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Grand Island High School News Web Page 2014

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Principal
Dan Quartley



Sports Briefs - December 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 12/18/2014"




GIHS DECA & Student Council Assist Neighbors Foundation - December 2014

From left: McLain Erhard, Cole Klein, Colin Osborn and Jordan Piershalski.

DECA and Student Council member. Click above photo for larger view.

   The holiday tradition of helping the Grand Island Neighbors Foundation with food distribution for the "Share Your Happiness" campaign began in 1995 for GIHS DECA students. A few years ago, Student Council members joined in the mission and each year it grows in numbers. The GIHS Student Council has a contest for classrooms to collect the most non-perishable food items and students in every class donate. During this time of hardship for some, it is wonderful to see the high school rally to help others. The food collection hit an all time high of 11 pallets this year. Last year was a record year and nine pallets were filled. A total of 53 families will be getting food, gifts and gift cards this year through the generosity of many Island residents.




Casey's Corner Cares - December 2014

From left: Marie Tomasula, Hailey Randle, Lexi Conway, Mary Elisabeth Rustowicz, Mary Jane Fonte, Emily Fuoco, Maggie Rustowicz, Cassidy Siebert, and Sabrina Mistriner.

   Once again during this season of giving, Casey's Corner School Store at Grand Island High School held a fund-raiser to benefit those less fortunate. Students frosted and sold, donated brownies from Rich's Foods and the proceeds went to former student Lauren Fonte's toy drive for children, "Operation Christmas Child." This year, children at Hyde Park Elementary will benefit from the charity of others. This is just one of many organizations that Cheryl Chamberlain's DECA and business students give back to throughout the year as part of charitable donations and service learning.




Sports Briefs - December 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 12/11/2014"




GIHS 1st Quarter High Honor Roll - December 2014


9th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Tori Appoloney, Tyler Bernatovicz, Ryan Buzby, Emily Cordero, Julianna DeSimone, Jenette DiLaura, Jordan Eckrote, Alana Enright, John Griffin, Alicia Haak, Madelyn Heyden, Jennifer Hinaman, Marissa Hovey, Anam Hussain, Cross Kalp, Carly Lawson, Anthony Leone, Chloe McQuestion, Hallie Mingoia, Natalie O'Brien, Taylor Raine, Megan Stanley, Jack Steinagel, Andrew Thompson, Luke Traina, Olivia VeRost, Sara Wolcott

10th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Kristen Atkinson, Theresa Baughman, Julia Buscaglia, Conner Buzby, Sophia Castillo, Jacob Dollendorf, Todd Domowicz, Adam Frosolone, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Richard Hoover, Olivia Johnson, Amanda Jordan, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Julia Koprevich, Adam Krathaus, Jason Kubanek, Lauren LoTempio, Ryan McDonald, Catherine Merletti, Owen Morrish, Kassie Moss, Kayli Nelson, Claire O'Connor, Jennalise Olson, Lindsay Proctor, Garrett Robinson, Lucas Robinson, Alexa Rogers, MaryElizabeth Rustowicz, Emma Schultz, Jessica Surace, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb, Caitlin Young

11th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Emily Augugliaro, Austin Blair, Natalie Braun, Zachary Breeden, Madison Brown, Justine Cardone, Andrew Carlson, Cameron Colan, Adam Dryfhout, Hilal Eyimaya, Bridget Federico, Benjamin Freedman, Kaitlin Hoy, Joseph Kulikowski, Sarah Moseley, Emelie-jo Scheffler, Amber Schwinn, Cassie Shickluna, Cassidy Siebert, Cameron Smith, Melanie Sweeney, Eric Watt, Brian Wynne

12th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jessica Ackendorf, Ryan Allen, Joshua Barrett, Bradley Boreali, Alessia Cantoni, Caitlin Conlon, Kayla Conway, Nancy Dahlquist, Katherine Diefenbach, Julia Drozdowsky, Eric Dudley, Justin Figler, Katherine Fonte, Alexander Garey, Taylor Latvala, Michaela McMahon, Alexandra Miller, Michael Podgorny, Kailtyn Rudney, Margaret Rustowicz, Melissa Ullrich, Rebecca Wall, James Wilson



