Veronica E. Connor Middle School
2016
PrincipalMr. John Fitzpatrick
Veronica Connor Middle School District's Web Page.
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Give Change to Make a Change - December 2016
Students with Neighbors Foundation President Henry Kammerer.
During the week of December 12-16th, the students at Veronica Connor Middle School pitched in to help their neighbors. In an event known as "Give Change to Make a Change", students donated their coins and bills to various jars located in their teacher's classroom. The change was collected and totaled, and the class that raised the most was awarded a donut party! This year's class was Mrs. Slaght's 11 mod honors math. They raised $272.00. Their efforts, along with the schools' effort, rewarded the Neighbor's Foundation with a total of $875.00. The money will be used to help those in need this holiday season.LaBarbera Memorial Bench - December 2016
LaBarbera Memorial Bench.
Written by Nicole OurslerThe LaBarbera Memorial Bench at Veronica Connor Middle School was recently professionally engraved by Wagner Monuments. Mr. James LaBarbera was a teacher for almost 40 years in the Grand Island School District. He spent many years teaching at Kaegebein Elementary and then finished his career at Veronica Connor Middle School, teaching sixth grade. In addition to his teaching duties, he also was a football coach, Mathletes advisory, and served GITA for several years.
Sadly, in the fall of 2012, both he and his wife were diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the midst of this tragedy, Jim was able to maintain a positive outlook. He often expressed gratitude for his life and the people in it. In the spring of 2013 we gathered around this bench to celebrate Jim's life and his years of service to the students of Grand Island. At that time a name plate was adhered to the bench, but later disappeared. Thanks to donations from the Grand Island Teachers' Association and middle school faculty and staff, we were able to get this bench engraved to permanently preserve his memory. This bench is located just outside his former classroom, room 116. Mr. LaBarbera will be remembered not simply because of this memorial bench, but because of the man he was.
Max Pikula, New VCMS Assistant Principal - December 2016
Veronica E. Connor Middle School Principal John Fitzpatrick recently announced that Max Pikula, a Special Education teacher at Kaegebein Elementary School, has been chosen as the assistant principal. Principal Fitzpatrick wrote: "It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you Mr. Max Pikula, our new Assistant Principal at Veronica E. Connor Middle School. Mr. Pikula has worked over 16 years in the Grand Island School District as a Special Education teacher at Kaegebein Elementary School. At Kaegebein, he established himself as a teacher-leader who consistently valued people, and doing what was right. This commitment to integrity affected all of his students and staff members alike, because he treats everyone with respect and dignity. He values building positive relationships and modeling a team approach when overcoming obstacles. We were very fortunate to be able to work with Mr. Pikula over the last six weeks as he filled in as our interim assistant principal. He was visible in all areas of the school building and placed student needs first. It is his philosophy to empower both students and teachers, and provide them with the necessary assistance to help them achieve their goals. This dedication will serve our Middle School well, especially at a time when students are beginning to establish their own value systems. Finally, he is willing to go above and beyond what is expected of him to maintain a team approach. We are very excited to have Mr. Pikula join our team. I would like to thank Dr. Graham, the Board of Education, and the interview team for completing this process."Connor Middle School Honor Roll - December 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the first quarter, 2016-2017 school year:Grade 7 - Angelo Aiello, Christina Anderson, Ashley Battaglia, Nathan Bender, Thomas Bender, Christopher Benns, Sophia Black, Sophia Bobeck, Kaylee Boyle, Kiersten Brown, Faith Caldwell, Giana Casullo, Jordan Choboy, Aidan Cioppa, Seth Cox, Zander Crvelin, Noah DeCourcey, Renee DiLaura, Samuel Dulniak, Lucas Dunn, Brendan Ehlenfield, Michael Foglia, Joshua Henderson, Justin Horvath, Raistlin Huff, Jacob Jayme, Riley Joseph, Ella Koslowski, Bethany Kulikowski, Megan Lavis, Molly Leggett, Zachary Leng, Connor Lenhard, Noelle Linenfelser, Hannah Martinez, Madisyn Martino, Aidan Mingoia, Hannah Moore, Alana Mosher, Arianna Nasca, Alexis Nguyen, Olivia Nucci, Ian Pachura, Riley Patterson, Ethan Person, Madison Piggot, Hayley Pizur, Lauren Ratajczak, Morgan Santorio, Mia Schiffmacher, Abishek Selvakumar, Finune Shaibi, Alessandra Smith, Carmen Sokody, Tereska Sorel, John Stravino, Kimberley Swain, Victoria Thauer, Rebekah Thompson, Ava Todaro, Lauren Tompkins, Albert Wain, Rayna Wallens, Evan Walowitz, Riley Weber, Lidya Weng, Jessica Whitfield, Aiden Zach, Graham Zorich
Grade 8 - Tyler Baughman, Allan Benjamin, Isabel Buckingham, Alaina Cameron, Emily Cohen, Brooke Conway, Haley Coombs, Zachary Cramer, Alyson Czerwonka, Sarah Dodge, Brooke Eichel, Makaila Elandt, Mara Ellsworth, Thomas Fabiano, Riley Kane, Dominick Kane, Eleah Leng, Thomas Lockett, Abigail Marlow, Rose Meaney, Samantha Meierer, Cecilia Nowak, Mia Phillips, Ryan Pinzel, Kevin Rogoza, Hannah Schiffmacher, Amina Shaibi, Peyton Shearer, Yifan Shen, Aaron Szczepankiewicz, Lucas Tahara, Connor Tribby, Michael Valle, Alexander Wright
Grade 7 - Eva Ahne, Anthony Amato, Emily Andrews, Madison Andrews, Parker Aronica, Thomas Banas, Franceska Bongiovanni, Kenneth Brodie, Kayla Butler, Natalie Carter, Marcus Celano, Michael Coburn, Olivia Crowley, Izabella DeGlopper, Caitlyn DeLong, Francesca DePalma, Jenna Duquin, Leah Dylag, Tyler Figliola, Adison Fike, Victor Fritsch, Katelyn Giambra, Arman Deep Gill, Lana Gondek, Kaci Gottler, Anna Hammond, Lily Hauer, Samantha Hoerner, Alicia Hunt, Rebekah Jaenecke, Ashley James, Jackson Jones, Jenna Kaiser, Noah Krathaus, Joseph Lewis, Melanie Longo, Ethan Lysarz, Aidan MacNeil, Karli Macrides, Christopher Macro, Nicole Malczewsky, Faith Marsala, Ryan McMann, Trinity Meinhart, Jonathan Minton, Avery Mondoux, Elizabeth Morris, Paige Moses, Isabella Munoz, Callen Neeson, Alexandra Oats, Sara Pearse, Michael Percival, Joshua Przystal, Isaac Quick, Ava Racz, Isaiah Reading, Caralyn Reynolds, Samar Rizek, Alyssa Robertson, Ryan Sander, Ryan Saucier, Rebecca Schultz, Kira Seidel, Muhammad Shabbir, Liam Snyder, Katherine Squires, Evan Steck, Sophia Steck, Brian Vanini, Karina VeRost, Hailey Watches
