Grand Island High School News Web Page 2013
Grand Island High School Website
2012 News Page
Principal
Dan Quartley
Sports Briefs - December 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 12/24/2013"Grand Island Boys Swimming Recap - December 2013
An article written by Mike Meiler in the December 20th edition of the Niagara Gazette gives an update of the first half of the Boys Swim season. Grand Island is in 2nd place in the NFL with a 7-1 record after defeating Ken West on Saturday, December 21st, 55-39. See excerpt for Grand Island recap.DECA/Student Council Help Out - December 2013
Jodi Robinson Photo - Click photo for larger view.
The Neighbors Foundation had their annual disbursement of donated canned goods at the Knight's of Columbus on Thursday, December 19, 2013. Twenty-six members of Deca and the GIHS Student Council made short work of the items donated, mostly from Grand Island schools. A contest at the high school for most cans collected from a homeroom went to Mrs. Christina Podlucky's class. They will receive a breakfast for collecting over 450 items. The Student Council sponsored another contest that gave a chance on a 32" TV for every five items donated. The winner will be chosen on Friday, December 20th. The high school became involved in the Neighbors Foundation over 20 years ago when Tim Oldenburg was the head of DECA.Sports Briefs - December 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 12/19/2013"Carols & Cookies at Winter Concert - December 2013
Start off your Holiday season this Thursday December 12, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. with the Grand Island High School Annual Winter Concert. Come listen to the sounds of the season from the choral groups, orchestral groups, concert band and the traditional performance of "Sleigh Ride" by the Wind Ensemble. Come early to get a head start on your holiday cookies. Make your own selections from dozens of trays of delicious and colorful homemade cookies. Cookies will be available by a plate of 1 dozen for $5.00 or snack size of 2 for $1.00. Proceeds will benefit the Grand Island Instrumental Music Boosters.Sports Briefs - December 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 12/12/2013"Leadership Niagara Youth Program Serves! - December 2013
Service learning was the focus of this month's Leadership Niagara Youth Program (LYNC) leadership seminar. LYNC, in its 14th year, is a program of Leadership Niagara and has expanded to twelve schools in the region with the support of the Irene E. Witkowski-Agrawal Foundation. Students from Barker, Grand Island, Lewiston-Porter, Lockport, Newfane, Niagara Catholic, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Royalton Hartland, Starpoint, and Wilson High Schools come together at different locations each month with Leadership Niagara to learn and practice leadership values and principles.This month the students traveled to the Niagara Falls City Mission where they were quickly put to work serving meals, wrapping gifts, and getting the facility ready for the holiday. "It is more than just volunteer work" said Sara Colon, Grand Island High School junior. "It is about how we make a difference in the lives of others, now and in the future." These concepts and more are helping to enrich and create leaders at our schools. GIHS sends six students to the LYNC program and they have much to bring back to the student body when they return. Cheryl Chamberlain, advisor at the high school, had an opportunity to visit this session and was impressed by the students from GI and all schools because they all get along and work together for a common goal. For more information on Leadership Niagara contact Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820.
Gala of Trees - December 2013
Maddie Webb and MaryElisabeth Rustowicz with Class of 2017 tree.
Cheerleaders Nicole Kerr and Ashley Zartman
The GIHS Student Council "Gala of Trees", on Saturday, December 7th at Byblos Resort, was the place to be for Christmas cheer. A beautiful display of large and small decorated trees and wreaths were available for silent auction and family friendly activities were available to participate in. The majority of the trees were donated by different Grand Island High School organizations. Others were donated by Island businesses such as Flower A Day, M & T Bank, Soma Cura, DeSignet Jewelry and Isledegrande. Holiday movies were being shown in the ballroom and arts and crafts activities in a meeting room included decorating sugar cones as xmas trees, coloring and face painting. All proceeds from the event were being donated to the Grand Island Neighbors Foundation.Vikings Football Players Named WNY All Stars - December 2013
The Grand Island High School football team had a great season. They ended up #8 in the Buffalo News Final 2013 Football Poll with a record of 7-2. Numerous players were also named "All WNY All Stars", they are:First Team Offense: OL Nick Paolini 11
First Team Defense: DE Tom Doctor 12, LB Paul Sukmanowski 12, DB Kurtis Johnson 12, DB Jack Gorman 12
One of Two Defensive Players of the Year: Tom Doctor
One of Two Coaches of the Year: Dean Santorio
Second team: Jarod Brandon-10, Joe Gioeli, Chris Aronica-10, Mike Klienschmidt
Honorable Mention: Joe Chiaravalle, T.J. Morgan.
The Buffalo News also named as First Team Offense, OL Tom Doctor 6-4 235 12 and second team defense, P Kurtis Johnson 6-0 190 12.
Link to full list of All WNY All Stars.
Grand Island High School Job Search Needs You! - December 2013
The business department at Grand Island High School is looking for volunteers to serve as interviewers for this year's Job Search Seminar on February 13, 2014 at Byblos Resort and Conference Center. Job Search Seminar was developed by the Grand Island High School Business Department in response to local business and their need for more qualified and prepared student workers. Job Search is a unique, one day event that aides students with the interview process. Local business leaders and educators are the interviewers (some businesses hire on the spot) and provide feedback to students for use on future interviews. In addition, breakout sessions are provided from colleges/businesses that assists students even further. This authentic, work-based learning experience is part of the Career and College readiness skills that are needed by all students to be successful in their future. If you would like to participate as an interviewer please contact Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820 or cherylchamberlain@k12.ginet.org.GISD Capital Project Moving Along - December 2013
Aaron Bobeck Photos - Click photos for larger view.
As you drive past the Grand Island High School on Ransom Road, you can see progress being made on the capital project. The new wing at GIHS is on schedule and due to be completed August 1, 2014. The wing is referred to as STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). The work that has been in progress on the science labs should be finished by the new year. Demolition is complete on the athletic area at the back of the school.2013 All-Gazette Team: High School Football - December 2013
There were seven Grand Island players named to the team and four honorable mentions. Click Mike Meiler list from articleSports Briefs - December 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 12/5/2013"Vikings Boys Basketball Open With a Win - December 2013
GI beat Starpoint 72-65 in a nonleague game.December 4, 2013 - Buffalo News article, see story.
GIHS High Honor Roll - November 2013
9th Grade High Honor
Kristen Atkinson, Genna Baldassarre, Conner Buzby, Jacob Dollendorf, Cole Ellsworth, Adam Frosolone, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Alexis Hofmeyer, Richard Hoover, Amanda Jordan, Genavieve Koyn, Justin Kozlowski, Adam Krathaus, Kelsey Mahoney, Ryan McDonald, Catherine Merletti, Owen Morrish, Kayli Nelson, Claire O’Connor, Jennalise Olson, Emily Prawel, Lindsay Proctor, Garrett Robinson, Luca Robinson, Alexa Rogers, Brandon Schoener, Emma Schultz, Jacob Spencer, Jessica Surace, Sarah Swagler, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb, Dakota Wolf
10th Grade High Honor
Cailin Atkins, Emily Augugliaro, Adam Bevilacqua, April Booker, Thomas Botticello, Natalie Braun, Justin Cardone, Yaling Chen, Jesus Cisneros Vilchis, Adam Dryfhout, Bridget Federico, Brenton Fischer, Benjamin Freedman, Victoria Gruber, Maya Harper, Kaitlin Hoy, Brianna Little, Hope LoHouse, Holly Lutnick, Sarah Moseley, Nathan Newell, Gabrielle Robinson, Heather Robinson, Cassidy Siebert, Cameron Smith, Eric Watt, Brian Wynne
11th Grade High Honor
Jessica Ackendorf, Joshua Barrett, Carly Benatovicz, Giuseppe Campanella, Kayla Conway, Nancy Dahlquist, Rajveer Dhaliwall, Shannon Driess, Julia Drozdowsky, Eric Dudley, Justin Figler, Morgan Finn, Katherine Fonte, Alexander Garey, Carly Hand, Kurt Laschinger, Taylor Latvala, Nathan Marino, Michaela McMahon, Alexandra Miller, Mackinzie Smith, Emily Szabo, Laura Taylor, Rebecca Wall, James Wilson, Emily Wolcott
12th Grade High Honor
Amber Betterson, Sarah Dollendorf, Ashley Gugino, Zachary Jones, Kristina Kasprzycki, Emma MacIntyre, Anna Nicolia, Jenna Paternostro, Maygan Payan, Ryan Proctor, Javier Solis, Tara Stewart, Lillian Von Reyn
GIHS Honor Roll - November 2013
9th Grade Honor
Jordan Anthony, Liam Atkins, Marcella Barberic, Theresa Baughman, Joseph Boyko, Karli Burford, Julia Buscaglia, Erik Carlson, Andrea Colan, Rachel Colan, Kaylee Conta, Savannah Cramer, Jessica Culbert, Mallory DelSignore, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Todd Domowicz, Samuel Eichel, Anthony Emmi, Simon Esteroz, Louis Fabiano, Colin Fish, James Franz, Alexis Gallup, Angelica Marie Garcia, Lenin Harper, Kelsey Harrigan, Jessica Harvey, Marilyn Hess, Timothy Howard, William Hughes, Robert Jankowiak, Bryce Jellinick, Olivia Johnson, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Maxwell Keller, Sydney Khreis, Julie Klein, Reganne Kleisath, Madelyn Konopczynski, Julia Koprevich, Katherine Kovacs, Matthew Kowalski, Jason Kubanek, Hayley Latvala, Lauren LoTempio, Rachel Madigan, Julianna Major, Harrison Mangat, Jacob Masucci, Alyssa Maxwell, Gracie McNamara, Tyler Moskala, Kassie Moss, Tyler Muggli, Jack Norgiel, Kianna Norman, David Pachla, Madisyn Pezzino, Connor Pignatora, Sean Pufpaff, Kaylee Richard, Thomas Riniolo, MaryElisabeth Rustowicz, William Scalzo, Kelly Schlifke, Cassandra Shores, Nemanja Simic, Angela Smith, Brianna Smith, Kristin Sutton, Lauryn Swanson, Nicholas Szabo, Ryan Tetreault, Brooke Thomas, James Thorpe, Jenna VeRost, Aruran Wigneswaran, Wesley Wolf, Gillian Worrall
10th Grade Honor
