February 2011
The Annunciator
Find us on the web at www.school.Annunciationcrestwood.com
Alumni Volunteers Make Time to Give Back
Inside this issue...
Letters from the
Pastor and Principal
2
Article Updates
3
Halloween Traditions 4
WOodbine 1
5
Annunciation
Sweethearts
8
Breakfast with Santa
11
Sr. Barbara’s Cats
11
Milestones
13
Class Notes
15
Proud Cheerleading
Tradition
18
Richard Burke ‘48 volunteers with Operation Lifesaver, a nationwide rail safety
program for all student and
adult levels. Richard is a
trained Operation Lifesaver
volunteer presenter employed
by the New York State Department of Transportation as
a professional engineer. His
Operation Lifesaver presentations are often made in association with other Operation
Lifesaver presenters. For
more information about Operation Lifesaver, or to arrange a presentation, please
visit the web site at
www.oli.org.
In his capacity as a volunteer, Richard has put on Operation Lifesaver rail safety
programs for schools in New
York State. Each presenta-
Annunciation Elementary School
465 Westchester Avenue
Crestwood, NY 10707
The Annunciator Editorial Board:
Richard Burke ‘48
Judith Horncastle DiMenna ‘57
Chris Grealy Brown Daly ‘62
Mary Theresa Gill McCombe ‘75
John Sullivan ‘82
Marie Villani-York ‘93
Melissa Brennan ‘95
Caroline Sohr ‘08
tion, with video and slides,
takes about an hour. Operation Lifesaver programs are
especially important for anyone who might think that
they can safely walk, ride a
bike, ski, drive a snowmobile
or play anywhere near a railroad. There is also a presentation designed for those who
drive school buses, or take
children to/from school and,
in doing so, cross railroad tients. Says Jim, “I do have
tracks.
some down time and talk
with the patients. We have
Jim Hanifer ‘48 was diag- a constant infusion of new
nosed in December 1995 with patients every week and on
a moderately aggressive pros- the negative side we lose
tate cancer. Following surgery many during the course of a
My job simply
in February 1996, Jim has also year.
lets
the
nurses
stay hands
battled through three recuron
with
the
patients.”
rences. His experience led
In addition to these volhim to active participation as
a volunteer for the American unteer activities, Jim volunCancer Society with special teers at the Hawthorn Canemphasis on their Man to cer Resource Center three
hours a week and is a EuMan program.
Man To Man is a national charistic Minister to the
resource dedicated solely to local nursing home where
Prostate Cancer. ACS sent he ministers to the ambulaJim for training in Virginia. tory during a communal
He has since had numerous
public speaking engagements
with Lions Clubs, Kiwanis
Clubs and the Federal Government, including the IRS
and FBI.
In addition,
through Man to Man, Jim
meets with newly diagnosed
men and their spouses who
want to hear directly from a
survivor. Over a three year
period, Jim met with 200 couples.
For the past nine years, prayer service before visitJim has volunteered at the VA ing those who are room
Hospital in Richmond, VA bound. On occasion he
where he is permanently at- brings communion to those
tached to the Hematology & in the hospital and shut ins.
Oncology Clinic. There Jim Having been on the receivhelps check in the patients, ing end of this ministry, Jim
makes coffee, and acts as a says, “I much prefer to be
runner taking blood to the giving instead of receiving.
lab, picking up chemotherapy All these commitments are
drugs at the pharmacy or internally very rewarding
bringing deliveries from the and keep me moving.”
(continued on page 9)
blood bank for leukemia pa-
Page 2
Letters to the Editor
Dear Friends at Annunciation School
and the Alumni Database,
Thank you for sending me the report on the Reunion and the recent
Annunciator. Both were extremely enjoyable. I did see some families names
in the report on the reunion for the
year I served in Annunciaiton (19531954).
I wish the Alumni Association and
the School continued success.
Father Cox
New York
You can email the Editor at
mtmccombe@annunciationcrestwood.
com!
The Annunciator
Upcoming Articles in The Annunciator
Here are some of the topics that we will be covering in future editions of The
Annunciator. Please email [email protected] if either of these topics relate to
you.
Alumni Entrepreneurs—Do you own your own business? Have you decided
that being your own boss is best? We’d like to write about your business.
Traveling the World—Does this alumni newsletter reach you in a foreign
country? If you live outside the United States, we’d like to hear about where
you live and what brought you to live there.
Upcoming Reunions
Class of 1961
The Class of 1961 50th Anniversary reunion will be held on April 30,
2011. Please contact Maurice Powers at [email protected] for more
information.
Classes of 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996
A reunion is being planned for Classes ending in ‘1 and ‘6. The reunion is tentatively set for the evening of April 16, 2011. If you are a member of any of
these classes, please let your friends know, and ask them to contact Mary
Theresa McCombe at [email protected] for more information.
Letter from the Pastor
Letter from the Principal
Dear Alumni of Annunciation,
Dear Alumni and Friends of Annunciation School,
Just the other day, I was reading about how important it is
“to give back” – to our families, our churches and our communities. Giving back is an essential element of our Catholic religion. Giving back reminds us that we are all brothers and sisters,
that we are all children of God.
Annunciation Church has a proud history of giving back. In
our youngest grades, children visit the elderly and bring them
cheer at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Dressed as pilgrims and
Indians, angels and shepherds, they visit, sing, and bring treats
to those at home. In the upper grades, the students volunteer
in many programs helping the elderly, sick children and individuals with special needs. How proud I am of them.
As we see from this issue of The Annunciator, this great
Christian virtue continues long after graduation. I hope that
you enjoy the articles and give thanks to God for this spirit
among so many of our graduates.
Sincerely,
During this year's celebration of Catholic Schools Week, the
students are organizing Hugs for Heroes, a program that will
allow families to pack boxes with toiletries, playing cards, paperback books, and candy for our servicemen and women overseas.
In addition, the students will be participating in a no uniform day
to raise funds for cystic fibrosis. These are both examples of our
school's commitment to service and volunteerism, which is as
important to us as the high academic standards we set. As you
will see from the articles about alumni volunteerism, this message
of Christian service stays with our graduates long after they leave
Annunciation School.
The teachers, staff, and I are grateful for your continued support
of your alma mater and continue to pray for you through our
school's book of intentions
Best Regards,
UtÜutÜt fA ^tätÇtz{
February 2011
Page 3
Here Are Some Updates on Your Favorite Prior Articles
Marathon Finish
Rudy Quinn ‘03 finished the ING
Marathon on November 7, 2010 in 3
hours, 17 minutes. Rudy was the third
fastest finisher from the city of
Yonkers. He raised more than $2500
for the Ronald McDonald House
More Authors Among Us!
Cami Zinzi ‘90 has just published her
first book. A Welcome Roughness is a
collection of poetry that
Cami has been working
on for several years.
Says Cami, “It has always been a goal of
mine to publish a book
of poetry. I have been
taking classes at the
Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute for
the past six or seven years in order to
cultivate this body of work. And recently, I felt that the poems were finally
ready to be out there in the world.”
delightful. I had
brought a copy of the
book with me to donate to the Stepinac
library. My former
physics teacher introduced me, making
sure he held it up as
he ran down my educational and work experience. As heartening as the students’ rousing appreciation was, it’s not really important. But,
if that library copy is seen as a symbol
of accomplishment and makes just one
or two of them decide science or engineering is for them, then the effort was
all worth it.”
Ed Conlon ‘79, author of Blue Blood,
has another book coming out. Red on
Red is expected to be released in April
2011.
Favorite Teachers
John Francis. She had a stern demeanor
but inspired in me a love of language
and writing that has lasted a lifetime. I
remember her English classes – we
spent hours diagramming sentences – it
was so tedious. Yet those lessons in the
fundamentals of sentence construction
and grammar have been invaluable.
