Dear Friends,

I am so pleased to be writing to you as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. It is a privilege to work with the Cornelia Connelly Center Trustees and Staff in pursuit of our very worthwhile mission: breaking cycles of poverty through education. Part of what makes this work so fulfilling is the success CCC has had over the years. Our graduates are beating the odds. They are graduating from high school, enrolling in college and earning their degrees. The Board is committed to maintaining and improving upon the Center’s record of success, and we are thrilled to have your support in this work.

In order to continue to produce these outstanding results – 97% of students graduating from high school and 90% going on to college – we need to go out and make sure that more people hear our story. The Trustees and I are working hard to spread the word about CCC, and I am confident that we will continue to expand our network of friends and supporters. Thank you for all you do for the Cornelia Connelly Center, and please help us communicate our mission and our success!

Sincerely,

William A. Bautz Chair, Board of Trustees

Cornelia Connelly Center

• Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child

• Graduate Support Program

• Connelly Theater

220 East 4th Street

New York, NY 10009

phone 212.982.2287

fax 212.982.0547

Please visit our website:

www.connellycenter.org

Design:Emily Singer

Photography:Connelly Center Faculty

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

Working to transform lives

Cornelia Connelly Center was founded in 1993 to give girls from low-income families a uniquely effective educational foundation, encompassing a compre-hensive middle school program, strong support through high school, planning for higher education, and a vibrant alumnae community, which together enable Connelly students to fulfill their potential and achieve productive roles in society.

This is our specific expression of the shared mission of the Holy Child Network of Schools: To endeavor, guided by the philosophy and spirituality of Cornelia Connelly, to develop mature persons capable of making choices which enrich their lives and contribute to the lives of others.

The Center relies almost entirely on individual and institutional donors to fund its programs. Its mission is sponsored by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

In this issue:

Chairman’s letter 1

Camp Cornelia in the City 1, 5

Spotlight on Natalie Herrera 2

CCC students succeed on state tests 2

Graduates look to the future 3

Fall Friendraisers 3

Sixth graders visit King Tut exhibit 4

NativityMiguel Network Conference 5

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

New York, NY

Permit No. 2771

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

Volume 6, Issue 1 1Volume 6, Issue 1 5

Cornelia Connelly Center

Volume 6, Issue 1 Winter 2010

E X C E L L E N C E I N E D U C A T I N G G I R L S S I N C E 1 9 9 3

Board of Trustees

William A. Bautz WAB Consulting Chair

Wayne Bellet Bellet Construction Co., Inc.

Mary Cullen Allen & Co.

Jeanne Daley The McIntosh Company

Laura Dillon Laura White Dillon LLC

Nancy M. Fink Rockefeller & Co, Inc.

Barbara Hack D.E. Shaw Group

Mary Joan L. Murphy Ryan-Nena Community Health Center

Michael O’Donoghue Holy Child Academy

Jean Marie O’Meara, SHCJ UNANIMA International/UN

John Podsiadlo, SJ New York Nativity

Susan G. Restler Knowledge in the Public Interest

Terrence C. Shea Eagle Capital Management

Marie Ursino, SHCJ Prep for Prep

Maryann Watt BNY Mellon

Andria Wisler Georgetown University

Jennifer Yu Citi

Honorary Trustees

Elizabeth Fitzmaurice, SHCJ

John Flynn

John P. Heffernan J.H. Management Co.

Ted McCourtney Saw Mill Partners

Tony O’Callaghan Universal Builders Supply Inc.

Mary Claire Ryan NativityMiguel Network of Schools

Ex Officio

Constance M. Bush Director

TCamp Cornelia in the City

his summer, each of the five Holy Child Network

high schools sent two students and a chaperone

to New York City for the inaugural Camp Cornelia

in the City. See page 5 to learn about this exciting

Network Service Project.

NativityMiguel Network Conference

his October the NativityMiguel Network hosted concurrent Graduate Support, Development, Alumni and Leadership Confer-ences in Washington, DC. Staff members from the 64 network schools around the country gathered to participate in workshops and lectures and had the opportunity to share best practices with one another. This year the Cornelia Connelly Center sent Connie Bush, Director/Principal, Heather Raftery, Assistant Director, Julia Houlihan, Development Associate, Justina Kaminskaite, Graduate Support Director and Mercedes Sanchez, Alumna ’96 to the conferences.

The Network Staff, under the leadership of Executive Director (and CCC co-founder) Mary Claire Ryan, put together an impressive array of presenters and facilitated excellent conversation amongst the conference participants. CCC staff left DC with the proud feeling of being part of a national effort at education reform and with an arsenal of ideas to put into action. Some of our conference take-aways: new methods for recording and presenting evaluation data, specific tactics for launching our GSP mentorship program and ideas about structuring a student sponsorship program.