Clare Ahne, Eric Albrecht, Christopher Aronica, Tori Aronica, Narmeen Asif, Adam Bahgat, Sara Bellinger, Destiny Benjamin, Austin Blair, Aaron Bobeck, Emily Bognar, Troy Brady, Jarod Brandon, Zachary Breeden, Madison Brown, Caitlyn Bykowicz, Dominique Capizzi, Andrew Carlson, Cameron Colan, Alexis Conway, Frank Cotroneo, Patrick Dansereau, Colten Deuser, Michael Duda, Emily Dudziak, Erin Dugan, Jayson Endozo, Ian Estenoz, Cydney Fairbairn, Marissa Freedman, Alexis Garcia, Ashley Giambra, Sabrina Giordano, Olivia Goc, Brittany Grant, Jacob Hauer, Kali Hausrath, Haylee Heitman, Rebecca Hennessy, Briana Hollfelder, Nicole Hollfelder, Kaitlynd Howell, Alexander Jackson, Samara Johnson, Taylor Johnson, Lovepreet Kaur, Julia Kavanagh, Sydney Keane, Brendan Kenney, Michaela Kozek, Jospeh Kulikowski, Sarah Kustich, Julia Lawley, Sabrina Lemme, Courtney Liberte, Edward Logel, Michaela Malesky, Anna Martinez, Cameron Mastykarz, Madison McNamara, Tiffany Melendez, Haley Melisz, Sabrina Mistriner, James Niland, Kalista Nizialek, Emily Nobumoto, Nathaniel Nowocien, Ryan O’Neil, Zachery O’Neill, Michael Oldman, Yukino Ota, Eric Pease, Michael Pyzynski, Maria Ramsperger, Hailey Randle, Sarah Rennells, Sammantha Reynolds, Chelsea Robillard, Mikayla Rosati, Emelie-Jo Scheffler, Christina Serianni, Smeen Shah, Brendan Sheehan, Cassie Shickluna, Rohan Alexi Smith, Lindsey Supparits, Brandon Surdi, Melanie Sweeney, Taylor Vanderzell, Ciara Vedella, Alex Whetham, Brianna Wik, Dakaylah Winfield, Douglas Yockey, Michael Ziehm, Spencer-Jon Zukic
11th Grade Honor
Alwareed Abdellatif, Joshua Acquisto, Ryan Allen, Hannah Bastian, Tyler Benderson, Nicholas Bonora, Bradley Boreali, Brianna Brandon, Nicholas Brink, Vincent Bruno, Nicole Burley, Alexa Calandra, Robert Carroll, Rochelle Cataffo, Dennis Chatkhan, Natalia Christiano, Sara Cichon, Nathan Ciffa, Andrew Colautto, Sara Colon, Caitlin Conlon, Lillian Cultrara, Alexandra Cutting, Colton Czajka, Kaitlyn Davidson, Genevieve Davis, Anna DeMartin, Isabel Dengos, Katherine Diefenbach, Joseph Egloff, Jared Eichel, Robert Ellegate, Joyce Endozo, McLain Erhard, Thomas Euscher, Joseph Farrell, Austin Fisher, Halle FitzGerald, Jessica Foote, Ashley Franz, Andrew Fred, Jacob Frosolone, Emily Fuoco, Rebekah Gaydosh, Leah Geis, Kathryn Gentz, Graciana Giambra, Marissa Gress, Balraj Grewal, Nikolai Harper, Connor Harrigan, Sabrina Hausrath, Natalie Henderson, Christian Hilts, Keegan Hirtreiter, Joshua Horvath, Kimberly Huffnagle, Grey Johnson, Jacqueline Kehoe, Jack Kennedy, Ryan Kennedy, Kelsey Ketterer, Leah Killian, Marah Killian, Khristian Kline, Thomas Major, Holly Mandura, Colton McGraw, Mark McKenna, Matthew McNaughton, Nolan Miles, Courtney Monroe, Thomas Morgan, Anthony Mosher, Jocelyn Mueller, Robert Nappo, Robin Neary, Jacob Neumann, Meaghan O’Leary, Nicholas Ortiz, Colin Osborn, Jessica Patterson, Alyssa Pelosi, Kelsey Percival, Bryce Pfalzer, Miranda Phillips, Jordan Piershalski, Drew Pitts, Michael Podgorny, Kayla Popovich, Brendan Pratt, Jenna Reinard, Jessica Rennells, Andrew Riederer, Eric Riederer, Raymond Rott, Kaitlyn Rudney, Margaret Rustowicz, Benjamin Shaw, Pushpinder Singh, Alexandra Sponn, Emilie Stinner, Hiral Suthar, Melissa Ullrich, Mark Valle, Steven White, Scarlett Whitman, Corey Wilkinson, Bennett Wright, Bethany Wynne, Alexander Zimmersmann, Taylor Zoldowski
12th Grade Honor
Natalie Argy, Jacob Athoe, Marisa Atkinson, Natalie Baldassarre, Samantha Bartolotta, Miles Bentley, Sierra Besl, Alicia Bianco, Grace Bolton, Kevin Borowicz, Kirsten Burtch, Liana Buscaglia, Bryce Callen, Amanda Cancilla, June Chadima, Magdalyn Chauby, David Cich, Jessica Cieri, Hannah Corrao, Quinton Corrao, Thomas Corrao, Sierra D’Ettorre, Nicholas DeMita, Frank DeRubes, Sean DeRubes, Jaskiran Dhaliwall, Thomas Doctor, Jensen Dorey, Heavyn Dreher, Jenell Duxbury, Alexandra Dzielski, Michael Dzielski, Kai Ellsworth, Elijah Fields, Kevin Freedman, Ian Freudenheim, Emma Garten, Bianca Gowanny, Anthony Grana, Andrew Grinchishin, Kara Hazelet, Alyssa Heitman, April Hippert, Steven Howard, Ciara Howley, Henry Huang, Amanda Jelonek, Kurtis Johnson, Addison Joselyn, Alexa Kalinowski, Kristin Kalman, Alyssa Karb, Alexander Kelly, Julia Kelly, Emily Kernin, Mary Frances Koch, Stephanie Kowalak, Joshua Krstevski, Julianne Lavallee, Justin Lavis, Gabriella Liberatore, John Lillian, Brittany Little, Elizabeth LoBrutto, William Madigan, Vincent Malpica, Johnna Marinello, Andrew Masiello, Justin McCarthy, Jacob McMahon, Brentyn Mendel, Wyatt Mock, Benjamin Morrish, Brooklyn Morton, Catherine Navagh, Anna Niland, James Osborn, Kamra Phillips, Nicholas Pino, Zoann Pittman, Macey Porter, James Pufpaff, Sydney Quarantillo, Zoe Reda, Emilie Rengler, Shannon Robillard, Kaitlyn Rose, Kyle Schoener, Natalie Schultz, Derrick Schutrum, Jillian Sheehan, Vincent Shores, Lucas Siebert, Chelsea Sinicki, Pamelia Slattery, Jeremy Smith, Tanner Speer, Lindsey Spiker, Jacob Stromberg, Christopher Swagler, Raymond Tafelski, Timothy Utz, Victoria VanNorman, Stephanie Voyzey, Jadon Wegrzyn, Mitchell Weis, Ashley Weiser, Jackeline Wilson, Brigid Wilton, Madalyn Wright, Brandon York, Nicholas Young, Matthew Zabaldo
GIHS Merit Roll - November 2013
9th Grade
Jordan Blanchard, Devin Brandon, Alexander Brennan, Liam Bryan, Sarina Buscaglia, Antonio Calandra, Nicholas Capizzi, Nicole Castiglione, Connor Cinelli, Lauryn Clark, Mikayla Claus, McKenna Collignon, Alexandra Colucci, Megan DiBerardino, Louis Estrella, Madison Finn, Joseph Frailey, Meghan Frisch, Jacob Gleave, Braden Hawley, Emily Jelonek, Natasha Keller, Lily Anna Leffler, Hannah Mahon, Nathaniel Massaro, Sean McFarland, Alexandra Meinhold, Heather Michki, Zachary Morano, Katelyn Newbould, Juleeann Nyitrai, Kevin O’Leary, Trevor Palamuso, Ashley Parmelee, Madison Phillips, Ryon Pietrzak, Kaila Powell, Matthew Racz, Sarah Saleh, Ryan Schwinn, Alexia Shivers, Breanna Smith, Samuel Sommer, Anthony Stolfo, Noah Teator, Collin Tolsma, Marie Tomasula, Jacob Tucker, Mary Valle, Samantha Wakefield, Cassidy Wilkinson, Caitlin Young, Nicholas Yung, Abraham Zherebilov
10th Grade
Benjamin Abbott, Jill Anderson, Jesse Arch, Hayley Becker, Alexis Belstadt, Kyle Burns, Joseph Calabrese, Drew Callen, Taylor Cecere, Charles Cetola, Jenna Corrao, Patrick Cramer, Allison DeMartin, Sari Dickinson, Lisa Fankhauser, Jordyn Fisher, Kyle Frascatore, Nicholas Giancola, Jacob Gilcart, Nicholas Gioeli, Morgan Goris, Daniel Grinchishin, Taj Harris, Taylor Internicola, Jacob Kawecki, Lydia Knope, Derek Konopski, Samantha Krause, Sara Kwarciak, Zachary Lenz, Kady Liesenfeld, Liana Lombardo, Loveleen Mangat, Michael Mankowski, Chad Martin, James Martin, Kiana McQuestion, Travis Mikulski, Jason Miller, Manny Montes, Tanner Morrow, Jake Nowak, Matthew O’Brien, Anthony Ormsby, Daniel Otto, Julia Pino, Mikayla Reading, Joshua Rizzo, Maximillian Russell, Chelsea Schmidt, Jake Schmidt, Amber Schwinn, Dana Simmons, Lindsey Spencer, March Thompson, Matthew Tollner, Evan Valint, Xavier Vazquez, Maxwell VeRost, Katherine Verso, Samantha Violino, Chancellor Warmus, Hannah Wessner, Taya Wiesmore, Hannah Wiktorowski, Kassidy Wozniak, Kevin Zhang
11th Grade
Eric Ackerman, Michaela Bailes, Christopher Barberic, Jason Belous, Sierra Brooks, Patrycia Burley, Mariah Ciffa, Enrico D’Abate, Karli Deuser, John Eckman, Daniel Edel, Ian Eisenberger, Kyle Graves, Maxwell Grenda, Alexander Hollatz-Guastella, Scott Holmes, Benjamin Jensen, Samara Lanthier, Alexa Lombardo, Austin Mahoney, Ryan Marlin, Michael McMahon, Sara McMahon, Devlin McMaster, Kevin Minton, Stephanie Muranyi, Taylor Nageldinger, Jenna Neff, Nicholas Paolini, Devon Perri, Mary Kate Petz, Michael Podlucky, Jessica Pontrello, Joseph Pusateri, Mitchell Racz, Michael Rugg, Lance Russo, McKenzie Schaefer, Colin Smith, George Smith, Meghan Sonnenberg, Dylan Stroka, Heena Suthar, Armand Swanson, Branden Tripi, Jordan VeRost, Brian Verso, Matthew Wellence, Apelasan Wgneswaran, Jordan Yamonaco, Caitlyn Yensen, Brenna Young, Jessica Zoldowski
12th Grade
Rana Abdelal, Michele Aronica, Brielle Backlund, Sukhdeep Bajwa, Alexander Baker, Jack Boyko, Jon Busch, Christina Butcher, Kristen Call, Jason Carroll, Aaron Certo, Qian Chen, Jason Cichon, Jonathan Coluccci, Aaron Cook, Alexander Cousins, Brian DeRubes, Ashley Dragonette, Emily Edwards, Hannah Edwards, Elizabeth Figler, Cassie Gilcart, Emily Glose, Benjamin Goc, Alex Gormady, Abhiraj Grewal, Patrick Hall, Joseph Halpin, Andrew Hannah, Jake Hawley, Ryan Held, David Holler, Emira Islami, Sala Islami, Madeline Jackson, Katlyn Jennings, Jessica Keller, Amanda Kinmartin, Michael Kleinschmidt, Ashley Kroetsch, Kyle Krueger, Jacob Ladouceur, Alexander Lenz, Nathan Link, Matthew Madigan, Thomas McCaffery, Emmalee McNamara, Elliott Michki, Gregory Nicolia, Yiannis Papavramidis, Shawn Passero, Michael Paternostro, Angela Pozantides, Alessandra Price, Alex Rallo, Andrew Rodriguez, Ryan Ross, Maren Russell, Alyssa Schmitt, Samantha Sheppard, Molly Smith, Kristen Stark, Brandon Stevenson, Jenna Stufkosky, Timothy Sutton, Max Tafelski, Brock Tetreault, Helen Tran, Emily Valint, Joaquin Vazquez, Mia Villani, Christian Wallinder, Amanda Weselak
Non-Perishable Food Items Needed - November 2013
From left: Sara Colon, Brian Wynne, Adam Dryfhout, Lexi Miller, Tiffany Melendez
The Leadership Youth of Niagara is helping needy families at Community Missions this Christmas. The six “LYNC” students from Grand Island High School are adopting families with their teams from the program, and providing the families with everything they’ve asked for this holiday season. They are donating non-perishable food items to the Community Missions to assist these families. Please contribute by donating a non- perishable food item at the Byblos Niagara Resort on December 7th, 2013 from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the "The Gala of Trees." Visit with Santa, decorate cookies, and participate in crafts with our LYNC students. The Community Missions greatly appreciates your donation! For more information contact Cheryl Chamberlain at Grand Island High School at 773-8820.GIHS Boys Varsity Soccer Team Season - November 2013
The GIHS boys varsity soccer team season came to a close on Wednesday, October 30th with a loss to Williamsville East (ranked 19th in the New York State Coaches poll) in the Class A1 Sectional Championship game. The road to the Class A1 Sectional Championship saw the GI boys varsity defeat Starpoint by a score of 3-0 in the quarter-finals game, and defeat Kenmore East in a 4-3 double overtime/shootout thriller in the semi-finals game. The Kenmore East game had GI down 3-1 until Troy Brady scored in the 62nd minute and Jadon Wegrzyn tied it up in the 74th minute of the game. GI would eventually win the game in shootout by a score of 6 -5, with Brian Ailinger netting the final game winning penalty kick.
