Isn't It Grand?

Our Appeal for

The Fund for Hudson Catholic

Many of us are grand parents. All of us are grand children. You may play a grand piano. In a grand ballroom. You can sit in a grand stand and see a player hit a grand slam. None of us is a grand master, no matter how much chess we play.

Many things in life are grand. Like $1,000. This past year, we had 93 donors able to gift $1,000 or more to 1964: The Fund for Hudson Catholic, and propel us past our revenue budget and Annual Fund goal of $250,000 for the year.

For 2022-2023, our goal is higher, at $300,000. We’ve had to raise tuition to $12,100, and 80% of our families are in need of tuition assistance, and, of course, there are always more things to be done at Hudson Catholic to add to the quality of our already top-shelf education and keep us among the upper echelon of quality high school educational experiences.

Our students deserve the best we can give them - the best education, the best faculty, the best classrooms, the best academic choices, the best athletic gear and uniforms, the best extracurricular activities, the best campus security, and the best social and spiritual experiences. And the best, or better, costs more than what it did a year ago.

This year, we are asking each of our supporters to consider whether you will be able to commit to a grand gift this year -- $1,000 -- to Hudson Catholic.

Now we know this is not for everyone, but if it is viable for more of you than a year ago, then we are well on our way to reaching our target for the year.

Last year, we implored you to ‘BE THE HAWK!’, meaning to stand up as a person who today’s students can count on for support, so they may experience a transformative Hudson Catholic experience similar to how most of us did. And you were 'THE HAWK'!

Please, again, ‘BE THE HAWK!’ and give as if our kids’ future depended on it.

Because it does!

With the mandated sunset of the

William E. Simon Foundation

comes one last major gift and

a glowing referral

Since July 1^st, we have received an accumulated $20,000+ in first time gifts and year-over-year increases in gifts from our donors, constituting our ‘match’ of the challenge laid down by The William E. Simon Foundation. Consequently, we have earned that $20,000 gift from the Foundation, the last such financial gift from this great organization.

On October 11^th we received an equally valuable gift, perhaps more so, from Ms. Sara Fay Snider, Program Director of the William E. Simon Foundation, in which she took the time to provide a testimonial about the mission and success of Hudson Catholic as a referral to prospective supporting foundations. Excerpts from her letter are published here.

Ms. Snyder opened with: “The William E. Simon Foundation has been a dedicated and enthusiastic supporter of Hudson Catholic Regional High School since 2007, helping to support programs that the school initiated to further build on its outstanding record of educating students in Jersey City’s diverse, urban setting. We are pleased to offer highlights of our philanthropic partnership with Hudson Catholic and confirm our confidence in the school’s vital mission and effectiveness.”

And in closing, Ms. Snyder stated: “We believe these Dual Enrollment Programs are examples of Hudson Catholic Regional High School’s commitment to continuing innovation in serving students and preparing them for productive careers and meaningful community involvement. As our nation continues to struggle with learning loss due to Covid-19 disruptions, a high school education that combines outstanding academics with a foundation in faith and empathy is a tremendous benefit. This is particularly true for students who come from challenging family and financial circumstances, as many of Hudson Catholic’s students do. We highly recommend Hudson Catholic as a philanthropic investment with impact that extends far into the future.” 

A testimonial such as this proclaims that we are a winning organization and serves as a strong recommendation to other philanthropic organizations that they may feel comfortable with the bona fides of Hudson Catholic and confident investing in our continued success. We intend to share this referral letter with decision-makers at a host of family, community, and corporate foundations and donor advised funds, with the hope that they either invite us to make a grant request or make an outright gift for advancing our mission, curriculum and facilities.

Why Your Gift is So Important

We value our students, who are deserving of their place in the student body by virtue of their academic capabilities and what they bring to school life. And we believe that no student who has earned their way into Hudson Catholic should have to withdraw from the school they love for reasons purely related to financial need. Consequently, the need to raise reserves for tuition assistance is ever-present.

As with the added value of dual college credit programs, we feel compelled to continue innovating and raising the caliber of our academic programs in order to draw out each student’s God-given talents. This is Hudson Catholic’s biggest selling point.

To accomplish that, we must find ways to attract and retain talented faculty in a highly competitive environment in which public school systems continue to raise salaries during a time of teacher shortages. This is perhaps our biggest risk, as faculty continuity is vital to the success of a school’s programs and curriculum.