Friends and colleagues have always complimented me on my writing skills and I
thank Sister John Francis for her role in
making it so. – Denise Murphy Shepherd ‘65
My favorite memory of a teacher is from
fourth grade. It may not be a “favorite”
memory, but it was a pivotal moment in
my life as a student. It is a memorable
event for all of my generation - the day
John F. Kennedy was shot. Mrs. Hult
was my teacher, and when she came in
and told the class that President Kennedy had been shot, she started to
cry. It was that moment that showed
me that teachers were human and had
the same feelings that kids do. It was
very powerful for me, and my earliest
memory of feeling empathy for another
human. – Judee Arnstein ‘68
Back in my time at Annunciation the
Dominican nuns gave up their Christian names, so my most memorable
Mark Maiello ‘71 recently published a teacher is known to me only as Sister
technical book entitled Radioactive Air
Sampling Methods with the help of a colleague. The book began as several updated chapters for the 4th edition of
another book back in 1996. About fifAnnunciation Girl Scouts to Receive Silver Award
teen years elapsed from the updated
chapters to final book publication. Says
Mark, “It was probably the hardest proGirl Scout Cadettes Natalie Petit ‘10, Liz Conlon ‘10, Delia Conlon ‘11, Kafessional project I had worked on since
tie McCrory ‘11, Emily White ‘11, Michelle Morris ‘11, and Niamh Butler ‘11
my Ph.D. thesis. Technical books are
have just completed the requirements for the Girl Scout Silver Award. Their
not written for money, nor are they a
focus was/is the Crestwood Library. Due to City of Yonkers budget cuts, the
‘popular read’. They are labors of love
Yonkers Public Library has suffered many cuts, including closing Saturday and
that require perseverance.’ Recently,
reduced allowances for purchases. The girls attended the city budget meeting,
Mark was invited to Archbishop
Stepinac High School to participate in
spoke in favor of the Library, created a petition to increase funding, walked the
career day where he was introduced on
neighborhood obtaining signatures, wrote a newsletter for the Friends of the
stage with about a dozen other graduCrestwood Library, and organized two crafts fairs/used book sales in order to
ates. “The cheering we received from
raise funds to purchase materials to bolster the young adult section of the
the boys who were obviously and unCrestwood Branch. During this process, they also organized two coat drives
abashedly pleased that the guys who
for St. Peter's soup kitchen in Yonkers and donated extra books collected for
went before them had ‘made it’, was
the book sale to St. Peter's School.
Page 4
The Annunciator
Our Spooky Halloween Traditions
Every neighborhood has its Halloween traditions, and Crestwood is no exception. Who remembers the haunted
house on Westchester Avenue, or the
talking pumpkin house on Lindbergh
Place? How in the world did those
pumpkins always know what you were
wearing and how were they able to answer any question you posed?
Annunciation School’s children have
also enjoyed many fun-filled Halloween
celebrations at the school for as long as
many people can remember.
For many years students spent a
good part of the day in the gym. They
first selected a soda, and popcorn or
maybe purchased a candy apple before
taking a seat and watching a classic
movie. There are many movies that
come to mind—Jason and the Argonauts, a
Sinbad movie, Flubber, and The Love Bug
are just a few.
This tradition continued through
Halloween 1976. Then in 1977, a new
tradition was born under the direction
of then Principal, Mr. Kevin Scanlon.
One of the students in that 8th grade
class was Debbie Sadowski Miano ‘78.
This new tradition was a Halloween Carnival which is used as a fundraising
event for the graduation activities of the
8th grade. The 8th graders create fun
and entertaining carnival type games that
8th graders David Vitiello, Robert Levine, Kevin Sohr and Brendan McLoughin
entertain kindergarteners Rebecca McFarland, Sean O’Neill and Michael Trombetta
the younger students can play for a small
fee. Examples include games that test
your throwing accuracy, games of
chance and even the occasional video
game.
Interestingly, Debbie is still a parishioner of Annunciation and her three
children have all attended the school.
Her son, Michael, is now an 8th
grader, and Debbie is a class mother,
making her one of the adults responsible for this year’s Halloween Carnival!
Debbie says, “What I loved about
the carnival this year was that I was
able to be part of the planning stages.
(continued on page 7)
Amanda Buongiorno, Katie McCrory, and Hannah Berrios
pose with 8th grade teachers, Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. O’Neil and
Mrs. Cucuzza. All photos: Karen McCrory
Crafts at the Pumpkin Patch. Left to right, Lucy Losada,
Katie McLoughlin, Julianne Raniolo, Kat Vitiello, Emily Trizano, Kate McMahon
February 2011
WOodbine 1
by Mark Maiello ‘71
Our phone number in Crestwood
began with WO 1 for Woodbine 1. I
finally looked up what woodbine is
when I was preparing to write this
story. It’s a type of vine. A vine is a
pretty good metaphor for memories.
Both have intertwined natures and
both often have obscure origins. I am
afraid that many of my Crestwood
memories are now A bit obscure. So,
I am grateful for the ones I remember well. They bring to mind past
friends that left impressions and influences. I list a few below with no
intention of embarrassing anyone
named. I trust that the time gone by
makes that impossible. We were after
all, mere children.
Page 5
him.
Raymond LaRussa – Ray was many
things but most of all he was laugh out
loud funny. We were the worst altar
boys in Annunciation parish history. But
we immortalized Fr. Brunswick (named
after the bowling lanes we frequented) in
the 6th grade puppet play “Everyday
People.” He untied my straight-laced
personality.
Anne Cotter – A very sweet girl who I
was inordinately rude to one day. I
hope she doesn’t remember that. Nevertheless, I apologize, and I wish Anne
well.
from Annunciation together. The plan
succeeded.
Jeffrey Paccione, James Tully, Michael and Martin Avallone, Terry and
Kerry Tracy – All neighborhood friends
who spent countless hours with me on
bicycles, on sleds, on skates and in backyards and driveways playing baseball, basketball and anything else we could think
of. We had good, unorganized, stay-outuntil dinner-time fun.
Mrs. Lucien (5th grade) – Until high
school, when she was topped by only one
other, she was the funniest, most endearing teacher I ever had the pleasure of
sharing a class
room
w i t h . Other Crestwood
Laughter can do Area Telephone
more for learning
Exchanges
than most people
realize. She was a
master of the art
DEerfield
7
DE
of humor. I had
to like her for
SWiftwater
3
SW
another reason.
She owned a beaSPencer
SP
9
gle (Woody). So
did I (Lance).
Mathew Sullivan – Matt was one of the
best AAA junior crossing guards. He
and I maintained the bicycle stand at the
south end of the parking lot behind the
school. Matt showed me that you could
make 40 students line up their bikes in
Paul Salvati – He got me started as a perfect order. Matt was also my altar boy
NY Jets fan. It has been a rough ride partner for Sunday high mass. I messed
with the “same old Jets,” but I’ve up a bit less.
never wavered, and after all this time,
Maureen McGovern – I never forgot
the Jets are starting to play better.
how well Maureen could read aloud pasRobert Valla and Timothy sages from books and our classroom
McKeon – They, Paul and I started a periodical (what was it called, “The MesOf
course,
“Speedsters Club” when we were in senger?”). I wanted to read as well as she
the 3rd or 4th grade or sometime in could. I am not sure I ever achieved there are many other classmates, teachers
and neighbors whom I recall fondly.
that era. We were fast runners. I wish that.
They too are part of the complicated web
I had kept up with my running. I did
jog on and off for years. I need to get John Tretter – John devised a plan to of impressions, the woodbine of my intrick me into close proximity to his terlaced memories of childhood. I for
back to that.
younger sister so she could kiss me on one am grateful that I created those
Richard Caldera – Richard taught the cheek. The plan capitalized on the memories in Crestwood.
me to be a better student. He set the fact that all three of us walked home
grammar school standard. I tried
harder because of Richard. For that I
Annunciation’s Father-Daughter Dance
am truly thankful.
Karen Gormley – My first slowdance ever was shared with Karen. It
was at one of our graduation parties.
Karen danced very well.
Paul Scolaro – A quiet, courteous
and gentle soul who was taken from
us far too early in life. He and I often
walked home for lunch. After a long
time apart, we ran into each other
one summer. If he knew, he never let
on that he was ill. I’ll never forget
Ready for the dance
are Vince, Amanda and
Diana Leva; Paul and
Morgan McLaughlin;
Danny ‘78 and Maggie
Sullivan; John ‘78,
Claire, Kate, Meagan ,
and Annie McMahon;
and Tony and Raine
O’Sullivan.