The GI boys varsity team ended the regular season at 13-1-0 in the league and 15-4-0 overall, and they captured their first NFL title since 2009. They ended up with a goals plus/minus rating of +25 by scoring 52 goals and allowing 27, and they were the only NFL team representative in the Section VI Large School Poll at #7. The underclassmen will miss seniors Brian Ailinger, Aaron Cook, Brentyn Mendel, Adam Missert, Wyatt Mock, James Osborn, Ryan Ross, and Jadon Wegrzyn and thank them for all their efforts and contributions to this years successful season.
Vikings Sectional Information - October 2013
Friday, November 1st, Varsity Football vs. Will North (at Tonawanda) 5:00 p.m. GI lost in overtime 14-7.Friday, November 1st, Cross Country at Bemus Point 9:00 a.m.
Thursday, October 31st, Boys Volleyball vs. Maryvale, GI won 3-0, playing Hamburg at Hamburg in semifinals (TBA).
Wednesday, October 30th, Boys Soccer vs. Will East (at Hamburg) 7:30 p.m. - Boys lost 7-0
Tuesday, October 29th, Girls Soccer vs. Hamburg 4:30 p.m. - Girls lost in OT 3-2 (14-2-3)
Tuesday, October 29th, Boys Volleyball vs. Ken East at Grand Island 6:00 p.m. - Boys won 3-0 Division II Pre-Quarterfinals.
Grand Island Music Boosters - October 2013
Once again this year, Grand Island High School Students are sponsoring our annual fruit sale. The sale begins October 25th and runs through Nov. 12th with delivery on Dec. 14th. The sale of these delicious grapefruits and oranges directly benefit each students trip account. This year we will be traveling to the Dixie Classics Festival in Washington, DC in April. Any questions, please contact us at www.gimusicboosters@gmail.com. Thank You for your continued support of our students. Buy Now!
DECA Installs New Members! - October 2013
From left, new members: MaryKate Petz, Emily Phinney, Jessica Foote, with veteran members: Molly Smith and Grace Giambra
The members of the Grand Island Chapter of DECA, a business and marketing club, were present to be inducted into the State and National level of DECA at Salvatore's on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Grand Island chapter is now the largest in WNY, with 140 members, which include a large middle school chapter lead by Mrs. MaryJane Fonte at Veronica Connor Middle School. There are over 200,000 members worldwide and 750 members in WNY. Grand Island High School Advisor, Cheryl Chamberlain attributes the growth of the club to a large interest in business classes and future careers in related fields. "DECA is a great way to help students be successful in so many areas, such as communications, problem solving, and leadership. People always tell me that our DECA students are the most prepared on job interviews and it is due to this outstanding professional program!" Currently, students are busy preparing for the DECA regional competition in January where they may qualify for the state conference in March.Grand Island Blanks Macks - October 2013
By Keith McShea | Buffalo News Sports ReporterOctober 26, 2013, see story.
Sports Briefs - October 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 10/24/2013"Baby Girls Rule at GIHS - October 2013
From Left, baby and teacher name: Rebecca-Christina Podlucky, Maeve-Mike Dedario, Hailey-Michelle Smilanich, Sydney-Melissa Kosmoski, Adeline-Mary Colpoys, Gracie-Mandy Myers, Natalie-Rachael Grabek
Click photo for larger view.
GIHS language teacher Mandy Myers wrote recently, "Between April and August of this year, ten GIHS teachers had babies and all ten were girls! Seven of the ten got together October 18th and posed for this picture in their Viking hats." This would be a great annual photo!Robert Collard Named Master Teacher - October 2013
Grand Island High School math teacher Robert Collard is one of twenty-nine local math and science teachers recently named a Master Teacher by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. They will participate in a new state program to be hosted at SUNY Buffalo State. The master teachers will have access to professional development opportunities at the college. In addition, the 29 teachers will work with new and future teachers at their schools and on campus.The teachers were selected for the master teachers program based on their excellence in three areas – teaching, content knowledge and knowing the needs of their students, said David Henry, Buffalo State associate professor of elementary education and reading. “One of the reasons the governor was so interested in doing this is the importance of keeping good teachers in the field of teaching,” said Henry, who will coordinate the program at Buffalo State along with David Wilson, associate professor of mathematics. “This is an opportunity for good teachers. It’s another rung on their career ladder.” Buffalo State is one of nine State University of New York campuses that will host master teachers programs. A 10th program will be held in New York City in partnership for Math for America.
Busy Life Skills Class at GIHS- October 2013
Left: Students at Island Pets and Feed, Right: Guinea Pig selection. - Click photos for larger view.
Special Education Teacher Brian Albert's Life Skills class has had a busy fall. One of their projects was to raise funds to buy pet guinea pigs for their classroom. On Fridays, the kids worked hard at "Yummy Tummy", serving lunch to faculty and staff. The teachers and Grand Island High School always come out in large numbers to support the kids' lunch and coffee sales, and the Grand Island Rod and Gun Club made a substantial donation to make the whole thing possible.Island Pets and Feed was the destination on Wednesday, October 23rd to pick out two lady guinea pigs and assorted equipment. With three to choose from, a vote was taken and the brown and red animals were chosen. The students learned about how to care for the animals from the pet store employees. Thanks to Island Pets for donations and discounts towards the project. The students voted on names earlier in the week and they will be called Holly and Sparky. Mr. Albert says he looks forward to all the academic and functional skills the students will learn through caring for the animals. A sampling of student letters about the guinea pig project.
Left: Students with Bill Stanley, Right: Grilling safety is discussed. - Click photos for larger view.
The Life Skills had a special treat on Tuesday, October 22nd when Miracle League volunteer coach Bill Stanley stopped by to teach the students the finer points of gas grill safety. At the end of the lesson they all enjoyed a cheeseburger lunch that they had helped prepare.GI Boys Soccer Win Season Championship - October 2013
Seniors: Brian Ailinger, Aaron Cook, Adam Missert, Wyatt Mock, James Osborn, Ryan Ross, and Jadon Wegrzyn. (Missing: Brentyn Mendel)
Roman Figler story & photo
On a night where it rained for the majority of the game, during which each team played extremely hard, both teams left it all on the field, and it all came down to two significant moments. The first was in the 75th minute of the game when GI goalkeeper, Justin Figler stopped a Niagara Wheatfield breakaway to preserve the scoreless game and take it into OT. The second was in the 84th minute of the game, in the first OT period, when Joe Farrell took a perfect pass from Troy Brady on the left side of the field and fired a low shot that found the mark just inside the far post of the Niagara Wheatfield goal that secured the Niagara Frontier League regular season championship! Final score GI 1 NW 0.The Vikings stormed the field and ran to the stands to celebrate with all of the parents and the Viking fans that braved the rain to watch the game. Varsity coach, Frank Butcher told the boys after the game how proud he was of their efforts, and for all of their hard work this season. He also reminded them that this is just one step and that it will hopefully lead to better things in the sectionals. The sectionals start next week with a home game on Wednesday, October 23rd against an opponent to be determined still. The boys varsity team ended the regular season at 13-1-0 in the league and 13-3-0 overall, and it is their first NFL title since 2009. On a side note, the junior varsity boys ended the regular season at 11-1-2 and 13-1-2 overall, so the future looks bright for GI boys soccer.
GIHS Art Club Spooktacular Events - October 2013
The Grand Island High School Art Club brings Halloween this year to the Island’s Nike Base on Whitehaven Road. On Oct. 25 and October 26 the students from the Art Club and the Recreation Department will treat youngsters, teens, and adults to a fun filled spooktacular event.
Isle of Spooky Fun and Scarecrow Contest
This year’s monstrous festivities feature a special kid friendly event Saturday, October 26th from 11 am – 3 pm. The students will transform the stage to an age appropriate setting filled with Halloween fun for the younger fans. The day will be filled with games, scarecrow contests, face painting, prizes and more. Come and create your own scarecrow and win prizes! Scarecrow stands, hay, rope, shirts and pants will be provided. You are welcome to brings extra props – i.e. hats, shoes, decorations. Tickets are $4, call the Grand Island Recreation Department at 773-9680 until October 22nd for more information.
The Isle of Horror
The Art Club under the direction of Mrs. Wynne has been working diligently creating props, costumes and other decorations to transform the Community Center at the Nike Base into their Isle of Horror, Friday and Saturday nights, October 25 & 26, from 7 – 10 p.m. Trek through the unsettling darkness and weave your way through a winding path as the stage changes with creatures lurking in the shadows and surprises around every corner. The immersive horror experience will continue with tingly fright as you make your way past zombies, witches, ghouls and unspeakable sites. Tickets for the event are $5 at the door and $4 in advance. Proceeds go to the Grand Island High School Art Club. For more information or to purchase your pre-sale tickets call the Grand Island Recreation Department at 773-9680 until October 22nd.
Sports Briefs - October 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 10/17/2013"Boys Varsity Soccer Senior Night - October 2013
The GIHS boys varsity soccer team will be playing their final regular season game for 2013 at Niagara University on Thursday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. They are currently in 1st place in the Niagara Frontier League with a league record of 12-1-0 and an overall record of 12-3-0. Currently, they are the #1 ranked school in Class A1 and #8 ranked large school in New York Section VI. There will be a pre-game ceremony honoring the senior boys and their parents starting at 6:30 p.m. at the center of the field. Seniors are Brian Ailinger, Aaron Cook, Brentyn Mendel, Adam Missert, Wyatt Mock, James Osborne, Ryan Ross and Jadon Wegrzyn.Viking Football Players & Coaches Wanted - October 2013
Gene Masters Field 50 year Celebration will be held Saturday, Oct. 19th, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. before the 1:00 p.m. Grand Island Viking home Football game vs Williamsville North. A tent party for all former Vikings Football players and coaches will celebrate the last regular home game on Masters grass field. All players & coaches from 1964-2013 are invited with free hot dogs provided. All Football, Boys Lacrosse, Coaches, Band, Cheerleaders, Drill Team members from 1964-2013 will be invited on field at half-time. For information contact Athletic Director Jon Roth at 773-8812.Sports Briefs - October 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 10/10/2013"GIHS Homecoming - October 2013
Slideshow by Kim Kalman & Aaron Bobeck.
