Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn) on Monday joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, many of his Council colleagues and community members during a bill-signing ceremony to designate East 37th Street and Foster Avenue in Brooklyn as “Catherine McAuley High School Way.”
Williams, the deputy leader and chair of the City Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee, said the street co-naming received strong support from school alumni and advocates, who hosted an online petition and collected signatures door-to-door.
Catherine McAuley High School was located at 710 East 37th St., and served the young women of Brooklyn for more than 70 years.
“Catherine McAuley High School was a beacon in the East Flatbush community for decades, known for its academic excellence and positive community impact,” said Williams, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn.
Named after mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley, who exemplified public service, the all-girls’ Catholic high school was designated a nationally-recognized “School of Excellence” — the first and only in the 45th District, Williams said.
“Though it closed in 2013, I am proud that it will forever live on by co-naming East 37th Street and Foster Avenue ‘Catherine McAuley High School Way,’” Williams said.
“I would like to thank Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito and the Council’s Cultural Affairs Chair Van Bramer for supporting this initiative, which was backed by a tremendous amount of alumni and local residents,” he added. “I look forward to joining the community to unveil this important street co-naming within the coming months.”
Council Member Williams thanked the following community members and alumni for pushing this initiative, many of which were present during the bill-signing ceremony: Lee Burnett, transportation chair of Community Board 17; Coral Barnett, Community Board 17 staff member; Josephine Valente; Jewel Brown; Melba P. Brown; Sister Margaret Dempsey; June George; Peggy Lake; Sister Rosemary Maguire; Carol McIntosh M.D.; Renee Hastick Motes; Camille Hastick Ortiz; Xamayla Rose-Persadi; Sharon Rose; Mary Helen Taylor and Imani Hastick.
A ceremony to formally unveil the street sign is being scheduled for the upcoming months, Williams said.
