Veronica E. Connor Middle School
2019
PrincipalMr. John Fitzpatrick
Veronica Connor Middle School District's Web Page.
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JV DECA Hosts "Cocoa & Cookies with Santa" - December 2019
Receiving the giant check for $100 is Ava Thomas of the Family Justice Center from Alex Jensen, Hailey Martinez and Elijah Linenfelser.
By MaryJane Fonte, VCMS teacher.Growing up on Grand Island, we are often seen as having “perfect” lives. True, our graduation rate from Grand Island High School is considered high at 90% and the violent crime rate is low at only one-third of the national average, but not all problems within our community are transparent. A recent visit from the Family Justice Center during a Grand Island School District Superintendent’s Staff Development Day brought to light the growing problem of Domestic Violence on Grand Island, despite its seemingly utopian reputation. Thus, when our JV DECA Club talked about combining an information sharing venue with a Community Service project, Cocoa and Cookies with Santa was born.
As the only JV DECA Chapter in Western New York, we are excited about the opportunity to start a yearly tradition at Veronica E. Connor Middle School which not only brings JOY to children during the holidays, but brings HOPE to families struggling with secretive sorrows. If we can get the word out that a crisis with Domestic Violence exists, maybe those suffering will feel more empowered and less alone, seeking help for themselves and their children.
Cocoa and Cookies with Santa combined the old fashioned story of Santa Claus and his giving heart with a modern day need for funding to renovate and staff a new facility within our community. Each child received two suckers from Santa, one to keep and one to give away. It was so much fun to hear from the children to whom they would give their gift.
The JV DECA students responsible for organizing the event will have been simultaneously working diligently on 20-page manuals on Project Management in Sales and Community Service, which will soon to be sent to the judges. In February of 2020, these six eighth grade students will present their projects before live judges in hopes of placing at the New York State DECA Conference against freshman, sophomores, junior and seniors in high school.
Signed and dedicated copies of Doug MacGregor’s Morgan McKinney’s Bigger-Than-Life Adventure were sold pre and post-event to help raise money for the DECA States Conference expenses. Copies can still be obtained to assist our team of six students by contacting Mary Jane Fonte at Connor Middle School.
So much was learned by each eighth grader who helped throughout the process. At the end of the tiring evening, it was hard to tell who had had more fun, the tots or our JV DECA members! Our gratitude goes out to the families that attended, GIHS DECA, Diana Lipp, TOPS Friendly Markets, Grand Island’s Tim Horton’s and teachers/staff from VCMS for their generous donations to help defray the cost.
Delta Kappa Gamma Donates to Children's Hospital - December 2019
Left: contents of stockings. Right: completed stockings.
By MaryJane Fonte, VCMS teacher. - Fighting Cystic Fibrosis with Imagination.Cystic Fibrosis has been in the news a lot lately with the approval of a new drug for its treatment. Although Trikafta was approved in October by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, hailed by doctors and patients alike as a breakthrough, many children still deal with daily regimes of Airway Cleaning Techniques, enzyme and antibiotic therapies, and frequent clinic appointments and hospital stays for check-ups and tune-ups.
Attempting to lift some of both the emotional and physical weight of CF, a gift of a hand-tied Christmas Stocking containing a stuffed animal, carnival-sized sucker, coloring sheets, crayons, a book and Tim Horton’s gift card were given to 13 Oshei’s families during their pre-Christmas Clinic visit. Morgan McKinney’s Bigger-Than-Life Bedtime Story was chosen as Morgan McKinney, the main character also wants to feel “weightless” and takes the readers high above the clouds to meet his zoo friends and Santa, too.
Delta Kappa Gamma also tries to lift the burden of college tuition for students, offering two yearly $500 scholarships to a North Tonawanda and Grand Island student pursuing a degree in the field of education as the Gamma Delta chapter of DKG draws its membership from these districts. Pictured above are: retired Grand Island Teachers Karen Zirnheld and Pamela Suszczynski sitting with retired North Tonawanda Teacher, Joan Holesko, who with her husband over a decade ago, established The Stephen P. Holesko Fund in memory of their son to support the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Oishei Children's Hospital.
Connor Middle School 1st Quarter High Honor Roll - November 2019
6th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Marissa Aceti, Thomas Alberalla, Alicia Battaglia, Carl Beckley, Aidan Birtz, Jillian Bland, Alayna Boyle, Lily Buckingham, Elijah Castner, John Chiarenza, Karina Conta, John Coram, Natalie DeCourcey, Rebekah Dolan, Joseph Donlon, Elizabeth Frisbie, Simran Gill, Jeetpal Gill, Anna Girard, Aiden Golembiewski, Lindsay Greer, Samantha Grover, Chase Gustafson, Camryn Harding, Calli Harding, Audrey Holler, David Hoover, Paige Horvath, Juliette Itzo, Nina Johnson, Alex Joyce, Bree Kolesar, Andrew Kozlowski, Cassidy Kurtzhalts, Sarah Logar, Noah Magee, Chase Mango, Ismail Masoodi, Chase McGuire, Kate Mezhir, Colin Morgan, Jillian Moskala, Dominic Nucci, Natalie Payne, Preston Pickard, Cooper Pyc, Brianna Rejewski, Maya Rizzo, Jasmine Rokicki, Tanureet Saini, Kabir Sandhu, Sienna Sarkees, Harini Selvakumar, Janelle Spiesz, Audrey Stockinger, Charlotte Tower, Kennady Ulrich, Riley Uribes, Zachary Vinkle, Brooke Warner, Margaret Weselak, Kyla Wood
7th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Camilla Acquisto, Ghaliya Ahmed, Faith Alford, Lydia Amato, Morgan Andrews, Gianni Anello, Kailyn Ash, Aubree Battaglia, Andrew Birtz, Jaelynn Bolock, Lily Burke, Matthew Burridge, Samantha Burridge, Isabella Burt, Lauren Caizza, Grace Carpenter, Norah Carroll, Nicholas Castellino, Tori Cecere, Alper Celik, Brooke Christensen, Anna Cipollitti, Arianna Conta, Jacob Csicseri, Diana DeAngelo, Skye Dreher, Ryan Evans, Addison Flegal, Samantha Fraser, Nico Fratello, Madelyn Gallagher, Grace Gramza, Hailey Green, Ian Hannon, Jacob Hazel, Catherine Hegarty, Hannah Hiscock, Leah Hurley, Rocquelle Hy, Lily Johnson, Logan Kochanowski, Natalie Kopf, Sully Korte, Kyle Kowalczewski, Rahul Leone, Annabelle Linenfelser, Nico Macrides, Gianna Masker, Joshua McAuliffe, Chloe Meinhart, Jaxen Montana, Keira Murray, Liberty Novak, Liam O'Kell, Alexandra Oldman, Lauren Olendorf, Cora Pankow, Rae Pfalzer, Evan Pickering, Alyssa Pizur, Lorelei Popp, Samuel Rastelli, Megan Reynolds, Adelyn Roach, Savannah Samplinski, Jackson Schmidt, Jelena Simic, Sophia Sobrino, Abigail Szyprowski, Melaina Taylor, Chloe Terrana, Anthony Vaccaro-Luttrell, Melina Valle, Kaitlyn Wadman, Mikayla Wagner, Connor Weber, Zoe Anna Weselak, George Woloszyn, Cole Zorich
8th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jack Benns, Emily Birtz, Alma Brown, Victoria Caizza, Brooke Caldwell, Samuel Castner, Barbara Chaves Moutinho, Douglas Crowley, Kathryn Czyrny, Kaitlyn Dudek, Brandon Farquharson, Gianna Genovese, Jenna Gorton, Kayla Harper, Jenna Hecht, Brady Hillman, Alexandra Jensen, Jacob Joseph, Rachel Joseph, Kailey Korkuc, Patrick Kruse, Anna Kurtzhalts, Elijah Linenfelser, Kaleigh Lockett, Kyto Magee, Jillian Manns, Hailey Martinez, Zainab Masoodi, LilyBeth Mazur, Evan McMann, Addison McNulty, Tessa Morris, William Norton, Georgiana Nowak, Kendyl Ode, Cameron Pachura, Aleksander Pyc, Megan Rebmann, Adam Schnell, Emma Schoenrock, David Squires, Ryan Stravino, Hannah Susman, Micaila Valle, Christian Vanini, Gabriella VeRost, Casey Walowitz, George Wenner, Brayden Willats, Alexandra Woloszyn, Catherine Zach .
