THE MARIA ACADEMY MAGAZINE 13th EDITION b FALL 2020

#Hope VILLA MARIA ACADEMY Board of Trustees, 2020-2021

Sr. Sally Norcross, CND, Chairperson Sr. Marion Andreykovic, CND Sr. Teresa Barton, CND Mr. Paul Bossidy Mrs. Rose Burkhart Principal Sr. Teresa Ms. Helen Cannistraci Barton on Zoom Sr. Joan Curtin, CND Mrs. Roberta Garland Sr. Eileen Good, CND Dear Villa family, Mrs. Gheri Kaufman ver year on the Wednesday after Labor Day, the Villa opens its doors to a new school Mrs. Catherine Leon year. This year was no different. The Villa was one of the first schools in the city to Mr. James J. Liao be up and running five days a week. We have now safely and successfully completed Maximilian Medveser E two months of school, offering core subjects plus five specials in three formats — in- Sr. Jane Scanlon, CND person, remote and hybrid learning. One out of five of our students started the year remotely but as the weeks pass more families feel safe enough to send children back to school. Sanitizer, masks, and social distancing have become a new way of life. With every challenge we learn more and become better prepared to fight this virus head on. School, especially the Villa, is about community. Going to school benefits children’s emotional intelligence and helps them build relationships. The structure of school days helps students develop focus, planning and time management. Getting off screens and moving around benefits children’s physical health and imagination. Music and art help them express themselves. This is our mission — to provide a holistic education in a nurturing Catholic community — and that’s why we worked tirelessly all summer to open our doors in September. All of this came at an enormous cost of over a quarter of a million dollars including refigured Many say this orientation classrooms, intensified daily sanitizing, expanded towards making a technology, PPE, cleaning supplies and salaries contribution in the world for additional staff. Many current families have been hit hard by the virus — the loss of loved was born in these halls. ones, jobs or financial security. Requests for That’s worth fighting for. tuition assistance doubled this year but no child Guided by the vision had to leave the Villa. The financial burdens we bear together are worth every penny. of the Congregation During the lockdown, we accompanied each other as a community of prayer asking God’s of Notre Dame, the protection for Villa alumni working on the front lines. This issue highlights some of our illustrious mission of Villa Maria alumni who have dedicated their lives to the service of others. Many say this orientation towards Academy is to provide making a contribution in the world was born in these halls. That’s worth fighting for. a foundation in We are launching a campaign to request special support from Villa alumni, friends and parents to help meet these challenging financial needs during this extraordinary year. We liberating education need help from everyone who cares about the Villa. If you have been one of our supporters, within a nurturing please consider a special increased gift to help in these unprecedented times. If you’ve never Catholic community. made a contribution to the Villa before, make this your first and know that you will be making a very real difference in the lives of our students and their families. – VILLA MARIA ACADEMY MISSION STATEMENT November is about giving thanks. I can’t remember a time when I felt more grateful for the Villa, for our heritage of excellence, for the sanctuary we offer today’s students, and for the positive force we will continue to be for generations to come. God bless you.

Sr. Teresa Barton, CND 2 b VMA Magazine b 13th Edition Principal ALUMNI NEWS

ALYSSA PIPARO ’09 In My Own Words… s a child, my parents always pushed me to be engaged in my education and extracurriculars. Villa provided the best of both worlds! My mother remembers Villa being one of the only schools with a computer lab that had computers for every child. She loved that! She also Aloved the grounds and the playground. It gave me an outdoor space to enjoy throughout my day. Villa also provided after school activities that would play a large role later in my life. I never realized the role Villa played in my life until after graduation. In high school I was not intimidated by my coursework, I always felt prepared. Even in my nursing classes, I knew I had a strong foundation and would be able to apply myself. Villa not only taught me the knowledge I needed to continue my education, but it also provided me with life-long friends. Villa is different from other schools because when you walk through their doors you become a part of a family. Even after 11 years, I know when I visit, I will be greeted by familiar faces. Faces that still keep in touch after all this time. If I went through the list, I could write a paragraph about every teacher I had. It just speaks to the atmosphere that Villa has created through the years. After I graduated Villa, I came back to coach JV Boys Basketball and JV Girls Softball. This was by far one of my favorite memories. Being able to still be a part of the Villa Community after graduation really meant a lot to me. One year for my junior prom the whole team and I got manicures, although it wasn’t softball related, seeing their smiles was priceless! Villa prepared me for all areas of life. After elementary school I went to The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, and then received my bachelor’s degree in nursing at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. I am currently an ICU float nurse at a hospital in Boston and in January I will be starting my Doctorate in Nursing with the goal of being a nurse educator! Everything I am today I owe to my friends and family at Villa Maria Academy!

