turned to how Prep’s families—similar to various other families around the country, if not the world—were affected by the pandemic. Logistically, of course, everyone’s world was being turned upside down, and Prep was no different. That said, teachers were teaching, students were learning, and parents, for the most part, were coping with the new “domestic classrooms” in their homes.

Financially, however, it was a different story. Like families everywhere, layoffs and furloughs were taking their toll, with a number of parents struggling to keep up with the mortgage—as well as with tuition payments.

After asking a number of questions regarding the depth of the problem, Jerry invited Dr. Gomez to suggest ways that he could assist both Prep and the families in distress.

A week later, in a follow up call with Dr. Gomez and Jim Horan, Vice President for Planning & Principal Giving, the parameters of a potential new gift took shape. Jerry made it clear that he wanted to make a gift that would have three functions: support the 2020 Annual Fund, thus helping the school budget to finish in the black at the June 30 completion of the fiscal year; provide significant support for families whose economic circumstances were being deeply affected by the coronavirus; and, of particular importance to him, provide a compelling incentive for others to support Prep at this time of extreme institutional need.

The result was the Sheehan Challenge Grant, which would provide a gift of $800,000 if Prep itself could raise that same amount in the

remaining eleven weeks of the fiscal year. After some discussion, it was agreed that the challenge would include new gifts to three components of Prep’s budget—namely, the Annual Fund, as well as the Grand Gala and the restricted funds that directly support tuition assistance. Since the objective was to provide immediately accessible funds, the challenge would not include gifts to the endowment.

In typical fashion, after discussing the details, Jerry proclaimed succinctly, “Let’s just get it done.”

And, indeed, Prep got it done to a degree that was close to unthinkable just a few months earlier. As of June 30, the close of the fiscal year, gifts toward the Sheehan Challenge totalled $1,038,881, with a few other pledged gifts totaling $200,000+ expected to arrive a few days later.

Of course, this fundraising success did not occur in a vacuum. From the earliest hours of this challenge grant, Prep made it an institutional priority, mobilizing its efforts to communicate this incredible offer to the school’s various alumni, parents and friends. Both the Prep Gala and the Annual Fund were re branded to include the Sheehan Challenge, while Dr. Gomez, Jim Horan, Kate Lillis Magnus (Director of Annual Giving) and other members of the Advancement Office began personal outreaches that incorporated this new incentive.

“Some opportunities are so important, so vital to Prep’s ongoing stability, that anything less than a 100% effort would not be acceptable,” Dr. Gomez noted. “Fortunately, from the first days, a number of people stepped up in terms of their support, led by members of the board of trustees. It is incredibly gratifying on so many levels.”

Jim Horan pointed to the fact that donors at all financial levels became involved, “which is a helpful offset to those previous supporters who themselves were experiencing financial distress.” He added, “As usual, Prep folks ‘got it’ in terms of seeing the big picture and understanding what a challenge grant of this scope means to the school. They knew that $800,000 was an awful lot of money to leave on the table...and their response was awesome.”

Together,Separately: DistanceLearningDispatches

On Thursday afternoon, March 12, Grand & Warren was abuzz with activity as usual. On Friday morning, Prep’s distancelearning protocol whose development (and the COVID-19 pandemic that necessitated it) had seemed so abstract even a month prior became the new reality.

For a minimum of two weeks, a school year whose theme was “Together” would take place in the individual homes of students, teachers, and administrators. It wasn’t long, of course, before two weeks became a month, and a month became the rest of the year. These are just a few of the many stories of how the Prep family stayed “Together,” at a distance.

Lab Partners for and with Others

As the pandemic began to grip the United States, one of the initial challenges that emerged was the shortage of personal protective equipment facing hospitals and healthcare practi tioners. One week after distance learning began at Prep, the science department donated a significant stockpile of otherwise idle safety supplies to four area hospitals, joining similar efforts from schools and other institutions throughout the region. Working together (at a safe distance), members of Prep’s faculty and staff gathered and delivered more than 250 boxes of nitrile gloves and 200 pairs of lab goggles.

“Working at Prep instills the ideal of being men and women for others,” explained Catie Eppler, assistant department chair, who played a major part in organizing the effort. “It’s important to always take the opportunity to help those in need, and right now, gloves and goggles are essential to keep health care staff safe.”

Fellow science teacher, Alex Canale, ’05, added, “Safety isn’t an idea; it’s an action. These things don’t help anyone sitting on the shelves while we’re in distance learning mode, but they will help the people who need them to stay safe.”

Ms. Eppler personally helped to collect the materials from the Moriarty Science Center labs and made deliveries to Jersey City Medical Center and Christ Hospital in Jersey City as well as Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York. She extended special thanks to colleagues who worked to make this potentially life saving donation a reality, including Tom Comey, science department chair, Maureen Sheppard, R.N., school nurse, Jerry Davis, operations, and Erin Stark, math department chair.

One for the Books

Generations of alumni are familiar with the library as a repository of books and magazines and a quiet place to study. In recent years, the Siperstein Library has added ever more digital databases and ebooks that proved invaluable to our students and teachers during the COVID shutdown. Students were able to work on research papers as planned since Prep’s librarians, Will Reese and Sky Friedlander, quickly worked to expand the Library’s digital offerings to facilitate this work and conducted hundreds of individual online sessions to guide students through these academic rites of passage. Mr. Reese and Ms. Friedlander also created a library YouTube channel (screenshot pictured) with reading recommendations, study tips, and more.

Hard Work, Good Work, Our Work...From Home

Once it became clear that the shutdown of campus would last beyond the original timeframe of two weeks announced on March 13, each Tuesday the Prep faculty and staff gathered digitally for a morning meeting that included updates about school operations and plans to bring the year to a close online as well opportunities to pray for and to congratulate one another. Although physically distant from one another, the opportunity to see the faces of our colleagues in their home environments and not classrooms or offices (along with occasional cameos from children and pets!) provided connections that are so much a feature of our everyday work at Grand & Warren.

A Banner Day on Warren Street

Together. It’s a simple, powerful message, and one that bears repeating in the best of times. And in these days of separation and isolation, it bears repeating louder and prouder. Together. Prep Strong. Jersey City Strong. In April, Prep families received a postcard with that message to hang in their homes. Later in the month, Prep’s operations staff installed a slightly larger version, which completely fills the space between the third and fourth floor windows of the English building. The 36 foot wide vinyl sheet recalls an old Prep tradition of hanging banners from the building in advance of a big game…but instead of taunting an athletic rival, this time the message is one of unity. Prep principal Jim DeAngelo, ’85 described it as “a beacon,” visible from blocks away. The banners (another, smaller one faces Grand Street from the wall of O’Keefe Commons, and a third faces York Street from the Moriarty Science Center) were meant to be not only a rallying point for the Prep family as this unprecedented school year wound down, but also a tribute to essential workers and first responders in Jersey City, many of whom have Prep connections of their own. “We are in awe of all the people on the front lines,” said Prep president Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91. “As always, we are proud to be located in the heart of Jersey City. Our students come from every town in Hudson County and some 135 other communities in our state. In this time of turmoil, we are together as one Prep family.”

