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2012/2013
ANNUAL FUND
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No matter the size, your gift enables the Mount to:
- Offer scholarships and financial aid
- Provide state-of-the-art technology in classrooms
- Maintain the school
grounds and facilities
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
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SAVE THE DATE
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Tuesday October 30: Harvard Club
Friday Nov. 9: Class of 1972 40th Reunion
Friday Nov. 9: Class of 1987 25th Reunion
Thanksgiving Day Thursday Nov. 22: Annual Turkey Bowl
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Vol 3 Issue 2: November 2012
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President's Letter
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 Dear Alumni and Friends of the Mount, I trust all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday. The traditional holiday kick-off was a great success: the 70th Annual Mount vs. Hayes Turkey Bowl saw the Mount beating Hayes by a score of 42-14. Thus, we continue to enjoy MOUNT MOMENTUM as we move into the heart of the school year. Our Annual Fund drive is fully under way and we hope to exceed our success of last year. As you may recall we saw increases in the number of donors, increases in the amount of their donation, and we surpassed our target goal of $400,000. As a result we entered this year in sound fiscal standing and were able to assist more students with scholarships as well as provide more funds for facilities and classroom maintenance. Help the MOUNT MOMENTUM continue this year with us exceeding these benchmarks of significant achievement. Please know that your participation in our Annual Fund has a significant impact on the life of the MOUNT community and cannot be underestimated. On behalf of our entire faculty and staff, and especially our students who directly benefit by your generosity, I am deeply grateful for your enormous and continued support of the MOUNT. Let us act together "with a heart that knows no bounds" (St. Marcellin Champagnat), and make this a great year for the students of the MOUNT!! Sincerely, Dr. Anthony Miserandino
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Mountaineers Win 70th Annual Turkey Bowl 42-14!
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Mount soundly scored again-and again-and again- to win the 70th Annual Turkey Bowl!
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70 years of Mount-Hayes rivalry was witnessed again on a sunny and warm Thanksgiving Day at Mount St. Michael Academy's McGovern Field, Promuto Stadium.
Mount won 42-14, which gives Mount 47 wins in the all-time Turkey Bowl Series Record. Hayes has 18 wins for the series and there were 5 ties.
Meanwhile, a host of alum reunited to cheer on the team and catch up with each other.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS!
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 | Robin Payton, proud Mount parent and
Mount fan for life! |
Lionel Rice '11 said to his mother Robin Payton recently, "Mom, you do know that I graduated from Mount two years ago!"
Robin laughed at this story when we caught up with her at the Turkey Bowl. " I continue to participate in parent life at the Mount because I love it! It is a special place since the Marists are concerned with the whole student: his spiritual connection to the world, his socialization and of course his academic discipline."
Robin and Lionel are members of Holy Cross Church in the Bronx, and Lionel attended Holy Cross Elementary School on Randall Avenue. Lionel first saw the Mount when he was a participant in the Academic Olympics held at the Mount. After that Lionel came to shadow a Mount student on a visit to the campus, and he knew right away that he wanted to attend the Mount. Keep Reading
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Richard Barry '79 Drives Corporate Diversity at Ernst and Young
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 | | Rich Barry '79 talks to students on Career Day |
"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rich Barry '79 remembers his years at Mount St. Michael Academy in the second half of the 1970s. Says Rich, "When I was at the Mount it was a very different school. It was predominantly blue collar Irish-Italian. The Mount instilled in me a quest and thirst for knowledge from teachers, staff and my peers and really opened up my eyes. So, when I went on to college and graduate school after Mount and saw that the population looked different; I realized that this was a good thing. There was more to the world than Rich Barry working in Yonkers!"
Now Rich, a partner at Ernst & Young LLP, is part of an effort pioneered at the professional services firm that actively recruits and mentors young people of diverse backgrounds to enter the field of accounting, and spoke to Mount students on November 30 at the school's annual Career Day.
Today Rich's Bronx neighborhoods are still blue collar, but with a wonderful wealth of diversity that includes African American, Hispanic and Caribbean families, many of them immigrants, just like the Italian and Irish immigrants of the early 1900s. The neighborhoods from which Mount draws its students include Wakefield and Mount Vernon, whose populations average approximately 72% African-American and 19% Hispanic (2010 Census Figures). Keep Reading
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Kasim Thomas '14 Is Weekly Winner of Heart of a Giant
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Kasim Thomas
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Congratulations to Mount Junior and Mount running back Kasim Thomas on being recently selected as a weekly winner for the Timex Heart of a Giant Competition. He was nominated for the award by Mount Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Mario Valentini. Says Valentini, "I nominated Kasim because he leads by example. He is a very hard worker and overachiever, and I am very proud."
Kasim is one of ten weekly award winners: Kasim and Coach Valentini will attend a cutting edge sports performance and training event at the Timex Performance Center - the official training facility of the New York Giants - in the Spring of 2013.