Grade 8 - Connor Barnicle, Allyson Bellinger, Camille Burruano, Anthony Buscaglia, Grace Carey, Samuel Carpenter, Matthew Castellino, Martin Castner, Joseph Christiano, Sara Cicero, Polla Daghestani, Cameron Davis, Ava DeFranks, Jack Dlugokinski, Jenna Doctor, Dominic Ford, Kaylin Frost, Carolyn Ginsburg, Tyler Grant, Kameron Greene, Alison Gula, Brady Haines, Ryan Halliman, Isabella Harper, Maxim Hawley, Margaret Hegarty, Allison Hill, Carissa Hoover, Joshua Hunt, Edward Kanfoush, Hannah Lambert, Savanna Lenze, Stephen Leone, Sean Leslie, Morgan Lynch, John Mandura, Ashley Maras, Ryan Michki, Griffin Miller, Jacob Miller, Nicole Nguyen, Victoria Oldman, Elaina Page, Maya Pecoraro, Morgan Proctor, Mark Ramsperger, Grace Samplinski, David Schnell, Lucas Seifert, Joseph Seifert, Arsal Shaheen, Zorica Simic, Logan Sionko, Amanda Spaulding-Kellner, Morgan Tollner, Molly Tuohy, Edward VeRost, Nathan Wallens, Amanda Wellence, Grace Wenner, William Worrall, Jenna York, Vivienne Zacher
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - December 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the first quarter, 2016-2017 school year:Grade 6 - Alexander Bland, Kaitlyn Burns, Kaylee Click, Alex Cownie, Emmalee Currie, Michael Doctor, Noah Farmer, Sara Fletcher, Anthony Fratello, Mya Genovese, Natalie Gojmerac, Daniel Hawkins, Tanner Hawley, William Hofmeyer, Zander Inman, Alannah Kaifas-Concha, Kendall Keller, Noah LeBrasseur, Michael Logar, Ryan Lysenko, Aidan Maroni, Olivia Martinez, Samuel May, Sean Mesmer, Nycelle Mitchell, Jacob Ode, Lindsey Olendorf, Jacob Pangborn, Kaylin Peterson, Isabelle Pezdek, Zachary Przybyl, Saleh Saleh, Mitchell Samplinski, Madison Schneider, Kaden Smith, Davine Winfield, Joshua Wozniak, Aubrey Zdarsky
Grade 7 - Gabriel Agnello, Brian Bielec, Veronica Bonner, Jacob Cali, Adiana Cotroneo, Miles Coughlin, Samuele DeLorenzo, Jashanjit Dhillon, Kayleen DiCarlo, Claire Dickinson, Joseph Dlugokinski, Thomas Dworak, Khloey Ellis, Olivia Floro, Olivia Fox, Joseph Genovese, Joseph Geyer, Gurkirat Gill, Michael Greer, Spencer Hecht, Alexis Hess, Jacqueline Heyden, Graer Howell, Julianna Huber, Anna Hurley, Mason Hutchins, Nicholas Karnath, Skylar Koschuk, Matthew Leone, Kyla Mack, Joshua Mallabar, Alivia Manzo, Halie Martinez, Joshua McMahon, Jake Muggli, Ryan O'Grady, Christian Pendola, Grace Promowicz, Anna Pullano, Shaan Sandhu, Jackson Scalise, Daniel Senn, Jonathan Simpson, Evan Smith, Tyler Sykes, Alex Szczepankiewicz, Emily Thompson, Alex Vazquez, Celia Wood, Bailey Yung, Matthew Zdarsky
Grade 8 - Kathryn Abbott, Evan Ackerman, Giovanna Andrzejewski, Justin Archer, Kelsey Burns, Joseph, Ceccato Tristan Chaffee, Ian Cioppa, Krystyna Colautto, Dominic Gramza, Quinn Hart, Celia Jackson, Ty Shawn Jennings, Kristina Joseph, Alyssa Keller, Zoe Kowalski, Taylor Kullerkupp, Elisabeth Madigan, Angelina Marinello, Madeline Maroni, Hayden McLachlan, Sean McMann, Alyssa Nelson, Eleanor O'Brien, Trent Okelberry, Nicholas Pachla, Steven Pedlow, Charles Piggot, Sarah Reeves, Jessica Robertson, Havvanur Savas, Ethan Schinnagel, Elizabeth Smolkovich, Callie Sommer, Andrew Tomasula, Angelina Torres, Joshua Vizzi, Jillian Wadell, Tyler Weigel, William Wieberg, Kaylee Woroniecki
Chiavetta's Chicken Dinner- November 2016
Want Chiavetta's chicken but don't want to get out of your car? Then we have the solution! Get dinner for the whole family by driving up to VCMS on Friday, December 2nd anytime after 2:30 pm. Just enter through Driveway #1 and go around to the back parking lot. Give your name/tickets to the person at the door and you are on your way. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW for only $10.00/dinner!!!Click on the link below NOW to pre-order!! Pick up on December 2nd or dine in with the family and stay for VCMS' annual Family Fun Night (games, basket raffle, Cake Walk, holiday shopping at the arts n crafts tables, etc.). Grand Island Chiavetta's Chicken Dinner Fundraiser for VCMS Student Council, Friday December 2nd! Dine in or carry out. Dinners at door are only available on a first come, first served basis. Don't miss out!!! Pre-order NOW by clicking on the link below!!! (use PayPal to make a payment or email tracyshores@grandislandschools.org to make other payment arrangements.) Link Pre-sale cost: $10.00/dinner, $12.00 night of event.
Connor Craft Show and Family Fun Night - November 2016
On Friday December 2nd, Veronica Connor Middle School will host the Connor Craft Show and Family Fun Night from 6-9:00 p.m. There will be plenty of things to do for the whole family! Games, vendors, food and more! Come get your holiday shopping done early and enjoy a Chiavetta's Chicken dinner! Dinner tickets are on sale now for $10.00 presale and $12.00 at the door. Please contact Ms. Shores or Mrs. Przepiora for tickets. Take a chance on the cake walk or the basket raffle. Play some "Minute to Win It" games or take on a friend for giant Jenga. Browse the Book Fair.Poppy Drive at Connor Middle School - November 2016
Pictured with Veronica Connor Middle School Students are Dawn Hayes, kneeling in front of the flag, and, holding the flag, John Forrest to the left and Joe Synakowski to the right.
Photo by Mary Cooke. Click for larger view.
A special project in honor of Veterans Day 2016 was held at Veronica Connor Middle School. Eighth grade Social Studies Teacher Dawn Hayes organized a Poppy Drive to honor veterans and to help the Middle School Students learn more about Veterans Day and Grand Island WWII Hero Charles N. DeGlopper. DeGlopper, age 22, gave his life to save his platoon during the Battle of Normandy in La Fiere, France. Poppies were available in Social Studies Classes throughout the Middle School. A generous donation for the DeGlopper Park Expansion Project was presented to John Forrest, American Legion Poppy Drive Chairman and Joe Synakowski, Assistant Chairman. An American Flag was presented to the students in appreciation of their efforts. This was the first Poppy Drive at Veronica Connor Middle School and Ms. Hayes plans to make it an annual event.Middle School Physical Education - November 2016
In Middle School PE, we aim to help students discover physical activities they will enjoy and continue throughout their lifetime. This year we are doing so by offering choice units whenever possible. Throughout October, students were able to choose between ultimate football or a track/cross country.
