Farewell
Helen Donoghue, RN
began her career as School
Nurse at Fordham Prep in
February 1999. She is the proud
mother of two Prep alumni:
William ’00 and Andrew ’02.
Mrs. Donoghue’s commitment
to the values of Catholic, Jesuit
education is rooted in her deep faith, a commitment to
family and genuine care for each student and colleague
who seeks her help, advice and counsel. Her spirit of
collaboration and care is a reflection of her love for
Fordham Prep and generosity of service to those in need.
She has graced our community as a true colleague and
friend to all. We thank Helen for her many years of service
and wish her all the best in her retirement!
Geraldine Downey began her
career at Fordham Prep in 1993
as our Attendance Officer in the
Office of the Dean of Students.
For more than two decades, she
has served our students with
tremendous care and a heart of
gold. She and her late husband,
Jim, put three sons through
Jesuit high schools: Jimmy (Regis), Brian ’95 and Michael
’99. Mrs. Downey’s deep faith and commitment to
Catholic, Jesuit education shines through as a wife,
mother, colleague and friend to us all.
We know Mrs. Downey to be fiercely loyal and honest,
telling it like it is to thousands of students who came her
way looking for lost items, asking questions and seeking
direction. She has been the voice of Fordham Prep for all
these years, and will be greatly missed. As one lifelong
colleague shared, “The PA system will never be the same.”
We thank Mrs. Downey for her service, her love and all
that she has done and will continue to do with grace and
compassion each day!
Suzanne Henry began her
career at Fordham Prep in 1981
in the Mathematics Department
and became the first woman to
be a tenured Math teacher at
the Prep. She also served as
Registrar for several years.
Over the past 36 years, Mrs
Henry always demonstrated a tremendous amount of
care for her students. She was always ready to try new
things in class, such as having students make 3D models,
60 | RA MVIE W
trigonometry dioramas, or calculator art. Her students
sang the Quadratic Formula, and she always had the
best-decorated classroom for every holiday. Even her
jewelry and stockings told you what holiday it was!
Mrs. Henry was involved in co-curricular activities, e.g.,
guiding our student leaders as moderator of Student
Government. Most recently, she started the Mathletics
Club for students interested in Math puzzles.
Thank you, Mrs. Henry, for your service to the faculty,
staff and students of Fordham Prep. You will be missed.
Theresa Napoli began her
career at Fordham Prep in 2003
as Director of the Higher
Achievement Program. In 2005,
she joined the administration
as Assistant Principal for
Academics and Student Life. In
both roles, she has
demonstrated an extraordinary
care for students, especially those who experienced
challenges navigating academic life at the Prep. She also
served as a dedicated classroom teacher of freshman
level Biology Honors for several years.
The Fordham Prep community congratulates Mrs. Napoli
on her appointment as Principal of St. Barnabas High
School in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx. She will
begin her tenure at St. Barnabas in July.
Our community is deeply grateful for Mrs. Napoli’s dedication
to the mission of Fordham Prep and the loving care which
has been a hallmark of her service and leadership.
Mella O’Halloran joined the
Prep staff in 2009. For the past
eight years, she has served
Fordham Prep with generosity,
dedication and care as our
Administrative Coordinator. A
close colleague shared, “Mella’s
exceptional work ethic goes
above and beyond. She is
helpful, kind and compassionate to all. She is a dynamo
of love, energy, strength and dedication.”
Mella and Tom are proud parents of two sons who are
alumni of Jesuit schools, Ryan (Regis HS) and John ’09.
We are grateful to Mella for all that she has done to serve
our mission, our students and families, and our faculty
and staff. She will be greatly missed.