GIHS Honor Roll - December 2014


9th GRADE HONOR
Sama Abdelal, Rachael Acomb, Naushairwan Asif, Colin Bellinger, Evan Bender, Ruby Benz, Eva Bobeck, Victoria Botticello, Maddison Bower, Rosemarie Boyko, Claire Brandon, Victoria Busch, Sarah Bykowicz, Derek Callen, Matthew Carlson, Lauren Chadwick, Abigail Czerwonka, Gabriel D’Addario, Isabel Dickinson, Alexander Dodge, Abigail Fay, Grace Federico, Emily Fred, Philip Gentz, John Glose, Jessica Gonda, James Grinchishin, Kaitlyn Grybel, Joshua Hannibal, Joshua Hoy, Nicole Hoy, Jerry Huang, Conner Hutton, Elizabeth Ishmael, Joseph Killian, Angelina Koloshuk, Elisabeth Krstevski, David Lesinski, Laura Link, Matthew Logel, Jason Lupp, Alyssa Luzak, Sierra Maras, Arthur Meaney, Nathan Miller, Brian Minton, Muhammad Mojawalla, Angelina Morales, Tyler Muszka, Dominic Nappo, Nicholas Nowocien, Samantha Pusatier, Katherine Riederer, Kate Riniolo, Alyssa Ruminski, Laurel Salvaggio, Joseph Samplinski, Joshua Schaefer, Joelle-Yvette Scheffler, Megan Shickluna, Vanessa Shores, Katelyn Simpson, Allison Sorri, Carly Sozio, Breanna Stedman-Pate, Joseph Stolfo, Stephen Sweeney, Jenna Tavano, Gracie Tompkins, Anna Ungaro, John VanderMey, Jacob VeRost, Theresa West, Imani Williams, Michael Winski, Sulamita Zherebilov

10th GRADE HONOR
Giana Aiello, Jordan Anthony, Liam Atkins, Genna Baldassarre, Marcella Barberic, Joseph Boyko, Devin Brandon, Karli Burford, Erik Carlson, Nicole Castiglione, Andrea Colan, McKenna Collignon, Alexandra Colucci, Kaylee Conta, Savannah Cramer, Jessica Culbert, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Samuel Eichel, Cole Ellsworth, Simon Estenoz, Louis Fabiano, Madison Finn, Colin Fish, Joseph Frailey, James Franz, Angelica Garcia, Kelsey Harrigan, Jessica Harvey, Marilyn Hess, Alexis Hofmeyer, Timothy Howard, Robert Jankowiak, Maxwell Keller, Sheila Kelly, Sydney Khreis, Madelyn Konopczynski, Katherine Kovacs, Matthew Kowalski, Genavieve Koyn, Justin Kozlowski, Hayley Latvala, Kelsey Mahoney, Julianna Major, Nathaniel Massaro, Jacob Masucci, Alyssa Maxwell, Gracie McNamara, Tyler Muggli, David Pachla, Simon Pannullo, Ryon Pietrzak, Connor Pignatora, Emily Prawel, Kaylee Richard, Thomas Riniolo, Jamie Saucier, William Scalzo, Kelly Schlifke, Brandon Schoener, Dariene Seifert, Cassandra Shores, Nemanja Simic, Brianna Smith, Jacob Spencer, Alexis Studley, Kristine Sutton, Sarah Swagler, Lauryn Swanson, Nicholas Szabo, Ryan Tetreault, Brooke Thomas, James Thorpe, Collin Tolsma, Jenna VeRost, Aruran Wigneswaran, Dakota Wolf, Wesley Wolf

11th GRADE HONOR
Eric Albrecht, Jill Anderson, Tori Aronica, Cailin Atkins, Adam Bahgat, Sarah Bellinger, Destiny Benjamin, Adam Bevilacqua, Aaron Bobeck, Emily Bognar, April Booker, Thomas Botticello, Jarod Brandon, Caitlyn Bykowicz, Taylor Cecere, Yaling Chen, Jesus Cisneros Vilchis, Alexis Conway, Colten Deuser, Michael Duda, Ian Estenoz, Brenton Fischer, Marissa Freedman, Ashley Giambra, Sabrina Giordano, Olivia Goc, Madison Green, Victoria Gruber, Maya Harper, Kali Hausrath, Haylee Heitman, Briana Hollfelder, Kaitlynd Howell, Lovepreet Kaur, Sydney Keane, Michaela Kozek, Yuka Kumazawa, Julia Lawley, Brianna Little, Liana Lombardo, Holly Lutnick, Anna Martinez, Nathan Newell, James Niland, Emily Nobumoto, Jake Nowak, Michael Pyzynski, Maria Ramsperger, Hailey Randle, Sarah Rennells, Sammantha Reynolds, Chelsea Robillard, Gabrielle Robinson, Heather Robinson, Christina Serianni, Brendan Sheehan, Jihyun Sim, Thomas Stedman, Robert Stolfo, Lindsey Supparits, Brandon Surdi, Matthew Tollner, Evan Valint, Taylor Vanderzell, Hannah Wiktorowski, Jeremiah Wilkes, Dakaylah Winfield, Douglas Yockey

12th GRADE HONOR
Alwareed Abdellatif, Samantha Bartolotta, Hannah Bastian, Carly Bernatovicz, Nicholas Bonora, Brianna Brandon, Ryan Britt, Alexa Calandra, Robert Carroll, Rochelle Cataffo, Natalia Christiano, Sara Cichon, Mariah Ciffa, Nathan Ciffa, Andrew Colautto, Marcus Cook, Lillian Cultrara, Alexandra Cutting, Colton Czajka, Anna DeMartin, Shannon Driess, Joseph Egloff, Jared Eichel, Thomas Euscher, Joseph Farrell, Morgan Finn, Halle FitzGerald, Ashley Franz, Andrew Fred, Emily Fuoco, Rebekah Gaydosh, Leah Geis, Kathryn Gentz, Graciana Giambra, Maxwell Grenda, Marissa Gress, Balraj Grewal, Carly Hand, Connor Harrigan, Christian Hilts, Grey Johnson, Jack Kennedy, Leah Killian, Marah Killian, Khristian Kline, Kurt Laschinger, Alexa Lombardo, Thomas Major, Nathan Marino, Devlin McMaster, Matthew McNaughton, Alanna Mergel, Nolan Miles, Robert Nappo, Robin Neary, Alyssa Pelosi, Kelsey Percival, Devon Perri, Mary Kate Petz, Miranda Phillips, Emilie Phinney, Brendan Pratt, Mitchell Racz, Jenna Reinard, Andrew Riederer, Benjamin Shaw, Pushpinder Singh, Hiral Suthar, Emily Szabo, Laura Taylor, Brian Verso, Steven White, Scarlett Whitman, Emily Wolcott, Bethany Wynne, Jessica Zoldowski, Taylor Zoldowski




GIHS Merit Roll - December 2014


9th GRADE MERIT
Bayan Abdellatif, Tima Abdellatif, Luke Ailinger, Nicholas Anzalone, Lahhtay Aung, Jessica Backlund, Jackson Besi, Cameron Blair, Kayla Booker, Jason Breeden, Nathan Canazzi, Dean Cataffo, Thomas Cecere, Aleece Cruz, Jaynie Decker, Dylan DeGlopper, Daniel Emblidge, Daniel Fabiano, Ryan Frost, Maricella Fusillo, Samantha Garcia, Mark Giancola, Matthew Giordano, Molly Hammer, Charles Hegarty, Madeline Hjalmarson, Robert Hodan, Sydney Hoerner, Miguel Johnson, Zane Johnson, Nicholas Kam, Ryan Kernin, Shannon Klein, Abigail Klie, Autumn Krantz, Nicholas Lenz, Nathan Lindaman, Richard Little, Mark Love, Kyra Magee, Kelsey Mankowski, William Mehlenbacher, Elizabeth Mitchell, Justin Mock, Gianna Novelli, Edward Payan, Shane Pfohl, Emma Richard, Kelsey Roach, Maria Schnettler, Madison Senger, Emma Sickles, Michele Sutton, Dominic Tagliarino, Zachary Vanderzell, Michelle Wadell, Taylor Zajdowicz

10th GRADE MERIT
Eric Beauchamp, Nicholas Capizzi, Virgil Castner, Lauryn Clark, Rachel Colan, Juliana Cousins, Mallory DelSignore, Anthony Emmi, Louis Estrella, Jacob Gleave, Lenin Harper, William Hughes, Bryce Jellinick, Emily Jelonek, Alexander Jennings, Natasha Keller, Kelsey Kenney, Julie Klein, Reganne Kleisath, Rachel Madigan, Hannah Mahon, Faith Martell, Jerome Masters, Alexandra Meinhold, Heather Michki, Matthew Mosher, Tyler Moskala, Katelyn Newbould, Ryan Newman, Katelyn Palamuso, Trevor Palamuso, Ashley Parmelee, Julianna Passarelli, Madisyn Pezzino, Madison Phillips, Kaila Powell, Sean Pufpaff, Matthew Racz, Robert Sadkowski, Sarah Saleh, Alexia Shivers, Samuel Sommer, Jack Stieringer, Joseph Tamsen, Noah Teator, Randy Thomas, Jacob Tucker, Mary Valle, Zachary Valvo, Cassidy Wilkinson, Gillian Worrall, Nicholas Yung