We also teach many activities beyond traditional team sports. We are excited that our swim unit will now include kayaking and kayak safety. 6th-8th graders are currently practicing their compass skills during our outdoor orienteering unit. In the coming weeks, we will begin our most popular unit of the year, dance! As we explore country music, disco, hip-hop and beyond, every student is guaranteed to pick up a few moves and get a great workout.
VCMS Student Artist of the Month - October 2016
Alex Vazquez with his Graffiti Tag.
The Art Department of the Grand Island School District would like to recognize 7th grade Veronica Connor student, Alex Vazquez, as an outstanding artistic achiever. Alex was a perfect candidate for Artist of the Month because of his meticulous and creative solutions to all artistic problems. He approaches his art work from an inventive standpoint, always searching for an uncommon angle. Alex takes pride in his art work and only settles for impeccable. The work he completes is carefully created with craftsmanship in mind. Alex's teacher, Keri Schlageter, is proud to have him in her art room, and his thoughtful insight throughout each project is welcomed! The art department would like to congratulate Alex and wish him well on his artistic journey!JV DECA Competition at VCMS - October 2016
From left: Mary Jane Fonte, Ryan McCarthy, Catherine Merletti High School DECA President, VCMS JV DECA students Isabel Buckingham, and Molly Hegarty.
Veronica Connor Middle School held their JV DECA Mini Regional Competition on Saturday, October 15th and students came ready to succeed! Middle School DECA Advisor, Mrs. Mary Jane Fonte, hosts this competition every year for her chapter to give them the experience and enable them to vie for spots in the high school Region 12 event in January. Students were given a business/marketing scenario and prep time with current high school DECA officers to prepare for their time with a judge. This year's judges were Mr. Michael Fonte, Mr. Brandon Mumaw, Miss Lauren Fonte, and Mr. Ryan McCarthy. This year, business owner of Social Status Marketing, McCarthy was impressed by the presentation and knowledge base that the students brought to competition. He even noted that "students mentioned budgets in their presentations, which is something not every eighth grader considers when solving a marketing problem." Winners from this event will be announced during the week at VCMS and will go on to compete with students from 14 other high schools in January at the annual Region 12 DECA Business Competition hosted by Grand Island High School DECA.PTA Honorary Life Membership Awarded - September 2016
Tammi VanWryeza-Ras
Connor Middle School PT has awarded Tammi VanWryeza-Ras a PTA Honorary Life membership for the work she does on behalf of children and youth. She serves as a liaison between between teachers and parents, attending meetings and facilitating programs for PTA. She coordinates membership drives and counsels and tutors in addition to her teaching job at Connor Middle School. Tammi is a positive role model for so many youngsters at the school and is well deserving of the award.JV DECA Welcomes Huth Students - September 2016
Welcome Tunnel.
At the request of Principal Mrs. Kerri Nowak, participants of the Connor Middle School JV DECA joined forces to welcome the incoming Second Graders and New Students to Huth Road School on Wednesday, August 31st. Throughout their evening together, the Eighth Graders and Elementary Students formed a bond of friendship as they toured the building, learned rules and expectations and played ice breaker games. The highlight of the evening was the Welcome Tunnel which calmed fears of the children and even made new Superintendent Dr. Brian Graham feel more at home at Huth Road School. DECA meets under the supervision of Mrs. Mary Jane Fonte at VCMS and Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain at GIHS and prepares members for life by encouraging Leadership Development, Social Awareness, Vocational Understanding and Civic Consciousness.Veronica Connor Middle School New Student Orientation - August 2016
VCMS New Student Orientation will take place on Wednesday, August 17th in the school cafeteria, 1100 Ransom Road, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Presenters will be Mr. Fitzpatrick, Principal; Mrs. Hawkins, Assistant Principal; Mrs. Cordero, 7th & 8th grade School Counselor; Mrs. Paige, 6th & 8th grade School Counselor. You will be given helpful information regarding your new school and what to expect when you start in September. The presentation will include a tour of the building.Connor Middle School Honor Roll - July 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the fourth quarter, 2015-2016 school year:Grade 7 - Allan Benjamin, Isabel Buckingham, Camille Burruano, Anthony Buscaglia, Samuel Carpenter, Matthew Castellino, Martin Castner, Emily Cohen, Brooke Conway, Haley Coombs, Zachary Cramer, Polla Daghestani, Jack Dlugokinski, Sarah Dodge, Brooke Eichel, Mara Ellsworth, Thomas Fabiano, Brady Haines, Margaret Hegarty, Carissa Hoover, Joshua Hunt, Riley Kane, Dominick Kane, Edward Kanfoush, Eleah Leng, Savanna Lenze, Stephen Leone, Thomas Lockett, John Mandura, Abigail Marlow, Rose Meaney, Samantha Meierer, Ryan Michki, Alyssa Nelson, Cecilia Nowak, Victoria Oldman, Mia Phillips, Ryan Pinzel, Morgan Proctor, Kevin Rogoza, Grace Samplinski, Hannah Schiffmacher, David Schnell, Yifan Shen, Aaron Szczepankiewicz, Lucas Tahara, Michael Valle, Grace Wenner, Alexander Wright
Grade 8 - Ronald Appoloney, William Atkinson, Brooke Bartolotta, Gabriella Bergstrom, Kenneth Carter, Erin Cool, Eve DiCarlo, Jack Faso, Allison Fay, Mitchell Fusillo, Luke Hess, Victoria Huang, Kira Hutton, Cassidy Jensen, Colby Kalp, Joshua Kam, Caitlin Kleinschmidt, Trevor Knight, Kristian Krantz, Lucas Kruse, Marissa Lewis, Katrina Linenfelser, Tyler Meyer, Sarah Moore, Ben Moskala, Grace Pearse, Sean Rustowicz, Eliza Sarigiannis, Mark Steck, Joseph Steinagel, Lydia Sweeney, Anna Thompson, Aleksandra Tirone, Luke Webb
Grade 7 - Connor Barnicle, Tyler Baughman, Joseph Ceccato, Joseph Christiano, Sara Cicero, Ian Cioppa, Alyson Czerwonka, Cameron Davis, Ava DeFranks, Jenna Doctor, Kameron Greene, Alison Gula, Quinn Hart, Allison Hill, Zoe Kowalski, Taylor Kullerkupp, Hannah Lambert, Morgan Lynch, Madeline Maroni, Jacob Miller, Griffin Miller, Zachery Moser, Nicole Nguyen, Elaina Page, Maya Pecoraro, Steven Pedlow, Mark Ramsperger, Joseph Seifert, Lucas Seifert, Arsal Shaheen, Peyton Shearer, Morgan Tollner, Molly Tuohy, Edward VeRost, Nathan Wallens, Amanda Wellence, Jenna York, Vivienne Zacher