Homecoming at GIHS is a big deal. Spirit week was September 23-27th and was a full week of dress up days: Monday was Twins Day, Tuesday was Toga Day for Seniors and Tye Dye Day, Wednesday was Disney Day, Thursday was Class Color Day and Friday was Blue and White Day. The Powderpuff Football game between the Junior and Senior girls was played on Thursday night along with a bonfire. The Senior girls won big. The undefeated Vikings met undefeated Kenmore East in the Homecoming game on Saturday, September 29th and came away victorious with a 34-24 win.Sports Briefs - October 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 10/3/2013"DECA Supports The Taste! - October 2013
Left to Right: Event coordinator Corey McGowan, Student Jake Dollendorf, Regional Representative for Grand Island Sarah Dollendorf, Advisor Cheryl Chamberlain
The Grand Island Middle and High School Deca Club was out in full force at the annual Taste of Grand Island on Saturday, September 28th. DECA is a co-curricular business and marketing club which promotes marketing, management and entrepreneurship. This year, as part of the civic conscience requirement of the club, the students are in charge of a "time capsule" for the new addition to the high school. Taste-goers were polled by students at the DECA booth and asked what would be important to be included in the time capsule. This survey will also go out to the students in the coming months. In addition, DECA sold water and pop at the event to help defray some of the costs of upcoming business competitions and to put toward the time capsule project. For more information on how you can help DECA with the time capsule contact advisor, Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820.Sports Briefs - September 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 9/26/2013"Sports Briefs - September 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 9/19/2013"Cheektowaga Volleyball Tournament Champions - September 2013
Front Row; Coach Ross, Anthony Stolfo, Tom Riniolo, Owen Morrish, Ryan Held, Nick Gioeli, Mike Podgorny, Coach Quinn, McLain Erhard, Matt Zabaldo, Collin Tolsma, Coach Schultz.
Back Row; Brian Wynne, Adam Dryfhout, Dan Otto, Pat Cramer, Dave Pachla, Cameron Mastykarz, Brendan Sheehan, Brad Boreali, Ryan Tetreault, Randy Thomas, Alex Garey, Brock Tetreault, Mike Paternostro, John Lillian, Kyle Burns, Joe Egloff, Justin Lavis, Elliott Michki.
- Click photo for larger view.
The Grand Island Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity Volleyball teams were both Champions at the Cheektowaga Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, September 14th, 2013. The Varsity team beat St. Francis in their Final, as the JV team beat Kenmore East in the JV Final. The JV team also won the North Tonawanda Tournament the previous Saturday, September 7th against St. Francis. Vikings Football Beats N.T. 20-14 - September 2013
The Vikings football team is now 2-0 after a wet, Friday night game on September 13th, that was held under the lights in North Tonawanda. Starting quarterback Quinn Corrao was out with a high ankle sprain that occurred at Hamburg in the first game of the season. Junior Giuseppe Campanella took over and did a fine job. See the Buffalo News story by Rodney McKissic.GIHS Open House - September 2013
Grand Island High School will hold its annual Open House on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. Information and schedules will be available in the main foyer. Parents will follow their child’s “Day 1” schedule. Parents follow that schedule which provides an opportunity to meet with each teacher for 10 minutes and gain an overview of the curriculum for that subject area.Sports Briefs - September 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 9/12/2013"Sports Briefs - September 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 9/5/2013"Boys Soccer Wins in Double Overtime - September 2013
The following is from the Buffalo News High School Extra column. The game was Tuesday, September 3rd.Vikings nab 2 OT win
Ryan Ross scored in the second overtime to give Grand Island a 3-2 win over Lew-Port in both team’s Niagara Frontier League boys’ soccer opener. The Vikings led, 1-0, at halftime. Then about 10 minutes into the second half, a Lew-Port player received a red card. But playing with a man up didn’t prove much an advantage for Grand Island. Lew-Port tied the game at 1-1 then again at 2-2 with 40 seconds left in regulation. Grand Island capitalized in the second overtime when goal keeper Justin Figler made a save and punted the ball to midfield. That’s where Ross received the ball, beat two players and shot it in the net from 16 yards out.
GIHS Cheerleader Car Wash - August 2013
Left to Right: Senior Cheerleaders; Gabby Liberatore, Ashley Zartman, Hannah Corrao, Kirsten Burtch, JuneAnne Chadima, Natalie Baldassarre & Stephanie Kowalak - Click photo for larger view.
The Grand Island High School Cheerleaders held a carwash on Saturday, August 25th at Adrian’s Custard and Beef raised money to offset the cost of their new uniforms. You can check out the new uniforms at the Vikings Varsity Football team opener next Friday, September 6th at Hamburg High School at 7:00 p.m. See GIHS Boys Football schedule.GIHS Summer Graduates - August 2013
From left: Tyler Yockey, Gregory DeNormand, Alyssa Pizzuti, Rachel DeNormand and James Mysliwiec - Click photo for larger view.
A summer graduation ceremoney was held at the Grand Island High School on Wednesday, August 21, 2013. The list of graduates are; Sammy Abdellatif, Terrance Acker, Summer Alkhatib, Gregory DeNormand, Rachel DeNormand, Alexander Farmer, James Mysliwiec, Nathan Pecoraro, Alyssa Pizzuti, Alyssa Rothenbueger, Adam Wilk and Tyler Yockey. Speakers at the ceremony included Vice-Principals Andres Arroyo and Michael Lauria, new Principal Daniel Quartley and Superintendent Teresa Lawrence, Ph.D.CONGRATULATIONS! BRAVO! - August 2013
From left: Abhiraj Grewal, Ali Price, Lovepreet Kaur - Click photos for larger view.
They did it again! Last weekend, Grand Island High School took First Place honors at the 29th Annual KeyBank Chalk Walk Competition making this the school’s fourth consecutive win! Along with this well deserved recognition, the team also received the People’s Choice Award in which festival goers cast a vote with a quarter for their favorite chalk mural. This is Abhiraj Grewal’s third First Place honor, Ali Price’s second, and Lovepreet Kaur’s first. This year’s theme was “Four Forces of Nature: Earth, Air, Fire and Water”.The team submitted the following required artist statement explaining their composition:
In many early cultures, the four forces of nature: earth, wind, fire and water; were the guiding principles of religion, ceremony, and cultural practices. It was believed that these four forces composed the universe. Today, with our knowledge of science, global warming, the melting of glaciers, an increase in natural disasters and the depletion of the ozone layer, we must realize the delicate balance between nature and humankind. As inhabitants of this planet, we must accept our responsibility for the effect that we have had on it while using its resources. The hand in our mural symbolizes the important role we must play in supporting and stabilizing the world. The hand, based on the detailed drawings by artist, M C Escher, is strong, solid and sturdy, like a stone column. The earth’s forces of nature burst outward from its core and swirl down and wrap around the wrist to reinforce our co-dependency and to form a supportive “bandage” to assist mankind while holding the world. We must work in harmony with these forces to preserve our natural resources and secure the future of our planet in this great universe.
Great job!
GIHS Practices for KeyBank Chalk Walk Competition - August 2013
From left: Lovepreet Kaur, Ali Price and Abhiraj Grewal - Click photo for larger view.
It is that time of year again, when the street lights come on a bit sooner, the nights are cooler, back-to-school ads crowd your mailbox, and GIHS sends three talented art students to the 47th Annual Lewiston Art Festival to compete in the 29th Annual KeyBank Chalk Walk Competition. Returning to the team this year are Abhiraj Grewal and Ali Price along with newcomer Lovepreet Kaur. The students unselfishly dedicated their time to the many practices held over the summer which assisted in developing individual technique, time management, and fine-tuning the detailed composition. This year’s theme is “Forces of Nature: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water” which is inspired by the ancient belief that all life is composed of these four elements. The students are very excited and ready to complete the 8’ x 10’ chalk drawing. The competition takes place Saturday, August 10th, starting at noon and ending four hours later. Judging follows immediately. Friends, family, neighbors, students, teachers, and administrators are invited to come out and support this awesomely talented team!Casey's Corner School Store Agenda Sale! - July 2013
Casey's Corner School Store at Grand Island High School will once again be selling agendas for students for the new school year. These agendas will also contain the "hall pass" pages that many teachers like to use. Agendas are available at New Student Orientation on September 5th and during the first few weeks of school until supplies last at Casey's Corner. Agendas will be $7.00. Proceeds from this sale last year enabled Casey's Corner to give scholarships to outstanding business students at graduation.Potential Graduates List - July 2013
See GIHS potential graduates listNiagara Frontier League Honors GIHS Coaches - June 2013
From left: Coach John Head and Coach Chris Simpson
Click photo for larger view.
The Niagara Frontier League held their 76th annual banquet on June 12th at the Tonawanda Castle. GIHS Girls Volleyball Coach John Head received the NFL Grand Island Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 14-0 record. The Lady Vikings won the NFL championships and played in the Section VI Class A finals. Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Chris Simpson received the Cornerstone Award. The award reflected his impact on student-athletes as a business teacher, coach, yearbook advisor and enthusiasm in supporting the GIHS Athletic Department where ever needed.GIHS Venture Yearbook Giving Back - June 2013
From left: Mr. Christopher Simpson, Courtney Mergel, Caralyn Reynolds, Sabrina Mistriner, Rebecca Hennessy, Sammantha Reynolds, Clare Ahne, Rochelle Cataffo, Patrycia Burley, Jennifer Reynolds, Emily Reynolds, Destiny Benjamin.
Click photo for larger view.
The Venture Yearbook staff has completed fundraising activities for the 2012-2013 school year. Advisor Christopher Simpson announced the staff and editors raised approximately $3400 through sales of cookie dough, chocolate bars, candles and holiday chocolate for Carolyn Reynolds, a Huth Road Elementary student that is fighting cancer. Carolyn received gift cards and memberships to local attractions such as the Aquarium of Niagara Falls, Regal Cinema's, Chili's, the Skylon Tower, Rainforest Cafe, ColdStone Creamery and the Boulevard Mall. In the past, students have contributed $5000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the granting of a local wish, $ for the Lupus Foundation, MDA, Mended Little Hearts, and other organizations. They have also spent time on weekends working for Habitat for Humanity and the Buffalo City Mission. GIHS Venture Yearbook 2013 Scholarships - June 2013
Grand Island High School Venture Yearbook adviser Christopher Simpson has announced the senior Venture Scholarship winners for the 2013 school year. Members of the Class of 2013 who applied and were awarded the scholarship include Maggie Weiser, James Rustowicz, Nick Soos, Grace Kulikowski, Sarah Chamberlain, and Courtney Collignon. Students were each given $300 to use toward college costs for the upcoming school year. Since 2007, the Venture Yearbook has given away over $14,000 in scholarship money.James Rustowicz Receives Volunteer Scholarship- June 2013
From left: GIHS Interim Principal James Dempsey, GI Fire Company Chief Kevin Koch, James Rustowicz, FASNY Director Ed Tase Jr. and GIHS teacher Cheryl Chamberlain.
Click photo for larger view.
On June 6, 2013, James Rustowicz recieved the Gerald J. Buckenmeyer Volunteer Scholarship from the Firemen's Association of the State of New York. This $1,000 award recognizes James' volunteer service in the community and proof of character. There were 15 scholarships awarded from over 100 applicants throughout the state. James has been a cadet in the GIFC since August of 2011 and is headed to St. John Fisher College in the fall.Congratulations Megan Carroll, Jesse Dhaliwall & Kevin Freedman - June 2013
GIHS Senior Megan Carroll was recently named the Niagara Gazette Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year. Megan scored 48 regular season goals which was the 10th most in Section VI. She also scored eight goals in a 16-6 pre-quarterfinal win over North Tonawanda and was named to the second team All-Western New York.GIHS Junior Jesse Dhaliwall was named the Niagara Gazette Player of the Year for Girls Track. Jesse throws the discus and the shotput. She finished her season with a discus throw that was the longest in the state at 144 feet nine inches. Jesse threw a personal best 41-10¼” in the shot put at the State Finals in Track and Field at Middletown High School on Saturday, June 8th and came in fourth place. Nice job!
