Hawk Pride

We are proud of our school's history.

The straight line that runs through it is

top quality education,

traditions built by the student body,

and affinity for 'Hudson' that lasts a lifetime

11th Annual Black & Gold Golf

Honorees Selected

President-Principal Terry Matthews has announced the selection of this year's Honorees at the 11th Annual Black & Gold Golf Classic at the Essex County Country Club in West Orange on September 23rd, featuring two vaunted alumni and a distinguished alumni/student parent.

Mark Kahrer '79 will receive the Brother Patrick King Lasallian Star Award, which is given to an alum who exemplifies the core components of the Lasallian Star: Faith, Service, Education, Respect, and Lasallian Values. Mark has been an active servant as part of the alumni leadership group that responded to the school's 2008 emergency, and as a charter member of the HC Board of Consultors installed by the Archbishop of Newark thereafter. Additionally, Mark has always been available as a trusted, behind-the-scenes advisor to the school, and can be counted on to support our signature events, whether personally or through corporate sponsorship. Mark is both a graduate and recent member of the Board of Trustees of St. Peter's University, and is Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at New Jersey Natural Gas.

Eduardo Pena '90 will receive the John P. Higgins '77 Leadership Award, representative of an individual who displays unwavering support and dedication to the school community -- the values and loyalty that John Higgins brought to Hudson Catholic each time he stepped in the door. From his days at McGinley Square, and over the many years since, Eduardo has been a steady, spirited constituent of the Hudson Catholic community, participant in Hawk activities, and supportor of its students. He is presently a Director of Real Estate & Facilities for Uniqlo North America, and holds a degree from Penn State University.

Dr. Andrea Blake-Garrett will receive the Golden Service Award, given to members of the broader community who display exceptional service to Hudson Catholic and to the Hudson County/Jersey City communities, in this case for her lifetime service to the broader educational community. She founded Dr. Garrett's Educational Solutions, LLC in 2009 to provide exceptional science education, working with teachers, administrators, and school districts across the nation. Among many professional credentials, Dr. Blake-Garrett has served on the Liberty Science Center Learning & Teaching Advisory Board since 2004, and is a member of the Hudson County Science Fair Advisory Board. She holds a NJ Certification as a Teacher of Biological Sciences, Supervisor, Principal, and School Administrator, Masters degrees from Montclair State University, and a doctorate from Seton Hall University. She is both an alumni parent, of Julia Blake '24, and a student parent, of Walter Blake '25.

To register to play, sponsor the event, or submit a digital testimonial for our Honorees, tap the button, or go to hudsoncatholic.org/bggolf.

Mark Kahrer '79

Andrea Blake-Garrett, PhD

Eduardo Pena '90

From the Advancement Office

If you read only one article this issue, let it be this one

There’s an old saying that goes: “Don’t tell me who was for me, tell me who was for me early.” One take on that is that it may be very easy to get behind an established winner, but another thing entirely to throw your support behind an organization or cause that is in the process of building and growing into something that will become a recognized gold standard.

The ability to render early support is what visionaries do - they can see the prospects and promise for the cause they believe in, and are willing to invest accordingly. As a consequence, success of the mission is so much more gratifying to those early supporters.

As we begin a new fiscal year, please commit yourself to getting behind and staying with Hudson Catholic. We’ve had 700 individual supporters in the past fiscal year. We have 7,500+ living alumni, 2,000+ of whom have made a gift to Hudson Catholic at one time or another, in many cases, consistently. Think of what our school could do for the benefit of our current Hawks and the longer-term health of the franchise if 2,000 of the 5,500+ who have never made a gift were to make an average gift of $100 in the 2024-25 school year!

You CAN be a difference maker. Over the past four years, ten years, 15 years, countless students have made Hudson Catholic their home and earned their coveted diplomas thanks to the kindness and generosity of our Hawk community donors. And the Lasallian mission and Hudson Catholic education has prepared them to grow as learners and leaders.

If you have yet to make your first gift to Hudson Catholic, we ask you to strongly consider making it this year. If you are a donor, whether it be infrequently or regularly, we ask that you recommit to making a gift in the same, or greater, amount as you have in the past. And if you are a major gift donor, know that we remain so very grateful to have your support and that it has enabled us to come far over the last four years, and we can progress further with your continued support.

