Last year, I went on a service trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, and after such a great trip I knew I needed to continue service in other parts of the country. Go-ing to Brownsville, Texas, changed my life for the bet-ter. I came into this trip not knowing much about im-migration; my knowledge consisted of what the me-dia had fed me. Working with these immigrants taught me what has been happening along with what their true story is. Many of the immigrants are hard-working, dedicated people who just wish to have a better life for themselves and those they love. Work-ing at a local farm one day, I talked to a worker whose parents had migrated to the United States from Central America. During lunch, David told me about his conversion from being a "product of his own environment," by going down the wrong path, to having a son and get-ting his life on track so that he can support his family. David taught me that dedication will get you far in life, and that all parents just want the best for their children and how they work to give opportunity to their children. This made me appreciate the work my parents have done for me, along with appreciating all of those who work to provide opportunity for those they love.

Newsletter Winter 2015

Brownsville, TX Reflection by John Lipsky ‘17

My name is Xaverio Colaiacovo '19 and I just came back from the freshman overnight retreat. This retreat was by far the best retreat I have ever been on! I am not the biggest fan of sleep away trips, but I was very comfortable sleeping away there! The food was great, the atmosphere was perfect, and we had a lot of fun with the games we played. But I was upset to go home because I really liked it there. I know for a fact I will recom-mend it to anyone who wants to go!

Freshmen/Sophomore Overnight by Xaverio Colaiacovo '19

D: Thank you again, Mr. Lopez, for agreeing to be interviewed re-garding this program. First, who goes with you to the Adopt-a-Dog service trip, how often do you go, and how many students at-tend this trip?

Mr. L: Myself and Mr. Minio are the faculty members that usually go on these trips, and we go about twice a year, usually in March and November. Each time we go on such trips, anywhere from 6 to 9 students attend.

D: For those who may not know what the Adopt-a-Dog service is exactly, would you mind explaining what goes on during such trips?

Mr. L: Most of the time, Mr. Minio and myself supervise the stu-dents while they are working, though the first time we went on the service trip, we both got involved. But usually, the students are told what they have to do, mainly setting up cages, as well as cleaning up. The students do an excellent job, and the staff at the center truly appreciates the extra help. And, after all is done, the students get to play with the dogs.

D: What do you think of the program?

Mr. L: Oh, I absolutely love the program they have there! They are renovating the place right now, and the property is constantly up-to-date. The property they have is very large, and the benefactors constantly contribute to the facility, which you can easily see from the condition the building is in. Additionally, there are volunteers that aid in the upkeep of the place. The dogs are all kept in warm, comfortable spaces where they have plenty of room, and they are taken care of very well. As a dog person myself, this trip is excel-lent, and I would recommend this service trip to anyone.

Adopt a Dog: Interview with Mr. Lopez interview by Damian Garcia ‘17

Junior Retreat by Damian Garcia ‘17

On Friday, October 23, 2015, the junior class trav-eled to the Lower School for their annual class re-treat. Instead of having members of Campus Min-istry lead the retreat, the retreat was led by Tony Bellizzi. Mr. Bellizzi did an absolutely wonderful job with the retreat, as the overarching theme for the retreat was a deep look at oneself. Mr. Bellizzi, re-nowned for his in-depth meditations, guided the whole of the Class of 2017 on a meditation. Although to many students the med-itations only seemed to last a few minutes, it was revealed to everyone’s sur-prise, that more than twenty minutes had passed. It was during this retreat that the junior class was brought together as a whole, and it is certain that everyone in attend-ance was profoundly changed. On the way back to the Prep, many students were talking about the amazing experience they had on the retreat, certain that they would never for-get the retreat they experi-enced together.

New Orleans: Interview with Mr. Dombrowski interview by Damian Garcia ‘17

D: Thank you very much, Mr. Dombrowski, for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this interview.

Mr. D: My pleasure.

D: So who went on the New Orleans Service Trip?

Mr. D: There were a group of twenty-five of us that went down. There were three seniors, as well as four faculty members: myself, Mr. Braca, Ms. Riley, and Br. Lucian from the Lower School.

D: What exactly did you do on the New Orleans Service Trip?

Mr. D: It was a really great experience for a lot of the boys. We had the opportunity to work on a facility that had been severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina; it has been ten years after Katrina and there is still work that needs to be done down there, which is really sad to see.

D: So the damage is really bad there?

Mr. D: Oh, yeah, the damage is still bad. We were working on some sort of health facility, and a lot of the individuals there were really not able to take care of it, and they did not have the funding to do it. So, you had guys pulling down sheetrock, stripping parts of the building, painting. We covered the majority of a building actually in a relatively short period of time, only the three days we were down there.

D: How did you like the service trip overall?

Mr. D: I thought it was a really great experience. I lived for a majority in my life down in the Rockaways, and I lived through Hurricane Sandy. I saw the houses of my friends get destroyed, so I understand what that experience is like. For me to go down there, it was something I knew I needed to “pay back” in a way. Personally, I got to grow and meet a lot of the men there that, before the trip, I did not know, and it granted me the opportunity to meet a handful of the guys. It was a really fun experience, and I can’t wait to go again next year.

D: Speaking of next year, when does the New Or-leans service trip take place?

Mr. D: At this point, they do it once a year, a little before Thanksgiving. I know that there are talks of doing it again in the future, maybe during the fall or summer, with a father-son type of trip being envisioned. It’s a great experience, and I would recommend any Iona man to go on the trip.

Don Bosco - Reflection by Teddy Gerrity ‘17

When I signed up for the Don Bosco service trip, I was unaware at the time of what we would be doing. When we arrived at the Don Bosco Center in Port Chester, Mr. D'Alfonso explained to us that we would be playing

and mentoring the younger children. We helped them with their homework, played bas-ketball, kickball, and had snacks with them. While spending time with them, I learned some hardships these young children go through and how lucky I really am to be in the po-sition that my parents have been able to give me. Don Bosco was an eye-opening experience, and I hope to be going back.

Advocacy by Justin Iorio ‘17

For years, Campus Ministry has been at the forefront of helping young men of Iona Prep fulfill their “Call-to-Service.” We’ve built houses, stocked pantries, and con-versed with the voice-less, all satisfying our need to give back to our local and greater communities. With more students partici-pating in service trips than ever and with new trips added each year, this is perfect time for us synthesize those defining and unique experiences in-to what has been dubbed the “Call-to-Action.” These life changing memories are the lifeblood of this new campaign. When students return after a service trip, they will not let their experienc-es sit idle, but will share them and advo-cate for the people that they met and served. With each succeeding trip, the advocates for each issue will grow and share their experi-ences, allowing for a concerted and well-planned effort to lobby for the needs of the marginalized on a great and lasting scale. Although in its first year at Iona, we’ve al-ready been chosen to lead the Christian Brothers’ efforts in ad-vocacy.

Bonita Springs Service by Mr. D’Alfonso

In August, 2015, a group of four students and two chaperones traveled to Bonita Springs, Florida, on a service immersion trip to work with migrant families. Here in Bonita Springs, Iona Prep students would act as camp coun-selors for the week to more than 40 elementary and middle school students. The camp, run by Catholic Charities, provides an affordable day camp to the children of migrant workers, many of whom are unable to afford more cost-prohibitive day camps in the area. Many of the parents work long hours and are working while their children are on summer vacation. Throughout the week, Iona Prep students led children in sports and games, academic activi-ties, and chaperoned trips to water parks, museums and other local attrac-tions. Junior Jeremy Hernandez said, “My experience in Bonita Springs, Florida was a trip I won't forget. The experience with the kids was a joy. Bonita

taught me a lot about my-self, and I had fun with the campers.” Mr. Braca, one of the chaperones, reflected on the trip: “As a parent, I was truly taken back by the day to day struggles that the immigrant par-ents and children go through in Bonita Spring. Yet their faith in God is so strong that it masks the lack of material things. They truly keep Jesus in their hearts-forever.”

An incredible bond formed between Iona Prep students and the campers from Florida. All five students had an amazing experience and many are hoping to apply and be accepted again next year.

Iorio Interview—Backyard Sports Interview by James Bonanno

Can you explain what Backyard Sports is and what you did? Backyard Sports is a fun and innovative program at Davis Elementary School. It is a ten-week after school program, in which an Iona Prep Representative is paired with a student in need. Backyard sports helps children develop basic athletic and motor skills and helps them improve upon their self-confidence. It is a great time helping the children and watching them grow from what they were at the beginning of the pro-gram to the end.

Did you enjoy your time doing Backyard Sports? The program has been around for two years and we participated during the first year. Backyard Sports was definitely a highlight of my time at Iona and it allowed me to discover my love of working with chil-dren. Iona Prep works in conjunction with Ursuline to give these children the times of their life. It was a lot of fun, and it was a great way to make new friends and meet people.

What is your most memorable moment that you had while doing Backyard Sports? The most memorable moment that I had during the program was definitely when one of the children ended up dunking a bas-ketball. This particular child never could make a basket; however, he was always very enthusiastic and he never gave up. Every practice he would try to make a bas-ket, and sadly, he would never make it. Nearing the end of the program an Iona Prep student gave in and picked him up so that he would be able to make a basket. The little boy dunked the ball and the smile on his face was absolutely heart warming.

If you had the opportunity to do Backyard Sports again would you? Absolutely. Backyard Sports was a really great time for everyone involved. I am the Head Representative from Iona for Backyard Sports, so I en-joyed my time working with the children from Davis Elementary School. I really cannot describe how much I enjoyed my time. Everyone involved had a lot of fun, and I really cannot wait for the next session to roll around.

What would you like to say to everyone who is thinking about participating in Backyard Sports? The new session starts this spring, and I suggest that everyone try to take advantage of the wonderful op-portunity that Iona Prep gives to all of its students. It is a really fun and worthwhile way to earn service hours, so please consider taking part in the Backyard Sports Program. We also have big news that on Sat-urday, April 16th Iona Prep will be hosting a county-wide 3 on 3-basketball tournament for all of those involved with Backyard Sports. If anyone has any questions or wants to get involved, speak to me or my brother, Justin Iorio.

Senior Retreat by Mr. Casella

The Iona College campus ministers conducted another successful senior retreat for the class of 2016. The retreat’s theme centered around college preparedness with reflection talks from college students (Chris Kash, Ariana Visentini, Roger Rojas, and Kayla Kosak) and small-group discussions pertaining to being moral and ethical decision making in college. Mr. Kiers also reflected on his college experience to encourage our students to make the right decisions. All students, both seniors and college, had a memora-ble day.

Brother Lucian, the Campus Minister at the Lower School, has expanded the service program exponentially. Be-low are some of the project he’s had his students work on since September:

Visiting Food Pantries

Food Drives - collecting and delivering food

Service Trips - organizations like St. Francis of Rome, West Side Campaign, Catherine Corry Center, Lamp Ministries, HOPE Community Services, Little Sisters of the Poor, Rosary Hill and My Sister’s Place.

The Giving Tree - students purchase toys for poor children

Hunger Walk—Raising funding for Christian Brother missions abroad

Christmas Cards for the sick

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Big Brother, Little Brother - upper classmen in Lower School working with the younger grades

Pennies for Patients - raising money for charity through fun school fundraisers

Happy Birthday

Jesus!

By Damian Garcia ‘17

On December 15, several students embarked from the Upper School down to the Lower School to aid the 8th graders with their annual Happy Birthday Jesus event. L e d b y s e n i o r s Dominick Laperuta '16 as well as Emmett Godfrey '16, the group aided in giving bags to the younger students, and watching over the gym-nasium, where the event was being held. There was an overall euphoric atmosphere in the school as students from grades K-6 played mini-games created by the 8th graders to win varied prizes related to the "Happy Birth-day Jesus" theme. The 7th graders chaperoned their younger peers, and the event as a whole went off with no problems, with fun and en-joyment to be had by every-one in attendance.

Thanksgiving Food Delivery Reflection – by Kirk Petrie ‘21

In November I went with Br. Lucian and other Iona Prep students to deliver food to food pantries. I had been on a service trip before, so I knew that we would meet new people and help them. I also knew I would be going to some-where in the city, so I knew that the pantry would be next to other buildings, not separated in the suburbs.

We went to two pantries in Harlem. I forgot the name of the first church, but I know the name of the second church was St. Mark’s. At the first church, we delivered food to a small food pantry. For some unknown reason, there was not a lot of food to be brought. At St. Mark’s, there was a lot of food to carry, in-

cluding 5-10 turkeys packed into a box. They were so heavy that I could barely carry a box with Marcos. That was why I was so surprised when a kid from Car-dinal Hayes carried two boxes of turkeys easily with no help.

When we were on the way back, I thought about how all the food we donated helped those who cannot get a meal on their own. All of the food we donated will help hundreds of people get a Thanksgiving meal for their families. It’s sad to think that we have so much and they have so little, but it is also great that they didn’t starve to death on a day when we give thanks. I hope that I go on another service trip to help more people again.

Field Trip to Food Pantry – Frank Mondrone ‘21

When we got in the bus I thought we were going to a soup kitchen. So then I thought we were going to stand behind a counter and give people food. But when we got there, we saw a supermarket type place. There was food in the back. We got there and met some nice people. We were assigned to help the volunteers stock the shelves and help people find the food they wanted.

The way the market worked was we used a point system and each food had been assigned a number of points. It depended on how many people were in a

family. Then we sat down and had a delicious meal made by the chef. It was fish with mixed veg-etables, salad and mashed sweet potatoes. On the way home I felt like a better person because I helped people that can’t afford things that we can.

That is when I felt I changed my life and oth-ers. I think that I would love to go on another trip like that.

KAIROS VII

By James Bonanno ‘17 Kairos is a very interesting world. No one who was at-tending for the first time knew anything about Kairos, and it was a little bit intimidating. The only thing that I knew was that every single person who went on Kairos loved his time on the retreat. I had no clue about what I was walking into when I decided to go on Kairos, and I am very glad that I went on the retreat. Kairos was one of the greatest experiences in my life and from one of the first witness talks-a speech given by a stu-dent and adult leaders- I knew that Kairos was going to change my life. If you have ever been on a retreat that Io-na has hosted, a common say-ing that you will hear is that “you will get out of the retreat what you put in.” After going on most the retreats that the school hosts, I can say that Kairos is the only retreat that you will get much more out of than what you put in. It is so skillfully and perfectly run that everyone has the most fun possible. Kairos is for all students: Catholics, Chris-tians, non-believers and eve-rything in between. While Kairos may have a very reli-gious slant, it is also an emo-tional experience. Kairos can lead to new relationships with people that can last a lifetime. I will never forget my life changing experience on Kairos, and I wholly recom-mend that everyone go on Kairos.

Contributors: James Bonanno ’17 and Damian Garcia ’17 (Editors-in-Chief),

Mr. Kavanah & Mr. Malecki (Copyeditors), Mr. Casella (Layout), Xaverio

Colaiacovo '19, Mr. D’Alfonso, Mr. Horton (logo design), Teddy Gerrity ‘17,

Justin Iorio (president of Campus Ministry), Br. Lucian Knaap, Jack Lipsky

‘17, Frank Mondrone ‘21, and Kirk Petrie ‘21.

Music Ministry: Interview with Mr. Donofree By James Bonanno ‘17

J: How has Music Ministry grown over the past 5 years at Iona Prep?

Mr. D: I’ve always seen the Prep’s Music Ministry as a great opportunity to foster growth in our faith. Pope Francis has asked Catholics to bring a re-newed joy to Mass. To make our time together in church as joyous as possible, Mr. Raimondo and I have made an effort to introduce praise songs and hymns that will reach the students’ hearts. Iona students are familiar with these songs from their experiences at youth group retreats and youth services in their par-ishes. It is cool to know that as we lead worship in song, the whole school is singing, too!

J: What do you think Music Ministry adds to the Iona Prep Community?

Mr. D: St. Augustine said that when we sing, we pray twice. Leading our Iona brothers in prayer and praise is a joyous responsibility! And it is great to see such a wide spectrum of our school serving God in unity! The Music Ministry features current students, faculty members, parents, and alums on the platform together, lifting their voices before the Lord and sharing their God-given gifts with the larger school community. As it’s written in Psalm 13, “How wonder-ful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”

J: What is your favorite part of Music Ministry?

Mr. D: I’ve loved watching our guys develop a real sense of community within the Music Ministry. Our student cantor, Sebastian Naibaho, has shown great leadership in this area – he has gone out of his way to welcome new students to our vocal team. And it has been inspiring to see an alum like Aaron DeMasi return and plug in his guitar next to Chris Gamba, our student bassist – they are both excellent musicians, joining together to serve the Lord!

J: What would you like to say to people who are thinking about joining Mu-sic Ministry?

Mr. D: Worshiping God in song and serving our school in Mass is what we’re all about. We are an “open” group. Every student is welcome to join us. If you play an instrument, reach out to Mr. Raimondo. If you want to sing, come speak to me. God wants us not just to go to church – he wants us to BE the church!

J: What would you like to do to further improve Music Ministry?

Mr. D: Our shared desire is to know God more, to walk closer in His path, and to serve our school community with everything we’ve got. Whether you are on the platform or sitting in the congregation, we are each singing His praises! Let’s keep serving the Lord with excellence and passion.