GIHS Junior Kevin Freedman was named the Niagara Gazette Player of the Year for Boys Track. Kevin broke a decade old school record and a Section VI best in the 110 hurdles 14.3. He also ran 15.06 at the State Finals in Track and Field at Middletown High School on Saturday, June 8th and came in eighth place. Kevin finished 13th in the state for 55-meter hurdles during the indoor season with a 7.99.
Summer Driver Education Program - June 2013
AAA School Driver Education will have two sessions this summer at the Grand Island High School. Registration is still open for Session 1 (July 8-July29) and Session 2 (July 31-August 21). See flyer for details.Zachary Zarbo Memorial Scholarship Winners - June 2013
From left: Mary Kneer & Jenna Stufkosky
The "Zachary R. Zarbo 2013 Spotlighters Memorial Scholarship" has been awarded to Mary Kneer. The "Zachary R. Zarbo NYSSSA Choral Memorial Scholarship" has been awarded to Jenna Stufkosky. These awards are dedicated in the memory of Zachary Zarbo. Zachary was involved in drama and choral studies at Grand Island High School.Mary had to write an essay, show community and faith involvement, and be an active member of the drama club Spotlighters. She received $500 towards college tuition. Mary will be attending James Madison University majoring in Health Sciences.
Jenna received $500 towards her tuition at the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Choral Studies (NYSSSA). This is a summer program at Ferdonia State College where students study choral and music theory with students from all over New York State. Students have to audition to be accepted into the school. They perform several concerts through out the summer. NYSSSA was one of Zac’s most memorable experiences.
The Zachary R. Zarbo scholarship committee voted on these selections. They hope to have these scholarships continue for a long time. If you would like to support the scholarships send your donation to Grand Island Central Federal Credit Union C/O Zachary R. Zarbo Memorial Scholarship, 1875 Grand Island Blvd, Grand Island NY 14072. Please specify Spotlighers or Choral Scholarship.
Owl Freed From Fencing - June 2013
Ron Rose freeing owl. - Daneen Gallagher photos.
An owl was found caught up in the tennis fencing at the Grand Island High School tennis courts Tuesday morning, June 4th. GIHS employee Ron Rose was able to free the bird without injury to either party. Nice work Ron!Lutnick & Kennedy All-WNY Academic Team - May 2013
Left: Ellen Lutnick, Right: Bridget Kennedy
Two Grand Island Senior High School seniors have been named to Business First's 2013 All-Western New York Academic Team. Bridget Kennedy (Second Team) and Ellen Lutnick (Second Team) have qualified for this year's list of the 100 most outstanding high school seniors in the eight-county region. Winners were chosen for their records of academic excellence, school leadership and community involvement. The top 25 were named to the First Team, 25 runners-up to the Second Team, and another 50 to the Special Mention list. "This is an extremely exclusive award," said Jack Connors, president and publisher of Business First. "There are roughly 20,000 seniors in Western New York's high schools, and we've selected only 100 for this year's Academic Team. That's the upper one-half of one percent. They're truly the best and brightest students anywhere in our region." Schools throughout the eight-county area were asked to nominate their smartest and most accomplished students for consideration by an eight-member committee, which included six admissions directors at area colleges and two Business First editors. A total of 121 schools responded with 437 nominees. (Each school was limited to four candidates.)Sports Briefs - May 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 5/23/2013"GIHS High Honor Roll - May 2013
9th Grade High Honor
Tori Aronica, Cailin Atkins, Emily Augugliaro, Adam Bevilacqua, Natalie Braun, Madison Brown, Justine Cardone, Cameron Colan, Bridget Frederico, Benjamin Freedman, Marissa Freedman, Ashley Giambra, Victoria Gruber, Maya Harper, Kaitlin Hoy, Julia Lawley, Brianna Little, Hope LoHouse, Holly Lutnick, Nathan Newell, Maria Ramsperger, Emelie-jo Scheffler, Casie Shickluna, Cameron Smith, Brandon Surdi, Taylor Vanderzell, Camille Watt, Brian Wynne
10th Grade High Honor
Jessica Ackendorf, Joshua Barrett, Hannah Bastian, Sara Cichon, Kayla Conway, Rajveer Dhaliwall, Shannon Driess, Julia Drozdowsky, Eric Dudley, Morgan Finn, Katherine Fonte, Alexander Garey, Rebekah Gaydosh, Leah Geis, Carly Hand, Connor Harrigan, Sabrina Hausrath, Natalie Henderson, Christian Hilts, Grey Johnson, Leah Killian, Marah Killian, Taylor Latvala, Nathan Marino, Hiral Suthar, Emily Szabo, Rebecca Wall, James Wilson
11th Grade High Honor
Natalie Argy, Grace Bolton, Magdalyn Chauby, Nicholas DeMita, Sarah Dollendorf, Jenell Duxbury, Alexandra Dzielski, Kai Ellsworth, Henry Huang, Amanda Jelonek, Zachary Jones, Kristina Kasprzycki, John Lillian, Emma MacIntyre, Jenna Paternostro, Timothy Utz, Jackeline Wilson
12th Grade High Honor
Lydia Bernatovicz, Sarah Chamberlain, Jane Cooke, Nicholas Egloff, Brianna Gibney, Kourtney Hoppel, Mary Kneer, Christopher Komin, Alexandria London, Stephanie LoTempio, Christina McGuire, Ryan Proctor, Benjamin Purrington, Alyssa Quarantello, James Rustowicz, Katelyn Ruszkowski, Kelsey Ruszkowski, Rachael Ruszkowski, Marina Scerra, Christopher Serra, Jodie White, Kimberly Yaeger, Christina Zytariuk
GIHS Honor Roll - May 2013
9th Grade Honor
Benjamin Abbott, Clare Ahne, Eric Albrecht, Jill Anderson, Narmeen Asif, Adam Bahgat, Sarah Bellinger, Austin Blair, April Booker, Thomas Botticello, Jarod Brandon, Zachary Breeden, Andrew Carlson, Taylor Cecere, Charles Cetola, Yaling Chen, Jesus Cisneros Vilchis, Alexis Conway, Patrick Cramer, Colten Deuser, Sari Dickinson, Adam Dryfhout, Michael Duda, Emily Eberhard, Cydney Fairbairn, Kyle Frascatore, Sabrina Giordano, Olivia Goc, Brittany Grant, Madison Green, Kali Hausrath, Haylee Heitman, Rebecca Hennessy, Alexander Jackson, Samara Johnson, Taylor Johnson, Lovepreet Kaur, Julia Kavanagh, Jacob Kawecki, Sydney Keane, Michaela Kozek, Joseph Kulikowski, Sarah Kustich, Courtney Liberte, Kady Liesenfeld, Edward Logel, Liana Lombardo, Yizhi Lu, Loveleen Mangat, Michael Mankowski, Cameron Mastykarz, Tiffany Melendez, Haley Melisz, Manny Montes, Sarah Moseley, James Niland, Kalista Nizialek, Emily Nobumoto, Ryan O’Neil, Zachary O’Neill, Anthony Ormsby, Eric Pease, Michael Pyzynski, Hailey Randle, Sarah Rennells, Sammantha Reynolds, Chelsea Robillard, Gabrielle Robinson, Mikayla Rosati, Maximillian Russell, Christina Serianni, Brendan Sheehan, Cassidy Siebert, Rohan Alexi Smith, Evan Valint, Ciara Vedella, Maxwell VeRost, Alex Whetham, Hannah Wiktorowski, Dakaylah Winfield
10th Grade Honor
Alwareed Abdellatif, Ryan Allen, Tyler Benderson, Carly Bernatovicz, Nicholas Bonora, Bradley Boreali, Brianna Brandon, Brian Brennan, Sierra Brooks, Michael Brown, Alexa Calandra, Giuseppe Campanella, Colin Carey, Robert Carroll, Natalia Christiano, Nicholas Colon, Andrew Colautto, Sara Colon, Caitlin Conlon, Julia Culbert, Lillian Cultrara, Alexandra Cutting, Colton Czajka, Enrico D’Abate, Nancy Dahlquist, Anna DeMartin, Isabel Dengos, Karli Deuser, Katherine Diefenbach, Daniel Edel, Joseph Egloff, Jared Eichel, Ian Eisenberger, Joyce Endozo, McLain Erhard, Joseph Farrell, Justin Figler, Halle FitzGerald, Ashley Franz, Andrew Fred, Jacob Frosolone, Emily Fuoco, Kathryn Gentz, Nicolette Golden, Marissa Gress, Balraj Grewal, Nikolai Harper, Scott Holmes, Benjamin Jensen, Grant Johnson, Jacqueline Kehoe, Jack Kennedy, Kelsey Ketterer, Khristian Kline, Kurt Laschinger, Austin Mahoney, Thomas Major, Holly Mandura, Ryan Marlin, Mark McKenna, Michaela McMahon, Sara McMahon, Devlin McMaster, Matthew McNaughton, Alanna Mergel, Nolan Miles, Alexandra Miller, Thomas Morgan, Anthony Mosher, Jocelyn Mueller, Robert Nappo, Robin Neary, Jacob Neumann, Timothy Newbould, Meaghan O’Leary, Colin Osborn, Alyssa Pelosi, Kelsey Percival, Devon Perri, Miranda Phillips, Jordan Piershalski, Michael Podgorny, Jessica Pontrello, Kayla Popovich, Jenna Reinard, Andrew Riederer, Eric Riederer, Lauren Rogoza, Raymond Rott, Kaitlyn Rudney, Margaret Rustowicz, Benjamin Shaw, Pushpinder Singh, Meghan Sonnenberg, Alexandra Sponn, Heena Suthar, Laura Taylor, Branden Tripi, Melissa Ullrich, Jordan VeRost, Steven White, Scarlett Whitman, Corey Wilkinson, Timothy Winder, Jillian Wohlfehrt, Emily Wolcott, Katherine Wolski, Bennett Wright, Bethany Wynne, Brenna Young, Alexander Zimmermann, Taylor Zoldowski
11th Grade Honor
Jacob Athoe, Marisa Atkinson, Alexander Baker, Natalie Baldassarre, Samantha Bartolotta, Brandan Benderson, Sierra Besl, Alicia Bianco, Kevin Borowicz, Jack Boyko, Kirsten Burtch, Liana Buscaglia, Bryce Callen, Amanda Cancilla, Qian Chen, David Cich, Aaron Cook, Hannah Corrao, Quinton Corrao, Thomas Corrao, Sierra D’Ettorre, Brian DeRubes, Frank DeRubes, Sean DeRubes, Jaskiran Dhaliwall, Thomas Doctor, Heavyn Dreher, Elizabeth Figler, Kevin Freedman, Emma Garten, Emily Glose, Benjamin Goc, Bianca Gowanny, Anthony Grana, Ashley Gugino, Kara Hazelet, Alyssa Heitman, Ryan Held, Steven Howard, Ciara Howley, Kurtis Johnson, Addison Joslyn, Jessica Keller, Julia Kelly, Emily Kernin, Ashley Kroestsch, Julianne Lavallee, Justin Lavis, Brittany Little, Elizabeth LoBrutto, Matthew Madigan, Andrew Masiello, Justin McCarthy, Jacob McMahon, Brentyn Mendel, Wyatt Mock, Benjamin Morrish, Brooklyn Morton, Catherine Navagh, Anna Nicolia, James Osborn, Michael Paternostro, Maygan Payan, Kamra Phillips, Nicholas Pino, Dominic Prine, Zoe Reda, Emilie Rengler, Shannon Robillard, Alyssa Schmitt, Kyle Schoener, Derrick Schutrum, Jillian Sheehan, Lucas Siebert, Pamelia Slattery, Jeremy Smith, Lindsey Spiker, Kristen Stark, Tara Stewart, Timothy Sutton, Max Tafelski, Brock Tetreault, Lillian Von Reyn, Stephanie Voyzey, Christian Wallinder, Jadon Wegrzyn, Mitchell Weis, Madalyn Wright, Brandon York, Nicholas Young, Matthew Zabaldo
