Catholic schools are magnets for legacy families
Once you come to St. Paul School, you never want to leave!”
And the way Darlene Dunn sees it, she never really did leave.
Though Dunn graduated from the Burlington school in 1971, the longtime affinity she had for her alma mater was ultimately what led to her decision to send her two sons there. And now she is the proud grandmother of Emma, 3, who attends its preschool.
The Dunns are known as a legacy family, a single family with multiple generations choosing to uphold a tradition by attending the same school. For the majority of Catholic school families, the reasons to carry on the tradition pertain to the values and lived faith experiences instilled in the students.
Three generations of the Dunn family with connections to St. Paul School, Burlington, are from left, Michael Dunn, who graduated in 1998; Emma, who currently attends preschool, and Michael’s mother, Darlene Dunn, a 1971 graduate. Mary Stadnyk photo
“Our family’s enrollment span is almost 60 years,” Michael Dunn, a 1998 graduate, said of his family’s long history with St. Paul School. “That means they are doing something right. It is a testament to SPS’s purpose and message.”
Now with Emma at St. Paul, Darlene and Michael have all the more reason to return to their grammar school. Darlene enjoys seeing former classmates who have become longtime friends and are also grandparents, while Michael gets a charge when “walking the halls and having all the memories come flooding back.”
“Being able to share those memories with my children” is special, he said.
One memorable highlight especially for Michael is the large mural on the school’s entryway wall. The mural, which was painted in the 1990s, shows Jesus surrounded by the St. Paul School students, one of whom is Michael.
Tools of Faith
A similar sentiment on legacy families was expressed by Cristina Ergunay, who is delighted that her seventh-grade daughter, Ayla, attends St. Peter School, Point Pleasant Beach. Cristina’s mother, Mary Basso, graduated from St. Peter’s in 1959. Although Cristina attended public school, she believes that Catholic schools teach connectedness in that everyone belongs to God’s family.
“We need to care for and love one another as family,” she said. “That connectedness and love – learned at home within families and reinforced in Catholic school families – will enable children to grow in God’s love and ultimately empower them to care for the larger world as their own family.”
St. Peter School seventh grader Ayla Ergunay stands with her grandmother, Mary Basso, St. Peter School class of 1959. Courtesy photo
Building on that connection, Ergunay could easily identify with the values St. Peter School “vibrantly embodies and teaches – respect, reverence and responsibility.” These values resonate deeply in their family, she explained, “and we knew that we wanted our daughter to learn the same tools that others in our family have been given at St. Peter School – tools of kindness, love, mercy and compassion.”
‘Great school with great people’
Adelaide Torpila says St. Raphael School, Hamilton, is more than just a place of learning – it’s become part of her family’s tradition.
Along with Adelaide’s many years of being involved as a pre-K aide, her husband, John, graduated from the school, and their daughter followed in her father’s footsteps. Now, two of her grandchildren are continuing the legacy as St. Raphael School students.
Members of the Torpila family pose for a photo with Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., during a visit he made to the parish in September. Courtesy photo
“It really has a family-like atmosphere,” Torpila said, adding she takes pride in how her grandchildren, fifth grader, Elizabeth, and second grader, Charlotte, represent the third generation of family members attending the school.
“It’s important to come together and support the legacy of Catholic education,” she said, adding that she regards the opportunity for them to celebrate Mass and receive their Sacraments to be a blessing.
Elizabeth shares her grandmother’s appreciation for St. Raphael School. Elizabeth noted that she enjoys her science class and her participation in extracurricular activities as a cheerleader, a member of the student council and being an altar server.
“We go to Mass on Fridays,” Elizabeth said, noting that she likes how students can participate in the Mass such as readers.
Deep roots in Holmdel school
The current vice principal of St. Benedict School is very grateful for the extensive history her family has with the Holmdel school.
“The foundation for life that I have received from St. Benedict School rooted me in my Catholic faith and has stayed with me throughout my continuing career in education and beyond,” Megan Gallagher said. “I have a strong sense of being centered in my faith and look to find opportunities to serve others.
Megan Gallagher, right, a 1985 graduate of St. Benedict School, Holmdel, who now serves as the school’s vice principal, is shown with her sons, Matthew, left, who currently attends St. Benedict School, and John, a 2024 graduate who is now a freshman in Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft. Courtesy photo
“The community that SBS has remained from 1985, when I was in kindergarten, to 2025, speaks volumes about the dedication to the mission and vision of SBS as it upholds the Beatitudes and serves others. I am so proud to be a lifelong member of this community. SBS resonates with the community as this pillar of Catholic education, and I am so proud to say that I have been a part of it for so long.”
Megan Cullinane Gallagher explained that her now deceased mother, Claire Meehan Cullinane, taught in the school while she and her siblings were students.
Then during her years of teaching and now as vice principal, Gallagher has relished seeing her own two sons – John, who graduated last year, and Matthew, a seventh grader – flourish in the school. Her nephew and nieces also attend St. Benedict.
“Seeing my mom as a teacher and the impact she had on students always amazed me,” Gallagher said. “I was always in awe of what she did in her teaching career, and it inspired me to become a teacher in the hopes that I would leave an impression on children the way she did.”
John Gallagher, a freshman at Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, said he appreciated the opportunity to attend St. Benedict School because of his “special connection with the school and having many family members who attended.”
Matthew Gallagher added, “I never met my grandma, but we still have teachers at SBS who knew and worked with her and tell me how great she was and how my mom reminds them of her.
“I hope my children one day can go to SBS too and continue the legacy,” Matthew said.