Communication: You may have noticed an uptick (understatement!
) of emails and letters during La Salle Academy
my still new tenure. This has translated into increased alumni giving, but also increased
partnerships and vigorous communication between LSA and our family. I answer personally
every email and letter – EVERY ONE. Some of you may find this explosion of requests and
information-sharing a bit much, but I am a “what you see is what you get” kind of gal. As a
pitcher, I threw fastballs – not a finesse player (shock!), and I have been throwing my heart out
every day for LSA. I have put together a top-notch team and we work really hard to get it right and
get it going. There is no shame in asking for what we need. I am grateful for your patience;
however, as we find the right balance … maybe even learn to throw a change-up or a knuckler!
We have reconstructed our website, and added a campus store to the offerings –check us out at
www.lasalleacademy.org. If any of you have any contacts of fellow alums that are not on our lists,
please ask them to call me directly.
Casey Stengel once said “Does anyone know how to play this game?” Well, yes, I do, sir –
I do. I play a game filled with heart and guts, with gumption and a never-say-die attitude. I come
early and stay late, and never tire of shagging flies while I get ready for the big game. La Salle is
in the game of its institutional life, literally, and we – YOU – have just tied the game up. We have
a great team and a deep bench, albeit a bit of a loud coach (me, sigh …). But you gotta love our
chances.
My Grandfather – a career longshoreman and a former minor league ballplayer, never
missed a game of mine as a kid. He would whisper in my ear on my way to the plate “…Keep your
eye on the ball, Cathy Lee, and just dig in. Dig in.”
La Salle, this is me digging in. Let’s dig in together.
Cathy
4 1
Conducted by the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Office of the President
January 2015
Dear Lasallian Family,
It is with great humility and gratitude that I reach out to you at the start of 2015, a very new
year for La Salle Academy. This “La Salle Academy Presidential New Year’s Address” is part of
a new tradition to keep you informed about the progress and activities at our beloved La Salle. I
hope you will value the candid manner in which these details will be conveyed, even when they
are not absolutes. Our alumni and friends, as well as our present student body, are La Salle’s
primary constituents and deserve to be in the know.
I have been the President now at La Salle for six months, and in that time much has been
done, but much remains to be done. Life can be seen as a ballgame, and if that is so, well – my
Presidency is in the first pitch of the first inning. The game has changed for La Salle, and this is a
good thing. Everywhere in New York, La Salle’s re-emergence is in on the minds and hearts of
educators, students and parents alike. In fact, I am often asked to “confirm the rumors” of La
Salle’s prowess.
During these first 180 days, La Salle has gotten under my skin. Those of you who already
love La Salle know exactly how that happened. In those six months, I have met hundreds of LSA
men and their families. My parents have taught me to do my “business” in life face to face, and I
have been doing just that. If I haven’t met you, I am coming soon! Each month, there is an open
dinner – a “Conversation with the President” at the La Salle Annex on Second Street, and I would
love to have you join me. I will also begin to travel over the next 12 months to visit those of you
in other parts of the country – Florida, California, and more. Stay tuned!
Your voices continue to inform my goals for LSA. Your ambitions for your school are my
ambitions. LSA’s ultimate goal of fiscal stability and institutional longevity remains a tough road.
However, it is clear by multiple indicators that our viability is back, and that we are “on the move”
once again. Allow me to elaborate, as well as outline our priorities for this coming year.
Installation: I want to first thank each of you – and the Christian Brothers – for the joy of
my Installation in November. It was truly a momentous day for La Salle as “all eyes” were on
(over, please)
44 East Second Street • New York, NY 10003-9269 • (212) 475-8940 • FAX (212) 529-3598
us once again.
The celebration included three events: the First Annual Alumni Day – with a capacity
crowd at our old gym, over 200 alum and families; the Presidential Installation Ceremony – held
at The Church of the Nativity, where I was formally installed to carry on the mission of St. John
Baptist de La Salle; and the Installation Dinner – where we again held a capacity crowd at our
original home and hundreds of La Salle’s supporters helped us celebrate and raise over $750,000
towards the mission of our school.
