Around Loughlin

ALUMNI MAKE IT BIG!

Committed to Excellence!

St. John’s guard Julian Champagnie ’19 shoots against Kansas during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game.

©Getty Images

Justin Champagnie ’19 of the Toronto Raptors during a game against the Utah Jazz.

Justin Champagnie ‘19 did not hear his name called during the NBAdraftafewmonthsago—buthewasindemand,withasmanyas16teamsofferingatwo-waycontract.Justinnowplaysfor the Toronto Raptors.

Justin’s brother Julian ‘19 returned to St. John’s as a junior this year. He has been unanimously voted as a Preseason First Team Selection in the Big East. Several publications predict Julian will be the Big East Player of the Year.

Mike Williams ‘14 recently visited Loughlin to work with studentathletes for the day and speak to them about college and professional basketball. He was also preparing to depart for his new adventure playing in the Jordan Premier League (Euro Basketball League) for Al Ahli in Amman, Jordan. ©Shutterstock

Mike Williams ’14 recently stopped by Loughlin and worked with a group of student-athletes.

JUNIOR OLYMPIC CHAMPION

NIA BLACK ‘24

Beyond being a setter on the Loughlin volleyball team, a member of the school’s choir, captain of the Latino Dance Club, andproficientinsign language, Nia Black ‘24 is a Junior Olympic Gold Medalist!

Training three hours a day (well, even longer on nonschool days), six days a week Nia has been on the USA Junior Olympic Weightlifting Team since June. Currently competing internationally in the 14 - 15 year-olds 59 kg weight category, she looks forward to moving up to the 16 - 17 year-olds category in January. She has already qualified.

We recently sat down with Nia and asked her all about it. Nia Black ’24 in lifting in competition and (inset) at Loughlin.

What led you to competitive weightlifting? “IfirststarteddoingCrossfitwhenIwasabout11yearsold.Ididn’treallylikeCrossfitclasses,however,Ididexcelliftingweights. Not long after that, I decided to focus on Olympic weightlifting.Myfirstcompetitionwasintheeighthgrade.”

Tell us more about your recent success. “So, I got on team USA not too long ago and was sent in October to an international competition in Mexico in the 14 - 15 year-olds 59 kg weight category. And, I won!

I have been to national competitions in both California and Detroit, as well as many competitions in New York. At the moment I am training for NY states in January, as well as a final(whichislikeamini-nationalcompetition)inOhio.”

Please tell us more about your international competition and Olympic goals. “I knew prior to going to Mexico that I had potential to place. While there, my main competition was China (who nearly always wins in international competition) and Columbia. There were three attempts in the ‘snatch’, and I won silver, placing behind China. But in ‘clean and jerks’ I set the new world record, winning gold. I won the ‘overall gold medal’ in thecompetition.IdreamofgoingtotheOlympicsin2028.”

What is your favorite part of weightlifting? “I love making lifts that look impossible. When you make a lift andthengoforit—thenextlevel.Andyoudoit!”

Tell us more about your family, please. “We are a Loughlin family. My sisters are Kyah Black ‘16 and Aleyana Black ‘20. Kyah is in law school after graduating from Lincoln University in 2020, with a major in Communications. She was captain of the cheerleading team when she attended Loughlin as well as a member of house dance.

My sister Aleyana was captain of Cheer and volleyball while at Loughlin. She also was in Latino dance. (I take after her, I am the current captain of Latino dance and a part of the volleyball team). She now attends St. Johns University, studyingmedicine—onthetracktomedicalschool.”

We are so proud of you Nia and wish you the best in March in Ohio!

AROUND LOUGHLIN

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

LOUGHLIN TRACK TEAM IN LIFE MAGAZINE MAY 14, 1945

On May 14, 1945, Life Magazine planned to feature Loughlin Track on its prized magazine cover. But “The War Ends in Europe” bumped the story to page 83!