Page 6
The Annunciator
Around the School and Parish
Happy attendees at the 7th and 8th grade
dance held in the school gym.
Photos this page courtesy of Karen McCrory
Third grade students dress up as
Saints for the School’s All Souls
Day Mass. Each student wrote a
paper about their saint. Students
read their papers at the Mass.
Left: Mike and Sue
Boulhosa, Fr. Ivan Lovric, and Diane Doyle
Vezza ‘75 cook lunch for
Annunciation’s Handicapped Mass and Luncheon on November 13.
Fr. Ivan said Mass for
100 guests.
Right: Sue directs the
Scouts who helped to
serve our guests at the
luncheon.
February 2011
Page 7
Halloween (continued from page 4)
I got to see the kids have so much fun.
The preparation was a lot of work, and it
was worth every minute of it. It was great
to watch the upper grades interact with
the lower grades and see how the 8th
graders behave with the little kids. They
were so helpful. It is definitely not a job
just for one person. There were six class
moms, including me, involved. We all had
big parts to play in the success of the
Halloween carnival.”
Reflecting back on the very first carnival, Debbie says, “I remember the carnival when I was in 8th grade being a very
low-key and minimally decorated event,
and I remember our game was ‘Guess the
Food.’ We has a cardboard box with
bowls of food inside, like grapes or spaghetti in water, and the kids had to reach Mothers and Sons are ready to attend the Mother Son Costume Party at Annunciation
in and guess what food they were feeling. School, an event sponsored by the Home School Association and chaired by Kimberly
We were dressed as aliens. I remember White Breen ‘86 and Salem Crabtree, wife of Will Crabtree, former classmate ‘86. Scarhaving a blast with my friends. Now, the ing us with their costumes are (L to R) Desiree and Anthony Baez, Dianna Bogdacarnival has become more elaborate with nowicz and her sons Dennis (under mask) and Johnny, Carmela and Dylan Murthemes, decorations, and donations. It’s a phy, Deb and Brandon LaFurno, and Karen and Michael McCrory.
successful 8th grade fundraiser now. But
whether it's 1978 or 2010, it's always a
Irish Dance Champion
fantastic day.”
Crestwood is still the place to be on Halloween. All manner of costumed
children, and even costumed adults (Terrence Fay ‘84 and his son, Donovan
‘18, both went trick or treating together as Batman this year!) walk the Crestwood streets with Westchester and Hollywood Avenues being virtually closed
to traffic due to all the pedestrians in the street. Alumni return to the
neighborhood to bring their own children trick-or-treating along the same
streets that they used to tread. Colleen McDermott ‘74 and Kevin ‘76 and
Jeanine McDermott O’Brien ‘77 all bring their children to Crestwood to trickor-treat, and also to wish their grandfather a happy birthday! There are still a
variety of houses who go beyond the simple offering of candy. Instead they
decorate their yards with incredibly scary tableaus sometimes adding a few
scary surprises.
Maureen Fulton ‘65 says, “The only thing that I remember about HallowRyan McCombe ‘04 celebrates winning the
een is that you had better make sure that you made your way up to the conMen’s Under 20 Competition at the Midvent or else it would be noticed and you’d hear about it the next day. The SisAtlantic
Regional Oireachtas, an Irish dancters used to give out candied apples which, of course back then was considing
competition,
with his teachers Kathleen
ered a nice, safe treat.” Houses near the school still receive the largest number
Keady
and
Erin
Kennedy.
Ryan successfully
of visitors. Diane Doyle Vezza ‘75, who lives three houses from the school,
defended
the
title
he
had
won
last year and
estimates that she has over 500 children ring her doorbell on Halloween each
will
represent
the
United
States
and
the Midyear.
Atlantic Region at the World Championships in Dublin on Holy Saturday. Ryan
has shared his Irish dancing talents at many
Annunciation St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Page 8
The Annunciator
More Annunciation Sweethearts
Robin LaSalle and Steven Angelilli, both Class of 1971, started
“going out” in 8th grade. It was a mutual attraction that continued through
Roosevelt High School. Robin then
attended Katherine Gibbs, while Steven
went to Harriman College and Mercy
College.
On June 24, 1978 they were married
with many Annunciation graduates in
the wedding party including, Mary LaSalle Cahill ‘68, Katie LaSalle Brown ‘72,
Elizabeth LaSalle, Rosemary LaSalle
Roche ‘83, Katie Angelilli Sullivan ‘78,
Peter ‘67 and Chris Angelilli ‘68 and
Dan Sweeney ‘71.
After residing in Bronxville for
three years, they moved to South Salem,
NY, where they have lived for 29 years
and have raised their two sons, Steven
(23) and Thomas (17). In the building
and renovation business, they completed
a major renovation of the Annunciation
Convent in 1992.
Michael Palen ‘54 and Sandra Mallardi, former member of the Class of
'’58, were introduced to each other at
the Tarego Social Club in Yonkers. Besides the physical attraction, they both
liked the way they fit together when they
danced. Love started there.
After Annunciation, Mike attended
Stepinac HS in White Plains, NY, Westchester Community College, and finally
Manhattan College in the Bronx. He
joined the Air force National Guard in
1961 and served one year active duty
before serving in the reserves for four
years. While in the service, he was
trained as an aero medic and was on
flight status. He fell in love with flying
and eventually got his private pilot's license. After the service, Mike went to
work with Standard Register as a sales
representative, working for thirty-eight
years before retiring.
Sandy attended Gorton High School
in Yonkers, NY. After high school, she
worked in a law office before taking an
Most Recent Alumni Couple
Elizabeth Foley ‘89 married Mark Soliman ‘91 at Annunciation Church on
July 9, 2010 becoming Annunciation’s newest alumni couple. The reception was
held at Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester, NY.
Many Annunciation graduates were in attendance to witness the nuptials, including from the class of 1990: Paul Olivo, Kenneth Deasy, Robert Sutton and
Cliff Dealy; from the class of 1991: Adam DiSenso, John Dealy, Matt Hayes,
Brian Mullery, and Brian Duffy; and from the Class of 1992: Catherine Foley and
Cathryn Melnyk Duffy. Also in attendance were Mark’s brothers, Andrew ‘89
and John ‘93 Soliman.
Mark is a vice president and financial advisor at HSBC Securities. He and Liz
live in Bronxville, NY.
executive secretary position at Gestetner Corp. She then became a stay-athome Mom while raising their children. Sandy also did volunteer work
in the school system and taught CCD
at home to her children for a few
years. Some years later, she did return to the work force until retiring a
few years before Michael.
Mike and Sandy, who live in Mahopac, have three beautiful children,
Lisa, Kenneth, and Thomas and are
blessed with two grandchildren, Tyler
and Chase. They purchased property
in Amenia, NY where they damned a
stream, creating two large ponds
stocked with rainbow trout and fed by
four waterfalls. They built a summerhouse from the ground up without
power or a road, carrying most of the
materials 100 yards to the site. Says
Mike, “We visit often in the summer
and continue to maintain it. Swimming, fishing, campfires, karaoke and
entertainment create much fun most
of the summer!” They also enjoy
yearly vacations to Florida, Cape Cod
and elsewhere, visiting their grandchildren, who live nearby, and maintain an
active life. “Life so far has been good
to us and we thank God for that!”
February 2011
Page 9
Volunteers (continued from page 1)
Mary Ellen Quinn St. Pierre ‘50 does
volunteer work, along with five other
individuals, at the local soup kitchen
once a month. The three women and
three men arrange a nourishing and
tasty meal for about 125 people.
The request for volunteers appeared in
the weekly newsletter of her parish,
Sacred Heart of
Pittsfield, Mass.
Mary Ellen has been
involved with the
soup kitchen for
three years.
She also meets
once a week with a
group who knits prayer shawls and
other items for the sick at a local hospital. Mary Ellen says, “We begin the
meeting with a prayer of gratitude and
support for those who are sick and in
need of comfort. It is gratifying to use
our ‘skills’ to benefit people who really
derive a positive experience from our
shawls. They go mostly to long-term
patients who have cancer, although, we
have also made matching shawls and
baby blankets for mothers and babies.