Hudson Catholic continues to rise. Consistent, healthy enrollment, a steady level of external support, ground-breaking academic curricula, widespread college acceptances across a growing number of highly-competitive colleges and universities nationwide, opportunities for enormous savings on college tuition, all produced by a dedicated and highly-professional administrative team and faculty that led us through a pandemic and kept our school open throughout, for the benefit of our student body. We made the right choices, and with this past graduation, our ‘pandemic kids’ are now through their high school years and on into higher education, not a bit worse for their Hawk experience; in fact, they are advantaged by it.

These past 15 years have seen us award diplomas to 1,843 Hawks -- 1,198 boys and 645 girls! While at The Nest, we’ve seen them excel academically, receive all kinds of awards and recognition, star in theatre productions, win 21 athletic championships at the County and State levels, and go on to schools like Penn, Dartmouth, UCLA, Virginia, Penn State, Stevens Tech, and NJIT. None of this would have been possible without your strong and continued support -- then -- and now.

‘Be The Hawk’. ‘Hawk Pride.’ ‘You Will Always Be a Hawk’. These are our calls to action. They all bring us to the same place -- being greatly proud of our past, fully engaged in our present, and strongly supportive of our future. That is how we arrive at ‘Hudson Catholic……Forever’.

Throughout the year..........go to

hudsoncatholic.org/1964

to

Message From The Prez

The summer is flying by and I cannot believe we are already looking at the beginning of a new school year. Our young people never cease to amaze me with their initiative and accomplishments. Just to give you an idea, while other teens were at the beach, rising sophomores Maria Naatus and Christian Raspaldo were in a pre-college program at Seton Hall University for Accounting, while rising senior Jake Riquelme took advantage of a STEM program at SHU, as well. Rising junior Annalise de Leon took advantage of a STEM program at Stevens Institute of Technology, while rising senior Daniel Fuentes took a job at a law firm in Jersey City. These are just a few stories about our many incredible students. Our Hawks fly high!

Thank you for all of your help as your gifts of time, talent and treasure open doors to these opportunities for our young Hawks. This year you are going to be counted on even more. The Scholarship for Inner-City Children (SFIC), a long-time major contributor to Hudson Catholic and catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese of Newark, saw a downtick in their own fundraising efforts that resulted in fewer new and renewed scholarships for our students to the tune of $85,000. That’s an additional $85,000 that we will need to make-up as some of those scholarships mean the difference for a family being able to afford Hudson Catholic.

As always, I know that our stakeholders will help ensure that young people from Hudson County and beyond will continue to reap the benefits of a Catholic, Lasallian education steeped in values.  The future continues to be bright at the Hawks’ Nest!

S/PA Annual Report

Reflects Deep and Ongoing Support of Hudson Hawks

The Student/Partnership Alliance released its 2024 annual report that features the extensive work it does with and among urban Catholic schools in northern New Jersey, with Hudson Catholic prominently featured.

As previously reported, along with providing mentoring support, the S/PA awarded $120,000 in financial aid to 42 Hawk students this year alone, including eight seniors and, since 2019, has provided $539,000 in support of Hudson Catholic students and families.

Some important statistics that capture the essence of the S/PA mission are 2,400 / 100% /100%. They are the number of scholarships awarded since the organization’s founding in 1993; the percentage of Partner contributions that goes toward student scholarship support; and, the percentage of scholarship recipients who have gained admission to college, post-secondary schooling, or the armed services in the past 10 years.

Taken from the S/PA report: “As a famous African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

Can we say 'THANK YOU' enough? Not likely, but we'll certainly try.

A Unique Request for Help

Hudson Catholic is seeking to secure the talents and services of an accomplished Sculptor for a project we are planning at the school campus. Ideally, this would be an alumnus or alumna, but it might also be someone known to a member of the Hudson Catholic community, preferably in the NY metro area, who could be referred our way. We'd be grateful for you to pass along the name or contact information of a commercial sculptor, to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org, for exploratory discussion.

Saturday, August 17

Come See Why We Call it 'HATS'

Annual summer get-together in Belmar

at The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh Club, 16th Avenue -- 3pm

Inflation Buster! Same price since '21; a mere $85 for bar, hot buffet

Click on the logo to register and pay

Monday, September 23

Click on the logo to register, pay, and sponsor

Thursday, September 26

The Tampa Premier of the newest film

from Film Producer PJ Leonard '80

Saturday, October 5

Click on the logo to register and pay

Saturday, October 19

Saturday, October 26

Hollander Hotel, St. Petersburg

Same site as last year

Contact Darren Scarpa '80 at djs713@duck.com

Rescheduled

Now: Saturday, November 9

Click on the logo to register and pay

Hawk Happenings

“Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy”

-- Hall of Fame President-Principal, Richard Garibell

Confirming our Catholicity

Hudson Catholic recently enjoyed a very happy occasion in the Christian lives of some of our students, who have elected to be confirmed in the Catholic faith. Our spiritual leader on campus, Hudson County Bishop Gregory Studerus, performed the honors.

