Veronica E. Connor Middle School
2013
PrincipalMr. Jerry Parisi
Veronica Connor Middle School District's Web Page.
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Connor Middle School Honor Roll - December 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the first quarter, 2013-2014 school year:Grade 7 - Melina Aceti, Christian Acosta, Lauren Baeumler, Brianna Beyer, Nicholas Carey, Zachary Caughill, Hannah Cool, Jasmin Dhillon, Lexie Diaz, Sara Gorton, Nicholas Hess, Gianna Horvath, Nathan Hunt, Celia Jones, Sebastian Koschuk, Elizabeth Koyn, Margaret Kubanek, Alex Laschinger, Allisen Lepenven, Madison Liss, Grace LoHouse, Elisabeth Lupp, Candice Mastykarz, Allison McDonald, Rhys Mendel, Jordan Pachla, Miranda Proctor, Lindsay Robinson, Isabelle Rua, Dylan Russo, Trevor Samplinski, Eric Scalise, Kyle Schneider, Laura Schultz, Gregory Simonian, Cameron Sionko, Easton Speer, Emma Sullivan, Benjamin Szabo, Joshua Tamsen, Grace Thorpe, Natalie Turck, Hannah Ullrich, Marie Wagar, Kaitlyn Warakomski, Christian Whetham, Bethany Wolcott, James Worrall, LeeAnn Wright, Amanda Ziehm
Grade 8 - Claire Beecher, Evan Bender, Tyler Bernatovicz, Claire Brandon, Gabriel D'Addario, Caitlin Dansereau, Jenette DiLaura, Jordan Eckrote, Katherine Gibbons, John Griffin, James Grinchishin, Alicia Haak, Joshua Hannibal, Jennifer Hinaman, Marissa Hovey, Nicole Hoy, Cross Kalp, Anthony Leone, Chloe McQuestion, Arthur Meaney, Hallie Mingoia, Natalie O'Brien, Alyssa Ruminski, Megan Stanley, Andrew Thompson, Gracie Tompkins, John VanderMey, Olivia VeRost, Sara Wolcott
Grade 6 - Carmela Bartolomeo, Mia Belstadt, Izabella Black, Abigail Blair, Dylan Bush, Joseph Cali, Ruby Chen, Ryan Costolnick, Gianna D'Addario, Benjamin DeFranks, Eve DiCarlo, John Fletcher, Samantha Fluker, Jenna Foglia, Autumn Gagliardi, Kursten Garcia, Louis Genovese, Jasmin Gill, Trenton Gondek, Jeremiah Goss, Jack Hammond, Sean Heffley, Luke Hess, Mackenzie Heyden, Tyler Hunt, Mitchell Johnson, Blake Kenney, Caitlin Kleinschmidt, Ethan Klie, Kevin Koch, Erika Krueger, Cecelia Kubanek, Emily Kwiecinski, Robert LeFevre, Tucker Leggett, Marissa Lewis, Katrina Linenfelser, Dominic Loss, Patrick Loss, Michael Loss, Jack LoTempio, Madison MacNeil, Michael Marino, Sebastian Melendez, Jack Mikulski, Sean Murray, Jackson Nicoletti, Carly Pannullo, Morgan Payan, Ryan Pecoraro, Brooke Price, Jacob Przystal, Jack Randle, Nicholas Ratajczak, Rebecca Rebmann, Benjamin Richard, Jaden Riley, Luke Rizzo, Eliza Sarigiannis, Brett Shickluna, Rachel Soluri, Elzbieta Sorel, Lydia Sweeney, Phillip Thomas, Jenna Wilkinson
Grade 7 - Jack Anthony, Brianna Bachman, Samantha Bailey, Quinton Becker, Anthony Ceccato, Justin Chadima, Alexa Chiarenza, Jagger Click, Ryann Colan, Jacob Corrao, Joseph Coughlin, Caleb Cutting, Anna DiBello, Annaliese DiCarlo, Lindsey Diehl, Julia Eichel, Linda Eichler, Cameron Fairbairn, Allison Fluker, Faith Gworek, Trevor Hauer, Ethan Hodge, Brady Hofmeyer, Kaitlyn Hollederer, Candiss Holm, William Hoover, Seth Jackson, Ryan Jellinick, Terri Johnson, Megan Kennedy, Brandon Kinney, Madison Kleisath, Jacob Konopski, Emily Kurtzhalts, Amanda Lawrence, Emma Mahoney, Alexander Melisz, Madeline Mesmer, Bridget Neeson, Alexzandra Nobilio, Dalton Nyitrai, Christopher O'Connor, Nicole Paolini, William Person, Olivia Pino, Lydia Pratt, McKenna Prochaska, Zachary Reading, Nathan Reichel, Tyler Russell, Amanda Samplinski, Ciara Scalzo, Ty Schneider, Allyson Schoener, Anthony Seifert, Abigail Siebert, Jordan Simon, Julia Slazyk, Jada Sokody, William Soos, Nathan Stroh, Samantha Terrana, Wyatt Tollner, Sean Tuohy, Joy VanderMey, Konstantinos Vasiliadis, Ryan Wellence, Brienne Westfall, Olivia Wright, Jacob Yund
Grade 8 - Tori Appoloney, Naushairwan Asif, John Bellia, Victoria Botticello, Rosemarie Boyko, Jason Breeden, Maddison Burke, Ryan Buzby, Sarah Bykowicz, Martin Carroll, Nico Catanzaro, Thomas Cecere, Lauren Chadwick, Colonie Chaney, Abigail Czerwonka, Julianna DeSimone, Isabel Dickinson, Alexander Dodge, Eliza Dudziak, Michael Ellegate, Alana Enright, Jessica Faso, Abigail Fay, Grace Federico, Jacob Ford, Emily Fred, Philip Gentz, Hailey Geyer, Mark Giancola, Adam Graff, Madelyn Heyden, Conner Hutton, Elizabeth Ishmael, Ryan Kernin, Joseph Killian, Abigail Klie, Katherine Kraft, Autumn Krantz, John Kwarciak, Laura Link, Matthew Logel, Jason Lupp, Alyssa Luzak, Brian Minton, Dominic Nappo, Nicholas Nowocien, Samantha Pusatier, Taylor Raine, Katherine Riederer, Kate Riniolo, Jacob Ruffolo, Laurel Salvaggio, Joseph Samplinski, Joshua Schaefer, Maria Schnettler, Megan Shickluna, Allison Sorri, Carly Sozio, Jack Steinagel, Jenna Tavano, Luke Traina, Megan Urbaniak, Courtney Wendling, Karolina Woodward, Kurtis Wozniak
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - December 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the first quarter, 2013-2014 school year:Grade 6 - Tala Abdellatif, Brooke Amato, Robert Arch, Marion Averhart, Zachary Barrett, Derek Blanchard, Maiya Buscaglia, Timothy Carlson, Arthur Chatkhan, Madison Conway, Donovan Cornelius, Stephanie Cox, Robert Currie, Destiny Denz, Jonathan Dingey, Gabrielle Ducette, Patrick Dworak, Ava Eichel, Shawna-Lea Harper, Megan Jaegers, Michael Juntunen, Laura Kaiser, Juliana Koloshuk, Kaitlyn McGuire, Maggie McNamara, Grace Pearse, Thomas Podsiadlo, Connor Raine, Brandon-Kace Samol, Kaylynn Savoy, Logan Snyder, Annella Sommer, Griffin Sykes, Suha Taffal, Chloe Tolsma, Kyle Vanderzell, Sean Vanini, Vanessa VanNorman, Morgan-Lynn Wieberg, Olivia Williams, Viktorija Woodward, Alexa Yamonaco, Susannah Zherebilov
Grade 7 - Ava Ackerman, Rebecca Agnello, Evan Bedell, Jared Berard, Joseph Botticello, Brandon Bruner, Adam Burns, Forrest Carr, Alexander Castillo, Hannah Chorey, Madison Davidson, Collin DeMartin, Elissa Dojka, Rainer Dolmanet, Allison Dragonette, Lucas Duck, Hayley Falter, Jacquelyn Gardon, Gabriella Gasiorek, Henry Grunzweig, Liam Hart, Brianna Hays, Austin Hogan, Alyssa Jaenecke, Diamond Jones, Kaylee Kavanaugh, Nicholas Kawecki, Nicolas Lindaman, Matthew Mahon, Clarice McCaffery, Michael McGuire, Jacob Nelson, Kimberlee Norman, Joseph Parker, Elizabeth Podsiadlo, Jordan Popovich, Rhett Robinson, Olivia Ruiz, Michael Sadkowski, Trisha Sander, Camryn Santa Lucia, Kristine Schlifke, Maria Sciortino, Gabriella Sciortino, Anthony Serra, Pravdeep Singh, Hardyal Singh, Hunter Texido, Nicholas Tillett, Bradley VeRost, Bailey Warmus, Kelsey Wilson, Bryce Wolf, Kenneth Yockey, Sarah Zherebilov
Grade 8 - Jonathan Abbott, Sama Abdelal, Bayan Abdellatif, Luke Ailinger, Nicholas Anzalone, Jackson Besl, Cameron Blair, Eva Bobeck, Victoria Busch, Alyssa Butcher, Derek Callen, Matthew Carlson, Emily Cordero, Franklin Cortes, Jaynie Decker, Ryan Frost, Maricella Fusillo, Samantha Garcia, John Glose, Nicolas Goff, Jessica Gonda, Charles Hegarty, Madeline Hjalmarson, Sydney Hoerner, Jerry Huang, Madeleine HusVar, Miguel Johnson, Nicholas Kam, Angelina Koloshuk, Elisabeth Krstevski, Katherine Kuch, Carly Lawson, David Lesinski, Richard Little, Grace LoTempio, Kelsey Mankowski, Sierra Maras, Jason Messing, Nathan Miller, Justin Mock, Muhammad Mojawalla, Angelina Morales, Tyler Myszka, Gianna Novelli, Edward Payan, Michaela Preston, Steven Pufpaff, Joelle-Yvette Scheffler, Mark Seibert, Madison Senger, Vanessa Shores, Katelyn Simpson, Breanna Stedman-Pate, Joseph Stolfo, Kobe Swain-Bruyere, Stephen Sweeney, Dominic Tagliarino, Anna Ungaro, Jerico Valera, Zachary Vanderzell, Jacob VeRost, Caitlin Watt, Theresa West, Imani Williams, Taylor Zajdowicz, Sulamita Zherebilov