A Guide in Uncharted Waters

The members of Prep’s Guidance and a College Counseling Department held a videoconference each morning throughout the shutdown. A group of professionals used to collaborating with each other, they used the time to check in on each other as well as prepare that day's group guidance sessions with students across all years, which also continued throughout the shutdown as live, synchronous meetings. These sessions provided a con tinuity of care that focused on student mental health and adjusting to the social isolation many students felt as a result of the stay at home order, encouraging continued engagement with academic work that took on a wholly different form, as well as helping seniors through the last step of the college application process: deciding which college to attend next year even with the uncertainty of what the fall would bring. Additionally, Prep’s counselors also conducted individual support sessions, providing much needed support to students whose family members sadly fell ill or succumbed to COVID 19. Cura personalis remained a feature of the student experience even in distance learning mode.

Helping Hands-Off

Christian service is an integral (and ever growing) part of the Prep student experience, and community organizations throughout the region have come to rely on the support of Prep students. Although social distancing measures aren’t exactly compatible with the type of direct service work Prep students are accustomed to performing, Campus Ministry wasted no time in establishing a “hands off service” program.

In response to the greater than ever needs of Prep’s community partner organizations for donations of food, clothing, and other items, this initially meant an opportunity for students to earn service hours by collecting and delivering donations in person or donating goods online. As the semester rolled on, additional opportunities included assisting elderly Jersey City residents with outdoor chores, sending crafts and cards to nursing home residents, and collecting environmental data in Jersey City. “Service is an important part of Prep, even when we’re not on campus,” John Dougherty, director of Campus Ministry, explained. “We wanted to give our students a way to support our community partners and do some good, while also making sure that they’re staying safe and healthy. As always, our guys rose to the challenge and I know our partners really appreciate it!”

Prep’s Own Front Line

While discussions of the past few months have spoken about the “shutdown” of school and social media accounts were filled with images of empty classrooms, gyms, and cafeterias, one group of Prep’s employees never stopped coming to downtown Jersey City: our Operations staff. In the first days of the shutdown, they re doubled their efforts to clean and disinfect every corner of our sprawling campus. As the weeks passed, they ensured that all of our ventilation, heating and life safety systems remained operational, while simultaneously learning new personal safety and cleaning protocols. Under the direction of Director of Operations Kevin Albers, they also took advantage of our empty buildings to get a jump start on campus improvement projects that usually take place during the summer.

A Global Perspective

As the COVID 19 pandemic traveled across Europe in early winter, our exchange partner schools there began to deal with the devastating effects of the virus and necessary shutdowns before we did. Their contacts with us at the time, including how they planned to continue their instruction, proved useful to us as the public policy conversation here quickly turned from remaining open (and dealing with the illness) to shutting down schools and businesses as a means to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the virus. As New York and New Jersey began to emerge as global epicenters of the disease’s terrible effects, friends and colleagues at our partner schools in Europe and South America watched with a particular sadness as news reports carried images of makeshift morgues outside hospitals, a field hospital in Central Park and the sounds of sirens echoing through the streets they had visited earlier this school year as part of their exchange visits. And, just as their experiences helped to inform our distance learning plans, their return to school in some places this spring under new social distancing requirements likewise helped our early thinking around a return to campus this fall.

Lifelong Learning, at a Distance

Throughout the shutdown, members of the faculty and staff have attended and participated in hundreds of different webinars and online meetings, all aimed at gathering ideas and best practices from our colleagues at schools around the country and across the globe. The shared experience of closing schools at this time provided educators with unprecedented opportunities to draw on the wisdom, knowledge and experience of the global community of educators and reinforced in very real and concrete ways that we were, indeed, all in this together. The learning continues this summer as the topics of those webinars have turned to developing schedules and teaching practices that will bridge in person, hybrid, and fully online learning that all educators expect to occur in the coming school year.

Class of 2020: Our Pride & Our Glory

The tradition of Prep seniors receiving congratulatory signs to display in their yards or apartment windows began six years ago with a simple question: why not? Prep Communications Director Mike Jiran, ’03 noticed other schools’ signs proliferating on suburban lawns shortly after his move to Cranford. Why couldn’t Prep do it, but do it even better? With the admissions, alumni, and principal’s offices on board, the signs, a gift from Prep to each graduate, were an instant hit with senior families. A rite of spring was born.

With this spring at Prep upended by the pandemic, and the Class of 2020’s final weeks at Prep all but wiped out, finding ways to celebrate their many accomplishments at Grand & Warren took on new importance. First of all, could they still get their signs? The answer, once again: why not? With contactless home delivery becoming part of the new normal for everything else, why not Prep yard signs, too? A cadre of faculty and staff volunteers eagerly agreed to make the rounds, and Trish Fitzpatrick, P’07,’16, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, set about organizing the delivery routes. By a stroke of patented Prep Magic, the yard signs were ready for delivery just as diplomas were being prepared. Principal Jim DeAngelo, ‘85 invited the faculty and staff volunteers to deliver the diplomas as well, adding a personal touch that simply mailing the diplomas could never have matched.

Joe Giglio, ‘87, Prep’s Director of Guidance and College Counseling, delivered diplomas and signs in some Essex county towns. He said: “At a time like this, it means so much to me to be able to see some of our seniors and to let them and their families know we love them. Seeing families celebrate as diplomas were presented, it was easy to see the emotions even behind masks.”

As Prep’s families are far flung, residing in over 135 different towns, some deliveries took some extra effort. Dr. Michael Gomez, ’91, even ventured onto the subway to deliver a diploma to New York resident Thomas Cahill, ’20. Nick Gronda, ’20, a third generation Prep man, lives in Pompton Plains, in the northeastern corner of Morris County. Nick’s parents, Rick, ’89, and Melissa, siblings, and grandfather Richard F. Gronda, ’59, P’86,’89,’90, (Prep Legend, Class of 2005) were on hand to congratulate the newest graduate. “Thank you to Prep and Trish Fitzpatrick for bringing a little certainty in this uncertain time,” the Grondas wrote. “We can always count on the Marauders. It was a very special moment for Nick and the rest of the Gronda alumni and family. AMDG.”

In addition to these mini commencements that unfolded in front yards around the state, the celebration of the Class of 2020 continued with an online prayer service on May 21, the originally scheduled graduation day, as well as the unveiling of three large banners on the exterior of the Prep gym (pictured on the back cover), congratulating each graduate by name. As of this writing, a modified graduation ceremony was set to take place in two separate sessions on Prep’s James F. Keenan, S.J. Field on July 14 (More to come in the fall Prep Magazine!)

SoccerAfter a disappointing finish to 2018, Prep soccer entered the 2019 season looking to make a statement, and did just that. The Marauders took the Hudson County championship and finished the season 14 7 1 overall, good for the #14 overall ranking in the state, and #9 in Non Public A.

Prep defeated Kearny, 2 1, in a thrilling final to capture the Marauders’ third ever county championship and first since 2016. The season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non Public A tournament, where the team fell to Don Bosco Prep, 3 0.

The Marauders were led once again by Antonio Callegari, who scored 26 goals and 12 assists this season. Callegari, the Hudson County player of the year, finishes his career with 52 goals, 32 assists. Anthony Warmuz was also a key contributor, adding 15 goals and five assists.

Gabe Guedez had 10 goals and four assists while Jacob Bacha had 14 assists. Andrew Cherry led the charge in the net with 55 saves while Alex Novak added 23 saves.

Coach Josh Jantas, ’95 was named Hudson County Coach of the Year.

