New Chemistry Lab Opens

Father Joseph Madsen ’61, a Stanner, former Marist Brother and Molloy Faculty member, and a Priest of the Sacred Heart, serves the Molloy Community by offering Mass every Tuesday at the School. In addition to saying Mass this week, he agreed to offer the blessing for our new Chemistry Lab.

Student representatives from each Homeroom gathered in the lab while Brother Roy offered his daily prayer in thanksgiving for the new facility. The complete text of his Morning Prayer is available online .

Immediately after the Morning Prayer, Father blessed the lab which was followed by the seniors conducting the actual ribbon cutting ceremony.

Catholic School Funding at Risk

We received word this week from Don McGee ’68 concerning the possible actions to be taken by Governor Paterson that will have a direct impact on Catholic and Private School funding. Please take a few minutes to read this piece from the New York State Catholic Conference and help support the effort to preserve equal funding for mandated services.

http://capwiz.com/nyscatholicconference/utr/2/?a=12393576&i=77169253&c=.

Upcoming Alumni Events

January 17, 2008 - Stanner Games

Brother Bob, AJ Power, Jeff Gallagher and the entire cast of faculty and alumni coaches, officials and guests will host athletes from across the region at this annual track and field event. As usual, the event will be held at the 168th Street Armory in Washington Heights. The gift of time in support of these games has made it possible all these years and the track and field coaching staff appreciate your efforts. For more information, or to volunteer to help at this years Stanner Games please contact Apower@molloyhs.org.

January 18th , 2009 Brother Ron Marcellin Fundraiser

8:30 — 10:30 PM
Trinity Restaurant
190 Jericho Turnpike
Floral Park, NY 11001

On Line Registration and Raffle Ticket purchase is available. Raffle Tickets are only $20.00 each. In addition to these wonderful Raffle prizes there are a number of outstanding auction items available.

FIRST PRIZE
Round Trip for 2 to Dublin Ireland
5 Night Stay at the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Dublin

SECOND PRIZE
2 Tickets to a Broadway Show
Night at the Fitzpatrick Hotel in Manhattan
Dinner at St. Andrews on West 44 Street

THIRD PRIZE
4 Tickets to a NY Yankees Game
Car Service to and from the Stadium

DRAWING: JANUARY 18, 2009
WINNER NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN

February 7th - An Evening Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Tom Farrell’s Olympic Bronze Medal And the 2009 Track and Field Wall of Fame Induction

Register on-line for this event and visit with Tom Farrell and our list of honorees as we mark the Track and Field heritage at Molloy. The list of honorees can be found here .

April 26th St. Ann’s Communion Breakfast — Save the Date!

This year’s St. Ann’s Communion Breakfast will be held at Molloy for the first time. Guests will arrive through the St. Ann’s Courtyard entrance, pass the statue and bell from the Academy and proceed to registration by the St. Ann’s Hall of Fame section of the Stanner Hall of Fame wall exhibit. Mass will be held in the St. Ann’s Chapel on the 4th floor followed by brunch and time to visit. Invitations will be going out shortly.

May 4th Golf Golf Golf Save the Date!

This year’s outing will be held at North Hills and Plandome Country Clubs. Individual and Corporate Invitations will be out soon, so save the date and start practicing your swing!

Sports Update from the A.D.’s Office

Bowling	1st Place 23-1
GV Swim	Tied 1st Place Meet vs Notre Dame Academy Sunday 1/11 10:15 PM for 1st Place
Boy’s Basketball	Reached finals of Aviator Christmas Classic Currently 6-4 0-1
Girl’s Basketball	8-5 overall and 1-2 in their league.
BV Swim	3-2

Around the School

Faculty Spotlight — Kevin Schwab ’99
Theater Director

The play’s the thing in the circle of life. Since the age of four, Kevin has worked in some capacity with a theatre group, playhouse or film company. Working with the Diocesan Theatre Guild in Brooklyn, Kevin first arrived on stage as the littlest prince in “The King and I” and he never really made an exit. Throughout his grade school career, Kevin worked in variety shows and community theatre programs at St. Adelbert’s parish in Elmhurst and for the Parkside Players at Grace Lutheran Church in Forest Hills. Kevin attended Archbishop Molloy from 1995 to 1999 and his love for the arts continued to grow during his high school experience. The theatre program at Molloy was on the downswing during his time in school but he was an award-winning member of the Speech and Debate club, host of several International Day celebrations and sang with Mr. Sheehan’s chorus for 2 years. During this time, he performed in many theatre companies around Queens and did the musicals at The Mary Louis Academy.

