Grand Island High School News Web Page 2010
January - July
Grand Island High School Website
2009 News Page
GIHS Football Page
"GIHS Sports Schedules/Information"
Principal
Sandra Anzalone
GIHS's Joel Klock - 2010
Click and scroll down for "Buffalo News 6/29/10" story by Mary Jo Monnin.
Alex Brown Star Athlete - June 2010
Click photos for larger view
Named rookie of the year in 8th grade, Alex Brown has quietly moved up the ladder in sports at Grand Island High School.
Just completing her freshman year, she broke the ninth grade high jump record at 5' 3", tied the 30-year high jump record held by Laura Lewis at 5'3", was first in NFL's and placed second in Section 6 Sectionals. She was named to the 1st Team NFL All Stars both years. In the most recent competition on June 12, 2010, Alex placed second in Section 6 with a jump of 5'3" and tied for sixth place in the New York State PHSAA Championship for Track and Field at 5'2". Alex was the only member of the GIHS Track Team to qualify for the NYS competition.As an 8th grader Alex placed first in the Niagara Frontier Track League and third in Section 6 Sectionals.
Alex has also excelled in volleyball. As a ninth grader she started on varsity as the middle blocker contributing to a second place finish in Section 6 Sectionals. When the school volleyball season finished, Alex tried out for a national volleyball team and made it as a middle hitter/blocker traveling all over the country. Her team made the playoffs and she will finish this year off at the end of June on a trip to Reno, Nevada where the national playoffs are being played.
Alex is 6'1" and 14 years old and more often than not, she is on the honor roll. She is the daughter of Amy Schneider-George and Darren Brown
Track & Field Results - 2010
Click "Buffalo News 6/21/10".
“Casey’s Corner” Dedication - June 2010
Left-From Left: DECA/Store advisor Cheryl Chamberlain, daughters Dolores Sinicki and Jude Kuehne, student/store manager Benjamin Soos
Right-From Left: Family members, Jessica Kuehne, Pete Kuehne, Chelsea Sinicki, Tyler Sinicki, Delores Sinicki, Jude Kuehne and Cheryl Chamberlain
Click photos for larger view
On Wednesday, June 16th, family, associates, students and local dignitaries gathered to honor the late George Casey. The Grand Island High
School Store was dedicated in his honor and named "Casey's Corner". Mr. Casey had been a Grand Island school board trustee for six years, until his recent passing in May 2010.
George was also involved in GI School/Business Alliance, GIHS DECA as a judge in both the local and state levels, GIHS shadow day and job search.
He enjoyed reading to the students at the Grand Island elementary schools as well as participating in Bedtime for Books at Sidway School.
The following was read by student/store manager, Benjamin Soos at the dedication.
As far back as we can remember Mr. Casey has always been a part of our business department at Grand Island. At many of our events Mr. Casey was proud to interview, judge, and give tips to students. Job Search, Shadow Day, DECA Regional and State Conferences, and classroom visits were all a part of what made Mr. Casey so involved and thus “All for the Children,” is fitting to put on the plaque to honor him. Mr. Casey was “all for the children,” everyday. His position as a school board member was comforting because he would always give a knowing wink at meetings to let you know that he saw you and appreciated you. That made him even more special.
So today, the students of the DECA and Small Business Class would like to honor the memory of a man who meant so much to everything we do in the field of business. Mr. Casey loved our school store and proudly wore many of our products. He always bragged about the students of Grand Island High School, so now we can brag about him. On behalf of Mrs. Chamberlain, Mr. Simpson, the PTA Council, and the students, we have officially renamed the Grand Island High School Store “Casey’s Corner.”
GIHS Potential Graduates - 2010
(left) Luke Burkhart and Alex Fry
Click "Potential Graduates" for the list of Grand Island High School Potential 2010 Graduates.
Class Valedictorian Luke Burkhart, son of Linda and Frank Burkhart, plans to attend Harvard College, majoring in Physics.
Class Salutatorian Alexander Fry, son of Deborah and Thomas Fry, plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering .
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending June 10, 2010
Boys Swimming - Track & Field
Click "Sports Briefs 6/10/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
GIHS BEEP Portfolio Winners - June 2010
Pictured are Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain, Benjamin Soos, Lauren Fonte, and Amy Grenke
Click photo for larger view
The Business Education Employability Portfolio (BEEP) gives Grand Island High School students an opportunity to showcase their most important academic high school work. Every year BEEP Coordinator, Cheryl Chamberlain, takes students to a competition sponsored by the Niagara Frontier Industry and Education Council (NFIEC) for their portfolios. This year's GI competitors were Amy Grenke, Lauren Fonte, and Benjamin Soos who competed against students from 15 other BEEP Schools from all over Western New York. This year, only eight students won scholarships out of 35 candidates and Grand Island took top honors with two scholarships going to Benjamin Soos and Lauren Fonte. NFIEC also awards students with an Employability Certification at Graduation for successful completion of the BEEP requirements. This year 22 students will receive this certification at Grand Island's graduation ceremony at Artpark on June 27th. For more information on workforce portfolios, please contact the high school business department at 773-8820.GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending June 3, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 6/3/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Vikings Win Track Title - May 2010
See "5/28/10 Buffalo News story" by Ben Gaughan.GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending May 27, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 5/27/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Spring Interview Day at Connor Middle School - May 2010
Pictured are (left) Dan Major and Chelsea Sinicki and (right) Mary George and Lindsey Spiker.
Click photos for larger view
The students in MaryJane Fonte's and Marcia McHenry's FACS classes were dressed and ready to interview for a job on Friday, May 21st in the VCMS Library. This "interview day" is a biannual event coodinated by these FACS teachers and Cheryl Chamberlain, business teacher at the high school. Junior and Senior Portfolio candidates are the interviewers as part of their competency-based, college portfolio requirements. This program helps both the younger and the older students challenge themselves for a job interview. Interviewing is a process and always a nerve wrecking experience and these teachers hope that this preparation will enable students to succeed in future interviews. For more information on career-based programs such as this please contact the GIHS Business Department at 773-8820. GIHS Students Assist Veterans' Trip - May 2010
Pictured are Taelor Reynolds and Zach Russell.
Click photo for larger view
Students of Grand Island High School’s newly formed Character Committee are coordinating a fundraiser to enable local veterans to see the monument to their service in Washington, D.C. Local veterans will embark on their trip June 5th. Students are selling red, white and blue hearts for $1.00 each to benefit Honor Flight Buffalo. Many kind community members who came to the district budget vote helped to make this fundraiser the success that it is. To date, 460 hearts are displayed in the high school library windows. GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending May 20, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 5/20/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Vikings Win Baseball Title - Gazette Feature - May 2010
See "5/19/10 Niagara Gazette Story" By Jonah Bronstein.Courtney Cox, Lacrosse Star - Gazette Feature - May 2010
See "5/19/10 Niagara Gazette Story" By Ryan Nagelhout.National Honor Society Induction - May 2010
(left photo: Sara Diletti, Brooke Chamberlain, Jessica Osvath, Alyssa Yaeger) - (right photo: Katie Rustowicz and Brooke Chamberlain)
The National Honor Society Induction held Thursday, May 12 was a great evening followed by a reception. Kevin Murray is the advisor of NHS at Grand Island High School. NHS focuses on leadership, academics, service and integrity and a student must be recommended to it by their teachers in their junior or senior year.
Tradition Continues... - May 2010
Click left photo for larger view - Mary Chiaravalle and Mike Montaldi (Sidway Bear)
Students from Cheryl Chamberlain's internship classes carried on the tradition of assisting incoming kindergarten students at Sidway's annual orientation on Tuesday, May 18th. Every year approximately 25 high school juniors and seniors have the opportunity to "meet and greet" the newest batch of incoming kindergarten students at Sidway. This enables teachers to meet with parents and discuss important information while the newest members of the Grand Island School District are entertained by the student volunteers. It is wonderful to see so many students come back to their roots at Sidway to help alleviate the nerves and worries of the uneasy newcomers. Special thanks to Mike Montaldi for his debut as this year's Charlotte Sidway Bear! Welcome to all of the new members of the class of 2023!
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending May 13, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 5/13/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Registration for Driver Education Course Begins May 18, 2010
Grand Island students interested in enrolling in a Driver Education Course will have the opportunity to do so during an open enrollment session to be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 from 2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. in the Grand Island High School Senior Cafeteria. The program runs for six weeks beginning July 1, 2010 and the cost to enroll is $375.00. Students are required to bring their learners permit at the time of registration. If unable to attend the open enrollment session, individual appointments may be made after May 18 by contacting Jane Greer in the high school main office at 773-8820. Upon completion of this course, students will receive an MV-285 student certificate (formerly known as a "blue card"). A new driver must complete a NYSED-approved driver education course or a DMV-approved pre-licensing course before scheduling a road test. Students will be asked to provide the certificate number when scheduling a road test and are required to show the certificate to the examiner on the day of the test. The MV-285 certificate is valid for two years. An advantage to obtaining an MV-285 certificate typically includes a 10% discount on car insurance with most insurance providers.Junior Prom Photos - May 2010
(Left) Group Photo
(Right) Brian Fry and Nikki Zimmerman
(Left) Sara Wilczek and Liam Dodd
(Right) Seniors Dates
Andrew Dale, Scotty Bennett, Robert Petrilli, Liam Dodd and Aman Cheema
Click photos for larger view
The Grand Island High School Junior Prom was held on Saturday, May 8th at the Holiday Inn Grand Island.
If you have photos you would like posted, please attach in an email and send with names to jodi@giecom.net.
Pitcher Ben Tomkins - Gazette Feature - May 2010
See "5/10/10 Niagara Gazette Story" By Brandon Koch.GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending May 6, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 5/6/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
PTSA/Rotary Students of the Month
May 2010
Kaitlyn Affuso Julia Johnston Brian Kulak Andrea Nicolia
Kaitlyn Affuso has been a Grand Island resident all her life. She has been a student at the Grand Island Schools since kindergarten at Sidway, moving on to Huth Road Elementary, Veronica E. Connor Middle School and the Senior High School. She has achieved many accomplishments throughout her schooling.
Kaitlyn continues to excel academically and musically. She has received her Music Certificate, Pin, and Letter as well as her Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin, and Letter. In her junior year she received the Pride of the Island award.
During the school year, she remains active by involving herself in Spotlighters’, the high school drama club, and the musical. She participated in both of these productions all four years of her high school career, as well as a member of the cast in the musical all through middle school. She sang in Choir her freshman year and now sings in an audition group, Concert Choir, and has done so since her sophomore year. Not only does she sing in one audition group but two. The second group is Madrigals which is a smaller choir that performs at smaller meetings and gatherings outside of school. For her first three years of high school, she participated in Vocal Jazz. She played the saxophone in jazz band freshman year, and currently plays in the Concert Band, having started in fourth grade. She continued to work hard through the first seven years of her instrumental education and was accepted into the audition group, the Wind Ensemble. Kaitlyn has played the baritone saxophone in this group since the eleventh grade. In addition to the school musical groups, she was accepted into the Erie County Chorus for two years and was a solo fest vocal participant during her freshman year.
Kaitlyn also studied independently in vocals for a year and guitar for five and a half years. She also played soccer for the Grand Island house team during high school for three years and for five additional years before high school.