12th Grade Honor
Cyle Alcorn, Jennifer Amato, Jessica Amsdill, Kevin Aronica, Conor Atkins, Alexandra Bahgat, Rachel Bailey, Daniel Blocho, Moriah Bozzo, Alexander Brink, Alexandra Brown, Jessica Brownschidle, Zachary Burns, Allysa Bush, Charles Calabrese, Sara Carlson, Tiffany Carlson, Megan Carroll, Anthony Cataffo, Alexis Cino, Alyssa Cino, Ronald Clark, Sam Clarke, Ashley Colan, Courtney Collignon, Annaliese Corrao, Jake DeLong, Jenna DelSignore, William Diefenbach, Jacob Dixon, Laura Dolan, Mark Dryfhout, Katarina Eichel, Keelan Erhard, Sarah Ernst, Joseph Fanara, Meghan Federico, Alexandra Filips, Ian Freudenheim, Kim Gacon, Shannon Gallagher, Melissa Gibson, Madeleine Goc, Alexandra Griffin, Rebecca Hale, Leah Harris, Adam Heftka, Megan Hoople, Mark Hughes, Tyler Jackman, Jordan Jelks, Manjinder Kaur, Hayley Keane, Bridget Kennedy, Zaineb Khawar, Shannon Kieffer, Stephanie Knight, Daniel Konopski, Carolyn Kruszona, Grace Kulikowski, Jake Lawley, Evan Leffler, Mandy Liesenfeld, Cassondra LoBrutto, Ellen Lutnick, Kiransumit Mann, Taylor Marino, Collin McMahon, Courtney Mergel, Orendael Miller, Magggie Nobumoto, Samantha Oriani, Cassandra Oursler, Samantha Pangborn, Maris Phillips, Kyle Pletcher, Taylor Powell, Christina Richard, Dominica Roberts, Katrina Rockwood, Kelly Ruminski, Kevin Salonek, Aaron Schauger, Taylor Schiffhauer, Matthew Seaman, Ashley Serianni, Lauren Shepard, Javier Solis, Nicholas Soos, Adam Stanczyk, Ashley Tillett, Joshua Tixier, Alexander Tollner, Dominic Tripi, Joshua Ungaro, AmyJo VeRost, Elena Watt, Margaret Weiser, Megan Wendt, Nicholas Winger
GIHS Merit Roll - May 2013
9th Grade
Jesse Arch, Christopher Aronica, Destiny Benjamin, Aaron Bobeck, Emily Bognar, Troy Brady, Kyle Burns, Dominique Capizzi, Frank Cotroneo, Patrick Dansereau, Emily Dudziak, Jayson Endozo, Rachel Farmer, Brenton Fischer, Alexis Garcia, Nicholas Giancola, Nicholas Gioeli, Daniel Grinchishin, Jacob Hauer, Nicole Hollfelder, Shannon Holt, Kaitlynd Howell, Derek Konopski, Samantha Krause, Sara Kwarciak, Zachary Lenz, Souravdeep Maan, Michaela Malesky, Chad Martin, Anna Martinez, Madison McNamara, Kiana McQuestion, Sabrina Mistriner, Jake Nowak, Michael Oldman, Daniel Otto, Miranda Patterson, Mark Piechowiak, Julia Pino, Jakob Ramallo, Mikayla Reading, Heather Robinson, Amber Schwinn, Smeen Shah, Christina Sheppard, Lindsey Spencer, Robert Stolfo, Matthew Dudley, Lindsey Supparits, Christina Sutton, Matthew Tollner, Xavier Vazquez, Katherine Verso, Samantha Violino, Eric Watt, Hannah Wessner, Brianna Wik, Kassidy Wozniak, Douglas Yockey, Spencer-Jon Zukic
10th Grade
Michelle Adams, Nicholas Brink, Vincent Bruno, Nicole Burley, Patrycia Burley, Dennis Chatkhan, Mariah Ciffa, Nathan Ciffa, Charles Corwin, Genevieve Davis, Robert Ellegate, Thomas Euscher, Austin Fisher, Jessica Foote, Graciana Giambra, Kyle Graves, Alexander Hollatz-Guastella, Joshua Horvath, Kimberly Huffnagle, Ryan Kennedy, Matthew Ladouceur, Jonathan Link, Alexa Lombardo, Jacob Matwijkow, Colton McGraw, Talha Mojawalla, Courtney Monroe, Stephanie Muranyi, Taylor Nageldinger, Jenna Neff, Ashley Niemann, Jazmine Nijjar, Nicholas Ortiz, Nicholas Paolini, Mary Kate Petz, Bryce Pfalzer, Emilie Phinney, Anne Pilie, Drew Pitts, Michael Podlucky, Brendan Pratt, Joseph Pusateri, Jessica Rennells, Paul Roach, Michael Rugg, Lance Russo, McKenzie Schaefer, Colin Smith, George Smith, Mackenzie Smith, Emilie Stinner, Brian Verso, Jordan Yamonaco, Jessica Zoldowski
11th Grade
Rana Abdelal, Jennifer Argy, Michele Aronica, Robert Augugliaro, Brielle Backlund, Sukhdeep Bajwa, Jon Busch, Kristen Call, Jason Carroll, Aaron Certo, June Chadima, Jason Cichon, Jessica Cieri, Jensen Dorey, Michael Dzielski, Hannah Edwards, Cassie Gilcart, Joseph Gioeli, Alex Gormady, Jack Gorman, Abhiraj Grewal, Andrew Grinchishin, Patrick Hall, Joseph Halpin, Andrew Hannah, Jake Hawley, April Hippert, David Holler, Alec Horwitz, Madeline Jackson, Alexa Kalinowski, Kristin Kalman, Alexander Kelly, Amanda Kinmartin, Michael Kleinschmidt, Mary Frances Koch, Joshua Krstevski, Lauren Kullerkupp, Alexander Lenz, Wren Lopez, David Madigan, William Madigan, Johnna Marinello, Elliott Michki, Adam Missert, Gregory Nicolia, Michael Paonessa Darnley, Dominic Petrilli, Zoann Pittman, Alessandra Price, Alex Rallo, Daniel Ray, Kaitlyn Rose, Ryan Ross, Maren Russell, Natalie Schultz, Samantha Sheppard, Vincent Shore, Tanner Speer, Jacob Stromberg, Sarah Valvo, Victoria VanNorman, Ashley Weiser, Ashley Zartman
12th Grade
Ammany Abdellatif, Corey Adamshick, Ciara Alcorn, Brittany Ashley-Graser, Brittney Banks, Kassandra Bennett, Nicholas Bonarek, Eli Brennan, Nathan Bundscho, Danae-Grace Busch, Dylan Childs, Alyssa Cinelli, Samuel Colao, Cody Csendom, Courtney Czajka, Michael Dennis, Zoe Dodd, John Paul Endozo, Brittany Faulise, Andrew Gilbert, Rebecca Green, Zachary Harper, Jessica Hiser, Anthony Huff, Robert Johnson, Jacqueline Johnston, Alexander Kellner, Julie Kilmer, Ryan Kozek, Matthew Lenz, Jessica LoBrutto, Heather Mallais, Alexia Malpica, Ayla Marino, Tracy Marrs, Brianna McGuire, Quinn Mikulski, Tyler Mondoux, Luke Moyer, Grace Olszewski, Matthew Osinski, Michael Palazza, Amanda Passarelli, Dalton Pitts, Russell Potter, Thomas Rall, Taylor Scheuing, Nicklas Schuster, Cody Smith, Cole Smith, Matthew Sokolowski, Emily Steinbrenner, Jacob Sweeney, Nicole Swiantek, Dallas Taft, Alexa Territo, Lillian Thompson, Gregory VanNorman, Andrew Yarnes, Elenor Zaccaria, Joshua Zernickel
Sports Briefs - May 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 5/16/2013"GIHS DECA and Internship Assist at Sidway - May 2013
Deca advisor Cheryl Chamberlain and the DECA/Internship students of GIHS. - Click photos for larger view.
The Grand Island DECA Club and Internship Class from the High School helped the Sidway staff at the Kindergarten Orientation on Tuesday, May 14th. This yearly tradition is a highlight for the high school students who fondly remember Kindergarten and it was bittersweet for them to see how far they have come since their first day of school at Sidway. The Charlotte Sidway Bear was played by James Rustowicz and the other students entertained the children while their parents attended an information session.Interact Club Flag Football Fundraiser - May 2013
The GIHS Interact Club "2nd Annual Flag Football Tournament" will take place on Saturday, May 25th at Veterans Park from noon - 3:00 p.m. The event will benefit Jake Spencer, an 8th grade student battling Leukemia. There will be food and drinks available for purchase. See flyer for details."Lids for Kids" Hat Drive at High School - May 2013
The "Lids for Kids" program will be collecting new and used baseball and winter hats at the high school during the week of May 20th thru 24th. This program collects hats for pediatric cancer patients in local hospitals. Anyone wanting to donate can drop off their hats at the high school during the school day.Senior Student Voter Registration - May 2013
Left: Town Clerk Pattie Frentzel
Right: Seniors Megan Hoople and Zoe Dodd fill out paperwork.
Grand Island Town Clerk Pattie Frentzel made her tenth annual spring visit to the GIHS senior cafeteria on Thursday, May 9, 2013. Students who are or will be 18 years of age within the year were invited to register to vote. Town Clerk Frentzel gave the students information about their polling location, about choosing/not choosing a party affiliation, and absentee ballot information if they were going away to college.
Thirty-five seniors signed up over the lunch periods. If anyone has any questions regarding voting, registration, upcoming elections, etc. call the Town Clerk’s office at 773-9600Sports Briefs - May 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 5/9/2013"European Adventure - May 2013
Left: Group at high school before leaving.
Right: In Paris, France - Click photos for larger view.
On March 28, 2013, Grand Island high school teachers Jeannine Scibilia, Susan MacPherson, and Tom Gorman accompanied 29 eager students on a European adventure to Spain and France. The group first traveled to Spain and visited the cities of Madrid, El Escorial, and Toledo. While there, travelers reveled in full cultural experiences including touring magnificent cathedrals and art museums, going to a professional soccer game, and cooking authentic Spanish cuisine. The next stop was Paris, France. During this wondrous tour, sightseers were exposed to some on the greatest destinations in France including the Eiffel Tower, Arc D'Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sacre Coeur, and the Palace of Versailles. While travelers had to bid this phenomenal trip farewell, they will be left with memories that will last a lifetime.
Sports Briefs - May 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 5/2/2013""Special Olympics" - April 2013
Aaron Bobeck photos
The 29th Annual Special Olympics was held at GIHS on Thursday, April 25th. Twenty teams participated and raise over $1700 for the Special Olympics of Grand Island. The team of Kassie Bennet, Nick Soos, Mr. Bob Simpson and Ms. Sara Silvestri came in first overall.IB Program Members Volunteer for Community Garden - May 2013
From left: Emily Valint, Stephanie Kowalick, Zoe Reda, Alex Kellner, Shamus Johnson.
