Educational Excellence in the Lasallian Tradition

La Salle Academy
Conducted by the Brothers of the Christian Schools

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

June 2018

Dear La Salle Academy Family and Friends,

Relentless. La Salle Academy is relentless.

By definition, we are persistent, constant, non-stop, never-ending, unabating, incessant, unfaltering, indefatigable,
dogged. C.S. Lewis said that God’s love was relentless in its determination. So, too, has been your love of this school and
the boys that walk her hallways.

My name is Cathy Guerriero, and I am the President of La Salle Academy. This is my Fiscal Year-End State of the
School Letter, one that I have written to you for the last four years, the full time I’ve been at La Salle Academy.

This turnaround at La Salle over the four years has not been easy. This has been hard. The next four years, and our
intense plans and goals for the immediate future – will also be challenging. Now, it’s personal. We – I – have skin in the
game, and (sigh) blood on the scarecrow. But, as the saying goes, it matters not how hard you can hit, but how hard you
can get hit and still, keep moving. Watch us.

Over the last four years, we have been relentless in pulling La Salle off the precipice of closure, relentless in chasing
excellence in the classroom and for our school, and relentless in our pursuit of the organizational consistency, stability
and longevity that our institution – and our boys – so demand and deserve. And so now, we begin. Our perseverance and
relentlessness fortifies our ability to go back home.

We are bringing our boys back to 2nd Street.

Over the next few paragraphs, let me review the summative highlights of the last four years, frame the moving target
of our goals, and allow for an explanation of the shifted narrative at La Salle and new normal of high-powered excellence
and rigor (in and out of the classroom) and what are now the “greatest expectations” of / at La Salle Academy. What was
old is new again, and our return to our ultimate renowned status as one of – if not, the best high school in New York City
is imminent. I congratulate and thank each of you all for your collective love, wisdom and support of this goal: your
fingerprints are all over this turnaround story. I personally, as the President of La Salle Academy, have been driven by
the relentlessness of YOUR hopes and plans for the school, not mine. The situational leadership at La Salle, often shifting
moment to moment as the needs and context warrants, has been quick on its feet to move with our students’ needs. This
path you have chosen for your La Salle hasn’t been easy, but the road less travelled never is, right?

Four years is truly a blink of an eye, but in the life of a high school student, it is their entire world. Four years has been
the time it has taken – one turn of the wheel (incoming freshmen four years ago are now seniors that graduated this month).
It is also the time it has taken for us to all make good on the promises we made to those freshmen four years ago.

44 East Second Street, New York, NY 10003-9269 • 215 East Sixth Street, New York, NY 10003-9269
(212) 475-8940 • FAX (212) 529-3598 and (212) 353-2890
 The new narrative is now one of achieved excellence and a new normal of a continued relentlessness to achieve
three key goals in the next five years:

1. To be, once again, one of – if not THE BEST all-boys Catholic high school in NYC, a school where academic
excellence meets St. John Baptist de La Salle’s pre-eminent charisms of great teaching and mission-centric
compassion. Still, over 87% of our students require tuition assistance to attend La Salle. We continue to serve
them, and others, but now we do so with excellence and intensified rigor.
2. To begin and complete a national-level capital campaign, the likes of which has never been seen on the
high school level.
3. To move back home to 2nd Street. Period. And soon.

Allow me to highlight what we have accomplished in the key areas of finance, development, admissions and
recruitment, academics and programming, as well as this “Year of Assessments”, our Board Governance and Real Estate/
Plans for the Future. Here we go:

Finance

• We have achieved four years of a balanced budget, in the black, and an on-time and accurate audit each year.
• We are just a few short years away from wiping away the considerable debt to the Christian Brothers that was
incurred eight years ago when we moved from 2nd Street.
• Our cash reserves are higher than ever before.

Development

• We have four years of maintained and increased fundraising dollars, at five times the pace of our predecessors,
as demonstrated below:
o In May 2018, nearly 700 guests attended the 27th Annual Spring Gala, La Salle’s largest annual fundraising
event, which raised close to $1.8 million for scholarships. This, compared to four years ago when the event
raised $150,000 with approximately 175 attendees, is outstanding.
o La Salle is on pace to cap off the 2017-18 academic year with approximately $2.7 million in total fundraising
revenue, making it the most successful funding period in La Salle’s 170-year history. And we are not done yet!
o The Lasallian Student Sponsorship Program has seen a significant increase from a mere 30 to nearly 100
donors sponsoring the scholarships of La Salle’s students.
o Quadrupled Development Office staff from one employee in 2014 to four in 2017 to increase alumni
engagement and manage development portfolios. We have held alumni events all over the country, and are
coming to a location near you – look for us!

Admissions and Recruitment

• Three years of enrolling 100+ freshmen each academic year; academic 2018-19 marks our third back to back to
back wait-list freshman class at La Salle.
• The average GPA for incoming freshman is up to a B+/A- range, compared to an incoming freshman GPA
of C+/B- four years ago.