It was through this group that I met
Sister Colette, who asked me to consider becoming a Eucharistic Minister
to serve patients in the hospital. I considered it for a while because frankly,
the idea was a bit daunting, having been
raised in the state of awe by the Church
who at that time would have been horrified to see women administering the
Eucharist.
However, times have
changed, and this presents the opportunity to be a source of comfort and release to patients as well as the Holy
Eucharist. It has also opened my mind
more so to the great gift of our faith.”
In 2002, after retiring from work
as an educator, Peter Dirr ‘54 worked
with the sick, elderly, and homebound
in his parish of St. Charles Borromeo in
Arlington, Virginia. He also chaired
the Circle of Caring, a group of more
than 50 volunteers who provided a
wealth of services for those in need.
In 2007, he took a trip to the Dominican Republic, where the diocese of
Arlington has staffed a parish since
1991. While there, Peter came across a
group of doctors and nurses from
Medical Missionaries who were on their
way to a clinic in Thomassique, Haiti to
provide medical services to the residents. He saw how their visit and the
subsequent care provided by the Haitian staff of the clinic, fully supported
by Medical Missionaries, was saving
lives in this poorest area of Haiti. St.
Joseph Clinic, built and opened earlier
Volunteers Needed for Bronx Charity
Mercy Center, located in the South Bronx, is an organization whose mission
is to support the women and families of Mott Haven. Originally founded
twenty years ago, by Mary Ann Dirr ‘57, a Sister of Mercy, the organization
thrives on the support of volunteers who help fill a variety of roles.
“Annunciation certainly has brought Mercy Center many gifts through volunteers and in other ways over the years,” says co-director, St. Mary Galeone,
RSM. “We are in need of more volunteers than we have been able to recruit,
and since I know the outstanding quality of the Annunciation volunteers, I’d
love to find some more.”
Last year Mercy Center provided services to 3,000 individuals in areas such
as ESL (English as a Second Language), after-school tutoring, Saturday reading
programs, computer skills and more. More than 400 volunteers helped to make
this happen. If you are interested in volunteering at Mercy Center, you can
learn more by contacting Sr. Mary at [email protected] or
calling Mercy Center at 718-993-2789.
that year, provided a stark contrast to
the rest of Thomassique. This concrete
state-of-the-art facility had its own
power supply and water purification
system while those in the region generally had no power and only contaminated water. Peter was hooked.
He joined the Board of Directors of
Medi cal
Missi onaries
(www.medmissionaries.org) a few
months later and has been volunteering
full time to help expand the work of this
organization, especially in Haiti. Peter
travels to Haiti four times a year to work
with the local staff and volunteers from
the U.S. Peter says, “Since 2008, we
have been tackling the problems of malnutrition and contaminated water. By
the end of 2010, we had provided water
purification systems to 15,000 people.
We have saved about 200 severely malnourished children from death by proving them with a nutritional supplement.
We have also set up satellite health clinics in four of the outlying villages to
serve people closer to where they live
St. Joseph Clinic, Haiti
since many had to walk for several hours
to get to our clinic when they were sick.
My responsibility is to design these programs, oversee their implementation,
and seek funding to support them.”
Peter hopes to have all 15,000 households in Thomassique using water purifiers over the next couple of years. He
also hopes they will be able to treat all
malnourished children and restore them
to health. “We plan to work with the
people on a program to provide a latrine
for every house that lacks one. And, in
the long run, we hope to help people re(continued on page 10)
Page 10
The Annunciator
Volunteers (continued from page 9)
build and strengthen their homes so that them and reading scripture to comfort
they withstand the heavy rains and hurri- and help them. Bud has been doing
canes that hit the island every year.”
this since 2002 and has worked over
1,750 hours. Bud is involved in many
Richard Colesanti ‘55 has made other things at the V.A. including handvolunteering one of his main activities. ing out candy at Christmas time as the
With the exception of his time at Sweet- “Polish Christmas Elf”, and displaying
water Elementary School and the Creek- artwork and handmade furniture for
side Middle School where he works on V.I.S.T (Visually Imparied Service
the book fair, health fair, student orien- Team) at the V.A. on “White Cane
tation and is a social event chaperone Day”.
and for which he was awarded the 2008
Bernard Magdelain ‘58 satisfied a
Senior Volunteer at the Volusia County
long-time
desire to become a fireman.
School System, Rich’s volunteer activiThe
need
to
help others and to take his
ties are definitely marine animal focused.
He is currently on the permanent mind off his own personal employment
staff of the Marine Science Center in situation, prompted him to join the
Ponce Inlet, FL, but was an 18-month Scarsdale Volunteers Fire Station #3 at
volunteer as an educator prior to that. Crossways near the Hutchinson River
He is a volunteer on the Marine Mam- Parkway. This entailed qualifying in
mal Rescue Team, handles derelict crab State Firefighting Essentials and particitrap removal during an annual event, pating in monthly drills in actual real
was director of an annual youth fishing fire situations. This training gave volunteer firefighters the confidence necestournament and
sary to respond to actual fires in the
assists in the anScarsdale area. Bernard remained a volnual Battle of the
unteer firemen for about ten years but
Badges, in which
then weight and age took its toll. He
police and firehad to leave this arduous and satisfying
fighters face off in
work to younger folks. Says Bernard,
a fishing tourna“As it happens, when I decided to step
ment. He is on
my
the
V o l u s i a Rich and his grand- down,
uniform
and
County Manatee daughter, Michelle
gear was beWatch and Gopher Tortoise Watch. If you live in the queathed to
Daytona Beach area and are interested in the son of a
good
getting involved in any of these activi- very
and
ties, you can contact Rich at friend
[email protected] or 386-760-8950 or fellow classvisit the MSC website at mari- mate, Cathy
Pope ‘58. Teddy Pope took over for
nesciencecenter.com.
me, and I was pleased to see my gear
Alexander “Bud” Dzienkonski’s being handed down to a friend and put
‘57 favorite charity is The Wounded to good use.”
In addition to Bernard’s interest in
Warriors Project, however, there is no
local chapter where he lives, so Bud just firefighting, golf had always been a pasvisits the local V.A. Hospital as a Care sion for him ever since his caddying
Ambassador. He volunteers at Fort days at Leewood Golf Club. He enjoys
Harrison V.A. Medical Center in Helena, the camaraderie and competition of the
MT, working one or more days in the game. In his later corporate years, Berwards visiting patients, praying with nard found the time to attend the
USGA Rules School and the USGA
Course rating training. When he retired
in 2001, Bernard was trained as a rules
official and official course rater. Both
practices are essential to the game of
golf. By volunteering with the Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA) in
both capacities, he was able to give
back to the game which had afforded
him so much enjoyment. “Ironically,
here again my path crossed with another Annunciation graduate: Gene
Donovan,” says Bernard. “The experience I obtained with the MGA prepared me for my eventual retirement to
warmer climates in South Carolina. I
was able to transfer the skills to the
South Carolina Golf Association where
I continue to volunteer in both capacities and continue to give back to the
game that I love so much.”
Richard Cataldo ‘60 is on the
Board and is also the Treasurer of the
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (www.stonebarnscenter.org),
which is located in Pocantico Hills in
Westchester. It is a non-profit farm and
education center promoting sustainable
agriculture and healthy food with an
aim to improving the way America eats
and farms. Its partner on the grounds is
the restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns
offering contemporary cuisine using
local ingredients, with an emphasis on
produce from the farm.
James Christopher ‘60 got involved in the Saint Vincent de Paul
Society about six years ago. He wanted
to give something back to the church
and this was the perfect setting to help
the poor. James is a parishioner of
Christ the King in Commack, Long
Island, and participates in a fundraising
walk to benefit the Society. Last year
$75,000 was raised on Long Island
which goes directly to the poor. James
and his wife, Eileen, have been married
for thirty-eight years and have two
(continued on page 14)
February 2011
Page 11
Annunciation’s Breakfast with Santa Tradition Thrives in Connecticut
We all know what a special place
Crestwood is. The families, the parish,
the school; you don’t find that wonderful combination in many places. In October of 1995, Bob and Maureen Gill
Clark ‘76 decided to move to Westport,
CT to raise their growing family. In an
effort to reach out and connect with the
community, Maureen looked to her parish to find a bit of the community that
she had left in Crestwood. She met a
few other young mothers, and together
they started Assumption Parish’s version
of Park Bench, a weekly playgroup for
young moms and their children that she
had attended at Annunciation.