NICOLETTE McPARTLAND ’13 “It made me the person I am.” urrounded by family and classmates that had been together since kindergarten and teachers that loved their students like their own, Nicolette recalls happy childhood days in the embrace of a safe, nurturing community at the Villa. S “The Villa prepared me for my future, made me independent, gave me a sense of empathy and taught me the importance of being a kind person. Everyone was caring and looked out for each other. It made me the person I am.” It also gave students the skills they needed to succeed. When she entered Preston High School, Nicolette had the “Villa advantage”—a strong academic foundation, study skills, and a social network in and out of school that gave her the confidence to challenge herself and reach for the stars. Villa students were oriented outwards, compelled to community service and making contributions to society. Always known as an especially caring person, she was happiest when she was actively involved, providing hand-on care. Now in her final year at the College of Mount Saint Vincent working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, Nicolette has been simultaneously gaining real world experience as a nurse technician at White Plains Hospital. Working in the Intensive Care Unit during the height of the pandemic in March and April was a baptism with fire. People were being trained on the job because there was such urgent need. Through many careful steps including lots of testing and bio-hazard bags for laundry, she managed to do what she loves most — take care of her patients and her family at the same time. But even though it was a scary time, she learned so much and knows it will help her become a better nurse. In June, Nicolette will graduate and pass her board certification to become a registered nurse. After some more practical experience in the critical care unit, she is considering going on to become a nurse practitioner or certified registered nurse anesthetist. In the meantime, she is never far from the Villa. She runs into people with Villa connections all the time — alumni, past parents, teachers. “For a small school the Villa has a big network!” a