The story in Life magazine:

Two weeks ago a quiet, young-looking man named George Eastment virtually clinched his claim to being the best high-school track coach in the U.S. His team, the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School of Brooklyn, has won ten championship outdoor meets in a row against other Catholic high schools.

It has gone on from there to win fi ve of six open meets against all the other high schools in the East. Then last fortnight it went to Philadelphia for the Penn Relays, raced against the best teams from all over the U.S., and came home with four of the fi ve titles. In the 50-year history of the Penn Relays, the most important relay meet in the U.S., no other school has ever put on such a show.

The Loughlin track team has beaten all comers in spite of the fact that it is a ‘scholarship’ school, in which attendance is determined by competitive entrance examinations, and in spite of the fact that no boy over 18 can compete in athletics. The school had never won a track title before 1928. That was the year George Eastment took over. George Eastment learned to run at Loughlin’s bitterest rival school, St. Augustine’s, later starred in the relays at Georgetown University. While studying to be a lawyer he took an afternoon off to watch Loughlin practice, made a few useful suggestions and was hired by the school that evening. An intense, modest man of 40, Eastment obtains his results by never letting his boys wear themselves out in practice. He rarely praises them, and never loses his temper. During the weekend of the Penn Relays he was nervous for the fi rst time. Reason: three days later he became a father.

LASALLIAN YOUTH LEAD RACIAL JUSTICE DIALOGUE

Bishop Loughlin was extremely proud to lead the conversation with high schools from Florida to Canada.

In February, about 100 Lasallian Youth leaders from high schools throughout DENA (District of Eastern North America) met on Zoom for a listening session on Racial Justice.

Leading the discussion were Lasallian Youth president Helena Huerte ‘21 and vice president Nada Bain ‘21. In their own words they tell us about the meeting.

Helena said “As President of the Lasallian Youth Group, I really enjoy working with people who are willing tosacrificetheirtimetodiscussveryimportant topics with the goal of understanding how people feel, and the hope of changing the world in a better way. Bishop Loughlin has always encouraged me to step out of my comfort zoneandfeelconfidentenoughinmyselfto conduct meetings and lead. In doing so, I have had wonderful opportunities to lead important and necessary meetings such as the Racial Justice session with fellow studentsthroughoutthecountry.”

She added, “Minutes before the sessions began, I felt myself starting to get nervous. It was a group of people I had never met and I did not know how engaged they wouldbeorhowtheflowofthesessionwould go. However, as the session evolved and people started responding to our questions, it felt wonderful knowing they all cared about the topic and they were respectful towards each other’s comments. I am grateful to have been a part of such a wonderfulsessionandgroupofpeople.”

Nada also was encouraged by the session. “Lasallian Youth has always had a special place in my heart. I feel blessed to have the opportunitytomakeadifference.Duringmy time at Loughlin, this group has helped me develop my leadership, public speaking, and listening skills. It has taught me to be a better person through various community service opportunities. When Mr. Foley told me about the DENA Leadership Night, I jumped at the opportunity to participate.

Racial justice is a topic that must be made known! It is an issue that many men and women struggle with. It is important to heartheviewsofourgeneration—howwe view racial justice and what it means to us. I was a nervous about hosting this discussion because it is a very controversial topic. I prayed that it would go smoothly and we would complete everything on task. It was a success!

Left, Nada Bain ’21 and (right) Helena Huerte ’21.

Atfirst,studentswerereservedaboutspeaking but then the discussion got “meaty”.Ilovedmeetingstudentsfromother schools, in other states, and of differentethnicities.Theywererespectfuland kind to each other so there was no judgment passed. I would love to lead anotherdiscussionsometimesoon.” Nada went on to say, “This discussion raised various questions. We began by asking “what does racial justice mean to you?”Itwasheartwarmingtohearthatmany individuals of various ethnicities believed that racial justice was seeking equality and justice for all. We believed that this question was a necessary place to begin, because it gave insight as to what the group knew about the topic.

