Although Bayonne High School isn’t scheduled to hold its graduation until June 22, the school took time to acknowledge its academic leaders at a special ceremony on June 8, an annual tradition in which students are honored in various areas.
While the Circle of Ten – which represents the 10 highest ranking achievers in each year’s graduating class – gets significant attention and will receive their awards during the actual graduation ceremony, June 8 is designed to honor those other students who left their mark over the last four years by collecting their own impressive record of achievement.
The Senior Awards Ceremony was held in the high school auditorium, where family and friends gathered to pay tribute to students of achievements.
“These are students from Bayonne High School who over the last four years have done wonderful things.” – Richard Baccarrella
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While these students have received accolades throughout those years, this night brings them together with their parents in a more formal way.
This year’s Valedictorian Award goes to Christopher Samy, who ranked first in the graduating class of 592 students. The Salutatorian Award goes to Jacqueline Pelliccio. They are the top two members of a group called “The Circle of Ten,” or the top academic achievers in the Class of 2011.
The other members of this exclusive group include Shanice Casimiro, Hina Sana Ullah, Marc Mankarious, Nicholas Ferreira, Muhhamad Sheikh, Justyna Flynn, Hussein Eid, and Sean Marko.
While these students get fully profiled in their own story in the “Bayonne Community News”each year, other students were also honored during the ceremonies.
“We’re very proud of these students,” said Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia McGeehan.
Scholarships and awards
With the exception of the Circle of Ten – whose awards will be featured in the June 22 edition of the “Bayonne Community News” – these are the awards given to students of the Class of 2011:
Chelsea Aceti received a District Director of Athletics Award; Elizabeth Ackerley received the Herschel Silverman Poetry Award; Zackery Aguilar received the Lawson Family Blue Collar Student Athlete Award; Alie Ahmed received at U.S. Army Reserve Honor Scholar Athlete Award; Wilfredo Alvizures received the Italian Language Award; and Amgad Armanus received a Perfect Attendance Award.
Timothy Balance received a BHS Hockey Alumni Award; Jenna Bandinelli received the Randy Capriola Scholarship; Martyna Bezrudczyk received the Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union Award; Jennifer Bieliauskas received a Pablo Rivera Scholarship; Justyna Bondaruk received the Student Activities Award; Jessica Brenner received a Bee Spirit Award in athletics; Kimberly Brower received a Bee Spirit Award in athletics; and Danielle Bunting received the Smith-Fabyanski Award.
Daniel Centeno received a Perfect Attendance Award; Salvatore Colonna received a District Director of Athletics Award; and Nicholas Cordato received a UNICO Brian Piccolo Award and an Athletic Trainer’s Award.
Andrea D’Agostino received the National John Philip Sousa Award; Patryk Dawidczyk received the Dr. Cornella Scholarship; Elise DeRosa received a Pablo Rivera Scholarship; Larry Di Rienzo received a Perfect Attendance Award; Reyna Dominguez received the French Language Award; Mostafa Douban received the Rochelle Henriques Memorial Scholarship; and Hussein Eid received the U.S Marine Corp Athlete Award.
Ryan Feuer received a New Jersey Foreign Language Teacher’s Association Award; Massimo Gagliardi received the Student Self Advocacy Award and the Rotary Citizenship Award; Sean Gallagher received the 2011 Semper Fidelis Award for musical excellence; Michael Godeanu received a BHS Hockey Alumni Award; and Kristi Del Guidice received a Perfect Attendance Award.
Mary Hassaballa received the Diane M. Skutnick Award and the Geoffrey Lisk Memorial Award for excellence in biology and chemistry; John Paul Herrera received the Iron Man Award for perseverance, determination, and hard work in athletics; Katey Ann Hurley received the Mary Sharkey Ives Award and a Spanish Award; Chelsea Jeskie received the Leadership Achievement Award, the Rotary Scholarship, the Lauren Wendroff Memorial Award, and President of the Student Council Award; Alexa Kopaczreceived a Bee Spirit Award in athletics; Kerrie Kosakowski received the NJSIAA Women in Sports Award and the Smith Family Award; and Alexander Lopez received the Barrier Electric Scholarship.
Marc Mankarious Gabriel Massa received the Latin Award; Dana McGee received the Edmund Lyndeck Award;
Edward McGurr received the Smith Family Hockey Award; Jeff McKeon received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award; Rebecca Merrick received the Society of Women Engineers Scholarship; Bilal Milak received a Spanish Award; Lusia Montalvo received a Bernie Ockene Memorial Basketball Award; Ryan Moore received a Pablo Rivera Scholarship; and Nicolette Mariano received a UNICO Brian Piccolo Award.
Lian O’Donnell received the Jacobsen Scholarship; Tara O’Donnell received the Choral Parents Award and the SHIA Saltzman Drama Award; Nikki Orlowski received the Enzo De Luca Memorial Award; and David Ortiz received the Bess Bramson Memorial Award.
Jason Park received the Frank Tirrito Memorial Award; Ana Petrillo received the Mariam Giglio Music Scholarship and the National School Choral Award; Tahne Pettiford received the Cappello Family Award for a future career in business; Vincenzo Piccolo received a Northeast Conference Award; Alyse Poggiali received at U.S. Army Reserve Honor Scholar Athlete Award; and Rebecca Poggiali received the Joan H. Rosen Arts Advocacy Scholarship.
Akram Ramdan received the Isadore Chertoff Award for excellence in mathematics;
Jennelle Ramdeen received the Art Award and the Bayonne High School Photography Club Award; Steven Roberts received a Bernie Ockene Memorial Basketball Award; Anthony Rodriguez received the Robert V. Graham Memorial Ceramics Scholarship; and Jamie Ruggirello received the Harmon Mudd Award for excellence in economics.
Alyssa Scrudato received a Perfect Attendance Award, a New Jersey Foreign Language Teacher’s Association Award, and a Dr. Richard J. Malanowski Scholarship; Jessica Solari received a Bee Spirit Award in athletics; Courtney Spellman received the Society of Women Engineers Scholarship; Jordan Taylor received the Dr. David Morris Award from the Bayonne Chapter of the NAACP; Paige Terracciano received the Bernard Ockene Award for excellence in business education; and Jillian Tomace received the HCIAL Scholar Athlete Award.