Karen Dwyer, Advancement Officer | kdywer@burkecatholic.

org

B C A LU M N I N E W S L E T T E R
ReVitalize - ReEngage - ReConnect
Office of Admissions, Alumni
and Advancement September 2020
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT UPCOMING EVENTS
Emily Stallings (‘08) THANKSGIVING PIE SALE
November 9th-20th (Pick-up November 24th & 25th)
Emily Stallings has just begun her Take care of all of your holiday desserts with the BC Annual
seventh season as an Assistant Wom- Pie Sale. Delicious pies from local bakery DeFilippis along with
an’s Basketball Coach at American Uni-
other homemade goodies.
versity. Prior to landing at American,
Emily worked as a graduate assistant
at East Stroudsburg. After graduating POINSETTIA SALE
Burke Emily played college ball at November 9th-20th (Pick-up Dec 5th @ Christmas Boutique)
Marist. There she helped lead the Red Order your festive Poinsettia from BC! It’s never too early to start
Foxes to four MAAC Championships decorating for the holidays!
and NCAA appearances. Emily was a
two-time MAAC All-Academic Team CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE & UGLY SWEATER JINGLE JOG
selection. In 2012 Emily earned her December 5th (Snow Date, December 6th)
Master’s in Secondary Education from
We are pleased to announce the Christmas Boutique & Ugly
East Stroudsburg
Sweater, Jingle Jog will go on this year with new and exciting
We had the chance to catch up with Emily and ask her about her time at formats. Join us Saturday, December 6th for an open-air, out-
Burke and her career.
door Winter Wonderland with local vendors, Christmas tree
What were some of your favorite Eagle memories? Beating Sullivan sales and food trucks.
West in the playoffs my Senior year after they had interrupted our unde-
feated streak. We had packed stands -the student body in a “White Out”
were going crazy the whole game. After we won the student body threw
basketball nets on the court to poke fun at the fact that Sullivan West
had cut their nets down after beating us previously even though it was
the regular season. Such a great sense of support and community from
everyone that game. I also remember our Senior Night game, which also
happened to be the game I scored my 1000th point. What stands out is
again another huge crowd with a lot of family and friends. My teammates
knew I was only 21 points away from 1000 so they could not get me the
ball fast enough in the first half. My Burke teammates were a lot of my
good friends so having that support on the court and in the stands was a
really special moment. Mr. Turner played such an important part in my
time at Burke. In college whenever we played at West Point I would see
him in the stands- his support meant so much to me.
How would you say your time at Burke prepared you for college and
beyond? Burke prepared me for college by providing a somewhat diverse
atmosphere to learn in. We weren’t all from one town or one school dis-
trict so you got to see some different walks of life. Also, the expectations
of the teachers was a good segue into college.
Any advice to share with students looking to pursue a career in Coach-
ing? Network with all the local colleges around you. Contact coaches and
ask to go watch practice or pick their brain about their path into coaching
as everyone has unique journeys. In addition, make yourself invaluable
as a young person in the profession mastering modern skills. Technology
is an ever-developing factor in college athletics. Being able to use photo
shop or analytics software is something the more experienced generations
of coaches may not be comfortable doing so being able to provide this
service from Day 1 could get your foot in the door. The thing I love the
most about my job is getting to see our players grow and develop during
their 4 year careers both on and off the floor. College is such a transitional
time in people’s lives and getting the opportunity to help our players and
see them accomplish their goals is extremely rewarding. And being around
college students constantly is never boring!