Cross Country

Prep Cross Country won a third straight Hudson County championship, successfully defended the Jersey City and South Hudson crowns, and reached the Meet of Champions for the third year in a row. The Marauders finished the season ranked 14th in the state and second in Non Public A. Edwin Klanke led the charge once again, setting a new school and Hudson County record in the 5k with a time of 15:19.90. He also went on to place second in Non Public A. Luke Bradley, Rodolfo Sanchez, Liam Concannon and Tyler Parrado were also key contributors to the Marauders’ success. With five of the top seven runners set to return, fall 2020 looks to be another strong season!

Antonio Callegari was named Hudson County Player of the Year and a first team all-Non Public A selection.

Basketball

The basketball team gave Prep fans some of the most memorable highlights of the winter season. With a record of 25 4, the Marauders finished #12 in the state rankings. Along the way, they won the Playaz Jingle Bells Jubilee, beat five Top 20 opponents, ended the regular season as the #1 seed in the Hudson County Tournament, and saw Coach Alex Mirabel reach the 100 win plateau at Prep. The team went on to win Prep’s first County Championship since 2011, defeating Marist in the finals. In the State Tournament, Prep earned a bye, then went on to defeat Seton Hall (55 49) and St. Joe’s Montvale (72 67) – advancing to the Non Public A Sectional Championship. A hard fought, double overtime loss to Bergen Catholic ended the memorable run.

Senior Will White and junior Ray Ford were selected first team All Hudson County. Sophomore Mark Armstrong won Hudson County Player of the Year. He was also third team All State and honorable mention for the MaxPreps Class of 2022 All American Team.

Water Polo

The Marauders scored first ever victories over perennial powers St. Benedict’s and Pingry. The team also spoiled Pennington’s homecoming celebration with a gritty double overtime win! Co captain Brian Mikovits was the Defensive Player of the Year while junior, Timothy Jimenez (pictured) led the team in goals and assists and was the team MVP.

Fencing

The fencers recorded impressive wins over Millburn (14 13) and Columbia (15 12) during their 9 3 winter season. Team captains Lucas Motir (epee), Alexander Wasden (foil) and Team MVP Robbie Walker (sabre) led the squad through to a tough State Tournament defeat to #2 Ridge.

Mark Armstrong (above) was Hudson County Player of the Year in his sophomore season. Will White (right) and Ray Ford were first team All-County selections.

Swimming

Led by senior captains David Gerges, Ben Norris, and Gabriel Orbe, Prep’s swimmers put together another impressive season. Facing its toughest schedule in years, the team defeated three top 20 schools and finished ranked #13 in New Jersey. Prep also finished a very respectable 9th at the National Catholic Swimming Championships.

Senior Gabe Orbe set three school records, earned first team All-County honors in three events, and was named first team-All State in the 100m butterfly. He is set to swim at Louisville next year.

Wrestling

The team went undefeated in Hudson County, capturing a ninth straight League Championship. Tim Jimenez (50 freestyle), Kevin Whitworth (100 freestyle), Gabe Orbe (500 freestyle) earned Individual First Team All County recognition. For relays, Henry Brown, Ethan Diaz, Griffin Wagner, Gabe Orbe (200 freestyle) and Gabe Orbe, Ben Norris, Henry Brown, Tim Jimenez (400 freestyle) were First Team All County.

Finishing 2nd overall in the 100 butterfly, at the Meet of Champions, Gabe Orbe went on to receive First Team All State recognition for that event. Orbe set school records in the 200 individual medley, 500 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.

BowlingThe varsity finished the season with a record of 8 5. Varsity captain Jack Rudolph placed third overall in the league with a high score of 267, a high series of 699 and an average of 202.8. Both Rudolph and Blaise Edwards, ’22 both placed in the top sixteen at the New Year’s High School Individual Tournament. Edwards went on to win the HCIAL Tournament in February.

After several years away from the mat, Coach Anthony Verdi, ’95 returned to guide Prep to a 13 8 record. The young squad scored impressive wins over St. Joe’s Montvale (36 36), Bound Brook (45 29) and West Morris (33 27). The Marauders placed second in District 16. Sean Rendeiro (36 6) and Patrick Adams (31 9) were District and Region Champions and were First Team All HCIAL. Alex Leon (28 12) and Donovan Chavis (16 7) were District Champions while finishing second in the Region. Both were also First Team All HCIAL. Angelo Pellicci (27 9), Felix Lettini (27 12), and Evan Scribner (23 13) placed in both the District and Region. All three were First Team All HCIAL selections.

Sophomore Blaise Edwards won the Hudson County individual tourney.

Senior Alex Leon (above left) and junior Sean Rendeiro (right) each earned their 100th career wins this season.

Indoor Track

Prep’s track team continued its dominance over its Jersey City and Hudson County rivals.The team secured its fourth straight County Title and ninth straight City Championship. The Marauders also defended (for the fifth consecutive year) the Hudson County Relay crown.

The shuttle hurdle team of Luqman Gbadamassi, David Mezzina, Fitzroy Ledgister, and Joey Morrone won the State Relay Title, with a time of 31.16, besting the former school record of 31.64. Rodolfo Sanchez (1600 & 3200 meters), Luqman Gbadamassi (55 meter hurdles), Joey Morrone (400 meters), Owen Fletcher (shot put), and Jaylen Sanchez (long jump) all received First Team All County honors.

HockeyThe combination of a challenging schedule, a relatively young team and some difficulty finding the back of the net, contributed to the 4 15 3 final record.There were several games, though (e.g. a midseason 4 4 tie with eventual State Champion CBA), where the team’s potential was on full display. Prep also notched an impressive 8 2 victory over Ocean Township on Senior Night at the Prudential Center, with freshman Cory Robinson getting a hat trick. The Marauders pulled off a State Playoff win over Paul VI; this time James Ryan scored a “natural” hat trick (3 straight goals).

The team’s leading scorer, Michael Canosa, ’20 (12 goals, 8 assists) earned All Conference Honorable Mention. James Ashe, ’20 was also an Honorable Mention selection.

Crew

In an 8-2 Senior Night win at the Prudential Center, freshman Cory Robinson’s hat trick stole the show.

This fall was a major transition season for the Marauder Crew. The team acquired a brand new shell for use by the JV 8+ just in time for the first weekend of racing. The Varsity 4+ saw great success throughout the season, opening with a 3rd place finish at the Head of the Passaic. The Freshman 8+ also had a great run, capping the season with a 3rd place finish at the Head of the Fish in a field of 32 schools. The team welcomed an all new coaching staff effective December 1, 2019, and while the spring season was interrupted they are primed for next year. Felix DeCarvalho comes on as Head Coach of the program and brings with him Kevin Lowry as the Varsity/JV Assistant Coach. Felix and Kevin have spent the last ten years in the same positions at Don Bosco Prep. John McKenna will take the reins as head Freshman Coach. John comes to us from the Head Coach role at Kearny High School and is also a USRowing referee. Zoltan Suhay will stay on as the Freshman Assistant coach having led the freshman last year to their most successful season on record. Tom Dombrowski, P’13,’15 will continue to serve as the team’s strength coach and Alex Canale, ‘05 will move into his new role as the Crew Program’s Director.

Luqman Gbadamassi earned all-county honors in the 55m hurdles, and contributed to a school record in the shuttle hurdles.

From Jersey City Kid to 4-Star General

My name is Ed Daly and I am proud to be an American Soldier. I am humbled and honored not only to serve in the finest Army the world has ever known, defending our republic and standing guard on freedom’s frontier to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, but also to have grown up in Jersey City and attended Saint Peter’s Prep. My young adult years in Jersey City were my formative years—the years which seeded the foundation of my character, beliefs, and drive.

As I look back at the past four decades of my life, 33 years of which have been as a Soldier in the Army, I am struck by the humble realization that I did not get here alone, but rather I am here because of great family, friends, community leaders, teachers/professors, and a support network who educated, mentored, and influenced me along my journey.

At the forefront of those who influenced me are those who I came to know at Saint Peter’s. Prep is just not a school; it is an institution which, as its mission states, “seeks to form young men of competence, conscience, and compassion.” Education is the means to those ends because it transcends the classroom and opens the door to opportunity and development.

Today’s society uses many theories to explain the journey of success such as the theory of “Grit” or “The Iceberg Theory of Success.” For me, it is the “3500 Rule”: 3 5 key decisions and defining moments and literally hundreds of people who provide support and coaching along life’s path.

As I donned the rank of 4 Star General recently and prepared for the final chapter of my Army career, I could not help but think about my decision to attend Saint Peter’s in 1979— a decision that changed the trajectory of my life. I know the reasons for my current success trace back to those formative years at Saint Peter’s, where I met lifelong friends and embarked on a world class Jesuit education, steeped in tradition and grounded in values, principles, and standards.

To the Prep educators, the icons of the early 1980’s: Azzarto, DeLorenzo, O’Connor, Oppido, Dolan, Browning, Parkes, Garcia, Wuss, Biondo, Campion, Horan, Kavanagh, Rooney, Howard, Urbanovich, and many other faculty members: Your legacy lives on in those you have educated, coached, and mentored. My personal thanks for the difference you have made in the lives of those you taught, and in particular helping this young, immature kid from Jersey City by giving him the confidence,

knowledge, skills, and attributes to eventually serve in the military and lead Soldiers in combat. I salute all of you.

To my fellow classmates from the Class of 1983: Thank you for your friendship and support over the years. More importantly, thank you for what you have done and will continue to do via your own distinct vocational paths to make this experiment we call America endure and progress. As the shadows of our lives get longer, I think it is fitting to say that it is a shame that youth is wasted on the young!

To the students of Prep: Although your high school years are among your most formative, developmental years of your life, this is only the beginning of your path to greatness; your opportunities abound. Several recommendations as you prepare to embark on the next chapter of your lives:

1. Always strive for perfection, but accept excellence.

2. Believe and trust in yourself and your abilities.

3. Remember that self-development and learning is ultimately about hard work and dedication. There is rarely a traffic jam on the extra mile.

4. Don’t let pessimists get you down; surround yourself with people with perseverance and optimism. As Father Kavanaugh once said to us in Latin class, Illegitimi non carborundum.

5. Lead by example and never stray from your moral compass. Always maintain your integrity and treat all people with dignity and respect.

6. Go be great…make a difference! You will fall short at times, but failure is only temporary, and it is the down payment for future successes. Keep in mind a Michael Jordan quote, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.”

I often reflect on the path that led me to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and ultimately enter the Army as an officer in 1987. In the early eighties, my father took me to the Jersey City waterfront at Johnston Avenue. Looking out at the New York Harbor from the abandoned Johnston Avenue train station, I could

by Gen. Ed Daly, ’83, U.S. Army

see Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the newly built World Trade Center buildings dominating the New York City Skyline in the distance. My father, who was a police officer and worked three jobs to put me through Saint Peter’s, challenged me to think about my life and the kind of man I wanted to be. He then asked me these introspective questions: “What are you for and what do you believe in? What is going to be your contribution to this great nation?” It was then that I started thinking about entering the military (for the record, I did want to become a professional baseball player, but I could only throw 80 MPH, and my curveball was terrible—my Prep teammates can verify this as the truth!).

Today, several decades later, I serve as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, the organization that is responsible for Army logistics throughout the world. I have the great honor to lead the more than 190,000 Soldiers, Civilians, and Contractors, who ensure our troops have what they need to train, fight, and win our nation’s wars and protect the freedoms that make our country unique. As I serve today, I can still hear and remember not only the writings of Socrates, Plato, or Gibbon, but the whispers of Prep alumni long past, as they remind us of the foundational cornerstones that have led Prep graduates since 1872: competence, conscience, and compassion.

As alumni of an institution that I hold in such high regard, I encourage you to share and inform young men and women about the opportunities to serve our nation in the United States Military. A calling to serve can be a key decision and a defining moment in a young person’s life.

Less than one percent of American citizens serve in the U.S. Military. Although it is often overlooked as a competitive career opportunity, the military teaches you a unique technical skillset, challenges you to maximize your potential, places you in positions to hone your leadership abilities, and entrusts you with significant responsibilities. It is a profession of selfless service at its core, but the skills, knowledge, and attributes of those who serve are extremely marketable in the corporate sector after service. The military is also the largest provider of collegiate scholarships in the nation. Throughout my service, I have had the opportunity to travel the world, earn multiple advanced degrees, financially provide for my family, all while serving an organization with a purpose and mission much bigger than myself, alongside some of our nation’s most influential leaders and heroes.

I continue to be proud to be an alumnus of Saint Peter’s Preparatory School and to be associated with such a renowned learning institution that not only provides a world class education, but also develops young men of character for the future. Sub Umbra Petri!

Gen. Ed Daly, ’83 is a native of Jersey City, the son of Elaine and Jersey City career police officer Edward J. Daly who passed in 1991. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and commissioned as an Army logistics officer in 1987. During his 33-year career, he has commanded and led Soldiers at every level in the U.S., Europe and Korea, and has multiple combat deployments, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Daly was promoted to the rank of General and took command of Army Materiel Command on July 2, 2020, at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He is one of only a dozen current U.S. Army officers to hold the service’s highest rank of four-star general. He commands a workforce of 190,000 Soldiers, civilians and contractors responsible for delivering installation, logistics, sustainment, and materiel readiness to the Army worldwide.

Reunion Tour ’20: Short but Sweet

Although the COVID 19 pandemic forced the cancellation of regional reunions in Philly, D.C., North Carolina, Georgia, and Manhattan, Prep’s 2019 20 reunion tour did enjoy well attended visits to (clockwise from right) Boston in November; San Francisco, Santa Monica, and La Jolla, California in January; and West Palm Beach, Bonita Springs, and Venice, Florida in February. Prep President Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91, VP Jim Horan, ’70, and Alumni Director Mike Murcia, ’08 made the rounds to each stop, greeting alumni and sharing updates about life at Grand & Warren. Plans for next year’s tour are still on the drawing board, subject to evolving public health guidelines, so keep an eye out for updates!

The Hall of Fame inductees with Prep President Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 and the evening’s emcee, former president Joe Parkes, S.J., ’62.

TOP ROW: Ed Brown, Jr. (accepting for the late Ed Brown, ’49, football); Drew Buzzio, ’03, soccer; Ryan Enrico, ’98, hockey.

SECOND ROW: Mike Farley, ’01, lacrosse; Doug Gronda, ’90, wrestling/football; John Massaro, ’59, basketball/baseball.

