Gabrielle Apisa '27
On Tuesday, September 12, Fontbonne Hall’s opening volleyball game held the retirement ceremony of Caileigh O’Donohue Duggan’s (‘22) volleyball number. This season kicked off with a home game against Xaverian and with the honoring of a lost life.
After a prayer and a word from those who hold Caileigh dear in their heart, Brian Duggan, Caileigh’s uncle, unveiled a framed display of her #17 volleyball jersey.
“It will be there until the building falls down,” Mrs. Linda Strong stated. “That jersey will stay embedded into the walls of our gym, just as Caileigh Duggan’s irreplaceable love has left a mark on the hearts of her Fontbonne family.”
For background, Caileigh Duggan suddenly passed away in June of 2023. During her time at Fontbonne, she played on the JV and Varsity volleyball teams and was coached by Mrs. Linda Strong, who is the former head volleyball coach and current athletic director at Fontbonne. Mrs. Strong first coached Caileigh when she was in the sixth grade, but they both lived in a tight-knit community in Breezy Point for years prior. From the years she spent getting to know Caileigh, Mrs. Strong has proudly described her as the “most passionate and loving person you’ll ever meet.”
Caileigh brought light to Fontbonne, and it has been our job as students, teachers, and faculty, to recognize that. So, in honor of her place at Fontbonne Hall, Caileigh Duggan’s freshman sister, Emily McCartney ‘25, brought upon the idea of the retirement ceremony.
Carrying this out, and especially speaking at the ceremony “was hard,” Emily noted, but “it was the least that I could do,” she said.
Serving not only as a tribute to her life but also as a demonstration of the significance Caileigh held at Fontbonne, Emily, along with many others, shared their experiences of her love. Emily McCartney described Caileigh Duggan as a wondrous role model, who was “so influential” and an all-around positive person.
Likewise, Brian Duggan shed light on the effect Caileigh’s passing has had on us all. “Pray for us, our family…we are in the unimaginable without our girl,” he said.
Whether you are a senior who experienced Caileigh’s compassion firsthand, or you are a freshman who never knew her, this retirement ceremony brought us all together in remembrance.
Mrs. Strong explained how the outpour of support shown by all teachers and students was absolutely “astronomical.” To see so many individuals take the time to reminisce on a lost life represents the true value of unity we take pride in at Fontbonne Hall Academy.
In the words of Brian Duggan, “Always remember our Caileigh girl.”
Here’s a link to access the video of the retirement ceremony:
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