Beginning in high school, Kaitlyn held her first part time job after school once a week babysitting and continued so for a year and half. She then began working at Subway her sophomore year and is still employed there. During her junior year, she wrote about events and news that occurred at the high school and it was then posted for the public on the Grand Island website.
Outside of school, Kaitlyn has participated in Girl Scouts, Troop 1312, and has since she was in elementary school. During these years she worked diligently to achieve the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. The Gold Award consists of fifty hours of community service, thirty hours of leadership, and a minimum of sixty hours towards a project that creates awareness or change for the better. This achievement was recognized by the Town of Grand Island, granting her and her troop a proclamation. She earned her Gold Award during her junior year and continues to participate in Girl Scouts for her last year, dedicating her time at meetings towards an awareness project.
Kaitlyn shows a great sense of leadership due to all her years in Girl Scouts as well as teaching religion once a week during the school year to four- and five-year-olds. She was a teacher for five years at St. Stephens Church. Kaitlyn has also participated in The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life performing and fundraising.
Following high school, Kaitlyn plans on achieving her new and challenging goals while at college for journalism. She plans on continuing her talent and enjoyment in music while earning her Bachelor degree.
Julia Johnston was born and has resided on Grand Island for most of her 17 years. She is the oldest of five children in a busy household.
Julia was home schooled until grade 11 when she began attending Grand Island High. She has been involved in church and community activities and services since a very young age, starting with gymnastics, ballet, piano lessons and musical dramas.
As a high school student, Julia has achieved honor roll status or higher each quarter. Julia has been involved in Chorus, Bible Club, Ballet, The Living Singing Christmas Tree, swim team, and piano recitals. She has been taking piano lessons for 11 years, teaching students for 6 years and has attended music camps for two years.
As an active member in her church, Julia enjoys teaching Sunday school at Whitehaven Road Baptist Church. She is also a high school youth group worship team member, and middle school worship team leader, Children's church class room teacher and church librarian. She has participated in mission trips for the past three years.
Julia enjoys volunteering her time to help with various community services as well, including making and serving meals at the Ronald McDonald House, helping out at Cornerstone Manor, and voluntarily teaching piano lessons to students in need as well as playing piano for the Grand Island Historical Society open houses at River Lea. She has taught piano lessons to over 25 students since 2005. She has also worked as a teacher's helper in Kidhaven preschool and currently works at Buzzy’s Pizzeria.
After graduation, Julia plans to attend college and pursue a major in the fields of music and business.
Brian Kulak has been a resident of Grand Island all his life. He attended Sidway, Huth Road, Connor Middle School, and currently attends Grand Island High School.
Brian has been involved with the Grand Island Soccer program since freshmen year playing J.V. in 9th and 10th grade, and varsity in 11th and 12th. He has also been involved with the Grand Island lacrosse program since sophomore year playing J.V. in 10th grade and varsity the following two years. He has lettered in both sports while being recognized as a scholar athlete each season throughout his varsity career.
One area where Brian has particularly excelled is in music. He has played tuba in the High School Wind Ensemble all four years of high school which resulted in him earning his letter in music. Brian has been selected as a member of the All-County band or Orchestra for eight consecutive years. He has also been selected as a member of the Area-All State band for three years straight. Most recently, he competed against students across the state and was selected to participate in the prestigious Symphonic All-State band.
Brian has also achieved much academic success throughout his years as a student, maintaining Honor Roll or High Honor roll status since 6th grade. He has taken various honors or AP level courses throughout middle school and high school, finding success in all of them. Brian has earned the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin and Letter.
Brian finds ways to help out in his community as well. For the past few years, he has been an assistant to the entertainment committee for the annual Relay for Life event on Grand Island, working before, during and after the event. Brian also volunteers at various functions at St. Stephen’s such as preparing for the annual rummage sale and spaghetti dinner. He has also assisted in setting up and running a Haunted House to benefit the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Last spring Brian helped out at the youth lacrosse league teaching students from 2nd to 5th grade the fundamentals of the game.
Brian wishes to stay close to home for college and aspires to major in audio engineering and minor in musical performance.
Andrea Nicolia is the daughter of Blasé and Amy Nicolia and has been a Grand Island resident all her life. She enrolled in the Grand Island School District in kindergarten, where she attended Charlotte Sidway School. She attended second through fifth grade at Kaegebein Elementary School. At Kaegebein, she was the recipient of the Gold “K” and the President’s Education Award. From sixth through eighth grade, she attended Veronica E. Connor Middle School, and most recently, she is a senior at Grand Island High School.
Andrea has taken an advanced academic curriculum since she first began sixth grade, and continues to maintain Honor Roll and High Honor Roll status, while being ranked 15th out of 271 students in her Senior Class. She is currently enrolled in AP Statistics, AP Government, AP Literature, and AP Psychology. She has been the recipient of numerous academic awards thus far in high school, including the Outstanding French Student Award, and the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin, and Varsity Letter. She has also received the Pride of Grand Island Award.
In addition to her academic achievements, Andrea participates in numerous extracurricular activities, including those in the Music Department. She has played the clarinet since fourth grade, and is currently in the Wind Ensemble at Grand Island. This select group has given her the opportunity to travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee. She also participates in Concert Choir, and has done the school musical for seven years. She was the recipient of the Musical Spirit Award in eighth grade. Andrea has received her Varsity Letter and Pin in music. She has also studied piano for seven years.
Beginning in her sophomore year, Andrea joined the Track and Field team, and has since earned her Varsity Letter. She has also run Cross Country since her junior year, and has traveled to Manchester, Connecticut to compete. Andrea has been named a Scholar Athlete for Cross Country and Track four times. In addition, dance has been a significant part of Andrea’s life. She took tap, jazz, and ballet lessons from age five to sixteen.
Andrea has been an active participant in DECA, a student business club, for the last four years. She is currently serving as the Public Relations Officer. She is also a member of the Donate Life Club, and has been involved with the Interact Club, both of which promote volunteerism. In addition, Andrea has been inducted into the National Honor Society, a society which commends its members for their academic excellence, character, and assistance to the community.
Volunteering her time has always been a significant aspect of Andrea’s life. She is an active participant in Relay For Life, and has also assisted with the National Kidney Foundation Walk. She volunteers her time through the Knights of Columbus Charity Committee on Grand Island to assist with dinners to benefit the needy. She also has served as a Religious Education instructor for third graders at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church on Grand Island, enlightening children about their faith on Saturday mornings. Also through her church community, she has been given the opportunity every Christmas to deliver presents to St. Brigid and Columba’s Roman Catholic Church, located in Buffalo. Through Grand Island High School, Andrea volunteers her time at numerous events, including Freshman Orientation and Open House. Andrea has also been a member of the Girl Scouts of America, earning her Bronze Award and Silver Award. Most recently, through her assistance at Carolyn’s House, a shelter for abused women and children, Andrea has earned her Gold Award, the most prestigious volunteer and leadership award given in Girl Scouting.
Following graduation, Andrea plans to attend a four-year college. She wishes to major in Education, and has set high goals for what she aspires to achieve in life.
Grand Island High School Honor Roll - May 2010
The following Grand Island High School students have been named to the honor roll for the third quarter, 2009-2010 school year:Grade 10 - Reem Abdellatif, Sonia Brar, Amber Carpenter, Alexandra Corrao, Jordan Davis, Rebecca Gasiorek, Kaitlyn Gilbert, Jonathan Goc, Katlyn Holt, Casey Jelonek, Megan Karpie, Elizabeth Kowalik, Brendon Lutnick, Michael Malaney, Kallan McMillan, Shannon McNaughton, Mia Michael, Joshua Miller, David Mohr, Dominic Morell, Kristen Percival, Rachel Ripellino, Kenneth Rogoza, Nicolette Scerra, Alexandra Seibert, Sarah Stanczyk, Taylor Sweet, Jonathan Voyzey, Nathalie Winder
Grade 11 - Bethany Cinelli, Aden Cook, Sara Diletti, Chelsea Fairbairn, Anna Ferrante, Rebecca Hammett, Julie Hasselbeck, Emma Henderson, Ava Jackson, Kelly Lorence, Ariana Mendel, Jessica Osvath, Emily Pease, Evan Shaw, Sara Victor, Stephen Vitello, Danielle Wegrzyn, Alyssa Yaeger, Jessica Yarnes, Melissa Zytariuk
Grade 12 - Kimberly Asbach, Alissa Bailey, Luke Burkhart, Alexandra Buscaglia, James Cooke, Susan Head, Kelly Hooven, Kystin Hoppel, Ramandeep Kaur, Seth Kline, Joel Klock, Megan McInerney, Michael Mucci, Andrea Nicolia, Jared Northrup, Vincent Spada, Rachel Surdi
Grade 10 - Gabrielle Ailinger, Sumr Ali, Laura Amantia, Jeremy Anderson, Eric Aronica, Makallie Banker, Joshua Bastian, Korey Bennett, Alexandria Black, Amanda Blanton, James Bobak, Conner Bolles, Shannon Boreali, Diana Boulden, Christopher Brownschidle, Justin Canazzi, Marshall Cancilla, Alanna Cedrone, Emma Chambers, Jesse Ciffa, Emily Dauphin, Maggie DeMarco, Shannon Doctor, Allison Donahue, Sydney Dudish, Rebekah Evans, Talia Fabiilli, Matthew Foote, Brent Fred, Alyssa Fuoco, Matthew Gannon, Ashley Gorman, Olivia Graziano, Deanna Green, Jonathan Grenda, Anmol Grewal, Jessica Hall, Ryan Hughes, Andrew Jasek, Samantha Kahn, Dylan Kelly, Robert Kerr, Paige Kippley, Laura Kondziela, Korey Kostek, Victoria Kustra, Jenna Lee, Jodi Lee, Mark Lydle, Madelyne Mankowski, Rebecca Masse’, John McGinty, Casey McNamara, Nigel Michki, Ryan Miller, Lindsay Morano, Gabriela Nizialek, Hallie Nowak, Alexis Pearce, Ryan Proctor, Sarah Ramsperger, Danyelle Redmond, Matthew Robinson, Stephanie Senn, Gagandeep Singh, Zachary Smith, Brittney Sonnenberg, Jessica Spencer, Angelina Stromberg, Bridget Thompson, Kathryn Turner, Jessica Ungaro, Alexandra Wallinder, Rachel Watt, Laurice Wilbert, Sarah Williams, Alicia Zartman
Grade 11 - Danya Abdellatif, Karl Albrecht, Matthew Arida, Taylor Bedford, Nathanial Benoit, Alexandria Bleich, Kathryn Boutet, Brian Brink, Justine Call, Jenna Cardone, Jason Chadwick, Brooke Chamberlain, Amanda Cinelli, Nicholas Colao, Samuel Cummings, Andrew Dale, Matthew Edwards, Christopher Ernst, Korin Frantz, Kyle Held, Angelina Howe, Emily Jones, Mark Jurga, Allison Kaminski, Alex Killian, Justin Lee, Nicholas Masiello, Chelsea Mazurkiewicz, Ryan McCarthy, Christopher Meyer, Shelbi Milkas, Shannon Moody, Kevin Neary, Michael Paasch, Cameron Pezzino, Jack Pilie, Alexzander Prine, Jeremy Rockwood, Paige Rockwood, Chelsea Rupert, Kathleen Rustowicz, Miranda Santa Lucia, Rachel Schauger, Amy Schooping, Christopher Shemik, Benjamin Sherman, Tara Sozio, Catherine Sponn, Sarah Stewart, Rebecca Sturniolo, Ashley Swiantek, Megan Tates, Tyler Wunsch, Megan Young
Grade 12 - Isam Abdellatif, Alyssa Accardo, Kaitlyn Affuso, Sarah Ali, Richard Amantia, Jonathon Anderson, Stephanie Aronica, Adam Asbach, Elisabeth Asbach, Catherine Aughey, Benjamin Bakula, Steven Boyle, Patrick Brady, Eric Breier, Anthony Bruno, Nicholas Brzezinski, Sean Burke, Nathan Busch, Victoria Cacciatore, David Campuzano, Danielle Canazzi, Evan Carey, Kaitlyn Chapin, Krystal Chapin, Brittany Cieri, Kathryn Cobello, Samantha Darby, Renee’ Doermer, Sarah Dolan, Kara Dudley, Maria Edel, Marwa Eltagouri, Kearney Erhard, Kayla Fermoile, Hillary Figler, Joseph Fischer, Victoria Fleming, Lauren Fonte, Rahsanica Ford, Christopher Franklin, Alexander Fry, Kate Garten, Anthony Genova, Mary George, Krista Glownia, Sara Grana, Maria Grant, Amy Grenke, Maria Guidotti, Brandon Hagen, Tara Hook, Sara Hutenmaier, Julia Johnston, Raman Kaur, Nicholas Kelly, Zachary Kelly, Lauren Kucharski, Brian Kulak, Jeffrey Lariviere, Joshua Little, Jonathan LoTempio, Meghan Mahiques, Daniel Mathes, Thomas McDonnell, Sara McNulty, Jennifer Mellett, Christopher Moody, Christopher Mornelli, Kelsey Mulvey, Erika Osberg, Sarah Palazza, Deanna Paternostro, Danielle Perri, Breanne Rafferty, Michael Rayhill, Alexander Re, Ian Rogers, Ashley Rutland, Kaitie Samland, Mary Scherrer, Kyle Schutrum, Spencer Seese, Zaeem Shah, Kodie Shamrock, Allison Snell, Jamie Sobieski, Michael Sperrazza, Amber Spiesz, Jonas Stalyga, Blake Stanwick, Christopher Stessing, Scott Suszczynski, Jameela Syed, Caitlin Taylor, Samantha Tilkins, Maritina Tsembelis, Patricia VeRost, Brittney Wall, Kristin Wegrzyn, Eric Weigold, Sara Wilczek, Colton Wright, Aria Yanicki, Andrea Zepeda
Tsembelis, Stessing Nominated For Hewitt Awards - April 2010
Two Grand Island High School students were nominated for the Hewitt Awards. Though they did not win during the presentation Sunday, May 2nd, they were very good contenders. See "Niagara Gazette Story" for the biographies of Maritina Tsembelis and Christopher Stessing.Sara Victor - Niagara Gazette Feature - April 2010
See "Niagara Gazette Story" by Brandon Koch .GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending April 29, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 4/29/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending April 22, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 4/22/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Grand Island Students Shadow Day - April 2010
(Left) Jodi Robinson and senior Rachel Surdi at Isledegrande office.