The Villa Magazine b Fall 2020 b 3 ALUMNI NEWS

MARY SOLANTO PhD ’68 “The value and virtue of giving to others. ” t the age of 5, Mary was “a little oppositional” having had no social experience up to that point. But then she started first grade at the Villa and spent the next 10 years getting over that — learning about herself, God, community, the 3 R’s and a host of academic subjects, alongside Afriends who would come to know her better than anyone else. Her family moved away at the end of 10th grade and she’d have been heartbroken to leave the Villa girls if not for the excitement of going to a new school with boys! Even though she didn’t graduate with them, she remains part of the Villa Class of 1968 heart and soul. That decade at the Villa had a strong influence on who Mary attending the Communion Mary would grow to be. “The Villa impressed the value and Breakfast at Hall Marguerite in 1958. virtue of giving to others and always doing your best. We have a responsibility to develop our skills and talents. These were the primary precepts that governed my life. I never felt directionless. I knew better than to seek out careers for the sake of wealth and power but rather to make a contribution to society.” Along with this moral direction, the Villa gave students the tools they needed to be their very best. Teachers emphasized accuracy and mastery. Courses and calendars were structured and organized. Deadlines encouraged practicing time management and developing focus. There were high standards and expectations. Positive habits, effort and achievement were reinforced with praise and recognition. Attending the 8th-grade graduation in 1964 After the Villa, Mary considered following in her father’s footsteps as a surgeon. As a are, from left to right, Marie Christophel, freshman at Vassar College, she started a premedical course of study. After a realization that Mary Solanto, Ginny Alexander, Susan Patterson, and Jody Endico. emotional problems often produced more pain than physical ones, she transferred to Princeton where she graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology. After receiving a graduate degree in neurobiology at Cornell Medical School, she went on to receive her doctorate in clinical psychology at SUNY Buffalo. One day during her doctoral studies, Mary sat in with a clinical psychologist evaluating children. At the end of the session she asked him what causes children to lack focus. She was shocked when he simply shrugged his shoulders. This was before there was an explosion of research on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The topic took hold of her imagination and she went on to conduct her dissertation on the effects of Ritalin — the stimulant medication that is widely used to treat children with ADHD. During years of working with children suffering from ADHD, Mary noticed the frequency of their parents referencing their own difficulties during childhood, and the problems they continued to experience in focus, impulse control, efficiency, and organization. She realized there was a need for interventions for these adults and went on to develop cognitive behavioral therapy to help adults with ADHD organize, plan, and sustain motivation. A landmark study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health published in 2010 proved the efficacy of these treatments that were soon after published as a manual for therapists. Mary is recognized as an innovator and a pioneer in terms of developing therapies for adults with ADHD. She is the owner of a 27-page curriculum vitae listing career-spanning positions at hospitals and medical centers including the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center (now part of Northwell Health), the ADHD Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and NYU Langone. In 2017, she was as a Fulbright Scholar at Radboud University in the Netherlands, where she worked on campus to develop a group therapy for college students with ADHD. She has been honored with a long list of awards and grants including from the National Institutes of Health. She has written numerous papers and scholarly articles. She is the author of “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD- Targeting Executive Dysfunction,” the definitive text on the subject. She also co-authored “Stimulant Drugs and ADHA Basic and Clinical Neuroscience.” Mary is currently Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Psychology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and Senior Psychologist at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center where she is still one of the only practitioners who works with both children and adults. Like a true Villa girl, she continues to give to others and do her best, everyday. a

4 b VMA Magazine b 13th Edition Future

“Let your light shine.” – MATT 5:16 When school closed in mid-March, Villa 8th-graders were just gearing up to start celebrating the dwindling days of elementary school with all the traditions they entail. At the Villa, that’s a lot! But where there’s a will, there’s a way. Eighth-grade teachers, Mrs. Canzone and Mrs. Peduzzi, could never let such a momentous milestone go unnoticed. They were at their most creative as they came up with a new way of doing nearly everything! Graduation was originally scheduled for June 13th but was postponed indefinitely as community gatherings were prohibited. Counting back 42 days from that date, social media posts featured one graduate daily (with the exception of the O’Connor twins who fittingly shared #2) in a countdown to what would have been graduation day. The soon-to- be graduates posed in their high school sweatshirts officially announcing the next stop in their educational journeys. Parents printed a banner listing all the graduates that hung on the Villa gate on Country Club Road most of the summer. Each student received their own, personally delivered by a bevy of mask-clad volunteers for car trunk pick up only. It was important to announce our pride in the accomplishments of each and every member of the Class of 2020 — not least of which was their patience, flexibility and good humor in the unique way their graduations traditions played out. Family Night is a long-standing Villa tradition and a rite of passage where families come together to celebrate student achievement with the awarding of medals and honors. Mrs. Canzone and Mrs. Peduzzi re-imagined the event in an acceptable, socially distant drive-thru format. Families drove into assigned parking spots on the campus surrounding a beautifully decorated stage built with a tapestry of artwork made by the graduates and surrounded by a semi-circle of their graduation portraits. A short program included Junior High teachers lending their voices in readings and prayers. Assistant Principal Mrs. Carbone read a statement from Timothy Cardinal Dolan and then a touching message from Sr. Teresa Barton. Fr. Dan Tuite sent the students on their way with blessings. As a long list of awards were announced appreciation was measured in car honks. Finally, students approached the stage individually for the distribution of caps and gowns. The program finished with a duet by Nia and Sofia inspiring the crowd with a rousing rendition of “The Climb.” A final farewell ceremony was organized in July as an outdoor, socially distant, final send-off for the Class of 2020 that came in just under the legal limit of 150 guests. This time, the event took place in the back garden of the Villa. Students sat in beautifully decorated chairs at 6-foot intervals and their families sat in staggered groups around the track. A breeze from the Eastchester Bay kept guests cool on the lovely morning. Only a few drops of rain fell for luck. Prayers of praise and gratitude rose as tears of laughter and joy fell while the graduates, their parents and the junior high faculty celebrated these amazing, capable, creative, kind, accomplished young men and women — the special COVID class of 2020. a The Villa Magazine b Fall 2020 b 5 Faith

