Kennedy recognizes its alumni

High school's walk continues to raise scholarship funds

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The sun beamed down on Aug. 13 as members of Bellmore JFK Alumni Inc., the Kennedy High School alumni association, prepared to continue paving the Cougar Walk of Recognition.

Alumni, friends and families gathered to install bricks bearing the names of alumni near the football fields of Kennedy High. The project, which started in November 2014, raises money to provide scholarships for graduating seniors and to give back to the Kennedy community.

“The project really has a dual purpose,” said Ronald Steiger, the group’s public relations director and president of the class of 1972. “We started this Cougar Walk of Recognition to raise funds for scholarships, to help beautify the grounds of the school and to build a place for students to hang out and do schoolwork outside.”

Steiger, who graduated from Kennedy High in 1972, spearheaded the project with help from the alumni association and community. “We’ve had many companies provide their services for irrigation, landscaping and electric free of charge for this project,” Steiger said. “All contributors have been great, and this is their way of giving back to their community.”

Eileen Connolly, who was Kennedy’s assistant principal for 19 years before retiring last year, said the names on the bricks are more than they appear. “We have bricks of parents’ names with their graduation year, and nearby is their child’s name who also graduated from the same school as their parents,” Connolly said. “Generations of families are on there, as well as bricks that are in memoriam of alumni that have passed away.”

In addition, Connolly said, bricks have been dedicated to administrators, teachers and staff members. Since 2014, Steiger estimated, about 500 bricks have been laid down, and 12 benches have been added.

“The Bellmore JFK. Inc. alumni association is proud to present the Cougar Walk of Recognition, weighing in at 88 thousand pounds and 2 ounces,” Steiger said with a laugh. “It’s an ongoing project, but so far we’ve laid out 88 thousand pounds of brick, and each one is special to us.”

As long as the project is kept alive, Connolly said, dozens of scholarships will be funded for future graduates. “This project is so special and so important because not only can the community honor their loved ones by putting their names on a brick, but they’re also helping fund scholarships for students,” she said. “Each year it gets bigger and bigger, and we’re hoping to help give out a tremendous amount of scholarships in the future as we have been giving out already.”

Bellmore JFK, Inc. is a nonprofit organization, so each brick that is purchased is tax-deductable. “Each year we’re going to continue to do this project so every student that graduates from Kennedy has the opportunity to purchase a brick with their name on it for the Cougar Walk of Recognition,” Steiger said. “Each purchase contributes to the community in a big way.”

Gary Morganstern, president of the alumni association and class of 1973 graduate, said the project hits close to home for many. “This community is a great place to live. It’s a great place to raise children. And that’s evident in the names that are on the bricks,” he said. “Parents who graduate from Kennedy have children who also graduate from the same school. Alumni are everywhere in town, and that says a lot about the community we live in.”

Morganstern credits the alumni association’s success to Connolly, calling her a “leader and true friend to us all who started the association and just ran with it.”
“Even though I retired from Kennedy, I’m still active with the association,” Connolly said. “It’s my baby. It’s a passion of mine. And I firmly believe there are so many people in the community who take pride in their school. People stay here and raise their children so this project is a perfect example of the community supporting each other.”

Community members interested in purchasing bricks through the association’s “Buy a Brick” fundraiser may do so by visiting www.BellmoreJFKAlumni.org/alumni_projects.