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A FEW MINUTES WITH THE DUGALS So let’s go back to the beginning. How did you end up teaching at Kellenberg? Mrs. Rosemary Dugal (RD): I was teaching at St. Agnes Cathedral High School for three years which was in this building when Maria Regina and St. Agnes merged. So, I was teaching science, primarily Earth Science and Biology. When the Marianists came in, we reapplied for our jobs, and I was fortunate enough to be hired. Mr. Kevin Dugal (KD): I was a senior at Hofstra, and I was an assistant moderator of the St. Agnes Drama Club, and the moderator was going to be retiring from St. Agnes and recommended me to Brother Mark Ormond, who was going to be taking over as principal for Kellenberg. I found myself in a very fortunate position as a graduating senior from college to have a job offered to me before I graduated. I felt from the outset that there was a special blessing on me as far as directing me towards Kellenberg. What do you remember about the early years of KMHS? RD: What I remember about the early years is we were looking for an identity. You had some kids who applied to Maria Regina who were then in St. Agnes and then graduated from Kellenberg. For a couple of years, there was a sense of “Who are we?” and trying to get the kids to understand the philosophy of the Marianists and Father Chaminade. So it was building an identity and a family — trying to get that family spirit. KD: I remember for myself, trying to learn what it meant to be a teacher, but more specifically, what it meant to be a Catholic teacher. I knew what it meant to be a Catholic student, being a product of Catholic education myself for most of my life, but learning how to incorporate my faith life into the classroom experience was a challenge that I feel like is ongoing — that I am still working on — but those early years, that’s where it began for me to try to learn how to define myself in that way. Those were challenging years for the school’s growth, just in terms of learning who we are, as Rosemary said, “our identity,” and learning really what it meant to be proud of being a Kellenberg faculty member and proud to be a Kellenberg student.
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HEART & MIND
What have you taught and moderated during your time here at Kellenberg? RD: I have been here for 30 years. I taught Earth Science and Biology (and Chemistry once or twice), but science for about 15 years, and then I was offered the opportunity to pick up a couple of religion classes, which I was very happy about. When Mrs. McNiff retired, I was offered to go teach the Morality course, and I’ve been doing that ever since. KD: I have taught English, 10th grade, 11th grade, and 12th grade, Honors, Academic I or Academic II over my 29 years. The only level I’ve never taught is freshman. I moderated the Drama Club for 15 years, was an assistant moderator for the yearbook, and a SMART moderator now. I’ve been a guidance counselor for the last 26 years, and a college counselor for the last, I think, 12 years. RD: It’s funny going to reunions because we’ve worn a lot of hats, especially in the beginning. I was a cheerleading coach for a number of years, worked with the Science Club for some years, Leaders Club for several years, Drama Club with Mr. Dugal for about 15 years, and now I also do SMART, and I do a lot of the apostolic activities, like CROSS. What has been the best part of teaching at Kellenberg? KD: I’m pausing because it’s not an easy question to answer because there are so many rewarding things here. As I said before, I think
when you see the students graduate, not just for what they have learned, but what kind of young people they have become is the most rewarding thing really for us. I say to some of my friends who ask, “How do you stay in one job?” because today people migrate a lot in their jobs, and “Why do you stay so long in one place?” The answer is always the same for me because I don’t know of any other environment where I get to pray at least eight times a day with young people, sharing my faith. I think as an English teacher, you know your curriculum, your syllabus, but to me it’s a vocation to be a Catholic teacher. As such, I think that the most rewarding thing is to see when alumni come back and they’re not only successful in their careers but they’re successful as people. To know that you had at least a small effect on that, a small contribution that you made to it, that’s the thing that makes me proudest and makes it feel that all the challenges, all the hard work, all the commitment is unquestionably worth it. RD: I am amazed that such a large facility can actually have a family spirit, a community spirit, that the kids here really seek relationship with their teachers and with their coaches, and that the kids really do want to learn and that they do want to try new things and have new opportunities. So, I think we are very fortunate to have such positive, caring students in our school. For a teacher, it’s a dream come true, that the kids really do want to learn and they do have, I think, tremendous respect for the teachers and the other personnel in the other school. What has it been like having your spouse work with you? KD: The nicest part of that is coming home from work and knowing that we can share our challenges, our difficulties, but also our great joys and our rewards, in a way that is so personal and so real. We’ve created a nice support system for each other, to talk about things, to understand things… It has strengthened our marriage, I think, working together. Some people don’t know how a married couple can work together, but I think if you love what you do, and you’re in a strong relationship, then it only strengthens that relationship more. RD: (Laughing) Confucius once said, “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in
A K E L L E N B E RG M E M O R I A L FA M I LY P U B L I CAT I O N