And we always want our athletic teams to represent Hudson Catholic admirably, in their behavior and in how they present themselves. So, we work to dress and equip our top-shelf girls and boys athletic programs to look their finest and perform at their highest level in representing our school at venues that are increasingly beyond Hudson County.

There are more reasons. But you get the point.

Reunited Hawks

Members of the Class of '92 came back to the Nest on Saturday, November 5th for dinner, cocktails, and reminiscing. 

Pictured are (L to R) Matt Zagacki, Joe Holleran, Alex Irlanda, Mike Calicchio, Pat Sullivan, Matt Byrnes, Brian Daly, Giuseppe Fazari, and President/Principal Terry Matthews.

Our City on the Up!

With all the good things happening in our city, Jersey City is receiving accolades from noted publications. This bodes well for the future of our school, as Jersey City becomes a preferred destination. Money Magazine recently cited Jersey City as the 10^th best city in the nation in which to live, just behind Tampa. Housing stock, the revival of Journal Square, the Newark Avenue pedestrian plaza, ethnic diversity, parks, the Skyway Golf Course at Lincoln Park, views of and access to New York (of course), and great pizza were all highlighted as its positive attributes. 

Hawk Football ends at 7-3

Bows out of State Playoffs in overtime loss to

Donovan Catholic, 27-20

Great first season in Parochial A

played entirely outside Hudson County

Boys Basketball Ranked #40 Nationally

but only third in New Jersey

MaxPreps has Roselle Catholic #1, Camden #6

POSTPONED

Saturday, November 19th 7pm

(Refunds to be processed shortly)

Reminders

National Day of Giving - November 29th

Hudson Catholic Giving Day - April 7th

Save the Date!

Hudson Catholic Gala & Hall of Fame Inductions

Thursday, March 30, 2023

at The Liberty House, Jersey City

Shout it From the Rooftops!

Well. the McGinley Square Billboard, anyway

If you could promote Hudson Catholic on the rooftop billboard sitting at the corner of Bergen Avenue and Montgomery Street, what would you say? What images might you include? Tell us at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

The Student/Partner Alliance

in action, at and with

The Student/Partner Alliance

reminds us that

November is National Scholarship Month

In Service to Our Country

We endeavor to keep track of all of our graduates who have served our great country in any of the armed services. We recently sent a letter to those who we know to be Veterans, extending our gratitude and that of the entire Hudson Catholic community, for their service to our nation. If you can tell us names of graduates who you know to have served in the military, please do so by dropping at a note at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org.

Chances are we already have them noted, but it would be great to identify even more, particularly as we make plans to establish The William Neal ‘87 & Marlon Jackson ‘97 Military TAPS Award as part of the Hudson Catholic Scholarship Program.

A Farce at Hudson Catholic

NJ.com chose our recent school production of Neil Simon's 'Rumors', as their high school play of the week for review. The reviewer cited our production as consisting "primarily of young actors of color rather than a group of Jewish actors, pretending to be married couples dealing with insane circumstances" and a "definite departure from normal high school productions."

Which is why Assistant Principal and Theatre Program Director, Sarah Degnan Barbi selected this play for our Fall production. Ms. Barbi did not expect her students to be familiar with Neil Simon's works, therefore a great way for them to experience the new, even though, as she let on, the cast initially did not seem to 'get' the humor involved.

The play is about a dinner party gone way off the rails and a group attempt at covering up a woeful accident. Practicing in the Theatre Room on the third floor -- a one level set -- led to revelations for the cast upon taking their rehearsals to the elaborate two-level set on the stage in the Gym, because a lot of the humor comes from the physicality present in the production.

Ms. Barbi thanked theatre veteran and alum Larry Basinski '70, assisted by Fred Barbi '86, in designing and building the set and providing the lighting and sound. "Without Larry," she said, "this production would not have been possible."

Rumors cast 13 Hawk students, with five Stage & Technical crew members, who Mrs. Barbi is thrilled to work with, because "stage productions build students' self-confidence and ability to speak publicly." She concluded that "they experienced the arts, will be part of them forever."

We know that that last sentence can be used to describe the many Hawks involved in school productions over the last 50+ years.

Tell us about your Hudson Catholic stage experience at advancement@hudsonscatholic.org!