New Students: Since September, when we brought in the largest freshman class in many
years – 104 frosh – we have been capitalizing on the momentum of increased student interest in La
Salle Academy. We plan to have an even larger freshman class in 2015. Our goal – as outlined at
the Installation – is to move aggressively toward 500 students in just a few short years. We have
analyzed that 500 students – up from our present 350 – would be an ideal number, and student
interest appears to match this analysis. However, we continue to be at over-capacity at our present
location at the St. George School on 6th Street. The need for additional space continues to press
us, and has not been answered yet. Our Trustees will be engaging in a Spring semester planning
process that will endeavor to answer this question moving forward. We will be asking and
engaging all of you in this process, and your input will be needed and valued. Do we move back
home to 2nd Street? Do we stay where we are at 6th Street? Is there a door # 3?
Coed: The announcement at Thanksgiving of our Trustees’ decision to open the door to
female students is also a key part of this narrative. Because of our increasingly solid finances, this
is not an immediate need, but rather, a move towards a longer strategic plan to solidify the next
168 years at LSA. Girls will not enter the halls of La Salle till we are ready - and space, finances
and recruitment will force this practical reality to be years away. But - they are coming. And when
they come – we will be ready, rest assured.
Academic Rigor: We have been focused on ratcheting up our academic prowess as well:
additional computer labs, 3D printers, hydroponic growing systems, and additional resources in
the Guidance Office were our first steps this past September. On the table for next academic year:
increased language offerings, distance learning systems to increase our advanced placement
offerings, a renewed Office of School Ministry and a new focus on superior writing skills for
every student. Finally, we are proud to announce that our incoming freshman class will be
piloting our IPad-LSA Program. Every incoming freshman will be given an IPad as part of his
curriculum. IPad-LSA is in its earliest stages, and we are just getting started. Our Principal
Brother William has been stewarding our academic ship ever-forward, and LSA owes him a huge
debt for his fortitude.
2 3
Partners: Partnerships will be a priority for 2015. This summer, we will be announcing
the formal details of our blossoming partnership with The Cooper Union for the Advancement of
Science and Art, one of the nation's oldest and most distinguished institutions of higher learning.
La Salle will be sharing space and curriculum with Cooper Union, and opening up doors of
engineering, architecture, the arts and robotics to our students at a level not seen inside a high
school in NYC. We have also begun to speak with other institutions of higher learning that have
expressed an interest in partnering with LSA. These collaborations will enhance our efforts to
make sure every student graduates from La Salle well-prepared for college.
Special Programming: La Salle in the City – our “action education curriculum” has
exploded since its inception in September. Our juniors went to Salem, Massachusetts, as part of
reading the Crucible, while a set of students visited the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Our French Club will be going to New Orleans in February, while our seniors will be going to
Washington D.C. in the Spring. Finally, our entire student and faculty body will be marching in
the St. Patrick’s Day parade in March.
Dozens of our upperclassmen have been now successfully engaged in internships as part of
La SalleWorks. Real world work experiences and skill sets will now be part of the Lasallian
students’ tool belt. Lectures and special classes – Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and NYC
Politics will be added to the elective curriculum as well. We need your help, friends, so if you
have an internship site for one of our boys, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Fundraising: In addition to the monies raised in the Installation, our Development Office
is on a record tear this fiscal year, and we owe that all to each of you. The consistent and generous
giving from alumni and our friends has astounded me, and the demands are great. We need you, to
be blunt. The needs for a growing La Salle are severe, inclusive of the understanding that just a
few short years ago, we were on our backs and incurred debt. However, we are emerging and
getting stronger each day. Now, the high student enrollment and desire to compete with ALL
private and parochial high schools requires additional resources. Knowing that your resources are
going to a vibrant and explosive campus has translated into more giving, and we are grateful. Our
fundraising now has a laser-like focus on providing additional scholarships to our students, so that
we can provide the financial aide needed to recruit and retain the very best students, regardless of
the economic status. Please consider giving to our La Salle Sponsors program with the knowledge
that every penny goes directly to tuition aide. We are also beginning to focus on our anemic
foundation / grants monies, and need all the help we can get from our illustrious alumni to help us
get the foot in the door – I ask you to provide contacts and resources if you have them so that we
might vie successfully for foundation funding.