Grade 8 - Avery Andrews, Matthew Aronica, Aizaz Asif, Carmela Bartolomeo, Abigail Blair, Derek Blanchard, Maria Buscaglia, Joseph Cali, Samuel Castellino, Madison Conway, Ryan Costolnick, Zoe Coutu, Emily Czyrny, Gianna D'Addario, Benjamin DeFranks, Jenna Foglia, Alexa Fox, Louis Genovese, Jasmin Gill, Alex Gottler, Jack Hammond, Sean Heffley, Mackenzie Heyden, Iris Hutchins, Laura Kaiser, Nicholas Keller, Kevin Koch, Cecelia Kubanek, Anna LeBrasseur, Robert LeFevre, Dominic Loss, Patrick Loss, Michael Loss, Madison MacNeil, Michael Marino, Maggie McNamara, Lauren Merletti, Breckin Morris, Sean Murray, Brian O'Neill, Morgan Payan, Emily Phillips, Jack Pratt, Jacob Przystal, Rebecca Rebmann, Emily Reynolds, Luke Rizzo, Brandon-Kace Samol, Kaylynn Savoy, Makenna Scalise, John Schoemick, Thomas Shemik, Brett Shickluna, Elzbieta Sorel, Karie Stedman, Anthony Surace, Griffin Sykes, Patricia Tavarez, Chloe Tolsma, Vanessa VanNorman, Jenna Wilkinson, Olivia Williams, Alexa Yamonaco, Brook Zdrojewski
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - July 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the fourth quarter, 2015-2016 school year:Grade 6 - Emily Andrews, Nicholas Aronica, Franceska Bongiovanni, Kenneth Brodie, Jacob Cali, Natalie Carter, Caitlyn DeLong, Kayleen DiCarlo, Claire Dickinson, Joseph Dlugokinski, Allison Dummitt, Khloey Ellis, Idrius Falletta-Abdellatif, Olivia Floro, Olivia Fox, Joseph Genovese, Joseph Geyer, Katelyn Giambra, Michael Greer, Jacob Hanesworth, Graer Howell, Mason Hutchins, Payton Khadra, Skylar Koschuk, Matthew Leone, Melanie Longo, Brandon Lysenko, Aidan MacNeil, Joshua Mallabar, Alivia Manzo, Halie Martinez, Avery Mondoux, Jake Muggli, Isabella Munoz, Nicholas Pawlak, Seth Price, Grace Promowicz, Nicholas Pusatier, Jackson Scalise, Evan Smith, Liam Snyder, Tyler Sykes, Emily Thompson, Madeline Tiedemann, Matthew Urbaniak, Alex Vazquez, Karina VeRost, Kiersten Winstel, Celia Wood
Grade 7 - Evan Ackerman, Allyson Bellinger, Kelsey Burns, Alaina Cameron, Grace Carey, Tristan Chaffee, Austin Childs, Makaila Elandt, Dominic Ford, Kaylin Frost, Dominic Gramza, Isabella Harper, Maxim Hawley, Celia Jackson, Jordan Jakuminiak, Alyssa Keller, Elisabeth Madigan, Ashley Maras, Hayden McLachlan, Andreas Merletti, Nicholas Pachla, Charles Piggot, Serenity Platts, Sarah Reeves, Amina Shaibi, Zorica Simic, Logan Sionko, Amanda Spaulding-Kellner, Benjamin Steck, Kendall Suffoletta, Andrew Tomasula, Bradley Violino, Joshua Vizzi, Jillian Wadell, William Wieberg, William Worrall
Grade 8 - Tala Abdellatif, Maiya Buscaglia, Timothy Carlson, Ruby Chen, Donovan Cornelius, Robert Currie, Destiny Denz, Gianna DePalma, Patrick Dworak, Ava Eichel, Rhianna Enright, Trenton Gondek, Shawna-Lea Harper, Tyler Hunt, Megan Jaegers, Michael Juntunen, Blake Kenney, Juliana Koloshuk, Emily Kwiecinski, Tucker Leggett, Jack LoTempio, Jack Mikulski, Ryan Pecoraro, Justin Podgorny, Thomas Podsiadlo, Nicholas Ratajczak, Jaden Riley, Amritpal Singh, Brandon Smith, Benjamin Spiesz, Phillip Thomas, Kyle Vanderzell, Sean Vanini, Morgan-Lynn Wieberg, Amiah Wilkes, Gabriel Wright
Middle School Sticker Shock Program - June 2016
Placing stickers.
Interact Club Members pictured from left to right are, seated: Allison Hill and Peyton Shearer.
Standing: Maya Ruiz, Carissa Hoover, Amina Shaibi and Despina Minasidis.
Middle School Interact Club Members met recently at Tops on Grand Island to complete "Sticker Shock," an activity sponsored by One Island One Team Drug Abuse Prevention Coalition with stickers provided by the Erie County Council for the Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. Student placed stickers on alcoholic beverage cases, reminding purchasers that it is illegal for people over the age of 21 to purchase or provide alcohol to minors, and violators can be punished with fines up to $1000 and/or 1 year in jail. Pattie Bianco, Tops Manager, welcomed the students with snacks, pizza and pop. The Middle School Interact Club Advisors are Carley Antonelli and Crystal Barnes.VCMS Eighth Grade Honors Breakfast - June 2016
The annual Veronica E. Connor Middle School Eighth Grade Honors Breakfast was held Thursday, May 26, 2016, in the middle school cafeteria. Students were honored for maintaining academic averages on the Honor Roll or High Honor Roll for the first three quarters of eighth grade. The breakfast was provided, in part, by the Connor Middle School PTA. This year, students celebrated their success with their peers, their teachers, and administration from the middle school and the district office. Veronica E. Connor Middle School Acting Principal, Mr. Matthew McKenna, awarded certificates of academic achievement to the students. Invited to attend and share in the celebration were Dr. Teresa Lawrence, Superintendent of Schools; Karen Cuddy-Miller, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction; Mr. Dan Quartley, Grand Island High School Principal, and Board of Education members.The following students were honored for their hard work and dedication to academic excellence: Avery Andrews, Ronald Appoloney, Matthew Aronica, William Atkinson, Carmela Bartolomeo, Brooke Bartolotta, Gabriella Bergstrom, Kenneth Carter, Samuel Castellino, Erin Cool, Emily Czyny, Eve DiCarlo, Jack faso, Allison Fay, Jenna Foglia, Mitchell Fusillo, Jasmin Gill, Sean Hefley, Luke Hess, Mackenzie Heyden, Victoria Huang, Iris Hutchins, Kira Hutton, Cassidy Jensen, Laura Kaiser, Colby Kalp, Joshua Kam, Caitlin Kleinschmidt, Trevor Knight, Kristian Krantz, Lucas Kruse, Cecelia Kubanek, Anna LaBrasseur, Robert LeFevre, Marissa Lewis, Katrina Linenfelser, Patrick Loss, Michael Marino, Maggie McNamara, Lauren Merletti, Tyler Meyer, Sarah Moore, Ben Moskala, Brian O'Neill, Grace Pearse, Emily Phillips, Jack Pratt, Jacob Przystal, Rebecca Rebmann, Emily Reynolds, Sean Rustowicz, Eliza Sarigiannis, Thomas Shemick, Elzbieta Sorel, Mark Steck, Karie Stedman, Joseph Steinagle, Anthony Surace, Lydia Sweeney, Griffin Sykes, Patricia Tavarez, Anna Thompson, Aleksandra Tirone, Chloe Tolsma, Luke Webb, Jenna Wilkinson, Alexa Yamonaco, Brook Zdrojewski.