11th GRADE MERIT
Benjamin Abbott, Clare Ahne, Jesse Arch, Narmeen Asif, Hayley Becker, Drew Callen, Charles Cetola, Jeremiah Cooper, Frank Cotroneo, Patrick Cramer, Sari Dickinson, Danielle Duck, Emily Dudziak, Jayson Endozo, Cydney Fairbairn, Jordyn Fisher, Kyle Frascatore, Nicholas Gioeli, Brittany Grant, Daniel Grinchishin, Taj Harris, Rebecca Hennessy, Nicole Hollfelder, Taylor Internicola, Taylor Johnson, Jacob Kawecki, Lydia Knope, Sarah Kustich, Zachary Lenz, Kady Liensenfeld, Edward Logel, Hope LoHouse, Michaela Malesky, Loveleen Mangat, Michael Mankowski, James Martin, Madison McNamara, Kiana McQuestion, Haley Melisz, Sabrina Mistriner, Manny Montes, Matthew O'Brien, Ryan O'Neil, Zachery O'Neill, Michael Oldman, Anthony Ormsby, Eric Pease, Xavier Ramadan, Mikayla Reading, Joshua Rizzo, Haley Rowe, Maximilian Russell, Chelsea Schmidt, Jake Schmidt, Smeen Shah, Rohan Alexi Smith, Lindsey Spencer, Nicholas Terlecky, Xavier Vazquez, Ciara Vedella, Katherine Verso, Samantha Violino, Hannah Wessner, Alex Whetham, Brianna Wik, Kassidy Wozniak, Kevin Zhang, Spencer-Jon Zukic

12th GRADE MERIT
Tyler Benderson, Brian Brennan, Nicholas Brink, Sierra Brooks, Vincent Bruno, Nicole Burley, Giuseppe Campanella, Colin Carey, Sara Colon, Kaitlyn Davidson, Isabel Dengos, Karli Deuser, Ian Eisenberger, Robert Ellegate, Joyce Endozo, McLain Erhard, Austin Fisher, Patrick Gallagher, Kyle Graves, Sabrina Hausrath, Natalie Henderson, Keegan Hirtreiter, Emily Hjalmarson, Alexander Hollatz-Guastella, Kimberly Huffnagle, Andrew Husted, Grant Johnson, Kelsey Ketterer, Samara Lanthier, Holly Mandura, Ryan Marlin, Jacob Matwijkow, Colton McGraw, Mark McKenna, Michael McMahon, Sara McMahon, Kevin Minton, Courtney Monroe, Thomas Morgan, Anthony Mosher, Jocelyn Mueller, Jenna Neff, Jacob Neumann, Timothy Newbould, Ashley Niemann, Meaghan O'Leary, Nicholas Ortiz, Colin Osborn, Jessica Patterson, Jordan Piershalski, Drew Pitts, Jessica Rennells, Raymond Rott, Jordan Russo, Lydia Senger, George Smith, Mackenzie Smith, Javier Solis, Meghan Sonnenberg, Alexandra Sponn, Kyle Staub, Heena Suthar, Mark Valle, Jordan VeRost, Corey Wilkinson, Bennett Wright, Jordan Yamonaco, Caitlyn Yensan, Brenna Young




AAA Driver Education Course - December 2014

    A AAA Driver Education Course will be offered at Grand Island High School, 1100 Ransom Rd, Grand Island from January 6 - March 5th. Class and drives will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays; drives will be 2:50-4:20 pm, class will be 4:20-5:50 pm. The fee is $450, for more information call 773-8820. See details.




Pertussis Reported at High School - December 2014

    The Grand Island High School sent a letter out to parents on December 3rd notifying them that two cases of pertussis (whooping cough) have been reported in the school. See letter for complete details.




Sports Briefs - December 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 12/4/2014"




LYNC Students Participate in #GivingTuesday - December 2014

From left: Adam Bevilacqua, James Franz, and Jacob Dollendorf

From left: Ben Freedman and Natalie Braun

   Students from the Grand Island Leadership Niagara Chapter (LYNC) spent the day giving back at the Community Mission in Niagara Falls on December 2nd; also known as #GivingTuesday all across America. Grand Island's chapter of LYNC is 21 members strong and are split into two teams; giving back on two different days this month as part of their Servant Leadership portion of the program. The day is spent with mentors from Leadership Niagara who help to educate the high school members on the importance of serving their community. For more information on how you can help the Community Missions of Niagara, contact them at (716) 285-3403.