We also received responses from various students about their personal experiences with racism in their communities. A student talked about her feelings as an Asian American dealing with beingblamedfortheCOVIDpandemic.A white student spoke about how one side of her family were people of color and therefore she was treated somewhat differently.Athirdstudentsharedthatstudents at his school would occasionally make racist statements, and downplay themassimply“jokes”.Basedonalotof students’ experiences, racism is not taken seriously and many people feel comfortablesayingoffensive,hurtful,racistthingsandlaughitoffbecauseit’s“ajoke”and move on.

After leading this discussion, we learned how important the topic of racial justice is throughout the country and beyond. We learned the importance of listening sessions, as they are a safe and “judgment freezone”tolearnandshare.Wearebothextremely thankful to the DENA leadership team for bringing together Lasallian high school students to share, listen, and make an action plan as we strive toward achievingracialjustice.”

Great job Helena and Nada!

AROUND LOUGHLIN

CAMPUS MINISTRY

OUR LASALLIAN TWIN — ST. MARY’S IN NYERI, KENYA

Established in 1962, St. Mary’s Boys Secondary School is a Catholic, diocesan, Lasallian private boys school open to all regardless of religious denomination.

St. Mary’s serves more than 700 young men through various services: traditional high school, vocational training institute, child rescue center, and university sponsorship. Like most schools in Kenya, all students board at St. Mary’s since the expense and availability of public transportation prohibits commuting. Boarding is also essential to ensure students get regular and quality instruction, food, medical care, electricity, time to study, and time to interact with boys from various backgrounds and tribes.

Loughlin students have supported St. Mary’s Secondary School in Nyeri, Kenya for 22 years. Several other Lasallian high schools also support St. Mary’s and Loughlin is proud to typically be the largest supporter raising between $10,000 and $16,000 each year. Without this support from Lasallian high schools, St. Mary’s could not continue to survive. The pandemic almost completely eliminated the Campus Ministry’s ability to raise funds so the school turned to our alumni networktohelpbridgethegap—withourfirsteverdigitalappeal for St. Mary’s. Thanks to our alumni, over $13,000 was raised which provided monies for tuition support, uniforms, and supplies for these young men. Thank you alumni!

LASALLIAN YOUTH VOLUNTEER

This fall, our Lasallian Youth volunteered raking leaves at Fort Greene Park as part of a park cleanup initiative!

The students (seen here in the foreground and the background working) were also surprised by an impromptu meeting with New York Senator Chuck Schumer (pictured here), Majority Leader of the United States Senate, who was also participating in the park cleanup. You never know who you’ll run into in NYC!

Lasallian Youth volunteer in a variety of ways throughout the year to engage with and help the community.

HONORS

OUR FOURTH CEREMONY!

Left, John Munoz Solano ’22 with Mr. Orlando Santiago at this year’s White Coat Ceremony.

Loughlin celebrated its fourth annual White Coat CeremonyinNovember—honoring38‘WhiteCoat’recipients , a record-breaking number! To earn their white lab coats, students had to successfully complete a series of Biomedical Science courses through our PLTW (Project Lead the Way) Program, taught by Ms. Lamarque, Ms. Randall, and Mr. Santiago.

We were also very blessed to have had Dr. Carelle Cherebin ‘05 as our guest speaker for the ceremony. Dr. Cherebin is currently an attending physician at Stonybrook Medical.

Thank you parents, guardians, and friends for attending our ceremony and giving our Lions great encouragement and support! And, congratulations to all of our White Coat recipients!

from our

LOUGHLIN PTA PRESIDENT

ADRIENNE LOISEAU P ’22

When the doors of our school closed on March 15, 2020, we had no idea that it would be almost 18 months later when we would return to a place that many call a second home. These many months have been challenging for so many families, but we are thankful for the rainbow experiences and memorable moments.