1 | BC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020 burkecatholic.com

 JOHN DOUTHIT (‘86) WHERE IN THE WORLD?
John Douthit has been
named first President
at John S. Burke Catho-
lic High School. He is a
proud graduate of BCHS
Class of 1986, and the
current Executive Direc-
tor of the John S. Burke
Catholic High School
Foundation, which is
a registered 501(c)
(3) entity tasked with raising funds to advance the Mission of Burke
Catholic. John begins his 8th year at Burke Catholic where he has served
in various roles including Director of Alumni Relations, Director of De-
velopment, Director of Admissions and Advancement, and Principal-Op-
erations. John currently sits on the Burke Catholic Board of Trustees,
and is a past President of the BC Foundation. He has also coached for
six seasons at Burke Catholic (4 baseball and 2 basketball). Meg Kerr (BC Class of 2013) landed in Dublin in
John is a product of 18 years of Catholic education, having graduated August to start in her new position at iProspect. It
from Sacred Heart in Monroe in 1982, he received a B.S. Degree in
Marketing from the University of Scranton and holds a Master’s Degree has been a dream of hers to move to Ireland since
in Public Administration from the College of New Rochelle. He currently studying abroad while attending the University of
lives in Monroe with his wife of 22 years, Beth, and sons Patrick BC ’17,
and Brendan BC ’20.
Scranton. One of the things we love most about
He grew up in Monroe, NY the oldest son of Steve and Nora Douthit. seeing Meg starting a new chapter are the BC con-
John has two younger brothers that also graduated from BC (and Sacred nections that have helped her along the way. Steph-
Heart) Stephen BC ’88 and Kevin BC ’90.
His father, Steve, BC HOF 2004, has been a coach at Burke Catholic anie Ortiz ’10, a senior when Meg was a freshman,
of basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer for the past 30 years. His helped Meg land her job at iProspect in New York.
mother, Nora, is the glue to the entire Douthit family and holds the Meg interviewed for and got the Dublin position
unofficial record for games and practices attended at BC. He is forever
thankful for the sacrifices they made to send him, and his brothers, to earlier this year. After a delay, Meg was finally able
Burke Catholic. to travel to her new home – and of course she
John spent 22 years in the financial services industry prior to working at
Burke Catholic and has lived in Manhattan, London, Jersey City, Hobo-
brought along her favorite BC backpack! Waiting for
ken, and Chicago over the course of his career, but will always consider Meg in Dublin was her new housemate - BC alumni,
Burke Catholic and Orange County his home. Kaylee Glynn ’13. Great friendships started at BC-
While a student at BC, John was a member of the Student-Council and a
three-sport athlete, playing soccer, basketball, and baseball and was the continuing to bring great things for these ladies.
recipient of the Joseph A. Brancaccio Award in 1986. He was a member
of the 1985 Section IX Champion BC basketball team and is proud
to have played for two New York State Hall of Fame coaches, Mr. Jim
Osborne ’70, BC HOF ’03 and Mr. Dick O’Neil, BC HOF ’16. He still fondly
remembers the many days spent with his teammates and classmates.
As the first President of Burke Catholic, John treasures his experienc-
es with his counterpart Principal, Mrs. Janice Clark, the BC alumni,
students, teachers, and BC families. He is awed by their commitment
to the BC Mission, whether educating our students, coaching our
student-athletes, managing the daily operations of our building, or
philanthropically supporting Burke Catholic.
John is grateful for the expert guidance and governance he receives
from the Burke Catholic Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees con-
sists of a dedicated group of BC Alumni and community leaders whose
sole focus is to further the mission of Burke Catholic.
John is most proud of his work with the BC Foundation and Board of
Trustees, in helping raise money for Burke Catholic. Jointly their efforts
have raised over a $1,000,000 in the past 8 years, and supported our
Do you have a BC Story like
ongoing efforts to completely revitalize the Burke Catholic campus:
projects that include infrastructure upgrades for our 1-to-1 iPad Canvas Meg’s? We want to know
LMS, our new track, our new STEM science labs, and the renovation of how you are staying connect-
our library into the BC Student Union. ed with the Eagles past and
John is committed to constantly growing and improving in his role as present!
President and to respectfully carrying on the great traditions of his Email Karen at kdwyer@burke-
beloved Alma Mater, Burke Catholic. catholic.com your story!
Non Vox Sed Votum!