(Right) Brooke Chamberlain on site at The Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Amherst.
(from left) At AM Buffalo set, advisors Cheryl Chamberlain & Sandy Burns, Ex Producer Lea DeCenso,
students Stacy Cich, Danielle Perri, Erika Osberg, and Natalie Carpenter
Click photos for larger view
How would you like an opportunity to try a career for a day to see if you liked it?
Over 95 Grand Island High School juniors and seniors took advantage of Shadow 2010 on Thursday, April 15th to answer this question. The day began with a Town Proclamation in honor of the students and participating businesses. Breakfast at the Buffalo Launch Club fueled the students for the various job shadows that awaited them all over Western New York. The Grand Island Fire Hall, New York State Troopers, Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, Channel 7 studios, and Fuccillo Chevrolet were among the many locations housing 'eager to learn' students. Guest speaker Hugh Neeson told the students to "not give up and always be optimistic" when looking/trying a career." Good advice also came from all participating sponsor sites. Shadow Day is a unique program offered by the GIHS Business Department in conjunction with the Grand Island School and Business Alliance (GISBA). For more information on the High School Internship Program for juniors and seniors at Grand Island High School, contact Sandy Burns or Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820. 
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending April 15, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 4/15/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Kallie Banker - All-State - April 2010
Niagara Gazette. . . April 15, 2010 - Grand Island point guard Kallie Banker has been selected as a second-team Class AA all-state selection by the New York State Sportswriters Association. The two-time Niagara Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year averaged 16 points, six assists, four steals and three rebounds in her sophomore season, helping the Vikings with the Class A sectional title.The only other NFL players on the all-state team were Lockport senior Leah Sobieraski (Class AA, sixth team), Lockport junior Caroline Randall (Class AA, 14th team) and Kenmore East senior Joelle Pollack (Class A, ninth team).PTSA/Rotary Students of the Month
April 2010
Katie Cobello Krystin Hoppel Michael Stallard Martina Tsembelis
Katie Cobello has been a resident of Grand Island all her life. Starting at Sidway and continuing on through Huth Road Elementary and Veronica Connor Middle School, she is now a senior at Grand Island High School.
She has received the Presidential Academic Achievement Award as well as the Pride of the Island award. She has been on the honor roll throughout middle school and high school, has been awarded the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin and Letter and looks forward to acquiring the Bar in her senior year.
In high school Katie has been a member of various clubs and activities. She was instrumental in the opening of the School Store during her junior year. Katie is also involved in DECA, Donate Life, Interact Club and National Honor Society.
Throughout high school Katie has volunteered for a variety of organizations. Katie, along with the members of Interact Club, volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, helped the Salvation Army holiday bell ringing drive, sang Christmas carols at Elderwood Nursing Home and made soup to be donated to a soup kitchen. As a member of Donate life, Katie volunteered her time to the blood drive held at Grand Island High School. Other activities Katie has participated in include being a volunteer at the National Kidney Walk and helping sort books to be donated to the Pediatric Cancer Unit at Roswell.
Katie has contributed to the Grand Island community by happily donating her time to various local charities such as the Grand Island Lions Club and their Special Kids Day Picnic, the Neighbors Foundation holiday food drive, the Rotary Club Hot Dog Sale and Relay for Life. She has also volunteered with the schools on Grand Island at freshman orientation in the High School, Sidway’s Family Fun Night and selling PTA memberships in the Middle School. Katie also had a very fulfilling experience as a peer mentor to middle school students. Along with being a dedicated member to the Grand Island community, Katie also maintains a part time job at Wegman's.
After graduation, Katie plans on attending college locally and majoring in Early Childhood Education. She hopes to one day become a teacher here on Grand Island.
Krystin Hoppel has been a resident of Grand Island all of her life. She has been enrolled in the Grand Island School District since kindergarten at Sidway to her senior year at Grand Island High School.
Academically, Krystin has consistently achieved Honor and High Honor Roll status through middle school and high school. She has received the Pride of the Island Award, in addition to being awarded the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin, and Letter. She is also an active member of the National Honor Society.
In addition to pursuing her academic course work at the high school, Krystin is also enrolled at Erie 1 BOCES in the Certified Personal Trainer program. This summer she plans on taking the American Council of Exercise (ACE) Exam in hopes of becoming certified as a personal trainer. She believes that maintaining physical activity is very important for the overall well-being of the individual; it creates balance in one’s life.
Krystin has been an active member of the community her whole life. Starting at a young age when she first enrolled in Girl Scouts, she has done her part to help her community. She earned her Bronze and Silver awards in scouting. Krystin has also participated in Relay for Life for the past three years. She has been on teams and has helped in the Kids Zone. This year she joined Donate Life in the high school and enjoys educating people on the importance of organ and tissue donation. This October, Krystin, along with other members of the National Honor Society, traveled to Bethany, NY to help with the Kidney Foundation Walk-a-thon and looks forward to helping with other community service endeavors for the National Honor Society.
Krystin has played sports her whole life. She started playing baseball at age 5 for the Grand Island Little League and eventually moved on to softball at age 9. She played for the Grand Island Vikings travel team from 2003 until 2008. Krystin then made the decision to go off Island and play for the Cayuga Gamblers, based out of Niagara Falls. This will be her third season playing for the Gamblers this coming summer. She has found her nitch at second base and that’s what position she plays for the high school. Krystin played JV softball in 9th and 10th grade, and this past year she played varsity softball. She received her varsity letter this past year as a junior along with being named a Scholar Athlete.
During the summer of 2006, Krystin traveled to the British Isles for 20 days as a People to People Student Ambassador, where her love of travel developed. She traveled to Costa Rica in the summer of 2008 with students from Grand Island and North Tonawanda to explore a Spanish speaking country. She hopes to continue her travels while pursuing her career choice.
Krystin has always had a love for animals. She was unsure of what professional career she wanted to pursue, but that changed the minute she walked into the Buffalo Zoo this past summer where she attended a Zoo Teen Naturalist Program. She explored topics such as exhibit design, animal care, and animal handling. She had a great time, and realized that she would like to become a zoo keeper or a wildlife inspector. Krystin will attend Niagara County Community College in the Animal Management Program and then transfer to SUNY Oswego for a degree in Zoology or attend Canisius College and major in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation and minor in Zoo Biology.
Michael Stallard came to Grand Island when he was 2 years old. He played Grand Island Little League baseball in the summer, then enjoyed cub scouts during the winter months and successfully completed the tiger, wolf, bear and webelos achievements in Pack 210. During cub scouts, he received the arrow of light award.
At age 12, he joined the Civil Air Patrol, which is an official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Michael earned the rank of Airman 1st Class. He participated in training exercises that prepared him for search and rescue duty for our country. He studied aerospace education, where he was earned the privilege of piloting and flying a Cessna aircraft. He also attended leadership training camps, where he learned basic leadership skills.
Along with Civil Air Patrol leadership training, he also attended an international Student Leadership University where he studied under prominent political leaders such as Congressman Tim Walberg and the U.S. Senate Chaplain, Barry C. Black. He attended two levels of this university, one in Orlando, Florida and the second session in Washington, D.C. This experience exposed him to high level leadership training that made him realize the importance of serving his country and community.
Michael worked towards achieving his greatest accomplishment when he started a school in Uganda, Africa. He worked an entire year to raise $5,000 to purchase curriculum, which inspired a couple living in Uganda to start the school. There are now over 150 students attending this school. His long-term goal is to build a school building for this African school since they now hold classes outdoors and in a small youth camp.
A few years ago, he started an organization with his brother and friend called “Kid’s who Care”. This organization promotes kids in the community to get involved in helping the less fortunate. For two years, they organized fundraisers for the Buffalo City Mission and volunteer opportunities at Cornerstone Manor, which is a homeless shelter for women and children. A total of 25 kids in the community ended up participating in his organization.
For seven years, he volunteered as an assistant Children’s Church Teacher/Youth Leader at his local church. This required that he be a good example to his students, while nurturing them in a positive way.
Michael is currently working on a HUD home, where he is helping to revitalize a local community. This opportunity allows him to work on all aspects of updating this home, such as doing electrical, roofing, plumbing, heating, and landscape work. He hopes this experience will help him become a general contractor, where he may be able to one day make a trip to Uganda, Africa to build that school building.