Last October, Prep’s Athletic Hall of Fame welcomed its seventh class of inductees. The 1961 62 basketball team was honored, along with 11 individual athletes representing nine of the 19 sports currently offered at Prep. In terms of the sports represented, the Class of ‘19 was by far the most eclectic Hall of Fame class to date. Ryan Enrico, ’98, Mike Farley, ’01, and Jordan Roldan, ’03 represented the first ever inductees for hockey, lacrosse, and volleyball, respectively.

Nearly 300 guests were on hand for a lively celebration at The Grove, and although the individual achievements of these athletes were as diverse as the sports they represented, a number of common themes emerged in the stories they shared. These included persistence, humility, teamwork, a tireless work ethic, gratitude, and of course, a good dose of Prep Pride!

Inductee bios and more photos available at

BELOW: Frank McElroy, ’66 , swimming; Jordan Roldan, ’03, volleyball; Jack Russell, ’48, P’81,’83,’85, baseball.

BOTTOM ROW: Ed Wilhelm, ’53, football; Craig Zaleck, ’89, baseball; the 1961-1962 Basketball Team.

spprep.org/PrepMag

Photo File: Return of the Prep

November 7, 2012: on a Wednesday morning, just over a week after Hurricane Sandy slammed coastal New Jersey and filled the basements of most of Prep’s buildings with as much as seven feet of water, Prep principal Jim DeAngelo, ’85 prepared to address the freshman and sophomore classes in the gym. The “reorientation” sessions that day followed a split schedule—two classes on campus at a time—that would continue for the first few weeks back. The storm had left the English Building and the gym virtually untouched, giving Prep a vital foothold to resume classes and other day to day functions even as extensive repairs were done to O’Keefe Commons, Hogan and Mulry Halls, and the then recently rededicated Moriarty Science Center.

In some ways, the story of Prep’s rebound from this challenge nearly a decade ago is the opposite of this summer’s task of preparing for a return to school in the fall: the key obstacle was fitting more people into less space (while all classes met in the classrooms of the English Building, all administrative and guidance functions took place in the library), the storm itself was definitely in the past, and Prep’s natural impulse to respond to a challenge by being together—spatially as well as in spirit—was obviously a key to the healing process. Nevertheless, the Sandy experience still holds lessons for a summer of planning and gearing up for a return to school in the fall.

The return to classes in 2012 was a collaborative effort, beginning with extensive discussion and planning sessions in the library (below), and despite the logistical challenges of getting to campus amidst the lingering devastation in the storm’s path, more than 92% of students were in attendance on November 7. It will take a similar commitment to working together—whether physically on campus, collaborating remotely, or a hybrid of both—to help Prep hit the ground running this fall. With that process already well underway before the 2019 20 school year had even concluded, there is ample reason to hope for another successful Prep comeback!

NOTES

The ’50s

Ron Semple, ’52 was the principal speaker at the Jersey City Lincoln Association’s 155th annual dinner on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12.

Bill Watters, S.J. ’52 gave the commencement address during the 163rd graduation exercises at Loyola University Maryland last spring, after receiving an honorary doctorate from the university’s president, Brian F. Linnane, S.J.

Ed Clune, ’54 spent 21 years as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot after graduating from the Naval Academy in 1958. He also spent 20 years teaching math and physics at the all boys’ Bishop Hendricken High School in Warick, Rhode Island and 6 years teaching part time at Rhode Island College.

Bob Welgos, ’56 reports his granddaughter placed fifth (but was the highest ranked American!) in the Irish Dance National Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. She earned a berth in the World Championships, scheduled for April in Dublin, and while the latter event was unfortunately cancelled, congratulations are still in order!

Hank Quense, ’56 has established a Udemy classroom and converted his lectures into videos. There are currently seven classes available. All deal with fiction writing, self publishing or book marketing. Currently he’s working on a few more classes and another book on marketing. More info at: https://bit.ly/32Kb7TI

Lou Cappadona, ’57 is celebrating the 55th anniversary of his graduation from St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, TX. I am currently practicing as Of Counsel in the Light Gabler Law Firm in Camarillo, CA. “It all started at Prep,” Lou writes.

Bob Filoramo, ’58 and a number of ‘58 classmates get together monthly at one or two different New Jersey diners. The class has also had a larger summer gathering at the Jersey Shore the past four summers—what’s come to be known as the “Summa Bash.”

The ’60s

James Donohue, M.D., ’61 is professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine at UNC Chapel Hill. Expertscape named him to their national top 10 specialists in COPD for 2019. He is also a recipient of the American Thoracic Society’s Breathing for Life Award.

Walt Baile, ’62, working with psychiatric and other colleagues, has developed educational materials to help health professionals and their patients deal with the impact of the coronavirus. These were launched in April as a video podcast and interview, broadcast to 600 physicians on “Dealing with the Stresses of the Coronavirus.” It focused on behavioral strategies they could use to address anxiety, demoralization and grief that many of them and their patients were experiencing.

Charles Cheek, ’62 has joined a handcrafters’ guild and sells stoneware pottery at craft shows.

Rich Molteni, ’62 retired as Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean of the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Medical Director of Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Fred Ducca, ’63 retired in June from the University of Maryland, School of Urban Planning, where he has spent the past 11 years. This is Fred’s second retirement, as he retired previously from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2009.

It takes more than a pandemic to stop the Prep Class of ’55 from gathering for their monthly class luncheons! Through the efforts of Andy Matthews, ’55, the customary get-togethers among what class chairman Ray Aumack, ’55 calls “the most feisty group of octogenarians to be found anywhere” shifted to the virtual realm via Zoom. Ray notes the change to online meetings had an additional benefit: drawing in classmates

Art Weyman, M.D., ’58 was a recipient of the Sanctae Crusis award from the College of the Holy Cross, in recognition of his “outstanding professional achievement and community service.” It is the highest non degree award Holy Cross bestows upon an alumnus.

George Shabet, ’52 (second from left) and his sons Michael, Stephen, and Andrew jetted off to the UU Bar Ranch in New Mexico for an elk hunting adventure last fall, at nearly 10,000 feet elevation just outside Cimarron. George called this family expedition, “a wonderful experience.”

Mike Holy, R.N., ’69 has become a regular in these pages as it seems there’s always another disaster relief effort ready to draw him back as a volunteer. “People sometimes wish to hang ‘noble’ and even ‘great’ attributes to simple actions of reaching out and helping others,” Mike writes, “In truth, it’s really much more simple. Done in the correct spirit, it’s merely giving back!”

Mike added that this time, joining the COVID 19 response in North Jersey, was different. “Rather than a flood (or two) in North Carolina or a wildfire out in California, when one drives up the Turnpike, south to north, to ‘give back’ in the hard hit areas of New York and New Jersey, it’s also coming home—and it feels right and good!”

Mike has been “back home”assisting in the relief effort since April.

John Spazziani, ’63 is a member of the Civil War Heritage Foundation and looks forward to resuming “doing living history” as a re eneactor as COVID 19 restrictions are lifted.

Ed Bongiovanni, ’65 noted he was looking forward to seeing “many of us ‘65ers” at the Milestone Reunion originally scheduled for this March. Ed, we hope to see you once we set a date for the postponed reunion!

Stepehn Gorbos, ’66 was ordained a deacon in the Allentown Diocese in 2015.

Matthew Saccente, ’66 celebrated the opening of his son’s American bistro, RipTides, in Lindenhurst, Long Island in January. As of this writing, RipTides is offering outdoor dining and take out service.

Greg Riley, ’67 became a grandfather on April 23 as Scarlet Agnes Reed was born to Greg’s daughter Meghan and her husband Andrew Reed. Greg reports baby and mom are doing well!

Michael Rinaldi, ’67 is working as a software engineer at Crestron Electronics in Rockleigh. In April, he became a grandfather with the birth of his grandson.

The ’70s

Louis Parisi, ’70 hosted and performed at the Ms. Senior America pageant at Resorts Atlantic City last fall.

Tony Murray, ’72 received a successful kidney transplant from a 1972 Xavier alumnus...that’s taking the Jesuit connection to a whole new level!

Ray Schultz ’73, Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Minnesota Morris, recently won his institution’s Distinguished Faculty Research Award for career achievement. He has taught theatre and directed at UMM since 2000.

Joe Murray, ’73 was again a participant in the Jersey City Public Library’s series on Bossism & Machine Politics in Jersey City. The late June session via Zoom on the topic “Bosses & Reformers” featured a panel that also included Fordham University professor Jim Fisher. It also served as the premiere of Joe’s documentary film, Nostalgia for the Future: Jersey City’s 1957 Victory Movement. It’s the third and final episode in Joe’s series on Hudson County’s 20th century political bosses.

Bill Waldron, ’73 runs a boat rental business in Seaside Heights with his wife, Donna. He also plays guitar with the Jersey Surecats, a busy band at the shore.

George Krol, ’74 retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in November 2018 after a career spanning 36 years including and three ambassadorships. He now lives with his wife Melissa in Middletown, Rhode Island.

Donald Presa, ’75 has retired after 33 years of research and writing with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Gary Siems, ’76 retired in September 2019 after 34 years at Pfizer. He’s been enjoying time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Mark Ippolito, ’79, a Seattle based singer songwriter started the new year and decade with the release of “New Moon” a full length album of original songs. The album‘s ten folk/pop songs feature Ippolito on vocals and guitar supported by a cast of sixteen Seattle musicians specifically recruited for the project. The single “Lately,” along with focus tracks “Back To Blue,” “Mercy & Love” and “New Moon” have attracted radio airplay at independent radio stations around the country. “New Moon“ is available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and all other popular music streaming platforms. Connect with Mark on Instagram @markipp.

Joe Michalik ’79 recently joined Crown Bank in Elizabeth, New Jersey, as Senior Vice President, Commercial Loans.

Dave Viggiano, ’79 recently joined Sterling National Bank as head of the asset based lending unit.

M. Chester, ’74, (Megan’s father), Kevin Chester, ’05, (Megan’s brother), Mark Chester ’16 (Megan’s cousin) and George Taite, ’73. Front Row: Bernard J. J. Chester, ’78 (Megan’s uncle). Another cousin of the bride, Adam Chester, ’17,was unable to attend as he was studying abroad in Spain.

PREP

Prep was well represented at the wedding of Megan Chester and Dimitri Meleounis in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 5, 2019. The reception was held in Dunkin’ Donuts Park, home to the Hartford Yard Goats, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Pictured are, back row: Jim Wolowitz, ’75, Tim Chester, ’03 (Megan’s brother), Bernie Chester, ’14, (Megan’s cousin), John T.

The ’80s

Frank Ciatto, ’84 begins a two year term as the President of the Georgetown University Alumni Association on July 1.

Tom Blunda, ’87 is now a private banker with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Summit, New Jersey. He previously spent 17 years with Credit Suisse.

Ralph Pantozzi, ’88 was selected in October as an awardee of the Presidential Award in Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science. Also last fall, NPR’s Science Friday featured Ralph’s lesson on statistical modeling and the actual frequency of “100 year floods.” Ralph chairs the math department at Kent Place School in Summit, and currently teaches 11 12th grade Advanced Placement Calculus AB and Research in Advanced Mathematics. “HAP 1983 was where I got my start towards becoming the teacher I am today,” he says.

The ’00s

Jeffrey Watkins, ’05 and his wife Crystina welcomed their son George Joseph in March 2018 and have been looking forward to welcoming a new baby this spring.

The ’10s

Matthew Grapstul, ’10 married his college sweetheart Victoria Swift (McNair H.S. ‘10) on December 13, 2019, which was also their five year dating anniversary. They both attended The College of New Jersey and first met while attending the school’s EOF summer program. Matthew is currently working as an Intensive Care Nurse at RWJUH in New Brunswick, and has been caring for some of the state’s sickest COVID 19 patients these past few months. His wife, Victoria, is currently working at TCNJ as a college professor and will be obtaining her Doctorate in Special Education this coming Fall from Rutgers University.

Scott Rogers, ’15 was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps.

This past September, Gianni McLaughlin, ’10, directed and starred in The Sorrento Job, his own short film available on Amazon Prime. Filmed in North Bergen’s own La Sorrentina Restaurant, the film follows a group of friends from New Jersey, who team up to pull off the rarest wine heist in modern history (a million dollars’ worth of the Monte Buchello, grown in the soil of Mount Vesuvius, Naples, Italy). Things go awry as the gang plots against each other with the hopes of ultimately favoring their organization's boss.

Since 2016, Gianni has studied acting at Manhattan’s Stella Adler Studio, whose notable alumni include Robert DeNiro, Marlon Brando, and Benicio del Toro. His first break in acting was on the Netflix hit series Peaky Blinders in 2017. Following his Prep roots, Gianni was sure to include fellow alumni on this project—Angelo Caprio, ’99, Kevin Murray, ’03, and Sal Santuccio, ’09 also star in it.

Zach Birdsall, ’17, a veteran of Prep Vox and now a music major at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, was selected to sing the national anthem when Loyola Marymount hosted a Democratic presidential primary debate in December.

Nicolas Galup, ’19 just completed his plebe (freshman) year at the United States Naval Academy.

Weddings

Brian Lang, ’04 and Victoria Worthen

September 28, 2019

Matthew Grapstul, ’10 and Victoria Swift December 13, 2019

Ronald Cardoso, ’03 and Rebecca Migliaccio March 14, 2020

John Kip, ’56 and Jackie Keller June, 2020

Births

Jennifer and Anthony Iaccoca, ’92 son Alexander Christian, July 19, 2019

Melissa and Eric Cruz, ’99 son Easton, October 4, 2019

Krista and Brian Guarini, ’02 daughter Kella, October 30, 2019

Sophia and Jonathan Chiluisa, ’03 daughter Charlotte Sophia, November 14, 2019

Catherine Fagan and Scott Holt, ’04 daughter Hazel, November 27, 2019

Tatiana and Konrad Dudziak ‘04 son Maksym Jan, December 26, 2019

Brian Lang, ’04 and Tory Worthen,

included

Agostini ’04

’01

Shannon and Jordan Roldan, ’03 (former Prep guidance counselor and volleyball coach) daughter Aurora Dette, December 30, 2019

Heather and Peter Kraus, ’03 daughter Bailey Ashton, January 8, 2020

Sara and Paul DeGeorge, ’94 son Max Andrew, March 3, 2020

Alysson and James Blauvelt, ’09 son Jonah Patrick, March 22, 2020

Laura and John Aslanian IV, ’92 daughter Emma Margaret, March 29, 2020

Catherine and Dominick Carbone, ’03 daughter Sofia Marie, April 20, 2020

Carmela (Prep science teacher) and Steve Schlitzer daughter Violetta Amantina, May 26, 2020

Mary and Brendan Roche (Prep history teacher) son Henry Xavier, born May 28, 2020

Molly Molino (Prep math teacher) and Jack Kelly daughter Violet Jade, June 4, 2020

Whitney Emmons and Mike Lazorwitz, ’03 daughter Bernadette Lucille, June 6, 2020

’07,

married September 28, 2019. Prep alumni in attendance

Brian’s brothers David,

and Michael,

as well as John

and Mike Wieners, ’04. Since the couple met through a Philly-area running group, Brian credits Prep Cross Country and Track—and his coach Mike Burgess—with instilling a love of running that would shape the rest of his life!