“Holding the Rosary beads is like holding your Blessed Mother’s hand.” In observance of the month of the Most Holy Rosary, each Villa class chose an October day to pray the rosary together. Many took advantage of the warm, sunny days to pray outdoors in one of the many peaceful spots for prayerful reflection. A statue of the Blessed Mother positioned at a central point on the campus, perched at the convergence of three pathways, serves as a symbol of Her protection and guidance. The power of prayer remains constant at the core of our nurturing Catholic community. “Let us be people of peace in prayer and deed.” – POPE FRANCIS I Peace Day is a special Villa tradition that celebrates peace in all its many manifestations. Every year a special theme gives students a new way of thinking about and illustrating peace with their own words, pictures or expressions. Past years’ themes have included bubbles, postcards and drops of water. This year “Pathways to Peace” allowed students a socially distant option. Graced with warm, sunny days and equipped with buckets of colorful sidewalk chalk, Villa students, class by class, decorated the campus pathways with designs, quotations and pictures. Villa Peace Day is celebrated in association with the United Nations International Day of Peace. When God gives you more than you can stand, kneel. The lockdown that began in March separated not only our school but our parish communities. At a time when we needed it most, Villa families stayed connected through the power of prayer. We solicited the names and photos of Villa alumni working on the frontlines of the pandemic in health care, emergency response and all essential jobs. Every evening for weeks we featured another Villa graduate or school parent calling them out by name and asking God’s protection and guidance. We prayed for all who suffer and all who heal through the intercession of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys. In March, Junior High classes responded to the Palm Sunday Call to Action, creating palms to display in their windows in the absence of Palm leaves normally distributed at Mass. In a social media prayer chain, we asked God’s blessings on our palms, our families, and our world. In April, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and the 5th Anniversary of Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical, Laudato Si, focusing on care for our common home, Earth. We prayed for the energy and inspiration to make real and meaningful changes in our behavior to alleviate the suffering of the Earth, her people and all her creatures. May is the month of Mary. For generations, the Villa maintained the special tradition of the May crowning. This year we couldn’t gather as a community with a celebration of songs and prayers so Mrs. Mastropietro, Villa Campus Minister, crowned the statue of the Blessed Mother and posted the photo inviting all members of the Villa community and beyond to join us praying: “We love you and seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God, Our Beloved Mother. Your beauty is unsurpassed. Please bless us all. Amen.” a

6 b VMA Magazine b 13th Edition Family “I am still learning.” – MICHELANGELO at 87 For generations, the Villa has been marked by a close family and community spirit. Close collaboration between teachers and parents is one of the secrets of our success. When schools closed in mid-March, the teamwork that already existed was taken up a notch. As administration and faculty quickly worked out a plan for online learning, parents become helpmates on the other end, organizing technology, supplies, and home study spaces. Within days all classes were fully online, caught up and steaming full speed ahead. Through constant communication, close cooperation and lots of patience, classes were completed on time for a well-deserved summer break. Along the way, Villa teachers came up with creative ways for parents and students to enjoy their unexpected gift of family time by working together on hands on projects. An art of baking project challenged imaginations to create super creative and delicious masterpieces. Students and parents designed their own homemade signs to show their admiration and gratitude and organized drive-by car parades just to show they care. No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. Even a pandemic can’t stop us from honoring our heroes. The annual Villa 9/11 commemoration was redesigned but it still happened. This year on the 19th anniversary, Villa students prepared trays of cookies to distribute to police, firefighters and nurses. These modest gifts were given with love and a sincere promise to never forget the sacrifices of that day. Special messages of gratitude came in via Twitter from lots of agencies including the NYPD commissioner and NYPD Transit who thanked the children for “feeding our bellies and our souls.” We remain grateful and pray that God protects and blesses everyone who puts their lives on the line every day for us. “A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of her heart.” – HERCULES In remote art classes, Villa students created personal messages of encouragement, gratitude, and love for first responders. Throughout the spring, health care workers in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan enjoyed periodical deliveries of sweet treats from Villa students and teachers to remind them that they were not alone. a