Students from the International Bacculaurate Program gave their time to help with the Community Garden Project Saturday, April 27th. Student project leader, Zoe Reda, cannot wait to plant the garden for the Environmental Science class at Grand Island High School. Donations of soil are gratefully accepted at the garden located on the corner of Stony Point and Ransom Roads.Sports Briefs - April 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 4/25/2013"Sports Briefs - April 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 4/18/2013"School District Calendars For Sale - April 2013
Once again this year, the Grand Island Music Boosters, in cooperation with the school district, will print and sell the school district calendar for the 2013-2014 school year. It will include holidays, vacations and each building’s activities. Please complete the order form and place in an envelope marked 'Calendar Order' no later than Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Have your child give the envelope to their first period teacher or drop it off at your school’s office. Include your payment by cash or check made payable to Grand Island Music Boosters. There will be a $25 return check fee.Sports Briefs - April 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 4/11/2013""Celebration of Inspiration 2013" - April 2013
Senior Zoe Dodd with her Sidway looping teacher (kindergarten/first) Amy McMann.
The "Celebration of Inspiration 2013" was held on Wednesday evening, April 10th at the GIHS auditorium. The event is sponsored by the Grand Island PTA Council. Senior students are invited to honor a school district employee, faculty or staff that has inspired them in their time in the Grand Island School District. Twenty-seven honorees were named by 34 seniors. The speeches by the students and the honorees were emotional, enthusiastic and sentimental. It is a wonderful way for the students to let their "favorites" know how much they are appreciated.Cassie Oursler, All-WNY Girls Player of Year - April 2013
By: Mary Jo Monnin / Buffalo News Sports ReporterApril 6, 2013, see story.
"Clash of the Vikings" Pep Rally - April 2013
Aaron Bobeck Slideshow
Grand Island High School celebrated Spring with Spirit Week from March 18 - 22, 2013. During the week, $3000 was raised for 8th grade student Jake Spencer, who is ill, from t-shirt and bracelet sales, and the Salvation Army received over 4900 pieces of clothing collected. The week culminated with the "Clash of the Vikings", a pep rally on Friday, March 22nd. Many games were played with points accumulated with the ultimate class winner, the Seniors. One of the contests was "Most Pants Worn" and Jordan Russo of the sophomore class won with 82 pairs of pants!Cassie Oursler, Gazette Girls Basketball Player of the Year - April 2013
By: Mike Meiler / Niagara GazetteApril 1, 2013, see story.
IB Students Participate in Disaster Drill - April 2013
Pictured are IB students: Zach Jones, Zoe Reda, and Stephanie Kowalak
The staff at Sister's Hospital recently held their mandatory, hospital emergency drill and GIHS International Baccalaureate students were part of the action! Stephanie Kowalak coordinated the field trip as part of her IB Creativity, Action, and Service project and it was an interesting day for all involved. Twenty students from Grand Island were given cards explaining the nature of their injuries and then were escorted to the Emergency Room at Sisters where hospital staff attended to their needs. "It was very real and the hospital staff treated it very seriously!" exclaimed Kowalak. Students were outfitted with fake blood and costumes to authenticate their emergency situation. After the drill the students were treated to lunch and sat in on the meeting between hospital administrators and the emergency drill team to go over the situation. Sister's Hospital was thankful for the help and GIHS students received a great experience in the medical setting.Shadow Day Program - April 2013
Annie Corrao at the Niagara Falls Aquarium. - Click photo for larger view.
The question, "what am I going to do with my future?" comes up a lot during high school and it is a difficult question to answer for many students. The Grand Island Business Department with the help of GISBA and local companies supplies some answers during the annual Shadow Day program. Shadow Day is when students "try out" a job or career for a day and over 100 GIHS students did just that this past week. The day began at Currents Restaurant at the Grand Island Holiday Inn with a breakfast program. Local business owner, Fahim Mojawalla served as the guest speaker and encouraged students to engage with other people as a way to connect to their future. After the breakfast ceremony and presentation of a town proclamation by Supervisor Mary Cooke, students dispersed to their job sites for the day. The Niagara Falls Aquarium, WIVB, IsleChem, and Cannon Design were just a few of the businesses participating and aiding students in search of career choices. Cheryl Chamberlain would like to thank all of the sponsors who gave their time and encouragement to the high school students. For more information on Shadow Day and other career focused programs at Grand Island High School contact Chamberlain at 773-8820.Grand Island Students Honored by NTHS - March 2013
From left: Back row: Ronald Clark, Tyler Jackman.
Front row: Elenor Zaccaria, Jane Cooke, and Brittany Faulise.
This year 138 high school students, representing 19 local school districts, from across Erie 1 BOCES’ three career and technical centers were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) on Thursday, March 14, 2013 during an event at the Maryvale High School auditorium located in Cheektowaga, New York.Five students from Grand Island High School were among the honorees. Enrolled at Ken-Ton Career & Technical Center are: Ronald Clark – Culinary Arts program, Tyler Jackman – Criminal Justice program, Elenor Zaccaria – Cosmetology program, Jane Cooke – Culinary Arts program, and Brittany Faulise – Criminal Justice program.
The mission of the NTHS is to honor student achievement and leadership, promote educational excellence, and enhance career opportunities for its NTHS membership. Erie 1 BOCES provides some of the most exciting one and two year educational opportunities available as part of public education to high school students in western New York. More than 25 career and technical education programs are offered to 11th and 12th graders at three state-of-the-art career and technical centers: Harkness, Kenton, and Potter as well as various off-site locations.
As part of the public education model, Erie 1 BOCES offers more than 25 career and technical programs during the normal school day to high school students in Erie County. High school students interested in learning more about how they can participate in various programs such as culinary, web technologies, and certified personal trainer should visit www.e1b.org/cte or speak with their high school counselor.
AAA School Driver Education - March 2013
A "Spring Driver Education Program" sponsored by AAA of Western New York is being offered to high school students starting April 8th and running through June 5th. The class and drives will be on Mondays and Wednesdays, with class scheduled for 3:00-4:30pm and drives from 4:45-6:15pm. A registration will take place on Thursday & Friday March 21st & 22nd from 2:00-3:00pm in the high school main office. The deadline has been extended to April 10th. See flyer for complete details.Corporate Bowl 2013 Semifinal and Final - March 2013
Lydia Bernatovicz, Sam Clarke, Courtney Collignon and Bridget Kennedy
Click photo for larger view
The 15th Annual GISBA Corporate Bowl took place on Tuesday, March 19th at the GIHS auditorium. An intense competition took place between nine very intelligent teams. The semifinal results were:"Bennie and the Jets" (130), "Les Petits Chouchou" (55) and "Too Sharp" (0)
"Do You Have A Name" (90), "We Have Potential" (85) and "Justice League" (20)
"The Team" (115), "We Don't Want Him" (45) and "Khem" (20)
The championship match results were:
1st Place ($500 each) - "Bennie and the Jets", Lydia Bernatovicz, Sam Clarke, Courtney Collignon and Bridget Kennedy.
2nd Place ($250 each) - "The Team" (80), Kamra Phillips, Pam Slattery, Jodie White and Shamus Johnson.
3rd Place ($150 each) - "Do You Have A Name" (20), Eric Dudley, Sara Chichon, Kurt Laschinger and Alex Garey.
Corporate Bowl Matchups - March 2013
The 2013 Corporate Bowl is taking place on Tuesday, March 19th at the Grand Island High School Auditorium beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nine teams will participate in the semi-final matchup, followed immediately by the Championship Match. See matchups to view team pictures and participants.Strike Gold With New York Deca - March 2013
From left: Third place Marissa Gress and first place Mary Kneer, both for Broadcast Advertising.
Photo Chris Swagler
Story `by Cheryl Chamberlain
"Striking Gold" was the theme as fifty-six Grand Island High School DECA students traveled to Rochester, New York this past week in search of success in the business world! New York DECA has 102 school chapters and Grand Island was one of the largest to represent Region 12 which accounts for 15 of those chapters. DECA is an international, co-curricular business and marketing club with 170,000 members worldwide. Membership can even continue into college. Twenty eight students medaled in the top ten of their events as there were over 1,700 students competing at the conference. Some of the top winners were Mary Kneer and Marissa Gress who won first and third respectively in Broadcast Advertising, Kourtney Hoppel won second place for a year long Chapter Scrapbook, Anthony Cataffo took fourth place for Sports and Entertainment Marketing and the team of Lydia Bernatovicz and Keelan Erhard won first place for Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making. Cataffo, Bernatovicz and Erhard were in national based events and qualified for the International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California next month.In addition, eight students from Grand Island were accepted into the New York DECA Honor Society and they were: Sara Carlson, Sarah Chamberlain, Sam Clarke, Courtney Collignon, Ruby Kaur, Marina Scerra, James Rustowicz, and Joshua Ungaro. GI DECA was also recognized on stage for fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this past year through events at Casey's Corner School Store. Advisor Cheryl Chamberlain was honored to receive the "Outstanding Advisor" award and was presented a plaque on stage at the conference. "I have the greatest students who took time to nominate me for this prestigious award," said Chamberlain. She also offered, "this conference is such a great experience for students because they utilize everything they learn in school about acting and behaving in a professional business manner; it is truly career and college readiness skill building."
Local business leader Andy Bernatovicz volunteered his time to judge various events at the conference and Vice Principal Mike Lauria visited during the competition on Thursday to see, first hand, what students were competing in. "People are always amazed at how much goes into preparing students for competition," according to Chamberlain. With the size of our chapter at Grand Island Middle and High School, it is a great help that Christopher Simpson and Mary Jane Fonte are also involved as co-advisors. I share my award with them because they are always willing to help the students achieve in DECA." For more information on how your child can gain entrepreneur and leadership skills through DECA, contact Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820.
Lady Vikings Basketball Loses To Pittsford Mendon - March 2013
The 39-37 loss to Pittsford Mendon ended the Lady Vikings season at the Far West Regionals on Saturday, March 9th. It was also the final game for Coach Jenepher Banker after 15 seasons. Click Buffalo News Story - by Mary Jo MonninGIHS Law Team Shocks St. Francis - March 2013
Top Row: Mr. Rossi, Ryan Jones, Alex London, Mark Dryfhout, Mr. Michael Murray, Ryan Marlin
2nd Row: Ray Tafelski, Rachel Orton, Stephanie LoTempio, Grace Kulikowski
Click photo for larger view.
The GIHS Law Team has made it into the final four of the Mock Trial Tournament. The team shocked St. Francis by defeating them last weekend in a downtown Buffalo Courtroom. The Vikings are one of only four teams left in the 27 team competition. The team will battle Williamsville North this Sunday, March 10th for a chance to earn the Erie County title. The trial takes place at 4:00 p.m. in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York, located in the Olympic Towers at 300 Pearl Street in downtown Buffalo.
The Bar Associaton of Erie County sponsors an annual Mock Trial Tournament for public and private high schools in Erie County. The Young Lawyers Committee coordinates the tournament, which was first presented in 1981.Lady Vikings Basketball Beats Pioneer - March 2013
The Grand Island Lady Vikings basketball team has won the Section VI basketball playoff for the fifth year in a row. Senior Cassie Oursler scored 23 points, had 28 rebounds and eight blocked shots in the 46-29 win. The Vikings are headed to Buffalo State on Saturday, March 9th to play Section V (Rochester) winner Pittsford Mendon in the Far West Regional at 1:00 p.m.Click Buffalo News Story - by Mary Jo Monnin
Lady Vikings Basketball Beats Hamburg - March 2013
Click Buffalo News Story - by Mary Jo MonninGirls Basketball In 5th Straight A-1 Final - February 2013
The Grand Island girls basketball team is headed back to the Class A-1 finals at Niagara County Community College, Saturday, March 2nd at noon. The Vikings beat McKinnley in the semi-final on Wednesday, February 27th at Clarence High School by a score of 65-42. Cassie Oursler scored 34 points to lead the Vikings and had 13 rebounds. The Lady Vikings will play Hamburg on Saturday.JV Boys Hockey Headed To States - February 2013
Congratulations to the Grand Island JV Boys hockey team for their 2-0 "Super Saturday" victory over Lewport on February 23rd. A great team effort led to the goals by Joe Chadima and Tom Major. Game MVP was awarded to Nick Jennings for his outstanding goaltending. Afterwards, Tom Major and Bobby Carroll were recognized as JV First Team All-Stars, and Second Team recognition went to goaltender Nick Bonora. The team is coached by Gene Mongan and Marv Pawlowski. Good Luck to the team as they head to the State Championships this weekend in Ithaca, NY!