As the 2021 school year began, parents were anxious, concerned, andexcited,allatthesametime.Buzzingandshufflingsoundswerebackinthebuildingagain—thesoundofLoughlinstudents,faculty,andstaff.Howcanwesocialdistancewhenstudentswantto give a big bear hug to their teachers and friends they have not seen in months? It took time for everyone to get reacclimated into a routine of commuting, wearing masks (which is now a part of the school uniform), and daily temperature checks. Never in a million years did we think that this would be our new reality.

Didyoufindyourselfsaying“Ican’twaitforeverythingtogobacktonormal.”Iask“dowereallywanteverythingtogobacktothewaythingswere?”Afterbeinginquarantineforsomanymonths,wehadtheopportunitytoreflectandrealizethatsometimeschange is necessary.

Most of our students are now equipped with an Apple iPad. Since remote learning has been implemented, our students do not have to miss school on snow days. Attendance for our PTA monthly meetings has now skyrocketed! It gives our parents an opportunity to connect from anywhere and not worry about missing informative sessions. Another plus, if they are unable to getabreakfromwork,orarestuckintraffic,themeetingsarerecorded for them to play back at their convenience. Our school traditions such as The White Coat Ceremony, the National Honor SocietyInductionCeremony,“SeniorRingDay”andgraduationceremonies will remain. But as the world turns, we must continue to be creative and innovative.

This is my daughter’s senior year at Loughlin. It is surreal because it feels like yesterday when she arrived as a freshman. It has been an amazing journey with a host of learning experiences. I have witnessed how she has matured and developed long-lasting relationships(whichwehavebothestablished).Sinceourfirstday,Loughlin has been our family and we will continue to support and stay connected.

Loughlin is proud of the leadership of the Loughlin Parents Association. The PTA is supportive and extremely helpful working with the administration. It is safe to say that the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic could not have been successfully navigated without this partnership. We commend PTA President, Ms. Adrienne Loiseau, and her leadership team for all they have done.

AROUND LOUGHLIN

HONORS

National Honor Society inducts 94 students

In October Bishop Loughlin inducted a modern day record number 94 students into its chapter of the National Honor Society. The school welcomed 37new seniors and 46 juniors into the Chapter. Eleven seniors were inducted for a second year.

We thank our new school chaplain, Father Henry J. Torres (pictured above), for leading us in prayer, our NHS moderator, Beverley Madar, and NHS Senior leadership Carline Boston, Brinesha Derrick-Bain, Kayla Harding, Rachel McKenna, and Kyra Nelson-Swearing for leading the day’s activities.

To qualify for the Loughlin Chapter of the National Honor Society, students are eligible to apply if they demonstrate academic achievement. They must meet several requirements to be inducted: earn an 87% average or higher, receive teacher recommendations, and demonstrate exemplary character, service, and leadership. Congrats inductees! We are so very proud of you!

NEW FACULTY/STAFF

Join us in welcoming the newest members of the Loughlin family and community! We wish them the best and great success. You will see here their departments and the coursestheyteach—ortheofficestheyworkin.

Mr. Stephen Bennett, Math Department—AlgebraandGeometry Mr. David Caneppa, English and Foreign Language Departments—English,Spanish, and Study Skills

Mr. Jorge Carranza, Science Department—BiologyandAdvanced Biology Mr. Kenny Pexton, Music Department—SeniorBand,Percussion, and Saxophone

Ms. Destiny Henry ‘14, Associate Director, Admissions Ms.TiffanyPerkins,Associate Director, Institutional Advancement STUDENT AMBASSADOR PROGRAMS

Students in the Ambassador programs.

Loughlin boasts two ambassador programs. Students in the Ambassador Program spread awareness about Bishop Loughlin and represent Loughlin with the Admissions team on school visits throughout NYC. They attend and assist with Open Houses, alumni events, concerts, and more. Fully versed in everything Loughlin, they speak convincingly and provide information about Loughlin to anyone visiting.

