Denna and John Hester P ’08, ’09, ’15, ’24, ’26 have deep roots in Hudson County. Denna is a nearly lifelong Bayonne resident who received her early education under the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Andrew the Apostle in Bayonne before graduating from Holy Family Academy. Raised in Jersey City, John attended St. John the Baptist, where he was taught by the Dominican Sisters, before graduating from Saint Peter’s Preparatory. They settled in Bayonne in 1992, where they raised their eight children: Megan, Katie, Shannon, John, Liam, Kelly Clare, Julia, and Gerard.
The Hesters’ commitment to Catholic education is perhaps best reflected in their long-standing connection to Saint Dominic Academy. John and Denna have been part of the Saint Dominic Academy community since the fall of 2004, marking 22 years of involvement as parents, coaches, and supporters of Academy events. All five of their daughters—Megan ’08, Katie ’09, Shannon ’15, Kelly ’24, and Julia ’26—have attended the Academy, with their youngest graduating this year, while their sons attended Saint Peter’s Prep: John ’17, Liam ’23, and their youngest, Gerard, who will graduate in 2028.
Beginning with Megan at St. Andrew in 1996, John and Denna have had children enrolled in Catholic schools for 30 consecutive years, including multiple children for all but one of those years. At one point, six Hester children attended Catholic schools simultaneously.
The family’s commitment to Catholic education continued at the collegiate level, with Megan ’12 and Katie ’13 graduating from Saint Mary’s College and Shannon ’19 from Loyola University New Orleans. By the end of this school year, the Hester children will have collectively completed an extraordinary 115 years of Catholic education. John and Denna have been deeply committed to service, volunteering for decades as coaches, mentors, parish ministers, and community leaders. Denna is a highly regarded hairstylist at Studio Omorfia in Bayonne, and John serves as Executive Director of Sales and Business Development at S&P Global.
John is the longest-tenured basketball coach in Saint Dominic Academy history, leading the Blue Devils for 13 seasons and becoming the program’s all-time winningest coach with 132 victories, including two 18-win seasons and two trips to the NJSIAA sectional semifinals. Together, John and Denna have embodied a steadfast commitment to faith, family, service, and school pride—living daily by the motto he coined, Respect the Crest.