T

Camp Cornelia in the City (continued)

Juniors and Seniors, along with chaperones, from the Holy Child Schools in Anaheim, Pasadena, Potomac, Summit and Rye organized and staffed a weeklong camp for the incoming fifth graders of Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child. During their week in New York the volunteers slept on air mattresses in some of the CCC classrooms and cooked some of their meals in the teachers’ residence on the fifth floor. They were also able to explore some of New York City, enjoying a meal in Chinatown, visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and taking in a Broadway show.

From August 2nd to August 6th, campers came to CCC from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Their Holy Child sisters, the Camp Cornelia Counselors, helped the new fifth graders get to know one another and taught them what it means to be a Holy Child student. The girls danced, sang, worked on reading skills and math problems, and enjoyed a day at the pool at Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, NY. The bonds the CMS class of 2014 formed with their counselors from CCC’s sister schools showed the students that they have a network of support that stretches beyond the walls of 220 East 4th Street.

CCC is grateful to all the partnering schools and volunteers. We would especially like to thank Dorothy Harris for her hard work in planning this week, Ann Sullivan, for her vision of a Holy Child Network Service Project, and Sr. Eileen McDevitt, SHCJ, for the support of the Holy Child Network of Schools.

This year, CCC is happy to announce that longtime trustee and friend

William A. Bautz has stepped into the role of Chair of our Board of

Trustees. Bill was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Technology

Officer at the New York Stock Exchange, and now operates his own

consulting practice. He has served on our board for seven years and

previously chaired the Finance Committee. Bill is also on the board of

his alma mater, Manhattan College.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our former Board Chair,

Laura White Dillon, for her diligent leadership over the last eight years.

Laura continues to dedicate her time and talent to the Cornelia Connelly

Center as the chair of our Governance Committee.

Mercedes, Mary Claire, Connie, Julia and Heather at the conference

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010 Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010 Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

2 Volume 6, Issue 1 Volume 6, Issue 1 4

Graduates look to the future

nder the guidance of new GSP Director, Justina Kaminskaite, our graduates in high school have had a very busy fall. The girls have toured two college campuses (Columbia University and Drew University), visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and bonded during multiple “movie nights” at CCC. Three graduates are extremely busy this year. Keyla Hernandez (CMS ’09), Stephanie Rivas (CMS ’10) and Genesis Torres (CMS ’09) were admitted to the Futures and Options Pre-Internship Program!

Futures and Options is an organization that endeavors to expose underserved New York City youth to all of the career opportuni-ties available to them. Through the Pre-Internship program Keyla, Stephanie and Genesis will participate in workshops on public speaking, interview skills, goal setting and time management to prepare them for future employment. Keyla, now a 10th grader at Saint Vincent Ferrer High School, feels that through this program she is given “the keys I need to succeed.” Stephanie, a 9th grader at St. Jean Baptiste High School, particularly enjoyed putting together a presentation for a group of about 20 other pre-interns. “Everyone had to make a speech. Working with the group really helped me get over my fear of speaking in front of a room.” Throughout the winter we will continue to lok for similar oppor-tunities to help our graduates build social capital as they move towards college.

U

Ms. Joyce’s sixth grade social studies class has been learning

about archaeology and ancient Egypt. In early November, they

ventured outside the classroom and encountered firsthand

some of the artifacts they had learned about in their textbooks.

On a rainy Thursday, the girls and chaperones traveled by subway

to Times Square to view “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age

of the Pharaohs.” They marveled over 130 artifacts from King Tut’s

Tomb and other Egyptian burial sites. Ms. Joyce was thrilled to

see “the connections they were making between what was in

front of them and what we had learned in class.” Upon returning

to school, the girls sketched some of the treasures they saw.

A special thank you to the following individuals who made

donations to purchase tickets for our students to see the exhibit:

Kristi and Bill Clements, Samantha Mosher, Kathleen and Kevin

Moylan, Mary and Michael O’Sullivan, Kaitlyn Raftery, Lee Sentnor,

Ann and Carlos Tuggle, and Andria Wisler.

S P O T L I G H T O N . . .

Natalie HerreraNatalie graduated from Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child in 2010. She is now a fresh-man at Cristo Rey New York – five of her CMS classmates are also in their first year at Cristo Rey. Every Cristo Rey student works one day a week at various companies or organizations around the city to help cover the cost of his or her high school tuition. Natalie works at Rice Financial Products.