Martina Tsembelis, a lifelong resident of Grand Island, attended Charlotte Sidway, Huth Road Elementary, Veronica E. Connor Middle, and Grand Island Senior High schools. Throughout the years, she’s been active in volunteer events, extracurricular activities, and athletics, while balancing a rigorous academic schedule.
Maritina is a member of the Grand Island High School volunteer group “Interact,” which provides students with a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. A few events she’s participated in include sorting food for the Neighbors Foundation during their annual food drive, making soup for the Niagara Falls shelter, selling hot dogs during the annual Rotary sale, and ringing bells outside Tops Friendly Markets to raise money for the Salvation Army. She has also spent time with our local youth, volunteering at the Sidway Kindergarten Orientation, Huth Road Bazaar, and High School Freshmen Orientation. Additionally, she’s helped improve the Buffalo region by participating in Relay for Life, an event that supports the cancer research; Habitat for Humanity, a renowned organization that builds homes for the less fortunate; and serving as a volunteer for Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital this summer.
In athletics, Maritina has excelled as a runner on the Grand Island Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track teams. Specializing in distance events, Maritina has distinguished herself as one of the top runners in Section 6. During her 2008 cross-country season, she was N.F.L Champion and the first female state qualifier from Grand Island in years. In her 2009 track season, Maritina broke the school record in the 800m run, previously held by elite runner Marge Bessel, and qualified for the Sectional meet in a number of events. During this year’s cross-country season, she won the West Seneca West Invitational and the WNY Official’s Invite. Maritina has won a number of awards for her athletic accomplishments including MVP, Most Improved, the Coach’s Award, Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year, and the Academic Award.
Maritina has always challenged herself academically. While at Huth Road, she showed her ambition for excellence by completing grades 2 and 3 in the course of one year. Since then, Maritina has continued to strive for excellence by taking full advantage of the Honors and AP level courses Grand Island offers. She is a graduate of Niagara University’s College-Level French program and is currently enrolled in AP Government, AP Economics, AP Psychology, AP Literature & Composition, and AP Biology. After graduating from Grand Island High School this summer, Maritina hopes to pursue a degree in medicine at Johns Hopkins University.
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending April 8, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 4/8/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
LaCrosse Team Wins Nonleague Opener - Spring 2010
The Grand Island High School Boys Lacrosse team played St. Joe's Tuesday, March 30, 2010, winning the non-league game 8-6. Scoring for the Vikings were:Andy LaLonde 3
Rob Schiffhauer 3
Joe Fischer 1
Liam Dodd 1
See 3/31 Buffalo News story.
GIHS Talent Show - April 2010
The annual Grand Island High School Talent Show will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 28 in the high school auditorium. Pre-sale tickets are $5 and tickets at the door are $7.Buffalo News All-Western New York Scholar-Athletes - March 2010
The Buffalo News (March 29,2010) has announced the 2010 Winter All-WNY Scholar-Athlete Team, "Super Seniors."From the 3/29/10 Buffalo News:
The 2010 ADPRO/Section VI Sports All-Western New York Scholar-Athlete winter sports team consists of 132 students, including 26 repeat winners (student-athletes selected during the fall sports season). Over 500 applications from 45 different schools were received for the winter team. The selection committee includes Athletics Directors Greg Kaszubski of Clarence, Chris DeMarco of Sweet Home, Nancy Riccio of Amherst, Mark DiFilippo of Niagara-Wheatfield, Dave Thomas of the Buffalo Public Schools and Judy Otto of Barker; Sister Maria Pares, president of the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association girls division; Buffalo News assistant sports editor Dennis Danheiser and Dick Gallagher from Western New York High School Sports. To be nominated for the team, students must have carried a 90-plus average for the previous six semesters and been a starter or significant player in their sport. The scholar-athlete team is open to seniors from Western New York’s 100-plus public, Catholic and private schools.
The following Island athletes were among the 500 applicants:
Jonas Stalyga, Grand Island, Basketball
Megan McInerney, Grand Island, Indoor Track
Mary Scherrer, Grand Island, Basketball
Benjamin Soos, Grand Island, Swimming & Diving
Volleyball Player Of The Year Scott Holler - March 2010
See "Niagara Gazette Story" by Nate Beutel.Girls/Boys Basketball Gazette Players of the Year - March 2010
The following girls have been named to the Girls Basketball Niagara Gazette Players of the Year for 2010:FIRST TEAM: Kallie Banker - grade 10- for second consecutive season - averaged 16.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game, leading the Vikings to their second consecutive Class A-1 championship, an overall Class A title and an appearance in the Far West Regional.
See "Niagara Gazette Story 3/14/10"
SECOND TEAM: Brooke DeMarco - grade 11 - Forward - 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steaks, 2.0 assists per game - Blossomed into clutch performer down the stretch
SECOND TEAM: Mary Scherrer - grade 12 - Forward - 7.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals per game - Three double-doubles during run to Far West Regional
THIRD TEAM: Cassie Oursler - grade 9 - center - 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds per game - Has the most potential of anyone on all three teams
The following basketball players have been named to the Boys Basketball Niagara Gazette Players of the Year for 2010:
FIRST TEAM: Jonas Stalyga - grade 12 - forward - 21.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 blocks per game - Second all-time scorer in GI history with 1,263 points -- all-time leader with 132 made 3-pointers - first team at all-NFL -- repeat first team all-Gazette pick.
FIRST TEAM: Bobby Ross - grade 12 - guard - 11.1 points - 4.9 rebounds, 4.2 steals, 3.3 assists per game - most steals in a season (79) in school history
High School Student Olympics - March 2010
All From Left:
Left: Costume Contest Winners
Right: 1st Place Costume - Andrew Dale, Jamie Magaris, Jenny McCoy, Liam Dodd.
Bottom Left: Steve Vitello - Right: Jousting, Liam Dodd and Evan Carey
Click photos for larger view
The GIHS Special Olympics fundraiser was held Wednesday evening, March 24th at the high school gym.
More than 30 teams entered to compete in not your usual olympic events. An obstacle course started the evening, followed by
a basketball toss, musical chairs, egg toss, jousting and tug-o-war. The team with the most points at the end was the overall winner.
This year a team of seniors and a team of teachers tied for 1st place, but because the students raised more money, they were declared
the winners. The winning team was Chris Moody, Chris Gibney, Erika Osberg and Sarah Piazza. On hand were members of the Grand Island Special Olympic team, who led the parade of teams at the opening ceremony.
Over $2400 was raised to help out the team with equipment, uniforms, etc.
GIHS College Information Night - Spring 2010
Come join the Grand Island High School Counseling Department and representatives from local colleges for a College Information Night on Wednesday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m. in the large high school cafeteria. Students in grades 9-11 and their parents are encouraged to attend. Learn about the importance of high school course selection, the college search process, standardized testing, filling out college applications, financial aid, and more!GISBA Corporate Bowl Final Results - March 2010
See March 16 Bowl Results.
Luke Burkhart, National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist - March 2010
More than 1.5 million juniors in about in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying test. Luke Burkhart is one of 16,000 Semifinalists across the country. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of the U.S. high school seniors.
Grand Island DECA Wins at States! - March 2010
Amy Grenke - Chapter Scrapbook awards
Click photos for larger view
It was the 50th anniversary of the New York State DECA Career Conference and Grand Island was there to showcase a year of hardwork. GI DECA captured four trophies and 26 top ten medals in events such as: Business Law and Ethics, Visual Advertising, and Sports and Entertainment Marketing. Hillary Figler and Kearney Erhard qualified for the National level in their event of Travel and Tourism, Katie Rustowicz placed third in the state in the Job Interview category, and Amy Grenke reclaimed first place in the chapter Scrapbook event. Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain and Mr. Christopher Simpson encourage their business students to join DECA, an association of business and marketing students. DECA students have an "edge" because competitions like this prepare students for the demands of college and the world of work through authentic business simulations.Girls Basketball Loss Ends Championship Season - March 2010
See Buffalo News story by Mary Jo Monnin.
See also "Niagara Gazette Story 3/14/10" by By Nate Beutel.
Corporate Bowl First Round Results - March 2010
See March 9 Bowl Results.
PTSA/Rotary Students of the Month
March 2010
Breanne Rafferty Steve Boyle Lauren Fonte Sara Grana
Breanne Rafferty has been a Grand Island resident her whole life, residing with her parents and her brother. She has been part of the Grand Island School District since Kindergarten, and has achieved many goals throughout her education.
While in high school at Grand Island, Breanne has succeeded in all areas including academics, sports, music, and contributing to her community. She has been consistently on the Honor Roll while maintaining good standings in many AP level courses, as well as earning the Academic Excellence Awards which include the Certificate, Pin, and Letter, thus far. She has been a recipient of the Pride of the Island award and is currently a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. In addition to this, her academic achievements as well as her involvement in sports caused her to earn the Scholar Athlete Award each year in high school. Breanne has been a part of the girls tennis team since ninth grade, and she was named captain of the team for two consecutive seasons, in both her junior and senior years. She received her Varsity Letter in tennis as well.
Breanne has also been involved in music, playing clarinet in the high school's Concert Band in ninth grade as well as being an All-County Band member in that year. She then continued to play in the Wind Ensemble during her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Through this activity, she earned her Varsity Letter for music.
Outside of school, Breanne danced for fifteen years, studying tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, and lyrical over the years. She has also participated in USTA tennis tournaments and tennis programs at the Village Glen in Williamsville. She has also been a member of the high school's Ski Club, Pep Band, American Cancer Society's Relay For Life, and the Kaegebein Mentoring Club. Through the Kaegebein Mentoring Club, Breanne mentors Kaegebein students once a week. This mentoring has been a way for Breanne to volunteer her time to her community. She has also volunteered in many other local schools such as Sidway Elementary School on Grand Island, 66th Street School in Niagara Falls, and Cataract Elementary School in Niagara Falls. Breanne is currently employed at Elderwood Nursing Home on Grand Island.
After high school graduation, Breanne will be attending SUNY Geneseo to pursue a dual major in Elementary Education and Special Education.
Steve Boyle has been a resident of Grand Island for all seventeen years of his life. He began his schooling at Sidway Elementary School for his kindergarten and first grade years, moved on to Kaegebein Elementary for grades two through five, progressed to Veronica E. Connor Middle School up through eighth grade, and currently attends Grand Island High School and is in the process of completing his challenging senior year.
As a student, Steve has always been involved with advanced level classes. Whether it was attending an advanced reading class as a first grader, accelerated mathematics courses throughout elementary school, or honors and Advanced Placement courses in each of his four years as a high school student, Steve has always kept up with his studies and has sought academic excellence. Currently, Steve is enrolled in AP Calculus, AP Literature and Composition, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, and College Level Spanish.
On top of his high level of academic studies, Steve also has been involved in numerous extra curricular activities. He is a member of the Varsity Soccer team, which he has played for since his sophomore year, and also plays Varsity Tennis. Steve has been a member of DECA and was also the treasurer in his junior class. Currently, he plays the tenor saxophone for both the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Ensemble, and is also a member of Interact Club, National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and the Principal’s Advisory Council.
Despite his busy schedule consumed with academics and extra curricular activities, Steve still finds many ways to be active in his community. He has participated in community service projects through Interact Club such as Habitat for Humanities and collecting canned goods for the Neighbors Foundation and has raised money for Relay for Life.