Connor Middle School 1st Quarter Honor Roll - November 2019
6th GRADE HONOR
Muthanna Ahmed, Isabella Anton, Cleopatra Basiliko, Jacob Belous, Mya Brandon, Max Broeker, Maxwell Bronson, Jacob Brzyski, Jaiden Bush, Kenadi Butcher, Rylee Carpin, Faiz Cheema, Olivia Clark, Alivia Clunie, Evan Crockett, Olivia DeCoux, Jackson DeGlopper, Brooklyn Drayer, Bella Duscher, Britlin Fanning, Madelyn Forbes, Nicolas Genovese, Sophia Gonzalez, Carson Hamilton, Aubrey Harper, Haley Hillman, Carson Hinkle, Elijah Huber, Colin Hurley, Tre'Shawn Jennings, Joseph Jung, Xander Kisloski, Nikolas Korte, Anon Leone, Michael Lewandowski, Adrianna Marinucci, Henry Maziarz, Payton McNamara, Lillian Mediak, Caylee Meyer, Gianna Misuraca, Caden Moran, Connor Muehlbauer, Dylan Neal, Jonathan Neville, Robert Osuchowski, Miranda Page, Isabella Pilon, Ella Prohaska, Andrew Pyc, Owen Rosetti, Alayna Schwinn, Ryan Scott, Rose Sergakis-McDaniel, Caden Sharkey, Brady Shearer, Talia Simone, Grace Simpson, Harvinder Singh, John Stancliff, Kaya Swart, Ella Szczepankiewicz, Zachary Talamo, Gavin Tranter, Trenton Tyrrell, Hayden West, Teagan Willats, Madeline Williams, Alexis Williams, Kayla Wylie
7th GRADE HONOR
Max Black, Bryson Boyle, Zachary Bridenbaker, Cailin Budnik, Rayyan Bukahri, Savannah Bukowski, Sophie Cane, Giana Caruana, Dylan Castiglia, Emma Chorey, Abigail Coombs, Antonia Cotroneo, Bryan Decker, Jaskirat Dhillon, Isabela Dombrowski, Hailey Donovan, Ian Drechsel, Noah Evert, Hayden Garey, Alyssa Griggs, Samuel Grimmelt, Luke Gworek, Jacob Hamilton, Sydney Hamilton, Luke Hutton, Johanna Jackson, Isabella Jayme, Jierui Jiao, Grace Kucinski, Richard Kwarciak, Sarah Lehan, Michael Leone, Natalie Malush, Landon Marlin, Peter Marston, Matthew Martin, Madison McGowan, Jolie Mondoux, Madison Mondoux, Brady Moran, Mark Nash, Jack Nevans, Leah Nickerson, Charlotte Nowak, Colby Okelberry, Rylee Pachla, Ryan Rai, Owen Redfern, Layla Rein, Cameron Sargent, Oliver Schmidt, Gianna Simone, Juliana Smith, Avery Smith, Kailyn Stedman-Pate, Shauna Stevens, Morgan Szathmary, Carly Tilkins, Pavneet Toor, Bridgette Warner, Alexandra Watt, Olivia Wenner, Asher Wright, Elizabeth Zherebilov
8th GRADE HONOR
Gurmehar Arora, Brianna Barr, Natalie Berg, Isabella Boyle, Alexia Bryant, Julianna Burgin, Gianna Burruano, Sabrina Butcher, Nathan Cioppa, Mariella DiCarlo, Audrey Dickinson, Taylor Duscher, Samuel Fabiano, Nicole Forsey, Giovanni Granelli, Timothy Grant, Kyle Haines, Hunter Hall, Tyler Hoock, Roman Horvath, Ethan Hovey, Gianna Karnath, Brooke Kenney, Morgan Khadra, Raven Khreis, Mikaela Kitchen, Claire LeFevre, Braeden Lenhard, Dominic Leone, Hollyn Lynch, Sarah Lysarz, Ava Marsala, Luecas Martin, Natalle Martineck, Haylie Mesmer, Madalyn Montes, Dylan Novak, Brett Nowocien, Nicholas Pilon, Adia Porter, Kristina Potenza, Mavis Riley, Isidora Ristic, Torin Roth, Christopher Sadkowski, Emma Santorio, Abbey Schneller, Pearl Sciolino-Coffey, Avery Snyder, Ella Steinwandel, Sophia Todaro, Kyleigh Ulrich, Dean Urbaniak, Ta'miah Wilkes, Luke Winarski, Jaimen Wright, Joseph Wynne, Gerald Zientara
Connor Middle School 1st Quarter Merit Roll - November 2019
6th GRADE MERIT
Jassim Al Hajjaji, Xander Ambrose, Andrea Mikayla Apon, Ryan Capps, Emma Daigle, Jordan Duval, Joshua Flynn, Logan Flynn, Noah Franco, Aiden Galligan, Anna Gormady, Eliza Hajdini, Dominick Hanel, Sarabjot Kaur, Zoe Leggett, Ella Littere, Kenna MacNeil, Natalie Marshall, Moses McMurray, Jack Pachla, Jacob Pawlak, Sienna Potenza, Sophia Pyc, Ryan Reynolds, Noah Rogers, Jack Roth, Allie Rumsey, Sami Saleh, Ahmet Savas, Sroop Singh, Reilly Smith, Sabrina Steffans
7th GRADE MERIT
Jordan Alessandra, Olivia Barraclough, Jake Benton, Morgan Blum, Jacob Bonafede, Anthony Borzillieri, Brady Butler, Amanda Carriero, Gavin Clinton, Ryan Cowe, Samantha Crist, Teresa Dudziak, Danika Fiebelkorn, Peyton Golde, Niko Gonzalez, Gabriella Guy, Addison Hesch, Parker Inman, Jayden Kleinschmidt, Nicholas Lindsay, Brady Maroni, Cameron Miano, Hayden Miller, Arabella Pagoada, Jackx Pendola, Alejandro Perez, Matthew Pomaranski, Kaitlyn Powell, Alyssa Rayl, Emma Richards, Celine Rizek, Mavrick Rumsey, Persephone Santillo, Omar Shaibi, Ryan Sharp, Scarlett Sniadecki, Anthony Soluri, Christopher Swain, Vince Trower, Brody Winarski, Jayce Wylke
8th GRADE MERIT
Sarah Ahmed, Daniel Beauchamp, Julia Bielec, Shannon Bundy, Avery Burroughs, Lorenzo Buscaglia, Caitlyn Butcher, Carly Butcher, Emilie Carrig, Juliet Chadima, Ben Cipollitti, Jacob Clark, Noah Click, Lilliana Conway, Ryan Coutu, Tessa DeMartin, Bennett Dulniak, Tyler Dworak, Meredith Ehlenfield, Samantha Ennis, Benjamin Farrell, Gavin Firmstone, Katelyn Grant, Connor Hart, Hannah Higuera, Cameran Hoffman, Joshua Hoover, Perrin Huff, Nicholas Ingalsbe, Mithil Kara, Madison Keen, Sarah Klein, Tyler MacNeil, Olivia Mayer, Nathan Meyers, Kylie Okelberry, Cooper O'Leary, Sierra Palumbo, Aidan Pax, Gianna Potts, Audrey Satterlee, Tucker Schoen, Dylan Simpson, Andrew Smith, Charlotte Steck, Seth Steinkirchner, Brooke Trower, John Vinkle, Preston Whitfield, Mackenzie Wright, Ella Zaremski
JV DECA Club Escorts Veterans at Parade - November 2019
Natalle Martineck walking with GI High School Teacher George Smith of the Air Force.
Mark Bruno of the Army and WWII Veteran Peter Xanthos of the Navy, Ryan Stravino.
Kyleigh Ulrich escorting John Blake of the Marine Corps.
(Back) Zainab Moosodi, Julia Bielec, Ella Zaremski, Anna Kurtzhalts, Ryan Stravino, Natalle Martineck.
(Front) Hailey Martinez, Kyleigh Ulrich, Jillian Manns and Hannah Susman.
Jillian Manns and Hannah Susman with Jeffrey Gonzales and Todd Johnson of the Army
Pearl Sciolino-Coffey hugging her grandfather, Keith Coffey of the Air Force and her mother, Catrina Smith-Coffey Gray of the Air Force.
The Royal Blue and Yellow JV DECA Club of Veronica E. Connor Middle School donned Red, White and Blue instead for the fourth annual Veteran’s Day Parade at Connor Middle School on November 7th. As each current or former soldier of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard arrived at our school, they were met by members of JV DECA who made formal introduction and escorted them to their place in the parade line up. JV DECA is a junior version of GIHS’ Business and Marketing Club which fosters Civic Consciousness as one of the four points of the DECA Diamond.VCMS Student Named K-12 Artist of the Month - November 2019
Josh Hoover, eighth grade student, with two of his recent works.
The Art Department of the Grand Island Central School District is pleased to continue its’ tradition of honoring exemplary student achievement. Initiated during the 2007-2008 school year, the K-12 “Student of the Month” award is designed to highlight the merits and achievements of ten student artists yearly, spotlighting one talented student each month. Honorees are selected for their unique artistic voices and visions as well as having used their creative capacities to enrich and improve their school environment and communities.Students featured during the 2019-2020 school year will spotlight individuals from each of the district’s five schools. As artistic success reflects cumulative achievement and sequential development by our student artists, the accomplishments of children of all age levels is equally recognized by the awarding of this honor.
The first recipient of this award for the month of September is a Connor Middle School eighth grade student artist. Josh Hoover is a student who displays a great deal of natural artistic ability and promise. He is an accelerated art student enrolled in the eighth grade at Connor Middle School. Josh’s art teacher describes him as a meticulous and hardworking student with a keen eye for detail. Josh is always seeking to improve his art ability. He creates exceptional work in class and keeps a sketchbook which highlights his creative imagination and strong drawing ability. He is an enthusiastic and eager art student who looks for a creative challenge and seeks to create his very best work, which is consistently exceptional.