2 | BC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020 burkecatholic.com

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT The Windmill
Mrs. Janice Clark Interview with a BC Graduate
BC Principal/Language Dept. Chair June 1st, 2020|Maria Berlingieri (Class of 2022)
I interviewed my older
The first Friday of every sister, Carolina (BC Class of
month is Faculty Friday where 2020), about her experi-
we put the spotlight on one ence at Burke for the past
of Burke Catholic’s fantastic four years and how she felt
faculty or staff members! about graduating while in
quarantine.
Our Faculty Friday for the
month of September goes Question: What was your
to our Principal, Mrs. Janice favorite thing about Burke
Clark. Catholic?
Answer: It was a small
Mrs. Clark is the Principal community where everyone
of Burke Catholic and the knew each other and that
Language Department the teachers and faculty re-
Chairperson. Throughout her ally cared about the students
twenty-five years at BC, Mrs. and their education.
Clark has cemented herself in the hearts of many Eagles. Along Question: What will you miss the most about Burke?
with her duties as principal, Mrs. Clark still teaches French every Answer: I’ll miss those funny moments in class and my teachers and
year and led last winter’s trip to Quebec, Canada. She is also the friends.
moderator of the exceptionally successful BC Ethics Club. In 2014,
Question: Who was your favorite teacher and what was your favorite
Mrs. Clark was inducted into the Burke Catholic Hall of Fame, then
class?
shortly after assumed the role of Principal of Academics, and this
Answer: My favorite teachers were Mrs. Tudrej and Mrs. Morgan,
past summer ascended as the Principal of Burke Catholic. Mrs.
and my favorite classes were math and art.
Clark’s office is always open; where you will be greeted with a
smile, a bowl of candy and her sidekick Maverik. She looks forward Question: What is your favorite memory from high school?
to welcoming back the Eagles for the 2020-2021 academic year! Answer: When my class won the spirit stick sophomore year.
Question: What’s one word that you would use to describe Burke?
“I have known Janice Clark for 25 years now. We started the same Answer: Devoted.
year back in 1996 when we were baby teachers. It was her first-
year teaching and my first at Burke. We began with a group of 8 Question: How were you feeling as graduation approached and on
new teachers that year including her brother in law, Lou Allen, your last day of school?
who died in Afghanistan and is remembered as one of our favorite Answer: I was excited as graduation was approaching, but then I was
Earth Science teachers. Madame Clark at that time had all of the really upset on my last day of school because I’ll never get to be in
the same classroom as my friends again.
honors students and I will always remember the Christmas cards
the kids made us each year in French. Over the years, Janice and I Question: Has the quarantine changed your feelings about gradua-
have been through a lot together and we still reminisce about the tion?
golden years when we were young staff hanging out at the end of Answer: Yes, because I knew I was going to be upset, but I was even
the week. We have aged, our children are now college age, and we more upset because I haven’t been able to see my friends for the last
are now veteran teachers. She is now the principal, but her heart couple of months.
is still that of the French teacher who started all those years ago. Question: What college are you planning on going to next year?
I listened and watched as my daughter took French online during Answer: I am planning on going to SUNY Geneseo next year, but
the pandemic and listened to her teaching French with passion. since I got accepted for the spring semester, I am going to SUNY
My daughter had never loved French but with Madame Clark, she Orange during the fall.
flourished. Janice has also always been someone who went out of
her way to serve the school. Even before she became principal, you Question: Are you excited or nervous for college?
would often find her at Burke events on weekends and holidays. Answer: I am both excited and nervous. I’m excited because I’ll be
Her time as a Burke Catholic student or (“BCG” Burke Catholic Girl able to study whatever I choose and meet new people, but also ner-
vous because it is a new environment.
as Mrs. Burlew would call her ) formed her spirit. Janice Clark is
committed to Burke Catholic and our school motto and we thank Question: What is the most important thing you have learned from
her for her tireless efforts to continue the legacy of the Burke mot- your four years at Burke Catholic?
to “Not words but deeds”” Answer: I learned that everyone has their differences, and they
– (Mrs. Melissa Ross, BC English Dept Chair, BC HoF Class of 2019) should not be judged for their differences and opinions.

Thank you Mrs. Clark for your continued service at Burke Catholic! The Windmill is the Burke Catholic Student run Newspaper. For
more of our students work please visit :
burkecatholicwindmill.com

3 | BC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020 burkecatholic.com

 BC ‘Add a Zero’ Alumni Campaign
BCHS Beyond Success
Burke Catholic continues to invest in our students,
our curriculum and our facilities making us the pre-
mier college-preparatory high school in the Hudson
Valley. We simply cannot do this without the contin-
ued support of our BC Family.
With this in mind, in October we are launching our
Add a Zero Campaign. We are asking that you add a
0 to the number of years since you graduated.
It’s simple:
3 years - $30, 5 years - $50, 10 years- $100
In the coming weeks, look for a letter and infor-
mation detailing our Burke Catholic Revitalization
Campaign and how your donation will be used to
make an impact on our students.
For more information on the Add a Zero Campaign
please feel free to email Mrs. Karen Dwyer.
kdwyer@burkecatholic.org
4 | BC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020
MILESTONES
Mark Burdi, Class of 2009, married Hayley Chapple on September 24th,
2020.
Elizabeth Cione, Class of 2020, and Luis Ortego, welcomed a baby boy,
Leonardo Tomasso Ortego.
Allie Soler Gray, Class of 2010, and Evan Gray, Class of 2010, wel-
comed their first child, daughter Stella Bianca Gray on September 8th,
2020.
David Polman, Class of 2012, is engaged to Alyse Cronin.
Allie Kania, Class of 2013, and Ryan Haff, Class of 2012, were married
in June. Allie is a former BC Cheerleading coach.
Michael Kelly, Class of 2013, has taken a position as an Elementary
School Physical Education Teacher in the Valley Central School District.
Dominique Nutt, Class of 2013, married Brody Miller on September
26th. 2020.
Madeleine Herring, Class of 2015, Madeleine completed her Masters
in MS, Statistics at Fordham and received the Gabelli Leadership Certifi-
cation from the Fordham Gabelli School of Business in May. Madeleine
started at CrossBorder Solutions as a Transfer Pricing Analyst in August.
Katie Mahony, Class of 2015, has taken a position as 1st Production
Assistant at The Wendy Williams Show. Katie graduated in May of this
year with a Bachelors Degree in Media and Screen Studies from North-
eastern University.
Nicholas Grasso, Class of 2016, is currently attending the Savannah
Georgia Police Academy.
James O’Boyle, Class of 2016, recently took a position as Application
Developer at Vanguard in Malvern, PA. James graduated from St.
Joseph’s University receiving his degree in Technology with a minor in
Business Intelligence and Analytics.
Burke Catholic Alumni in the Building
Katie Conroy, Class of 2012 - Guidance Counselor.
After graduating
BC Katie attended
Mount Saint Mary
College majoring
in Human Services
with a minor in
Hispanic Studies.
She then went
on to earn her
Master’s in School
Counseling from
Long Island Univer-
sity. Katie joined
Burke in 2019 .
What being part of
the Burke faculty means to Katie; “What I always loved about Burke,
was that it really is a tight-knit community, a family. I made life-long
friendships here and established strong connections with the faculty
that truly impacted my journey to becoming a School Counselor in
such a positive way. When I was pursuing my Master’s, I always had
in the back of my mind that I would love to be a counselor at Burke
because I enjoyed being a part of this community and I wanted to be
able to help the students here the way the faculty helped me when I
was a student. When I told my family that I got the job, my brothers
John, class of 2008, and Matthew, Class of 2010, were ecstatic for
me because they knew it would feel like coming home and it really
has. We are blessed to have Katie as part of our amazing and dedi-
cated faculty.
burkecatholic.com
 Thank You Alumni!