Director: Sarah Degnan Barbi / Assistant Director: Erin Drennan / Stage Crew Supervisor: Eryn Lewis / Sets, Lighting & Sound: Larry B.

Alumni Spotlight

Crime Pays. Giuseppe Fazari, Ph.D. ‘92 is Professor of Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University and consults judicial systems both internationally and domestically. The lion’s share of his career was spent as Chief Administrator & Operations Officer in the New Jersey Judiciary. Giuseppe holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice & Sociology, an M.P.A. in Criminal Justice Management, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, all from Seton Hall. In service to others, he volunteers as a Committee Member for the National Association for Court Management, on the Board of Directors for the Center for Family Services, and as a Board Member for Family Intervention Services. A Hawk Author, he has published Courthouse Confidential: Unveiling Lessons Learned in Leading and Managing Trial Court Organizations (in the online Library of Hawks) and co-authored The Historical Dictionary of American Criminal Justice. Giuseppe also wrote and directed the award-winning documentary: Why They Kill, based on the critically acclaimed book by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Richard Rhodes.

From a Hawk to a Hawk. Andrew Peterson ’81 is Professor of Pharmacy of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He is also a Hawk Author, having published two textbooks:…….Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice and Leadership and Management in Pharmacy Practice. This brings our Library of Hawks to 17 Authors and 59 titles!

Top Cop. Dan Niekrasz ’07 recently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the Bloomfield, NJ Police force.

Young Alums on the Move

R. U. oo-rah! Taj White ’22 is a freshman playing NCAA Division I football as an Offensive Lineman for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights of the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers is 4-6 as of this writing, facing Penn State on Saturday.

Certified Peacock Accountant. Karen Alvarez ‘18, 3^rd from left, is one of six charter member Peacocks of a new PwC-sponsored pilot program at SPU's Frank J. Guarini Business School, that is a paid, 30-credit post-bachelor work experience to enable accounting students to earn credits for a CPA license in New Jersey through a “Work for Credit” program.

Learning his Trade. Reggienal Gonzalez ‘18, a Multi Media degree candidate at Montclair State University, joined Cruz Media as an executive assistant.

Man on the Move. Quincy Slay ’19 who seems to find his way into these pages quite often for his focus on community-minded service to others, received the Young Rising Star Award from the Urban League of Hudson County at its 50^th Anniversary Empowerment Gala.

En Vogue. Mariam Fouad ’14 is a Supply Chain Administrator at Acne Studios AB in New York. Mariam is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Production Management: Fashion & Related Industries, with a Minor in Sustainability. She also presently serves as Vice President of the Hudson Catholic Alumni Association.

BTLv71 Focus on '71

Memories: The wildly popular Stonehenge Coffee House, which encouraged Hawks to come and play music, sing, read poetry, show home movies, or perform short plays. The April (Fools) edition of The Commentator reporting “Brother John (Donnelly) Concedes, Mayor Wins Re-election;” “(Mr. John) Ferro Loses Shirt in The Big Market;” “Spiro Blasts The Commentator,” referring to then-U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew before being forced to resign for tax fraud; and, “Prom Plans Completed” accompanied by a photo of the old Orange Julius stand (“A Devilish Good Drink”) at Journal Square.

The May 4, 1971 edition of The High School Set in that day’s Jersey Journal featured the Hudson Catholic Hawks. In turn, the Hawk contributors to that column featured the opening of Brigadoon which ran for five nights (cast including Peggy Gleason and Annette Haberstroh; Bill Jarecki ‘72, Joe Malloy ’73, Dennis Danilewicz ’71 and Mike Pecklers ‘71); photos of Paul Winters ’72, Bob Mazza ’72, Bill Los ’72, Dennis Dunne ’71, John Nealon ’73 and Mike Calcagno ’74 as newly elected Student Council; and Winters defeating David Beni ’72 for President.

Mike Hellriegel '71 provided his pocket version of the ‘Modular Schedule. And he warns us that he has several other relics from the era recently unearthed in his time capsule. Thanks, Mike!

Bill Murtha '71 recalls that “Latin was the least of the lessons that Brother Al taught.”

Hank Scheltz '71 remembers Hudson having its first varsity football win in his sophomore year (1968). In fact, the Hawks started the season winning their first three games.