Josh’s art teacher cites his positive attitude and work ethic as additional reasons that he was selected as a recipient of this award. The Art Department of the Grand Island Schools recognizes this student’s unique artistic voice and potential and is pleased to honor his achievement by naming him their first “Artist of the Month” for the new school year.
Family & Consumer Science Class Has Visitor - October 2019
Doug MacGregor leading the class.
Carly Butcher and Hailey Lee beginning their posters.
Rocco Misuraco proudly presenting his finished work of art to mentor, Doug MacGregor.
Doug MacGregor, Coordinator of Arts in Healthcare for the Lee County Florida Hospitals brought sunshine and self-confidence to Mrs. Mary Jane (MacGregor) Fonte’s eighth grade Family and Consumer Science Classes this week. MacGregor also an editorial cartoonist, and author/illustrator of several children’s books and an all-age book on developing creativity, arrived just in time to kick off the classes advertising campaigns for Entrepreneurship.Should you desire to see more of MacGregor’s own works, please visit www.dougcreates.com. His Morgan McKinney’s Bigger Than Life Bedtime Story is also being featured at VCMS JV DECA’s Cocoa and Cookies with Santa on December 13th to raise money for Grand Island’s Family Justice Center. Please contact Mary Jane Fonte at Connor Middle School (773-8830) with any questions on being a part of the event or purchasing a book for this cause.
Foreign Language Students Honored - August 2019
On Tuesday, June 25th, students in French and Spanish classes at Veronica E. Connor Middle School were recognized for achieving high averages for the year. Certificates were distributed after the Awards Assembly held in the Grand Viking Theater. Congratulations!Mrs. Jennifer Stachnik’s French classes: Eden Johnson and Maia Nowak
Mrs. Diane Rumsey-Malaney’s Spanish classes: Matthew Rizzo
Mrs. Karen Grande’s Spanish class: Sophia Heffley
Mrs. Tanya Weidner’s Spanish class: Harmanjeet Kaur
Connor Middle School 4th Quarter High Honor Roll - July 2019
6th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Camilla Acquisto, Ghaliya Ahmed, Faith Alford, Lydia Amato, Gianni Anello, Kailyn Ash, Aubree Battaglia, Lily Burke, Isabella Burt, Lauren Caizza, Grace Carpenter, Norah Carroll, Nicholas Castellino, Tori Cecere, Alper Celik, Anna Cipollitti, Arianna Conta, Jacob Csicseri, Diana DeAngelo, Ryan Evans, Addison Flegal, Madelyn Gallagher, Grace Gramza, Hailey Green, Ian Hannon, Jacob Hazel, Catherine Hegarty, Rocquelle Hy, Isabella Jayme, Logan Kochanowski, Natalie Kopf, Sully Korte, Rahul Leone, Annabelle Linenfelser, Gianna Masker, Joshua McAuliffe, Chloe Meinhart, Jaxen Montana, Keira Murray, Jack Nevans, Liberty Novak, Liam O'Kell, Alexandra Oldman, Lauren Olendorf, Cora Pankow, Rae Pfalzer, Evan Pickering, Alyssa Pizur, Lorelei Popp, Megan Reynolds, Savannah Samplinski, Jelena Simic, Gianna Simone, Juliana Smith, Melaina Taylor, Melina Valle, Kaitlyn Wadman, Mikayla Wagner, Zoe Anna Weselak, Cole Zorich
7th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jack Benns, Emily Birtz, Alma Brown, Victoria Caizza, Samuel Castner, Douglas Crowley, Kathryn Czyrny, Giovanni Granelli, Kayla Harper, Brady Hillman, Tyler Hoock, Alexandra Jensen, Rachel Joseph, Jacob Joseph, Mikaela Kitchen, Patrick Kruse, Elijah Linenfelser, Kaleigh Lockett, Sarah Lysarz, Zainab Masoodi, Addison McNulty, Tessa Morris, Georgiana Nowak, Cameron Pachura, Nicholas Pilon, Aleksander Pyc, Megan Rebmann, Emma Schoenrock, Ryan Stravino, Micaila Valle, Christian Vanini, Gabriella VeRost, Casey Walowitz, George Wenner, Brayden Willats, Alexandra Woloszyn, Catherine Zach, Gerald Zientara
8th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Emma Besl, Samantha Buckingham, Andrew Burke, Julia Capage, Elizabeth Carpenter, Berin Celik, Joseph Cicero, Natalyn Cordero, Anna Donlon, Reagan Fast, Caitlin Fay, Madison Flory, Logan Fox, Jackson Frey, Amanda Gula, Sophia Heffley, William Hofmeyer, Samuel Jayme, Eden Johnson, Jessica Kam, Kathleen Krawczyk, Patrick Lepine, Phillip Lepine, Maia Nowak, Megan Pinzel, Matthew Rizzo, Maelee Roach, Wynonna Roberts, Ella Rudney, Kosmo Sarigiannis, Emma Schinnagel, David Still, John Szczublewski, Annabella Tippett, Kayleigh Vanderzell, Patrick Whalen, Erick Wittmann .
Connor Middle School 4th Quarter Honor Roll - July 2019
6th GRADE HONOR
Morgan Andrews, Lucianna Andrzejewski, Olivia Barraclough, Andrew Birtz, Jaelynn Bolock, Savannah Bukowski, Matthew Burridge, Samantha Burridge, Sophie Cane, Emma Chorey, Brooke Christensen, Gavin Clinton, Abigail Coombs, Antonia Cotroneo, Bryan Decker, Jaskirat Dhillon, Isabela Dombrowski, Skye Dreher, Noah Evert, Samantha Fraser, Alyssa Griggs, Luke Gworek, Jacob Hamilton, Sydney Hamilton, Hannah Hiscock, Leah Hurley, Luke Hutton, Jierui Jiao, Lily Johnson, Kyle Kowalczewski, Grace Kucinski, Richard Kwarciak, Nicholas Lindsay, Nico Macrides, Natalie Malush, Peter Marston, Madison McGowan, Hayden Miller, Jolie Mondoux, Brady Moran, Rylee Pachla, Matthew Pomaranski, Ryan Rai, Samuel Rastelli, Owen Redfern, Layla Rein, Adelyn Roach, Cameron Sargent, Jackson Schmidt, Oliver Schmidt, Avery Smith, Anthony Soluri, Shauna Stevens, Morgan Szathmary, Abigail Szyprowski, Chloe Terrana, Pavneet Toor, Siena Vacanti, Anthony Vaccaro-Luttrell, Bridgette Warner, Connor Weber, Olivia Wenner, George Woloszyn, Asher Wright, Elizabeth Zherebilov
7th GRADE HONOR
Brianna Barr, Isabella Boyle, Alexia Bryant, Julianna Burgin, Lorenzo, Buscaglia Brooke Caldwell, Nathan Cioppa, Jacob Clark, Kaitlyn Dudek, Bennett Dulniak, Samantha Ennis, Samuel Fabiano, Brandon Farquharson, Nicole Forsey, Gianna Genovese, Jenna Gorton, Timothy Grant, Hunter Hall, Jenna Hecht, Nicholas Ingalsbe, Brooke Kenney, Morgan Khadra, Kailey Korkuc, Anna Kurtzhalts, Braeden Lenhard, Hollyn Lynch, Kyto Magee, Eszter Magyari, Jillian Manns, Natalle Martineck, Hailey Martinez, LilyBeth Mazur, Evan McMann, Haylie Mesmer, Nathan Meyers, Brett Nowocien, Kendyl Ode, Kristina Potenza, Adam Schnell, Pearl Sciolino-Coffey, David Squires, Charlotte Steck, Hannah Susman, Kyleigh Ulrich, Dean Urbaniak, John Vinkle, Luke Winarski, Jaimen Wright, Ella Zaremski
8th GRADE HONOR
Abigail Bentley, Jacob Berard, Kaitlyn Burns, Nathaniel Cohen, Lauren Coombs, Taylor Evans, Noah Farmer, Sara Fletcher, Aubrey Frank, Anthony Fratello, Sara Glose, Zoe Heider, Jason Hill, Jenalynn Hoy, Julia Juntunen, Alannah Kaifas-Concha, Kendall Keller, Cameron Kitchen, Lily Koslowski, Edward Kwarciak, Morgan Malush, Adriana Mann, Sydney Martin, Alexis Martin, Samuel May, Caleb Meyer, Mia Moran, Luke O'Brien, Lindsey Olendorf, Alena Panepinto, Isabelle Pezdek, Christina Pietromicca, Gavin Rice, Olivia Ryan, Jack Sharp, Serenity Sikora, Ryan Smith, Marcus Tittle, Grace VanderMey, Michael Zacher
Connor Middle School 4th Quarter Merit Roll - July 2019
6th GRADE MERIT
Olivia Alderman, Jake Benton, Max Black, Morgan Blum, Zachary Bridenbaker, Cailin Budnik, Giana Caruana, Samantha Crist, Joshua DeLong, Hailey Donovan, Nico Fratello, Hayden Garey, Samuel Grimmelt, Gabriella Guy, Parker Inman, Austin Irons, Johanna Jackson, Chase Judd, Jayden Kleinschmidt, Michael Leone, Brady Maroni, Matthew Martin, Giana Moretta, Colby Okelberry, Arabella Pagoada, Addyson Peck, Alejandro Perez, Emma Richards, Mavrick Rumsey, Ryan Sharp, Christopher Swain, Manuel Tavarez, Carly Tilkins, Vince Trower, Addison Warham, Alexandra Watt, Brody Winarski, Jayce Wylke