Do you think CMS prepared you well for

high school? Academically, yes. There are some things that are different – we have to move around the building for our classes, we are on a trimester schedule instead of a quarter system, and some of the classes are harder – but I was definitely well prepared and

I am adjusting. My grades are not as high as they were in eighth grade, I am getting some 80’s instead of all 90’s, but I’m working on getting them all back into the 90’s. I have been going to my teachers for extra help when I have trouble with homework or with a quiz. Some of my teachers at Cristo Rey remind me of my teachers at CMS – they’re serious but they can always laugh with us.

How are you enjoying your work study at Rice

Financial Products? I really like it; it is totally different than anything I have ever done. We have to dress and act profes-sionally. I mostly do a lot of filing and scanning of documents. I can tell that my supervisor is starting to trust my work; I am now working with some of the confidential documents and doing more things independently.

Now that you are a graduate, what is your

favorite memory of Holy Child? Definitely our eighth grade class trip to Chesa-peake Bay. I loved everything about that trip. I think our class got a lot closer there. My favorite subject at Holy Child was always science, and we got to learn a lot about the environment, the fish and plants that were there. I will never forget that trip.

Natalie and her mother at the CMS 2010 graduation

CCC students succeed on state tests

e are happy to report that our eighth graders did exceptionally well on the New York State Math and English Language Art Tests in 2010. Citywide, students struggled this year as the state raised the bar of the proficiency cutoff to better reflect the standards neces-sary for high school preparedness.

CCC eighth graders continued to perform well, and we attribute their success to our holistic approach to middle school education. We have always focused on preparing our students for success in high school and college by catering to their academic, artistic, spiritual and emotional needs. Standardized testing is an important tool for measuring student progress, and this year’s test scores show that they are learning, growing and becoming their best selves. All 18 members of the class of 2010 are working hard in high school. We expect great things from these young ladies!

W83%

40%38%

60%

46%

83%

NYC Public Schools

NYC Charter Schools

NYC Public Schools

NYC Charter Schools

Connelly Middle School

English Scores Math Scores

Connelly Middle School

English

Percentage of 8th graderspassing New York State tests

Math

Keyla and Genesis on their 8th grade trip to Chesapeake Bay

Fall Friendraisers

n November 10th and 11th we held two events at the school to introduce new friends to our mission and let our loyal supporters know about new ways to get involved at CCC. On the 10th, about 30 individuals gathered in the assembly room for lunch and a presentation on low-income students’ college readiness by Jennifer Kim, a researcher for the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools

O and Teaching (NCREST) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Jennifer shared some of the key findings of her research. Students are more likely to succeed in college if they feel that: teachers have high expectations for them, they are a part of their school community and they are able to persevere. Visitors, staff and speaker alike could also see these qualities in the students at CCC.

The following evening about 50 guests joined staff, trustees and Friends Committee members and got a glimpse of life at CCC from Director Connie Bush and Board Member, and Oak Knoll grad, MJ Murphy. Between these two events, we have a number of people interested in the Christmas Crafts project on December 4th, our ongoing tutoring program, a new mentorship program and the Spring Theater Benefit! For more information about any of these opportunities, please contact Julia Houlihan in the Development Office (jhoulihan@connellycenter.org).

Drawing by Emily Ortiz

king tuts2c

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010 Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010 Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

2 Volume 6, Issue 1 Volume 6, Issue 1 4

Graduates look to the future

nder the guidance of new GSP Director, Justina Kaminskaite, our graduates in high school have had a very busy fall. The girls have toured two college campuses (Columbia University and Drew University), visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and bonded during multiple “movie nights” at CCC. Three graduates are extremely busy this year. Keyla Hernandez (CMS ’09), Stephanie Rivas (CMS ’10) and Genesis Torres (CMS ’09) were admitted to the Futures and Options Pre-Internship Program!

Futures and Options is an organization that endeavors to expose underserved New York City youth to all of the career opportuni-ties available to them. Through the Pre-Internship program Keyla, Stephanie and Genesis will participate in workshops on public speaking, interview skills, goal setting and time management to prepare them for future employment. Keyla, now a 10th grader at Saint Vincent Ferrer High School, feels that through this program she is given “the keys I need to succeed.” Stephanie, a 9th grader at St. Jean Baptiste High School, particularly enjoyed putting together a presentation for a group of about 20 other pre-interns. “Everyone had to make a speech. Working with the group really helped me get over my fear of speaking in front of a room.” Throughout the winter we will continue to lok for similar oppor-tunities to help our graduates build social capital as they move towards college.

U

Ms. Joyce’s sixth grade social studies class has been learning

about archaeology and ancient Egypt. In early November, they

ventured outside the classroom and encountered firsthand

some of the artifacts they had learned about in their textbooks.

