Alumni Excellence
Please take a moment to read what our alumni have to say about Holy Name School.
"I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend seven years at Holy Name School. One of my best memories from that time is from fifth grade, which was one of my favorite school years. My teacher, Mrs. Coelho, assigned us the book Holes by Louis Sachar to read. That was the first time I can remember truly loving a book. I read and re-read Holes, and my love of that book grew into a life-long love of reading. I had many other experiences like this one at Holy Name that shaped me into the person I am today. The “best experiment” award I won at one of my science fairs was what first got me thinking about studying science, and now I am at Providence College majoring in biology. The opportunity to come together for mass every Wednesday as a school helped solidify the importance of the Catholic church in my life. I am still close friends with people who were in my graduating 8th grade class. I would not be the person I am today without Holy Name School both through the education I received and the people I met along the way. I enjoy returning for events like the annual Holy Name Harvest Festival, because I still feel as welcome as always even though I graduated five years ago. I am so grateful for the sacrifices my parents made to send me to Holy Name. I received a quality education in a supportive environment where I always felt valued." - Georgianna Silveira, Class of 2011
"Holy Name school provided me with a solid background that allowed me to succeed in high school and in college. I currently am a teacher, and I attribute that career choice to some of the great teachers I had at Holy Name School. I believe that one of the most important skills a school can teach is intellectual curiosity and this definitely happened for me at Holy Name. Maybe most important is the fact that many of my schoolmates from Holy Name remain some of my best and most cherished friends. I had a great experience at Holy Name School. I now send my two boys to Holy Name. I can only hope that they have the same positive experience. I am sure they will!" - Tom Librera, Class of 1988
“Holy Name School prepared me academically for high school, as I went on to enroll in honors and advanced placement courses. Even more importantly, it instilled in me the Catholic values, I still strive to uphold, for which I’m very grateful.”
- Owen Marshall, Class of 2011
"My name is Mary, and I come from a family of five. I live with my mom, dad, sister Dorothy, and brother Anthony. All three of us attended Holy Name School, and we all attended Bishop Stang High School. I am finishing sophomore year and will be a junior in the fall at Bishop Stang. I am a part of campus ministry, pro-life club, student council, and I play softball.
I am in college preparatory A classes and in the fall will be taking honors art as well. I work very hard for my grades therefore receiving first honors for the end of my sophomore year. In my junior year I will be taking seven classes, giving me a full schedule. I will also be doubling up my history class. In my freshman year I was awarded five academic awards and two sports awards at the end of the year.
My favorite parts of Holy Name School were in kindergarten and fourth grade. In kindergarten I had Mrs. Carr as a teacher, and my favorite memory was having my prayer partner, Caroline Quinn. I was able to make shirts with her and also do many activities. I looked up to her. I also loved to sing about the alphabet people. In fourth grade my teacher was Mrs. Oliveria. My favorite thing in that class was when we took care of crayfish and learned all about them. We were able to feed, touch, and hold them. It was absolutely my favorite memory because it was the start to my future with animals."
- Mary Mahoney-Pacheco, Class of 2014
We are proud of our Holy Name School graduates as they continue their educational journey.
Congratulations to the five members of Bishop Connolly High School's Class of 2018, who were graduates of Holy Name School's Class of 2014, as they attend:
- Bristol Community College
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- University of New Hampshire at Durham
- University of Rhode Island
- Worcester State University
Congratulations to the nine members of Bishop Stang High School's Class of 2018, who were graduates of Holy Name School's Class of 2014, as they attend:
- Assumption College
- Clarkson University
- MA College of Pharmacy and Health Science
- Providence College
- Sacred Heart University
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Alumni Matthew Medeiros
Class of 2005
My father, brother and sister all attended the Holy Name School. My favorite memory at Holy Name was our 7th grade field trip to Newport, RI. I had a blast being able to hang out with all my classmates and enjoy a beautiful day down in Newport.
Accomplishments / Awards
St. Joseph's Male Athlete of the Year 2014 - 36th player in Saint Joseph's College men's basketball history to surpass the 1,000 point plateau. (1408 total points)
GNAC and MMBCWA Honors: St. Joseph's of Maine 1st Team All State of Maine *2013, 2014) 1st Team All GNAC (2013,2014) Scored 1,000 points:
Westport High School - (2010) Dave Cowens Award winner - Most Outstanding Basketball Student Athlete for Southern Massachusetts (2010) Standard Times Basketball Player of the Year (2010) - Herald News All-Scholastic (2009,2010)
Sport and Exercise Science Department Outstanding Major Award (2014), Maine Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) - Outstanding Future Professional Award Nominee (2012) Dean's List (Fall 2010, 2012, 2013, Spring 2013, 2014) GNAC All-academic Team (2013, 2014) Rookie Teacher of the Year (2015) Fall River Public Schools
Bishop Connolly High School Graduates
Congratulations to the eleven members of Bishop Connolly High School's graduating class of 2016 who were graduates of Holy Name School's class of 2012! We wish you well in your future endeavors.
One of Our Own Returns!
Mrs. Samantha Barreira, a life-long resident of Fall River, joins the 2016-2017 staff of Holy Name School as a teaching assistant for kindergarten and grade 2 students. Born Samantha Babcock, she entered Holy Name School as a first grader and graduated from eighth grade in 2002. She went on to complete her high school years at B.M.C. Durfee, and then attended Bristol Community College, graduating in 2009.
She married Daniel Barreira two years later, and they are now the parents of Riley, entering first grade, with one year already behind him at Holy Name; and his younger sibling Mackenzie, another potential Holy Name student.
Samantha brings her interests in arts and crafts to Holy Name, as well as her special interest in sign language.
Alumna Emma Santoro
The Herald News has selected Emma Santoro, a 2005 Holy Name graduate, as one of their “Best and the Brightest.” This is an excerpt from a feature story in the May 20, 2016 edition.
A top student, active community volunteer, and superstar swimmer at B.M.C. Durfee High School, Emma Santoro easily landed among the Best and Brightest for 2009. She broke every swimming record at Durfee during her time there, and she continued her reign in the swimming pool lanes at Colgate University. She was captain of the swimming team in 2012-13, was on the all-team Patriot League for four years, and ended as league 400IM champion in 2013. Though she originally set her sights on the Olympics when she was at Durfee, Santoro said she decided to “hang up her suit” and end on a high note with her collegiate swimming career.
Santoro lives in Boston and works with an agency that specializes in tech industry staffing for tech startups and Fortune 500 firms. She is also a part-time sales rep for Jolyn, a California-based swimwear company. These days, she is more likely to be found in a yoga studio or out running than in a swimming pool. She has run in four half marathons and plans to begin yoga teacher training this fall. “I love living in Boston,” she said.
At Colgate, Santoro majored in English with an art minor. As with any recent college graduate who didn’t chose a specific career path such as nursing or teaching, Santoro said her greatest obstacle has been figuring out what her adult self is most passionate about and transitioning that passion into a career. “I think my plans are still evolving,” she said. “The journey isn’t about where you end up, but who you become along the way,” she said. There’s something to be said for having flexibility and allowing life’s experiences to guide you along.
Alumna Gabriellla Joaquim
Bishop Stang’s class of 2020 has recently elected as their new president Gabriellla Joaquim, a member and president of Holy Name School’s class of 2016. Congratulations, Gabbie!