LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Sr. Jean Baptiste Nicholson, O.S.U.,
upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by the
NCADD Westchester, Inc., on April 30, 2009

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is moved to recognize and pay tribute to
those individuals of firm belief and commitment who have devoted their
purposeful lives to the service of faith and community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Sr.
Jean Baptiste Nicholson, O.S.U., upon the occasion of her designation
for special recognition by the NCADD Westchester, Inc., at its Spring
Luncheon to be held on Thursday, April 30, 2009, at the Lake Isle Coun-
try Club, Eastchester, New York; and
WHEREAS, The NCADD is an organization committed to educating the
public, most especially youth, about the illnesses of alcoholism and
chemical dependency, and to help eradicate the stigma surrounding these
diseases; and
WHEREAS, Sr. Jean Baptiste Nicholson has brought to her ministry an
overwhelming spirit of charity and compassion, acting from vision and
enlightenment in conducting her administrative and spiritual duties,
while always displaying the highest standards of personal and profes-
sional integrity and dedication and consequently has been designated for
this most prestigious honor; and
WHEREAS, The 2008-2009 school year marks Sr. Jean Baptiste Nicholson's
39th year at The Ursuline School of New Rochelle; after serving as its
esteemed principal for 31 of those years, she has held the position of
the school's first president since 2005; and
WHEREAS, During her tenure as principal, The Ursuline School, a
private, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young women in grades
6-12, has become an educational leader, three times designated a
National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence; a strong proponent of the
benefits of single gender education for adolescent young women, Sr. Jean
Baptiste has seen 5000 Ursuline students graduate, continue to college,
and become professional leaders in their communities; and
WHEREAS, Under her leadership, the school has expanded its facilities,
almost doubled its enrollment, and diversified its population, socio-e-
conomically, religiously, ethnically, and racially; at the same time,
Sr. Jean Baptiste has raised academic standards and expanded course
offerings to give women the competitive edge they need; to address
students developmental, emotional, and spiritual needs, she has launched
programs such as advisement, peer counseling and mediation, personal
development education, and peer ministry; and
WHEREAS, Sr. Jean Baptiste's impact on the community at large is
evident not only in the education of future women leaders but in ensur-
ing the school's collaboration with many community organizations,
including HOPE Community Services and Ursuline Social Outreach; the
school also enjoys a warm collaborative relationship with Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church and Beth El Synagogue; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, the school and its students, reach out to the
wider community of Westchester County, providing service at many hospi-
tals, nursing homes, and special schools; in addition, Sr. Jean Baptiste
is always happy to open the schools facilities to the community; HOPE's
Summer Camp, Beth El Synagogue, the New Rochelle Opera Company, the
Wykagyl Crossways Neighborhood, and Youth Baseball League of New
Rochelle are just some of the groups that have used the school's facili-
ties; Sr. Jean Baptiste is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the

College of New Rochelle, and has previously served as Chair of the
Board; and
WHEREAS, Sr. Jean Baptiste, JB, as she is also known, is loved and
lauded by students, parents, alumnae and alumnae parents; she leads with
incomparable vision and nurtures each individual with her loving care;
most of all, as a leader, she possesses a unique and all too rare combi-
nation of qualities, wisdom and initiative coupled with a personal
humility; to all who know her, she is role model and mentor extraordi-
naire; and
WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the occurrence of such a compassionate blend-
ing of strength, intellect and commitment as demonstrated by Sr. Jean
Baptiste Nicholson over a lifetime of sacrifice and dedication to
others; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Sr. Jean Baptiste Nicholson, O.S.U., upon the occasion of her
designation for special recognition by the NCADD Westchester, Inc.; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Sr. Jean Baptiste Nicholson, O.S.U.