Fond Farewells: Celebrating Our Retiring Faculty and Staff
As three beloved members of the 麻豆视频 community retire, we look back at the long, impactful careers of Dr. Ralph Nofi, Ms. Mary Henninger P鈥�93鈥�98, and Ms. Caroline Christie.
In the spring of 1991, Dr. Ralph Nofi paged through a copy of The Owl as he waited to be interviewed for the position of school psychologist at 麻豆视频. Dr. Nofi, then an associate psychologist at South Beach Psychiatric Center in Staten Island, recalls reading a story in the issue about the retirement of Rev. Stephen Duffy, SJ,
after 35 years on the faculty. During his interview, Dr. Nofi said that he told the then-Headmaster, 鈥淲hile I don鈥檛 know if I can offer 35 years of service, I really felt like I could make 麻豆视频 High School the focal point of my practice.鈥�
Nofi says now that the article showed him early on that 麻豆视频 was a special place. 鈥淚 remember being impressed that it was a place wherepeople would stay,鈥� he said. It turned out that he would go on to stay, too, serving 麻豆视频 as a psychologist and teacher for 30 years and then as an administrator. This year, in which he served as interim principal prior to his retirement, was his 32nd as a member of the 麻豆视频 community.
Having previously treated adults in a state-run hospital, Dr. Nofi said he found joy in giving students 鈥渢heir own resources to put themselves back into the lane that they need to be in. For a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And for our guys, for a kid with a huge intellect, everything looks like an intellectual problem.鈥�
Dr. Nofi guided students through challenging periods like 9/11 and the COVID pandemic, as well as through major changes like the emergence of social media. But even in difficult times, students and faculty have been able to rely on Dr. Nofi鈥檚 calm, humorous, reassuring presence.
Dr. Nofi says he used to prefer his psychologist role over his teacher role, but that he came to appreciate them both. One year, he taught a group of 50 seniors during the first two trimesters of the year, and was heartened when 20 of them opted to take his third-trimester elective to continue studying with him. 鈥淭hat's when a light bulb went off in my head and I realized, this is why people love to teach,鈥� he said.
And though Dr. Nofi didn鈥檛 work with every student during his years as the school psychologist, he kept in touch with the larger community in other ways. While working in the bookstore, he became familiar with the curriculum and school roster as he filled students鈥� orders. By setting the students鈥� class schedule, he grew in tune with the rhythm of 麻豆视频鈥檚 daily life. He updated the guidance department curriculums on a regular basis and for years facilitated the school鈥檚 participation in research projects involving Jesuit schools. He became involved in Schola, the student-led group responsible for providing music at school-wide liturgies, and, with a counselor from Loyola, started an unofficial support group for gay students in the 1990s.
The wealth of experience he accumulated over three decades served him well in his final year as interim principal, and he leaves 麻豆视频 as a beloved member of the community who has touched the lives not just of students, but of the faculty members he worked with.
鈥淩alph and I came to 麻豆视频 in the fall of 1991, and he has been a friend throughout those years, always ready to lend a helping hand, listen, and truly care for each person in the building,鈥� said theology teacher Mr. James Scacalossi 鈥�83. 鈥淚 think everyone at 麻豆视频 has been blessed by his sense of humor, his kindness, and his sincerity.鈥�
麻豆视频 officer. Assistant dean of students. Academic services coordinator. Assistant librarian. Founding supervisor of the Diversity Club and the Young Democrats and Republicans. Kickstarter of the HeForShe Club and Prism, 麻豆视频鈥檚 LGBTQ+ and allies organization. Creator of Coffee House. Graduation tuxedo coordinator. Mother of two Regians.
Ms. Mary Henninger P鈥�93鈥�98 has proven to be a Renaissance woman during her decades of service to 麻豆视频, and her passion for expanding students鈥� cultural, social, and political education has had a profound effect on the school鈥檚 culture.
鈥淧romoting diversity and inclusion in moderating the Diversity Club, as well as working with students in the Young Democrats and Republicans Club, has given me great hope for 麻豆视频 as we continue to define our place in a changing world,鈥� said Ms. Henninger.