During the summer before Kevin’s sophomore year at Molloy, he got the opportunity to work with Woody Allen. He was called in for extra work by Mr. Allen which prevented him from getting to the first day of classes. When his mother called Molloy to explain the special circumstances of his absence, Brother Van Houten (principal at the time) excused Kevin proudly. This experience led to Kevin’s membership in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and further work in several more films and TV shows since 1997. Throughout his time at Molloy, Kevin was known to sprinkle his theatrical leanings into his classes. Most notably is the famed presentation of “Jekyll & Hyde” in Ms. Gannon’s junior English class (which is still spoken about by one of his favorite teachers today). And his decision to come to school as Groucho Marx on a dress-down day complete with greasepaint moustache and low-stooping walk through the hallways. Kevin graduated Molloy and moved on to Queens College where he majored in Drama, Theatre and Dance.

Bo in “Bus Stop”, the Old Man in Ionesco’s “The Chairs”, Nathan Detroit in “Guys and Dolls”, Jesus in “Godspell”, Oberon in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and The Count in “The Marriage of Figaro” are some of the roles Kevin performed during his time at Queens College. He learned his passion for directing under the tutelage of Charles Repole, a Tony-nominated actor and theatre educator. President of the Theatre Guild and key member in several Improv groups on campus, Kevin graduated from QC a semester early and moved on to a Shakespeare tour up the East coast with “Love’s Labours Lost”. His relationship with his college friends and his mentor, Professor Repole led to other plays in and around Manhattan. He pursued further directing experience in community theatres during this time as well.

To revitalize summer theatre at Queens College, Kevin chose to direct “Godspell” in the summer of 2001. Though mounting a summer production was fraught with pitfalls, Kevin managed to convince the Theatre Department as well as some eager singers, musicians and actors to venture forth into untested waters and put on a play that was close to his heart. The production, (in which he also played Jesus) was the first show to gross a profit for the Department. The production was revived and his cast was even asked to perform a medley at the CUNY Gala event a year later. As he built up The Stanner Players, he knew this would be a show he was destined to resurrect again to offer a similar unforgettable experience to the students of Molloy.

While working for 9 months Off-Broadway in “The Donkey Show”- a retelling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream set in a 1970’s disco, Kevin decided to explore the possibility of getting his Master’s Degree. In 2005, he went to Pace University through the NYC Teaching Fellowship to obtain his Masters in Education. As a special educator, Kevin has worked at William Cullen Bryant High School in Long Island City using playwriting, theatre arts and poetry to keep the arts in public education. At the same time, he was given the awesome opportunity to bring theatre to Archbishop Molloy in the form of an after school activity. It was so thrilling to be back in his alma mater, introducing a whole new generation of students to theatre. For the first meeting held on Halloween of 2005, Kevin asked his brother Brian (Stanner from 2003-2007) to come to the theatre and bring some friends in case no one showed up. To his surprise, almost 200 students packed the theatre! His brother couldn’t even get into the theatre! This success led to the first production under his supervision: “Twelve Angry Men”. Attempting a drama for the first show was risky but Kevin has always been attracted to taking theatrical chances. The maturity and understanding of Molloy students was impressive compared to the other students Kevin was teaching at Bryant. The themes of justice and responsibility in the play seemed appropriate for the dedicated students Kevin encountered at Molloy and the show was a success. Raising his expectations year after year has expanded the work of The Stanner Players exponentially.

Over the next three years, Kevin tackled a variety of subjects that seemed to suit the Molloy environment. Neil Simon’s “Fools” was chosen because of the stressed humor about education and the slapstick comedy that Kevin enjoyed directing. The rock musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” was a big challenge because it allowed a terrific Bible story to finally take the stage in the Jack Curran gymnasium which was a dream come true for Kevin. The following year, Neil Simon’s “Rumors” which seemed so appropriate for gossiping high school students and the classic musical, “Guys and Dolls” made up the theatre program. The latter was one of his favorites since performing the role of Nathan in college. 1920’s characterization and old-fashioned sensibility were very specific and detailed work that Kevin wanted the students to attempt and they didn’t disappoint!

Last summer, Kevin was hired as an adjunct professor at Queens College to teach Introduction to Acting by his mentor, Charley Repole and has been recently elected as President of the Parkside Players in Forest Hills after scoring terrific reviews as Groucho Marx in their production of “The Cocoanuts”. He also works with his brother Brian and his sister Alison every summer with Schwabrock Pictures, an amateur film company. The cyclical pattern in his life and the lucky opportunities he has received in working closely in familiar places from his youth has been so rewarding for him. The next production for The Stanner Players is “Godspell”- a modern rock musical based on stories from the gospel of St. Matthew. Kevin has been associated with two productions of this play in his past and each marked an important milestone for him. This group of students at Molloy working towards the January musical are becoming a family; a unit. Kevin is proud of his work at Molloy and looks forward to a brightly lit future.