Advancement Student Ambassadors (featured on magazine’s cover)volunteerinLoughlin’sAdvancementoffices.Theymakephonecallsrecognizingdonorsupport,updatealumnifiles,helpwith mailings, and more. They attend reunions, Council Luncheons, and often serve as speakers at these events. During their free periods,orafterschool,youcanfindthemassistingandpromotingthe mission of the school.

TRACK

At the CHSAA Indoor Sectional Championship Junior Brinesha Derrick-Bain ‘23 won the 300 meter race and at the CHSAA Outdoor Sectional Championship she won the high jump and the 400 meter hurdles. Congratulations Brinesha!

AROUND LOUGHLIN

CATHOLIC FOUNDATION

Meeting the new Bishop of Brooklyn

Succeeding Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop Robert Brennan was installed as the Eighth Bishop of Brooklyn on November 30, 2021. MembersoftheLoughlinadministration—including Br. Dennis Cronin, President and EdBolan,Principal—attendedtheBishop’sChristmas Luncheon sponsored by the Catholic Foundation for Brooklyn and Queens on December 7. The event honored Robert Schirling, Ed Wilkinson, and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who served Brooklyn as bishop for 18 years.

At the Bishop’s Christmas Luncheon (from left) is Br. Dennis Cronin, President, Bishop Robert Brennan, and Edward Bolan ’78, Principal.

YOUR PLACE FOR LOUGHLIN APPAREL!

MENS • WOMENS • KIDS • ACCESSORIES • SIGNS & DECALS HATS • SWEATSHIRTS • POLOS FLEECES • SWEATSHIRTS • T-SHIRTS • OUTERWEAR and MORE!

NYSSMA STAR PERFORMERS AT LOUGHLIN ANNUAL LOUGHLIN LITERARY EVENT

Kiev Charles ’23 singing Stars from Les Miserables.

Fewer than 10% of NYC schools continued their performance programs through the pandemic.

Despite great obstacles, Loughlin students continue to excel in Music and Performing Arts. Eleven students (recently) received (or just received) perfect scores at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) evaluation festival this year — the largest percentage of Loughlin students to receive a perfect score in school history. Students participating in the virtual Literary Event.

This year’s 12th Annual Loughlin Literary Event, held virtually, began with a collaborative, original performance by Loughlin’s Poets and Writers Club and Drama Club. The writers and performers were led by Poets and Writers Club president, Jocelyn Serrano Atienza ‘23 and vice president, Tai Sheppard ‘23, as well as Poets and Writers Club moderator, Mr. Frank and Drama Club director, Mr. Johnson. A number of the performers are members of both clubs. This year’s writers and performers included short stories, monologues, poems, songs, and even a travelogue.

Of the 38 solo and small ensembles, 26 received the highest rating and 12 received the secondhighest rating (there are seven ratings in all).

Congratulations to all participants, including the 11 students who received perfect scores: Meddy Andre ‘21, Mejheen Cesaire ‘21, Gaud Charles ‘22. Kiev Charles ‘23, Amir Cooke ‘24, Isaiah Jones ‘22, Francis Lili Fears ‘22, Wilson Lopez ‘22, Jason Lukito ‘23, Kamiyah Parchment ‘22, and Storm Vialet ‘22. The winners of the 12th Annual BLoglin Writing Contest’ were (first prize) Emmanuel Benamer ’23 for the short story The Beginning of the End; Marcus Hardy ‘22 (second prize) for the short story yin to my, and Kiana Ketcham ‘24 (third prize) for the poem Ephemera. Kiana also received the 2021 Rising Writer Award — awarded to a freshman who shows exceptional promise in the written word. Finally, the recipient of The 2021 Scribe Award was Rose Walsh ‘21 for her outstanding contributions to the written word while at Loughlin.

At the conclusion of the collaborative clubs performance, the seniors Hanny Echeverria Navarro, Celines Garcia, Jasmine Hooker, and Rose Walsh were recognized for their performances over the last four years.