BELOW: Maks Dudziak (left) and Hazel Fagan Holt wasted no time in becoming friends! Born a month apart in 2019, their dads are Prep ’04 classmates.

Matthew Grapstul,’10 and Victoria Swift, married December 13, 2019

Violetta Schlitzer, born May 26. 2020

Henry Roche, born May 28, 2020 Kella Guarini, born October 30, 2019.

John Kip and Jackie Keller, married June 9, 2020

Violet Molino Kelly, born June 4

Jonah Blauvelt, born March 23. Jonah’s name is a tribute to his late grandparents, Joe and Donna Blauvelt, P’09

Bernadette Lazorwitz, born June 6

VITA MUTATUR NON TOLLITUR (LIFE IS CHANGED, NOT ENDED) Through May 31,

2020

Alumni

Harry Kegelman, ’42

Joseph Purcell, ’42

Francis J. Dooley, ’43

Dr. Thomas J. Blackwood, ’44

Martin A. Nesbitt, ’45

Brother of William Nesbitt, ’42†

Robert Bradley, ’47

Brother of Msgr. Edward Bradley, ’58

Gerald G. Kallman, ’48

Brother of Ernest Kallman, ’54†; father of Gerald G. Kallman, Jr., ’75 and Thomas J. Kallman, ’77

Rev. Richard J. Regan. S.J., ’48

William J. Carducci, Jr., ’49

brother of Robert M. Carducci, ’54† ; cousin of Thomas Meloro, ’54.

Dennis J. Doogan, ’49

Kenneth R. Fitzpatrick, ’50

William J. O’Brien, ’50

Donald A. Bulwicz, ’51

Edwin L. Coyle, ’51

Leo J. Zatta, Jr., ’51

Grandfather of Mark Leo Zatta, ’11

David A. Nicolette, Jr., ’52

Dr. Cyril J. Galvin, ’53

Brother of John Galvin, ’48† B. Melvin Kiernan, ’53

Brother of James Kiernan, ’56; cousin of Edward Mottershead, ’64 and James Mottershead, ’67

Col. William Moser, ’53

Dering J. Sprague, ’53

Terence Matthews, ’54

Father of Terry Matthews, ’81 Dr. Thomas F. Bejgrowicz, ’55

Joseph F. Cash, ’55

Dennis P. Forker, ’57

Father in law of David Finn, ’82 and Brian Haughney, ’89; grandfather of David Finn, ’08, Sean Finn, ’09, Conor Finn, ’14 and Patrick Haughney, ’19

Thomas J. Belton, ’58

Dr. John W. Brady, ’59

Matthew S. Calabro, ’59

Christopher J. Lane, Jr., ’59

Donald Keating, ’60

Thomas M. O’Brien, ’60 Cousin of Richard O’Brien, ’59 and Thomas J. O’Brien, ’63†

Dr. Walter J. Wiechetek, ’62

Conrad Kowalski, ’63

Brother of Jeffrey Kowalski, ’66;† cousin of Robert Czochanski, ’68, Philip Czochanski, ’80 and Michael Czochanski, ’84

Daniel F. Berkowitz, ’66

Brother of Wallace Berkowitz, ’60† ; Cousin of Michael Berkowitz, ’61† ; Nephew of Milton Berkowitz, former faculty and staff member†

Timothy T. Purcell, ’66

George J. “Skip” Pepe, ’67

Stephen A. Bloom, ’68

Daniel “Tippy” Kinahan, ’68

Brother of Francis X. Kinahan, ’62† ; brother in law of David Ockay, ’70† ; uncle of Michael Ockay, ’05 and John Ockay, ’07

Guy Keith Bové, ’74

James Galdieri, ’77 brother of Michael Galdieri, ’80† Eric B. Threatt, ’77

Theron B. Tinsely, ’78

William T. Petrick, ’79

Father of Andrew Petrick, ’15; brother of John Petrick, ’81; father in law of John DuVal, ’08; cousin of Daniel DeSalvo, ’98

James Kerwin, ’83

Son of Raymond Kerwin, ’39† Stephen L. Kearns, ’87

Tiberius Zaharia, ’86

Bernard F. Kenny, III, ’01 Brother of Francis Kenny, ’05 Dominick J. Maak, ’01

Joseph Pavlica, Jr., ’02 John-Carlo Monti, ’10 Mark Rivas, ’10

Daniel Nazarenko, ’11

Family of Alumni

Kenneth Adelung

Father of Jeffrey Adelung, ’90

Elizabeth Agresta

Mother of Michael Agresta, ’62 and Richard Agresta, ’70

Eileen Butler

Mother in law of Michael Holt, ’74; grandmother of Scott Holt, ’04 and Eric Holt, ’09

Michael Bodayle

Father of Michael J. Bodayle, ’73

Shirley Calderone

Mother of Joseph Calderone, ’91; Grandmother of Benny Love, ’21

Lorraine Campbell

Mother in law of Albert Romano, ’67; grandmother of Dominick Della Fave, ’91, Chris Romano, ’98, and Stephen Capetola, ’05

Floyd Cardoz

Father of Peter Cardoz, ’11 and Justin Cardoz, ’15; husband of former staff member Barkha Cardoz

Marisa Cashin

Wife of Peter Cashin, ’85

Anthony Celentano

Father of Rocco Celentano, ’87

Catherine Colford

Widow of Joseph Colford, Jr., ’38;† Mother of Joseph Colford, III, ’68, Paul Colford, ’71, Christopher Colford, ’73, Peter Colford, ’74, and Brian Colford, ’81; Grandmother of Liam Colford, ’09.

Sherrill “Brett” Cullen

Mother of Chris Cullen, ’01 and Sean Cullen, ’01

Donald S. Cymbor

Father of Donald Cymbor, Jr., ’98

Lorraine DeTomasso

Wife of Philip DeTomasso ’77; Aunt of Christopher Romano ’98, Matthew Holowienka ’11 and Andrew Holowienka ’14

Elsie B. Doria

Mother of Gabriel Doria, ’81 and Christopher Doria, ’85; grandmother of Gabriel Doria, ’21

Margarita Emanuele

Mother of Willie Emanuele, ’09

Joan Emerson

Mother of Walter Emerson, ’72, Tom Emerson, ’73, and Mark Emerson, ’76

Nicholas Fargo

father of Nicholas Fargo, ’78 (Prep freshman basketball coach); grandfather of Alexander Degnan, ’97, Nicholas Degnan, ’00, and Nicholas Fargo, ’04

Justin Fernando

Father of Christopher Fernando, ’00 and Jonathan Fernando, ’03

Eulogio Ferrales

Father of Rafael Ferrales, ’91 and Steven Ferrales, ’18

Catherine

Forrester

Mother of William Forrester ’76† , Michael Forrester, ’83 and Virginia Bender (former trustee); mother in law of Charles Russell, ’71, Richard Bender, ’74, and Kevin Larkin, ’82; grandmother of Patrick Bender, ’04, Matthew Bender, ’09, Kevin Larkin, Jr., ’12, Conor Larkin, ’17, and Christopher Larkin, ’20

Alicia Glennon

Wife of Kevin Glennon, ’72; sister in law of Michael Glennon, ’79 and Brendan Glennon, ’74†

Sabas G. Gratil

Father of Ricardo Gratil, ’03

William A. Griffin, Jr.