Coat Drive for Buffalo City Mission - December 2013
The Connor Middle School Student Services is having a coat drive to support the Buffalo City Mission. Bring in gently used and clean coats, gloves, scarves and hats to the school from December 3 – 13th. Infants to adult sized coats are needed.JV DECA Mini Regionals & Fall Interview Day - November 2013
Whitney Bower and Ray Tafelski
Nothing prepares a student better for the world of interviews than a Human Resources Consultant! Recently, Mrs. Whitney Bower of Employer Services Corporation, Amherst, NY willingly met with eighty of our eighth graders at Veronica E. Connor Middle School to help them to become more Career and College Ready. Prior to this guest speaker, the students had participated in a round of peer interviews as a part of their Entrepreneurship Unit in Family and Consumer Science. Later, Fall Interview Day was held, where these middle school students conversed with Junior and Senior Year DECA and Business Students from Grand Island High School. Doing research prior to your interview, polishing your appearance and demeanor and following up in written form after an interview were three key points that students took home. Pictured are some of the eighth grade audience, as well as DECA Co-President, Ray Tafelski, offering GIHS DECA’s gratitude for Mrs. Bower’s eagerness to hone the professionalism of tomorrow’s leaders.
Lauren Fonte interviews students.
The first ever Junior Varsity DECA Mini-Regionals were held at Grand Island High School on Saturday, November 16th. Competing were 20 eighth graders who were recommended for membership in DECA by their former teachers for their leadership ability and positive character traits. Teams of two or three students were given 20 minutes to prepare a presentation to address a marketing problem for a hypothetical business and then present to the judges. Mrs. Mary Cooke, Town of Grand Island Supervisor/ former FACS Teacher and Miss Lauren Fonte, 2009 New York State DECA First Place Winner in Job Interview (pictured) were on hand to evaluate the teams. Both judges were impressed with the on-the-spot decision making and creativity which included tech savvy media ideas. Five students were chosen to advance to the DECA Regional Competition on January 12th at Lockport High School. These top students included Rosie Boyko, Gianna Novelli, Brian Minton, Josh Schaeffer and Conner Hutton.PTA Poinsettia & Wreath Sale - November 2013
The Connor Middle School PTA Poinsettia & Holiday Wreath Sale is in full swing. Orders must be received by Monday, November 25th and must be picked up on Monday, December 2nd from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the High School Main Hall. See form.. For large orders or questions call Betsy Cali 725-8939. Return order form and payment to Betsy Cali, 2094 Harvey Rd. or to the Middle School.Art Students Display Work At NYSSBA Conference - October 2013
Jennalise Olsen with her self-portrait.
Grand Island art students Angelica Garcia, Jennalise Olson and Dakota Wolf were selected to have their artworks displayed at the NYSATA sponsored art exhibit at the New York State School Boards Association conference held in Rochester this past weekend. The exhibit shares the work of exemplary student artists from across New York State with members of local school boards at their annual conference.Representing the Grand Island Central School District at the event were expressive pencil drawings created by the student artists. All three students created their self-portraits while eighth grade students last spring in their Studio In Art class at Connor Middle School. Using the visual arts as a vehicle for communication, each artwork clearly communicates a sense of identity and self. Their realistic portraits simultaneously depict what they look like and convey aspects of each student’s individual personality. While creating their beautiful portraits, students met several New York State Standards for the Visual Arts as well as Common Core Learning Standards. A reception for artists and their families was held on Saturday, October 26, 2013 in the Empire Lounge in the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
Heartsaver Hero Award - October 2013
The Buffalo Niagara Division of the American Heart Association is presenting a Heartsaver Hero Award to assistant principal Eleanor Payne and others that were directly involved in the CPR save of a student on September 9, 2013. Not only did these bystanders act quickly in enacting the chain of survival and administering CPR, but the presentation also supports the importance of passing the CPR in Schools bill for New York, which requires training as a graduation requirement for all high school students. The award will be presented by American Heart Association Buffalo Niagara Board President Dr. Glenna Bett, and Executive Director Liz Zulawski.The Heartsaver Hero award recipients are: Eleanor Payne, William Brodie, Barbara Nolan and Margaret Cammarano. The presentation in Monday, October 21st at the School Board Meeting at the VCMS Little Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
Assistant Principal Eleanor Payne Honored - September 2013
Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick with Assistant Principal Eleanor Payne
Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick came to the Grand Island Middle School on Wednesday, September 25th to honor Assistant Principal Eleanor Payne in recognition of her quick thinking and reaction in saving the life of a student earlier this month. The incident occurred on Monday, September 9th when a 10-year-old girl who had left earlier in the day due to illness, returned to get items from her locker. The student collapsed in the hallway and Mrs. Payne performed CPR and got her breathing again. Fire officials say that Mrs. Payne's actions saved the students life. In part the certificate of appreciation from Legislator Hardwick reads, "for her keen awareness and exemplary action in saving a student's life.Connor Middle School PTA Information Night - September 2013
What do you know about social media and your middle school student? VCMS PTA is having a "Parent Information Night" on Wednesday, October 9th at 6:30 p.m. in the little theater. See flyer for more details.Connor Middle School Open House - September 2013