7th GRADE MERIT
Sarah Ahmed, Gurmehar Arora, Callee Bartolotta, Lukacz Basiliko, Julia Bielec, Gianna Burruano, Sabrina Butcher, Ella Campas, Emilie Carrig, Barbara Chaves Moutinho, Ryan Coutu, Mariella DiCarlo, Audrey Dickinson, Brigid Dugan, Taylor Duscher,Tyler Dworak, Meredith Ehlenfield, Katelyn Grant, Kyle Haines, Joshua Hoover, Roman Horvath, Ethan Hovey, Perrin Huff, Grace Jones, Mithil Kara, Gianna Karnath, Raven Khreis, Claire LeFevre, Dominic Leone, Cayden Luciano, Ava Marsala, Luecas Martin, Olivia Mayer, Gianna Mourgas, Dylan Novak, Cooper O'Leary, Sierra Palumbo, Aidan Pax, Adia Porter, Isidora Ristic, Christopher Sadkowski, Emma Santorio, Tucker Schoen, Andrew Smith, Lauren Soluri, Ella Steinwandel, Blake Thauer, Sophia Todaro, Annie Weng, Preston Whitfield, Ta'miah Wilkes, Benjamin Wilson, Mackenzie Wright
8th GRADE MERIT
Raj Arumugam, Paige Bedell, Ava Brandon, Riley Chen, Michael Christensen, Gavin Cich, Emmalee Currie, Riley Decker, Miranda DeCourcey, Michael Doctor, Brian Gertis, Christian Giddings, Kelsie Greene, Sarah Grover, Chase Harding, Zaina Hussein, Zander Inman, Katie Jaegers, Jasmeen, Kaur, Harmanjeet Kaur, Samantha Klein, Sydney Knight, Matthew Lavin, Ryan Lysenko, Kendyll Mack, Aidan Maroni, Dominic Masucci, Sean Mesmer, Kaylee Montana, Quinn Moran, Alexis Neal, Jacob Ode, Carson Page, Giavana Panepinto, Olivia Pratt, Jackson Quinn, Arden Randle, Matthew Rebmann, Alexis Schad, Madison Schneider, Kaden Smith, James Soto, Alyssa Stockinger, Mikayla Valentine, Justin Vazquez, Gabrielle Vecio, Aubrey Zdarsky, Niveen Zidan
Veronica E. Connor Middle School 8th Grade Students Celebrate - June 2019
See VideoOn Tuesday, June 25th, Connor Middle School 8th graders celebrated their accomplishments at an awards ceremony held in the Grand Viking Theater in Grand Island High School. Families and friends were in attendance.
Opening remarks were made by Mr. Max Pikula, assistant principal, followed by a brief speech by Brady Jones, Student Council president. Brady’s remarks were a reflection of his middle school years. Mr. Yusef Mojowalla was the guest speaker who shared his experiences with students of his years in the GICSD and how those years have affected his current life. Mr. Mojowalla also offered his advice to students on how to be successful. Mr. John Fitzpatrick gave closing remarks encouraging students to continue on their road to success.
Several awards were given to students by teachers and administration. Academic Gold Award recipients were: Abigail Bentley, Jacob Berard, Emma Besl, Samantha Buckingham, Andrew Burke, Julia Capage, Elizabeth Carpenter, Alexandrea Caudill, Berin Celik, Riley Chen, Michael Christianson, Joseph Cicero, Gavvin Cich, Nathaniel Cohen, Lauren Coombs, Natalyn Cordero, Riley Crosby, Riley Decker, Rebecca Dilliot, Anna Donlon, Kayla Donovan, Paul Emmi, Taylor Evans, Reagan Fast, Caitlin Fay, Sara Fletcher, Madison Flory, Logan Fox, Aubrey Frank, Jackson Frey, Lauren Geyer, Sara Glose, Kelsie Greene, Sarah Grover, Amanda Gula, Chase Harding, Sophia Heffley, Zoe Heider, Jason Hill, Jenalynn Hoy, Katie Jaegers, Samuel Jayme, Eden Johnson, Julia Juntunen, Jessica Kam, Harmanjeet Kaur, Jasmeen Kaur, Cameron Kitchen, Lily Koslowski, Kathleen Kwarczyk, Edward Kwarciak, Patrick Lepine, Phillip Lepine, Morgan Malush, Adrinan Mann, Sydney Martin, Caleb Meyer, Alana Miano, Mia Moran, Maia Nowak, Luke O’Brien, Lindsey Olendorf, Carson Page, Alena Panepinto, Christina Pietromicca, Megan Pinzel, Olivia Pratt, Arden Randle, Matthew Rebmann, Maelee Roach, Wynnona Roberts, Ella Rudney, Olivia Ryan, Kosmo Sarigiannis, Alexis Schad, Emma Schinnagel, Jack Sharp, Serenity Sikora, Ryan Smith, David Still, Alyssa Stockinger, John Paul Szczublewski, Annabella Tippett, Marcus Tittle, Mikayla Valentine, Grace VanderMey, Kayleigh Vanderzell, Gabriel Vecio, Patrick Whalen, Erick Wittmann, Michael Zacher, Niveen Zidan. Silver Award recipients were: Mustafa Ahmad, Paige Bedell, Ava Brandon, Kaitlyn Burns, Emmalee Currie, Miranda DeCourcey, Mackenzie Dietrich, Michael Doctor, Noah Farmer, Christian Giddings, William Hanlon, Daniel Hawkins, Aiden hermanson, William Hofmeyer, Manshaan Johal, Alannah Kaifas-Concha, Kendall Keller, Samantha Klein, Sydney Knight, Matthew Lavin, Kendyll Mack, Aiden Maroni, Olivia Martinez, Sean Mesmer, Dylan Murray, Alexis Neal, Alexis Nelson, Maria Noveli, Jacob Pangborn, Isabelle Pezdek, Hanna Presley, Maria Preston, Madison Schneider, James Soto, Sophia Steffans, Justin Vasquez, Aubrey Zdarsky.
In addition, certificates were awarded for outstanding leadership in music. For chorus: Caitlin Fay and Erick Wittmann; for orchestra: Patrick Lepine and Maia Nowak; and for band: Berin Celik and Jackson Frey. Outstanding artists: Kathleen Krawczyk, Wynonna Roberts, Emma Schinnagel, Erick Wittmann. Outstanding DECA Volunteers: Kaitlyn Burns and Paige Bedell. Last year, a Chess Club was formed by Ms. Susan Szczublewski and attended by 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Eighth graders were given awards for outstanding skill. Recipients were Tanner Hawley and John Paul Szczublewski.
High average certificates were also distributed:
English: Mrs. Campbell’s English 8 classes: Sophia Heffley; Mrs. Campbell’s English 8 Honors classes: Wyn Roberts; Mrs. Hahn’s English 8 classes: John Paul Szczublewski; Mr. Meaney’s English 8 class-Michael Zumla
Mathematics: Mrs. Ferrington’s math 8 classes: Amanda Gula; Mrs. Armitage’s math 8 classes: Madison Flory; Mrs. Armitage’s algebra classes-Berin Celik; Mrs. Heim’s Math class: Marissa Novack.
Science: Mrs. Balesteri’s science 8 classes-Julia Juntenun; Mrs. Hegarty’s science 8 classes-Abigail Bentley; Ms. Schaber’s Earth Science classes-Berin Celik; Social Studies.
Social Studies: Ms. Hayes’ social studies 8 classes-Emma Schinnagel; Mr. Meaney’s social studies class-Connor Pelsoni; Mr. Randles’ social studies 8 classes-Sopia Heffley; Mr. Randles’ social studies 8 Honors classes-Madison Flory.
There were also several special awards presented during the ceremony. First was the NYS Comptroller’s Award. The recipient must have shown academic excellence and the potential for leadership through involvement in activities that improve the school and/or community. This award was given to Ella Rudney and Jackson Frey.
In addition was the Triple “C” award which is given to an individual or individuals who exhibit an exemplary character in school as shown through his or her interaction with peers, faculty, staff, and administration. A student or students must also exhibit courage in the face of personal and/or academic difficulties. Finally, a recipient or recipients exhibit a commitment to school and home communities as well as a commitment to personal excellence. This year’s awards were given to Reagan Fast and Lily Koslowski.
A few years ago, the 8th grade team of teachers created an award to recognize two individuals, one boy and one girl, who exemplify the Viking Values. To receive the Viking Valor award, a student must exemplify academic excellence: A recipient must have excelled academically, having maintained an average of 90% or higher every quarter while attending middle school. Also, to be considered, an individual must have consistently displayed an exemplary character and shown responsibility through their actions and have displayed respect in their interactions with peers, staff, faculty, and administration. This year’s awards were given to Eden Johnson and John Paul Szczublewski.
