Mount Saint Michael Academy

Mount Saint Michael Academy is an all-boys' private, catholic, college preparatory school in the Wakefield neighborhood of the New York City borough of the Bronx. The school's campus also borders the city of Mount Vernon in neighboring Westchester County and is administered by the Archdiocese of New York.

The school opened on September 13, 1926, originally staffed by fourteen Marist Brothers, and dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel.

The U.S. Department of Education named it a National Blue Ribbon School in 1992.

Sexual abuse cases

In 1988, an Irish Catholic priest and a Marist brother were indicted on charges they sexually abused boys at the school. Irish Reverend Bernárd Lynch, who served as the chaplain, and Brother Timothy Brady, the acting principal, were accused of molesting three boys. Lynch was acquitted while Brady was sentenced to prison. Following Brady's release from prison, Marist Brothers reassigned him to a Catholic high school in Chicago from 1993 to 2005.

In 2011, Marist Brother Lawrence Gordon, the assistant principal, was criminally charged for possessing child pornography. Gordon accidentally left a USB drive plugged into a library computer on Valentine's Day, which held sexually explicit images of underage boys. Gordon pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year at St. Luke Institute, an institution known for treating priests accused of child sexual abuse.

In 2019, Father Bernárd Lynch was accused again of sexually abusing a different teen student at the school 40 years ago, according to the lawsuit. The 57-year-old plaintiff, then a 16-year-old at the school, alleged the sexual abuse occurred in 1978 and 1979. The lawsuit was dropped in 2021.

In 2020, Brother Lee was accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy at the school from approximately 1984 to 1985.

Notable alumni

Commerce and economics

Rocco B. Commisso – founder, chairman and CEO of Mediacom
George Ranalli – architect
Cory Henry – architect, founder of Atelier Cory Henry
Donald T. Valentine (1950) – venture capitalist, Sequoia Capital; "Grandfather of Silicon Valley venture capital"
Angelo R. Mozilo - Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Countrywide Financial Corporation

Fine arts and entertainment

Lillo Brancato – actor, known for A Bronx Tale, Renaissance Man
Sean Combs – rapper; music producer
Paul Grassi – reality television personality
Walter Murphy – pianist; composer
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro – reality television star, Jersey Shore
Leon Robinson – actor; singer, known for Waiting to Exhale, Cool Runnings, Above the Rim
Andre Royo – actor, known for the television series The Wire

Professional athletics

Art Donovan – professional football player
Richie Guerin (1950) – Naismith Hall of Famer; NBA basketball player; coach
Bill O'Connor – professional football player
Marcus Patterson – professional basketball player
Bill Polian – ESPN analyst; former Indianapolis Colts general manager and president
Vince Promuto – professional football player
Caraun Reid (2009) – defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins
James Rowson - baseball player and coach

Public service