The VCMS Open House is planned for Wednesday, September 25th, from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Parents and guardians will follow the students “Day 1” schedule, meet teachers and view the school facilities. This is an adults only program. Meet at the students first class room. Additional parking is available behind the school. See flyer for more details.Connor Middle School Honor Roll - July 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the fourth quarter, 2012-2013 school year:Grade 7 - Tori Appoloney, Claire Beecher, John Bellia, Evan Bender, Tyler Bernatovicz, Victoria Botticello, Rosemarie Boyko, Claire Brandon, Sarah Bykowicz, Matthew Carlson, Nico Catanzaro, Lauren Chadwick, Gabriel D'Addario, Caitlin Dansereau, Julianna DeSimone, Isabel Dickinson, Jenette DiLaura, Eliza Dudziak, Jordan Eckrote, Alana Enright, Jacob Ford, Hailey Geyer, Katherine Gibbons, John Griffin, James Grinchishin, Alicia Haak, Joshua Hannibal, Madelyn Heyden, Jennifer Hinaman, Marissa Hovey, Nicole Hoy, Conner Hutton, Cross Kalp, Joseph Killian, Katherine Kraft, Anthony Leone, Laura Link, Matthew Logel, Alyssa Luzak, Chloe McQuestion, Arthur Meaney, Hallie Mingoia, Brian Minton, Natalie O'Brien, Taylor Raine, Kate Riniolo, Alyssa Ruminski, Joshua Schaefer, Allison Sorri, Megan Stanley, Dominic Tagliarino, Jenna Tavano, Andrew Thompson, Gracie Tompkins, John VanderMey, Olivia VeRost, Sara Wolcott, Karolina Woodward, Kurtis Wozniak
Grade 8 - Liam Atkins, Kristen Atkinson, Theresa Baughman, Joseph Boyko, Sophia Castillo, Jacob Dollendorf, Samuel Eichel, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Alexis Gallup, Kelsey Harrigan, Alexis Hofmeyer, Richard Hoover, Timothy Howard, Olivia Johnson, Amanda Jordan, Katherine Kovacs, Genavieve Koyn, Justin Kozlowski, Jason Kubanek, Kelsey Mahoney, Alyssa Maxwell, Ryan McDonald, Catherine Merletti, Kristiana Morell, Owen Morrish, Kayli Nelson, Claire O'Connor, Jennalise Olson, Charles Pratt, Emily Prawel, Lindsay Proctor, Nicholas Rallo, Alexa Rogers, MaryElisabeth Rustowicz, Brandon Schoener, Emma Schultz, Jessica Surace, Kristine Sutton, Nicholas Szabo, Ryan Tetreault, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb, Dakota Wolf
Grade 6 - Brianna Bachman, Quinton Becker, Brianna Beyer, Zachary Caughill, Alexa Chiarenza, Hannah Chorey, Ryann Colan, Joseph Coughlin, Annaliese DiCarlo, Lindsey Diehl, Rainer Dolmanet, Julia Eichel, Allison Fluker, Faith Gworek, Kaitlyn Hollederer, William Hoover, Seth Jackson, Ryan Jellinick, Terri Johnson, Diamond Jones, Sebastian Koschuk, Margaret Kubanek, Emily Kurtzhalts, Alex Laschinger, Anna Martin, Allison McDonald, Alexander Melisz, Jacob Nelson, Dalton Nyitrai, Christopher O'Connor, Jordan Pachla, William Person, Olivia Pino, Zachary Reading, Isabelle Rua, Tyler Russell, Trevor Samplinski, Amanda Samplinski, Ciara Scalzo, Kristine Schlifke, Katelyn Schnabel, Kyle Schneider, Ty Schneider, Allyson Schoener, Gabriella Sciortino, Anthony Seifert, Cameron Sionko, Julia Slazyk, Jada Sokody, William Soos, Easton Speer, Grace Thorpe, Wyatt Tollner, Sean Tuohy, Joy VanderMey, Konstantinos Vasiliadis, Brienne Westfall, Olivia Wright
Grade 7 - Sama Abdelal, Cameron Blair, Jason Breeden, Victoria Busch, Ryan Buzby, Gionna Cafarella, Thomas Cecere, Colonie Chaney, Alexander Dodge, Michael Ellegate, Jessica Faso, Abigail Fay, Grace Federico, Emily Fred, Ryan Frost, Maricella Fusillo, Philip Gentz, Mark Giancola, John Glose, Jessica Gonda, Adam Graff, Charles Hegarty, Madeleine HusVar, Elizabeth Ishmael, Miguel Johnson, Nicholas Kam, Ryan Kernin, Abigail Klie, Elisabeth Krstevski, Katherine Kuch, John Kwarciak, Grace LoTempio, Sierra Maras, Jason Messing, Nathan Miller, Tyler Myszka, Dominic Nappo, Nicholas Nowocien, Steven Pufpaff, Katherine Riederer, Jacob Ruffolo, Laurel Salvaggio, Joseph Samplinski, Maria Schnettler, Mark Seibert, Megan Shickluna, Jack Steinagel, Stephen Sweeney, Luke Traina, Megan Urbaniak, Zachary Vanderzell, Caitlin Watt, Courtney Wendling, Sulamita Zherebilov
Grade 8 - Giana Aiello, Jordan Anthony, Genna Baldassarre, Amanda Brodie, Karli Burford, Julia Buscaglia, Conner Buzby, Nicole Castiglione, Andrea Colan, Kaylee Conta, Savannah Cramer, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Todd Domowicz, Cole Ellsworth, Simon Estenoz, Louis Fabiano, Shaye Fermoile, Joseph Frailey, James Franz, Angelica Marie Garcia, Marilyn Hess, Robert Jankowiak, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Maxwell Keller, Sydney Khreis, Julia Koprevich, Alexis Kowalak, Hayley Latvala, Julianna Major, Alexa Mallare, Jacob Masucci, Gracie McNamara, Tyler Moskala, Kassie Moss, Juleeann Nyitrai, David Pachla, Thomas Riniolo, William Scalzo, Kelly Schlifke, Nemanja Simic, Sarah Swagler, Lauryn Swanson, Andrew Szolnoky, James Thorpe, Jenna VeRost, Sarah Wellence, Aruran Wigneswaran, Cassidy Wilkinson, Marina Wittmann, Gillian Worrall, Caitlin Young, Sophia Zacher
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - July 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the fourth quarter, 2012-2013 school year:Grade 6 - Ava Ackerman, Jack Anthony, Evan Bedell, Nicholas Bibik, Vincent Bonura, Joseph Botticello, Cheyenne Carr, Alexander Castillo, Erin Mae Cooper, Jacob Corrao, Caleb Cutting, Madison Davidson, Collin DeMartin, Anna DiBello, Allison Dragonette, Sydney Dworak, Anne Eberhard, Cameron Fairbairn, Gabriella Gasiorek, Henry Grunzweig, Trevor Hauer, Brianna Hays, Ethan Hodge, Austin Hogan, Alyssa Jaenecke, Kaylee Kavanaugh, Nicholas Kawecki, Brandon Kinney, Jacob Konopski, Amanda Lawrence, Nicolas Lindaman, Matthew Mahon, Natalie Maloy, Clarice McCaffery, Laura McKenna, Madeline Mesmer, Colby Muggli, Nicole Paolini, Elizabeth Podsiadlo, Jordan Popovich, McKenna Prochaska, Rhett Robinson, Olivia Ruiz, Trisha Sander, Maria Sciortino, Abigail Siebert, Jordan Simon, Nathan Stroh, Joshua Tamsen, Nicholas Tillett, Bailey Warmus, Ryan Wellence, Kelsey Wilson, Bryce Wolf, Kenneth Yockey, Jacob Yund, Sarah Zherebilov
Grade 7 - Jonathan Abbott, Bayan Abdellatif, Tima Abdellatif, Luke Ailinger, Nicholas Anzalone, Rhianna Argiro, Jessica Backlund, Jackson Besl, Eva Bobeck, Maddison Burke, Derek Callen, Martin Carroll, Emily Cordero, Abigail Czerwonka, Jaynie Decker, Dylan DeGlopper, Daniel Fabiano, Samantha Garcia, Matthew Giordano, Nicolas Goff, Taylor Gojmerac, Andrew Gradolph, Kaitlyn Grybel, Joshua Hoy, Jerry Huang, Autumn Krantz, Carly Lawson, Richard Little, Jason Lupp, Ethan Lynch, Kelsey Mankowski, David Matthews, Angelina Morales, Gianna Novelli, Edward Payan, Samantha Pusatier, Kelsey Roach, Zack Schmidt, Madison Senger, Vanessa Shores, Katelyn Simpson, Carly Sozio, Breanna Stedman-Pate, Joseph Stolfo, Anna Ungaro, Jerico Valera, Jacob VeRost, Michelle Wadell, Imani Williams, Taylor Zajdowicz Yitong Zhang
Grade 8 - Ayah Abdelal, Marcella Barberic, Devin Brandon, Liam Bryan, Sarina Buscaglia, Roman Cacciatore, Vincent Cancilla, Erik Carlson, Joseph Chadima, Connor Cinelli, Juliana Cousins, Jessica Culbert, Mallory DelSignore, Megan DiBerardino, Narmeen Durrani, Madison Finn, Meghan Frisch, Lenin Harper, Jessica Harvey, William Hughes, Bryce Jellinick, Emily Jelonek, Natasha Keller, Reganne Kleisath, Madelyn Konopczynski, Matthew Kowalski, Adam Krathaus, Lily Anna Leffler, Rachel Madigan, Joseph Mesmer, Heather Michki, Kelly Mongan, Tyler Muggli , Katelyn Newbould, Lindsay Nitsche, Trevor Palamuso, Ashley Parmelee, Madisyn Pezzino, Madison Phillips, Connor Pignatora, Sean Pufpaff, Dilshawn Randhawa, Kaylee Richard, Alexia Shivers, Cassandra Shores, Brianna Smith, Angela Smith, Samuel Sommer, Anthony Stolfo, Alexis Studley, Joseph Tamsen, Noah Teator, Collin Tolsma, Marie Tomasula, Mary Valle, Devin Vogel, Samantha Wakefield, Nicholas Yung, Abraham Zherebilov