On a rainy Thursday, the girls and chaperones traveled by subway

to Times Square to view “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age

of the Pharaohs.” They marveled over 130 artifacts from King Tut’s

Tomb and other Egyptian burial sites. Ms. Joyce was thrilled to

see “the connections they were making between what was in

front of them and what we had learned in class.” Upon returning

to school, the girls sketched some of the treasures they saw.

A special thank you to the following individuals who made

donations to purchase tickets for our students to see the exhibit:

Kristi and Bill Clements, Samantha Mosher, Kathleen and Kevin

Moylan, Mary and Michael O’Sullivan, Kaitlyn Raftery, Lee Sentnor,

Ann and Carlos Tuggle, and Andria Wisler.

S P O T L I G H T O N . . .

Natalie HerreraNatalie graduated from Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child in 2010. She is now a fresh-man at Cristo Rey New York – five of her CMS classmates are also in their first year at Cristo Rey. Every Cristo Rey student works one day a week at various companies or organizations around the city to help cover the cost of his or her high school tuition. Natalie works at Rice Financial Products.

Do you think CMS prepared you well for

high school? Academically, yes. There are some things that are different – we have to move around the building for our classes, we are on a trimester schedule instead of a quarter system, and some of the classes are harder – but I was definitely well prepared and

I am adjusting. My grades are not as high as they were in eighth grade, I am getting some 80’s instead of all 90’s, but I’m working on getting them all back into the 90’s. I have been going to my teachers for extra help when I have trouble with homework or with a quiz. Some of my teachers at Cristo Rey remind me of my teachers at CMS – they’re serious but they can always laugh with us.

How are you enjoying your work study at Rice

Financial Products? I really like it; it is totally different than anything I have ever done. We have to dress and act profes-sionally. I mostly do a lot of filing and scanning of documents. I can tell that my supervisor is starting to trust my work; I am now working with some of the confidential documents and doing more things independently.

Now that you are a graduate, what is your

favorite memory of Holy Child? Definitely our eighth grade class trip to Chesa-peake Bay. I loved everything about that trip. I think our class got a lot closer there. My favorite subject at Holy Child was always science, and we got to learn a lot about the environment, the fish and plants that were there. I will never forget that trip.

Natalie and her mother at the CMS 2010 graduation

CCC students succeed on state tests

e are happy to report that our eighth graders did exceptionally well on the New York State Math and English Language Art Tests in 2010. Citywide, students struggled this year as the state raised the bar of the proficiency cutoff to better reflect the standards neces-sary for high school preparedness.

CCC eighth graders continued to perform well, and we attribute their success to our holistic approach to middle school education. We have always focused on preparing our students for success in high school and college by catering to their academic, artistic, spiritual and emotional needs. Standardized testing is an important tool for measuring student progress, and this year’s test scores show that they are learning, growing and becoming their best selves. All 18 members of the class of 2010 are working hard in high school. We expect great things from these young ladies!

W83%

40%38%

60%

46%

83%

NYC Public Schools

NYC Charter Schools

NYC Public Schools

NYC Charter Schools

Connelly Middle School

English Scores Math Scores

Connelly Middle School

English

Percentage of 8th graderspassing New York State tests

Math

Keyla and Genesis on their 8th grade trip to Chesapeake Bay

Fall Friendraisers

n November 10th and 11th we held two events at the school to introduce new friends to our mission and let our loyal supporters know about new ways to get involved at CCC. On the 10th, about 30 individuals gathered in the assembly room for lunch and a presentation on low-income students’ college readiness by Jennifer Kim, a researcher for the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools

O and Teaching (NCREST) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Jennifer shared some of the key findings of her research. Students are more likely to succeed in college if they feel that: teachers have high expectations for them, they are a part of their school community and they are able to persevere. Visitors, staff and speaker alike could also see these qualities in the students at CCC.

The following evening about 50 guests joined staff, trustees and Friends Committee members and got a glimpse of life at CCC from Director Connie Bush and Board Member, and Oak Knoll grad, MJ Murphy. Between these two events, we have a number of people interested in the Christmas Crafts project on December 4th, our ongoing tutoring program, a new mentorship program and the Spring Theater Benefit! For more information about any of these opportunities, please contact Julia Houlihan in the Development Office (jhoulihan@connellycenter.org).

Drawing by Emily Ortiz

king tuts2c

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010 Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010 Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

2 Volume 6, Issue 1 Volume 6, Issue 1 4

Graduates look to the future

nder the guidance of new GSP Director, Justina Kaminskaite, our graduates in high school have had a very busy fall. The girls have toured two college campuses (Columbia University and Drew University), visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and bonded during multiple “movie nights” at CCC. Three graduates are extremely busy this year. Keyla Hernandez (CMS ’09), Stephanie Rivas (CMS ’10) and Genesis Torres (CMS ’09) were admitted to the Futures and Options Pre-Internship Program!

Futures and Options is an organization that endeavors to expose underserved New York City youth to all of the career opportuni-ties available to them. Through the Pre-Internship program Keyla, Stephanie and Genesis will participate in workshops on public speaking, interview skills, goal setting and time management to prepare them for future employment. Keyla, now a 10th grader at Saint Vincent Ferrer High School, feels that through this program she is given “the keys I need to succeed.” Stephanie, a 9th grader at St. Jean Baptiste High School, particularly enjoyed putting together a presentation for a group of about 20 other pre-interns. “Everyone had to make a speech. Working with the group really helped me get over my fear of speaking in front of a room.” Throughout the winter we will continue to lok for similar oppor-tunities to help our graduates build social capital as they move towards college.

U

Ms. Joyce’s sixth grade social studies class has been learning

about archaeology and ancient Egypt. In early November, they

ventured outside the classroom and encountered firsthand

some of the artifacts they had learned about in their textbooks.

On a rainy Thursday, the girls and chaperones traveled by subway

to Times Square to view “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age

of the Pharaohs.” They marveled over 130 artifacts from King Tut’s

Tomb and other Egyptian burial sites. Ms. Joyce was thrilled to

see “the connections they were making between what was in

front of them and what we had learned in class.” Upon returning

to school, the girls sketched some of the treasures they saw.

A special thank you to the following individuals who made

donations to purchase tickets for our students to see the exhibit:

Kristi and Bill Clements, Samantha Mosher, Kathleen and Kevin

Moylan, Mary and Michael O’Sullivan, Kaitlyn Raftery, Lee Sentnor,

Ann and Carlos Tuggle, and Andria Wisler.

S P O T L I G H T O N . . .

Natalie HerreraNatalie graduated from Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child in 2010. She is now a fresh-man at Cristo Rey New York – five of her CMS classmates are also in their first year at Cristo Rey. Every Cristo Rey student works one day a week at various companies or organizations around the city to help cover the cost of his or her high school tuition. Natalie works at Rice Financial Products.

Do you think CMS prepared you well for

high school? Academically, yes. There are some things that are different – we have to move around the building for our classes, we are on a trimester schedule instead of a quarter system, and some of the classes are harder – but I was definitely well prepared and

I am adjusting. My grades are not as high as they were in eighth grade, I am getting some 80’s instead of all 90’s, but I’m working on getting them all back into the 90’s. I have been going to my teachers for extra help when I have trouble with homework or with a quiz. Some of my teachers at Cristo Rey remind me of my teachers at CMS – they’re serious but they can always laugh with us.

How are you enjoying your work study at Rice

Financial Products? I really like it; it is totally different than anything I have ever done. We have to dress and act profes-sionally. I mostly do a lot of filing and scanning of documents. I can tell that my supervisor is starting to trust my work; I am now working with some of the confidential documents and doing more things independently.

Now that you are a graduate, what is your

favorite memory of Holy Child? Definitely our eighth grade class trip to Chesa-peake Bay. I loved everything about that trip. I think our class got a lot closer there. My favorite subject at Holy Child was always science, and we got to learn a lot about the environment, the fish and plants that were there. I will never forget that trip.

Natalie and her mother at the CMS 2010 graduation

CCC students succeed on state tests

e are happy to report that our eighth graders did exceptionally well on the New York State Math and English Language Art Tests in 2010. Citywide, students struggled this year as the state raised the bar of the proficiency cutoff to better reflect the standards neces-sary for high school preparedness.

CCC eighth graders continued to perform well, and we attribute their success to our holistic approach to middle school education. We have always focused on preparing our students for success in high school and college by catering to their academic, artistic, spiritual and emotional needs. Standardized testing is an important tool for measuring student progress, and this year’s test scores show that they are learning, growing and becoming their best selves. All 18 members of the class of 2010 are working hard in high school. We expect great things from these young ladies!

W83%

40%38%

60%

46%

83%

NYC Public Schools

NYC Charter Schools

NYC Public Schools

NYC Charter Schools

Connelly Middle School

English Scores Math Scores

Connelly Middle School

English

Percentage of 8th graderspassing New York State tests

Math

Keyla and Genesis on their 8th grade trip to Chesapeake Bay

Fall Friendraisers

n November 10th and 11th we held two events at the school to introduce new friends to our mission and let our loyal supporters know about new ways to get involved at CCC. On the 10th, about 30 individuals gathered in the assembly room for lunch and a presentation on low-income students’ college readiness by Jennifer Kim, a researcher for the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools

O and Teaching (NCREST) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Jennifer shared some of the key findings of her research. Students are more likely to succeed in college if they feel that: teachers have high expectations for them, they are a part of their school community and they are able to persevere. Visitors, staff and speaker alike could also see these qualities in the students at CCC.

The following evening about 50 guests joined staff, trustees and Friends Committee members and got a glimpse of life at CCC from Director Connie Bush and Board Member, and Oak Knoll grad, MJ Murphy. Between these two events, we have a number of people interested in the Christmas Crafts project on December 4th, our ongoing tutoring program, a new mentorship program and the Spring Theater Benefit! For more information about any of these opportunities, please contact Julia Houlihan in the Development Office (jhoulihan@connellycenter.org).

Drawing by Emily Ortiz

king tuts2c

Dear Friends,

I am so pleased to be writing to you as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. It is a privilege to work with the Cornelia Connelly Center Trustees and Staff in pursuit of our very worthwhile mission: breaking cycles of poverty through education. Part of what makes this work so fulfilling is the success CCC has had over the years. Our graduates are beating the odds. They are graduating from high school, enrolling in college and earning their degrees. The Board is committed to maintaining and improving upon the Center’s record of success, and we are thrilled to have your support in this work.

In order to continue to produce these outstanding results – 97% of students graduating from high school and 90% going on to college – we need to go out and make sure that more people hear our story. The Trustees and I are working hard to spread the word about CCC, and I am confident that we will continue to expand our network of friends and supporters. Thank you for all you do for the Cornelia Connelly Center, and please help us communicate our mission and our success!

Sincerely,

William A. Bautz Chair, Board of Trustees

Cornelia Connelly Center

• Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child

• Graduate Support Program

• Connelly Theater

220 East 4th Street

New York, NY 10009

phone 212.982.2287

fax 212.982.0547

Please visit our website:

www.connellycenter.org

Design:Emily Singer

Photography:Connelly Center Faculty

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

Working to transform lives

Cornelia Connelly Center was founded in 1993 to give girls from low-income families a uniquely effective educational foundation, encompassing a compre-hensive middle school program, strong support through high school, planning for higher education, and a vibrant alumnae community, which together enable Connelly students to fulfill their potential and achieve productive roles in society.

This is our specific expression of the shared mission of the Holy Child Network of Schools: To endeavor, guided by the philosophy and spirituality of Cornelia Connelly, to develop mature persons capable of making choices which enrich their lives and contribute to the lives of others.

The Center relies almost entirely on individual and institutional donors to fund its programs. Its mission is sponsored by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

In this issue:

Chairman’s letter 1

Camp Cornelia in the City 1, 5

Spotlight on Natalie Herrera 2

CCC students succeed on state tests 2

Graduates look to the future 3

Fall Friendraisers 3

Sixth graders visit King Tut exhibit 4

NativityMiguel Network Conference 5

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

New York, NY

Permit No. 2771

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

Volume 6, Issue 1 1Volume 6, Issue 1 5

Cornelia Connelly Center

Volume 6, Issue 1 Winter 2010

E X C E L L E N C E I N E D U C A T I N G G I R L S S I N C E 1 9 9 3

Board of Trustees

William A. Bautz WAB Consulting Chair

Wayne Bellet Bellet Construction Co., Inc.

Mary Cullen Allen & Co.

Jeanne Daley The McIntosh Company

Laura Dillon Laura White Dillon LLC

Nancy M. Fink Rockefeller & Co, Inc.

Barbara Hack D.E. Shaw Group

Mary Joan L. Murphy Ryan-Nena Community Health Center

Michael O’Donoghue Holy Child Academy

Jean Marie O’Meara, SHCJ UNANIMA International/UN

John Podsiadlo, SJ New York Nativity

Susan G. Restler Knowledge in the Public Interest

Terrence C. Shea Eagle Capital Management

Marie Ursino, SHCJ Prep for Prep

Maryann Watt BNY Mellon

Andria Wisler Georgetown University

Jennifer Yu Citi

Honorary Trustees

Elizabeth Fitzmaurice, SHCJ

John Flynn

John P. Heffernan J.H. Management Co.

Ted McCourtney Saw Mill Partners

Tony O’Callaghan Universal Builders Supply Inc.

Mary Claire Ryan NativityMiguel Network of Schools

Ex Officio

Constance M. Bush Director

TCamp Cornelia in the City

his summer, each of the five Holy Child Network

high schools sent two students and a chaperone

to New York City for the inaugural Camp Cornelia

in the City. See page 5 to learn about this exciting

Network Service Project.

