By Tablet Staff

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — DeSales Media, in conjunction with the Diocese of Brooklyn, will host a celebration of Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens Friday, June 21, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. at Maimonides Park, 1904 Surf Avenue in Coney Island.

Prior to the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, a softball game between the Scholars and the Collars, pitting diocesan priests against school administrators, will take place on the field.

Pre-game festivities will also include the presentation of MVP Awards to the salutatorians and valedictorians of the Class of 2024. Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Paul Sanchez, Deacon Kevin McCormack, Superintendent of Schools, and Deputy Superintendent Joan McMaster will bestow the honors on this year’s 8th grade graduates.

Catholic Schools Night “is a terrific night because it gets everybody together for a good time,” says Deacon McCormack. “We celebrate the scholars because they’re the top kids in our schools.”

Top honors will also be presented to students for their contributions to Tablet, Jr., a monthly insert in The Tablet newspaper. Christine Persichette, anchor of NET-TV’s Currents News, will present the 2nd annual Tablet Junior Awards, which will include the Social Justice Journalism and Art Awards. The theme for the 2023-2024 school year editions of Tablet Jr. was Catholic Social Justice Teachings.

A special bobblehead will be distributed to fans attending in support of Catholic education, honoring Father James Kuroly, the president and rector of Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary. 

Catholic Schools Night at Maimonides Park is sponsored by DeSales Media. The Catholic Telemedia Network (CTN), a subsidiary of DeSales Media, is the sponsor of the student awards ceremony.