Regis High School Rings In the Centennial Year at the New York Stock Exchange

The Regis High School community officially commenced its year-long Centennial celebration on Friday afternoon as a contingent from Regis rang the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Rev. Philip G. Judge, S.J. '80 (President), Arthur T. Minson, Jr. '88 (Chairman, Centennial Gala Committee), and Peter Labbat '83 (Chairman, Regis Board of Trustees) joined twelve students on the platform for the ceremony.

The Regis jubilation was not restrained to the podium, as the remaining students, alumni, and friends of Regis in attendance were extended a surprise invitation to be present on the floor of the Stock Exchange as the closing bell rang. Prior to the bell ringing, the students were also given an insider's tour of the Stock Exchange. A floor official from Goldman, Sachs, & Co. even spent some time explaining to students some of the inner workings of floor trading.

Regis was able to schedule a coveted afternoon at the NYSE podium with the help of Arthur Minson '88, Chairman of the Regis Centennial Gala Committee. Minson, who serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Time Warner Cable, also helped arrange the access to the floor for all Regis constituents present.

Just prior to the bell ringing, NY1 conducted an interview on the floor of the Exchange with Fr. Judge, John White '14, and Monserrate De Leon '15. The interviews were incorporated into a story on Regis that aired later that evening. Video of that report can be found at the end of this news story. (Read more: Regis High School Students and Alumni Mark School's 100th Anniversary By Ringing NYSE Closing Bell | January 17, 2014)

Following the Closing Bell ceremony, students and guests proceeded to the NYSE Board Room for a formal reception. Joseph Mecane '90, Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Equities for NYSE Euronext, presented fellow alum Fr. Judge with an official NYSE gavel and medallion engraved with a message commemorating the event occasion and date. After Fr. Judge provided a brief message of thanks and appreciation to both the Exchange for hosting the event and to the Regis community for their support, the reception continued.

The Board Room presented a fitting setting for the reception as, much like Regis, the room brings with it a storied history. Opened on April 22, 1903, the room—originally called the “Bond Room”—was used by the NYSE’s governing body and for other meetings, receptions, and events. The room's enormous glass and iron skylight at one time admitted daylight to the room. It was covered over as a precaution after a bomb exploded at the corner of Wall and Broad Streets in 1920. The room's rostrum was an original fixture of the new NYSE building. Prior to the adoption of continuous trading in 1871, the NYSE president called out the stocks for trading from such a rostrum. The large wall clock above the rostrum was made in 1867 and was hung on the trading floor of the NYSE’s first building. In the far corner of the room is a Russian Urn, presented as a gift from the Russian Government to the NYSE in 1904. It was a token of appreciation from Czar Nicholas II for listing the Imperial Russian Loan, a $1 billion bond issue. (Source: The New York Stock Exchange)

The founding of Regis also coincided with a significant period in the history of the New York Stock Exchange. In 1914, as Regis was preparing to officially open its doors to students for the first time, the Exchange experienced the longest shutdown in its history, lasting four months, and two weeks. The closing was a result of the beginning of World War I in late July 1914. The Exchange officially re-opened on December 12, 1914. While the short term effects of the closing were negative (it presented the Exchange with its largest one-day percentage drop) it also marked a turning point in the sphere of international finance, as New York would soon replace London as the top investment capital, and the New York Stock Exchange would become the undisputed barometer of the world's economies. (Source: history.com)

The ringing of the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange was the first of many unique opportunities available for students, alumni, and friends of Regis to experience this Centennial year. On Tuesday, January 21, Fr. Anthony D. Andreassi, C.O. will present Teach Me To Be Generous: The First Century of Regis High School In New York City to a sold-out audience. The book, which Andreassi authored, is the most comprehensive account of the first 100 years of Regis. While the event is sold-out, a second date has been added to the Centennial Events calendar (February 5 | register here).

A Centennial film series, a unique classroom revisited, and marching in the Saint Patrick's Day Parade are among the next events on the Centennial calendar. Celebrations will culminate in October 2014 with the Centennial Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria, which will be followed the next day by a Centennial mass celebrated in Saint Ignatius Loyola Church by His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan. For a complete list of all upcoming Centennial events, visit regis.org/2014.

Founded in 1914 by an anonymous benefactor and supported by the generosity of her family, its alumni and friends, Regis High School offers tuition-free Jesuit college preparatory education to Roman Catholic young men from the New York metropolitan area who demonstrate superior intellectual and leadership potential. In the admissions process, special consideration is given to those who cannot otherwise afford a Catholic education. Regis High School remains the only all-scholarship Catholic secondary school in the country.

Additional Media Coverage:

NYSE Euronext | Regis High School Kicks Off its Centennial Anniversary with NYSE Closing Bell | January 17, 2014

NY1 News | Regis Students and Alumni Mark School's 100th Anniversary By Ringing NYSE Closing Bell | January 17, 2014

Automated Trader | Regis High School Kicks Off its Centennial Anniversary with NYSE Closing Bell | January 17, 2014

Above: New York 1 News aired a brief story highlighting this special occasion for Regis.

Above: Prior to the bell ringing, Regis students were given an insider's tour of the stock exchange by a floor official from Goldman, Sachs, & Co.

Above: Another floor official from Goldman, Sachs, & Co. spent some time explaining to students the inner workings of floor trading.

Above: A NY1 reporter interviews John White '14 and Monserrate De Leon '15 to get their reactions on the significance of the Regis Centennial and the opportunity to ring the NYSE closing bell.

Above: (Left) Fr. Judge was also interviewed for a story on Regis that aired later that evening. (Right) A medallion was presented to Regis along with an engraved gavel.

Above: Rev. Philip G. Judge, S.J. '80 (President), Arthur T. Minson, Jr. '88 (Chairman, Centennial Gala Committee), and Peter Labbat '83 (Chairman, Regis Board of Trustees) joined twelve students on the platform for the ceremony.

Above: All students, alumni, and friends of Regis in attendance were extended a surprise invitation to be present on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as the closing bell rang.