(over, please)
us once again.
The celebration included three events: the First Annual Alumni Day – with a capacity
crowd at our old gym, over 200 alum and families; the Presidential Installation Ceremony – held
at The Church of the Nativity, where I was formally installed to carry on the mission of St. John
Baptist de La Salle; and the Installation Dinner – where we again held a capacity crowd at our
original home and hundreds of La Salle’s supporters helped us celebrate and raise over $750,000
towards the mission of our school.
New Students: Since September, when we brought in the largest freshman class in many
years – 104 frosh – we have been capitalizing on the momentum of increased student interest in La
Salle Academy. We plan to have an even larger freshman class in 2015. Our goal – as outlined at
the Installation – is to move aggressively toward 500 students in just a few short years. We have
analyzed that 500 students – up from our present 350 – would be an ideal number, and student
interest appears to match this analysis. However, we continue to be at over-capacity at our present
location at the St. George School on 6th Street. The need for additional space continues to press
us, and has not been answered yet. Our Trustees will be engaging in a Spring semester planning
process that will endeavor to answer this question moving forward. We will be asking and
engaging all of you in this process, and your input will be needed and valued. Do we move back
home to 2nd Street? Do we stay where we are at 6th Street? Is there a door # 3?
Coed: The announcement at Thanksgiving of our Trustees’ decision to open the door to
female students is also a key part of this narrative. Because of our increasingly solid finances, this
is not an immediate need, but rather, a move towards a longer strategic plan to solidify the next
168 years at LSA. Girls will not enter the halls of La Salle till we are ready - and space, finances
and recruitment will force this practical reality to be years away. But - they are coming. And when
they come – we will be ready, rest assured.
Academic Rigor: We have been focused on ratcheting up our academic prowess as well:
additional computer labs, 3D printers, hydroponic growing systems, and additional resources in
the Guidance Office were our first steps this past September. On the table for next academic year:
increased language offerings, distance learning systems to increase our advanced placement
offerings, a renewed Office of School Ministry and a new focus on superior writing skills for
every student. Finally, we are proud to announce that our incoming freshman class will be
piloting our IPad-LSA Program. Every incoming freshman will be given an IPad as part of his
curriculum. IPad-LSA is in its earliest stages, and we are just getting started. Our Principal
Brother William has been stewarding our academic ship ever-forward, and LSA owes him a huge
debt for his fortitude.
2 3
Partners: Partnerships will be a priority for 2015. This summer, we will be announcing
the formal details of our blossoming partnership with The Cooper Union for the Advancement of
Science and Art, one of the nation's oldest and most distinguished institutions of higher learning.
La Salle will be sharing space and curriculum with Cooper Union, and opening up doors of
engineering, architecture, the arts and robotics to our students at a level not seen inside a high
school in NYC. We have also begun to speak with other institutions of higher learning that have
expressed an interest in partnering with LSA. These collaborations will enhance our efforts to
make sure every student graduates from La Salle well-prepared for college.
Special Programming: La Salle in the City – our “action education curriculum” has
exploded since its inception in September. Our juniors went to Salem, Massachusetts, as part of
reading the Crucible, while a set of students visited the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Our French Club will be going to New Orleans in February, while our seniors will be going to
Washington D.C. in the Spring. Finally, our entire student and faculty body will be marching in
the St. Patrick’s Day parade in March.
Dozens of our upperclassmen have been now successfully engaged in internships as part of
La SalleWorks. Real world work experiences and skill sets will now be part of the Lasallian
students’ tool belt. Lectures and special classes – Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and NYC
Politics will be added to the elective curriculum as well. We need your help, friends, so if you
have an internship site for one of our boys, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Fundraising: In addition to the monies raised in the Installation, our Development Office
is on a record tear this fiscal year, and we owe that all to each of you. The consistent and generous
giving from alumni and our friends has astounded me, and the demands are great. We need you, to
be blunt. The needs for a growing La Salle are severe, inclusive of the understanding that just a
few short years ago, we were on our backs and incurred debt. However, we are emerging and
getting stronger each day. Now, the high student enrollment and desire to compete with ALL
private and parochial high schools requires additional resources. Knowing that your resources are
going to a vibrant and explosive campus has translated into more giving, and we are grateful. Our
fundraising now has a laser-like focus on providing additional scholarships to our students, so that
we can provide the financial aide needed to recruit and retain the very best students, regardless of
the economic status. Please consider giving to our La Salle Sponsors program with the knowledge
that every penny goes directly to tuition aide. We are also beginning to focus on our anemic
foundation / grants monies, and need all the help we can get from our illustrious alumni to help us
get the foot in the door – I ask you to provide contacts and resources if you have them so that we
might vie successfully for foundation funding.
