Bensonhurst
It has been a busy May for Bishop Kearney High School. The staff said goodbye to Sister Virgina Lake, director of alumnae relations, and welcomed alum Catherine McCarthy Schmidt, Class of 1974, as the new head.
Sister Lake will stay on in the development office, where she will continue to mentor, advise, and develop the next generation, to the joy of her colleagues.
“Bishop Kearney will always be indebted to Sister Virginia for her many years of dedicated service and I am delighted that she will continue to be involved in the outreach to alumnae,” said Sister Elizabeth Hill, chairwomen of the board of trustees. “We welcome Catherine Schmidt into her new role with great enthusiasm and confidence that she will build a dynamic and effective alumnse program that will help to strengthen and enhance Kearney for years to come.”
Sister Lake added her take and said, “Catherine and I both came to Kearney in 1970, while she was a student and I was a math teacher. I look forward to working with her for many more years.”
Kearney president Dr. Margaret Minson announced that she will also be stepping down, thanking her staff for the memories.
“Bishop Kearney is a special place filled with special people and it has been an honor to have worked with such an exceptional faculty and staff,” she said. “The students have touched my heart and I am proud to have been a part of their lives here at Kearney.”
Dr. Margaret Minson served the school community with vision, courage, passion, and imagination, said Sister Hill.
“Dr. Minson has accomplished all the goals the Board of Trustees set for her when she joined us, and she leaves Kearney in a position of strength,” she said. “Although we are sorry to lose her, we express our gratitude for everything she did while she was with us, and we wish her the very best in the years to come.”
To top off the coming and going — whew, hard keeping track of it all! — the staff honored Sister Mary Doyle, Regional Superior of Region II, for her 20-plus years of service, and celebrated the big win of the Kearney math team for acing the Mathfax, Algebra 2 Championship Division B.
Standing O gives shout-outs to Ms. Schmidt, Sister Lake, Sister Doyle, and the math wizards; goodbye to Dr. Minson; and wishes them all lots of luck in the future.
Bishop Kearney High School [2202 60th St. at Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst, (718) 236–6363].
Brooklyn Heights
5K raises 20K
The 18th Eileen C. Dugan Memorial Run took off with a shot with more than 200 runners in trainers at Brooklyn Bridge Park on April 6. Perfect weather met the runners as they ran the 5K course and helped to raise more than $20,000 to benefit the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy’s cultural, recreational, and educational programs.
The run honors late Assemblywoman Eileen Dugan, who represented Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge from 1980 to 1996, and died of breast cancer.
The run has really taken off since Brooklyn Bridge Park began hosting the event five years ago, said her brother, Brendan Dugan, president of St. Francis College.
“It’s the perfect fit, an example of everything my sister worked for and dreamed could be possible on the Brooklyn waterfront,” he said.
Conservancy executive director Nancy Webster said the annual event was a living testament to its namesake.
“We are honored to celebrate Eileen Dugan’s commitment to public service, knowledge of the value of government and communities working together, and advocacy for the creation of a public park on the Brooklyn waterfront,” she said.
Each year the route of the Dugan run has changed as new parts of Brooklyn Bridge Park opened. This year, for the first time, runners enjoyed the breathtaking vistas from the end of Pier 6.
St. Francis College (80 Remsen St. at Court Street in Brooklyn Heights).