As their second Christmas in Westport was nearing, Maureen thought back
to the wonderful tradition of Breakfast
with Santa that she and her children had
enjoyed at Annunciation. She brought
the idea to the other playgroup mothers,
and the first Breakfast with Santa was
held at Assumption Parish in Westport
in December of 1996. Each year Mau-
still got just as much enjoyment from
Breakfast with Santa as they watched
the younger children enjoy the entertainment, sit on Santa’s lap, whisper
their Christmas list in his ear, and
smile for the camera.
Maureen and her Breakfast with Santa helpers including her daughter, Megan, bottom
left and her son, Brian, striped shirt.
reen and the other mothers would prepare for and celebrate Breakfast with
Santa. As the years passed and children
grew, the other mothers moved on to
volunteer in other areas of the parish
and the community. Maureen’s children
Colleen, Brian and Megan began to help
out, as did some of their friends. Now
the children that the event was started
for were helping to setup, run and clean
up for the event. They realized that they
December 2007 was Colleen’s last
year as she and a few other loyal volunteers headed off to college. This
past December was the fifteenth consecutive year for Breakfast with Santa
in Westport. It was also a bittersweet
day as four of the five remaining teenagers, including Maureen's son, Brian,
spent their last day volunteering at
Breakfast with Santa as they await
their college acceptances.
Breakfast with Santa will continue.
Megan, Maureen’s youngest, is still
around to recruit friends to help, and
Maureen put on a big recruiting effort
this year during ticket sales, calling on
some of Santa’s biggest fans from
years gone by to help out next year.
Sr. Barbara’s Cats by Pat Brennan ‘53
As I went into the eighth grade in
September 1952, Annunciation School
received a new principal. Sister Barbara,
OP, was also the eighth grade teacher.
She was much younger than most of the
teachers on staff, and her youth did not
go unnoticed by the children whom she
taught. Sr. Barbara was, well … “kewl”.
She made Shakespeare’s Tempest fun,
and she was agile, and she was active
(like Sister Denise – everybody’s favorite), and she knew what we 13 and 14
year olds liked and understood.
Now, if you ever see a picture of my
graduating class, you will note that there
were, if memory serves me correctly,
eight boys and sixteen girls. So, you can
understand that when Sister Barbara one
afternoon, during a discussion of animals, asked if we would like to see her
cats, the vote in favor was overwhelm-
ing. The boys were actually a little disappointed, since we had begun to think of
Sister Barbara as a real person, and not a
nun, which was just another form of girl.
And since she had said “cats”, Eddie
McAnaney, Richie Wehle and I were
certain they were embroidered, or knitted, or dolls of some kind.
The next day class began as usual and
proceeded in the normal fashion. A couple of the girls finally got up the gumption to ask where the cats were, and Sister said, “Later.”
Later proved to be right after lunch.
We all settled down and Sister Barbara
asked if we were ready to see her cats.
The girls all said “Yes,” the boys said
nothing. “They’re in my office,” said
Sister and she strode out to get them.
It took her four trips to bring them
in, because they were in eight jars. Sister
Barbara, you see, had been a biology
major, and her crowning postgraduate achievement was her research into feline anatomy. The boys
whooped with delight; the girls made a
bee-line for the rest room.
I doubt any of the boys in that
class ever forgot Sister Barbara. She
was special!
The Brennan siblings: Denis ‘59,
Ellen ‘60, Charles ‘58, Patrick ‘53
and Mary ‘64
Page 12
The Annunciator
Deceased Alumni Remembered at
Mass on November 6th
Annunciation Church was crowded on Saturday, November
6 at 5:00 p.m. As has been the custom at Annunciation for
over fifteen years, deceased alumni and former students at Annunciation School were remembered in a special way at the
Mass. Officiated by Msgr. Dennis Keane, Annunciation’s Pastor, the Mass included the reading of over 130 names by two
current 8th graders—Amanda Buongiorno and Brian Heubel.
Roma Grogan, the leader of song, sang an “Alleluia” after every
dozen names and a beautiful “Ave Maria” after the reading of
the final name.
In addition to the Mass, forty-three families at Annunciation
and each of the school’s classes had made a commitment to
pray for these souls during the month of November.
Families of the deceased were invited to attend the Mass.
Richard Pagen ‘52, who lives in Bronxville, and whose brothers,
William ‘48 and Anthony ‘50, were remembered at the Mass
said, “My wife, Martha, and I were pleased to be able to attend
the Mass on November 6. It is a great thing that my brothers
and everyone else are remembered and not forgotten.”
Deaths
Please pray for the repose of the souls of the following alumni:
William Casey, former classmate 1960
Arthur Isidori ‘59, brother of Donald ‘67 and Thomas ‘67
Julia Budenz ‘48, sister of Josphine ‘51, Justine former member of the Class of ‘56, and Joanna former
member of the Class of ‘59
We also pray for the souls of the following family
of alumni:
Mildred Ferrari, mother of Richard ‘79 and Lisa ‘80
Robert Clyne, father of Carolyn ‘79, Robert ‘81, and
John
Edith Liccardi, mother of Victoria ‘72 and Teresa ‘73
Alice O’Rourke, mother of Alice ‘68, Andrew ‘70
and Aileen ‘73
Donald Dolan, father of Kathleen ‘80, Elizabeth 83,
Patrick ‘85, Matthew ‘87 and Michael ‘88
Photos from the Past
Mr. William Wasp (Troop 6 Scoutmaster 1957-1964) and
Msgr. Vincent J. Brosnan award Don McArthur (L) and Raymond Flynn (R), both class of 1960, with their Eagle Scout
awards. This was the first time the Eagle Scout Award was
earned by a member of Annunciation Troop 6.
Annunciation Cheerleaders circa 1974. See the article about the school’s current cheerleading program
on page 18
February 2011
Page 13
Milestones
Births
Milestone Spotlight
Amy Lauren Moyer
Laura Mills ‘83 and her husband, Steven Cytrynowicz,
announce the birth of their son Matthew John on September 24, 2010. Matthew joins his big brother Peter George, The Moyer family received the greatest gift anyone could ask
born February 26, 2007. The family lives in St. Paul, Min- for in 2010. On December 16th, they welcomed their baby girl,
Amy Lauren, into the world! She was born at 8:45 a.m.,
nesota (Brrr!).
weighed 7lbs. 8 oz. and was 18.5 inches long. She joined big
sisters Kelly (14) and Emily (5). Ellen Keyes Moyer ‘90 and her
husband, Todd, couldn't be happier! Ellen is currently pursuing
Engagements
her Master's degree in curriculum and instruction with an emScott Kittelstad ‘95 is engaged to Christine DeSimone. phasis on elementary reading through Grand Canyon UniverAn October 2011 wedding is being planned. Scott lives in sity. She will complete her degree this coming fall. Ellen also
Orlando, FL where he works for Exercise Systems doing works full-time as a 2nd grade teacher at Pinnacle Elementary
gym equipment sales, installation and repair. Christine School in Rutherfordton, NC.
works for CitationAir, a private jet company. Annunciation alumnus Christopher Weigand ‘95 will be the Best
Man and Marie Kittelstad ‘98 will be a bridesmaid.
Brianne O’Toole ‘97 became engaged to Emmet Donnelly on December 17, 2010. Brianne is an account executive for CBS television station ad sales, and Emmet, who is
from Bay Shore, NY, is an associate with the law firm of
Catalano, Gallardo & Petropoulos, LLP. The couple met
as students at The Catholic University of America where
they both graduated in 2005. Although a date has not yet
been set, they plan on a 2012 wedding at Annunciation.