The Villa Magazine b Fall 2020 b 7 ALUMNI NEWS

ROBERTO FRATARCANGELI ’02 In my own words…. y parents wanted me to have a good home for 10 years of my life where I could build a strong foundation in education, religion, and friendship so they enrolled me in the Villa as part of the very first preK class. They knew that the Villa had an Mexcellent reputation and would challenge me academically. Our preK classroom was located in what is now the library in the main Villa building. I still keep in touch with some of my classmates from pre-K, and I was even a groomsman in several of my fellow Villa alumni’s weddings. Villa friends introduced me to my wife too. Together we have a two-year-old son. I enjoy continuing traditions with my son, such as making homemade pasta and bread, just as my Nonna taught me as a little boy. The first thing that comes to mind about the Villa is the excellent education that I received, but what makes the Villa truly special are the relationships that I formed with teachers and friends. The teachers became like family, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the values that they instilled in me. Mrs. Burkhart and Mr. Frey were the “Mr. Feeny” of my generation (a reference to “Boy Meets World”). They were always there to offer the best advice and pearls of wisdom. They made our learning environment fun even when we had to move into trailers during my 7th and 8th grade years due to the fire. We didn’t even realize we were in trailers! I’ll never forget Mr. Frey’s movie projects where we recreated books we read in class with friends. My classmates and I remade Of Mice and Men. It took us almost a month Roberto with Mrs. Burkhart at the induction service for the National Honor Society. to complete, but the memories I will never forget! He even was there to support me when my dad had major surgery. I‘ll always remember my 3rd grade apple picking trip with Mrs. Bowser. We had apple day at school where we used the apples to bake apple pies and make applesauce. My 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Faughnan, made it a point to take time out of her day to come find me in school to tell me that I scored 100 on an exam because she knew I was having such a hard time with math. It is these memories that make the Villa unforgettable and incomparable to other schools. The Villa left a lasting impression on everyone who attended the school. I often find myself talking to my friends about memories from the Villa. It stands out among other schools because you feel a part of a community where you are valued and respected. No matter how many years pass, you still feel a part of the community. Two years ago, I was invited back to participate in Career Day, and as soon the door opened I saw Mrs. Parisi (Riviello) waiting to greet me with a big hug. I felt like I was back in the 6th grade again! The Villa will forever be my home. From Mrs. Burkhart’s daily history quizzes to Mr. Frey’s creative take on learning, I felt extremely well-prepared for my high school career at Fordham Prep. After the Villa, I attended Fordham Prep, and then went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University. I am a dedicated lifelong learner, currently completing a dual Masters Degree in Nursing and Business Administration with the goal of becoming a Nurse Administrator. I am currently the head nurse at New York Eye Surgery Center, and I incorporate the teachings of compassion and empathy that I learned through all my years at the Villa. These are values that cannot necessarily be taught without teachers who are truly dedicated to their students. I cherish all of the values that I learned at the Villa. a Roberto with his son, Alessio.