Some notable awards Steve has won throughout his years as a student are the President’s Award for Academic Excellence, Pride of the Island, and his Varsity letters for soccer and tennis. Also, Steve has won the Rochester Institute of Technology Innovation Award, which gives him $24,000 in scholarship money if he chooses to attend.
Lauren Fonte has been a lifelong resident of Grand Island and resides with her parents and sister. She has been an active member of her community and school district as well as a dedicated student and dancer.
Academically, Lauren has consistently achieved high honor roll status while challenging herself with eleven advanced placement and or college level classes. She is working diligently to maintain her class ranking as fifth in a class of highly motivated and intelligent seniors. She has been recognized by PTA with the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin and Varsity Letter and hopes to achieve her Academic Bar by the end of the school year. At the end of her junior year, Lauren was the recipient of the Russell Sage College Student Award for her academic excellence, student leadership and community involvement. While enrolled in Niagara University Spanish, she was inducted into the National Spanish Honors Society, La Sociedad Honoria Hispánica. During her senior year, Lauren served as an active member of the National Honors Society where she currently serves as Secretary.
Lauren has gained much from her extracurricular involvement, both in school and in her dance studio. She has served as Editor of the Venture Yearbook for the past two years and has developed her personal marketability through her vast involvement in DECA. During her junior year, Lauren won the DECA state competition in the category of job interviewing while serving as vice president of the organization. This year she has enjoyed not only serving as president of the Grand Island Chapter but also as Regional Representative for the school and treasurer for the Region.
Lauren’s involvement in the music program at GIHS has provided her the opportunity to both perform and choreograph in each year’s musical production. Over the years, she has also enjoyed performing as a member of Grand Island High School Choir, Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Women of Note, and Madrigals. She has challenged herself by competing in NYSSMA solo festival and grew musically through her selection to Senior High All County and Area All State. Many hours throughout the week are spent studying various forms of dance, which she has pursued for fourteen years of her life.
Lauren feels that community involvement deserves equal importance in her schedule. For many years she has been an active participant of Girl Scout Troop 1217 where she earned the highest rank a Girl Scout can achieve, the Girl Scout Gold Award. Other volunteer experiences include involvement in the Seneca Street Church’s Summer Reading Program, Youth Mentor Program and the American Cancer Society Student Liaison.
Lauren has set high goals for her future. After graduation she plans on pursuing a double major in Elementary Education/Special Education with a Master’s Degree in School Psychology and was accepted Early Admission to SUNY Geneseo.
Sara Grana has been a resident on Grand Island all her life, living with her parents and her younger brother. Being enrolled in the Grand Island schools from the start, Sara has actively participated in extracurricular activities, and has been an active member in the art and music programs as well. She has been in the Wind Ensemble since sophomore year, and has participated in jazz, pep band, pit orchestra, and other various All County and All State bands. She holds a high 90s average which has been a cause of her acceptance in the National Honors Society of her school, and a result of many years of hard work and perseverance.
Outside of school, Sara belongs to St. Stephen’s Church. Oftentimes she helps out with the religion classes, and has even taught them for a couple of summers. She has also been a member of Girl Scouts since fourth grade, and is now completing her last year as a Senior Ambassador. Throughout her middle school years, her troop has completed many hours of community service to receive their Bronze and Silver Awards. During her junior year, she had completed a total of 80 hours of leadership and community service, and put together a mentoring program for young girls in the middle school. This project was put together and presented to the Girl Scout Council as a troop to receive their Gold Award, which is the highest possible award that can be received by a scout.
After a long 12 years of hard work and recently challenging herself with AP courses, (European History, US History, Biology, Art, Literature, and Composition) Sara hopes to graduate with her regents with distinction diploma, and attend college in the fall 2010 semester. She is hoping to major in Physical Therapy at Daemen.
Girls Basketball Headed To Far Western Regional Game - March 2010
Top From Left: Sitting: Dominique Degregorio, Danielle Wegrzyn, Kallie Banker, Ambria Tim, Maria Guidotti, Alex London,
Megan Karpie, Kristin Wegrzyn.
Standing: Coach Jenepher Banker, Jessica Yarnes, Jessica Osvath, Cassie Oursler, Shannon Moody, Brooke DeMarco,
Coach Rachel Martin, Mary Scherrer.
Laurie Yarnes Photos - Click photos for larger view
After beating Amherst, Class A-2 champions last Saturday (Mar. 6) 56-30 at ECC Flickinger Center, the GI Vikings girls basketball team
are headed to the Rochester area Saturday, March 13th. The Far Western Regional Game will take place at 2:00 p.m, at Gates Chili High School
against Section V champion Greece Arcadia. The Vikings are looking to reach the state semi-finals. This is the first trip to regionals
since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.Girls Basketball Class A Champs - March 2010
See Buffalo News story by Mary Jo Monnin.
See also Niagara Gazette story by Nate Beutel.
Corporate Bowl Begins March 9, 2010
See GISBA Corporate Bowl 2010" for complete information.
Girls Basketball Class A-1 Champs - March 2010
Top From Left: Sitting: Danielle Wegrzyn, Kallie Banker, Ambria Tim, Maria Guidotti, Jenna Raepple, Alex London, Megan Karpie, Kristin Wegrzyn.
Standing: Coach Jenepher Banker, Jessica Yarnes, Shannon Moody, Cassie Oursler, Brooke DeMarco, Dominique Degregorio, Jessica Osvath, Coach Rachel Martin, Mary Scherrer.
Laurie Yarnes Photos - Click photos for larger view
See "Niagara Gazette Story 3/4/10" by By Nate Beutel.
Girls Basketball Feature - Jenn Banker - March 2010
See "Niagara Gazette Story 3/2/10" by By Nate Beutel.
Boys Basketball Suffers Loss To Bennett - Feb. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette Story 2/26/10" by By Nate Beutel.
GIHS Winter Ball 2010
Left photo: King and Queen: Mike Montaldi and Mary Chiaravalle
Right photo: Bethany Beratovicz, Keelan Erhard, Sarah Chamberlain, Sara Carlson, Alexa Territo
Click photos for larger view
This year's Grand Island High School winter ball, themed "Island In The Sun," took place at the school on Saturday evening, February 27, 2010. The Student Council once again outdid themselves on decorations centered around a warm tropical island!
Mike Montaldi and Mary Chiaravalle were chosen king and queen. Student Council Advisors Mary Colpoys and Bob Simpson would like to thank the Student Council Officers and chaperones for their help with this event!NYS Swim Results
See "2010 NYSPHAA Federation Championship Results"
See also Niagara Gazette "2010 NYSPHAA Federation Championship Results"
Lady Vikings Defeat Kenmore East 46-41
See "Niagara Gazette Story 2/27/10"
Lady Vikings Defeat Lakeshore 52-18
Click "Buffalo News Story 2/26/10"
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending February 25, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 2/25/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Grand Island High School Honor Roll - Feb. 2010
The following Grand Island High School students have been named to the honor roll for the second quarter, 2009-2010 school year:Grade 10 - Reem Abdellatif, Sonia Brar, Amber Carpenter, Jonathan Goc, Katlyn Holt, Casey Jelonek, Megan Karpie, Elizabeth Kowalik, Brendon Lutnick, Michael Malaney, Shannon McNaughton, Mia Michael, Nigel Michki, Joshua Miller, David Mohr, Dominic Morell, Ryan Proctor, Danyelle Redmond, Rachel Ripellino, Kenneth Rogoza, Nicolette Scerra, Zachary Smith, Taylor Sweet, Nathalie Winder
Grade 11 - Sara Diletti, Anna Ferrante, Emma Henderson, Ariana Mendel, Evan Shaw, Sara Victor
Grade 12 - Steven Boyle, Luke Burkhart, Kathryn Cobello, Kelly Hooven, Krystin Hoppel, Seth Kline, Megan McInerney, Michael Mucci, Kelsey Mulvey, Andrea Nicolia, Erika Osberg, Sarah Palazza, Blake Stanwick, Rachel Surdi
Grade 10 - Gabrielle Ailinger, Sumr Ali, Laura Amantia, Joshua Bastian, Korey Bennett, Katelyn Benns, Alexandria Black, Amanda Blanton, James Bobak, Conner Bolles, Shannon Boreali, Diana Boulden, Sarah Brady, Christopher Brownschidle, Justin Canazzi, Marshall Cancilla, Alanna Cedrone, Emma Chambers, Jesse Ciffa, Alexandra Corrao, Emily Dauphin, Jordan Davis, Maggie DeMarco, Shannon Doctor, Allison Donahue, Sydney Dudish, Rebekah Evans, Talia Fabiilli, Donald Failing, Brent Fred, Alyssa Fuoco, Matthew Gannon, Rebecca Gasiorek, Kaitlyn Gilbert, Ashley Gorman, Deannna Green, Jonathan Grenda, Thomas Grenke, Anmol Grewal, Marissa Haley, Jessica Hall, Ryan Hughes, Mary Irving, Andrew Jasek, Samantha Kahn, Dylan Kelly, Paige Kippley, Korey Kostek, Victoria Kostenbauder, Victoria Kustra, Jenna Lee, Jodi Lee, Kelsie Loos, Mark Lydle, Madelyne Mankowski, Rebecca Masse’, Shannon McDonough, John McGinty, Kallan McMillan, Casey McNamara, Alec Metro, Kyle Meyer, Ryan Miller, Lindsay Morano, Hallie Nowak, Alexis Pearce, Kristen Percival, Alyssa Pino, Sarah Ramsperger, Matthew Robinson, Alexandra Seibert, Gagandeep Singh, Cassidy Smith, Brittney Sonnenberg, Jessica Spencer, Sarah Stanczyk, Bridget Thompson, Harrison Thompson, Kathryn Turner, Jessica Ungaro, Jonathan Voyzey, Alexandra Wallinder, Rachel Watt, Sarah Williams, Dominic Zannin, Alicia Zartman
Grade 11 - Danya Abdellatif, Karl Albrecht, Alexandria Bleich, Kathryn Boutet, Brian Brink, Thomas Cameron, Jenna Cardone, Brooke Chamberlain, Bethany Cinelli, Nicholas Colao, Kevin Colman, Aden Cook, Andrew Dale, Brooke DeMarco, Kaleigh Deuser, Chelsea Fairbairn, Korin Frantz, Christian Gibson, Rebecca Hammett, Julie Hasselbeck, Kyle Held, Steven Henderson, Ava Jackson, Emily Jones, Mark Jurga, Allison Kaminski, Alex Killian, Justin Lee, Kelly Lorence, Nicholas Masiello, Chelsea Mazurkiewicz, Ryan McCarthy, Christopher Meyer, Shelbi Milkas, Shannon Moody, Kevin Neary, Jaclyn Nusstein, Jessica Osvath, Emily Pease, Cameron Pezzino, Jack Pilie, Jenna Raepple, Jeremy Rockwood, Paige Rockwood, Chelsea Rupert, Kathleen Rustowicz, Miranda Santa Lucia, Rachel Schauger, Amy Schooping, Michael Seaman, Nicholas Sexton, Michael Sharon, Christopher Shemik, Tara Sozio, Catherine Sponn, Sarah Stewart, Rebecca Sturniolo, Victoria Sutton, Ashley Swiantek, Hayley Szyklinski, Megan Tates, Benjamin Tomkins, Stephen Vitello, Danielle Wegrzyn, Alyssa Yaeger, Jessica Yarnes, Megan Young, Melissa Zytariuk