HS Parent Teacher Conferences - November 2014

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday December 1, 2014 in the High School from 12:00 - 3:00p.m. and 4:00- 7:00 pm. Teachers will be in their rooms - a list of room assignments will be posted. Appointments are not necessary.




Sports Briefs - November 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 11/26/2014"




Mark McKenna Signs Letter of Intent - November 2014

From left: Dad John McKenna, Mark McKenna, mom Sandra and Coach Dean Santorio.

   GIHS senior Mark McKenna signed a letter of athletic commitment with Canisius College to play Division I baseball on Thursday, November 20th. Mark's athletic achievements at Grand Island include:
Varsity Baseball 2013/2014:
Selected First Team All Western New York and First Team All League in 2014, First Team All League in 2013
Led team in hitting both years with a league average of .424
Had 26 RBI's, 30 runs scored and only 3 strikeouts.
Defensively he has 101 put outs, 7 assists and only 2 errors.
Varsity Hockey 2013/2014:
Selected First Team All Western New York, First Team All League and Second Team All New York State in 2014.
First Team All League 2013.
Led team in scoring in 2013 & 2014.
Scored 26 points in 16 league games in 2014.




Alley Cutting Signs Letter of Intent - November 2014


   Senior Alley Cutting signed her National Letter of Intent to play Division I softball at Kennesaw State University in Georgia on Thursday, November 13th at the high school. Alley has pitched four no-hitters and one perfect game in her three seasons with the Lady Vikings. Everyone is very excited to see what the spring softball season will bring. On hand to witness the signing were many members of Alley's family, including mom Candy, dad John and brother Caleb, coaches, friends and teachers.




DECA Installation Dinner - November 2014

Advisor MaryJane Fonte-left, Cheryl Chamberlain-right, with new DECA members - Click for larger view.

    The Grand Island DECA chapter held its official installation of members with 12 other schools in Western New York at Salvatore's Italian Gardens on Wednesday, November 5th. This year, GIHS DECA member Ashley Franz was voted in as the Region 12 DECA president and presided over the installation program all evening. DECA members, new and old, enjoyed a lavish meal while also listening to inspiring words by guest speak Ashley Kohorst who was a former DECA member and now coordinates music events in Nashville for artists like Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw. The benefits of belonging to the DECA business and marketing club are vast and everyone should take advantage of the networking, communications and management experience DECA has to offer. For more information on DECA, at the middle and high school levels contact advisors MaryJane Fonte at VCMS or Cheryl Chamberlain at GIHS.




Band Booster Fruit Sale - November 2014

  The Grand Island Music Boosters are once again sponsoring their annual Fruit sale. The purchase of these delicious grapefruits and oranges will directly benefit the selling student with funds credited to their trip account. The sale starts November 5th and runs through November 14th. They are offering fresh-from-the-grove Florida oranges and grapefruit in convenient sizes, which will be delivered in December. See order page.