The Moving-Up Day Ceremony recognizing students for their successful completion of the eighth grade academic program will take place on Tuesday, June 21st, at 7:00 PM, in the Grand Viking Theater in the Grand Island High School. Congratulations, eighth graders!
Middle School Softball Undefeated - June 2016
Front row: M Tollner, asst captain R Meaney, captain E Kwiecinski, B Russell
Sitting: Coach A Meaney, S Dodge, manager O Nucci, G Carey, A Andrews, M Wieberg
Standing: H Coombs, G Bergstrom, C Ginsburg, A Bellinger
2016 Grand Island Connor Middle School Softball Squad posts another undefeated season for the program.Your lovely Lady Vikings of modified softball had another wonderful campaign on the diamond, going 14-0 on the season (12-0 in the Niagara Frontier League). The girls came to play every game and treated every opponent with the respect they deserved. Your Lady Vikings had an excellent, tight-fought contest with crosstown rival St. Stephen's in the softball "Pork chop Classic", which was one of GI's closer games of the year. Other great games this season were with Niagara Falls, albeit one of the three victories was by forfeit. Defense and pitching proved to be key as all opponents averaged only 3.4 runs per contest while GI averaged 20.
The seventh graders made up the bulk of this roster and that promises good things for the 2017 modified season and beyond. Sarah Dodge and Carolyn Ginsburg each made key catches in left field in the last NFL game of the year to preserve the title for the girls. Both Carolyn and Sarah had on-base percentages of over .500 on the season and consistently put in the effort in practice to be the best that they could be. Haley Coombs is an up-and-coming catcher that seems to be following in the tradition of great GI catchers dating back to the turn of the century. Haley led the team in sacrifice at bats, played OF and IF equally well, and became more free-wheeling behind the plate in terms of picking people off bases. Allyson Bellinger batted almost .600 and hit the ball squarely at an even greater rate. Allyson played a solid second base and always had a smile on her face - a great addition to any dugout. Bri Russell was a power pack in the circle, posting 5 wins and 2 saves. Bri plays every position and loves the game. A lot. Bri's on base percentage was over .600 and she loves dancing on the base paths. Morgan Tollner was a softball coach's dream leadoff hitter - lefty, slap or bunt, and quick like a bunny rabbit. Morgan roamed centerfield, led the team in stolen bases (19), and scored 39 times in 39 official at bats. Grace Carey owned third base. Grace snagged rips down the line, charged bunts, cut off slow rollers, and made every throw. Grace led the team in home runs (3) and tied for the team lead in runs batted in with 26. And finally, assistant captain Rose Meaney - Rose struck out 58 batters in 30 innings from the circle, tied for the team lead in RBIs with 26, and played a stellar first base. Rose is a competitor; she does not like to lose and plays to the whistle.
The eighth graders from this year's squad were not numerous, but they were certainly important pieces to the 2016 puzzle. Morgan Wieberg hit a bomb over the centerfield fence at Niagara Falls - very impressive! It was nice to see someone trot around the bases. Morgan batted .500, led the team in official at bats, and played a solid outfield. Avery Andrews was the only player this year "retiring" from the middle school having played four seasons with Coach Meaney (two softball and two basketball). Over these four campaigns, Avery amassed 55 wins (.930 winning percentage), two perfect seasons, and four NFL modified championships. Avery had three wins and two saves from the circle this season, striking out 41 in 24 innings. Avery also batted .500 with the stick. Gabby Bergstrom was this season's Most Valuable Player. Gabby played a strong shortstop and batted a team-high .596 from the cleanup spot. Gabby led the team in hits and doubles, but her real value may have been in her pre-game speeches to the team. And finally, Emily Kwiecinski, our catcher and captain. Emily is a workhorse behind the plate, the fountain from which our team defense springs, and has a cannon for an arm. Emily loves picking unsuspecting runners off third or first and there is very little more demoralizing to an opposing team than that. Emily's quick and strong bat gave her a .491 average on the season and she led the team in triples with four. Emily is a fun-loving captain and will be a great addition to next year's JV squad, as will the rest of the eighth graders.
The 2016 squad was special. They all enjoyed playing with each other and had fun playing. They were supportive of each other whether a play went the team’s way or not. They will all go far both on and off the field in the coming years.
Connor Middle School 6th Grade Parent Orientation - June 2016
Parents/Guardians of current 5th grade students who will be attending Veronica E. Connor Middle School for the 2016-2017 school year, are invited to an orientation on Wednesday, June 8th at 6:00 pm in the High School Grand Viking Theater. The orientation is for adults only and will review the expectations, curriculum and characteristics of our middle school. You will have a chance to meet our administration team, school counselors, and even some 6th grade teachers. There will also be time scheduled to tour the building.Middle School Choral Groups Excel - May 2016
Singcopations.
Men on Mondays
This past week two Middle School Choral groups received the prestigious "Gold with Distinction" rating at the NYSSMA Major Organization Festival. Men on Mondays, directed by Mrs. Annalea Masiello, actually brought the judges to tears with their interpretation of one of the selections! Singcopations received rave review on their "maturity of sound" and their "level of musicianship for such a young group". Singcopations is co-directed by Mrs. Caitlin Duffy and Mrs. Annalea Masiello.Connor Middle School Student Olympic Games - May 2016
