The care and commitment of the Brooklyn City Schools community was displayed in a powerful way during a heartfelt memorial bench dedication ceremony to celebrate the memory of former Brooklyn High School student Thanasi Filippou, on Thursday, May 26, 2022. A beloved member of the Class of 2006, Thanasi passed away unexpectedly during his senior year. His family has maintained close ties with the Brooklyn High School staff, as his father, Mr. Frank Filippou, occasionally brings baked goods for the staff as a gesture of his appreciation for the support they provided Thanasi and the rest of the Filippou family.
The bench was donated by the Polaris Career Center Welding Class with financial support from Mr. Filippou and designed by BHS junior Halie Beane, who is also enrolled in the Welding class. After hearing an announcement from Brooklyn Art Instructor Mr. Chris Kaspar about the planned creation of a bench honoring the memory of Thanasi, Halie felt moved to volunteer her talents as a fellow Hurricane. Over the course of one and a half weeks, Halie used CNC machining to create impressive decorative metal plates to place on the bench. The back rest portion of the bench features the Hurricane logo with Thanasi’s initials located inside, while the three plates on the seat portion spell out “B.H.S.” in recognition of the high school.
The bench dedication ceremony took place across from the high school cafeteria and was attended by Mr. Filippou, Brooklyn High School teachers and staff. Halie Beane helped to unveil the bench and took a moment to share about the significance of the designed features. Wearing a Brooklyn Hurricane’s baseball hat featuring his son’s name and uniform number, Mr. Filippou graciously thanked Haile for her work and expressed his deep appreciation to the entire Brooklyn City Schools community for their care and support over the years. Afterwards, Mr. Filippou took time to greet and catch up with Brooklyn High School staff members, including those who were formerly classmates of Thanasi.
A special thank you to Halie Beane and the Polaris Welding Class for their generous support in helping to celebrate the memory of Thanasi Filippou, a proud member of the Brooklyn Hurricane family.