Around Loughlin

SPOTLIGHT

RONAN McGOURAN ‘21

I transferred to Loughlin a er my freshman year — one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

Ronan McGouran ’21 Afavorite part of my middle-school summers was attending the basketball camp at Loughlin. The camp was my introduction to the school and I fell in love with the environment. Mr. Gonzalez, Loughlin’s head basketball coach, who was running the camp, was very welcoming and encouraging; he became a mentor to me.

After visiting during a shadow day, I knew Loughlin was home. So, the decision to transfer was easy!

Now I am a senior; I wouldn’t change anything about my years here. I have friendships and memories that will last forever. I have had a well-rounded experience — I am on the varsity basketball team and a member of the National Honor Society. I recently became an a Loughlin Ambassador.

Dealing with the uncertainty and unpleasantness of the pandemic has made the last several months challenging. As different as school has been, Loughlin adapted and provides me with a unique opportunity to learn. I am in-school every other day and attend virtually the other days. The process and procedures of returning to school has taken away the anxiety of being in school during the coronavirus. The safety precautions, guidelines, and testing every other week has created a comfortable and safe environment. Although I miss the traditional schedule, I am still grateful to experience my senior year and prepare for college at Bishop Loughlin. I not only want to attend a college of my choice with a scholarship, I want to play Division I basketball as well. I am interested in Hofstra University, Seton Hall University, Xavier University, and Howard University. These schools fit my personality and will help me to obtain my goals in the future of traveling the world so I can experience different cultures and ways of life.

With the support of the Bishop Loughlin community, I am looking forward to the rest of my senior year and seeing what the future brings. I plan on majoring in marketing and pursuing a career path in marketing and advertising.

I know the well-rounded diversity of the education at Bishop Loughlin has prepared me to achieve my goals and aspirations. ◊

SPOTLIGHT

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT MEMBER EMILY JACKOWICZ REFLECTS ON TEACHING

Reflection is a powerful tool. It allows me to find meaning and awareness in life. So I ask myself, how did I end up at Bishop Loughlin? There have been failures and successes that led me here — both have encouraged many learning experiences. And, there has been a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, and a lot of growth in order to have those learning experiences. Teachers are the educators of the youth, but the youth, and the job in general, educate us along the way as well. To be a teacher is to never stop learning, but it’s also the formula to being a good human being. I am a better person because of this career.

In 2013, I had the privilege of teaching abroad in Ghana, West Africa. When I was placed in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar customs, I was taken out of my comfort zone and forced to learn the power of differences. Your opinion is not right or wrong compared to mine, it is simply different. If your way of dealing with a student is different than mine, neither of us are right or wrong, we are just different.

Teachers are the educators of the youth, but the youth, and the job in general, educate us along the way as well. To be a teacher is to never stop learning, but it’s also the formula to being a good human being.

Emily Jackowicz

Ghana had a lot of disciplinary structures inside and outside of the classroom that I did not agree with, and that is, simply put, completely fine. Most of the time, we wanted the same outcome, but because of our different backgrounds and customs, we had different ways of approaching the task.

Later on in my career, I found myself in another unique teaching opportunity in a small mountain town called Cuba, New Mexico. I learned the impact of community and heritage. Because this mountain town was off the beaten path, it allowed for the power of community to thrive; Cuba’s community, its people and its history, is what enabled the town to keep flourishing. Everyone knew that New York teacher shopping at the grocery store owned by my student’s family. I had breakfast at the table next to the owner of my other favorite restaurant. I lived next door to my coworkers, and someone from town always called me to let me know my dog was out, again, running up the hill. Cuba stuck together to succeed, and help their neighbors succeed.

Most recently, I found myself back in New York, teaching in Brooklyn — and I haven’t left this borough since. My city kids have taught me numerous lessons, but the one that stands out the most now is the power of being real. Know who my authentic self is, show up as my authentic self, and be that authentic person that my students can rely on. Superficiality will get you nowhere with these students because it’s not how you gain trust. Without trust, a teacher will never fully reach their students.