NativityMiguel Network Conference

his October the NativityMiguel Network hosted concurrent Graduate Support, Development, Alumni and Leadership Confer-ences in Washington, DC. Staff members from the 64 network schools around the country gathered to participate in workshops and lectures and had the opportunity to share best practices with one another. This year the Cornelia Connelly Center sent Connie Bush, Director/Principal, Heather Raftery, Assistant Director, Julia Houlihan, Development Associate, Justina Kaminskaite, Graduate Support Director and Mercedes Sanchez, Alumna ’96 to the conferences.

The Network Staff, under the leadership of Executive Director (and CCC co-founder) Mary Claire Ryan, put together an impressive array of presenters and facilitated excellent conversation amongst the conference participants. CCC staff left DC with the proud feeling of being part of a national effort at education reform and with an arsenal of ideas to put into action. Some of our conference take-aways: new methods for recording and presenting evaluation data, specific tactics for launching our GSP mentorship program and ideas about structuring a student sponsorship program.

T

Camp Cornelia in the City (continued)

Juniors and Seniors, along with chaperones, from the Holy Child Schools in Anaheim, Pasadena, Potomac, Summit and Rye organized and staffed a weeklong camp for the incoming fifth graders of Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child. During their week in New York the volunteers slept on air mattresses in some of the CCC classrooms and cooked some of their meals in the teachers’ residence on the fifth floor. They were also able to explore some of New York City, enjoying a meal in Chinatown, visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and taking in a Broadway show.

From August 2nd to August 6th, campers came to CCC from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Their Holy Child sisters, the Camp Cornelia Counselors, helped the new fifth graders get to know one another and taught them what it means to be a Holy Child student. The girls danced, sang, worked on reading skills and math problems, and enjoyed a day at the pool at Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, NY. The bonds the CMS class of 2014 formed with their counselors from CCC’s sister schools showed the students that they have a network of support that stretches beyond the walls of 220 East 4th Street.

CCC is grateful to all the partnering schools and volunteers. We would especially like to thank Dorothy Harris for her hard work in planning this week, Ann Sullivan, for her vision of a Holy Child Network Service Project, and Sr. Eileen McDevitt, SHCJ, for the support of the Holy Child Network of Schools.

This year, CCC is happy to announce that longtime trustee and friend

William A. Bautz has stepped into the role of Chair of our Board of

Trustees. Bill was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Technology

Officer at the New York Stock Exchange, and now operates his own

consulting practice. He has served on our board for seven years and

previously chaired the Finance Committee. Bill is also on the board of

his alma mater, Manhattan College.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our former Board Chair,

Laura White Dillon, for her diligent leadership over the last eight years.

Laura continues to dedicate her time and talent to the Cornelia Connelly

Center as the chair of our Governance Committee.

Mercedes, Mary Claire, Connie, Julia and Heather at the conference

Dear Friends,

I am so pleased to be writing to you as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. It is a privilege to work with the Cornelia Connelly Center Trustees and Staff in pursuit of our very worthwhile mission: breaking cycles of poverty through education. Part of what makes this work so fulfilling is the success CCC has had over the years. Our graduates are beating the odds. They are graduating from high school, enrolling in college and earning their degrees. The Board is committed to maintaining and improving upon the Center’s record of success, and we are thrilled to have your support in this work.

In order to continue to produce these outstanding results – 97% of students graduating from high school and 90% going on to college – we need to go out and make sure that more people hear our story. The Trustees and I are working hard to spread the word about CCC, and I am confident that we will continue to expand our network of friends and supporters. Thank you for all you do for the Cornelia Connelly Center, and please help us communicate our mission and our success!

Sincerely,

William A. Bautz Chair, Board of Trustees

Cornelia Connelly Center

• Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child

• Graduate Support Program

• Connelly Theater

220 East 4th Street

New York, NY 10009

phone 212.982.2287

fax 212.982.0547

Please visit our website:

www.connellycenter.org

Design:Emily Singer

Photography:Connelly Center Faculty

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

Working to transform lives

Cornelia Connelly Center was founded in 1993 to give girls from low-income families a uniquely effective educational foundation, encompassing a compre-hensive middle school program, strong support through high school, planning for higher education, and a vibrant alumnae community, which together enable Connelly students to fulfill their potential and achieve productive roles in society.

This is our specific expression of the shared mission of the Holy Child Network of Schools: To endeavor, guided by the philosophy and spirituality of Cornelia Connelly, to develop mature persons capable of making choices which enrich their lives and contribute to the lives of others.