Burke Catholic would like to thank all those who

came out to support and sponsor the Annual BC
Golf Outing. Thank you BC Alumni, we look forward
to seeing you next year on September 17th, 2021 at
Mansion Ridge.

Non Vox Sed Votum

5 | BC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020 burkecatholic.com

 MENTOR/INTERNSHIP
& JOB OPPORTUNITIES
• The Captain’s Table, Monroe NY, owner Ray Hafenecker
(BC Class of ‘70). Servers & Hostesses need! Please do
not apply if you oversleep, experience frequent flat tires,
suffer from cell phone separation anxiety or will become
an expert without training or advice on the 1st day. If you
qualify, please come in and fill out an application.

• Ellen Roesch (BC Class of ‘78) CEO of Ellen Roesch Your

College Coach. Let Ellen simplify the college process for
you. She offers full service college selection and applica-
tion coaching. Ellen is experienced and knowledgeable
in selection criteria, application success & how to write Tom Duggan (BC Class of 1980) Owner of Tom Duggan
a great essay. You will get personal one-on-one atten-
tion from beginning to end. Priced to fit all budgets and
Photography in Hopewell Junction.
needs. Learn more at yourcollegecoach.org . You can Full service photography studio serving the Hudson
reach Ellen at taxlawyer20@gmail.com.
Valley and Tri-State area. Tom Duggan Photography is
• Jeanine Grillo (BC Class of ‘12) is a graduate of St. Thom- a full in-studio, on location photography service that
as Aquinas (2016) and works as a Senior Associate for provides the utmost in quality imagery and profession-
Innovation & Enterprise Solutions at KPMG. She has alism. We make each experience unique, entertaining
been working with students through KPMG’s University and most importantly FUN! I would love to photo-
and Internship program and also offers her services inde-
graph your family, business, real estate and more!
pendently. Jeanine is ready to help young professionals
navigate the job market and coach them early on in their Photography services for consumers and business.
careers. Website - www.tomdugganphoto.com
Contact info:jgrillo@kpmg.com
Tom can be reached at tom@tomdugganphoto.com
• Christopher Geissler (BC Class of ‘97)
Midas - BRG Automotive - Join our team as one of the SAVE THE DATE!
largest destinations for automotive services. Midas is
dominating the industry in developing career paths and
building relationships within the communities they serve.
For more information and to apply visit:
https://midas-geissler.careerplug.com

• The Stagecoach Inn, located in Goshen New York, one of

America’s oldest and finest Inn’s, is seeking a creative,
high-energy Station Chef to add to their culinary team.
If you’re interested in joining one of the Hudson Valley’s
best hospitality teams, contact us at GreatJobs@stage-
coachny.com.
(Faith Ferguson, BC Class of ‘82)

Share your mentorship opportunities with your fellow BC

alumni by reaching out to us.
Email kdwyer@burkecatholic.org.

EAGLES
HELPING
EAGLES
6 | BC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 2020 burkecatholic.com
 Once an Eagle
Always an Eagle

Non Vox Sed Votum

John S. Burke Catholic High School
Office of Admissions, Alumni and Advancement
80 Fletcher St, Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 294-5481

burkecatholic.com
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