School Voices: “An All Hallows Man”

Mr. Nicholas Corrado 
Vice Principal for Academics
All Hallows High School
New York, NY 

This week’s voice belongs to Mr. Nicholas Corrado, Vice Principal for Academics and Chairperson of the History Department at All Hallows High School, a private Catholic high school for young men. Founded in 1909 and located in the Bronx borough of New York City, All Hallows High School enrolls 500 students in grades 9-12. 

Recreating Normal With Online Clubs

Every day during the pandemic has been a learning experience. When we shifted to distance learning, we set up a daily schedule for the students to follow as part of our effort to re-create as normal an academic day as possible. If we continue to be online this September, or if we have hybrid in-person and online learning, we’re planning to implement a daily period dedicated to club activities. The students have expressed to us that they want an opportunity like this because they really miss the interaction and activities. We are trying to meet that need, so activities will take place either online or in-person, whether it’s Model G20, Model UN, Nubian Studies, National Hispanic Institute, Mock Trial, Bible Studies, Faith Sharing, or Mentoring in Medicine. Essentially, we’re trying to find a way to translate all of the clubs and extracurricular activities into a distance learning format so we can give the students more than just the core academic subjects. Extracurricular activities allow students the opportunity to take on leadership roles and to pursue their passions. They instill a sense of confidence and allow students to build their résumés and show skills and interests outside the classroom.

Four Words That Don’t Exist

No one falls through the cracks at All Hallows High School. We’re a small school where everyone knows each other’s names. No matter where you come from, no matter what your life experiences may be, we’re going to do everything in our power to get you to succeed.

Freshmen are told there are four words that don’t exist at All Hallows: “won’t,” “can’t,” “quit,” and “fail.” We do not allow those words in our vocabulary. When the students come in, they realize there’s nothing we won’t do to ensure success, and there’s nothing we can’t do because we’re in this together. We can and will figure it out together, and we’ll never quit on them. This is the community mantra for students, teachers, administrators — for everyone in the building. We are always there to support each other. This school is a special place that brings out the best in everybody.

Learn, Earn, and Return

The best way I can put it is that we form a brotherhood at All Hallows. Students come in as freshmen, and by the time they are upperclassmen, you see the transition has taken place. They become “All Hallows Men.”

An All Hallows Man is a young man who has matured emotionally, socially, academically, and spiritually to a level that reflects responsibility for his own growth and actions. He is committed to justice and stands with those who face poverty and injustice, and he has a love of learning and intellectual curiosity. He understands and respects the tenets of the Catholic Church, appreciates those who are different from himself culturally, spiritually, and racially, and has the capacity to embrace challenge and change because of a solid belief in his own abilities and worth.

You watch that transition year in and year out and feel nothing but pride as a faculty. They do themselves proud, they do their families proud, and they do All Hallows proud. We have a mantra here at All Hallows High School: “Learn, Earn, and Return.” And these young men do.