And now, here I am in my second school year at Loughlin. And what have I learned? I want to be as resilient as children. Remote learning has been no easy feat, and I am being schooled by my students on how to preserve through this pandemic. It’s this resiliency and ability to accept change, even get excited about change, that allows these students to show up and complete remote learning; it makes me look at them in awe.

I take all of these lessons to live my daily life in a more fulfilling way. I also bring these lessons into the classroom to be a better teacher and share with my students. They are not just academic learners, they are people I am preparing to go out into the world and live meaningful lives. ◊

AROUND LOUGHLIN

SCIENCE

LOUGHLIN STUDENTS SHINE AT THE ARTHUR ASHE INSTITUTE FOR URBAN HEALTH

Bishop Loughlin has off ered outstanding high school science education programs for many years. This year was no exception, with many graduates choosing majors and colleges with excellent medical, biology, premed, and other science programs. Loughlin is a PLTW (Project Lead The Way) school off ering a broad selection of challenging courses in Engineering and Biomedical Science. One of the reasons Loughlin excels in the sciences is its longterm partnership with the The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health Science Academy (HSA) at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.

The mission of the Health Science Academy — an enrichment afterschool pipeline program serving students in grades 6-12 — is to “inspire and prepare the next generation of culturally competent minority healthcare professionals.” HSA’s three-year program component “the Academy” serves historically underrepresented, high achieving, and motivated college-bound students (grades 10 -12) interested in health and science careers. Since its inception in 1994, it has served more than 1,600 high school students from over a dozen partner high schools in Brooklyn. We are proud of all of our students who participate.

This year, Loughlin had the highest number of graduates (14) among the 50 participating seniors. Additionally, Loughlin students placed seven of the top ten in overall program achievement receiving the Grand Slam Award. Congratulations to Asha Griffi th (Class of 2020 Valedictorian), Cherron Griffi th (Class of 2020 Salutatorian), Chloe Iniss, Arielle Frederic, Bianca Jobe, Nosimat Salami, and Morgan West.

HSA states that “our Grand Slam scholars are those who have excelled in all the areas we value — academics, community service, and engagement — those who have truly taken advantage of all the Academy has to off er. They are Academy Scholars who have also demonstrated their commitment to our mission of eliminating health disparities.”

Grand Slam Award Scholar recipient Morgan West ’20.

Morgan West ‘20 learned a great deal about health disparities while attending the Health Science Academy. “They taught us about health disparities within low income

One student set herself apart over her three years in the Arthur Ashe Health Science Academy. Class of 2020 Valedictorian Asha Griffi th is only the second student to receive the prestigious Furchgott Youth Scholar Award. The Dr.

Robert F. Furchgott Society at SUNY Downstate honored the 1998 Nobel Prize winner at the virtual graduation ceremony by presenting Asha with a scholarship gift. Asha posted an overall score of 101 — along with a three-year perfect attendance. Asha also participated in the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s clinical research internship as part of a team conducting research on blood pressure and hypertension in men.

Her team’s research poster will be published on AAIUH’s website later this year.

Asha told us that “as a student of the Health Science Academy, I had the privilege of learning more about the human body from medical professionals and students.” One of her favorite parts of the program was having the opportunity to have real-world experiences. “A highlight was the opportunity to dissect a sheep uterus and heart. We also had the chance to see cadavers in SUNY Downstate’s cadaver lab.” Spoken like a future medical professional, Asha! She accepted the Presidential Scholarship and attends Long Island University, majoring in biology.

Our Grand Slam Scholars are those who have excelled in all the areas we value — academics, community service, and engagement. They are Academy Scholars who have also demonstrated their commitment to our mission of eliminating health disparities.