As a student’s name was called and he or she crossed the stage, each was congratulated by Dr. Brian Graham, Superintendent of Schools; Ms. Karen Cuddy-Miller, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction; and Ms. Ashli Dreher, Board of Education President. Following the ceremony, students, family, and friends were invited to meet in the MS gym to take pictures and offer congratulations to each other.
Middle School PTA Hosts Teacher Breakfast - June 2019
The winning team, in fighting gear, consisted of (from left): Rebecca Stahl, Gabrielle Hein, Melissa Pitek, Laura Murray, Tracy Poole and Amos Fraccica.
Lee Cohen story and photo.Connor Middle School PTA held its annual Teacher Recognition Breakfast on the last school day using a Marvel Comics Avengers theme. Tables were decorated in Marvel colors (red, blue, silver) with an appropriate centerpiece. Following the breakfast a Superhero quiz was held asking each table of six teachers to identify the superhero from a list of clues. The winning team won Tim Horton gift cards. PTA volunteers included Jen Walowitz, Bonnie Nevans, Karen Carroll, Kelly Cicero, Mary Battaglia, Lee Cohen, Cherie Kucinski, Sharmila Selvakumar and Anne Nowak.
PTA Honorary Life Memberships - June 2019
From left: Tracey Shores, Jen Walowitz, Deanna Przepiora.
Lee Cohen story and photo.Two Connor Middle School teachers, Tracy Shores and Deanna Przepiora, were awarded PTA Honorary Life memberships for the work they are doing to benefit students. They have collaborated to enrich student life through numerous events such as a back-to-school barbeque, Viking Olympics, spirit weeks, a peer buddy program, student council elections and assembly, Valentine Volleyball tournament, and dances. Their aim is to make Connor Middle School a welcoming, exciting, engaging place and they have worked with dedication to achieve their goals. The awards were presented at the PTA Teacher Recognition breakfast on the last day of school.
Middle School Choirs Take First Place - June 2019
Men on Mondays.
Singcopations.
On Friday May 31st, 90 members of the Middle School performing groups Men on Mondays, directed by Annalea Masiello, and Singcopations co directed by Annala Masiello and Jennifer Mernitz competed at the Darien Lake Music festival.. Singcopations took first place out of nine other middle schools from Western NY and beyond. Men on Mondays also took first place scoring almost a perfect score and bringing many audience members to tears. Jackson Frey, won a special award for "Best Accompanist".Debbie Beyer Receives Delta Kappa Gamma Good Apple Award - May 2019
From left: Debbie Beyer, student Reagan Fast and Mary Jane Fonte.
Debbie Beyer, a Life Skills teacher aide at Veronica E. Connor Middle School, received the Good Apple Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for her patience, loving strictness and modeling of behaviors for students so they can achieve their goals.Nominated by Mary Jane Fonte, a VCMS teacher and Gamma Delta Chapter vice president, the award is presented to a school related personnel who exemplifies excellence in promoting the educational process within Grand Island schools. Mrs. Beyer received the Delta Kappa Gamma Good Apple Award at the year-end meeting of the Gamma Delta Chapter at the North Tonawanda Public Library. She received her DKG red rose, a floral bouquet and trophy from her student, Reagan Fast.
"Debbie treats her students like her own children, with loving strictness," said Mrs. Fonte. "She does not wonder if a task is too hard for her student; instead, Debbie figures out how to make it possible. Corrections are given with a firmness coated with unconditional love, so the students never question whether she will give them another chance to try again. Introductions and other social cues are modeled and then sensitively crafted in those under her care. Debbie is careful to give full eye contact, giving her charge full attention in every situation, and then expecting the same back in return. Struggles are met with calmness and follow-through, without losing her patience and her eye on the prize, that of modeling, along with moms and dads, for children who can and will be as independent as possible."
Connor Middle School 3rd Quarter High Honor Roll - May 2019
6th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Camilla Acquisto, Ghaliya Ahmed, Lydia Amato, Morgan Andrews, Gianni Anello, Kailyn Ash, Aubree Battaglia, Lily Burke, Samantha Burridge, Matthew Burridge, Isabella Burt, Lauren Caizza, Grace Carpenter, Norah Carroll, Nicholas Castellino, Tori Cecere, Alper Celik, Brooke Christensen, Anna Cipollitti, Arianna Conta, Jacob Csicseri, Diana DeAngelo, Skye Dreher, Ryan Evans, Noah Evert, Addison Flegal, Madelyn Gallagher, Grace Gramza, Hailey Green, Jacob Hamilton, Jacob Hazel, Catherine Hegarty, Logan Kochanowski, Natalie Kopf, Sully Korte, Richard Kwarciak, Rahul Leone, Nicholas Lindsay, Annabelle Linenfelser, Natalie Malush, Gianna Masker, Joshua McAuliffe, Chloe Meinhart, Jaxen Montana, Keira Murray, Liberty Novak, Liam O'Kell, Alexandra Oldman, Rylee Pachla, Arabella Pagoada, Rae Pfalzer, Evan Pickering, Alyssa Pizur, Lorelei Popp, Ryan Rai, Layla Rein, Megan Reynolds, Adelyn Roach, Savannah Samplinski, Jackson Schmidt, Jelena Simic, Gianna Simone, Juliana Smith, Shauna Stevens, Melaina Taylor, Pavneet Toor, Melina Valle, Kaitlyn Wadman, Mikayla Wagner, Zoe Anna Weselak, Cole Zorich
7th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jack Benns. Emily Birtz, Isabella Boyle, Alma Brown, Victoria Caizza, Brooke Caldwell, Samuel Castner, Douglas Crowley, Kathryn Czyrny, Kaitlyn Dudek, Brandon Farquharson, Giovanni Granelli, Brady Hillman, Tyler Hoock, Alexandra Jensen, Jacob Joseph, Rachel Joseph, Mikaela Kitchen, Patrick Kruse, Braeden Lenhard, Elijah Linenfelser, Kaleigh Lockett, Sarah Lysarz, Zainab Masoodi, Addison McNulty, Tessa Morris, Georgiana Nowak, Cameron Pachura, Kristina Potenza, Aleksander Pyc, Megan Rebmann, Isidora Ristic, Adam Schnell, Emma Schoenrock, Charlotte Steck, Ryan Stravino, Micaila Valle, Christian Vanini, Gabriella VeRost, Casey Walowitz, George Wenner, Brayden Willats, Luke Winarski, Alexandra Woloszyn, Catherine Zach, Gerald Zientara
8th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Samantha Buckingham, Elizabeth Carpenter, Berin Celik, Natalyn Cordero, Reagan Fast, Madison Flory, Logan Fox, Jackson Frey, Amanda Gula, Sophia Heffley, Samuel Jayme, Eden Johnson, Phillip Lepine, Patrick Lepine, Megan Pinzel, Matthew Rizzo, Wynonna Roberts, Ella Rudney, Kosmo Sarigiannis, Emma Schinnagel, John Szczublewski, Kayleigh Vanderzell .
