BHS announces Circle of Ten

Principal Richard J. Baccarella, principal of Bayonne High School, is proud to announce the Bayonne High School Class of 2011 Circle of Ten. These outstanding scholars will be the first to receive their diplomas at the annual commencement exercises, to be held on Wednesday, June 22, at 6 p.m.
The 2011 Circle of Ten award winners, in order of ranking, are: 1) Christopher Samy (valedictorian); 2) Jacqueline Pelliccio, (salutatorian); 3) Shanice Casimiro; 4) Hina SanaUllah; 5) Marc Mankarious; 6) Nicholas H. Ferreira; 7) Muhammad Sheikh; 8) Justyna Flynn; 9) Hussein G. Eid; 10) Sean Marko.
Christopher Samy (valedictorian), will be attending Rutgers University New Brunswick in the fall with plans to major in cell biology and neuroscience, with a possible minor in business. He has received numerous scholarships and grants, including a full ride to Rutgers University.
During his time at Bayonne High School, Samy was identified as a superior student in the math and science areas. He has earned Principal’s Honors, First Honor Roll, and is a member of the esteemed Spanish Honor Society and National Honor Society, for which he served as president. He has also earned Student of the Month by the Rotary Club, as well as perfect attendance.
Throughout all his years in high school, he has participated in the most rigorous advanced placement and honors courses. He is a member of the Science Club (for which he also served as president), Math Club, Science League, Chess Club, and Table Tennis Club. Samy has also participated in the Proyecto Science program and the ACS Project SEED summer research program. His research project/presentation for the ACS summer program finished first (in the top 5 percent) out of 150 competitors in the North Jersey section. He has also competed in the Junior Science Symposium and the Hudson County Science Fair.
Samy has volunteered at the 21st Century Learning Center, and outside of school, he is a member of the St. Mark’s basketball team in Jersey City.
Christopher is the son of Safwat and Amany Samy, and has both a younger sister and older brother, Maureen and Bishoy.
Jacqueline Pelliccio (salutatorian) will be attending Rutgers University New Brunswick, majoring in English. Her career goal is to become a high school English teacher. Jacqueline has received thousands of dollars in scholarship money, which includes the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Scarlet Scholarship.
While at Bayonne High School, Pelliccio has been a First Honor Roll student. She was inducted into the National Honor Society and the National Italian Honor Society. She is involved in the most rigorous advanced placement courses. She also participated in sports and music.
Pelliccio is an All American Scholar, was a semi-finalist in the New Jersey Scholars Program, received the Pi Award, the World Language Award, the N.J. ETS Scholar Athlete Award, and the Social Studies Award.
In addition to academics, Pelliccio participated in Relay for Life events, does tutoring, and helps at her church’s soup kitchen. Also, she was the valedictorian of her elementary graduating class in 2007.
She is the daughter of Barbara and Ralph Pelliccio Jr., and has a sister, Nicole, and two brothers, Anthony and Michael.
In the fall of 2011, Shanice Casimiro will attend the University of Chicago to double major in English language and literature and international relations, and minor in either human rights, creative writing, dance, or art. Upon graduation, she plans to extend her studies to pursue both a master’s and a doctorate degree. Her long-term goal is to be a journalist, editor, and writer with establishments overseas with a focus on human rights.
Casimiro was on the First Honor Roll and received Principal’s Honors throughout all four years of high school. She was inducted into the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, and the National Society of High School Scholars. Also, she is an All American Scholar, an Edward J. Bloustein Scholar, and a Robert C. Byrd Scholar.
Casimiro’s activities include Student Council, Academic Challenge captain, “The Beacon,” Art Club, and BHS Color Guard, just to name a few.
Outside of school, she is highly involved in dance. Since the age of eight, she has trained at the Bayonne Professional School of Performing Arts in tap, ballet, jazz, and pointe.
She is the daughter of Rosanna Rodriguez.
Hina SanaUllah will attend the prestigious Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University this fall. She intends to pursue a major in pharmacy in the Doctor of Pharmacy Program. Her dream is to combine modern medicine with traditional homeopathy in search for cures for some of mankind’s most intriguing dilemmas in medicine. She also plans to pursue a side career as a novelist, and would like to open a library.
SanaUllah has successfully taken advanced placement and honors courses in a variety of subjects throughout her four years of high school. She has attained both Principal Honors and First Honors consistently. She won the English Award and has been inducted into the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. The Constitution Competition at Trenton, Science League, Art Club, Muslim Student Association, and Academic Challenge are only a few of the clubs that she has been involved with. She has also been an active member of the Student Council. Her works of art were displayed at the Meadowlands Art Expo in Secaucus.