Also, as a weekly award winner, Kasim will represent the Mount for a chance to win a $5,000 equipment donation for the Mount football program.
Kasim will compete against the other nine (9) weekly award winners from his group to become a finalist. He will be required to lobby to classmates, faculty, friends and family to vote for him on http://www.usafootball.com/timex to become a finalist and compete for the grand prize.
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Mario Valentini with the Mountaineers
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Voting will close on Friday, December 14 and Timex and USA Football will select an overall winner who will take home the $5,000 equipment donation for his school. This winner will be honored on the field during the NY Giants Week 17 home game vs. Philadelphia and presented with a trophy and $5,000 check.
Let's all help Kasim- and the Mount- by voting for him! Go to
http://www.usafootball.com/timex
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Thanksgiving Food Drive a Success! Thank you to all!
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THANK YOU to all who contributed to the Mount St. Michael Academy Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive this year!!!
Gina Negrin, Student Council Moderator and Literary Arts teacher, organized students who collected 60 full baskets of food this year to be distributed to families at St. Nicholas of Torentine in the Bronx, including all of the necessary items for a turkey dinner and dessert! Each family also received a turkey!
Students brought extra collected items to Pots soup kitchen at Fordham.
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2012/2013 Annual Fund:
Why I Give
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 | | Jonathan Camacho '02 is an Ocular Specialty Representative at Bausch + Lomb in Manhattan |
"My donation to the mount, although small, is a gesture of gratitude for all at the Mount who have helped me to get where I am today and to ensure rising Mountaineers a future for tomorrow. " Jonathan Camacho '02
Our Annual Fund bridges the gap between tuition and operating expenses. Your investment will provide funding for programs, activities and other expenses that the school incurs. Tuition and fees cover about 66% of total revenue collected, which is why we need to rely on your support. Regardless of its size, your gift to the Annual Fund enables the Mount to:
· Offer need-based financial support
· Provide state-of-the-art technology
· Drive excellence in curriculum and scholastic advancement
· Make repairs to school facilities and grounds Please consider a recurring donation of $5, $10, $20 or $50 a month! It's easy: Just register your account once and you can set up your recurring donation! CLICK HERE TO DONATE!!! |
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Daniel Callahan '64 Honored
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 | | Daniel Callahan '64 |
Mount Alum Daniel M. Callahan '64, President of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind was recently honored: In recognition of Daniel Callahan's commitment to leadership and advocacy on behalf of the blind and visually impaired, Dominican College recently bestowed on Daniel M. Callahan '64 the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa.
Daniel is an experienced professional in the field of vocational rehabilitation and blindness services. As the founder and first director of the Children's Vision Health Initiative at the Jewish Guild for the Blind, Mr. Callahan has led the initiative to promote national standards to facilitate pre-school vision screening of children and has established rational telephone support groups for parents of blind children. Keep Reading
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James Rowson '94 Lends A Helping Batting Hand to the Cubs!
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 | | James Rowson '94 is coaching the Cubs--maybe all the way to a World Series?? |
Former Mount baseball star James Rowson '94 promoted to Chicago Cubs Hitting Coach during the middle of the Cubs 2012 season. Jimmy replaced long time Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.
A former Mount Junior High and High School football and baseball standout, Rowson (a Mount Vernon native) played for long time with MSM baseball coach John Miller, and helped lead the 1994 Mountaineers to the CHSAA City Championship game at Yankees Stadium (The Mount lost 3-2.)
Upon graduation from the Mount, Jim was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1994 and played professionally in the Mariners and Yankees minor league systems before moving to the coaching ranks. Jim was a longtime roving NY Yankees hitting instructor before moving to the Chicago Cubs at the start of the 2012 season. Jim has impressed the Cubs organization with his knowledge and patience in teaching young players the art of hitting.
Hopefully Jimmy can help the Cubs win their first World Series first title since 1908. A tall order, but we know Jim and the Cubs can call on the Mount motto of Ad Astra per Aspera when the team goes into a hitting slump! Good luck Jim!
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Anthony Maestre '12:
A Shooting Star! |
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 | | Anthony Maestre '12 slammed 29 points in one game |
Anthony Maestre '12 is taking the local college basketball scene by storm. The Manhattanville College freshman scored a game-high 29 points to help lead the Manhattanville men's basketball team, the Valiants, win a hard-fought 68-66 (OT) victory over host Mount St. Mary in on Monday, November 26 at the Kaplan Center.
Maestre had a huge game offensively for the Valiants, shooting 9 of 18 from the field, including a 5-of-8 mark from beyond the arc, while also hitting all six of his free throws.
Keep Reading.