Connor Middle School “Girls on the Run” - June 2013
Buffalo News Running columnist Budd Bailey recently did a story on two of the participants from Connor Middle School in the "Girls on the Run" 5k race held Sunday, June 2nd. Student Tima Abdellatif and teacher Lori Randles are running partners, but the student is actually the teacher. See story.VCMS 6th Grade Orientation - June 2013
Parents/guardians of current 5th grade students, who anticipate their children will be attending Veronica E. Connor Middle School next year, are invited to an orientation program on Wednesday, June 12th at 6:00 p.m. in the Middle School Little Theater followed by a tour of the building. The orientation is for parents only and will last approximately an hour and a half. Please call 773-8830 if you have any questions about this event.2013 Middle School Softball Continues Its Winning Tradition - June 2013
Top row: K Simpson, E Cordero, J Tavano, J Hinaman, J Faso, A Ruminski, E Richard, K Richard, N Castiglione, Capt M Konopczynski, Coach A Meaney.
Bottom row: G Federico, M Hovey, M Stanley, R Madigan, Asst Capt C McQuestion, J Diehl
Click photo for larger view.
Story by Coach Arthur MeaneyYour lovely Lady Vikings of modified softball continued their program's historic success this season after opening with a program first: since 1997, 187 games ago when the season started, the girls had never been shut out. Facing non-league Starpoint in the opener, the girls went down 6-0. Chagrined but not despondent, they rebounded from that loss in true GI fashion by giving Starpoint a 17-7 beating one week later and going on a win streak that made them the class of the Niagara Frontier League once again with an undefeated league record of 12-0, 13-1 overall. This was a strong group from top to bottom, laden with seventh graders -- watch out NFL in 2014.
The seventh graders came to play. Even back to tryouts, there was a great deal of competition. Alyssa Ruminski, Emily Cordero, Jessica Faso, and Katelyn Simpson played a solid outfield and some infield. Ruminski and Cordero each had an OB% (on base pct) of .500, Faso was almost .750, and Simpson led the team with an OB% of .857 -- unbelievable. Cordero and Faso also hit a pair of bombs this year that might not have come down yet. Some other seventh graders could usually be found on the left side of the infield: Grace Federico at third and Jen Hinaman at shortstop. Grace made two catches that could both qualify as the catch of the year -- one forehand and one backhand, both about a foot off the ground and smoked. The best part? ~ jogging into the dugout like it is business-as-usual. Hinaman was not to be outdone -- her play in the field was smooth and quiet. Both girls tied for second on the team in RBIs (runs batted in), with Hinaman batting .500 on the season and truly offering up some well-struck extra-base hits. Another pleasant surprise was Jenna Tavano. Jenna played a solid 2B/OF and hit the ball hard. She was near the team leaders in most offensive categories and led the team with only one strikeout while posting a .524 BA (batting average). And now, some pitchers: Marissa Hovey, Emma Richard, and Megan Stanley: these three pitchers put a good deal of time in in the circle, both during games and during their pitching practice in the off-season, and it showed. Marissa posted a team low ERA (earned run average) of 1.67, going 5-0 on the season. Emma was a dominating presence in the middle of the field posting 32 K (strikeouts). And "Little Steamer", Megan, came in to pitch in a couple of tight jams and got us back in the dugout unhurt. These three were very reliable pitchers with bright futures who also helped out at the bat: they all batted about .300 and put up a couple of extra-base hits. Next year will be tough on our NFL competition. And our final seventh grader is none other than Assistant Captain Chloe McQuestion. Chloe was at the top of the order exclusively, a headlight for the rest of the team to follow. Chloe led the team in SB (stolen bases) with 26 and was near the top in most offensive categories. She caught and played shortstop, stole home a number of times, and generally was a role model on the team as to how the game needs to be played. She was never short of energy or something positive to say. If she made the play it was expected and if she didn't, she dusted herself off and got ready to make the next one.
And finally, the eighth graders on the team. We had two first year modified players, one being Julia Diehl. Julia was a solid pitcher whose season was cut short through injury. She did make it back for the final double-header versus archrival Niagara Falls and performed exceptionally at shortstop. While on IR, Julia showed herself to be more than competent at keeping a "professional book", but I am sure her best contributions in the future will be on the field or in the circle. Our other newbie was Nicole Castiglione, who came to us this year from St. Stephen's. Nicole was a welcome addition to the softball squad just like she was on the basketball team. Nicole played anything you asked her to play and played it well. She was a pleasure to have on the team and knew when to keep it loose and when to keep it serious. There were only three returners from last year's 12-2 NFL co-champion squad, but they were very good softball players: Kaylee Richard, Rachel Madigan, and Madelyn Konopczynski. Kaylee was a very reliable pitcher who can help herself -- she bats left-handed and had an OB% of well over .500. Kaylee will be pitching on JV next year and be a helpful addition. Rachel is a quiet/polite player who is sometimes overlooked but always performs when called upon. Rachel is a solid pitcher and plays an outstanding third base -- her throws across the diamond are flawless and her glove is quick. She usually got on base when it was crucial and is mature enough to sacrifice for the team and the game (example: playing for a short Lew-Port team with Hovey and Stanley). And finally, Captain Madelyn "Mad Dog", "Polish Rifle" Konopczynski. Konopczynski has been one of the most enjoyable players to coach in 20 years. She is a little self-effacing, with no reason to be. She is a true "leader by example" and will suffer no fools when it comes to softball: play better, put in more effort, or stop playing. #25 wants to have fun, but within the parameters of playing the best softball a team can. Numerous games Konopczynski would throw out the opposition's first attempted base stealer and then for the rest of the game runners would stay at first base waiting to be hit around. Konopczynski led the team in hits, doubles, and RBIs and also gave us her modified pitching debut against Lew-Port for two innings. Madelyn was easily the team MVP, even among the very good players we had on this team. She is a calming influence who performs under pressure. She will be a big help to the JV/V program in the future.