Grade 12 - Alyssa Accardo, Kaitlyn Affuso, Richard Amantia, Jonathon Anderson, Stephanie Aronica, Elisabeth Asbach, Kimberly Asbach, Catherine Aughey, Alissa Bailey, Benjamin Bakula, Christina Borden, Eric Breier, Anthony Bruno, Sean Burke, Alexandra Buscaglia, Nathan Busch, Victoria Cacciatore, Danielle Canazzi, Evan Carey, Natalie Carpenter, Kenneth Cerrillo, Kaitlyn Chapin, Krystal Chapin, Brittany Cieri, James Cooke, Courtney Cox, Samantha Darby, Renee’ Doermer, Sarah Dolan, Kara Dudley, Maria Edel, Marwa Eltagouri, Kearney Erhard, Nicholas Ernst, Kayla Fermoile, Hillary Figler, Joseph Fischer, Victoria Fleming, Lauren Fonte, Rahsanica Ford, Christopher Franklin, Alexander Fry, Kate Garten, Jonathan Gebhard, Mary George, Sara Grana, Anthony Grande, Maria Grant, Amy Grenke, Maria Guidotti, Brandon Hagen, Susan Head, Tata Hook, Julia Johnston, Raman Kaur, Ramandeep Kaur, Nicholas Kelly, Joel Klock, Lauren Kucharski, Brian Kulak, Savanna Kustra, Jeffrey Lariviere, Joshua Little, Jonathan LoTempio, Michael Lydle, Daniel Major, Thomas McDonnell, Sara McNulty, Jennifer Mellett, Intisar Mohamed, Christopher Moody, Jared Northrup, Ryan Osvath, Courtney Papaj, Deanna Paternostro, Kelsey Patterson, Danielle Perri, Branne Rafferty, Kellsi Rassega, Michael Rayhill, Alexander Re, Ian Rogers, Robert Ross, Anthony Russell, Ashley Rutland, Kaitie Samland, Mary Scherrer, Robert Schiffhauer, Kyle Schutrum, Spencer Seese, Zaeem Shah, Kodie Shamrock, Margaret Shonitsky, Courtney Silsby, Allison Snell, Jamie Sobieski, Benjamin Soos, Vincent Spada, Michael Sperrazza, Amber Spiesz, Jonas Stalyga, Christopher Stessing, Kasey Sumner, Jameela Syed, Caitlin Taylor, Samantha Tilkins, Patricia VeRost, Kristin Wegrzyn, Eric Weigold, Zakiyyah Wilbert, Aria Yanicki
Grand Island High School Merit Roll - May 2010
The following Grand Island High School students have been named to the Merit Roll for the third quarter, 2009-2010 school year:Grade 9 - Ammany Abdellatif, Jessica Amsdill, Kevin Aronica, Kassandra Bennett, Nicholas Bonarek, Dakota Bower, Eli Brennan, Alexandra Brown, Danae-Grace Busch, Allysa Bush, Alyssa Cinelli, Ronald Clark, Samuel Colao, Lauren Cook, Courtney Czajka, Aurora Dee, Jacob Dixon, Zoe Dodd, Nicholas Egloff, Joseph Fanara, Alexandra Filips, Shannon Gallagher, Andrew Gilbert, Emily Harnden, John Holody, Megan Hoople, Anthony Huff, Jordan Jelks, Hayley Keane, Julie Kilmer, Stephanie Knight, Carolyn Kruszona, Matthew Lenz, Mandy Liesenfeld, Cassondra LoBrutto, Alexia Malpica, Taylor Marino, Cody McConnell, Taylor Moran, Kimberlee Moss, Gurwinder Nijjar, Grace Olszewski, Samantha Oriani, Matthew Osinski, Melanie Perla, Dalton Pitts, Alyssa Pizzuti, Russell Potter, Zachary Re, Katrina Rockwood, Alexa Santa Lucia, Taylor Scheuing, Matthew Seaman, Ashley Serianni, Christopher Serra, Cole Smith, Emily Steinbrenner, Jacob Sweeney, Nicole Swiantek, Dallas Taft, Codie Thomas, Lillian Thompson, Ashley Tillett, Alexander Tollner, Joshua Ungaro, Gregory VanNorman, Kayleigh Weselak, Tyler Yockey, Joshua Zernickel, Anthony Zogaria
Grade 10 - Amir Abdellatif, Alexander Ahne, Megan Ambellan, Jessica Bamberg, Elora Bascello, Matthew Beauchamp, Katelyn Benns, Sarah Brady, Thomas Butcher, Joseph Carrato, Andrew Chorey, Eric Colon, Natalee Culbert, Germaine Davis, Christopher Fadel, Donald Failing, Michael FitzGerald, Connor Frascatore, Sean Garten, Morgan Green, Thomas Grenke, Manraj Grewal, Charles Grunzweig, Brianna Guagliano, Marissa Haley, Mackenzie Howe, Mary Irving, Gabriella Jaramillo, Victoria Kostenbauder, Nathan Kulak, Mitchell Lariviere, Elise Lenzner, Kelsie Loos, Kaitlyn Lozo, Cory Ludwig, Anthony Mallais, Marisa Marino, Shannon McDonough, Thalia Melendez, Alec Metro, Kyle T. Meyer, Michelle Morgan, Kailah Moss, Heather Muranyi, Chelsea Null, Samuel Oursler, Jamison Phillips, Alyssa Pino, Corey Price, Kayla Pyc, Brittanee Ramallo, Zackary Reese, Genesis Rivera, Michael Sendlbeck, Ryan Sharrow, Glenn Skelly, Cassidy Smith, Jessica Spiesz, Phyllip Stallard, Adam Stoddard, Katherine Studley, Chandan Tiwana, Samantha Warden, Dominic Zannin, Tyler Zoldowski
Grade 11 - Samira Amin, Dale Baran, Christa Baron, Shannon Becker, Scott Bennett, Christopher Boulden, Nicholas Bruno, Michael Campanella, Brianna Catanzaro, Kevin Colman, James Corrao, Nicolette Corrao, Austin Dee, Dominique DeGregorio, Brooke DeMarco, Kaleigh Deuser, Robert Dickinson, Liam Dodd, Sara Dzielski, Thomas Dzielski, Patrick Gallagher, Carmela Gentile, David Gerfin, Christian Gibson, Vincent Golda, Amanda Heftka, Steven Henderson, Alex Howard, Ryan Jackson, Thomas Kalman, Kyle Keifman, Matthew Killian, Taylor Kozlowski, Bradley Ludwig, Jaime Magaris, Kelly Maloney, Jennie McCoy, Jaclyn Nusstein, Katie Oursler, Jenna Raepple, Daniel Ryan, Michael Seaman, Nicholas Sexton, Lawrence Smith, Rachel Spiker, Allison Stewart, Amanda Sutter, Victoria Sutton, Hayley Szyklinski, Eugenia Taylor, Ambria Tim, Benjamin Tomkins, Philip Valore, Nicholas Wallinder, Jenelle Walters, Courtney Weiser, John Wrench, Richard Yager, Andrew Yockey
Grade 12 - Courtney Amacher, Antonio Amin, Jovana Bichler, Jason Bogue, Christina Borden, Lisa Braun, Rhianna Broady, Tygue Busch, Jason Caldwell, Natalie Carpenter, Seana Chirico, Stacy Cich, Joseph Connors, Courtney Cox, Kayla Deuble, Brett Dlugosz, Jordan Dudish, Nicholas Ernst, Jeremy Figler, Jonathan Gebhard, Christopher Gibney, Anthony Grande, Jill Greinert, Chelsea Hall, Eric Harnden, Kelsey Hayden, Matthew Kasprzycki, Jacob Killian, Kristy Knickerbocker, Savanna Kustra, Timothy Lang, Phillip Lenz, Steven Lillian, Kori Loder, Michael Lydle, Daniel Major, Nicole McGuire, Hayley Metro, Intisar Mohamed, Michael Montaldi, Sean O’Donnell, Ryan Osvath, Courtney Papaj, Tony Rains, Jessica Randhawa, Kellsie Rassega, Robert Ross, Anthony Russell, Jonathon Seaman, Margaret Shonitsky, Dominique Simmons, Keith Skelly, Thomas Sommer, Benjamin Soos, Paige Speidel, Kelly Stark, Rachel Starr, Sean Steele, Alexander Strauss, Kasey Sumner, William Sundeen, James Toney, Zakiyyah Wilbert, Nicole Winter, Molly Wynne, Sarah Young, Rebecca Zimmerman
Grand Island High School Merit Roll - Feb. 2010
The following Grand Island High School students have been named to the merit roll for the second quarter, 2009-2010 school year:Grade 9 - Cyle Alcorn, Jessica Amsdill, Paul Arida, Kevin Aronica, Shelby Bailes, Daniel Blocho, Nicholas Bonarek, Dakota Bower, Eli Brennan, Danae-Grace Busch, Allysa Bush, Alyssa Cinelli, Lauren Cook, Cody Csendom, Adam Cummings, Jacob Dixon, Jamie Dobson, Zoe Dodd, Sarah Ernst, Joseph Fanara, Shannon Gallagher, Andrew Gilbert, Nicole Hall, Emily Harnden, John Holody, Megan Hoople, Anthony Huff, Robert Johnson, haley Keane, Alexander Kellner, Stephanie Knight, Matthew Lenz, Mandy Liesenfeld, Cassondra LoBrutto, Alexia Malpica, Taylor Marino, Kayla McDougall, Christina McGuire, Collin McMahon, Taylor Moran, Kimberlee Moss, Grace Olszewski, Matthew Osinski, Michael Palazza, Amanda Passarelli, Dalton Pitts, Kyle Pfetcher, Russell Potter, Alexa Santa Lucia, Matthew Seaman, Christopher Serra, Cole Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Emily Steinbrenner, Matthew Sutton, Codie Thomas, Ashley Tillett, Alexander Tollner, Dominic Tripi, Kayleigh Weselak, Adam Wilk, Nicholas Winger, Elenor Zaccaria, Joshua Zernickel, Anthony Zogaria
Grade 10 - Amir Abdellatif, Megan Ambellan, Jeremy Anderson, Eric Aronica, Jessica Bamberg, Makallie Banker, Elora Bascello, Brianna Beadles, Matthew Beauchamp, Joseph Carrato, Andrew Chorey, Benjamin Cliff, Eric Colon, Mikaela Connors, Natalee Culbert, Bridget Doyle, Matthew Foote, Sean Garten, Olivia Graziano, Morgan Green, Charles Grunzweig, Alexander Hastings, Mackenzie Howe, Lynne Huffnagle, Gabriella Jaramillo, Ashley Johnson, Robert Kerr, Nathan Kulak, Mitchell Lariviere, Cory Ludwig, Marisa Marino, Thalia Melendez, Brendan Mergel, Kyle Meyer, Michelle Morgan, Gabriela Nizialek, Chelsea Null, Samuel Oursler, Marina Pozantides, Kayla Pyc, Brittanee Ramallo, Eric Sander, Jenna Sansalone, Stephanie Senn, Ryan Sharrow, Glenn Skelly, Emily Sommer, Jessica Spiesz, Phyllip Stallard, Keith Starke, Angelina Stromberg, Erica Surdi, Samantha Warden, Benjamin Whitford, Laurice Wilbert, Jessica Young
Grade 11 - Samira Amin, Matthew Arida, Dale Baran, Shannon Becker, Taylor Bedford, Nathaniel Benoit, Christopher Boulden, Kathleen Brady, Nicholas Bruno, Justine Call, Andre Certo, Jason Chadwick, Amandip Cheema, Nicolette Corrao, Samuel Cummings, Austin Dee, Dominique DeGregorio, Robert Dickinson, Liam Dodd, Sara Dzielski, Thomas Dzielski, Matthew Edwards, Christopher Ernst, Geoff Federspiel, Sara Fiedler, Craig Fusco, Patrick Gallagher, Carmela Gentile, Vincent Golda, Amanda Heftka, Angelina Howe, Ryan Jackson, Thomas Kalman, Matthew Killian, Taylor Kozlowski, Bradley Ludwig, Miranda Oursler, Michael Pless, Noah Rothberg, Benjamin Sherman, Rachel Spiker, Allison Stewart, Ambria Tim, Philip Valore, Nicholas Wallinder, Jenelle Walters, Courtney Weiser, Zachary Wojnar, Tyler Wunsch, Richard Yager, Andrew Yockey
Grade 12 - Isam Abdellatif, Sarah Ali, Patrick Antonelli, Adam Asbach, Conrad Baker, Kelsey Bettinger, Patrick Brady, Lisa Braun, Jason Caldwell, Julianna Capizzi, Mary Chiaravalle, Stacy Cich, Ryan Darnley, Jordan Dudish, Alexander Fabiilli, Krista Glownia, Jill Greinert, Chelsea Hall, Timothy Howley, Sara Huttenmaier, Shaughn Irving, Zachary Kelly, Timothy Krecisz, Steven Lillian, Kori Loder, Elizabeth Lorence, Meghan Mahiques, Daniel Mathes, Aman Mattu, Keran Mattu, Nicole McGuire, Christopher Mornelli, Sean O’Donnell, Jessica Randhawa, Keith Skelly, Michael Stallard, Kelly Stark, Rachel Starr, Sean Steele, William Sundeen, Scott Suszczynski, Abram Thompson, Maritina Tsembelis, Brittney Wall, Sara Wilczek, Nicole Winter, Colton Wright, Molly Wynne, Rebecca Zimmerman
GIHS Class of 2013 Fundraiser - Winter 2010
Grand Island High School's Class of 2013 will be hosting a fundraiser at Tully's Restaurant on Niagara Falls Blvd. on Tuesday, March 2nd. The class will get 10% of your total bill (excluding tax and tip). All you have to do is print out the coupon and give it to your server. The coupon is good for the entire day so you can go at any time that is convenient for you and your family.Print COUPON Please consider supporting the Freshmen Class when making your dinner plans for Tuesday, March 2nd!