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| Mount Soccer Team Finishes With Winning Season |
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 Congratulations to our Mount Soccer Team, coached by Mount Alum and brother Danny and Michael Boyle, that finished with a winning season!!
Mount finished with a 10-7 record overall and a league record of 9-5. They are ranked 1061 nationally and ranked 52 in NY State.
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| Class Notes | |
Our thoughts and prayers go out to our Directory member Rocco Sollecito '75, whose father Michele, 82, passed away on November 15, 2012.
Michele was born Sept. 3, 1930, to Rocco and Anna Finelli Sollecito in Grumo Appula, Bari, Italy. He came to the United States in 1954 with his wife and raised a family.
Sollecito was a construction executive and builder for 60 years, and a master iron worker. Michel personally did the iron work on our Promuto Stadium entrance walkway.
He is survived by his wife Elena Recine Sollecito; his children Anna Marrone, Rocco Sollecito, Lucy Sollecito, Vencine Conboy, and Elaine Zaccone; his grandchildren Laurie Parisi, TJ, Christopher, Robyn Marrone, Kaitlyn, Michael, Thomas Sollecito, Thomas, Michael, and Annabelle Conboy, Nicholas and Miranda Rose Zaccone. His first great-grandchild is on the way.
He is also survived by his siblings Lucrezia, Luigi, Eugenia, Donata and Giuseppe. He was preceded in death by a sister Isabella.
A Mass of Christian burial was held for Michele at St. Anthony Church, Richardson Avenue, Bronx. Interment followed at Woodlawn Cemetery.
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Diversity |
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Top private high schools in NYC cost an average of $35,000 a year. At $7,900 a year, the Mount's tuition, along with financial aid to many students, makes it affordable for working parents in the Bronx and Westchester. The Mount's lower tuition and distinctive college prep curriculum, enables parents to see their children attain an education that will develop them into the leaders of tomorrow-and exactly the kind of student that Ernst & Young would want to recruit some day.
Rich's aim on Career Day was to give students a solid overview about study and career opportunities in the accounting and professional services field. Rich says, "I am going to tell students that accounting is a very creative and challenging career - it is not just debits and credits. Our tax Advisory practice, for example, has a global reach in terms of public and private accounting. They can literally see the world through the field of accounting."
Ernst & Young is a pioneer of diversity in the workplace. For decades the global organization has been at the forefront of fostering diversity in its environment and leadership ranks: its teams value differences because it is not only the right thing but good, sound business sense. Karyn Twaronite, Ernst & Young's Americas Inclusiveness Officer, says: "At Ernst & Young we have been increasingly focused on diversity efforts since the 1990s, which started at the top of management.
The two key pieces to this effort are diversity and inclusion. We have cultivated an environment where people feel valued and are able to achieve their potential." Minority full-time campus hires account for 40% of Ernst & Young LLP's total hiring in the US and Canada from campuses. Ernst & Young encourages its employees to become involved in their communities and extended communities, whether through work or as an extension of work.
This attitude sounds familiar since it is very similar to the Mount's mission of "fostering each student's unique potential for personal and professional excellence, and striving to help our diverse population of students grow into well prepared, mature leaders who have an active commitment to volunteer service in their communities and wherever it is needed."
Ernst & Young is keen to educate students about careers in accounting starting at the high school level. The firm instituted a program named College MAP (Mentoring for Access and Persistence).
Ernst & Young has a "swat team" of professionals that work with underserved students from 12 high schools around the United States to mentor students and help them become college-ready. College MAP was launched in 2009.
Says Rich, "The cultural diversity offers the flexibility and creativity we need to recreate the global economy for the 21st century."
"We make sure that there is a global perspective and reach that our clients demand that is made possible through different views, which come with diversity. This enables us to serve our clients to the fullest."
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| Mount Parent |
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Lionel played football and was involved in a host of extracurricular activities at the Mount, and so was Robin, who jumped in as an avid participant of MSM Parents' Association and later served as Secretary of the Association. Says Robin, "I have been involved at every school my child has attended in the parents' associations. When I went to my first Open House at the Mount I met the head of the MSM Parents' Association and she was incredibly welcoming, as were the other parents!"
Lionel graduated in 2011 and now attends Kings College in Wilkes Barre, PA, where he is a pre-med student. Although Robin sees Lionel at Kings, she holds a special place in her life for the Mount, and says she will always be coming back!
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| Callahan |
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Daniel also served as the Downstate Director of the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped and Mr. Callahan brings a broad and profound level of expertise to his efforts on behalf of the Lavelle Fund. Respected by his peers, he was recently awarded the 2012 Exemplary Advocate Award presented by The Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Visual Impairment.
Rooted in a heritage that began with the Lavelle School for the Blind founded in 1909, the Lavelle Fund has used its expertise and its resources to enable and support a variety of initiatives including those which have benefitted Dominican College's commitment to prepare teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
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