8 b VMA Magazine b 13th Edition ALUMNI NEWS

MARTIN McGRATH, PhD ’77 Using chemistry to help make the world a better place he McGrath family believed in the benefits of Catholic education and enrolled their children in the local parish school, but by 5th grade it was clear that Martin, the eldest, needed more challenging academics so the family moved the children T to the Villa. Martin started in 6th grade, nervous to enter a new school in junior high. His fears were unfounded as teachers and students went out of their way to include him. Now he looks back on the Villa with a deep sense of belonging. Martin remembers the Villa as “a wonderful community where everyone helped each other grow academically and personally. Teachers taught their classes with enthusiasm and creativity.” Teachers were truly concerned with each student’s progress and met each one on their level. They focused on personal development, too. Martin recalls that teachers encouraged upper classes to mentor younger students, helping build confidence and develop leadership, self-reliance, and independence. They taught that learning was fun, and helped students develop a lifelong love of learning. The McGrath family at the Villa well. Pictured (left to right): Mary Beth, Dominic, Mary, Martin, Debbie (Mary

By 8thgrade, Martin, along with classmate, Daniel Iacovella, was selected among Beth’s friend) and Martin Sr. 120 students out of 2500 applicants for admission to Regis High School, the first of many Villa alumni to go on to that prestigious institution. Martin’s Villa foundation had prepared him well for Regis’ rigorous curriculum, including college-level STEM courses that inspired him to explore a career in science. He went on to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with distinction in chemistry and then obtained his doctorate in organometallic chemistry from Yale University. Science is an exploration into the unknown. Working throughout his career in a number of different areas, from plastics, to drug delivery systems, to medicinal chemistry, Martin has constantly been confronted with fresh opportunities to learn and master new concepts. He credits the Villa with instilling in him the confidence to meet challenges and to make learning a new field fun. Starting off at Monsanto Corporation, Martin worked on a variety of projects including novel polyurethanes, automotive topcoats, drug delivery systems, rubber chemicals, manufacturing process catalysts, and medicinal chemistry. He is credited as an inventor on 14 U.S. Patents. Moving to the pharmaceutical industry first at Pharmacia and then at ArQule, he helped develop new reaction techniques to make hundreds of compounds to be tested simultaneously using robots and automation, a specialty referred to as parallel medicinal chemistry, which is used to accelerate drug testing. From there, Martin moved to Pfizer in Cambridge where he began working in oligonucleotide therapeutics and helped found and chaired Pfizer’s Bioconjugation Network. After Pfizer, Martin took a position at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he managed collaborations directed at developing novel treatments for diabetes and its related complications, which have become a worldwide public health issue. Martin’s current position is Director, Research Project Management at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, where he leads a team to provide scientific project management to over 15 research projects with five large pharmaceutical company partners, as well as Dicerna’s internal discovery research efforts. Dicerna focuses on oligonucleotide therapies for rare diseases. One such disease, primary hyperoxaluria (PH), is a family of rare genetic disorders that causes overproduction of a substance called hepatic oxalate. This life-threatening condition affects children and adults and can often lead to chronic kidney stones, declining kidney health, systemic oxalosis impacting other organs, and the possibility of end-stage renal disease that may require dual liver-kidney transplantation. Dicerna is currently conducting clinical trials on an investigational RNAi drug candidate to treat PH. Martin has had the opportunity to meet young children dealing with this serious disease and is gratified to know that his work may make a difference in their lives and the lives of other patients that may someday benefit from other medicines that he is helping to develop. a The Villa Magazine b Fall 2020 b 9 ALUMNI NEWS JACKLYN TULIPANO RRT ’93 “We’re in a better position to help people.” ackie’s elementary school years were full of magical moments. From kindergarten, she was surrounded by childhood friends who remain to this day. Faith wasn’t just taught it was put into action. Teachers went above and beyond. High expectations challenged J students, but it paid off. Graduates were well prepared to succeed in high school. Jackie had always wanted to be a teacher but when her mother fell ill and needed a ventilator, she was trained to support her by a respiratory therapist. She took to the task, “like a duck to water.” Then a freshman at the College of Mt St. Vincent, she transferred to Westchester Community College to follow their degree program in respiratory therapy. Six months after graduation, she obtained her license and began working in a vocation she continues to love to this day. She has been working at Montefiore-Einstein Medical Center now for nineteen years. Jackie believes that Villa values are part of who she is and part of the reason she chose to pursue a caring profession. Villa students were taught to treat people respectfully and decently and find a way to use their gifts to make a difference in the world. As Jackie engages with patients empathetically and compassionately, honing her professional skills and abilities to alleviate suffering and bring comfort, she is living a life to be proud of. When the pandemic crisis began in March, life at the hospital turned upside down. Ordinarily, emergency situations requiring a rapid response team including a respiratory therapist happen once or twice per day. During the height of the pandemic, it was happening every couple of minutes. There was a palpable feeling of defeat as new patients continued to multiply. There was an atmosphere of general sadness, seeing people suffering and dying alone. Everyone had to adapt to a new adrenaline-filled normal. Every minute was filled with urgency. Hospital colleagues had to look out for each other’s safety and consider everything they were doing and wearing while trying to conserve personal protective equipment. No one knew what the future would bring. Jackie and her colleagues would go home after long days, cry on shoulders, talk to friends and family, and pray for a better day tomorrow. They leaned on each other more, building a deeper camaraderie. Sometimes they would walk out of the hospital and see chalk messages written on the sidewalk or hear the 7pm ovation from apartment windows. These unexpected expressions of gratitude and support often moved them to tears and helped them to know that they were not alone. In the end, Jackie’s faith, her family, her team, and her closest colleagues got her through. She employed all her knowledge and skill from years in clinical practice, tried to block out the anxiety and focus on the task at hand. Every day, she got up, took a breath and decided she would do the best she could. Months later, she feels confident that medical professionals are better equipped to handle this crisis. “At first, we were so overwhelmed with the number of patients who were sick simultaneously. We’ll be better if it happens again. We know how to treat this virus now. We’re in a better position to help people.” a

