Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School News

Great People: Brother Dennis Cronin is on a mission to make Bishop Loughlin H.S. 'a real anchor' for its students

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:04:53 -0000

Brother Dennis Cronin stands in the hallway of Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, where he has served as president since 2008. Photo by Craig Warga

Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School was a part of Brother Dennis Cronin’s life long before he was named school president.

His biological older brother, Dan, went to Loughlin. “I grew up on his yearbooks,” Brother Dennis said. “So Loughlin always had a place in my imagination.”

Brother Dennis, 60, first taught at Loughlin for a summer when he was 19. He returned to Loughlin, an 80-year fixture in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, as principal on July 1, 2001. He was named president in 2008.

But it was the mission, an urban affirmation of the De La Salle Christian Brothers FSC (Fratres Scholarum Christianarum) to which he belongs, that has kept him there.

“It is different to live the mission here compared to one of our more middle class or upper middle class institutions,” Brother Dennis said. “There is a different set of problems, a different set of challenges, all real, but different.

“Here, I feel there is something very much at stake in the lives of young people.”

Seldom are the stakes more apparent than when a student faces possible expulsion, when parents “are often in tears because they felt this school was the thing that would make a difference in their child’s life. That gave me this profound sense that this school, for what it does, for whom it serves, is a real anchor.”

Brother Dennis might never have become a brother if not for his bricklayer father, Charles Raymond Cronin, who died of a cerebral hemorrhage when Brother Dennis was 12 years old.

His father was a deeply ethical man — back when color television was still a rarity in their Corona, Queens, neighborhood, his father turned down a deal on one because he thought it might be stolen.

More importantly, Brother Dennis said, his father and mother, Mary, believed in the now-sadly dated concept of education for education’s sake.

“ The real blessing of my dad was that for him you went to college to get an education. He really did not care about the money.

“So I could study philosophy and know that would have made him very happy. He really was not concerned about going out to get a job.”

Growing up, Brother Dennis studied at Our Lady of Sorrows School in Corona; Mater Christi High School (he keeps a copy of his commencement program in his Loughlin office) in Astoria, and then followed beloved brother Dan, who was eight years his senior, to Iona College in New Rochelle.

A philosophy major, Brother Dennis thought he would go on to law school. Even before college, he and three other high school friends had been meeting off and on for years to discuss the possibility of joining a religious order.

In his sophomore year, a college friend invited him to a weekend workshop at a Lasallin facility in Rhode Island.

“I had nothing to lose, so I said okay,” Brother Dennis said. “I was 19 or 20 . It turned out to be a great weekend.”

That summer, he taught summer school at Loughlin, living in the residence next door. That was not bad, either.

In those days the Brothers had to live in a community before beginning their monastic training. After graduating from Iona, Brother Dennis visited several schools in the metro area but chose Saint Cecilia School in Greenpoint, Brooklyn — since closed and merged with Divine Mercy Parish — because of its then principal, Brother Gregory McGill.

“I spent a lot of time with multiple groups of kids over two days, chatting with them in small groups,” Brother Dennis said. “When it was time for me to leave, Brother Gregory said something to me none of the other guys said.

“He said ‘I need you here.’ That did it.”

He spent six years at Saint Cecilia, three teaching, a year in Providence, R.I., completing his novitiate training, and two more years as Saint Cecilia’s Director of Religious Education.

After spending a year earning a master’s degree from Boston College, Brother Dennis returned to the city in 1987 and was named the first Coordinator of Youth Ministries for the Brooklyn Archdiocese. He went on to be the Director of Adolescent Catechesis for the New York Archdiocese.

But all of this kept him out of the classroom, so in 1997, Brother Dennis went to La Salle Center (formerly a military academy) in Oakdale, L.I., where he rose to headmaster before the Archdiocese sold the property and offered him the Loughlin principal position — and where his brother, Dan, taught Latin and was the teachers’ union representative before he retired several years ago.

“Dan said if he knew I was going to be his boss he would have treated me better when we were kids,” Brother Dennis said.

The Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School website is www.blmhs.org.

crichardson@nydailynews.com

Global Basketball Summer League � New York (Game 1) Update

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:37:23 -0000

Global Basketball Summer League at the Loughlin gym.

Brother Letter 3/6/12

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:29:53 -0000

March 6, 2012

Dear Loughlin Family and Prospective Members,

We have all heard the bad news that hangs over some quarter of Catholic education. A few years ago Stella Maris, Rockaway Park, closed. Last year Rice, in Harlem, closed. This year Nazareth, in Brooklyn, and St. Patrick, in New Jersey, closed. These closings diminish all of us and inevitably fewer young people are served. I think the bad news should not and cannot overshadow the good news that, unfortunately, does not capture headlines.