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending February 18, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 2/18/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
GIHS Job Search Seminar - Feb. 2010
Left photo: student Chelsea Rupert and Irene Filicetti of M&T Bank
Right photo: student Katie Cobello and Principal of Huth Road School Kerri Nowak
Click photo for larger view
Wouldn't it be great to get feedback on what you did right or wrong during your last job interview? Well, over 80 students from Grand Island High School were interviewed and critiqued at this year's Job Search Seminar held at the Grand Island Holiday Inn on Thursday, February 11th. This unique program enables students to gain job interview skills through authentic one-on-one situations. Interviewers are from all over Western New York and some businesses hire from this event. "In today's tough economy, students from Grand Island High School are given an "edge" over their competition in the job market," according to Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain, business teacher and coordinator the seminar.In addition, Bryant and Stratton College provided breakout sessions to help students plan for college and prepare for the demands of the workforce. Mrs. Chamberlain would like to thank the Grand Island School and Business Alliance (GISBA) members who serve as an advisory board for the business program at the high school, for all of their support with this program. For more information on exciting internships or other career related programs contact Mrs. Chamberlain at 773-8820.
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending February 11, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 2/11/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Alex Strauss - Gazette Feature - Feb. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette 2/10/10" story by Nate BeutelMary Scherrer - Gazette Feature - Feb. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette 2/10/10" story by Nate BeutelEvan Carey - Gazette Feature - Feb. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette 2/10/10" story by Jonah BronsteinEric Wiegold - Gazette Feature - Feb. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette 2/4/10" story by Nate BeutelPTSA/Rotary Students of the Month
February 2010
Stacy Cich Maria Edel Anthony Grande
Stacy Cich has been a Grand Island resident for all of her life. She has been enrolled in the Grand Island School District since Kindergarten. During her high school career, Stacy has not only valued academic success, but has also balanced a life filled with various extracurricular activities and community service.
Throughout her middle school and high school years. Stacy has been very involved in sports at Grand Island. In ninth grade Stacy participated on the Indoor Track and Field Team. Stacy has also been a member of the Girls Swimming and Diving team at Grand Island since the seventh grade, and a member of the Varsity team since eight grade. Stacy has also made the sectional qualifying team for swimming for five years. Stacy was captain of the Girls swim team her junior and senior year. She has been the boys' swimming and diving team manager for four years at Grand Island. Stacy has achieved her varsity letter for Girls Swimming and also for being the boys' swimming and diving manager.
Stacy has been very active in her school not only in sports, but also in clubs and activities. She was part of DECA for two years, and achieved national level at competitions. Stacy has been an editor on the Venture Yearbook staff for three years. She also received the PTSA academic award in 2008. Stacy also received the scholar athlete award for swimming in 2007 and 2008. In 2005 to 2006 Stacy was a member of the concert band at the high school.
Stacy has contributed to her community by participating in Carly’s Crossing open water swim for Roswell Park in 2005 and 2009. She has helped teach swimming in the Veronica Connor Middle School Intramural program. Stacy also volunteers annually in Relay for Life to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Stacy is currently enrolled in AP psychology. After graduation, she plans to attend a four year college to major in Criminal Justice.
Anthony Grande has been a lifelong resident of Grand Island attending local schools since first grade. He has participated in many different school and community based activities while excelling in many of his classes and consistently maintaining honor roll status.
He participated in J.V. and Varsity Soccer with the honor of having been selected as a Co-Captain on the J. V. squad in tenth grade. He also participated in Track, D.E.C.A., Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Pep Band, Pit Orchestra, Spot-lighters and Viking Vision (The High School’s own version of the News Cast but without Tom Brokaw). In his junior year while playing trumpet on the Jazz Band, Anthony auditioned and was the only selection to represent Grand Island on All County Band. In addition, this past fall, Anthony was invited to play with the All State Jazz Band at Fredonia State College. Anthony in his junior year was awarded the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for most outstanding jazz musician.
In his interest and pursuit of a future digital media career, Anthony has been involved in assisting Mr. Mark Gorton, the District Audio Visual Technology Specialist with recording the school plays, musicals, news casts and other events that take place at the school and in the community. As a participant in the Spot-lighters, Anthony has been contributing his skills in technology and digital arts by working on the stage crew during his sophomore and junior year. Anthony was given the responsibility of operating the audio system for the “Hobbit” and last year’s “Much Ado about Nothing” performances. In his senior year, Anthony wanted to gain an understanding of the whole process and decided to step out in front of the camera by playing “The Knave of Hearts” in “Alice in Wonderland” and is making an appearance in the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie”.
Anthony’s participation in community activities include volunteering for the Annual Rotary Hot Dog and LobsterFest for the past four years, Island Happenings and KidBiz and assisting his Dad in coaching a very successful Grand Island Soccer Club Travel team and is looking forward someday to become the head coach. Anthony also had an opportunity to video tape and edit the “Relay for Life” event on Grand Island that was a tool utilized this year to kick-off this years’ event. Anthony’s college plans are to attend SUNY Alfred State College majoring in Digital Media and Animation in pursuing his passion with the hopes to achieve his goal of working on major motion picture films in front and behind the scenes.
Maria Edel has been a resident of Grand Island all of her life with her parents and two brothers. She has been enrolled in the Grand Island school system since kindergarten, attending Sidway Elementary, Kaegebein Elementary, Veronica E. Connor Middle School, and now Grand Island Senior High School. She challenges herself with her academic curriculum while participating in many extracurricular activities.
Academically, Maria began taking honors classes in Middle School, which led her to take multiple Advanced Placement classes in High School. In her junior year, she was enrolled two Advanced Placement classes consisting of A.P. US History and A.P. Language and Composition. As a senior, she is currently enrolled in six Advanced Placement classes consisting of A.P. Statistics, A.P. Government, A.P. Economics, A.P. Psychology, A.P. Literature and Composition, and College Spanish through Niagara University. While enrolled in these challenging courses, she has consistently maintained a high honor or honor roll GPA. Also, Maria’s hard work has placed her in the top 20% of her class. She has received many awards including an Academic Excellence certificate, pin, varsity letter, and bar; the President’s Academic Award; Pride of the Island; and the Parent Teacher Association Academic Achievement Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.
Aside from her academics, Maria is very involved in extracurricular activities. Her involvement in student government began in Middle School by representing her class as Vice-President. Her leadership role has continued throughout High School as she was elected by her student body to be President of her class for four consecutive years. As president, she enjoys the responsibility and ability to guide her student body. She is also a 2009 graduate of Youth Leadership Erie County, a program that selectively chooses 40 high school students throughout Erie County to promote community awareness as well as develop leadership skills and appreciation for diversity. Maria has been an active member in Grand Island’s Concert Bands since 4th grade playing the clarinet. She shows her school spirit by being a part of the High School Pep Band for all of her four years of high school. Maria also volunteers her time peer mentoring during the school day and has found it to be very rewarding.
Outside of school, Maria volunteers her time as a Dance Teacher Assistant at Step-In-Time Dance Studio on Grand Island. She has assisted young children in the art of dance for 5 years and has been a dancer herself for 16 years, with a focus on tap, jazz, lyrical and ballet. She has volunteered her time at St. Stephen’s Church, People Inc, and the Sidway Family Fun Night over the years. She maintains her impressive academic performance and consistent extracurricular activities while being employed at Adrian’s Custard and Beef and Elderwood Nursing Home.
After graduation, Maria plans to attend college and pursue a major in Elementary Education.
GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending February 4, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 2/4/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Jeremy Figler Accepts Roster Spot - Feb. 2010
From Left: Karen Figler, Jeremy Figler, GI Varsity Soccer Coach Pete Kuehne and Roman Figler.
Click photo for larger view
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 was a big day at the island home of Karen and Roman Figler. Son Jeremy committed to attend UB and has accepted
a roster spot on the mens team to play soccer. Jeremy has been playing in the position of soccer goal keeper, since he was 8 years old,
following the lead of his older brother Jonathan, who also played between the pipes with the Grand Island Soccer Club. After watching many
soccer games at the University of Buffalo, he thought he would like to play at the collegiate level someday. The road to UB started when Grand Island High School JV soccer
coach and UB Bulls mens soccer alumnus Frank Butcher, received a call from Dave Hesch, UB Associate Head Coach for the Mens Soccer Team
looking for a quality goal keeper. Frank mentioned to Dave that he may want to take a look at Jeremy, who at the time was a sophmore playing varsity
for Grand Island. The rest is history... Jeremy Figler - Goalkeeper, 6' 5" 195 lbs.