The Connor Middle School Student Olympic Games will take place at the High School on Friday, May 20th from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. There will be olympic games, DJ music, Bounce Houses, Face Painting, Karaoke, Hip-Hop Dance Instruction, Irish Dance Instruction, Martial Arts Instruction, Baton Twirling Instruction and a Basket Raffle. Food Trucks will be available from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $8 each or $20 for a family. All proceeds benefit the Special Olympics. See flyer.Connor Middle School Honor Roll - May 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the fourth quarter, 2015-2016 school year:Grade 7 - Connor Barnicle, Allan Benjamin, Isabel Buckingham, Camille Burruano, Anthony Buscaglia, Samuel Carpenter, Matthew Castellino, Martin Castner, Emily Cohen, Brooke Conway, Haley Coombs, Zachary Cramer, Polla Daghestani, Cameron Davis, Jack Dlugokinski, Sarah Dodge, Brooke Eichel, Mara Ellsworth, Thomas Fabiano, Brady Haines, Carissa Hoover, Joshua Hunt, Edward Kanfoush, Eleah Leng, Savanna Lenze, Stephen Leone, Thomas Lockett, Morgan Lynch, John Mandura, Abigail Marlow, Rose Meaney, Samantha Meierer, Ryan Michki, Alyssa Nelson, Cecilia Nowak, Victoria Oldman, Elaina Page, Maya Pecoraro, Steven Pedlow, Mia Phillips, Ryan Pinzel, Morgan Proctor, Mark Ramsperger, Kevin Rogoza, Grace Samplinski, Hannah Schiffmacher, David Schnell, Lucas Seifert, Joseph Seifert, Yifan Shen, Logan Sionko, Aaron Szczepankiewicz, Lucas Tahara, Morgan Tollner, Michael Valle, Nathan Wallens, Amanda Wellence, Alexander Wright, Vivienne Zacher
Grade 8 - Ronald Appoloney, William Atkinson, Brooke Bartolotta, Eve DiCarlo, Jack Faso, Allison Fay, Mitchell Fusillo, Sean Heffley, Luke Hess, Victoria Huang, Colby Kalp, Joshua Kam, Trevor Knight, Lucas Kruse, Robert LeFevre, Katrina Linenfelser, Sarah Moore, Ben Moskala, Sean Rustowicz, Joseph Steinagel, Lydia Sweeney, Anna Thompson, Luke Webb
Grade 7 - Tyler Baughman, Allyson Bellinger, Kelsey Burns, Grace Carey, Joseph Ceccato, Joseph Christiano, Sara Cicero, Ian Cioppa, Alyson Czerwonka, Ava DeFranks, Jenna Doctor, Dominic Ford, Kaylin Frost, Dominic Gramza, Tyler Grant, Kameron Greene, Alison Gula, Isabella Harper, Quinn Hart, Margaret Hegarty, Allison Hill, Jordan Jakuminiak, Dominick Kane, Riley Kane, Taylor Kullerkupp, Hannah Lambert, Elisabeth Madigan, Ashley Maras, Madeline Maroni, Jacob Miller, Griffin Miller, Nicole Nguyen, Nicholas Pachla, Arsal Shaheen, Amina Shaibi, Peyton Shearer, Amanda Spaulding-Kellner, Benjamin Steck, Kendall Suffoletta, Molly Tuohy, Edward VeRost, Bradley Violino, Joshua Vizzi, Grace Wenner, William Wieberg Jenna York
Grade 8 - Avery Andrews, Matthew Aronica, Carmela Bartolomeo, Kenneth Beittenmiller, Gabriella Bergstrom, Derek Blanchard, Kenneth Carter, Samuel Castellino, Madison Conway, Erin Cool, Ryan Costolnick, Zoe Coutu, Emily Czyrny, Gianna D'Addario, Jenna Foglia, Alexa Fox, Autumn Gagliardi, Jasmin Gill, Mackenzie Heyden, Tyler Hunt, Iris Hutchins, Kira Hutton, Megan Jaegers, Cassidy Jensen, Michael Juntunen, Laura Kaiser, Caitlin Kleinschmidt, Kevin Koch, Kristian Krantz, Cecelia Kubanek, Anna LeBrasseur, Marissa Lewis, Patrick Loss, Madison MacNeil, Michael Marino, Maggie McNamara, Lauren Merletti, Tyler Meyer, Brian O'Neill, Stephen Palmeri, Morgan Payan, Grace Pearse, Emily Phillips, Jack Pratt, Jacob Przystal, Rebecca Rebmann, Emily Reynolds, Jaden Riley, Luke Rizzo, Eliza Sarigiannis, Makenna Scalise, John Schoemick, Thomas Shemik, Elzbieta Sorel, Mark Steck, Karie Stedman, Anthony Surace, Griffin Sykes, Patricia Tavarez, Aleksandra Tirone, Chloe Tolsma, Vanessa VanNorman, Jenna Wilkinson, Alexa Yamonaco, Brook Zdrojewski
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - May 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the second quarter, 2015-2016 school year:Grade 6 -Gabriel Agnello, Nicholas Aronica, Angelina Beyer, Franceska Bongiovanni, Sarah Brand, Kenneth Brodie, Jacob Cali, Michael Coburn, Adiana Cotroneo, Megan DeGlopper, Caitlyn DeLong, Jashanjit Dhillon, Claire Dickinson, Allison Dummitt, Thomas Dworak, Olivia Floro, Katelyn Giambra, Michael Greer, Mason Hutchins, Rebekah Jaenecke, Madison Kephart, Skylar Koschuk, Matthew Leone, Aidan MacNeil, Christopher Macro, Alivia Manzo, Halie Martinez, Avery Mondoux, Paige Moses, Callen Neeson, Julianna Neyra, Ryan O'Grady, Nicholas Pawlak, Christian Pendola, Grace Promowicz, Joshua Przystal, Nicholas Pusatier, Lauren Ratajczak, Alyssa Robertson, Jackson Scalise, Benjamin Sikora, Evan Smith, Liam Snyder, Tyler Sykes, Alex Szczepankiewicz, Emily Thompson, Karina VeRost
Grade 7 - Evan Ackerman, Giovanna Andrzejewski, Justin Archer, Julia Braun, Alaina Cameron, Tristan Chaffee, Austin Childs, Makaila Elandt, Isabela Garcia, Maxim Hawley, Celia Jackson, Kristina Joseph, Alyssa Keller, Zoe Kowalski, Sean Leslie, Hayden McLachlan, Sean McMann, Isaiah Newman, Eleanor O'Brien, Trent Okelberry, Madison Phinney, Charles Piggot, Serenity Platts, Hannah Pyc, Brionna Raiser-Russell, Sarah Reeves, Havvanur Savas, Zorica Simic, Kurtis Smith, Emma Sole, Alex Sturtz, Victoria Thompson, Andrew Tomasula, Angelina Torres, Rachel Vrba, Jillian Wadell, William Worrall
Grade 8 - Tala Abdellatif, Aizaz Asif, Abigail Blair, Maria Buscaglia, Joseph Cali, Timothy Carlson, Donovan Cornelius, Benjamin DeFranks, Gianna DePalma, Emma Dickinson, Patrick Dworak, Ava Eichel, Rhianna Enright, Louis Genovese, Trenton Gondek, Alex Gottler, Jack Hammond, Shawna-Lea Harper, Muhammad Issa, Nicholas Keller, Blake Kenney, Juliana Koloshuk, Abigail Krull, Emily Kwiecinski, Tucker Leggett, Dominic Loss, Michael Loss, Jack LoTempio, Breckin Morris, Sean Murray, Ryan Pecoraro, Justin Podgorny, Thomas Podsiadlo, Nicholas Ratajczak, Brandon-Kace Samol, Kaylynn Savoy, Brett Shickluna, Amritpal Singh, Brandon Smith, Benjamin Spiesz, Phillip Thomas, Sean Vanini, Brooke VeRost, Leo Wain, Morgan-Lynn Wieberg, Amiah Wilkes, Olivia Williams, Gabriel Wright
Middle School Students Engaged in Youth In Art Month Activities - March 2016
Iris Hutchins.
March is "Youth in Art Month", a national observance which recognizes and celebrates the work of school-age children, grade k-12. The annual celebration recognizes the importance and value of art education to student learning as well as encouraging community support of quality programs in our schools. Youth Art Month also provides an opportunity to recognize the unique skills and abilities that are developed by students through their involvement in the visual arts. To celebrate the annual occasion of Youth In Art month, Veronica Connor Middle School students' work is featured in a display at the Grand Island Memorial Library throughout the month of March.The work on display showcases the many ways in which middle-level students use art as a form of self-expression, creatively solving problems by using a wide variety of media to express and find their unique artistic voice. The public is cordially invited to view the work. Pieces on display include ceramic tile designs, pastel paintings, perspective cities designed by the students, and realistic and abstracted designs, all by eight grade artists.