Fred Miller '71 has indelible memories: the great neighborhood friends he had in the class, including best buddies Walter Clark and Billy Buchala; his great Track and Cross Country teammates with whom he won lots of 2-mile relay and distance medley medals/trophies -- the incomparable Tommie McCann ‘71, Billy Cullen ‘72, Alex Long ‘73 and Phil D'Agostino ’72, and coaches Mr. Ruby and Mr. Opici; the outstanding faculty he was able to learn so much from, including his mentor and home room teacher for two years, Brother Martin Zewe, Mr. Jake O''Halloran for History, Mr. Jack Campion for English and our ever faithful Athletic Director and Team Bus Driver, Brother Pat King; winning the Scholar Athlete Award for Senior Year and going off on a combined Athletic-Academic scholarship to Rutgers College with classmates Joe Scala (our valedictorian), Mark Nikiper, Bob Koska and others. I’ll never forget cheering on the Basketball team for games with Prep and football games at the old Roosevelt Stadium, and attending high school dances in the Gym and at the girls' schools. His now -grown children still can't believe he rode a public transport bus to school each day, the Bergen Avenue bus from Greenville! Fred sends his best to all his fellow classmates from '71.

From the archives of Dennis Danilewicz’s mind: “The memory that stands out most is of the final musical production of my senior year, Brigadoon. I had been in the drama club all four of my years but this production was one of those moments which brought together a uniquely talented group of individuals and we really did become a family, led of course by our 'patriarch', Jack Campion. Anyone who had been part of this can still recall special moments more than 50 years later.

I was in Dom Garvey's homeroom in senior year. The lock to the door was broken so when he was late (a not unusual occurrence), we could usually find our way into the room. There was a toy drive that year and someone had contributed a complete Flintstone Village with the plastic mat and all of the Bedrock buildings and cars. Garvey was late and we thought it would be fun to set up the village on his desk. Someone looked out the door to see if he was coming, and who did we see heading toward our classroom but Brother Luke! Turns out, Garvey was not in that day. We all grabbed pieces from the desk and hid them under our jackets while Brother Luke took attendance. As we left the classroom, we slipped all of the pieces back into the collection box.

Last memory to share is also from Dom Garvey's class. We came in one morning and there was a record player on his desk. He took out an album to play and told us he wanted us to hear it, as he felt the artist was going to be a big star one day. It was Elton John's first album.”

The fabled 1971 edition of the Jack Campion-directed Brigadoon

on the stage at Hudson Catholic soon to be officially named for him.

Among the players are Eileen Rooney, Larry Price '71 (dec.), Dennis Danilewicz '71, Joe Scala '71, John Kelly '72, Lynn Egizi, Mike Pecklers '71, Larry McDonald '71 (dec.), Joe Malloy '73, unknown, Bruce Burgess '71, unknown, unknown, Joan Halloran, Frank Arasin '71 (dec.), Michelle Jensen, and Joe McFadden '71 (dec.).

We regret we could not name everyone, nor identify the schools of the ladies in the show, as this is what 50 years on will do to people. If you would care to add to the identifications, drop a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

Nice Shirt!

Korrections Korner

In this issue, we offer profuse apologies to those we wronged with errors and omissions in the Annual Report, and rededicate ourselves to ‘Continuing The Greatness’ despite our shortcomings.

Hall of Famer Dennis Murphy ’68, who is as consistent a supporter of Hudson Catholic you will find, was omitted from the ‘Mercer Street’ section of the Honor Roll of Donors. Mea culpa -- among the first words taught to me by Brother Al.

BTL Advertiser Mike Silva ’04’s gift was listed as ‘I/M/O Anna Silva’, which should have been I/M/O Lourdes Silva, Mike’s mom. We at least got one out of two right, that being Mike’s inscribed leaf for the Tree of Life.

President-Principal Terrence Matthews was mistakenly identified as ‘Terence’ at the top of the most important letter he will write all year, which hopefully does not make this the LAST letter I will write all year!

"If what you did yesterday still seems big today, then you haven't done anything today." -- Aaron Judge

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)



Michael 'Mooney' Ryan '83 / James Cribbin '86 / Noreen Postman, sister of James McDonough '73 / Geraldine Leonard, mother of Terrence '83 & Joseph '92

Mike Ryan '83 flying high for the Hawks

Michael Skea '74

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