Sports Briefs - Feb. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 2/21/2013"High School Job Search Seminar - February 2013
Linda Tufillaro and senior Jessica Brownschidle
Lisa Dollendorf and junior Molly Smith
The 17th Annual GIHS Job Search Seminar was held at the Grand Island Holiday Inn on Thursday, February 14th. The seminar is presented by the GIHS Business Department and the GI School and Business Alliance (GISBA). Over 80 students and 30 interviewers participated at the event. Local businesses were on hand to hire students this year and were impressed by how prepared students were for their interviews. Dressed in business attire, utilizing communication skills, and completing a resume were all a part of the preparation for Job Search and business teacher Cheryl Chamberlain was pleased with the results. Bryant & Stratton provided three break-out sessions for the students to attend. They were "College Prep Tips", "Importance of College" and "Interview Skills". For more information on business programs at Grand Island High School please contact Chamberlain at 773-8820.
Sports Briefs - Feb. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 2/14/2013"Sports Briefs - Feb. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 2/7/2013"Bridget Kennedy Receives Appointment to U.S. Naval Academy - January 2013
Bridget Kennedy, 17, a senior at Grand Island High School, has received an appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland as a member of the Midshipmen Class of 2017. With only 7.5% of those who apply receiving appointments, the Naval Academy is one of the most competitive and distinguished undergraduate universities in the country. Midshipmen (and women) are provided with a full four-year scholarship and a career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy or Marines upon graduation. Appointments are highly competitive, and selections are based on evidence of character, scholarship, leadership ability, physical aptitude, medical fitness, goals and motivation. In order to receive a Naval Academy appointment, candidates must not only be accepted to the school but they must also be nominated by a member of the United States Congress. Bridget received nominations from both Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY).
Bridget, who is at the top of her class at Grand Island High School, has a grade point average above 4.0. Recently, she was selected as an All-Western New York Scholar-Athlete. A recipient of the AP Scholar with Distinction Award and the St. Michael’s College Book Award for Academic Achievement & Social Conscience, Bridget is a member of the National Honor Society. Achieving High Honor roll each semester in high school, she has earned an academic letter. She received perfect scores of 100% on 6 different State Regents Exams, including Physics, Chemistry, and Earth Science.
As an athlete, Bridget was a captain on the Grand Island High School’s Girls Soccer Team that won the Class A Niagara Frontier League Championship and was a Section VI, Class A Semifinalist. She was selected All-NFL, 2nd Team, as a center-back. She is also a starter on the Kenmore Express U18 Premier Soccer Team, which competes in the summer in the N.Y. State Thruway League and in the winter in the Spire Institute Premier League in Geneva, Ohio. In 2012, the team won both the Prince William Icebreaker Soccer Tournament, in Woodbridge, Virginia, as well as the Memorial Classic Tournament in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. Bridget has also earned varsity letters in both indoor and outdoor track.
Additionally, Bridget has served as Secretary for the Student Council for all four years of high school. She has also worked for years as a volunteer soccer coach for the Grand Island Soccer Club. She also volunteers at the SPCA as well as at various community events including Share the Holiday Magic, Relay for Life, and the Miracle League.
Induction Day at the Naval Academy is scheduled for June 27, 2013. The Naval Academy has produced one United States President, 24 members of Congress, five state governors, 52 astronauts, 73 Medal of Honor recipients, two Nobel Prize winners, and a host of other notable graduates. Bridget is the daughter of J.P. and Stephanie, and sister of Jack Kennedy, all of Grand Island.
Sports Briefs - Jan. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 1/31/2013"Sports Briefs - Jan. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 1/24/2013"Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" - January 2013
Grand Island Senior High School’s production of Anything Goes is about is set sail. The curtain opens on this popular musical comedy on Thursday, January 31st and stays in port Friday, February 1st, and Saturday, February 2nd. The curtain opens each evening at 7:30PM. The show features many memorable tunes sung by a talented cast of over eighty students. “I Get a Kick Out of You” is a featured song of the character Reno Sweeney, played by Maggie Chauby; “You’re the Top” has Billy Crocker, Dalton Pitts, joining Reno. The song “Friendship” will be familiar to many in the audience; it has its origins in this musical sung by Reno and Moonface Martin, Dan Konopski. The comedic character, Evelyn Oakleigh, Keelan Erhard, offers the song “Gypsy in Me” and the gruff businessman, Elisha Whitney, played by Nick Winger, belts out “The Crew Song” to woo his beloved, Evangeline Harcourt, played by Lydia Bernatovicz. The 1984 Beaumont version of Anything Goes adds a Sailor ensemble not found in the prior adaptations. Ryan Allen, Jared Eichel, Steven Howard, Zach Jones, Elliott Michki, Shawn Passero, Chris Swagler and Corey Wilkinson join to sing “There’s No Cure Like Travel” and “There’ll Always be a Lady Fair”. They join Billy and Hope, Kamra Phillips, in “All Through the Night”, and Erma, Amanda Weselak, in “Buddie Beware”. Cole Porter’s calls Reno’s back-up singers Angels. The lovely voices of Samantha Pangborn, Jessica Ackendorf, Rebecca Hale and Ashley Serianni join Reno adding to the vocal sound of each major musical number.
Musicals in the early 20th Century featured large choruses and Anything Goes is no exception. “Bon Voyage”, “Public Enemy Number One”, “Anything Goes”, and “Blow Gabriel, Blow” fill the stage with singers and dancers. Included in this year’s ensemble are Jill Anderson, Shelby Bailes, Samantha Bartalatta, Aaron Certo, Caitlin Conlon, Nancy Dahlquist, Isabel Dengos, Emily Dudziak, Ian Estenoz, Ashley Fischer, Jessica Foote, Ashley Franz, Kim Gacon, Rebekah Gaydosh, Grace Giambra, Alex Gormady, Marissa Gress, Carly Hand, Sabrina Hausrath, Natalie Henderson, Henry Huang, Maddy Jackson, Shamus Johnson, Frankie Koch, Grace Kulikowski, Anna Martinez, Haley Melisz, Sabrina Mistriner, Robin Neary, Annie Niland, Melanie Perla, Emilie Phinney, Jessica Pierce, Kyle Pletcher, Jessica Pontrello, Maria Ramsperger, Lauren Rogoza, Maren Russell, Chelsea Sinicki, Colin Smith, Nate Smith, Rohan Smith, Elena Weis, Jodie White, Jessica Wing and Spencer Zukic.
Student choreographer, Mads Goc has created two vibrant dances for this year’s featured dancers: Natalie Baldassare, June Ann Chadima, Laura Dolan, Anna DeMartin, Kate Fonte, Mads Goc, Alyssa Karb, Sydney Keane, Michaela McMahon, Kelsey Percival, Mary Kate Petz, Zoe Reda, Pam Slattery, Jenna Stufkosky, Beth Wynne, Jessica Zoldowski and Taylor Zoldowski. Audience members will want to keep an eye out for John and Luke played by Kourtney Hoppel and Carly Kruszona.
Tickets for Anything Goes can be purchased at the door or reserved by phone 773-8820 ext.
GIHS Wins Tech Wars Again! -January 2013
Click photo for larger view
The high school technology students performed with stunning precision and great sportsmanship Wednesday, January 9th at the 2013 Niagara County Community College’s annual Tech Wars Engineering competition. Students from Mr. Carl Koppmann’s Technical Design 2 and Computer Aided Design 2 students (28 total) were on hand for the 5th year of competition. The high school entered 11 events and placed in the top 3 in 9 of those events; including 6-1st place finishes.The students swept the large scale bridge building event, and broke the record of most weight held with a staggering 1,180lbs! Many long hours of hard work paid off during the competition with Grand Island High School taking the top spot again for an unprecedented 4th year in a row. In addition, Grand Island also won 1st place in the Middle School competition.Congratulations to the following high school participants:
1st place- Vex robotics- Adam Missert & Cody Csendom
1st place-Seismic Structure Challenge: Jake Lawley, Matt Zabaldo, Rob Augugliaro, Brian Derubes
1st place- On-Site Engineering Challenge: Matt Lenz & Chris Komin
1st place Musical Instrument design: Nick Egloff (Australian didgeridoo)
1st place 3-D CAD drop off: Greg VanNorman
1st place Bridge building design competition setting a new Tech Wars record of 1180 lbs. (this beats the old record by almost 200 lbs.): Chris Komin, Jake Sweeney, Tom Corrao, Ben Goc
2nd place bridge building: Ryan Jones, Greg VanNorman, Christian Wallinder, Kevin Aronica
3rd place bridge building: Russ Potter, Frank Derubes, Matt Lenz, Dallas Taft
2nd place CAD On-Site: Brandon York
3rd Place Video Competition: Dom Perri & Nick Egloff
Sports Briefs - Jan. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 1/17/2013"GIHS Deca Sweeps Regional Competition - January 2013
Left: Liz Figler and Tim Utz win Travel and Tourism Team event.
Right: Sarah Chamberlain and Sara Carlson win Marketing Communications Team Event.
The Grand Island High School DECA members were very successful on Sunday, January 6th. The annual Region 12 Competition was held at Lockport High School with over 500 students competing in business related events. Grand Island DECA advisor Cheryl Chamberlain took 100 students to compete and returned with 57 winners, the most Grand Island has ever had. This year, Mary Jane Fonte from Veronica Connor Middle School brought four students and was pleased to have Mary Elisabeth Rustowicz place in the field of Decision Making.This unique event is like no other of its kind because local business leaders come out to help judge 30 scenario-based events. Many students take a 100 question test based on marketing, business administration or finance before their scenario. While others may create a 30 second radio or billboard ad for a product. Much of the success in coordinating this event comes from the 15 schools and their DECA advisors, who ultimately run each event and find judges in the areas in which they are needed. "Students who compete in hospitality, have a judge in the hospitality field and the same goes for accounting, visual advertising, and human resources," according to Chamberlain, also Co-President of the region of schools. The next stop for these 57 students is the New York State DECA Conference where they will compete with approximately 2,000 students from across the state and finally, the International Career Development Conference later this spring.
Sports Briefs - Jan. 2013
Click "Sports Briefs 1/10/2013"2013 Exam Week Schedule - January 2013
Exams will take place Tuesday, January 22nd through Friday, January 25th. See Exam ScheduleToy Donation To Roswell - January 2013
Members of Mr. Christopher Simpson's 2nd period Marketing class.
From left: Colton Czajka, Manny Montes, Mark Montes, and Courtney Czajka in front of Roswell Park.
Click photos for larger view.
As part of a yearly tradition since 1999, members of the GIHS Boys' Junior Varsity basketball team and members of the Venture Yearbook teamed up for a noteworthy cause. Students organized a small toy drive during the last week of school before the holidays. Over 11 large bags of toys were collected and distributed to children staying at Roswell Park Cancer Institute over the holidays. Any leftover toys will be used in the Roswell Emergency Department or put into the play area for the children who stay in the hospital. Coach and Venture adviser Mr. Chris Simpson said that many people in the community and school donated toys as well as GIHS staff and players' families. Venture Editor Courtney Czajka was the contact person and in charge of the organization of the toys. The toys were delivered on December 24th by Courtney, brother Colton, father Tom, Mr. Simpson, and Mark and Manny Montes.
Venture Yearbook Staff Donates To Ray Family - January 2013