STATS: 14 shutouts, 0.57 GAA for the season; 21 career shutouts. Grand Island High School boys soccer season shutout record holder, Niagara Frontier League boys soccer season shutout record holder.
SCOOP: 2009 First team all-Niagara Frontier League...2009 First Team all-WNY...Tri-Captain 2009 season...2009 season team co-mvp..
2009 Niagara Falls Gazette Boys Soccer Player of the Year.....2008 recipient of the Coaches Award...led Vikings to first NFL championship since 1986..
helped GI win its first sectional title since 2003... despite allowing three goals, he had his best performance in the Vikings' Far West Regional loss to V-Pittsford-Mendon.
COACH'S QUOTE: "Each year he has gotten progressively better. He has worked very hard in the offseason to get stronger and sharpen up his all-around skills. His range between the pipes is outstanding. Enough hasn't been said about his leadership skills on and off the field. He's very vocal in net and regulates his teammates in front of him. What's very noticeable about Jeremy is that he really loves and enjoys playing the game. That attitude spread throughout the team and had a lot to do with our success." - Pete Kuehne, GI Boys Varsity Coach
UB Men's Soccer Head Coach, John Astudillo said that, "Dave Hesch and I are quite excited at the prospect of having Jeremy attend UB and have the opportunity to play soccer. Local talent is of utmost importance to us, and having the combination of talent, potential, personality and character is a bonus".
GI Seniors at the NFL Swimming and Diving Championships - Jan. 2010
Click photo for larger view
Click "photo".
Grand Island High School seniors at the NFL Swimming and Diving Championships, Niagara Falls High School, Saturday,
January 30, 2010.GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending January 28, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 1/28/10"
for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Evan Carey breaks two school swim records
GIHS Musical Thoroughly Modern Miller - Jan. 2010
Grand Island Senior High School students will present the musical production, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on Thursday, Feb. 4; Friday, Feb. 5; and Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Island High School auditorium. For complete details and cast members, see"Modern Millie"
Jonas Stalyga - Career 1000 points - Gazette Feature - Jan. 2010
Jonas Stalyga, a senior at Grand Island High School, ended the Vikings/Lew-Port Basketball game on Friday night, January 15 with a record 1000 points. See "Niagara Gazette 1/15/10" story by Nate BeutelBobby Ross - Gazette Feature - Jan. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette 1/21/10" story by Nate Beutel
Thoroughly Modern Millie At GIHS
Grand Island High School will present "Thoroughly Modern Millie" in the high school auditorium on the evenings of February 4th, 5th and 6th at 7:30 p.m. The story is set in the flapper era of the 1920's and focuses on a naive young woman who finds herself in the midst of a series of madcap adventures and sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss. General admission is $8 and senior citizens are free with i.d. Discount tickets are available: 3 show admissions for $20.00.GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending January 21, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 1/21/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night - 2010
Click Information Letter
The Grand Island High School is hosting an Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night on Thursday, January 28, 2010. The informational meeting will be held from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium.Steve Vitello - Gazette Feature - Jan. 2010
See "Niagara Gazette 1/15/10"GIHS Sports Briefs - Week Ending January 14, 2010
Click "Sports Briefs 1/14/10" for this week's Grand Island High School sports scores.
PTSA/Rotary Students of the Month
January 2010
Rachel Surdi Sarah Dolan Alyssa Accardo
Rachel Surdi was born in Buffalo, NY and has lived on Grand Island for fifteen of her seventeen years. She has been enrolled in the Grand Island Central School district from Kindergarten until the present. Rachel has excelled within the classroom by maintaining steady high-honor or honor roll status throughout both middle and high school. She has been a member of a variety of high school clubs and activities, including DECA, an association of marketing students; the award-winning Venture Yearbook; the community-service oriented Interact Club, Upstate New York Transplant Services-sponsored Donate Life club; and Grand Island’s Ski Club at Holiday Valley. She has held officer positions in these clubs, including a role as co-president of the yearbook staff for 2009-2010 and co-treasurer of DECA for 2008-2009.
Through DECA she qualified for state competition twice, participating in the 2008 as well as the 2009 State Career Conferences in Rochester, NY. During the 2009 competition, she created a 70-page scrapbook to represent Grand Island High School DECA’s accomplishments and won third place in New York State for this chapter scrapbook event. She has also competed in Travel and Tourism, Visual Advertising and Marketing Management events during her three-year participation in this business and marketing club.
Rachel has received several awards for her achievement throughout middle and high school, including the Pride of the Island award, the Presidents’ Award of Academic Achievement, and the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin, and Letter.
During school, the college classes that Rachel is currently registered for are Advanced Placement Literature and Composition, a full year course, and Erie Community College’s College Success Skills, which takes place for the first semester of her senior year at Grand Island. She has also been enrolled in a transcript-oriented college course for high school students at Bryant and Stratton College in the field she plans to pursue in higher education as well as her career, Interactive Media/Web Design.
Outside of school, Rachel has participated in the local community by volunteering. She participated with her school’s DECA and Interact clubs in sorting holiday donations for the Grand Island Neighbors Foundation for three years. Throughout high school, she has raised funds for the American Cancer Society through participating in Relay for Life, and was captain of her Relay team in June 2009. Rachel also participated as a volunteer day camp counselor for the Town Boys and Girls Clubs’ Camp Te Be Ce at Beaver Island State Park for two years. She has also participated in a youth mentoring program in affiliation with the Grand Island High School business department.
Rachel has been interested in web design since she was eleven years old and taught herself the basic principles of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and graphic manipulation, meaning that she can independently create web pages with ease. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Digital Media or a similar major in order to expand her current knowledge and prepare herself for a career in web design.
Sarah Dolan has lived on Grand Island her entire life, and has been enrolled in the Grand Island School District since Kindergarten. She has succeeded academically throughout middle and high school, earning Honor Roll or High Honor Roll every marking period, while taking a rigorous schedule full of honors and AP courses. She has received numerous academic awards, such as the Academic Excellence Certificate, Pin, and Letter, a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program, and the status of AP Scholar from the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program. Sarah has been very active in Grand Island’s music program throughout the years, participating in Concert Band, Choir, Concert Choir, Wind Ensemble, Madrigals, Jazz Choir, Women of Note, the Pep Band, and the annual Musical, as well as All-County auditions and Solo-fest. Last year, Sarah was accepted into the Grand Island chapter of the National Honor Society. She has also been an active member of DECA for the past two years, and competed at both regional and state levels. She was a winner at the regional DECA competition last year, and is serving as the club Historian this year. For the past two years, Sarah has also been in the Careers in Small Business class. This class opened the Grand Island School Store last year and continues to run the store this year.
Sarah has been participating in Girl Scouts for most of her life, and is currently a member of Troop 1312. Last year she, along with the other members of her troop, completed her Gold Award - the highest award one can earn as a Girl Scout. It was a huge commitment, and required over 140 hours of work. Sarah is also active in the Youth Group at Trinity United Methodist Church. They do several community service projects every year, including a summer work-camp. Sarah attended a Reach Workcamp with them the summer between her freshman and sophomore years. There, she worked with a workcrew of five other teenagers from other parts of the country and built a wheelchair ramp for the house of an elderly woman who previously could not exit her house easily. Sarah is also active in Young Life, a Christian organization for teenagers, and the annual Grand Island Ski Club. This past summer, Sarah worked as a Junior Horseback Riding Instructor at Camp Seven Hills, a resident Girl Scout camp. At this point, Sarah is undecided as to where she wishes to attend college, but plans to major in Business Administration.
Alyssa Accardo is a lifelong resident of Grand Island and has always been an independent and overachieving individual both in school and in life.
Alyssa has consistently been on the honor and high honor roll since sixth grade. She has challenged herself academically by enrolling in honors and AP classes. Her hard work and dedication led to her induction into the National Honor Society in her junior year. Alyssa has been a recipient of PTSA Academic Awards, Scholar Athlete awards and Pride of the Island award.
Along with her strong academic record, Alyssa has been involved in many extracurricular activities. She has played the clarinet for nine years, the last three years in Wind Ensemble. She has been involved in the school musical since sixth grade and Spotlighters Drama Club in high school. She has been a member of the JV/Varsity Tennis Team throughout high school. She has also participated in Art Club, Ski Club, Student Olympics, Class of 2010 fundraising activities, and captain of a Relay for Life Team for the past three years. Alyssa has been dancing for twelve years and in 2005, was selected as a dancer and performer in the opening number for the nationally televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
Alyssa has a great passion for art. In 2007, she was selected to participate in the New York State Summer School for the Arts, a month-long program held at Fredonia State College. She was one of 120 students selected from more than 600 applications from high school students across the state. Selection was based on submission of a portfolio of work to a panel of jurists. She spent her day in drawing, painting and sculpture classes. The evening activities included art history lessons and presentations from visiting artists. Alyssa was awarded a scholarship from the Allentown Arts Society to attend the program.
Giving back to the community is also very important to her. She has been a volunteer in a food pantry, and on various clothing and toy drives. She has participated in community service activities as a member of the National Honor Society. Alyssa has donated art works and has been involved in fundraising art auctions for various organizations. Her art work donated to the Art for Heart charity auction received the highest bid.
After graduation, Alyssa plans to attend college to pursue her interest in art.
GIHS Wins Tech War - Jan. 2010
See "Buffalo News 1/14/10"
High School News – January 2010
Story By Marwa Eltagouri (Senior) - Student Writer
See DECA Story 1/14/10Not in DECA, What the Hecka? - Jan. 2010
Winners: Ben Soos, Advisor Cheryl Chamberlain, Ben Bakula, Mike Seaman
(right) Megan Kaarpie, Dicision Making
If you don't know by now, DECA is an International business and marketing club dedicated
to high school students who want to be ready for the world of work! This past Sunday,
January 10th, 50 Grand Island High School students competed in DECA categories such as:
Decision Making, Business Law, Sports and Entertainment Marketing, and Public Speaking.
All in all, 21 students advanced to the New York State level by placing in the top six
of their event. Region 12 DECA is comprised of 15 local high schools and is the only
region in New York to offer students the same experience as State level competition due
to the number of local business people who come out to judge our role-play events. The
advisors of our WNY high schools seek out the best in the business world to help our
students achieve their potential in their career areas. Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain and
Mr. Christopher Simpson co-advise DECA at Grand Island High School and are very proud
of the students and their accomplishments. Judges this year from Grand Island were:
Mr. George Casey, Mrs. Cheryl Cardone, Mrs. Mary Cooke, Mrs. Maggie Kennedy,
Mr. Mark Gorton, and Mr. Paul Thompson. Additional thanks go to Mrs. Laura Briganti,
Mr. Eric Cahoon, Miss Kathryn Raiser, Miss Kathryn Cobello, Miss Amy Grenke, and
Miss Lauren Fonte (Regional Representative) for all of their help with this event!High School Girls Named To All-State Soccer Team - Jan. 2010
Buffalo News . . .The 2009 All-New York State girls soccer team boasts 24 players from Western New York among its five classes. Named to the first team was senior Katie Griffin of Williamsville East, junior Jenna Raepple of Grand Island and senior Caitie Pfeiffer of Holland.Class A — First team: Jenna Raepple (Grand Island)
Fourth team: Jeannie Taylor-11 (Grand Island)