Health Science Academy

minorities and how important it is to have health equity for all. Currently with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are all seeing fi rst-hand how health disparities play a huge role in today’s society.” Not only did she learn about disparities, she conducted meaningful research. “Last year, I joined the Brooklyn Health Disparities Summer Internship Program. I was paired with a research group to do research at the American Cancer Society. Our group was selected to present our fi ndings at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

Both Bishop Loughlin and HSA pride themselves on outstanding outcomes for their scholars. One benchmark is college acceptance, another is college scholarship off ers. Loughlin’s 14 graduates were accepted to 94 colleges and universities and earned almost six million dollars in scholarship off ers. ◊ ARTS

Against a Loughlin backdrop, members of the Performing Arts Department (students and alumni) produced and performed a rendition of the Beyoncé “Before I Let Go”. You can hear and see this wonderful video at loughlin.org/beforeiletgo.

PTA

THANKSGIVING BASKETS FOR THOSE IN NEED ASSEMBLED AND DISTRIBUTED

PTA members assemble baskets. On November 23, a group of Loughlin PTA members assembled and distributed baskets — with everything a family needed to celebrate Thanksgiving — to more than 30 families. The baskets of turkey, stuffi ng, cornbread, vegetables, cranberry sauce, desserts, and more, were given to anyone who needed a little help this year during this unprecedented time.

The money for the baskets was raised through various events sponsored by the PTA during the 2019-20 school year.

Leftover food was donated to a local church that was distributing food as well.

The school is grateful to our Police offi cer Robinson and Detective Jones helped in wonderful Loughlin PTA the distribution of baskets. members Adrienne Loiseau P ’22, (PTA President), Sandra Bryce P ’22, Lisa Francis P ’22, Wendy Morgan P ’20, and Michelle Lopez P ’22 for their help in assembling the baskets. A special thanks to the NYPD for their assistance. ◊

AROUND LOUGHLIN

Our student groups meet, host events, and show school spirit in new and creative ways this year.

Some of our Student Ambassadors.

OUR AMBASSADORS

Our Ambassadors are current Loughlin students who support the Admissions Offi ce in events such as open houses, shadow days, and tour days. In all these events now, social distancing and mask requirements are in place at all times. One Ambassador says, “COVID-19 has made it harder to interact with perspective students and parents because we want to keep ourselves and our future classmates healthy! But while making the experiences as safe as possible, Ambassadors make sure to show how strong our Loughlin pride is.”

FACULTY AUTHOR ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR MIKE PEROS PUBLISHES SECOND BOOK

Many people know Jose Ferrer for his Oscarwinning performance as Cyrano de Bergerac, but his importance reaches far beyond that, and it is Mike Peros hopes that Jose Ferrer: Success and Survival helps fi lm and stage fans rediscover an important theatrical fi gure. Ferrer’s role as Cyrano won him not only the Best Actor Oscar, but also the Best Actor Tony; in both instances, he was the fi rst Puerto Rican actor to accomplish this. His fi lm career included such classics as The Caine Mutiny, Laurence of Arabia, and Moulin Rouge.

LOUGHLIN POETS & WRITERS CLUB CELEBRATES HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

In September, as part of St. Joseph’s College’s (Brooklyn) Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture Series, the leaders of Loughlin’s Poets & Writers Club, sophomores Jocelyn Atienza Serrano (President) and Tai Sheppard (Vice President), along with club moderator, Mr. Frank attended a Zoom Webinar featuring graphic novelist Edgardo MirandaRodriguez — most notably recognized as the writer and creator of the critically acclaimed and bestselling superhero series La Borinqueña — part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum. Mr. Miranda-Rodriguez shared how the long, untaught history of Puerto Rico and a desire for social justice led to the creation of his iconic, female superhero.

LASALLIAN YOUTH

Lasallian Youth remains active despite the pandemic. Every Thursday, via Zoom, students participate in activities that support the purpose of Lasallian Youth — Faith, Service, and Community. Allowing the students to connect on a more personal level is important in times like this.

LOUGHLIN BAND

Kamiyah Parchment ‘22, a part of the performing arts program, explains that “This year the performing arts program is doing their best to conduct business as usual. The larger school band meets daily during school hours via Zoom and plays together — although they are apart. Small Band meets after school virtually and occasionally hybrid students meet in-person. The pandemic made us realize how important we are to each other and how much we rely on one another to accomplish group goals. It has been hard on everyone but I think Loughlin is doing a good job making us feel like nothing can hold us back.”