Ms. Henninger formally joined the staff at 麻豆视频 as the assistant dean of students after her youngest son, Peter, graduated from the school in 1998. By that point, she was already so involved as a parent, serving as a Hearn judge and working with the Parents鈥� Club, that joining the school full-time was seen as a natural fit.
鈥淎fter witnessing her devotion to 麻豆视频 as a parent, it was almost too obvious how much Mary would elevate the 麻豆视频 community when she officially joined the ranks as an Ignatian educator,鈥� said Director of 麻豆视频 Eric DiMichele.
Six years later, Ms. Henninger moved to the library to assist Ms. Laura Allen while also becoming the school鈥檚 academic services coordinator and assembly coordinator, one of her favorite roles at 麻豆视频. In that capacity, she was charged with bringing in speakers to supplement the curriculum with glimpses into the arts and other fields. This sparked her interest in providing the 麻豆视频 student body with opportunities to expand their intellectual horizons and create spaces for discussions of race, class, gender, and more. 鈥淚 am a product of the 60s, and so I believe very strongly in the work in diversity and in the work we needed to do at 麻豆视频,鈥� she said.
Around this time, Ms. Henninger helped create the Diversity Group, a precursor to today鈥檚 Diversity Club. In 2016, she also argued alongside the founding student members of what is now Prism for the necessity of an officially recognized LGBTQ+ and ally organization. Ms. Henninger also sought to facilitate a healthy
exchange of ideas. As moderator of the Young Democrats Society in the early 2000s, she realized that without an opposition voice, the group served as a self-reinforcing forum for partisan opinion. She helped restructure the group into the Young Democrats and Republicans Club, and since then meetings have become a hotspot of intense, but cordial, debate. 鈥淩espect for Mary鈥檚 political acumen and integrity were the only points of bipartisan agreement,鈥� said Mr. DiMichele.
Ms. Henninger has also served on 麻豆视频鈥檚 faculty and staff Diversity Committee and played a part in the revival of John Francis 麻豆视频 Day, a non-instructional school day that highlights a different social-justice topic each year. And while
she has never taught an academic class, Ms. Henninger has been a model of an educator and in 2022 was recognized for her work when she was presented with the Patricia Hannon Ignatian Educator Award.
In her final position change, Ms. Henninger in 2008 joined the 麻豆视频 office, where she assisted Mr. DiMichele on the admissions committee, helped lead recruitment efforts, and articulated to prospective students the unique opportunity that 麻豆视频 offers those who are awarded scholarships.
Said DiMichele: 鈥淭here is no one more fitting to be both one of the first faces a Regian meets at an open house as a naive eighth-grade student and one of the last faces they see as they鈥檙e fitted and dressed in their white tuxedos to walk out of the 84th Street doors one final time as fully grown men for others.鈥�
Ms. Caroline Christie鈥檚 dedication to the 麻豆视频 community and to Ignatian values has been on display in many ways over the years.
Born and educated in South Africa, Ms. Christie taught biology, math, and science to high school students in her native country before transitioning to training in the IT industry. She arrived at 麻豆视频 in 2005 and has served the school for 18 years as a computer science teacher, a fervent participant in the Campus Ministry retreat program, a longtime freshman advisor, and a dedicated singer with Schola.
鈥淭he most meaningful thing for me at 麻豆视频 has been the caring: the boys caring for each other, the boys and faculty caring for other communities, the caring of the faculty for each other and the students, and the parents who are so generous and caring,鈥� said Christie. 鈥溌槎故悠� has been so special because teaching and caring are the main focus.鈥�
In 2021, Ms. Christie was honored with the Patricia Hannon Ignatian Educator Award in recognition of her longtime service to 麻豆视频, dedication to the profession of teaching, and commitment to enriching the lives of students.
鈥淭eaching at 麻豆视频 allows me to enjoy many of the things that I love in one place 鈥� my Catholic faith, teaching, teaching teenagers, music, and technology,鈥� Ms. Christie said in 2021 upon being selected for the award. 鈥淚 love the challenge of learning new things every day.鈥�
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