The girls would like to thank Assistant Coach Melanie Sweeney for her time and assistance during the 2013 campaign. In conclusion, the team was outstanding this season after the early hiccup in game one. They played seriously when the games were tight and compassionately when the games were not. The comeback versus North Park in the bottom of the last (McQuestion walk and steal, Konopczynski double for the tie, and Hinaman double for the walk-off win in miserable cold and wet weather) was a thing of true focus and beauty. There were not enough innings for all of the pitchers on the squad. Grand Island Middle School looks forward to the winning-with-class tradition to continue next season with this year's seventh graders and wishes this year's eighth graders continued and greater success as they move on to the high school.
Connor Middle School "Girls on the Run" Program - May 2013
Connor Middle School is participating in the "Girls on the Run" Program, a life-changing, non-profit prevention program for girls in the 3rd through 8th grade. The mission is "to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living." VCMS has had a program for three seasons and Kaegebein has had a program for two. GOTR Buffalo provides the schools with a healthy living curriculum and workout program which helps the girls train for a 5K. The girls are really excited about their season ending 5K this Sunday, June 2nd at UB's North Campus. Girls on the Run Coach LeeAnn McMaster is a Math and Special Education Teacher at VCMS. Check out the website, www.gotrbuffalo.org.Bald For Bucks at VCMS - May 2013
Before, during and after shots of Megan Stanley with mom Beth and dad Bill.
Grand Island Middle School had the "Bald for Bucks" event on Thursday, May 16th at the end of classes. Over 30 students participated in having their heads shaved or girls with long hair cut for the "Locks of Love" program to provide hairpieces for children with cancer. 7th grade student Megan Stanley had her head shaved which provided lots of hair for the program. Megan wanted to help the young cancer patients and honor the people she and her family have known affected by the diesease. The mostly middle school students who participated enjoyed pizza, a bake sale, Karaoke, Bingo and a visit by members of the Bandits Lacrosse team.GICSD Art Department Art Show - May 2013
Middle School Artisits, Left: Alexa Mallare-Self-Portrait. Right: Catie Merletti and Jennalise Olson-Collage Landscapes.
Works by hundreds of talented Grand Island students will be on display as the Art Department of the Grand Island Schools presents their annual art show featuring works in a wide variety of media by students in grades k-12. The display will open Monday evening, May 20 with a reception for artists and their families from 6:30-8:00 pm. The show will remain on display for several days thereafter. Community members are cordially invited to view the student works and see the various ways in which children use the arts to explore the world around them, find varied solutions to complex problems and express their unique and individual artistic voices.Connor Middle School Honor Roll - May 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the third quarter, 2012-2013 school year:Grade 7 - Tori Appoloney, Claire Beecher, John Bellia, Evan Bender, Tyler Bernatovicz, Cameron Blair, Victoria Botticello, Rosemarie Boyko, Claire Brandon, Jason Breeden, Sarah Bykowicz, Nico Catanzaro, Gabriel D'Addario, Caitlin Dansereau, Julianna DeSimone, Jenette DiLaura, Eliza Dudziak, Jordan Eckrote, Alana Enright, Abigail Fay, Grace Federico, Jacob Ford, Emily Fred, Hailey Geyer, Katherine Gibbons, Jessica Gonda, John Griffin, James Grinchishin, Alicia Haak, Joshua Hannibal, Madelyn Heyden, Jennifer Hinaman, Marissa Hovey, Nicole Hoy, Conner Hutton, Cross Kalp, Ryan Kernin, Joseph Killian, Katherine Kraft, John Kwarciak, Anthony Leone, Laura Link, Matthew Logel, Alyssa Luzak, Sierra Maras, Chloe McQuestion, Arthur Meaney, Hallie Mingoia, Brian Minton, Dominic Nappo, Natalie O'Brien, Taylor Raine, Katherine Riederer, Kate Riniolo, Joshua Schaefer, Megan Shickluna, Allison Sorri, Megan Stanley, Stephen Sweeney, Dominic Tagliarino, Jenna Tavano, Andrew Thompson, Gracie Tompkins, Taylor Vacanti, John VanderMey, Olivia VeRost, Caitlin Watt, Sara Wolcott, Karolina Woodward, Kurtis Wozniak
Grade 8 - Kristen Atkinson, Theresa Baughman, Sophia Castillo, Jacob Dollendorf, Alexis Hofmeyer, Richard Hoover, Olivia Johnson, Katherine Kovacs, Genavieve Koyn, Justin Kozlowski, Jason Kubanek, Kelsey Mahoney, Ryan McDonald, Catherine Merletti, Kristiana Morell, Owen Morrish, Kayli Nelson, Claire O'Connor, Jennalise Olson, Charles Pratt, Emily Prawel, Alexa Rogers, Emma Schultz, Jessica Surace, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb, Dakota Wolf
Grade 6 - Brianna Bachman, Samantha Bailey, Quinton Becker, Evan Bedell, Hannah Chorey, Jagger Click, Ryann Colan, Joseph Coughlin, Collin DeMartin, Jasmin Dhillon, Annaliese DiCarlo, Lindsey Diehl, Rainer Dolmanet, Anne Eberhard, Allison Fluker, Henry Grunzweig, Faith Gworek, Kaitlyn Hollederer, William Hoover, Seth Jackson, Ryan Jellinick, Elizabeth Koyn, Emily Kurtzhalts, Alex Laschinger, Anna Martin, Alexander Melisz, Bridget Neeson, Jacob Nelson, Dalton Nyitrai, Christopher O'Connor, Jordan Pachla, Nicole Paolini, Olivia Pino, Lydia Pratt, Isabelle Rua, Olivia Ruiz, Trevor Samplinski, Trisha Sander, Ciara Scalzo, Katelyn Schnabel, Allyson Schoener, Gabriella Sciortino, Jordan Simon, Jada Sokody, Nathan Stroh, Emma Sullivan, Benjamin Szabo, Konstantinos Vasiliadis, Ryan Wellence, Olivia Wright
Grade 7 - Sama Abdelal, Luke Ailinger, Nicholas Anzalone, Jackson Besl, Victoria Busch, Ryan Buzby, Gionna Cafarella, Derek Callen, Matthew Carlson, Thomas Cecere, Lauren Chadwick, Emily Cordero, Abigail Czerwonka, Dylan DeGlopper, Isabel Dickinson, Alexander Dodge, Ryan Frost, Maricella Fusillo, Philip Gentz, Mark Giancola, John Glose, Andrew Gradolph, Adam Graff, Charles Hegarty, Joshua Hoy, Madeleine HusVar, Elizabeth Ishmael, Miguel Johnson, Nicholas Kam, Abigail Klie, Autumn Krantz, Elisabeth Krstevski, Katherine Kuch, Grace LoTempio, Jason Messing, Nathan Miller, Justin Mock, Angelina Morales, Nicholas Nowocien, Steven Pufpaff, Samantha Pusatier, Alyssa Ruminski, Laurel Salvaggio, Joseph Samplinski, Maria Schnettler, Mark Seibert, Madison Senger, Carly Sozio, Jack Steinagel, Luke Traina, Anna Ungaro, Megan Urbaniak, Zachary Vanderzell, Courtney Wendling, Imani Williams, Taylor Zajdowicz, Sulamita Zherebilov
Grade 8 - Jordan Anthony, Liam Atkins, Genna Baldassarre, Joseph Boyko, Karli Burford, Julia Buscaglia, Conner Buzby, Roman Cacciatore, Nicole Castiglione, Andrea Colan, Savannah Cramer, Mallory DelSignore, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Todd Domowicz, Samuel Eichel, Cole Ellsworth, Joseph Frailey, James Franz, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Alexis Gallup, Lenin Harper, Kelsey Harrigan, Marilyn Hess, Timothy Howard, William Hughes, Robert Jankowiak, Amanda Jordan, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Maxwell Keller, Sydney Khreis, Madelyn Konopczynski, Julia Koprevich, Matthew Kowalski, Adam Krathaus, Hayley Latvala, Julianna Major, Alexa Mallare, Harrison Mangat, Jacob Masucci, Alyssa Maxwell, Kelly Mongan, Tyler Moskala, Kassie Moss, Lindsay Nitsche, Madisyn Pezzino, Lindsay Proctor, Sean Pufpaff, Nicholas Rallo, Thomas Riniolo, MaryElisabeth Rustowicz, William Scalzo, Kelly Schlifke, Brandon Schoener, Cassandra Shores, Nemanja Simic, Kristine Sutton, Sarah Swagler, Lauryn Swanson, Nicholas Szabo, Ryan Tetreault, James Thorpe, Jenna VeRost, Sarah Wellence, Marina Wittmann, Caitlin Young, Sophia Zacher
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - May 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the third quarter, 2012-2013 school year:Grade 6 - Ava Ackerman, Rebecca Agnello, Jack Anthony, Hayden Backlund, Vincent Bonura, Alexander Castillo, Erin Mae Cooper, Jacob Corrao, Caleb Cutting, Madison Davidson, Anna DiBello, Allison Dragonette, Sydney Dworak, Julia Eichel, Trevor Hauer, Ethan Hodge, Austin Hogan, Alyssa Jaenecke, Diamond Jones, Nicholas Kawecki, Brandon Kinney, Madison Kleisath, Amanda Lawrence, Nicolas Lindaman, Matthew Mahon, Natalie Maloy, Clarice McCaffery, Laura McKenna, Madeline Mesmer, Colby Muggli, Levi Nance, Shelby Pendola, William Person, Elizabeth Podsiadlo, Jordan Popovich, Zachary Reading, Rhett Robinson, Tyler Russell, Amanda Samplinski, Camryn Santa Lucia, Kristine Schlifke, Maria Sciortino, Anthony Seifert, Anthony Serra, Abigail Siebert, Pravdeep Singh, Savannah Sipe, Shay Sommer, Dylan Stickney, Joshua Tamsen, Nicholas Tillett, Sean Tuohy, Bailey Warmus, Brienne Westfall, Kelsey Wilson, Kenneth Yockey, Sarah Zherebilov
Grade 7 - Jonathan Abbott, Bayan Abdellatif, Tima Abdellatif, Rhianna Argiro, Steven Bachman, Jessica Backlund, Colin Bellinger, Eva Bobeck, Maddison Burke, Sarah Burns, Colonie Chaney, Jenna Cook, Michael Ellegate, Daniel Fabiano, Jessica Faso, Samantha Garcia, Taylor Gojmerac, Kaitlyn Grybel, Sydney Hoerner, Jerry Huang, JaQuan Johnson, Tess Lariviere, David Lesinski, Richard Little, Jason Lupp, Ethan Lynch, Kelsey Mankowski, Parker Morrow, Tyler Myszka, Gianna Novelli, Michaela Preston, Jacob Ruffolo, Joelle-Yvette Scheffler, Vanessa Shores, Katelyn Simpson, Breanna Stedman-Pate, Joseph Stolfo, Kobe Swain-Bruyere, Jerico Valera, Jacob VeRost, Michelle Wadell
Grade 8 - Giana Aiello, Marcella Barberic, Devin Brandon, Amanda Brodie, Liam Bryan, Vincent Cancilla, Erik Carlson, Connor Cinelli, Alexandra Colucci, Kaylee Conta, Jessica Culbert, Megan DiBerardino, Narmeen Durrani, Simon Estenoz, Louis Fabiano, Shaye Fermoile, Meghan Frisch, Jessica Harvey, Bryce Jellinick, Emily Jelonek, Alexander Jennings, Natasha Keller, Reganne Kleisath, Alexis Kowalak, Rachel Madigan, Kristopher Masiello, Gracie McNamara, Joseph Mesmer, Heather Michki, Zachary Morano, Tyler Muggli, Katelyn Newbould, Juleeann Nyitrai, David Pachla, Trevor Palamuso, Simon Pannullo, Ashley Parmelee, Julianna Passarelli, Connor Pignatora, Kaila Powell, Dilshawn Randhawa, Kaylee Richard, Sarah Saleh, Alexia Shivers,Brianna Smith, Samuel Sommer, Anthony Stolfo, Alexis Studley, Andrew Szolnoky, Joseph Tamsen, Noah Teator, Collin Tolsma, Marie Tomasula, Zachary Valvo, Samantha Wakefield, Aruran Wigneswaran, Cassidy Wilkinson, Gillian Worrall, Kyle York, Nicholas Yung
Connor Middle School Reflections Finalists - April 2013
The National PTA Reflections Art Program encourages students to create works of art for fun and positive recognition. Since 1969, the Reflections Program has been bringing families, schools and communities together in support of student success through the arts. VCMS had 4 students who advanced from the district level to the Regional level. They placed as follows:Miranda Proctor, 1st place for dance choregraphy (entry has been sent to the state level)
Eva Bobeck, 2nd place for Literature
Samin Durrani, 2nd place for Visual Arts
Claire McCaffery, 3rd place for photography
Connor Middle School Family Science Night - April 2013
VCMS will host a "Family Science Night" at GIHS on Thursday, April 11th from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to view student science project presentations and participate in hands on activities for kids of all ages. The evening is sponsored by InnovatioNation powered by the Life Technologies Foundation in Conjunction with Science Buddies. A video will be show celebrating Gibco Co. 50th Anniversary and there will be an awards presentation and door prizes. See flyer for details.Connor Middle School Artists on Display - March 2013
Left: Kristine Sutton is shown with her pastel painting. Right: Caleb Stallard with Pop Art self-portrait.
The work of twenty-two creative and talented eighth grade artists is currently on display in the community meeting room of the Grand Island Memorial Library. Works in a wide variety of visual media including watercolor, ink, graphite, colored pencil, pastel and ceramics are featured. Representing a collaborative effort between the Friends of the Library and the GICSD Art Department, displays at the library feature different student works and change frequently throughout the school year.Students with work on display include: Kristen Atkinson, Marcella Barberic, Vincent Cancilla, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Angelica Garcia, Natalie Kaminski, Natasha Keller, Sydney Khreis, Julia Koprevich, Alexa Mallare, Alyssa Maxwell, Catherine Merletti, Kassie Moss, Jennalise Olson, Julianna Passarelli, Kaylee Richard, Caleb Stallard, Kristine Sutton, Jenna VeRost and Madelyn Webb.
Students frequently use the visual arts as an appropriate vehicle for self-expression; art making serving as a healthy, creative outlet for their varied ideas and individual point of view. The public is cordially invited to view the display and share in our pride in our young people’s varied and creative accomplishments. A second middle school exhibit featuring sixth and seventh grade student work will follow in April.
2013 Middle School Girls’ Modified Basketball Squad Goes 13-1! - March 2013
Kneeling: N Castiglione, M Rustowicz, G McNamara, M Frisch, scorekeeper S Wellence
Sitting: M Webb, K Harrigan, C McQuestion, M Finn
Standing: C Wilkinson, J Nyitrai, K Woodward, H Latvala, K Simpson, M Konopczynski, Coach Meaney
Click photo for larger view.
Story by Coach Arthur MeaneyYour lovely Lady Vikings of Connor MS once again put forth a dominating effort and tied for first in the NFL with a 13 and one record. They were led by a strong core of returning eighth graders that included our new modified basketball scoring leader, Gracie McNamara. Gracie shattered the previous record high of 133 points set during the 2003 campaign by NFL Modified Basketball Hall-of-Famer Andrea Monaco by putting in 163 points this season. This new record should stand for at least as long as the one set by the famed Monaco.
Seventh graders, we had a few…. Karolina Woodward and Kaitlyn Simpson proved to be very useful down on the posts as they learned the ins-and-outs of the job for next season. Both players were very strong on the defensive rebounding side of the ball and will be expected to be a force during the 2014 campaign. One of the players responsible for getting them the ball next year will be our third seventh grader – Chloe McQuestion. Chloe is a guard and served as the Assistant Captain this year. Chloe is a quick, tough player who will be helpful in 2014.
First year eighth graders on the squad numbered five (of 11). Nicole “St. Stephen’s” Castiglione came to us as a free agent from the crosstown school and was a welcomed addition. Nicole is a very tight defender who always has her eye open for the quick pass and can hit a deep jumper. Cassidy Wilkinson and Maddie Finn were hard workers in practice and solid players on the court – always putting the team first. Madelyn Konopczynski, the softball team’s “Polish Rifle” (because of her powerful arm from behind the plate), proved to be a quick learner on the hardwood. Konopczynski felt that every rebound was hers and proved her worth by being on the court in the final minutes of most games. Another softball player who saw many of her minutes in the final quarter because of her tenacity, athleticism, and shooting touch was Kelsey Harrigan. Harrigan is a true competitor who does not like the taste of losing.
“Veterans” of Mod BB brought back a great deal of strength and leadership this season. Juleeann Nyitrai has a strong outside jumper and can really get up in the air for rebounds. Meaghan “The Frisch Princess of GI” Frisch is a strong guard with good vision and court sense. Meaghan is a solid defender and excellent teammate. Maddie Webb was easily the most improved player on the squad this year. Maddie was athletic in seventh grade, but this season she became a “go-to” player when the game was close. Maddie has a reliable shot and anticipates very well on defense. Hayley Latvala was a game changer in the paint this season. Every time Hayley stepped on the court she had a positive effect on the game. She scored (second highest on the team), defended, and rebounded. Hayley will be a force in the high school. Captain Mary Elisabeth Rustowicz was a true leader – she knew when to work, when to play, and how to delegate. Marylis worked hard in the off-season to hone her game and was a reliable guard on both ends of the floor. Interestingly, although Marylis does not have to mind her head when she walks through a doorway, she led the team in blocked shots! And finally, Gracie McNamara – easily the season’s MVP with her scoring (GI’s 10th “Centurion” in 17 seasons of modified basketball), but she played some pretty disciplined and determined defense on some very good opponents too. She wants to be the best player on the court/field and is willing to work hard for it (as long as she can have a few laughs along the way). It is certainly easier to win when one player is averaging almost 12 points per game, but she also made the rest of the team better by raising their expectations of what each of them could do. Gracie was a pleasure to coach and will be part of some very good teams in the high school.
Overall, it was a wonderful season. The girls practiced hard and played harder. There were some tight games that they found ways to win and that is always rewarding. We wish those moving on well and would like to thank Sarah Wellence (a former player herself) for some excellent scorekeeping. See y’all in 2014.
March is Youth In Art Month - March 2013
Left: Alyssa Maxwell, Right: Julia Koprevich
Kristen Atkinson - All students are in the eighth grade.
March is Youth In Art Month; an annual event which recognizes and celebrates the role of the visual arts and art education programs within our nation’s schools. At Connor Middle School, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students are challenged to create, analyze, and explore the world around them in their art classes at the middle school. Youth In Art Month began in 1961 as a collaborative effort between the Art and Craft Materials Institute, the National Art Education Association and the Council for Art Education in order to emphasize and make known the value of art education for all students and to support quality art programs within the nation’s schools. Among its many goals, this annual observance seeks to direct attention to the value of art education as an important component of the total student experience and educational curricula within schools. Recognizing that art education fosters understanding which helps develop citizens of a global society, Youth In Art Month seeks to make communities aware of the divergent and critical thinking skills inherent in art-based learning.
Artworks themselves are a physical representation of the learning taking place by students during their art classes at VCMS. Works created visually demonstrate the various ways in which middle-level learners meet the rigorous New York State Standards for the Visual Arts. Cognitive, expressive and creative problem-solving skills are evident in student work and are a critical part of the art curriculum. Students make interdisciplinary connections, engage in visual problem solving and incorporate higher order thinking skills as they create works of art. By participating in their art classes, students exploring the world in ways that only the arts can teach.
Artist of the Month, Angelica Garcia - February 2013
Angelica Garcia with several of her lovely artworks.
The “K-12 Artist of the Month Award” is a way in which the Art Department of the Grand Island Schools collectively recognizes the varied and unique accomplishments of their many artistic achievers. Students earning this distinction have distinguished themselves artistically by using the visual arts as an appropriate vehicle for self-expression and visual problem-solving. These are students who regularly display the attitudes, behaviors and work ethic necessary for artistic success and set themselves apart as creative and artistic role models within their school community.Angelica Garcia is an eighth grade student at Connor Middle School. Her hard work, dedication and commitment to task combined with her natural artistic abilities and creativity are some of the reasons that she has been selected as the February, 2013 Artist of the Month. Currently enrolled in an accelerated Studio In Art class, Angelica is earning high school credit while still a middle school student. Her talent is obvious as she creates works that express her unique and varied interests in a variety of media. Whether sculpting with clay, painting or drawing, Angelica creates beautiful and sensitive works of art. Angelica is a perfect selection for the Artist of the Month says her teacher, Ms. Nora Klein. She is always doing more than asked. Her unique point of view and artistic voice is evident in every piece of art that she creates. While clearly most comfortable with two-dimensional media, Angelica is equally expressive and talented three-dimensionally. She is a student who regularly creates beautiful, thought-provoking and sensitive works of art. This student intends to further develop her talents by continuing to take art classes in the future. Her ultimate goal is to pursue a career in anime. Anime is a style of art that she is inspired by and considers her very favorite. Art is a course of study that Angelica values, enjoys and finds important. Especially satisfying is seeing ideas become finished products.
The Art Department is pleased to recognize Angelica’s unique and individual creative accomplishments and artistic voice and is pleased to name her their February Artist of the Month.