Father of William Griffin, III, ’06 and Michael Griffin, ’09.

Agnes Hogan

Mother of Mark Hogan, ’83 (former Prep trustee)

May Lenahan

Mother of Daniel Lenahan, ’73

Mark T. Lioi

Father of Mark Lioi, ’10

Viola Marinaro

Mother of Joseph M. Marinaro, ’76

Gaetanina Masone

Mother of Michael Masone, ’71

Marilyn Metzinger

Mother of Paul Metzinger ’94

Helen R. Michalik

Mother of Andrew Michalik, ’76 and Joseph Michalik, ’79

Susanne Misichko

Sister in Law of Very Rev. John Fencik, ’70; aunt of Jonathan Fencik, ’98 and Emily Fencik (Prep faculty member)

Mary Eileen Moriarty

Widow of Donald P. Moriarty, ’48† (former chair of Prep’s Board of Trustees); sister in law of Edmond Moriarty, ’46†

Monica Mrozak

Wife of Len Mrozak, ’63

Gerald Murphy

Father of Gerald Murphy, ’87; grandfather of Timothy Gonzalez, ’09

Thomas Paré

Father in law of Peter Colford, ’74

Theresa Podesta

Mother of Thomas Podesta, ’67

Arlie Reed-Thomason

Mother of Joshua Reed, ’90

Juan Rivas

Father of Mark Rivas, ’10†

Mercedes Rivera

Mother of Edgar Rivera Colon, ’82

Jay R. Roake

Father of John Roake, ’82 and Michael Roake, ’93; grandfather of Matthew Roake, ’10

Martha Robalino

Mother of William Robalino, ’89

Madelyn Robinson

Aunt of Damien Locricchio, ’95 and Anthony Locricchio, ’96 (dean of student life); sister in law of Maryphyllis Locricchio (assistant to the president)

Marc A. Rubin

Father of Jeffrey Rubin, ’06

Gerard W. Ryan

Father of Mark Ryan, ’08

Frank Schifano

Father of Thomas Schifano, ’89

Gloria Schneider

Mother of Greg Schneider, ’69

John V. Seborowski, Sr.

Father of John Seborowski, Jr., ’96

Mary M. Smith

Mother of Robert Smith, ’89

Lorenzo Sista

Father of Joseph Sista, ’95, Lorenzo T. Sista, ’96, and Allen Sista, ’00

John A. Sullivan

Father of John J. Sullivan, ’74

Chaicharn Suthammanont

Father of Victor Suthammanont, ’95, Craig Suthammanont, ’97, and Keith Suthammanont, ’03

Evelyn Taraszkiewicz

Mother of Vincent Taraszkiewicz, ’96 and Mark Taraszkiewicz, ’97

Geronimo “Jerry” Tejada

Uncle of Anthony Tejada, ’18; brother of staff member Rocko Tejada

Joseph Tintle

Father of Kieran Tintle, ’06 and Patrick Tintle, ’11

James F. Tuohy

Father of James J. Tuohy, ’85, Thomas Tuohy, ’87, and Robert Tuohy, ’88

Salvatore A. Valvano

Father in Law of Michael Meese, ’76

E. James Vardakis

Father of Peter Vardakis, ’79; grandfather of James Vardakis, ’05 and Thomas Vardakis, ’07

Spencer Vespole

Brother of William Vespole, ’18

Joy Weber

Mother of Douglas Tortorici, ’13 and Jack Burke, ’22

John Wolleon

Father of John G. Wolleon, ’86; uncle of Anthony Wolleon, ’02; grandfather of Christian Baranok, ’09

Michael Yun

Father of Brian Yun ’02 and Benjamin Yun ’04; Jersey City councilman and former Prep trustee

Family of Current Students

Katia Alcantara

Mother of Kevin Alcantara, ’22

Wayne Wong

Father of William White, ’20

Robert R. Wright

Father of Aidan Wright, ’22

Former Faculty & Staff

Rev. Dennis McNally, S.J. History and art teacher, 1968 1974

Rev. Thomas V. O’Connor, S.J. Chemistry teacher, 1965 2009

Family of Faculty & Staff

Odiglia Verano

Mother of Grace Morris (guidance counselor); mother in law of John Morris (dean of students)

CLASS OF 2020: YOU ARE OUR PRIDE AND OUR GLORY!

Although their senior year ended under unprecedented circumstances, this spring, Prep officially welcomed the Class of 2020 into the community of Prep alumni. While it may remain in question just what their early college experiences will look like, what is certain is that everything they do in this next chapter will build upon the academic, spiritual, social and athletic foundations they formed during their four years at Grand & Warren. Prep is proud to salute the Class of 2020 and we invite you to join us in wishing them the very best at these and other colleges and universities this fall:

Alvernia University

Augsburg University

Boston College

Brookdale Community College

Bryant University

Bucknell University

Caldwell University

Capital University

College of Charleston College of the Holy Cross

The College of New Jersey

Cornell University

Creighton University

Crown College

DeSales University

Dickinson College

Drew University

East Carolina University

East Stroudsburg University

Elon University

Endicott College

Fairfield University

Fordham University

George Washington University

Georgetown University

Georgia Institute of Technology

High Point University

Howard University

Immaculata University

Indiana University

Johns Hopkins University

Kean University

Le Moyne College

Lehigh University

Loyola University Maryland

Loyola University New Orleans

Marist College

Marquette University

McGill University

Merrimack College

Miami University Ohio Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University

Middlebury College

Montclair State University

Morehead State University

Morehouse College

Morgan State University

Muhlenberg College

New Jersey Institute of Technology New York University

Nichols College Norfolk State University Northeastern University

Oberlin College

Ohio University, Main Campus

The Ohio State University

Pace University

Palm Beach State College

Pennsylvania State University

Providence College

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Rensselaer Polytechnic University

Rowan University

Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Rutgers University, Newark

Sacred Heart University

Saint Joseph’s University

Saint Peter’s University

Seton Hall University

Siena College

Springfield College

Stevens Institute of Technology

Stockton University

Stony Brook University

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

SUNY New Paltz

Susquehanna University

Swarthmore College

Syracuse University

University of Alabama

University of California, Berkeley University of California, Santa Barbara University of Chicago

University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Hartford University of Louisville University of Maryland University of Massachusetts University of Miami University of Notre Dame University of Rhode Island University of Scranton

University of Southern California University of South Carolina University of Tampa University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Vermont

University of Wisconsin, Madison Villanova University

Virginia Tech

Widener University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute