Students, faculty and leaders of St. Helen’s School and St. Francis College gathered on a sunny, Monday morning, November 14, to celebrate the partnership that will enable top ranked St. Francis College to share higher education resources with the students of St. Helen’s School.

Monsignor Al LoPinto and Principal Kathleen Bollinger offered greetings on behalf of St. Helen’s School.

Congressman Robert L. “Bob” Turner, representing New York’s 9^th Congressional district, and proud father of a St. Francis College graduate, joined the celebration and offered the students a math problem to figure of the number of years since he graduated from High School.

“I am proud to be a part of the St. Francis College family. As a former St. Francis parent, it is always my honor to help the school in any way I can,” Congressman Turner said. “I think resource sharing is a fantastic way to better prepare our high school students for the rigors of college and the professional world. I am so pleased that St. Francis College and St. Helen’s School will be working together to provide greater resources to our communities students.”

Addressing the crowd of students from pre-K to eighth graders, St. Francis President Brendan J. Dugan ’68 offered the youngsters a brief history of the College.

“This partnership will give St. Francis College students the opportunity to fulfill their student observations and student teaching requirements in the classrooms of St. Helen’s,” said Dr. Peter Leibman ‘71, Associate Professor in the Education department at St. Francis College. “St. Helens’ teachers have an open ended invitation to participate in professional development at St. Francis and we hope that many of the talented students in the College’s education department will follow in the footsteps of Steve DeLorenzo’08. St. Helen’s students will also be experiencing college life first hand with invitations to academic, cultural and athletic events at the College.”

The event was capped off with a performance of Ode to Joy by member of the St. Helen’s School band.

Attached photo: St. Francis College President Brendan J. Dugan ’68 with St. Helen’s Principal Kathleen Bollinger in the background.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.

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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu