Eagles on the Air

Three years ago, by Director of Athletics Chris Fraticelli's own account, Salesian High School's varsity soccer program was at the lowest point it could be. This fall it moved up to the A division and won a playoff game at St. John's Prep. Steve Sallustio sits down with the Class of 2006 grad for the show's first sports edition, a run through every fall team and a look ahead to winter. They start with cross country, where two JV runners medaled in New Jersey, and club golf, where a group of students is learning a game they can play for the next fifty years. Fraticelli explains why the school brought back JV soccer and worried about tampering with a winning formula, then walks through the varsity's turnaround under head coach Kevin Gray. He covers a bowling program near the top of the AA division, basketball tryouts and a new JV coach, basketball players taking up volleyball, and a rebuilt baseball infield. Steve owns up to his own season as Salesian's bowling coach. Fraticelli's point is that when families ask how Salesian's teams are doing, the answer no longer needs any spin.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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In 2009, Nick Federico's senior class voted him most likely to become a teacher. Today he is Salesian High School's Assistant Principal for Academics, and the man who taught him sophomore math is across the table. Steve Sallustio sits down with the Class of 2009 grad for his second appearance on the show, this time as a conversation between former teacher and former student. They start at Federico's wedding, where three full tables of guests were Salesian teachers and classmates, and move to the growing number of graduates now teaching at the school, including three Federico once taught himself. He talks about stepping from the classroom into the administration while still teaching two classes, and about the people who pointed him there: a mentor who promised on his first day that he could ask for anything, John Flaherty telling him to come back and teach, and Fr. Pat Angelucci at his freshman orientation in 2005, saying "Mary brought you here for a reason." They close on the year ahead, from a new drama club to AP Cybersecurity to a walkathon for the American Cancer Society that parents can join this year. His message is that a school is more than a place students pass through, and the proof is how many come back.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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Salesian High School's new school year did not start in September. It started in winter, when students chose their classes and the hiring began. Steve Sallustio sits down with Principal Cynthia Chambers, the first repeat guest in the show's history, for a back to school conversation about everything that got built while the building was empty: new dugouts and a basketball court sanded down to bare wood, computer science back on the schedule with an AP course and cybersecurity, and a counseling office that added a school psychologist rather than a second counselor, someone who can test for learning challenges that went unnoticed or misdiagnosed and who is a Salesian alum himself. Enrollment grew enough that the school ordered more desks back in the spring, and they were delivered an hour before this was recorded. Chambers walks through the articulation agreements now in writing with St. Thomas Aquinas College and Dominican University, which give a student with a 3.0 a separate path to acceptance and a guaranteed scholarship at both. Then she answers as a mother instead of a principal, on her son Henry's Class of 2022 and where they have all landed: civil engineering, a master's, trade school, a year of work before deciding. Her message to students is that nobody has to have it figured out at twenty-two.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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Kevin Punter wasn't accepted to Salesian High School the first time he applied. Fifteen years later, his jersey hangs in the gym. Steve Sallustio sits down with the Class of 2011 grad, now in his eleventh season of professional basketball and playing for FC Barcelona, days after his induction into the Salesian Athletics Hall of Fame. Kevin walks through the interview that got him in on the spot, the ninth grade math class where Steve was quietly asked to keep an eye on him, and the four city championships and state title he won with a group that had been playing together since JV. Then he gets honest about what came after: no grades, no offers, no Division I body, a year at prep school, two years at junior college in Sedalia, Missouri, and a senior season at Tennessee where he was averaging more than 20 a game with NBA scouts at practice until a navicular fracture ended it. He talks about the call from Kevin Durant, signing his first pro contract before he owned a passport, and why he chose Europe over sitting on a bench. His message to every athlete listening is that the road is almost never the one you drew up.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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Louis D'Esposito didn't know movies were something you could make for a living when he graduated from Salesian High School. 50 years later, he's the Co-President of Marvel Studios. In this virtual episode, Steve Sallustio sits down with the Class of 1974 grad who went from the Bronx to Iona College to $35-a-day freelance gigs to executive producing Iron Man alongside Jon Favreau, and who has been at Kevin Feige's side building the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since. Louis talks about the teachers who shaped him (Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Martinelli), working with Marlon Brando on The Freshman, sneaking into theaters with the Russo Brothers to watch fans react to Endgame, and why it took him 35 years to become an overnight success. His message to every student watching: put in the work, love the journey, and don't listen to the voice that says you're not good enough.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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Sal Torre showed up to Salesian High School on day one without knowing a thing about it. What followed was a basketball career that landed him in the Athletics Hall of Fame, a successful run in commercial real estate finance, and a return to the school as a Board of Trustees member helping build the future. 