THEN & NOW... At left, Irene Bukojemsky Van Winkle ‘65, far right, receiving First Holy Communion at Villa Maria Academy in 1954. At right (L to R): Max Cardi, Bryan Ayers, RJ Yurkovic, Anthony Monti, Pearse Moon, Anthony Lombardi, Albion Desku, and Victoria Barnard celebrating their (delayed) First Holy Communion at St. Benedict’s Church in October, 2020.

10 b VMA Magazine b 13th Edition Follow us on social media! www.vma-ny.org facebook.com/villamaria3335 twitter.com/villamaria3335 the_villamariaacademy

CALLING ALL ALUMNI! Visit the Alumni section of www.vma-ny.org and click “Keep in Touch” to update your contact information. Ways to Give GIFTS OF CASH Mail your check, payable to the Villa Maria Academy, in the enclosed envelope to Villa Maria Academy at 3335 Country Club Road, Bronx, NY 10465. CREDIT CARDS To make a secure credit card gift online, visit www.vma-ny.org, click on Support/Give Now or make your contribution over the telephone by calling Caroline Hennessy at (718) 824-3260. MATCHING GIFTS Contact your human resources department to obtain matching gift forms then send them to the Villa Maria Academy at the above address. PLANNED GIVING Support the vision of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys by helping her sisters continue her legacy of teaching like Jesus did with bequests, charitable trusts, or gifts of other assets. The cost of providing a safe and sanitized school has skyrocketed over the past months. We need your help, now more than ever. Every gift makes a difference. Thank you!

SHOW YOUR VILLA PRIDE The Mothers’ Guild Special Events provide essential support, but this year everything has to be online! PURCHASE A VILLA SWEATSHIRT FOR $35 Hanes Eco-Smart 50/50 Hoodie TO HELP US HELP THE VILLA! Find the link on www.vma-ny.org or www.tinyurl.com/vmasweatshirts

The Villa Magazine b Fall 2020 b 11 VILLA MARIA ACADEMY Non Profit 3335 Country Club Road U.S. Postage Bronx, NY 10465 PAID www.vma-ny.org White Plains, NY Permit No. 278 Address service requested

Upcoming Events NOVEMBER 6 DECEMBER 18 TACHS exam Christmas Holiday begins NOVEMBER 25 JANUARY 12 Thanksgiving St. Marguerite Prayer Service Bourgeoys Feast Day