Marriages
Jackie Johnson ‘97 And Kevin Cox were married at Annunciation Church on October 16, 2010 by Msgr. James
Moore. Annunciation graduates in attendance included
the bride’s mother, Jeanette Byrnes Johnson ‘65, and siblings, Christian Johnson ‘94, Erik Johnson ‘00, and Emily
Johnson ‘02, Alice Byrnes Morilla ‘61, Tom Byrnes ‘69,
Tim Byrnes ‘70, Elaine Castelli Mascali ‘65, John Stipicevic
‘98, Katie Murphy Connors ‘97, Caitlin Sakacs ‘98, Stephanie DeTone ‘02, and Kristen Henry ‘02. The reception
was held at the Tarrytown House Estate on the Hudson
River in Tarrytown, NY. Jackie and Kevin honeymooned
on the Island of Tenerife, Canary Islands and Barcelona,
Spain. They are still living in Los Angeles, CA were Jackie
is an Account Supervisor for Ogilvy Public Relations
Worldwide, and Kevin is the Operational Manager of the
popular LA restaurant group Umami Burger.
Kathryn Neumayer ‘98 and Timothy Earley were married on December 10, 2010 at Blessed Sacrament Church
in Stowe, VT. Katie is a registered dietitian at Lawrence Hospital Center where she runs the outpatient nutrition counseling
service for the hospital. Tim is a manager at UniFirst and is
currently applying to medical school. After a honeymoon in
Switzerland, the couple will live in Fleetwood, NY.
Jose R. Velasco Jr. ‘95 and Jessica Celina Menjivar were married at Annunciation Church on January 14, 2011. Jose and
Jessica went to Saunders Trades and Technical High School
together and live in Bedford Hills, NY. Jose is a systems engineer for a hedge fund in Greenwich, CT, and Jessica is a membership administrator for the YWCA of White Plains, NY. She
is also co-owner of a small e-commerce business that makes
and sells shirts, hats and other clothing and jewelry from recycled material (www.wickedaccents.com).
The Annunciator
Page 14
Volunteers (continued from page 10)
James, in
blue jacket,
and other
volunteers
pose for a
photo.
children - Brian is 35 and a NYC cop;
Maureen is 32 and is a schoolteacher at
Commack High School. James is a retired
NYC Detective who worked thirty-one
years with the Police Department. For the
last nine years, he has worked for New
York Community Bank based in Westbury
Long Island where he is a senior fraud
investigator with the bank.
Bill Wasp ‘61 volunteers with SWAIA,
the Native American artists’ association in
Santa Fe, NM. He and his wife, Valli, had
vacationed in that part of the country for
twenty-five years before finally moving
there. Being a Fine Arts major and a photographer, Bill was looking for a key point
into the Native American arts world and
SWAIA (www. swaia.org) proved to be the
right
place.
SWAIA, the
arts’
major
driver in New
Mexico,
focuses on art
education, and
public offering
of native arts
and crafts. Bill
serves as a show sales person, auction volunteer and freelance photographer. He
says, “The Native American arts drew me
to them for their colors, ethnic imageries
and capture of the ‘first humans’ evolving
view of their beliefs and surrounding.”
Bill also volunteers within the Santa Fe
School system, where he also teaches.
Michael Coneys ‘69 volunteers as the
Chairman and President of the Board of
Directors of the Leo House for German
Catholic Emigrants Inc. on West 23rd
Street in Manhattan. Named after Pope
Leo XIII, the Leo House is a Catholic
guesthouse whose modern mission is
Christian hospitality for all travelers
to the NYC metropolitan area. Their
72 rooms
are open
to
all
people
regardless
of race,
religion,
nationality, gender and/
or handiMichael and Archbishop
cap who
Timothy M. Dolan
live outside the
city. There are 29 full-time and parttime staff including three members of
the Congregation of St. Agnes,
whose sisters have been with Leo
House faithfully since the 1880s.
In 1991, Michael was invited by a
long-time family friend and Annunciation parishioner, Daniel Coleman,
to join the St. Raphael’s Society (the
membership organization for Leo
House) and seek election to the
Board. In 1992, Michael was elected
Corporate Secretary and then four
years ago, Chairman and President.
Says Michael, “Naturally, there is
always an enormous amount of work
in such positions, but I find profound spiritual and emotional fulfillment in the continuing success of our
mission and, very importantly, in the
friendships that I have developed
with my fellow members of the
Board of Directors and the many
people who make up the wonderfully
caring and loving Leo House family.”
Recently, Michael’s old friend and
Annunciation School classmate,
Mark Houlihan ‘69 accepted an
invitation to join St. Raphael’s Society and accept election onto the Leo
House Board. Mark currently serves
as Corporate Secretary and as a valuable member of the Investment
Committee.
If you were like
to volunteer at the
Leo House and/or
join the St. Raphael's Society, please
contact Leo House
Executive Director,
Frank J. Castro, at
(212) 929-1010,
extension 203.
Paul Guarneri ‘64 has been building homes for the working poor with
Habitat for Humanity since 1991. He
has volunteered in Illinois, Mississippi
and Florida, and directs an annual outreach trip to Tutwiler, Mississippi with
his home parish, St. Thomas the Apostle, in Illinois.
Paul says that “around age 40, I
really began to understand my talents
were God given gifts and should be
shared with others. I’ve always enjoyed
working with my hands and seeing tangible results. My academic training is
engineering and computer science. At
a parish retreat, I was introduced to the
Habitat for Humanity organization.”
Over the last twenty years, Paul has
developed skills in virtually all aspects
Paul Guarneri, standing second
from right, with his parish group
in 2010 in Mississippi.
of home construction including framing, plumbing, roofing, drywall, taping,
fine carpentry and electrical. He says
that the experiences have been extremely valuable, and that he thoroughly enjoys the reward of gifting new
homeowners with decent housing.
(continued on page 16)
February 2011
Page 15
Class Notes
1953
Peggy Shalloe Mitchell is wondering
if anyone received a Christmas card
from June, Hal, and Mama Rita. If
you did, please email her at [email protected] or by mail at
P.O. Box 30466, Sea Island, GA
31561.
1960
Richard Cataldo is thrilled to announce the birth of his first grandchild. Jackson Paul Drexel was born
on December 23, 2010 to Richard’s
daughter, Jackie. Richard and his wife,
Carmen were in Charlotte for the big
event.
1971
After working in Washington, DC for
25 years at national nonprofits, Maureen Gavaghan Craig and her husband, Ira, moved to New Mexico four
years ago. Maureen is an avid quilter,
antique quilt collector, and appraiser,
and
her
website
is
www.silverbellquilts.com.
Maureen
now works for the Southwest New
Mexico Council of Governments as an
economic development planner. Maureen says, “It’s been great to reconnect
with some Annunciation classmates
recently, especially Mary Jo Stitt Mituzas whom I haven't seen in many
years.”
Mark L. Maiello resides in Ossining,
N.Y. with his wife Jenny and daughter
Marissa Catherine. Says Mark, “I was
always ‘on the local’ taking my time
about getting married and settling
down. As a consequence, I have only
been married fifteen years and to further the make-every-stop metaphor,
Marissa was born only two years ago!
As I read The Annunciator, I note that
people from my class have children
older than my marriage! Well, it’s
never too late…Marissa is a doll who
keeps Jenny and I young and laughing.
We’ve traded our annual vacations to
Italy or Canada or Alaska for birthday
parties, pediatrician visits, and diaper
changes.”
Mark met Jenny at his first job at the
U.S. Department of Energy on Houston
Street. Jenny and he “hopped the local”
dating for years. They eventually got
engaged and stayed that way for years
too, finally tying the knot in 1996. Jenny
is of Chinese descent having grown up
in Brooklyn from the age of seven when
she, her two sisters, brother and parents
arrived here. Mark tells everyone that
it’s a mixed marriage: Jenny loves the
Yankees, and Mark is a long-suffering
Mets fan. They are hoping that Marissa
won’t mind the split in the family.