Students with work on display: Tala Abdellatif, Ronald Appoloney, Donovan Cornelius, Erin Cool, Emma Dickinson, Rhianna Enright, Autumn Gagliardi, Jasmin Gill, Alex Gottler, Iris Hutchins, Cecelia Kubanek, Robert Lefevre, Stephanie Longo, Sebastian Melendez, Jack Pratt, Brooke Price, Karie Stedman, Anthony Surace, Vanessa VanNorman, Susannah Zherebilov.
Ronald Appoloney "Artist of the Month" - March 2016
Ronald Appoloney is pictured with two of his art works.
Eighth grade student artist Ronald Appoloney has been selected as the K-12 "Artist of the Month" for February. Ronald is a hard-working and talented young artist whose dedication and effort is apparent in all of his work. He is an accelerated art student, currently enrolled in Studio in Art where he is earning high school credit while still in eighth grade. His work consistently displays creative and divergent thinking as well as a mastery of media and a meticulous eye for detail. Ronnie’s art teacher cites his creative ability and positive attitude as additional reasons that this student was selected as a recipient of this award. The art department applauds Ronald’s abilities and dedication and is pleased to honor him as a most worthy recipient of this award.CMS Girls' Modified Basketball Finishes First - February 2016
Standing: Coach A Meaney, C Burruano, B Eichel, Captain A Andrews, K Hutton, G D'Addario, G Carey, K Stedman
Sitting: M Lynch, A Nelson, M Montes, Assistant Captain R Meaney, B Amato, A DeFranks, Viking Centurion A Wilkes
Missing: A Blair, scorekeeper O Nucci.
Click photo for larger view.
By Coach Arthur MeaneyYour lovely Lady Vikings won the NFL Modified Basketball League for the 2016 season, going 13-1 in league and 14-2 overall. The team had seven returning starters from last year's undefeated squad, so they were certainly used to winning and were hungry to keep up the pace. The seven seventh graders brought some skill and desire which created a healthy mix in practice and games. There were a few landmarks this season as the girls helped produce part of the longest consecutive NFL modified girls' basketball win streak (36 straight victories over three seasons) and acquired Grand Island's 225th win at the NFL modified level. Congratulations, Ladies.
In a rare occurrence, many of the seventh graders came in the door with competitive basketball experience. This allowed for an accelerated learning curve which was displayed on the court to the dismay of many an opponent. Ava DeFranks and Alyssa Nelson showed great fortitude as they came every day ready to work. They played tenacious defense and worked diligently in practice to be the best shooters they could be. Morgan Lynch also played solid defense and often found some open space to get her accurate shot off. Camille Burruano was new to basketball this year, but caught on quickly. Camille developed some soft hands under the basket and collected a number of rebounds. Brooke Eichel picked up where her sister left off last year and deposited 50 points, a great deal of that in the form of baseline jumpers. Brooke also showed a knack for reading where rebounds would go, which often continued the offensive set. Grace Carey was a force in the post - calling for the interior pass or controlling the boards. Grace scored 57 points and led the team in foul shots made and taken because of her aggressive play down low. And last but not least, Assistant Captain Rose Meaney. Rose showed a distinct ability as the point guard to make the right pass and find the correct player for some easy points. Rose scored 34 points, added at least that many assists, and played "to the whistle".
The eighth graders had one new addition from the previous season - Brooke Amato. Brooke brought a good amount of energy to the court and showed very quick feet in getting back on defense. Abby Blair (of girls' varsity hockey fame) didn't make as many games as she would have liked, but still contributed in practice by modeling what work ethic looks like. Abby will be in the paper for many years to come for hockey, but will always be welcome on the hardwood. Gianna D'Addario has an accurate shot and played solid defense. Gianna worked hard in practice to make her shot the best it could be. Kira Hutton and Karie Stedman returned with all of last year's fire and more. Kira is a tenacious defender who does not allow for jump balls - she just rips it from the other player's hands. Karie found a scoring touch this season and in one game was the high scorer. Both worked very hard in practice and seem to enjoy the game (of course, it's not soccer...). Makayla Montes put in almost 30 points on the season and was often on the court in the final minutes. Although not her primary sport, Makayla made the most of her abilities by working harder than her opponent, which often gave her the advantage. Captain of the 2016 champions was Avery Andrews, who put in 36 herself. Avery came everyday with an upbeat, positive attitude that was infectious. "A squared" was great in the paint and was always aware of where the ball was at either end of the court.
Our final eighth grader is Connor Middle School's 16th Centurion in 23 seasons - Amiah Wilkes. Amiah scored 111 points on the season while often covering the opposition's best player. Amiah's crossover often left her defender wondering where she went as Amiah went in for the layup. Number 10 was also a threat from the outside as her high-arcing shot often dropped straight through the hole.
Some of the best contests of the year were played with the St. Stephen's Eagles in the annual home-and-home Pork Chop Classic, again a testimony to the quality of play of girls' basketball on the island. The teams had the good fortune to meet up a third time at halftime at Alumni Arena on Cassie Oursler Night (who gave visiting islanders a fitting finish by blocking the final buzzer beater effort and giving UB the win). The JV program is in good hands with the upcoming crop of eighth graders and we should expect further exciting things for Grand Island's girls' high school basketball next season. This team recorded Connor Middle School's career 225th win during the season - quite a milestone for the program and the 200 plus student/athletes who helped make that happen over the past 23 seasons. The score book was kept by scorekeeper/manager Olivia Nucci, who did a solid job recording the events as they developed. Many thanks to all of the parties, mentioned or not, who made this memorable season possible.