In this episode, Sal talks about playing on Coach Frank Conroy's first varsity team alongside future NBA draft pick Eric Mobley and 15-year pro Willie Latson, the mentors who shaped him, the teachers he's still friends with nearly 40 years later, and why he's helping launch Salesian's Alumni Association. His message to current and future Eagles: take every opportunity in front of you and find your lane.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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Dr. Michael Foti came to Salesian because his brother couldn't stop talking about it. What happened next was a complete transformation. From ranking #1 in his class all four years to becoming valedictorian, Mike went on to Iona College, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, and an internal medicine residency at Greenwich Hospital in the Yale system. Now a professor of medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Mike discovered that his real calling wasn't just being a doctor but being a mentor. In this episode, Steve Sallustio pulls out Mike's actual high school transcript, talks influential teachers like Jessica Cullen, Angelo Petrino, and Miss Caringi, and announces that Dr. Foti will be the 2026 commencement speaker.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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Tarik Hyman didn't choose Salesian High School. Salesian chose him. In this episode, Steve Sallustio sits down with the Class of 1996 Silver Eagle recipient who turned a career in Catholic education into a lifelong mission of paying it forward. From his grandmother bringing him to that first interview with Mr. Flaherty, to running schools across the Archdiocese, to sending countless students back to Salesian, Tariq's story is proof that the Salesian family never lets go. Now the Assistant Principal at St. Raymond's Elementary, Tariq is set to receive the Bishop Ernest Coppola Award for Alumni Achievement at the 2026 President's Dinner.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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In this episode of Eagles on the Air, Steve Sallustio sits down with Gio Lopes, Class of 2015.

Gio shares how his connection to the Salesian Order began through his mother’s work as an educator and how that relationship in Westchester led him to Salesian High School. Entering as a shy young student, Gio reflects on how Salesian helped him grow into a confident young man: drawn in by the basketball program and shaped by meaningful experiences both on and off the court.

The conversation also explores Gio’s passion for service, from a powerful service trip to Haiti and his involvement in Gospel Roads, to his current role as Brand & Social Marketing Manager at Feeding Westchester, one of the largest food banks in the county. Gio speaks about how Salesian prepared him to continue a life of purpose, helping others and giving back to his community.

🎧 Listen now to hear how faith, service, and leadership come together in a true Salesian story.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

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In this episode of Eagles on the Air, Steve Sallustio welcomes Spencer Boateng, Class of 2011.

Spencer reflects on how his Salesian journey began at an Open House and how stepping onto the New Rochelle campus from the Bronx immediately made an impression. He shares the moment that truly won him over: when Fr. Patrick Angelucci explained that at Salesian, he would never be just a number, but always treated as a person.

A self-described late start to basketball, Spencer talks about learning the game for the first time at Salesian and how sports became the gateway for him to discover his confidence and voice. With the support of teachers and coaches, he felt prepared for what came next—leading him into college sports recruitment at Iona University, becoming part of the Iona basketball program, and eventually stepping into leadership roles as head coach at CCNY and now as a Player Development Specialist with NY Renaissance.

🎧 Listen now to hear how Salesian prepares students to find their voice, on and off the court.

Salesian High School was founded in 1920 and is an independent school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools serving the Westchester County and Bronx areas. Learn more about Salesian High School.

Keep up to date with Salesian High School!
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