The Center relies almost entirely on individual and institutional donors to fund its programs. Its mission is sponsored by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

In this issue:

Chairman’s letter 1

Camp Cornelia in the City 1, 5

Spotlight on Natalie Herrera 2

CCC students succeed on state tests 2

Graduates look to the future 3

Fall Friendraisers 3

Sixth graders visit King Tut exhibit 4

NativityMiguel Network Conference 5

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

New York, NY

Permit No. 2771

Connelly Center Newsletter / Winter 2010

Volume 6, Issue 1 1Volume 6, Issue 1 5

Cornelia Connelly Center

Volume 6, Issue 1 Winter 2010

E X C E L L E N C E I N E D U C A T I N G G I R L S S I N C E 1 9 9 3

Board of Trustees

William A. Bautz WAB Consulting Chair

Wayne Bellet Bellet Construction Co., Inc.

Mary Cullen Allen & Co.

Jeanne Daley The McIntosh Company

Laura Dillon Laura White Dillon LLC

Nancy M. Fink Rockefeller & Co, Inc.

Barbara Hack D.E. Shaw Group

Mary Joan L. Murphy Ryan-Nena Community Health Center

Michael O’Donoghue Holy Child Academy

Jean Marie O’Meara, SHCJ UNANIMA International/UN

John Podsiadlo, SJ New York Nativity

Susan G. Restler Knowledge in the Public Interest

Terrence C. Shea Eagle Capital Management

Marie Ursino, SHCJ Prep for Prep

Maryann Watt BNY Mellon

Andria Wisler Georgetown University

Jennifer Yu Citi

Honorary Trustees

Elizabeth Fitzmaurice, SHCJ

John Flynn

John P. Heffernan J.H. Management Co.

Ted McCourtney Saw Mill Partners

Tony O’Callaghan Universal Builders Supply Inc.

Mary Claire Ryan NativityMiguel Network of Schools

Ex Officio

Constance M. Bush Director

TCamp Cornelia in the City

his summer, each of the five Holy Child Network

high schools sent two students and a chaperone

to New York City for the inaugural Camp Cornelia

in the City. See page 5 to learn about this exciting

Network Service Project.

NativityMiguel Network Conference

his October the NativityMiguel Network hosted concurrent Graduate Support, Development, Alumni and Leadership Confer-ences in Washington, DC. Staff members from the 64 network schools around the country gathered to participate in workshops and lectures and had the opportunity to share best practices with one another. This year the Cornelia Connelly Center sent Connie Bush, Director/Principal, Heather Raftery, Assistant Director, Julia Houlihan, Development Associate, Justina Kaminskaite, Graduate Support Director and Mercedes Sanchez, Alumna ’96 to the conferences.

The Network Staff, under the leadership of Executive Director (and CCC co-founder) Mary Claire Ryan, put together an impressive array of presenters and facilitated excellent conversation amongst the conference participants. CCC staff left DC with the proud feeling of being part of a national effort at education reform and with an arsenal of ideas to put into action. Some of our conference take-aways: new methods for recording and presenting evaluation data, specific tactics for launching our GSP mentorship program and ideas about structuring a student sponsorship program.

T

Camp Cornelia in the City (continued)

Juniors and Seniors, along with chaperones, from the Holy Child Schools in Anaheim, Pasadena, Potomac, Summit and Rye organized and staffed a weeklong camp for the incoming fifth graders of Connelly Middle School of the Holy Child. During their week in New York the volunteers slept on air mattresses in some of the CCC classrooms and cooked some of their meals in the teachers’ residence on the fifth floor. They were also able to explore some of New York City, enjoying a meal in Chinatown, visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and taking in a Broadway show.

From August 2nd to August 6th, campers came to CCC from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Their Holy Child sisters, the Camp Cornelia Counselors, helped the new fifth graders get to know one another and taught them what it means to be a Holy Child student. The girls danced, sang, worked on reading skills and math problems, and enjoyed a day at the pool at Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, NY. The bonds the CMS class of 2014 formed with their counselors from CCC’s sister schools showed the students that they have a network of support that stretches beyond the walls of 220 East 4th Street.

CCC is grateful to all the partnering schools and volunteers. We would especially like to thank Dorothy Harris for her hard work in planning this week, Ann Sullivan, for her vision of a Holy Child Network Service Project, and Sr. Eileen McDevitt, SHCJ, for the support of the Holy Child Network of Schools.

This year, CCC is happy to announce that longtime trustee and friend

William A. Bautz has stepped into the role of Chair of our Board of

Trustees. Bill was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Technology

Officer at the New York Stock Exchange, and now operates his own

consulting practice. He has served on our board for seven years and

previously chaired the Finance Committee. Bill is also on the board of

his alma mater, Manhattan College.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our former Board Chair,

Laura White Dillon, for her diligent leadership over the last eight years.

Laura continues to dedicate her time and talent to the Cornelia Connelly

Center as the chair of our Governance Committee.

Mercedes, Mary Claire, Connie, Julia and Heather at the conference