Connor Middle School 3rd Quarter Honor Roll - May 2019
6th GRADE HONOR
Faith Alford, Lucianna Andrzejewski, Andrew Birtz, Morgan Blum, Jaelynn Bolock, Savannah Bukowski, Sophie Cane, Emma Chorey, Gavin Clinton, Abigail Coombs, Antonia Cotroneo, Bryan Decker, Jaskirat Dhillon, Isabela Dombrowski, Samantha Fraser, Nico Fratello, Alyssa Griggs, Luke Gworek, Sydney Hamilton, Ian Hannon, Hannah Hiscock, Leah Hurley, Luke Hutton, Rocquelle Hy, Johanna Jackson, Isabella Jayme, Jierui Jiao, Lily Johnson, Kyle Kowalczewski, Grace Kucinski, Nico Macrides, Peter Marston, Madison McGowan, Hayden Miller, Jolie Mondoux, Jack Nevans, Lauren Olendorf, Cora Pankow, Matthew Pomaranski, Samuel Rastelli, Owen Redfern, Emma Richards, Celine Rizek, Cameron Sargent, Oliver Schmidt, Avery Smith, Anthony Soluri, Morgan Szathmary, Abigail Szyprowski, Chloe Terrana, Carly Tilkins, Siena Vacanti, Anthony Vaccaro-Luttrell, Bridgette Warner, Connor Weber, Olivia Wenner, George Woloszyn, Asher Wright
7th GRADE HONOR
Brianna Barr, Julia Bielec, Alexia Bryant, Gianna Burruano, Lorenzo Buscaglia, Nathan Cioppa, Jacob Clark, Mariella DiCarlo, Taylor Duscher, Nissa Elahi, Samantha Ennis, Samuel Fabiano, Gavin Firmstone, Nicole Forsey, Gianna Genovese, Jenna Gorton, Timothy Grant, Katelyn Grant, Kyle Haines, Hunter Hall, Kayla Harper, Jenna Hecht, Joshua Hoover, Ethan Hovey, Perrin Huff, Nicholas Ingalsbe, Gianna Karnath, Brooke Kenney, Morgan Khadra, Kailey Korkuc, Anna Kurtzhalts, Dominic Leone, Hollyn Lynch, Kyto Magee, Eszter Magyari, Ava Marsala, Natalle Martineck, Hailey Martinez, Olivia Mayer, LilyBeth Mazur, Evan McMann, Nathan Meyers, Gianna Mourgas, Dylan Novak, Brett Nowocien, Kendyl Ode, Nicholas Pilon, Christopher Sadkowski, Emma Santorio, Pearl Sciolino-Coffey, David Squires, Hannah Susman, Kyleigh Ulrich, Dean Urbaniak, John Vinkle, Preston Whitfield, Jaimen Wright, Mackenzie Wright, Ella Zaremski
8th GRADE HONOR
Abigail Bentley, Jacob Berard, Emma Besl, Andrew Burke, Kaitlyn Burns, Julia Capage, Joseph Cicero, Nathaniel Cohen, Lauren Coombs, Emmalee Currie, Riley Decker, Michael Doctor, Anna Donlon, Paul Emmi, Taylor Evans, Caitlin Fay, Sara Fletcher, Aubrey Frank, Anthony Fratello, Sara Glose, Kelsie Greene, Zoe Heider, Jason Hill, William Hofmeyer, Jenalynn Hoy, Julia Juntunen, Jessica Kam, Kendall Keller, Cameron Kitchen, Lily Koslowski, Kathleen Krawczyk, Edward Kwarciak, Ryan Lysenko, Morgan Malush, Sydney Martin, Alexis Martin, Sean Mesmer, Caleb Meyer, Kaylee Montana, Mia Moran, Maia Nowak, Luke O'Brien, Alena Panepinto, Jacob Pangborn, Isabelle Pezdek, Christina Pietromicca, Matthew Rebmann, Gavin Rice, Maelee Roach, Olivia Ryan, Alexis Schad, Serenity Sikora, Ryan Smith, David Still, Annabella Tippett, Marcus Tittle, Mikayla Valentine, Gabrielle Vecio, Patrick Whalen, Erick Wittmann, Michael Zacher
Connor Middle School 3rd Quarter Merit Roll - May 2019
6th GRADE MERIT
Deon Barnes, Olivia Barraclough, Jake Benton, Emma Beringer, Max Black, Bryson Boyle, Zachary Bridenbaker, Cailin Budnik, Amanda Carriero, Giana Caruana, Ryan Cowe, Joshua DeLong, Hailey Donovan, Teresa Dudziak, Danika Fiebelkorn, Hayden Garey, Samuel Grimmelt, Gabriella Guy, Ailish Higman, Austin Irons, Chase Judd, Jayden Kleinschmidt, Sarah Lehan, Michael Leone, Matthew Martin, Brady Moran, Giana Moretta, Colby Okelberry, Addyson Peck, Alejandro Perez, Ryan Sharp, Kailyn Stedman-Pate, Christopher Swain, Vince Trower, Addison Warham, Brody Winarski, Jayce Wylke, Elizabeth Zherebilov.
7th GRADE MERIT
Sarah Ahmed, Lukacz Basiliko, Julianna Burgin, Avery Burroughs, Sabrina Butcher, Caitlyn Butcher, Ella Campas, Emilie Carrig, Barbara Chaves Moutinho, Noah Click, Emma Coburn, Lilliana Conway, Tyler Dworak, Meredith Ehlenfield, Benjamin Farrell, Hannah Higuera, Roman Horvath, Mithil Kara, Averyanna Kehr, Raven Khreis, Sarah Klein, Claire LeFevre, Cayden Luciano, Tyler MacNeil, Fortune Macri, Jillian Manns, Luecas Martin, Joseph Martino, Haylie Mesmer, Madalyn Montes, Kylie Okelberry, Cooper O'Leary, Sierra Palumbo, Aidan Pax, Adia Porter, Torin Roth, Joseph Ruminski, Audrey Satterlee, Elijah Schmidt, Tucker Schoen, Robert Simon, Dylan Simpson, Andrew Smith, Lauren Soluri, Ella Steinwandel, Blake Thauer, Julianna Tiedemann, Sophia Todaro, Annie Weng, Ta'miah Wilkes, Benjamin Wilson
8th GRADE MERIT
Mustafa Ahmad, Salem Al-Hajjaji, Paige Bedell, Ava Brandon, Brendan Carroll, Riley Chen, Michael Christensen, Gavin Cich, Brian Gertis, Lauren Geyer, Christian Giddings, Eric Hamm, Chase Harding, Zander Inman, Katie Jaegers, Brady Jones, Alannah Kaifas-Concha, Jasmeen Kaur, Matthew Lavin, Kendyll Mack, Adriana Mann, Aidan Maroni, Olivia Martinez, Alana Miano, Dylan Murray, Lindsey Olendorf, Giavana Panepinto, Jason Porter, Olivia Pratt, Megan Reynolds, Jack Sharp, Kaden Smith, James Soto, Sophia Steffans, Michael Szumla, Grace VanderMey, Aiden Wagner, Colin Wilton, Aubrey Zdarsky, Niveen Zidan
Connor Middle School Reflections Winners - April 2019
From left: Madelyn Gallagher, Award of Excellence; Evan Pickering, Award of Excellence; Savannah Samplinski, Award of Merit.
The National PTA Reflections program gives students the chance to be creative and express themselves through dance, film, music, literature, photography, and visual arts. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the program, and students created original art to interpret the Reflections theme, “Heroes Around Me.”2019 Girls Basketball Success - March 2019
Back row: M Montes, A Panepinto, M DeCourcey, T Wilkes, J Hoy, S Sikora, G Panepinto, A Neal
Front row: Coach A Meaney, E Steinwandel, K Vanderzell, E Rudney, S Buckingham, L Koslowski, G Vecio, R Joseph, C Steck, Asst Coach K Boutet
The 2019 girls' modified basketball season was a tremendous success, albeit not necessarily in the won-loss column (the girls were 8-6 on the season good for a bronze medal in the NFL). That being said, the girls improved by leaps and bounds over the past few months and many are ready for their upcoming JV season later this year.The seventh graders were a fist of five and earned their own battle scars in their first official campaign. Assistant captain Madelyn Montes showed great promise early in the season, but an unfortunate wrist injury cut short her game exposure. To her credit, Madelyn worked hard to heal and returned for the last two games. Ella Steinwandel, Rachel Joseph, and Charlotte Steck were three solid seventh grade guards that truly came to life as the season moved along. "RJ" proved to have a very reliable jump shot from the field. Ella led all seventh graders in going to the charity stripe because of her interest in driving the lane. Steck's work ethic was unparalleled as she was in the gym, first to practice, almost every day - working on her game as the others filed out of the locker room. In games, her shut-down defense only grew as the season moved along. And finally, Ta'Miah Wilkes - Ta'Miah will be a force down on the block in the years to come. Ta'Miah played hard at both ends of the court and has a soft touch off the glass.
The eighth graders made up the bulk of the squad and are ready to go to JV! There were five veterans and six rookies among them. New to the team (and the school!) is Alexis Neal. Alexis played post and did a solid job learning her plays and her teammates! Another rookie forward was Miranda DeCourcey, who fought hard and also had a very nice understanding of how the backboard worked. Kayleigh Vanderzell was a bit of a tweener; she was listed as a forward, but mostly played at a guard position. Kayleigh scored most of her points in the difficult mid-range jumper area. Speaking of guards, identical twins Alena and Gia Panepinto gave fits to other teams as they buzzed around the court with an almost telepathic knowledge of where the other sister was. Statistically they scored almost 10% of our total season's points. Our final eighth grade rookie was Ella Rudney. Ella missed three games due to an injury, which kept her from joining the storied annals of the Viking Centurions (100 points for a season - list upon request), but she still put up 84. Ella also led the team in fouls with 35, but to quote her, "Hey, I only fouled out of two games". Ella is a gamer who only looks in the mirror when things do not go well for the team. Ella was the MVP for the season and deservedly so.
And finally, our five returners. Samantha Buckingham made all 14 games (not easy with our flu season) and grew as a defender. Samantha was presented with a challenge as a defender and rose to that challenge. At the post was Serenity Sikora, who was second on the team in scoring with 53. Besides the close ones and the put backs, Serenity also had an accurate shot from the elbow. Gabi Vecio was a very solid guard who often drove the lane using either hand - something practced by all but only game used by Gabi. Her efforts in the Niagara Wheatfield game were something to behold - she was a true warrior. Guard Lily Koslowski was a crowd favorite - hitting the trey four times during the season. Lily is a good passer and a team leader. She is supportive of all and plays her heart out - she will truly be missed. And finally, Captain Jenna Hoy. Jenna led the team in playing time and charity stripe visits. Jenna served as a point guard because the team needed it and she was an important piece to the Viking puzzle this year. She was a strong rebounder and she will play an important role with JV next year.
Many thanks for a wonderful season made possible by players, parents, fans, the scorekeeper who shall remain nameless, and Assistant Coach Kate Boutet Go girls!