(over, please)
Communication: You may have noticed an uptick (understatement!) of emails and letters during
my still new tenure. This has translated into increased alumni giving, but also increased
partnerships and vigorous communication between LSA and our family. I answer personally
every email and letter – EVERY ONE. Some of you may find this explosion of requests and
information-sharing a bit much, but I am a “what you see is what you get” kind of gal. As a
pitcher, I threw fastballs – not a finesse player (shock!), and I have been throwing my heart out
every day for LSA. I have put together a top-notch team and we work really hard to get it right and
get it going. There is no shame in asking for what we need. I am grateful for your patience;
however, as we find the right balance … maybe even learn to throw a change-up or a knuckler!
We have reconstructed our website, and added a campus store to the offerings –check us out at
www.lasalleacademy.org. If any of you have any contacts of fellow alums that are not on our lists,
please ask them to call me directly.
Casey Stengel once said “Does anyone know how to play this game?” Well, yes, I do, sir –
I do. I play a game filled with heart and guts, with gumption and a never-say-die attitude. I come
early and stay late, and never tire of shagging flies while I get ready for the big game. La Salle is
in the game of its institutional life, literally, and we – YOU – have just tied the game up. We have
a great team and a deep bench, albeit a bit of a loud coach (me, sigh …). But you gotta love our
chances.
My Grandfather – a career longshoreman and a former minor league ballplayer, never
missed a game of mine as a kid. He would whisper in my ear on my way to the plate “…Keep your
eye on the ball, Cathy Lee, and just dig in. Dig in.”
La Salle, this is me digging in. Let’s dig in together.
Cathy
4 1
La Salle Academy
Conducted by the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Office of the President
January 2015
Dear Lasallian Family,
It is with great humility and gratitude that I reach out to you at the start of 2015, a very new
year for La Salle Academy. This “La Salle Academy Presidential New Year’s Address” is part of
a new tradition to keep you informed about the progress and activities at our beloved La Salle. I
hope you will value the candid manner in which these details will be conveyed, even when they
are not absolutes. Our alumni and friends, as well as our present student body, are La Salle’s
primary constituents and deserve to be in the know.
I have been the President now at La Salle for six months, and in that time much has been
done, but much remains to be done. Life can be seen as a ballgame, and if that is so, well – my
Presidency is in the first pitch of the first inning. The game has changed for La Salle, and this is a
good thing. Everywhere in New York, La Salle’s re-emergence is in on the minds and hearts of
educators, students and parents alike. In fact, I am often asked to “confirm the rumors” of La
Salle’s prowess.
During these first 180 days, La Salle has gotten under my skin. Those of you who already
love La Salle know exactly how that happened. In those six months, I have met hundreds of LSA
men and their families. My parents have taught me to do my “business” in life face to face, and I
have been doing just that. If I haven’t met you, I am coming soon! Each month, there is an open
dinner – a “Conversation with the President” at the La Salle Annex on Second Street, and I would
love to have you join me. I will also begin to travel over the next 12 months to visit those of you
in other parts of the country – Florida, California, and more. Stay tuned!
Your voices continue to inform my goals for LSA. Your ambitions for your school are my
ambitions. LSA’s ultimate goal of fiscal stability and institutional longevity remains a tough road.
However, it is clear by multiple indicators that our viability is back, and that we are “on the move”
once again. Allow me to elaborate, as well as outline our priorities for this coming year.
Installation: I want to first thank each of you – and the Christian Brothers – for the joy of
my Installation in November. It was truly a momentous day for La Salle as “all eyes” were on
(over, please)
44 East Second Street • New York, NY 10003-9269 • (212) 475-8940 • FAX (212) 529-3598