Connor Middle School Honor Roll - Feb. 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the second quarter, 2012-2013 school year:Grade 7 - Tori Appoloney, Claire Beecher, Evan Bender, Tyler Bernatovicz, Cameron Blair, Victoria Botticello, Rosemarie Boyko, Claire Brandon, Sarah Bykowicz, Nico Catanzaro, Gabriel D'Addario, Caitlin Dansereau, Julianna DeSimone, Jenette DiLaura, Alexander Dodge, Jordan Eckrote, Alana Enright, Grace Federico, Jacob Ford, Emily Fred, Hailey Geyer, Katherine Gibbons, John Glose, Jessica Gonda, Adam Graff, John Griffin, James Grinchishin, Alicia Haak, Joshua Hannibal, Madelyn Heyden, Jennifer Hinaman, Marissa Hovey, Nicole Hoy, Conner Hutton, Cross Kalp, Joseph Killian, Katherine Kraft, Elisabeth Krstevski, Katherine Kuch, Anthony Leone, Laura Link, Alyssa Luzak, Chloe McQuestion, Arthur Meaney, Hallie Mingoia, Brian Minton, Dominic Nappo, Taylor Raine, Katherine Riederer, Kate Riniolo, Joshua Schaefer, Megan Shickluna, Jack Steinagel, Jenna Tavano, Andrew Thompson, Gracie Tompkins, John VanderMey, Olivia VeRost, Courtney Wendling, Sara Wolcott, Karolina Woodward, Kurtis Wozniak
Grade 8 - Kristen Atkinson, Joseph Boyko, Sophia Castillo, Savannah Cramer, Jacob Dollendorf, Alexis Gallup, Alexis Hofmeyer, Richard Hoover, Olivia Johnson, Amanda Jordan, Katherine Kovacs, Genavieve Koyn, Justin Kozlowski, Jason Kubanek, Kelsey Mahoney, Alexa Mallare, Ryan McDonald, Catherine Merletti, Kristiana Morell, Owen Morrish, Kayli Nelson, Claire O'Connor, Jennalise Olson, Emily Prawel, Nicholas Rallo, Alexa Rogers, Brandon Schoener, Emma Schultz, Jessica Surace, Nicholas Szabo, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Jenna VeRost, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb, Sarah Wellence, Marina Wittmann, Dakota Wolf
Grade 6 - Brianna Bachman, Vincent Bonura, Adam Burns, Alexander Castillo, Zachary Caughill, Anthony Ceccato, Justin Chadima, Alexa Chiarenza, Joseph Coughlin, Madison Davidson, Jasmin Dhillon, Annaliese DiCarlo, Rainer Dolmanet, Samin Durrani, Anne Eberhard, Julia Eichel, Allison Fluker, Faith Gworek, Trevor Hauer, Kaitlyn Hollederer, Gianna Horvath, Seth Jackson, Ryan Jellinick, Terri Johnson, Margaret Kubanek, Emily Kurtzhalts, Alex Laschinger, Madison Liss, Emma Mahoney, Candice Mastykarz, Alexander Melisz, Bridget Neeson, Jacob Nelson, Dalton Nyitrai, Christopher O'Connor, Jordan Pachla, Nicole Paolini, Olivia Pino, Lydia Pratt, Olivia Ruiz, Tyler Russell, Trevor Samplinski, Kristine Schlifke, Kyle Schneider, Allyson Schoener, Gabriella Sciortino, Anthony Seifert, Julia Slazyk, Jada Sokody, Benjamin Szabo, Joshua Tamsen, Hannah Ullrich, Joy VanderMey, Konstantinos Vasiliadis, Bailey Warmus, Ryan Wellence, Olivia Wright, Kenneth Yockey, Sarah Zherebilov
Grade 7 - Sama Abdelal, Luke Ailinger, Nicholas Anzalone, John Bellia, Jason Breeden, Victoria Busch, Ryan Buzby, Gionna Cafarella, Matthew Carlson, Thomas Cecere, Lauren Chadwick, Colonie Chaney, Emily Cordero, Abigail Czerwonka, Dylan DeGlopper, Isabel Dickinson, Eliza Dudziak, Abigail Fay, Ryan Frost, Maricella Fusillo, Philip Gentz, Mark Giancola, Andrew Gradolph, Charles Hegarty, Madeleine HusVar, Elizabeth Ishmael, Miguel Johnson, Nicholas Kam, Ryan Kernin, Abigail Klie, Autumn Krantz, John Kwarciak, Matthew Logel, Grace LoTempio, Sierra Maras, Nathan Miller, Gianna Novelli, Nicholas Nowocien, Natalie O'Brien, Steven Pufpaff, Samantha Pusatier, Alyssa Ruminski, Laurel Salvaggio, Joseph Samplinski, Maria Schnettler, Mark Seibert, Allison Sorri, Carly Sozio, Megan Stanley, Stephen Sweeney, Dominic Tagliarino, Luke Traina, Megan Urbaniak, Zachary Vanderzell, Caitlin Watt, Imani Williams, Sulamita Zherebilov
Grade 8 - Giana Aiello, Liam Atkins, Genna Baldassarre, Theresa Baughman, Karli Burford, Julia Buscaglia, Conner Buzby, Roman Cacciatore, Jessica Culbert, Mallory DelSignore, Megan DiBerardino, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Todd Domowicz, Samuel Eichel, Louis Fabiano, Shaye Fermoile, James Franz, Gabrielle Gagliardi,Angelica Marie Garcia, Lenin Harper, Kelsey Harrigan, Marilyn Hess, Timothy Howard, Robert Jankowiak, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Maxwell Keller, Sydney Khreis, Julia Koprevich, Matthew Kowalski, Hayley Latvala, Julianna Major, Jacob Masucci, Alyssa Maxwell, Heather Michki, Kassie Moss, Lindsay Nitsche, David Pachla, Connor Pignatora, Charles Pratt, Lindsay Proctor, Thomas Riniolo, MaryElisabeth Rustowicz, William Scalzo, Jacob Spencer, Alexis Studley, Kristine Sutton, Sarah Swagler, Ryan Tetreault, James Thorpe, Aruran Wigneswaran, Caitlin Young, Sophia Zacher
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - Feb. 2013
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the second quarter, 2012-2013 school year:Grade 6 - Ava Ackerman, Jack Anthony, Quinton Becker, Evan Bedell, Jared Berard, Joseph Botticello, Cheyenne Carr, Hannah Chorey, Ryann Colan, Erin Mae Cooper, Jacob Corrao, Caleb Cutting, Collin DeMartin, Anna DiBello, Lindsey Diehl, Allison Dragonette, Sydney Dworak, Cameron Fairbairn, Hayley Falter, Camryn Fisher, Gabriella Gasiorek, Jenna Gleave, Henry Grunzweig, Ethan Hodge, Austin Hogan, Alyssa Jaenecke, Diamond Jones, Brandon Kinney, Madison Kleisath, Haylee Kuhn, Amanda Lawrence, Nicolas Lindaman, Natalie Maloy, Clarice McCaffery, Laura McKenna, Madeline Mesmer, Colby Muggli, Levi Nance, Joshua Oursler, William Person, Elizabeth Podsiadlo, Jordan Popovich, McKenna Prochaska, Zachary Reading, Rhett Robinson, Amanda Samplinski, Trisha Sander, Camryn Santa Lucia, Ciara Scalzo, Katelyn Schnabel, Anthony Serra, Jordan Simon, Pravdeep Singh, Dylan Stickney, Nathan Stroh, Nicholas Tillett, Bradley VeRost, Brienne Westfall, Kelsey Wilson, Jacob Yund
Grade 7 - Jonathan Abbott, Bayan Abdellatif, Tima Abdellatif, Steven Bachman, Jessica Backlund, Colin Bellinger, Jackson Besl, Eva Bobeck, Derek Callen, Martin Carroll, Jaynie Decker, Sam DiBello, Anthony Diletti, Michael Ellegate, Daniel Fabiano, Jessica Faso, Samantha Garcia, Taylor Gojmerac, Kaitlyn Grybel, Madeline Hjalmarson, Sydney Hoerner, Joshua Hoy, Jerry Huang, JaQuan Johnson, Zane Johnson, Tess Lariviere, Richard Little, Jason Lupp, Kelsey Mankowski, Angelina Morales, Parker Morrow, Tyler Myszka, Michaela Preston, Emma Richard, Jacob Ruffolo, Joelle-Yvette Scheffler, Zack Schmidt, Madison Senger, Vanessa Shores, Katelyn Simpson, Kayla Staub, Breanna Stedman-Pate, Joseph Stolfo, Arion Thompson, Anna Ungaro, Jerico Valera, Jacob VeRost, Michelle Wadell, Taylor Zajdowicz
Grade 8 - Jordan Anthony, Marcella Barberic, Devin Brandon, Amanda Brodie, Liam Bryan, Sarina Buscaglia, Vincent Cancilla, Erik Carlson, Nicole Castiglione, Joseph Chadima, Andrea Colan, Kaylee Conta, Cole Ellsworth, Simon Estenoz, Joseph Frailey, Jessica Harvey, William Hughes, Reganne Kleisath, Madelyn Konopczynski, Adam Krathaus, Lily Anna Leffler, Rachel Madigan, Gracie McNamara, Joseph Mesmer, Tyler Moskala, Tyler Muggli, Katelyn Newbould, Juleeann Nyitrai, Simon Pannullo, Madisyn Pezzino, Ryon Pietrzak, Sean Pufpaff, Kaylee Richard, Kelly Schlifke, Ryan Schwinn, Cassandra Shores, Nemanja Simic, Anthony Stolfo, Lauryn Swanson, Andrew Szolnoky, Noah Teator, Collin Tolsma, Marie Tomasula, Zachary Valvo, Samantha Wakefield, Gillian Worrall
