Joe Napoli considers himself the luckiest man in world. For almost half a century, he's dedicated his time to teaching the St. Dominic Academy choir and glee club. His efforts haven't gone unnoticed. The Jersey City school's glee club and the Dominoes will celebrate Napoli's 40th year with the school at the annual Christmas Concert on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m. in St. Aloysius Church.

When Napoli arrived at the all-girls school in 1979, the glee club was made up of 30 members. Throughout the '80s and '90s, they would walk to the B.S. Pollak Hospital, today known as the Beacon, to sing a Christmas concert for the elderly residents. "I really had to wing it during my first few years," Napoli said. "I didn't have experience teaching a choir. I had been a part of one during my time at Saint Peter's College and I had experience playing the piano, which I had to rely on. I learned the rest along the way."