Rugby Redeaux

Girls Team is Historic -- and Faith-based

In light of the Bronze Medal performance of the USA Women’s Rugby Team at the Olympics and the resulting popularity, including an immediate pledge of $4 million to the program by businesswoman and investor Michele Kang in preparation for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, it’s a great time to be a rugby player…and a great time to be the ONLY girls HS Rugby program in New Jersey!

In our last issue, mention of the scholarship awards and recognition received by four members of our Hawk Girls Rugby Team may have given them unintended short shrift, regarding just how significant these achievements are.

To recap, since-graduated seniors Kayla Spiegel, this year’s Brother Henry Laffey Award recipient (who best exemplifies the spirit of Hudson Catholic) at Commencement; Zoe Bozzone, our Female Athlete of the Year; Jordan Bates, and Alana Garcia each plan to join women’s teams at their colleges, on scholarship, in the fall -- at Emory and Henry University, Fairfield University, Montclair State University, and Marywood University, respectively.

To place all of this in better perspective, we should tell you that Hudson Catholic is the only high school in New Jersey offering a Girls Rugby Team. Consequently, for our Hawks to engage competition on the pitch, they must schedule and travel to play teams in other states multiple times each season.

Coach Ashley Allen is quoted as saying: “We actively challenge traditional gender stereotypes……in athletics…..provide powerful representation and role models for our community……..[and] pave the way for future generations of female athletes to pursue their passions without limitations.”

Team members say that they lean on their faith to overcome challenges on and off the field. Bozzone said her Catholic faith has provided her with a “strong moral foundation” that influences her dedication to her team. “My faith provides strength in challenges and gratitude in successes, guiding me to maintain a positive attitude and uphold sportsmanship in every aspect of my life. My approach to training, gameplay and team interactions is guided by the ideals of commitment, integrity, and empathy that come from my faith. I am inspired by Catholic teachings on humility and service to put the needs of the team first and create a solid supportive atmosphere.”

President Terry Matthews noted that “rugby’s traditional ethos of sportsmanship and camaraderie, respecting opponents and officials, and not permitting taunting, trash-talking, or showboating are aspects that differentiate the sport. Players quickly learn the importance of personal responsibility and accountability.”

Note: Some of the material included in this article is based on and taken from an article posted to jerseycatholic.org in June, 2024.

Halcones Mundanos en Espana!

Hawks were escorted on their 'Education First' trip through Madrid and Barcelona by Hudson Catholic Faculty Ms. Tara McDonough, Ms. Jill Cypher, Ms. Ashlee Rivera '16, and Ms. Ashley Allen.

Alumni Spotlight

Leadership, Service, Achievements

(and occasional whimsy)

Still in the news. Naomi Fernandez '21 has scored the Internship she has been seeking, having commenced as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at Stevens Institute of Technology under Professor Nick Parziale in the thermal/fluid science research laboratory. She is diving into aerospace research, focused on predicting aerothermodynamic loads on hypersonic vehicles. This involves experimental measurements of flow velocity in high-speed turbulent flows, particularly shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interactions, to fully characterize these complex phenomena. Is that clear?

Please write home! Following the conclusion of the recent professional basketball season in Finland, Luther Muhammad ’18. is moving on to continue his professional basketball career in New Zealand, joining the Franklin Bulls of the National Basketball League based in Pukekohe in the Auckland Region of the North Island. With that, he has doubled the distance between him and Jersey City, now at 8.808 miles! All Hawks wish him continued success 'down under'.

Also on the move. Louis King ’18 has joined Criollos de Caguas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional to play professionally in Caguas, Puerto Rico following completion of his NBA G League season with the Mexico City Capitanes.



NBA Trade. Recent Wall of Honor Inductee Reggie Cameron '13 has moved over to the Charlotte Hornets from the New York Knicks, in a role as Associate Video Coordinator/2-Way Player Enhancement Coach. He follows in the footsteps of Hudson Catholic's fomer NBA star and Hall of Famer Mike O'Koren '76 as Hawks to coach in the NBA!