VCMS Students Youth In Art Month Display - March 2019
Caitlin Fay
From left: Saleh Saleh, Emma Schinnagel
The work of 20 Veronica Connor Middle School students can currently be seen in the Community Meeting Room of the Grand Island Public Library during regular library hours. The show celebrates the talents of middle school students and highlights the learning taking place through the visual arts at the school. Work in a wide variety of visual media, display the ways in which students use art as a language, reacting and engaging with the world around them. Pastel paintings, self-portraits in a wide variety of media and landscapes are among the works featured.The display is an annual undertaking for students at VCMS, in honor of Youth In Art Month. The annual observance began nationwide 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.
Students at Connor Middle School join thousands of other students across the US in participating in activities to mark the occasion. Among its many goals, Youth In Art Month 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.
Student participants; all grade 8: Julia Capage, Berin Celik, Kaylee Click, Lauren Coombs, Natalyn Cordero, Riley Crosby, Miranda DeCourcey, Caitlin Fay, Aubrey Frank, Samantha Klein, Kendyll Mack, Maria Novelli, Megan Pinzel, Jada Rastelli, Wynonna Roberts, Saleh Saleh, Alexis Schad, Emma Schinnagel, Annabella Tippett, Riley Chen, Erica Marshall and Erick Wittmann. The Grand Island Community is cordially invited to view the students’ work which will remain on display throughout the month of March.
Connor Middle School 2nd Quarter High Honor Roll - February 2019
6th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Camilla Acquisto, Ghaliya Ahmed, Faith Alford, Lydia Amato, Gianni Anello, Kailyn Ash, Aubree Battaglia, Andrew Birtz, Jaelynn Bolock, Lily Burke, Samantha Burridge, Isabella Burt, Lauren Caizza, Grace Carpenter, Norah Carroll, Nicholas Castellino, Tori Cecere, Alper Celik, Anna Cipollitti, Arianna Conta, Abigail Coombs, Antonia Cotroneo, Jacob Csicseri, Diana DeAngelo, Isabela Dombrowski, Skye Dreher, Ryan Evans, Noah Evert, Addison Flegal, Samantha Fraser, Madelyn Gallagher, Grace Gramza, Hailey Green, Jacob Hamilton, Ian Hannon, Jacob Hazel, Catherine Hegarty, Hannah Hiscock, Leah Hurley, Isabella Jayme, Lily Johnson, Logan Kochanowski, Natalie Kopf, Sully Korte, Richard Kwarciak, Nicholas Lindsay, Annabelle Linenfelser, Natalie Malush, Gianna Masker, Joshua McAuliffe, Chloe Meinhart, Jolie Mondoux, Jaxen Montana, Keira Murray, Liberty Novak, Liam O'Kell, Alexandra Oldman, Lauren Olendorf, Arabella Pagoada, Cora Pankow, Rae Pfalzer, Evan Pickering, Alyssa Pizur, Lorelei Popp, Ryan Rai, Samuel Rastelli, Owen Redfern, Layla Rein, Megan Reynolds, Adelyn Roach, Savannah Samplinski, Jackson Schmidt, Oliver Schmidt, Jelena Simic, Gianna Simone, Avery Smith, Juliana Smith, Anthony Soluri, Morgan Szathmary, Abigail Szyprowski, Melaina Taylor, Chloe Terrana, Melina Valle, Kaitlyn Wadman, Mikayla Wagner, Zoe Anna Weselak, Cole Zorich
7th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jack Benns, Emily Birtz, Alma Brown, Victoria Caizza, Samuel Castner, Douglas Crowley, Kathryn Czyrny, Kaitlyn Dudek, Giovanni Granelli, Brady Hillman, Tyler Hoock, Alexandra Jensen, Jacob Joseph, Rachel Joseph, Patrick Kruse, Anna Kurtzhalts, Braeden Lenhard, Elijah Linenfelser, Sarah Lysarz, Eszter Magyari, Zainab Masoodi, LilyBeth Mazur, Addison McNulty, Tessa Morris, Georgiana Nowak, Kristina Potenza, Aleksander Pyc, Megan Rebmann, Adam Schnell, Emma Schoenrock, Ryan Stravino, Micaila Valle, Christian Vanini, Gabriella VeRost, Casey Walowitz, George Wenner, Brayden Willats, Luke Winarski, Alexandra Woloszyn, Catherine Zach, Ella Zaremski, Gerald Zientara
8th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Samantha Buckingham, Berin Celik, Joseph Cicero, Lauren Coombs, Natalyn Cordero, Reagan Fast, Caitlin Fay, Logan Fox, Aubrey Frank, Jackson Frey, Sophia Heffley, Samuel Jayme, Eden Johnson, Julia Juntunen, Kendall Keller, Kathleen Krawczyk, Patrick Lepine, Phillip Lepine, Maia Nowak, Megan Pinzel, Matthew Rizzo, Wynonna Roberts, Emma Schinnagel, John Szczublewski, Erick Wittmann .
Connor Middle School 2nd Quarter Honor Roll - February 2019
6th GRADE HONOR
Morgan Andrews, Lucianna Andrzejewski, Olivia, Barraclough, Morgan Blum, Zachary Bridenbaker, Cailin Budnik, Matthew Burridge, Sophie Cane, Giana Caruana, Emma Chorey, Brooke Christensen, Gavin Clinton, Samantha Crist, Bryan Decker, Jaskirat Dhillon, Hailey Donovan, Nico Fratello, Hayden Garey, Alyssa Griggs, Samuel Grimmelt, Gabriella Guy, Luke Gworek, Sydney Hamilton, Ailish Higman, Luke Hutton, Rocquelle Hy, Johanna Jackson, Jierui Jiao, Kyle Kowalczewski, Grace Kucinski, Rahul Leone, Nico Macrides, Peter Marston, Madison McGowan, Cameron Miano, Hayden Miller, Giana Moretta, Jack Nevans, Addyson Peck, Matthew Pomaranski, Emma Richards, Cameron Sargent, Ryan Sharp, Shauna Stevens, Carly Tilkins, Pavneet Toor, Siena Vacanti, Anthony Vaccaro-Luttrell, Addison Warham, Bridgette Warner, Connor Weber, Olivia Wenner, Brody Winarski, George Woloszyn, Asher Wright, Elizabeth Zherebilov
7th GRADE HONOR
Brianna Barr, Julia Bielec, Isabella Boyle, Alexia Bryant, Gianna Burruano, Brooke Caldwell, Barbara Chaves Moutinho, Nathan Cioppa, Jacob Clark, Mariella DiCarlo, Brigid Dugan, Taylor Duscher, Samuel, Fabiano, Brandon Farquharson, Gavin Firmstone, Nicole Forsey, Gianna Genovese, Jenna Gorton, Timothy Grant, Hunter Hall, Kayla Harper, Jenna Hecht, Roman Horvath, Nicholas Ingalsbe, Gianna Karnath, Brooke Kenney, Morgan Khadra, Raven Khreis, Mikaela Kitchen, Kailey Korkuc, Dominic Leone, Kaleigh Lockett, Hollyn Lynch, Kyto Magee, Jillian Manns, Ava Marsala, Luecas Martin, Natalle Martineck, Hailey Martinez, Evan McMann, Haylie Mesmer, Nathan Meyers, Madalyn Montes, Dylan Novak, Brett Nowocien, Kendy, Ode, Cameron Pachura, Nicholas Pilon, Adia Porter, Emma Santorio, Audrey Satterlee, Pearl Sciolino-Coffey, Lauren Soluri, David Squires, Charlotte Steck, Hannah Susman, Kyleigh Ulrich, John Vinkle, Preston Whitfield, Jaimen Wright, Mackenzie Wright
8th GRADE HONOR
Abigail Bentley, Jacob Berard, Emma Besl, Andrew Burke, Julia Capage, Elizabeth Carpenter, Riley Chen, Michael Christensen, Nathaniel Cohen, Emmalee Currie, Riley Decker, Michael Doctor, Anna Donlon, Paul Emmi, Taylor Evans, Sara Fletcher, Madison Flory, Anthony Fratello, Lauren Geyer, Sara Glose, Amanda Gula, Zoe Heider, Jason Hill, Jenalynn Hoy, Alannah Kaifas-Concha, Jessica Kam, Lily Koslowski, Edward Kwarciak, Morgan Malush, Sydney Martin, Sean Mesmer, Alana Miano, Kaylee Montana, Mia Moran, Luke O'Brien, Lindsey Olendorf, Alena Panepinto, Christina Pietromicca, Olivia Pratt, Arden Randle, Matthew Rebmann, Gavin Rice, Maelee Roach, Ella Rudney, Olivia Ryan, Kosmo Sarigiannis, Serenity Sikora, Ryan Smith, Kaden Smith, David Still, Annabella Tippett, Marcus Tittle, Grace VanderMey, Kayleigh Vanderzell, Patrick Whalen, Michael Zacher
Connor Middle School 2nd Quarter Merit Roll - February 2019
6th GRADE MERIT
Ethan Andriaccio, Deon Barnes, Jake Benton, Max Black, Bryson Boyle, Savannah Bukowski, Brady Butler, Joshua DeLong, Teresa Dudziak, Ruairi Higman, Parker Inman, Austin Irons, Chase Judd, Jayden Kleinschmidt, Brady Maroni, Matthew Martin, Brandon McCreary, Samantha Mesmer, Brady Moran, Leah Nickerson, Charlotte Nowak, Colby Okelberry, Rylee Pachla, Jackx Pendola, Alejandro Perez, Kaitlyn Powell, Celine Rizek, Mavrick Rumsey, Scarlett Sniadecki, Kailyn Stedman-Pate, Christopher Swain, Vince Trower, Alexandra Watt, Jayce Wylke .
