Years of the Scarangello Scholarship program - Cardinal Spellman ...

2 spellman news
Dear alumni and Friends of Cardinal
Spellman High School,
as I compose this letter, the beginning of
the new school year is only a week or so
away. It is a time of anticipation, expectation
– and for faculty, I know, having
spent twenty five years of my life as a
classroom teacher, a certain amount of
trepidation! this last is true whether a
teacher is an ’old hand’ or at the start of
rev. Trevor Nicholls
his or her career.
p r e S I D e N t
Of course, for a fairly substantial
number of those who work at Spellman,
during July and august life goes on very much as normal. almost all
of us have our vacation time or times but otherwise it is very much
a case of ’business as usual’. the maintenance men repair, clean,
polish and generally refurbish the whole property. the principal,
Vice-principal and their faculty and Secretarial assistants, have to
work on the new schedule and admissions. the guidance Department
continues to labor, largely but by no means exclusively, on
behalf of the members of the outgoing Senior Class. the Finance
Office continues to deal with the pennies, with tuition collection
a constant challenge, and the advancement Office begins to put
together its program for the upcoming year.
On opening day, all this activity comes together when the doors
open and more than fourteen hundred boys and girls bring the whole
enterprise to life once again. they are the ones for whom we work,
plan, prepare – and pray.
to say that question marks presently hang over the whole Catholic
educational enterprise is an understatement to end all understatements.
In many quarters even within the Church itself, the very need
for Catholic schools is being questioned. Certainly the challenges
facing those of us who minister in this area are enormous and growing.
Yet each September, despite all the problems and difficulties,
we begin again with hope renewed. Over the course of the decades,
for a majority of Catholic schools the mission has undoubtedly
changed; substantial numbers of non-Catholic students and large
numbers of Catholic students from non-practicing homes create new
dynamics and challenges. but provided that all those mentioned in
the second paragraph above, i.e. those charged with caring for the
school in one way or another, maintain a vision of life that transcends
this world and reaches into eternity, all will be well.
I thank each and everyone one of you who in any way at all helps
us to realize the vision we have for our Spellman students.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
rev. trevor Nicholls
president
Dear Friends,
as I begin my second year at Cardinal
Spellman High School, I look back at
my first year with appreciation for all
that you have done to make the year
a success. Your support and spirit of
cooperation have been a blessing for
me. I offer my sincere thanks for all
that you have done. It is an honor for
me to have been welcomed into the
Spellman family.
even more importantly, I look
toward the future. Spellman is ready to take even greater steps forward.
Just this past summer, we were blessed to have participated in
a long range Strategic planning meeting for Cardinal Spellman
High School. members of the board of trustees and several other
stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, parents, and
alumni, met to discuss the long term future of Spellman. What an
exhilarating meeting! I saw the Spellman Spirit truly come alive in
this extraordinary group of men and women. I have no doubt that
Spellman will continue to grow in excellence over the next 50 years.
I am also pleased to announce that our college credit program
has grown for the upcoming 2012-13 school year. Students will now
be able to graduate with as much as a full year of college already
completed while still in high school. this is a wonderful head start
for our students academically, but also a tremendous financial relief
for our parents.
Our guidance Offices have been completely renovated.
the student work space is now technologically current with up-to
-date computers and state-of-the-art software. perhaps our most
valuable new software program is known as Naviance. Naviance
is an interactive system that aids students and their families in the
college search process and career choices. It brings technology to
a whole new level for college guidance at Spellman.
Our Sat prep program is running strong. Higher Sat scores
are a goal of every high school and Spellman is no exception. We
are going to be investing tremendous time and effort into helping
our students achieve better scores.
perhaps the most important piece of good news is that enrollment
at Cardinal Spellman High School is up! as many New York
City Catholic schools are losing students and some schools are even
closing, Spellman continues to grow and attract the best students in
New York City. What a beautiful statement to the dedication of the
faculty and staff of Spellman!
these are just some of the many great things that are happening
here. I urge you to stay involved with Spellman and share first hand
in our success. Spellman benefits from the efforts of so many
people like you. I feel truly privileged to serve as principal of such
an amazing school.
Yours in Christ,
Dan O’Keefe
principal
mr. Daniel O’Keefe
p r I N C I p a l