Eligible Bachelor. Grant Ellis ’12, former Hawk basketball standout who played collegiately for the Iona Gaels and professionally in the Dominican Republic, is a “Bachelorette: Season 21” star. The new season premiered on July 8^th on ABC.

Elect-able. Leo Morada ’08 is a Service Manager with Nanion Technologies, committed to high-performance electrophysiology. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from NJIT.



Learn to Cook. Brian Molina '99 is a Culinary Instructor at the Woodbridge (NJ) Board of Education. Formerly an Executive Chef, he is a graduate of the highly acclaimed Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts Program.



In a League of His Own. Eric Amador Mays ’91 is the Head of Business Development and Collaborations for Endstate, a company that partners with brands to create or embed chips in products that link to digital content, rewards, and marketplaces. He is also the current General Manager of the Texas Smoke, Austin’s first Professional Women’s Fast Pitch Team. He is the former Global Sports Marketing Lead at Under Armour where he signed superstar athletes Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Canelo Alvarez and Francisco Lindor. In service to others, Eric serves on the Boards of the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, and Team Meals. He has been described in his industry as “a brand zealot, biz developer, marketing guru, product champion, coach, amazing dad, a man of faith, and friend to many.”

Spanning the globe. Joe Curcio '84 is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Network Services for American International Group, a leading global insurance organization providing a wide range of property casualty insurance and other financial services.



Hot Diggetty Dog. When in the neighborhood of Paterson Plank Road and Webster Avenue in the Jersey City Heights, stop at Pete's Hot Dogs and say hello to Lallo Legacy Hawk family -- Justin Lallo '22, or Chris Lallo '84. And take two with mustard and onions to go!



Hello and Good Buy. Darren Scarpa '80, the esteemed leader and organizer of our annual gathering of Florida Hawks in St. Petersburg, F-L-A, has accepted a new role as Senior Procurement Specialist with Booz Allen Hamilton Consultants in Parrish, FL.

Days of Future Past. Tony Monte ’78, once known as ‘The Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man’ for his work in the A-List sector of the music industry, has returned to The Nest to regale our Hawks with his knowledge of the history of modern music and to lead our Fine Arts Program. It all started with a campus visit a couple of years back, and an introduction to President Mathews. Tony kept in touch, until Terry invited him to join the team in the past semester as a Substitute (no, not The Who song!), to provide classroom coverage as needed. Tony’s versatility and winning personality not only enabled him to meet the objective, but endeared him to students and other faculty and staff alike. Lo and behold, Tony was selected as a speaker at the De La Salle Senior Awards Dinner near the end of the school year. Terry was convinced to offer Tony a gig for the 2024-2025 school year, in which he will teach five Art classes and an elective on The History of Modern Music. This should be good!

Special Educator. Anthony Ingenito '74 PhD is our latest alum that we identified as having gone to the head of the class, or school, as it were. He is the Principal of Montgomery Academy in Basking Ridge, which is a school for children age 5 to 21 with special needs. The Academy has been in operation since 1970.

Legacy Follow-up

Last issue, we highlighted Faith Eatman '26 as a Legacy Hawk. Here, we are happy to present a photo, L. to R., of her brother Paul Eatman 09, Faith, and their dad, Cleveland Eatman '82.



Hawk Get-Togethers

During a Mission Appeal visit to St. Peter's Church in Belleville, NJ, former Hudson Catholic Faculty member (’98-’01) Brother Ed Hoffman, FSC ran into John Colaneri '71. Brother Ed shared that John has enjoyed a long career as a liturgical musician and as a 'wedding singer' with his own group of eight musicians. Between Masses, they chatted about life on McGinley Square, then and now. The Brother is now at La Salle University in Philadelphia, contributing 20 hours a week in La Salle's Art Museum, assisting the curator; teaching three 90-minute evening English classes for new adult learners from Latin America, Caribbean and Eastern Europe at a local parish; hanging with the University running teams; and, participating in summer Mission Appeals most weekends in Brooklyn or Newark. Brother Ed has graciously offered to assist with organizing a Philly-area Hawk alumni event (“even if they went to SJU”), if we should identify demand for it. If you would have interest in attending such an event, write to us at advancement@hudosncatholic.org

No Matter How You Slice It. A trip to the eponymous and long-running Mario’s Classic Pizza at 8th and Garden Streets in Hoboken, such as what Hawk Faculty legends Frank McGady and Anna Schreiber did recently, will net a run-in with the Brothers Albunia -- Michael ‘14, Joseph ‘16, & Mario ‘11, who run the family business under the guiding hand of the family patriarch, Mario Albunia, Sr.