7th GRADE MERIT
Sarah Ahmed, Callee Bartolotta, Lukacz Basiliko, Julianna Burgin, Lorenzo Buscaglia, Sabrina Butcher, Caitlyn Butcher, Emilie Carrig, Emma Coburn, Lilliana Conway, Audrey Dickinson, Tyler Dworak, Meredith Ehlenfield, Nissa Elahi, Samantha Ennis, Katelyn Grant, Kyle Haines, Hannah Higuera, Joshua Hoover, Ethan Hovey, Perrin Huff, Grace Jones, Averyanna Kehr, Ranier Khan, Sarah Klein, Claire LeFevre, Cayden Luciano, Olivia Mayer, Gianna Mourgas, Kylie Okelberry, Cooper O'Leary, Aidan Pax, Isidora Ristic, Torin Roth, Joseph Ruminski, Christopher Sadkowski, Elijah Schmidt, Austin Shores, Robert Simon, Dylan Simpson, Andrew Smith, Avery Snyder, Ella Steinwandel, Blake Thauer, Sophia Todaro, Dean Urbaniak, Annie Weng, Ta'miah Wilkes, Benjamin Wilson
8th GRADE MERIT
Paige Bedell, Makayla Bender, Ava Brandon, Kaitlyn Burns, Brendan Carroll, Riley Crosby, Miranda DeCourcey, Rebecca Dilliot, Kayla Donovan, Christian Giddings, Kelsie Greene, Sarah Grover, Eric Hamm, Chase Harding, William Hofmeyer, Mackenzie Ingalsbe, Zander Inman, Brady Jones, Harmanjeet Kaur, Jasmeen Kaur, Cameron Kitchen, Sydney Knight, Matthew Lavin, Ryan Lysenko, Adriana Mann, Aidan Maroni, Alexis Martin, Caleb Meyer, Dylan Murray, Marissa Novack, Cody Okelberry, Carson Page, Jacob Pangborn, Isabelle Pezdek, Jackson Quinn, Megan Reynolds, Saleh Saleh, Alexis Schad, Madison Schneider, Jack Sharp, James Soto, Gabrielle Vecio, Aiden Wagner, Aubrey Zdarsky, Niveen Zidan
Amelia Earhart Inspiring Careers in STEM - February 2019
Dr. Stacey Watt.
Middle School teacher Mary Jane Fonte sent in the following:In the Connor Middle School Family & Consumer Science Class, we use our math skills to calculate the number of "wake ups" for a career in an average person’s lifespan. Using milestone years to which our students can relate, we figure that approximately 10,000 days or more will be spent in one’s vocation. How does one get more students to spend the vast majority of those days, as Dr. Stacey Watt described in The Swing Theory as "laughing and enjoying the success of soaring above the ground" rather than just sitting and waiting for the hands of the analog clock to spin? How can the Western New York Community come together to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics studies and careers to open up a more expansive universe of possibilities? As Amelia Earhart once stated: "The most effective way to do it, is to do it."
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Grand Island Distinguished Alumni Dr. Stacey Watt, our first ever Amelia Earhart Inspiring Careers in STEM was held right here at Grand Island High School in January. A large representation of STEM related careers was heard as presenters had very inspiring messages for the educators/parents and of course, students in attendance.
Wishing to share the evening with ALL seventh graders, including those that could not be there, career essays were written that culminated the Family and Consumer Science Career Exploration Unit. Quotes from: UB Assistant Professor Christine Schaner Tooley, UB Engineering Student Olivia Gustafson, MD-PhD UB Student Mary Gallo and Pilot Lisa Hotung were included in the writing pieces. (Time and space constraints prevented quoting the entire panel; there is always next year!) The finished pieces were bound and shared with Dr. Watt and her entire panel of speakers. Author, Anesthesiologist and UB Medical School Anesthesiology Program Director Dr. Stacey Watt saw a need in our Grand Island community and took Amelia Earhart’s advice!
VCMS Student is February Artist of the Month - February 2019
Erick Wittmann proudly displays his recently completed self-portrait, inspired by the artist M.C. Escher.
Each year, the Art Department of the Grand Island schools recognizes and celebrates many of its top artistic achievers with the “K-12 Artist of the Month” award. Presented to ten students annually, the award highlights the varied accomplishments and achievements of district students who excel artistically and who creatively solve problems by using a wide variety of media to express and find their own unique artistic voices. The student selected for February, 2019 is Erick Wittmann, an accelerated eighth grade art student currently enrolled in Studio in Art at Connor Middle School.Erick is an extremely talented young artist who meticulously applies himself fully to each and every art assignment, often doing more than is required. He strives to do his best and is adept in a wide variety of media. Art for Erick is a natural vehicle for expressing ideas and visually solving problems. He is a well-rounded and thoughtful young artist who displays abundant creativity. His determination and sense of artistic quality sets a high bar in class. He pursues excellence and is an eager, enthusiastic learner.
Erick’s art teacher cites his positive attitude and work ethic, along with his artistic ability as reasons he was selected for this award. He is a student whose abilities, artistic potential and creativity set him apart and mark him as exemplary. The art department is proud to recognize Erick as their "Artist of the Month" for February, 2019.
VCMS Students Named NCCC Tech Wars Overall Middle School Champion - January 2019
Forty-eight VCMS students have worked on Tech War projects since October and took overall champion at the Jan. 8 competition at NCCC.
Click above photo for larger view.
Paul Emmi (left) and Joe Fatta took first-place overall in the Mousetrap car event with a distance of 109 feet.
A group of 48 eighth-graders put their tech expertise on display and earned the overall Middle School championship at the annual Tech Wars at NCCC.The Veronica E. Connor Middle School group, under the guidance of technology teachers Michael Nucci and David Bowman, competed against 23 other schools and over 700 students. Once again, VCMS was declared the overall Middle School Champion, earning 16 points. The next closest competitor had nine points. Individuals earn five points for a first-place finish, three points for second and one point for third, which all go to the team total. The VCMS team has been working on their projects since late October.
In the Mousetrap car event, the team of Paul Emmi and Joe Fatta raced to first-place overall with a distance of 109 feet. Maelee Roach came in a close second as her car travelled 105 feet.
In the CO2 car event, all six of the cars raced their way into the top eight slots. Eden Johnson’s car blasted down the 6-foot track in .914 seconds which was good for second overall. Berin Celik’s car wasn’t far behind as she brought home a third-place finish.
The combined HS/MS Bridge event boasted the largest field of 98 competitors. Kelsie Greene and Amanda Gula built their way to number three on the podium. They were the number one Middle School competitor, being beaten only by two high school groups.
In the On-Site Engineering competition, students do not find out the problem they have to solve until they arrive on location. There were 17 entries in the event and VCMS students Phillip Lepine and Matthew Rebmann took second overall. Out of the 17 groups, 14 of them were high school students.
VCMS Chess Club Win Team Championship - January 2019
From left: Sammy May, Jierui Jiao, Ms. Szczublewski, Matthew Burridge, Hayden Garey, Asher Wright, Kaitlyn Wadman, Aleksander Pyc, and Mithil Kara.
From left - (USCF Rated Team) John Paul Szczublewski, Abi Selvakumar, and Tanner Hawley.
Over the last three years, the Veronica Connor Middle School Chess Club has been making a winning statement in Western New York. On Saturday January 12, 2019, eleven members of the Veronica Connor Middle School Chess Club were awarded the team championship as they competed in the W.N.Y. Blizzard Bowl Scholastic Team Chess Tournament held in Elma, NY.This is a repeat win as the chess players claimed the top prize last year in the Blizzard Bowl Tournament. Since the club's inception in 2016, the chess players have entered many tournaments as individual players with many individual place finishes. However, over the last two years the chess players have entered four team tournaments and have taken the top spot twice and claimed third place in two other team events. Chess Club Advisor, Ms. Susan Szczublewski, credits the club's overall success to the students' enthusiasm and desire to improve each and every week. Currently, the club boasts over 40 students.
Congratulations goes out to: Jierui Jiao, Aleksander Pyc, Sammy May, Kaitlyn Wadman, Asher Wright, Matthew Burridge, Mithil Kara, and Hayden Garey who took 1st place Saturday in the unrated division against 8 other area schools. Special congratulations goes out to: Tanner Hawley, Abi Selvakumar, and John Paul Szczublewski who tied for 2nd and 3rd place in the USCF rated division where 16 other schools competed in their division. Six of our players also captured individual trophies for their fantastic chess performances.
On Saturday February 9, 2019, Veronica Connor Middle School will host the Valentine's Scholastic Chess Tournament at Grand Island High School.