It was in Sister Miriam Joseph’s 6th
grade class that Mark really caught the
science bug His physics teachers at
Archbishop Stepinac and Manhattan
College inspired him to go further. After
getting a BS in physics, Mark applied to
NYU’s Environmental Health Science
program. A master’s degree was attained
in 1981 and a Ph.D. resulted in 1986.
In addition to finding the girl of his
dreams, Mark’s first job also opened the
world to him. He made trips to laboratories in Italy, Holland, Germany and England. The best trip was his Hawaii adventure. The work there required daily
trips to the 10,000 foot level of Mauna
Loa volcano – sometimes at night. It
was quite an impressive view of the Big
Island from there (and ironically quite
cold).
Currently, Mark works at Pfizer in
Pearl River, NY as the site’s Radiation
Safety Officer. Jenny is “still on the local” working at the same lab they met at.
Mark loves to write and has published
over 60 articles about radiation, its safe
use, and the consequences of potential
radiological terrorism. He currently
serves as a contributing editor for Health
Physics News. Mark has served on Nuclear Regulatory Commission panels
concerned with the security of large ra-
dioactive sources. He would like to get
more involved with the move to reduce nuclear weapons in the US and
Russia. Mark says, “I see it as a moral
imperative that, done properly, will
extend the chances of human survival
on our troubled little planet.”
Having never left Westchester,
Crestwood and Annunciation remain
fond memories that get freshened
with Mark’s on-again off-again involvement with the Crestwood Historical Society. A few years ago he
volunteered as one of their docents
for a tour of northern Crestwood that
included Annunciation School and
Church. Mark proudly described the
shortcut he took four times everyday
(Mark went home for lunch) through
the Petersen and Sommerville properties bounded Hollywood and Crestwood Avenues.
Mark says, “I have run into a few
of my old classmates over the years
(not enough of them!) with the most
recent being attorney Dan Sweeney in
Pleasantville. It’s great to read about
the accomplishments of all the others
including my old neighborhood
friends in The Annunciator. Whether
serving proudly and with distinction in
the military, the church, in business,
law, at home as mothers and fathers
or in other important capacities, they
have more than rewarded the efforts
of their Annunciation teachers To
me, it’s just amazing how we all
started at that wonderful school on
Westchester Avenue fresh faced and
with all our futures in front of us. Apparently the local (and the express)
still make stops at that beautiful
place.”
1981
Glenn Sadowski and his wife, Claudia,
are expecting another child. In addition to that, after years of living in
Bronxville, but being a member of
(continued on page 16)
Page 16
The Annunciator
Volunteers (continued
continued from page 14)
Elaine Conner Haskell ‘73, her husband, Bruce, and
their children, Luke (16) and Conner (14), have made a
long-term commitment to volunteer with Guiding Eyes
for the Blind. They are a foster family to one of Guiding
Eyes’ breeding dogs, a lovely black lab
named Chanel.
Elaine explains that “Guiding Eyes
Canine Development Center is about
10 minutes north of our home. The
top 2% of dogs born each year are
screened as possible breeders. The
Canine Development Center focuses
on breeding Guide Dogs for tomorrow and the Training Center in Yorktown focuses on training the dogs to be guide dogs.”
The family has had Chanel since September 27,
2008. She has had three litters of pups and one of the
pups from her first litter became a brood, following in
her mother’s footsteps while the rest are now in training.
The second litter are in volunteer puppy raiser
homes. The most recent litter was born August 26,
2010. These pups were recently tested and are awaiting
assignment to their puppy raiser homes.
Elaine explains that “Guiding Eyes depends on volunteers and truly appreciates what their volunteers bring to
the organization. We are passionate about this organization, their commitment to their mission is truly inspiring.”
At Guiding Eyes, in Yorktown and Patterson, NY,
there are many types of volunteering positions from
puppy socializer to van driver to videographer. A great
volunteer opportunity that can be done from home is
being a puppy socializer. Socializers bring two puppies,
ages six to nine weeks old, to their home for two to five
days, to provide socialization to new sights, sounds, and
people. If you are interested in being a volunteer with
Guiding Eyes for the Blind, go to their website for more
info https://www.guidingeyes.org/volunteer.
Eugene Kelley ‘75 and his wife, Kelly, have been
involved with the Wounded Warrior Project
(www.woundedwarriorproject.org) for the past few years.
They, along with other families in their Belle Harbor
neighborhood, host 30 to 40 wounded soldiers, mostly
amputees, and their families for a weekend in the Rockaways. During the weekend, the guests learn to scuba
dive, water ski, etc. Gene says, “We have hosted a veteran in our home for the past two summers. It is an
amazing weekend for the soldier, the soldier’s family, and
the host family. This is a real great opportunity for a
(continued on page 17)
Thanksgiving Alumni Basketball
Games
College Division players pose for a photo above, while the high
school division poses below with 8th graders and referees David
Vitiello and Robert Levine.
Fifty people, including twenty-eight alumni, gathered in the
school gym for a night on fun on the day after Thanksgiving.
Two current 8th grade boys, David Vitiello and Robert Levine, served as referees for the games. In addition, 8th
grade girls, Diana Leva, Maggie Sullivan and Annie McMahon ran the clock and the scoreboard. If you weren’t able to
join us this year, please consider putting it on your calendar
for next year!
Class Notes (continued from page 15)
Annunciation Parish, the family has moved to Crestwood
proper. They plan on raising their family there and sending
their children to Annunciation. Says Glenn, “We do not
know what we are having but we would appreciate prayers
for a healthy baby.” The Sadowskis have a daughter, Julia,
who is 2 1/2 years old.
February 2011
Page 17
Volunteers (continued from page 16)
neighborhood to show gratitude to those who protect our
freedom. My children think it
is great.” The story of the
neighborhood’s efforts has
been also been covered by
news anchor Brian Williams.
Gene notes that his son, Ryan,
who graduated from the Naval
Academy in 2007, is now a
nuclear engineer stationed
aboard the submarine USS
Buffalo.
Gene, right, and a guest
Kerri Kneip Austin ‘91 takes volunteering very seriously.
In addition to being a catechist at St. Mary’s in Ridgefield,
CT, she is on the PTA board of Scotland Elementary School.
A resident of Ridgefield, Kerri is on the board of the Mamanasco Beach Club and welcomes newcomers to town through
the Newcomers Club where she is also on the board.
As a family, Kerri and her husband, Michael, and children,
Jonathan '08, Ian, and Shannon volunteer at the YMCA’s
Camp Jewell two weekends a year helping to build and maintain the camp. Camp Jewell is a sleep away camp in summer
and holds all sorts of family events all year long, including
family camp weekends, volunteer weekends and women’s
wellness weekends.
Keri Sershen ‘91 has been very involved with Pet Rescue
www.ny-petrescue.org since she attended a Pet Rescue event,
“Hounds on the Sound” at Glen Island (New Rochelle) in
October, 2009. Keri had previously adopted one of her three
cats from Pet Rescue. While she started just helping with cat
adoption events, Keri is now involved with helping to foster
dogs while Pet Rescue works to locate
a permanent family for the dog.
There are many volunteer jobs to
be done including helping out at adoption events, helping with transports
from the southern United States and
even helping at the clinic where the
dogs and cats are spayed/neutered,
vaccinated and tested before they go
up for adoption. Keri has even helped
to deliver a litter of puppies! She recently fostered a dog, Faith, who was
highlighted in Pet Rescue’s newsletter
which can be found on their website. In 2010, Pet Rescue
adopted out more than 750 dogs and cats. If you love animals, please consider supporting Pet Rescue with a donation.
Melissa Brennan ‘95 was first introduced to Multiple
Sclerosis, a life debilitating disease, in the spring of 2000.
She was a freshman at Pace University, deeply involved in
pledging the sorority, Alpha Lambda Sigma. As a pledge,
she would be joining the sorority volunteering at Rye’s MS Walk. The volunteers’
duties included collecting registration
packets from walkers, making sure the
food and beverage tables were stocked
and being assigned to the “Wall of
Hope”. It was there, at 18 years of age,
that Melissa realized the immeasurable
number of lives the disease had touched.
The Wall of Hope is a source of support
to people living with MS. During walks, it Melissa, left,
is decorated with words of encourageand Tricia
ment and dedications to loved ones. It
was one of the most therapeutic acts of kindness she had
witnessed.