Here at Loughlin we are buoyed by the good things that are happening every day and energized by our future plans. I want to take this opportunity to share some of these tidings of good news with you. First, the new Cozzi-Murray Performing Arts Center and the Lancer Recording Studio has exceeded our expectations for enhancing students’ musical and vocal skills. Programmatically, it supported establishing Master classes for instruments and voice. We are proud to have one of the finest programs in all of New York City.

Second, to enhance the academic program we have aggressively added Advanced Placement courses in many disciplines including a course in Physics. Next year, we will add a course in Languages other than English, specifically Spanish. These courses were added to our already established AP offerings in English, History and Science. Our plan calls for two courses in each of the major disciplines.

Thirdly, we have upgraded our computer labs and introduced into our three science labs the best software available in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The building’s infrastructure has been updated to accommodate our state-of-the-art technology and has been equipped to go wireless.

Fourth, Loughlin has established some extraordinary partnerships that benefit current students and potential students. In the first case, Loughlin offers the only boarding school program in New York City. Boys’ Hope Girl’s Hope New York sponsors and staffs our dormitory, LaSalle Hall, which currently houses 31 young scholars attending Bishop Loughlin. In addition, we partner with the Brooklyn Philharmonic to sponsor a citywide music competition. Musicians from the Philharmonic are instructors in the Master classes. In the second case, looking to the future, we partner with Breakthrough New York, which will expand to Brooklyn and will be located in Loughlin. Breakthrough works with academically talented middle school students from public and parochial schools offering enrichment programs, which prepare them for admission to challenging and diverse high schools.

Finally, Bishop Loughlin has the support of a talented and competent Board of Governors, which assists the Administration through planning and fund development. The Board and the Administration have formulated a strategic plan, which will guide Loughlin’s growth over the next few years. We are blessed with a supportive alumni base, 25,000 strong, which generates scholarship/tuition support in excess of one million dollars annually.

When on retreat our students say: God is good. All the time; All the time. God is good. No truer words could be spoken. Review our site. I think you will see other things to give you cause for hope, not the least of which are the smiling faces of the students entrusted to our care. In addition to our students, be assured that our academic program is challenging, our finances are sound, our development efforts are robust and capital investment in our facility is significant. If you are a prospective parent, we look forward to welcoming your son and daughter to our Loughlin family.

Sincerely

Brother Dennis Cronin, FSC

President

LINKS:

http://www.boyshopegirlshope.org/

http://www.breakthroughnewyork.org/

Tax-credit bill could be boon to public, private schools

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:06:56 -0000

Tax-credit bill could be boon to public, private schools

FEBRUARY 22, 2012 | VOL. 50, NO. 41 • BY PETE SHEEHAN

UNIONDALE — Advocates of nonpublic school aid are hopeful about a bill — passed last year by the state Senate — to encourage donations for public schools and nonpublic school scholarship funds.

“This is a bill that would benefit everyone,” said Tim Mulhearn, president of United New Yorkers for Choice in Education, which proposed the bill. The New York State Senate approved it by 55-7 in 2011 with strong bi-partisan support.

If enacted, the tax credit would offer incentives for donations for public schools along with tuition assistance programs for nonpublic schools, such as Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, which assists children going to Catholic schools on Long Island.

The bill calls for a 60 percent tax credit from both personal and corporate state income taxes for donations to any public school, including charter schools, public school district, or public school educational foundation, or for donations to tuition-assistance or scholarship funds for students attending religious or independent schools.

A person donating $1,000 would pay $600 less in state income taxes, Mulhearn explained. A tax credit differs from a tax deduction, which allows a taxpayer to deduct the amount of a donation from his or her taxable income. “Also, a tax credit, unlike a tax deduction, can be used by a taxpayer who doesn’t itemize.”

“It’s going to be brought up for a vote for this year in the next few weeks,” said Jerry Kassar, chief of staff for Brooklyn Senator Martin Golden, who introduced the bill.

“I always begin each year with guarded optimism,” Mulhearn said, “but this year I’m more optimistic” that both houses would pass the bill.

“We’re hopeful for a couple of reasons,” said Jim Cultrara, director for education for the New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the eight state dioceses on public policy issues.

For one, the bill frames the issue differently. “In the past, opponents of tuition tax credits argued that they would take money from public schools,” Cultrara said. This proposal benefits both systems without diverting money from either.

In addition, Cultrara said, there is strong bi-partisan support, with the bill passing overwhelmingly in the Senate last year, and signs of bi-partisan support in the Assembly.

Mulhearn noted that only a few weeks ago, 13 Assembly Democrats had co-sponsored the bill. The number has since jumped up 23 as well as three Republicans.

In addition, “we have Governor Andrew Cuomo who seems to be interested in genuine educational reform. We hope to persuade him that this is positive education reform.”

Under the bill, the 60 percent tax credit would go for any donation up to $10,000 for an individual taxpayer and up to $25,000 for a corporation. There is also a personal tax credit up to $75 for parents who purchase materials for homeschooling and for school personnel for out-of-pocket costs for classroom supplies and materials, Mulhearn said.