Academics and Programming

• From fall 2016 until now, over 70% of faculty hold Masters degrees and certification in their fields each year, up
from considerably less just four years prior. An expert faculty signals an excellent school, and our faculty are
extraordinary.
 • Over the last four years, we maintained and expanded flagship programming such as: La Salle in the City, La Salle
Works, La Salle Reads, La Salle @2:30, La Salle in the Summer, and most recently added to our repertoire: La Salle
Abroad. La Salle Abroad will whisk a select number of students away to visit Spain this July. Another group of
students will visit Rome in April 2019 and another group will travel to London in Summer 2019.
• La Salle offers over 30 extra-curricular after-school activities as part of La Salle @2:30.
• Over the last four years, we have incorporated additional Advanced Placement courses into our curriculum as
well as additional electives with opportunity for La Salle students to receive college credit through our academic
partners, La Salle University and Manhattan College.
• Thanks to our growing partnership with neighbor, The Cooper Union, La Salle students have a one-of-a-kind
opportunity to participate in cutting-edge STEAM curriculum.
• The famed La Salle Academy Band was resurrected in 2016, and will double in size in 2018-19.
• La Salle has a storied tradition of excellence on the athletic field as well as in the classroom. In the 2016-17
academic year, La Salle Academy won five city championships (varsity and JV bowling, varsity and JV baseball
and varsity basketball) and the varsity basketball team went on to win the New York State Federation
Championship for the first time in school history in March 2017. This past academic year, we won one city
championship in JV bowling, and our JV and varsity baseball and basketball teams all made the quarterfinals.
Our state championship basketball team came in as runner-up for the city title, and our four-peat bowling
champs also came in second. Not too shabby.

Graduation

• 99-100% of the last four graduating classes have been accepted to college/university.
• Over 90% of the last four graduating classes have been college-bound. The remaining percentage in each year
joined the armed forces or workforce, with an increasing number of brave Lasallians choosing to enlist in the
Marines. Nice.
• Graduating classes have received over $15 million in scholarships and grants to attend college for two years
running, 4x higher than three years ago when they received only $3.5 million.

Assessments

• The 2017-18 academic period at La Salle Academy will be remembered as the year of assessments. The La Salle
Academy administration went through two grueling assessment processes to evaluate the school’s educational
quality as well as the Catholic and Lasallian character of the school based on the mission of St. John Baptist de
La Salle. And the results have been nothing less than stellar. As my Dad would say, talk is cheap; shut up and play,
and prove it. And so we did…

o La Salle received an “exceeding national expectations” evaluation in its 2018 report in fall 2017, followed by
a Certificate of Accreditation in May 2018 from the from the Middle States Association, provided every
seven years and considered the gold standard for academic excellence. We got special recognition for our
attention to mission, our English Department and our management staff, including finance. They also said the
place was so clean that you could “eat off the floors.” Love it.

o On assessing the school’s Catholic charism, the Lasallian Mission Assessment Process is administered
by the Christian Brothers every seven years. La Salle Academy was blessed to have been given an
exceptionally positive review (“with commendation”) by the Christian Brothers of the District of Eastern
North America. We were particularly commended for our “special attention to the mission of serving the
poor without exception.”
Board Governance

• We have reinvigorated and expanded our Board of Trustees:

o New Chairman of the Board, Salvatore LaRocca ’82, has brought a thoughtful and keen eye and focus on
transparency and faculty relations. He has lasered in on our real estate plans to return to 2nd Street.
o Two new vice Co-Vice Chairmen, Martin J. Cottingham ’88 and Carl M. Gambino ’76
o Doubled the number of Brothers who sit on the Board
o Expanded the number of women on the Board to now four and counting

Real Estate/Plans for the Future

• In response to increased enrollment and in a push to get back home to 2nd Street, La Salle embarked on a major
expansion project in summer 2017, increasing our school space to a full one-third more capacity. We now
populate three floors in our school building on 6th Street.

• We have a set of plans for our return to 2nd Street. Co-Vice Chair Marty Cottingham and the Trustees have
been hard at work on this, and will be announcing our plans in the coming months. We have a few short years
left on the lease at 6th Street, and although we have expanded our footprint to a 3rd floor, our time there grows
short. Simply, the building has outgrown our school’s needs.

You have the data, now let me tell you a story.

Over the Christmas break, a former faculty member reached out to me to tell me about a La Salle alumnus who was
having a tough time. You see, “Joseph” graduated from La Salle in 2016 and went on to attend SUNY Canton. He came
home for college recess and found himself abandoned by his family, which led to Joseph de-matriculating from college.
He was left to his own devices. Joseph is now living in a NYC men’s homeless shelter.

I met Joseph for dinner at a diner where he tells me this story. In the two months since he found himself homeless
and out of school, he lands two full-time jobs, working a combined 80 hours a week at both Nordstrom and Whole
Foods, and is taking two classes at BMCC, all the while never missing Mass. As I’m taking notes, I’m thinking about how
I will try to fix his situation. I pick at the fries on the plate in front of me, and he stops me and says, “We have to say grace,
Dr. Guerriero, you know, because we have to be thankful, right?” I thought to myself – forget about me fixing this kid, he is
a superstar. This young man is resilient and yes, relentless. At the core of his being, he has all he needs, just like all of the
La Salle boys I have ever met.

Still, La Salle needs your help. The need has never been so great. Your Lasallian brother, Joseph, has never needed
you more than he needs you right now, just like any of the 350 students who roam our hallways. Please. Give us your
time, treasure and talent. In the days that follow, we’ll be coming at you with alumni events, new programs, requests of
time and resources. Now is the time. Game. On.

Live, Jesus, in our Hearts. Forever!

Catherine L. Guerriero, Ph.D., M.P.A.

President, La Salle Academy