Outside of school, SanaUllah has volunteered to participate in the Relay for Life events and has tutored at elementary schools. After school, Hina also devotes her time in religious activities, reads books of all genres, writes for pleasure, draws, and plays tennis.
She is a role model in her home, as she is the eldest of four children and the first to attend a college in the United States.
SanaUllah is the proud daughter of Sofia SanaUllah and SanaUllah and the loving sister of Ahmed, Amnah, and Ameera.
Marc Mankarious will be attending the Honors College at Rutgers University next fall as an undergraduate, aiming for a degree in biochemistry. He hopes to, in the future, obtain a Ph.D. in biochemistry. Furthermore, Marc received nearly a full scholarship, covering tuition for all four years of college. He was also named a Project SEED Scholar and received a scholarship from the American Chemical Society.
He handles and excelled in the challenge of advanced placement and honors courses at BHS, and participated in team sports and after school activities, such as soccer, wrestling, and boys’ tennis. He was a member of the Science League and Science Club, and participated on the Mock Trial Team. Mankarious also was inducted into the National Honor Society.
Mankarious is the son of Mourice R. Mankarious and Angail L. Habashy. He has a younger brother, John.
Nicholas Ferreira will be attending New York University in the fall, where he plans to major in pre-law. He was accepted to New York University with a scholarship to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Throughout high school, he has taken the most challenging advanced placement courses. He also participated in the Boys’ State program at Rider University, which allowed him to comprehend how the government functions, and to meet people involved in the business, law, and political professions.
Nicholas is the son of Michael and Eve Hanakis.
Muhammad Sheikh will be attending Rutgers University in the fall of 2011. Sheikh received numerous scholarships and grants, such as the Chancellor Scholarship. He will be attending the prestigious six-year Doctor of Pharmacy program at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.
Throughout his four years at Bayonne High School, Sheikh has been the recipient of First Honor Roll and Principal’s Honors several times. He has taken honors and advanced placement classes in mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics. Sheikh was also inducted into the National Honor Society, and was an active member of the Science League, Science Club, Latin Club, Math Club, Future Business Leaders of America, and the Muslim Student Association.
Outside of academics, Sheikh played football for BHS. He was also active in both the Bayonne Adult Recreation Football and Basketball leagues. During the summer of his junior year, in addition, he worked with New York Public Interest Research Group with the outreach program for environmental issues.
Sheikh is the son of Idrees and Rehana Sheikh. He has one sister, Miriam, and two brothers, Suleman and Arsalan.
Justyna Flynn will be attending Loyola University in Maryland, where she will likely major in mathematics or science, a career in which she will help others – either through a teaching position or as a healthcare professional.
She was in honors classes in precalculus/trigonometry and statistics, and in an advanced placement course for Calculus. Her extra-curricular activities include the varsity soccer team and the Mock Trial team. She has worked as a student trainer during the school year and as a camp counselor during the summer, and volunteers her time to youth basketball, ice hockey, and cheerleading programs in the city.
In addition to the Circle of Ten, Flynn was the BHS winner of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Award and the Bayonne High School Trainer’s Award. She was also awarded an educational grant by Investors’ Savings Bank. Additionally, she is a member of the National Honor Society and has consistently been named to the First Honor Roll while at BHS.
Flynn is the oldest of the three children of James and Monica Flynn. Her parents are, respectively, an attorney and educator. She has two younger brothers, Michael, a freshman at Bayonne High School, and Anthony, a fourth grader at Walter F. Robinson School.
Hussein G. Eid will be attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the fall as an undergraduate for biomedical engineering. He is a part of the joint-degree program NJIT has with UMDNJ, and will be participating in their joint physical therapy degree program.
As a student at BHS, Eid was involved in advanced placement and honors courses, and also was inducted into the National Honor Society.
Besides receiving Honor Roll grades, Eid also participated in extra curricular activities, such as the swim team, tennis team, Mock Trial Team, and Science Seminar, and he also belonged to the Muslim Student Association.
Hussein is the son of Mervat and Galal Eid, and has two older brothers, Ahmed and Ayman.
Sean Marko will be attending Rowan University, located in Glassboro, N.J., in the fall, where he will major in civil and environmental engineering.
Marko has achieved First Honor Roll and Principal’s Honors numerous times throughout his academic career. His rigorous schedule included honors and advanced placement courses in mathematics and science. He was inducted into the National Honor Society his junior year and was voted vice president his senior year. Throughout his years in high school, Marko was also a member of the Math Club, Science League, and Rod and Reel Club.
In athletics, Marko has been a four-year baseball player, a three-year soccer player, and as a senior played varsity football. He has also been captain for several of those teams. Marko was honored in receiving the HCIAL Scholar Athlete Award.
Sean is the son of Richard and Patti Lynn Marko. He has one brother, David Marko, a junior at BHS.