Connor Middle School Honor Roll - February 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the honor roll for the second quarter, 2015-2016 school year:Grade 7 - Connor Barnicle, Allan Benjamin, Isabel Buckingham, Camille Burruano, Anthony Buscaglia, Samuel Carpenter, Matthew Castellino, Martin Castner, Emily Cohen, Brooke Conway, Haley Coombs, Zachary Cramer, Jack Dlugokinski, Sarah Dodge, Brooke Eichel, Mara Ellsworth, Thomas Fabiano, Brady Haines, Margaret Hegarty, Carissa Hoover, Joshua Hunt, Riley Kane, Edward Kanfoush, Taylor Kullerkupp, Eleah Leng, Savanna Lenze, Stephen Leone, Thomas Lockett, Morgan Lynch, John Mandura, Abigail Marlow, Rose Meaney, Samantha Meierer, Ryan Michki, Jacob Miller, Alyssa Nelson, Cecilia Nowak, Victoria Oldman, Elaina Page, Maya Pecoraro, Mia Phillips, Ryan Pinzel, Morgan Proctor, Kevin Rogoza, Mariam Salleh, Grace Samplinski, Hannah Schiffmacher, David Schnell, Yifan Shen, Logan Sionko, Aaron Szczepankiewicz, Lucas Tahara, Morgan Tollner, Michael Valle, Nathan Wallens, Grace Wenner, Alexander Wright, Vivienne Zacher
Grade 8 - Ronald Appoloney, William Atkinson, Kenneth Carter, Adam Daghestani, Eve DiCarlo, Allison Fay, Mitchell Fusillo, Victoria Huang, Colby Kalp, Joshua Kam, Trevor Knight, Lucas Kruse, Robert LeFevre, Katrina Linenfelser, Sarah Moore, Ben Moskala, Grace Pearse, Sean Rustowicz, Lydia Sweeney, Anna Thompson, Aleksandra Tirone, Luke Webb
Grade 7 - Justin Archer, Tyler Baughman, Allyson Bellinger, Emily Brown, Kelsey Burns, Grace Carey, Joseph Christiano, Sara Cicero, Ian Cioppa, Alyson Czerwonka, Cameron Davis, Ava DeFranks, Jenna Doctor, Dominic Gramza, Kameron Greene, Alison Gula, Isabella Harper, Quinn Hart, Allison Hill, Dominick Kane, Hannah Lambert, Sean Leslie, Elisabeth Madigan, Ashley Maras, Madeline Maroni, Griffin Miller, Isaiah Newman, Nicole Nguyen, Steven Pedlow, Mark Ramsperger, Joseph Seifert, Lucas, Seifert, Arsal Shaheen, Amina Shaibi, Peyton Shearer, Amanda Spaulding-Kellner, Kendall Suffoletta, Molly Tuohy, Edward VeRost, Amanda Wellence, Jenna York
Grade 8 - Avery Andrews, Matthew Aronica, Carmela Bartolomeo, Brooke Bartolotta, Gabriella Bergstrom, Joseph Cali, Samuel Castellino, Erin Cool, Emily Czyrny, Emma Dickinson, Rhianna Enright, Jack Faso, Jenna Foglia, Alexa Fox, Louis Genovese, Jasmin Gill, Alex Gottler, Jack Hammond, Sean Heffley, Luke Hess, Mackenzie Heyden, Iris Hutchins, Kira Hutton, Cassidy Jensen, Laura Kaiser, Nicholas Keller, Caitlin Kleinschmidt, Kristian Krantz, Cecelia Kubanek, Anna LeBrasseur, Marissa Lewis, Patrick Loss, Dominic Loss, Michael Loss, Madison MacNeil, Michael Marino, Maggie McNamara, Lauren Merletti, Tyler Meyer, Brian O'Neill, Emily Phillips, Jack Pratt, Jacob Przystal, Rebecca Rebmann, Emily Reynolds, Brandon-Kace Samol, Eliza Sarigiannis, Makenna Scalise, Thomas Shemik, Elzbieta Sorel, Mark Steck, Karie Stedman, Joseph Steinagel, Anthony Surace, Griffin Sykes, Chloe Tolsma, Vanessa VanNorman, Jenna Wilkinson, Alexa Yamonaco, Brook Zdrojewski
Connor Middle School Merit Roll - February 2016
The following Veronica E. Connor Middle School students have been named to the merit roll for the second quarter, 2015-2016 school year:Grade 6 - Madison Andrews, Nicholas Aronica, Angelina Beyer, Franceska Bongiovanni, Sarah Brand, Kenneth Brodie, Jacob Cali, Natalie Carter, Marcus Celano, Miles Coughlin, Megan DeGlopper, Kayleen DiCarlo, Allison Dummitt, Thomas Dworak, Olivia Floro, Olivia Fox, Joseph Genovese, Michael Greer, Trinity Gulla, Jacqueline Heyden, Graer Howell, Julianna Huber, Jayden Hughes, Christian Kessler, Matthew Leone, Joshua Mallabar, Alivia Manzo, Halie Martinez, Avery Mondoux, Ryan O'Grady, Christian Pendola, Joshua Przystal, Nicholas Pusatier, Ava Racz, Alyssa Robertson, Shaan Sandhu, Alicia Shivers, Evan Smith, Evan Steck, Emily Thompson, Madeline Tiedemann, Alex Vazquez, Karina VeRost, Sara Verso, Celia Wood
Grade 7 - Giovanna Andrzejewski, Alaina Cameron, Joseph Ceccato, Tristan Chaffee, Austin Childs, Polla Daghestani, Makaila Elandt, Dominic Ford, Kaylin Frost, Carolyn Ginsburg, Tyler Grant, Maxim Hawley, Celia Jackson, Jordan Jakuminiak, Alyssa Keller, Zoe Kowalski, Hayden McLachlan, Zachery Moser, Eleanor O'Brien, Nicholas Pachla, Madison Phinney, Charles Piggot, Serenity Platts, Sarah Reeves, Zorica Simic, Cassandra Taylor, Andrew Tomasula, Daniel Tyson, Joshua Vizzi, Tyler Weigel, William Wieberg, William Worrall
Grade 8 - Tala Abdellatif, Aizaz Asif, Abigail Blair, Derek Blanchard, Maria Buscaglia, Ruby Chen, Madison Conway, Donovan Cornelius, Zoe Coutu, Gianna D'Addario, Patrick Dworak, Ava Eichel, John Fletcher, Autumn Gagliardi, Trenton Gondek, Tyler Hunt, Megan Jaegers, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Juntunen, Blake Kenney, Ethan Klie, Kevin Koch, Juliana Koloshuk, Tucker Leggett, Jack LoTempio, Jack Mikulski, Breckin Morris, Sean Murray, Stephen Palmeri, Morgan Payan, Justin Podgorny, Thomas Podsiadlo, Brooke Price, Jack Randle, Nicholas Ratajczak, Jaden Riley, Luke Rizzo, Kaylynn Savoy, John Schoemick, Zayan Shaheen, Brett Shickluna, Amritpal Singh, Brandon Smith, Rachel Soluri, Phillip Thomas, Sean Vanini, Brooke VeRost, Amiah Wilkes, Olivia Williams, Gabriel Wright
JV Deca Hosts Delta Kappa Gamma - February 2016
JV DECA members, Allison Fay and Luke Hess working diligently on their pastry creations.
How can the adult professionals of WNY learn from today's youth? Combine them together for an afternoon of friendly competition. Grand Island's chapter of JV DECA hosted the Gamma Delta chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International at Veronica E. Connor Middle School recently to do just that. DKG is a professional honor society of key women educators in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and Japan whose mission is to promote professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.While younger in age, JV DECA members similarly strive to build their skills in: Social Intelligence, Leadership Development, Vocational Understanding and Civic Consciousness. Although already well-versed in techniques to enhance learning at the elementary, middle, high school and even college level, the women of DKG came away from this joint meeting with a greater insight on the emerging professionalism of today's teens and their ability to think on their feet and solve real world business problems. After JV DECA students conducted a sample competitive DECA event, they turned the tables on their guests by requiring the attendees to solve a similar problem. Sticking to the rules of DECA, the adults were only given ten minutes to meet and discuss the scenario, apply the six steps in decision making and prepare their presentation. Upon sharing their solutions with the JV DECA "adjudicators", the adult professionals commented on "how good it still feels to be told that our ideas are good ones!" and how pleasantly surprised they were at how poised and well-spoken their 13-year old judges could be.
Before departing, the JV DECA members shared still warm-from-the-oven homemade apple pies with their new DKG friends and felt proud of their newfound culinary skills. Delta Kappa Gamma is no stranger to the Grand Island and North Tonawanda students, however, as DKG continues to be a faithful donor of an annual graduation scholarship to two qualifying young women, one from each district, pursuing a career in education. The Connor Middle School JV DECA chapter meets under the advisement of Family and Consumer Science Teacher/DKG Member, Mrs. Mary Jane Fonte and is a proud part of the largest DECA Chapter in Western New York under the advisement of Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain.