Anthony Luna '89, MPE, CFRE is seeking a new role in which he can utilize his expertise, skills, and experience as an accomplished non-profit fundraising professional. He is open to the roles of President, Vice President, Visionary Leader, Relationship Development, Donor Impact, Philanthropy, and Major Gifts Officer, especially so in a Catholic role. Geographically, Greater Philadelphia and Lehigh County would be ideal. If you think you might be able to make a referral, drop a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org and we'll pass it along and put you in touch with Anthony.

Nice Shirt!

Alex Tuason '89 was kind enough to gift this classic shirt to the Office of Advancement, which we will no doubt trot out on the occasion of that class's 50 Year Anniversary in 2039! Stay tuned.



Knowing Peter Morales '74 was headed to France last month, we asked him to demonstrate his Hawk Pride while there, never realizing he would do so in Normandy, at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, the final resting place of 9,388 American heroes. Peter is obviously a man of loyalty, in every respect.

Blast From The Past

Advancement Now

Leaf Through Our Web Pages

- Here’s What You’ll Find

Register & pay for your upcoming reunion / see photos from events / donate to a Class Gift

Order a custom-inscribed leaf on the Tree of Life

- in honor or memoriam

Find and read past issues of our digital magazine,

Building The Legacy

See member profiles and photos in the Digital Hall of Fame

[Under Construction]

Profiles and photos of members of the athletic Wall of Honor

See the lineup of Scholarship Awards open to donations,

and read about those for whom they are named

Review the purpose and history of this program for multi-year tuition assistance awards; establish an award of $1,500 or more

Read our current and past Annual Reports

Look into leaving your legacy at Hudson Catholic;

start the process

You can help Hudson Catholic

with 'likes' & 'shares' of our posts to your networks, from

No Hawk Left Behind

We lose touch with some of our graduates who move around, go off to college, start careers, get married, etc. In some cases, they retire, having used their work email to receive ' BTL', and forget to notify us of a personal email address. Help us find them again and make it harder for us to lose touch. Many on this list have siblings who are Hawk alumni, so turn them in at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org or send them to hudsoncatholic.org/stay-connected to update their contact info.

FYI

Notes:

If any link in this issue is not clickable,

please copy and paste the 'link' into your browser's address window

If your version of BTL cuts off mid-length in your browser,

be sure to click on the note at page bottom to bring up the remainder of BTL

advancement@hudsoncatholic.org to:

Advertise your business card here for $30 per issue

Plan a visit back to the Hawks Nest

Obtain or donate a yearbook through The Yearbook Exchange

Convey an obituary notice

If you receive our email at your workplace

We may not be getting through to you if our email is being intercepted by your spam filter. Only you can correct that by placing us on your safe list, which would allow communications from our Constant Contact email platform to reach you.

'Hawk' Yearbooks being added as time permits:

1988, 1989, 1991, 1994-1996, 1999-2002, 2004-2006, 2009-2024

Do you have a newsworthy item or something from the present or past to share with the Hawk community?

·    Landed your first job? Taken a new one?

·    Received a promotion or honor?

·    Gotten engaged or married?

·    Celebrated a milestone anniversary?

·    Welcomed a child or grandchild?

·    Reminisced with fellow Hawks recently?

·    Relocated?

·    Retired from your last job?

Hudson Catholic welcomes any and all news about your career, education, family life, and reconnecting with other alumni.

Submit a note and share photos with the Hudson Catholic community at

advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

Words of Wisdom

"Remember whenever you're in a position to help someone,

be glad and always do it because

that's God answering someone else's prayers through you.”

  -- Denny Karchner, Western Artist

"The world is not concerned with your self-esteem.

The world expects you to do something useful for it

BEFORE you feel good about yourself."

-- Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft

Sacrifice is as defined as "the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else more important or worthy."

Sacrifice comes in many forms, not always convenient."

-- Anonymous

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)

_______________________________

Mrs. MaryEllen Cangiano,

mother of the late Eduardo Cangiano '02

_________________________________________

Will be remembered in the annual

Alumni Mass of Remembrance

on November 3rd, 2024

The Office of Advancement ~ Gary, Jill & Jenine

201-332-5970 x118

Advancement@hudsoncatholic.org ~ OR ~ gary.ferrari@hudsoncatholic.org

We Thank

Our Alumni Sponsors