“I started out as a volunteer, but now participate in the
event as a member of the team ‘Trekkers for Tee’ ”, says
Melissa. “The sorority I chose to join became involved with
MS because of the lives it had touched within their families.
My pledge class added another individual, Tricia, a Sister,
and she happened to be one of my dearest friends.”
Tricia, who was diagnosed at the age of 17, never knows
when she will be overcome with an episode of the incurable
disease. She has battled many symptoms of the disease including sudden vision loss, vertigo, paralysis of her limbs,
severe to minor fatigue, and numbing sensations from her
waist to her toes. The length of each episode varies from a
span of hours, days, weeks or for the rest of her life. These
episodes appear even with treatments in place. Medications
allow Tricia and other individuals battling Multiple Sclerosis
to function, but they do not come with any guarantees.
“Tricia is the reason I have been supporting the MS Society for so long,” says Melissa. “She is the reason her team
shows up in Staten Island during rain showers or sunshine to
walk miles that seem like mere feet in comparison to what
she is dealing with on a daily basis. She is an inspiration to
me and has become one for those at the MS Society. Someone is diagnosed with MS every hour of every day. What I
do yearly will never be enough for the MS community, but it
is something.” If you would like to contribute to Melissa's
fundraising efforts this year, please go to the web page at
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mmbrennan.
Find us at
www.AnnunciationCrestwood.com
Page 18
The Annunciator
Long History of Cheerleading Excellence
It is well known within Annunciation School that one
sports team has the most stringent rules for membership. Not
everyone can make the kind of
commitment that is required,
because this commitment becomes a family commitment,
making being a soccer mom
look like a walk in the park. But
those who earn a spot on Annunciation’s cheerleading team
will learn about self-esteem,
hard work, priorities, tradition,
and that success comes from Annunciation Cheerleaders perform their championship winning
the power of girls who work routine at Fordham University in 2010. Photo courtesy Richard
Janniello
together for a common goal.
Twenty eight years ago, Joann Capozzo sat in the stands watching her
daughter, Gaetana ’86, compete on the
Annunciation cheerleading team. It
was not a wonderful performance, and
Joann believed that the team could
have done better had they taken a different approach to practice. Relegated
to practicing in a hallway, the cheerleading program wasn’t being taken
seriously as a competitive sport. In an
example of putting your money where
your mouth is, Joann accepted an invitation from former Principal Kevin
Scanlon to become the new cheerleading coach for the 1984-85 school year.
Joann, the mother of three daughters, Gaetana and twins, Joanna and
Marisa ‘90, and her husband, Guy, were
former national skating champions.
Mother-daughter coaching team:
Joann and Gaetana Capozzo
Her approach to coaching cheerleading
was to practice at a level that she was
familiar within the skating arena. Her
method for determining what routine to
perform was to “watch the winners” and
see what they were doing. That first
year, with fifteen cheerleaders, including
Gaetana, Annunciation practiced the
same routine and won the WCAA
league competition.
The Capozzo girls ate, breathed and
slept cheerleading. They went to camps
and flourished under their mother’s
coaching. After Annunciation, all three
girls went to The Ursuline School were
they also cheered. Joanna, now a 4th
grade teacher at Annunciation, attended
George Washington University and was
awarded a cheerleading scholarship.
After college, each of the girls assisted
their mother with coaching. Initially
both Joanna and Marisa helped to
coach. In 1996, Gaetana joined the
coaching staff. In 2003, Gaetana became the main coach.
practice 175 hours. As
large as Annunciation’s
gym is, a full-size competition matted floor does not
fit. The team also practices
at Mt. Carmel in the Bronx
where they have access to
the full-size competition
floor.
At first the program
encompassed two teams –
4-6th grades and 7 & 8th
grade.
Eventually time
constraints required that
Joann pick either the lower
grades (Debs) or higher
grades (Elementary Varsity). She chose 4th through 6th
grades.
The
school also has
a
“Biddies” Success
team for 3rd
and 4th grades. comes from
The
Biddies the power of
are run by ex- girls who
p e r i e n c e d work together
c he e r l e a d i ng
for a common
parents
and
coached
by goal.
th
two 7 graders
and two 8th
graders who are former cheerleaders
and are selected by Joann. The Biddies are taught the basics of cheerleading and participate in two CYO
exhibitions to see if they like cheerleading enough to make a commitment to the next level. The Biddies
program has become a wonderful
feeder team for the Debs competition division. Joann estimates that
she has coached close to five hundred Annunciation cheerleaders.
Five families have had three daughters go through the program.
Cheerleading is practically a yearround activity. Beginning in September,
the team practices twice a week. By November, it is three times a week and by
Squad size has grown tremenJanuary; they are practicing 4 to 5 times dously over the years. What started
a week, plus taking tumbling classes at a with twelve to fifteen girls is now a
gymnastics school. From September to
(continued on page 19)
March, Joann estimates that the girls
February 2011
Page 19
Cheerleaders Winning Tradition (continued from page 18)
team of thirty
means
that
girls. The larger
they give up a
numbers
are
lot in order to
needed for the
c o a c h .
stunts that are
Whereas, the
performed, infamilies of the
cluding two girl
girls who parhigh stunts. As
ticipate
in
cheerleading has
cheerleading
ev olv ed,
the
know
that
stunts have befamily vacacome more intritions during
Everyone is an integral part of the routine.
cate, resulting in
Christmas and
more impressive performances. There President’s weeks and weekend getare no bench warmers in cheerleading. aways will have to be foregone due to
Every girl is an integral part of the rou- cheerleading practice, that only lasts as
tine. And that explains why such a long as their daughters are on the 4th
high level of commitment is needed. through 6th grade competition squad.
Picture four girls as the base to a “flier” Joann has made that same commitment
who is helped into an “extension” posi- for twenty-seven years and Gaetana for
tion by the girls at the base. If one of the past fifteen years.
the base members is unable to attend a
In recognition of the tremendous
practice, the entire stunt cannot be reeffort that the Capozzo women have
hearsed. Joann tells the girls that
put into coaching cheerleading, they
school is their number one priority and
were recognized as the CYO Coaches
then cheerleading. Gaetana says that
of the Year in 2000. The team has won
being a good Catholic is tremendously
twenty CYO County Championships,
important as well and she, or Joann,
has won the CYO State Archdiocesan
accompanies the squad to Mass on
Championship nine times and won the
Sunday at 11:30 after their morning
Eastern States Championships for fourpractice. A few pews are always reteen of the last fifteen years. They’ve
served for the girls. She also notes that
won the championships at Great Adthe Disney character Tinkerbell is the
venture ten times, including in 2009
team’s mascot and that she sprinkles
when they performed their routine in
“pixie dust” in their sneakers to “help
an outdoor arena to “Don’t Stop Bethem fly.”
lieving” despite a sudden storm with
Gaetana is a social work director at pouring rain. Even under these condia nursing home in the Bronx, and tions, the girls performed with pracJoann works at International Paper Co. ticed precision and nailed the routine,
in Connecticut.
Working full-time fulfilling their coaches’ rule that they
always do their “personal best.”
The work of many people, makes
the cheerleading successful.
Says
Joann, “I may head this program, but
no one person is responsible. I have
the dream, presently Gaetana, Margaret
Antonucci and Caroline Sohr (see sidebar) are the architects and thirty 4th,
5th and 6th grade young ladies execute
the dream.”
Performing to win a championship.
Marisa, Joanna and Gaetana Capozzo
Above and below: Uniforms through the
years.
Several former cheerleaders have come
back to help with coaching. Their
dedication to the program, long after
their graduation, is just one indication
of the importance of this activity in
their lives. They include:
Dina Cavallo Madden ‘82
Jennifer Eanuzel Gherardi ‘85,
Lauren Crocco ‘94
Kristen Elezaj ‘99
Amanda Tabaronni ‘00
Julie Christoforo ‘01
Jenna Ricciardi ‘02
Margaret Antonucci ‘03
Christina Christoforo ‘06
Caroline Sohr ‘08