“With state aid to public school districts across the state reduced, school boards are considering ways to make up for lost money,” Mulhearn noted. “This bill will allow school districts to make up some of the shortfall through voluntary donations rather than tax hikes — especially in light of the two percent tax cap imposed by the state.”

“I met with one public school administrator who told me that if this bill becomes law, he will go out into the community and seek donations for technology and other projects that might otherwise not be in the school budget.”

Granting these credits, Mulhearn predicted, would foster the growth of more scholarship funds to benefit nonpublic schools.

“This bill will help stabilize the nonpublic school sector” by increasing donations, he continued. If fewer Catholic schools are forced to close, “that will reduce the strain on public school systems and on the taxpayer.”

Mulhearn said that two secular educational reform groups and several Jewish organizations have supported the bill and he expects other organizations will in time.

“We’re hoping that people who see the value of this bill will call the governor’s office,” he continued, “as well as writing to their legislators — particularly in the Assembly.”

“As more people become aware of the bill,” Cultrara predicted, “they will see the benefits and support will grow.”

Lions Pride: After near-incident, Carrington Leads Loughlin past CK

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:40:29 -0000

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Lions pride: After near-incident, Carrington leads Loughlin past CK

Last Updated: 4:32 AM, February 23, 2012 Posted: 1:34 AM

By MARC RAIMONDI

Bishop Loughlin was down five, not playing with much energy, going through the motions. Then Christ the King forward Jordan Fuchs fouled Loughlin star Khadeen Carrington – hard – at the beginning of the second half. Carrington fell to the ground, his head bouncing off the court.

Lions coach Ed Gonzalez exploded out of his seat, wanting a flagrant foul. Loughlin’s bench went crazy. Carrington’s mother ran out onto the court to check on her son. Gonzalez then started jawing with Christ the King coach Joe Arbitello, who wanted a technical for people being on the court.

Bishop Loughlin's Khadeen Carrington took a nasty spill, but came back to score 17 of his 26 points after that en route to a big victory.

From the ground, Carrington noticed everything going on around him, how his coach and his teammates had his back.

“That’s why I love them,” he said. “That gave me a big lift. I knew they were counting on me, so I had to put them on my back."

A fired-up Carrington had 17 of his 26 points from that point on and led No. 5 Loughlin to a huge, 74-67 win over top-seeded Christ the King in the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens semifinals Wednesday night at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows. The Lions meet No. 2 Holy Cross in the championship game 7 p.m. Friday back at SFP.

“We came together,” Gonzalez said. “I saw the look in Khadeen’s eyes. He said, ‘I’m alright, Coach.’ He said, ‘We’re gonna win this game.’”

After the hard foul, which came with 5:55 left in the third quarter, Loughlin outscored Christ the King, 16-11, the rest of the frame. Mike Williams put the Lions up 56-52 with a 3-pointer with 6:11 remaining in the game and Carrington hit an incredible, double-clutch 15-footer off the backboard with 2:15 left as the shot clock ran down.

“These kids, they love each other,” Gonzalez said. “They’re a tight group. They come to the rescue of their guys.”

Williams had 12 points and Elisha Boone, Lavar Harewood and Kevin Ravenell all had 10 points in a balanced effort for Loughlin (13-12). Before the season, the Lions lost three key seniors to transfers – Joel Angus and Tyliek Kimbrough to Boys & Girls and Travis Charles to Lincoln. Now they will compete for a Brookyln/Queens title, beating a Royals team they were 1-11 against in their previous 12 meetings.

“I don’t have to tell you what’s going on out there, everybody trying to take my kids and all that,” Gonzalez said. “But they’re closely knit kids and they’re together. That’s why this is important. They don’t want to win next year or the year after. They want to win now.”

The incident in the third quarter helped propel them. Arbitello, who suffered his first Brooklyn/Queens tournament loss in his four years at the helm, thought Carrington walked before Fuchs fouled him.

“I thought it was a clean play,” Arbitello said. “His bench jumped up and parents ran on the floor. I thought that should be a technical foul. Isn’t that the way it’s defined?”

Omar Calhoun had 17 points and Jon Severe added 16 points for the Royals, who will now be the No. 3 seed from Brooklyn/Queens and meet Archdiocesan No. 6 Archbishop Stepinac in the intersectional second round Thursday at St. Francis Prep. CK (18-7) has won back-to-back CHSAA Class AA intersectional titles.

“At some point we were going to have a bad loss, lose a playoff game we probably shouldn’t lose,” Arbitello said. “That happens to everyone. Today was the day.”

Gonzalez said he had no problem with Arbitello afterward, that they were both trying to protect their players. Carrington, though, loved the display from his coach.

“That fired me up,” he said of Gonzalez’s emotional display. “I love this guy. He keeps me going. Great coach. … He has my back, so I had to get his back and I had to get the win.”

mraimondi@nypost.com