St. Ann’s Corner

1953 Class Ring Found

Christmas gifts come in many forms. We received word from a gentleman from New Jersey that he found a St. Ann’s ring from the class of 1953 while he was visiting family in Astoria on Christmas Day. After a bit of research we were able to re-connect with Monsignor Charles Boccio ’53, now retired and living in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. When we chatted, he commented that he had not seen the ring in years and that it would be very nice to have it back again. Merry Christmas!

Non Scholae — Sed Vitae

Bill Flemen ’94 becomes Proud Papa!

Bill and Lisa Flemen announce the birth of their daughter Grace Anna Flemen. Grace came into this world on 1/3/09, weighing in at 6lbs. 2 oz, 19 inches. Mom and Grace are doing well. Mr. Sherry visited Bill’s classroom the other day and presented him with a pink “Future Stanner” bib.

Prayer Request:
Please remember Carlos Dionisi, husband of Mrs. Dionisi, and a proud Stanner dad in your prayers this week. He is recovering after successful heart surgery earlier this week.

Class of ’06 Alumni/ae Return to Molloy for a Holiday Visit

Three members from the class of ’06 came in for a visit this week. Guy Mongelli attends the University of Rochester where he is studying Chemical Engineering. He was in to visit with Mr. DeMarco, Mr. Sheldon and his all time favorite math mentor, Ms. Longerano. Shannon Winters attends Cabrini College where she is taking a double major in English and Secondary Education. She watched the rehearsals for Godspell, visited with Mr. Sheehan, Ms. Safrey and of course, Mr. Schwab. As always, they stopped in to see Mr. Sherry for some additional words of encouragement.

Later that day, Rob Treadwell stopped in to see us on his break from studies at Stonybrook University where he is pursuing a degree in Business and Economics. He is looking forward to sharing his track talents with future generations of Stanners. He works with throwers and sprinters on a fairly regular basis. He has also volunteered to work at the Stanner Games.

Ryan Ford ‘04

Having completed his degree at New Paltz in Business and Finance, Ryan Ford came in for a visit and brought fellow Stanner and younger sister, Danielle - a senior at Molloy, along. Ryan is looking to enter into the world of finance, insurance or general business as a “number crunching” analyst. Please let us hear from you if you have any opportunities for Ryan or other Stanners looking for entry level jobs and internships.

Mike Ferrari ‘08

Mike Ferrari stopped in from Baruch College where he is half way through his freshman year. He is having a good time at the school where he is studying Economics and Communications. I look forward to reading his “common sense” articles on student economics in the coming months.

Dr. John Duffy ‘73

John Stopped in to check on any students who might be interested in attending Notre Dame University. He is an Associate Professor in the English Department and Director of the Writing Program there. After Molloy he went to Boston College, then on to Columbia and finally to the University of Wisconsin at Madison. John is also thinking about what topics he might offer to our Stanners for Life Lecture Series. It was good to meet with him for a while on his way out to visit his Mom in the Hamptons.

In Memoriam

Robert Mulligan ’43 — Director of “To Kill a Mockingbird”

We received word this week from a class member from St. Ann’s class of 1943 that his classmate, Robert Mulligan, director of the acclaimed “To Kill a Mockingbird” passed away at the age of 83 just prior to Christmas. He had many television and movie credits as director and he won an Emmy for his production of “The Moon and Sixpence” (1959).

Father of Ryan McColgan ’93, Henry McColgan passed away earlier this week.

Father of Paul Proscia ’64 Passed Away

The Alumni office received the following notice this morning from the Proscia family.

We wanted you to know that our dad passed away today, Thursday.

The wake will be at O’Brien - Sheipe Funeral Home, 640 Elmont Road, Elmont, NY 11003 (516 285-5856) on Saturday night from 7 PM to 9 PM, and on Sunday from 2 PM to 4 PM and 7 PM to 9 PM. The Mass will be at St. Boniface Church, in Elmont - across from the Funeral Home, on Monday at 10:30 AM, and the burial, following the mass, at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury Long Island.

I apologize for using an e-mail to inform you of this, however so many of you, our family and friends, have been so supportive and always asked about dad’s health over the past few years, that we wanted to let you know of these arrangements.

He is at home with the Lord.

Sincerely,
Paul and Jacqueline