At the start of a new school year, students, faculty and alumna at Preston High School — given new life after being on the verge of closure in the spring — had another reason to be proud Thursday.
On Sept. 4, the intersection of Shurz and Brinsmade Avenues in Throggs Neck became known as Preston High School Way, in recognition of the longstanding girls’ Catholic school that ultimately triumphed over its owners’ effort to close. Council Member Kristy Marmorato, who attended Preston for her first two years of high school, and Council Member and Majority Leader Amanda Farías, who graduated from Preston in 2007, led the co-naming ceremony.
Other elected officials who joined the vigorous effort to save the school from closure — Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assembly Member Michael Benedetto and State Senator Nathalia Fernandez — were also on hand to unveil the new street sign.
Principal Jennifer Connolly, another Preston alum, said the sign will be “a permanent reminder of how deeply our school is rooted in this community.”
Preston’s road to redemption
Until April, it was uncertain whether the school would survive to welcome another class, as it has every year since 1947.
The school’s future was plunged into doubt last spring, as the Sisters of the Divine Compassion, the Catholic order that owned the property, announced in February that they could not reach a deal to sell to the school and intended to close at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
Though the Sisters said the school was financially unsustainable due to declining enrollment and donations, community members and elected officials protested, saying Preston was operating near full capacity and showed no sign of insolvency.
A further outcry came when the Sisters rejected an offer to buy the property from Bally’s Foundation, the gaming company’s philanthropic arm, which was seeking to build a massive casino, hotel, and entertainment complex about a mile from the school.
After sustained protests — and the intervention of Attorney General Letitia James, whose office oversees nonprofits and their property deals — the Sisters eventually sold to Bally’s Foundation, which purchased the property in April for $8.5 million and leased it back to the school for $1 per year for at least the next 25 years, saving it from imminent closure.
Before the ceremony, students in plaid uniform skirts streamed out of the building to commemorate the occasion on their first day of school, joined by a large crowd of parents, staff and neighbors.
Marmorato spoke fondly of her time at the school.
“My time at Preston High School was some of the most meaningful time of my life,” she said. “The bonds built within these walls have lasted a lifetime.”
Farías said her Preston education helped instill values of faith, discipline and service that have served her well in adulthood.
She thanked her colleagues, including Attorney General James, who was not present at the ceremony, for springing into action to save the school during the “fearful months” when closure appeared imminent.
“Preston is and will always be a cornerstone of the Bronx,” said Farías.
Connolly applauded Preston families, alumni and community members for showing “unity, strength and faith” through the uncertainty of last spring.
“To our students, every time you pass this sign, remember that you are walking in the footsteps of those who worked to preserve your future,” she said.
This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. to reflect that Marmorato attended Preston for two years but did not graduate from the school.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