Schroeder-Watt & Masters Join Hall of Fame - November 2014

    The 2014 Section VI Hall of Fame Inaugural Class will be inducted at a ceremony at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Friday, November 7, 2014. There are two islanders in this class. Stacey Schroeder-Watt, a former state champion in discus and shot put and legendary GIHS Coach Gene Masters, the first baseball and football coach. They were both previously inducted into the NYPHSAA Hall of Fame, biographies from the association website follow.
   Stacey Schroeder-Watt, inducted in 2011, "was one of the most exceptional track athletes in the state competing at Grand Island High School in Section VI. Her dominance in the shot put and discus led to a remarkable career including two NYSPHSAA State Championships in the shot put (1991, 1992) and one in the discus in 1992 when she shattered the girls state record, which still stands today. From 1988 through 1990 as an underclassman, she also earned spots in the NYSPHSAA State Championships after dominating Section VI in shot put and discus. Overall, Schroeder-Watt won five Section shot put titles and four Section discus crowns to go along with eight Niagara Frontier League championships. Her performances in the shot put and discus led to the honor of All- American status in 1991 and 1992 and being ranked number one in the country in 1992. Beyond track, Stacey also successfully participated in high school volleyball and basketball. In volleyball, she was a first team League All-Star in 1992 and second team All Star in 1991 while helping her team to a Section championship. As a center on the basketball team, she was a second team League All-Star in 1991 and Honorable Mention in 1990. Her athletic success propelled her to a full scholarship at the University of Florida where she contributed to the Gators success for four years. While in Florida she earned status as an academic All-American, Academic All- SEC and became a two-time NCAA Division I All-American in the discus event. Stacey graduated from UF cum laude with a Bachelor's Degree in microbiology and cell science. Following graduation from Florida, Stacey earned a Doctorate of Medicine at State University of New York Health Science Center (Syracuse). After medical school she returned to Buffalo where she completed her training to become a pediatric anesthesiologist. She practices in Buffalo and is program director for the pediatric anesthesiology fellowship program."
    Gene Masters was inducted in 2008, "Gene J. Masters is the winningest football coach in western New York history and ranks among the top in the state in both football and baseball. From 1957-2000, Masters coached football and baseball at Brocton High School ('57-'62) and Grand Island High School ('63-2000). Gene's coaching career started in 1957 at Brocton High School where he captured two baseball championships and three football titles until 1962. In 1963, Masters became the first varsity football and baseball coach at Grand Island High School and immediately turned both programs into highly respected ones on the field. Over a 44 year career as Grand Island's football coach he compiled a record of 248-107-8 ranking him #1 in wins among Western New York coaches and sixth in New York State. His teams captured 19 championships, won four consecutive Section VI Class B titles (1989-92), and made ten playoff appearances. Gene coached 35 All-Western New York All Stars and had three players earn Player of the Year honor. His 1973 team was one of the greatest teams in the history of Western New York football going 8-0 that season and outscoring opponents 253-7. In 1991, Grand Island honored Coach Masters by naming the football field "Masters Field" in his honor. That same decade he was named Western New York Coach of the Decade following Western New York Coach of the Year plaudits in 1978 and 1989. Coach Masters also achieved great success on the baseball diamond. He compiled 440 career wins, 15 championships, ten league crowns and five sectional titles. Along the way Gene coached five players drafted in the Major League Baseball amateur draft and in 1991, he was named Coach of the Year by the Niagara Frontier League. A former Section VI baseball chairman, Coach Masters was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, then in 2002, he was inducted into the Tonawanda Sports Hall of Fame. Gene was a graduate of Tonawanda High School and University of Buffalo in 1957. He also fought in the Korean War from 1952-54. Gene, who passed away in 2001, was married for 45 years to his late wife Marjorie and is survived by his son Michael, his daughter Cynthia and four grandchildren.



Post Season Results - October 2014

   Boys Volleyball beat Lake Shore on Thursday, October 30th in the Division II quarterfinals 3-1. They will now play in the semifinals against #1 ranked Eden in Lackawanna on Saturday, November 1st at 6:00 p.m.
   Viking Football lost to Iroquois on Thursday, October 30th in the Class A Chuck Funke Classic Final, 27-21.
    Grand Island Lady Vikings diver Jordyn Fisher came in 5th place with a score of 304.55 at the NFL championship on Wednesday, October 29th. The top six will be going to the Section VI meet that takes place at the Flickinger Aquatic Center on November 6th.
    The girls soccer team won their Section VI Class A semifinal against Williamsville South, 2-1, on Wednesday, October 29th. Madisyn Pezzino scored both goals and with the first one, number 46, she has the new single-season record. The Lady Vikings will play Williamsville East in the final on Saturday, November 1st at 4:30 p.m. at Amherst High School. Result: Williamsville East 2 - Grand Island 1
   Boys Volleyball is playing in Division II Quarterfinals tonight against Lake Shore at home at 6:00 p.m.




Grand Island High Post Season Games - October 2014

   Update: Boys Volleyball will take on Lake Shore in Div. II Quarterfinals on Thursday, October 30th at home at 6:00 p.m.
The girls soccer team beat Olean on Thursday, October 23rd 5-0 and are now playing Will. South at Depew at 7:30 p.m. in the Class A Semifinals on Wednesday, October 29th.
   The Boys Volleyball team will play Maryvale at home 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28th in a Division II pre-quarterfinal. Result: GI 3 - Maryvale 0. The Girls Volleyball team will play Sweet Home at home at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28th in a Class A Quarterfinal. Result: GI 0 - Sweet Home 3.
   The Grand Island Varsity football team won their game against Hutch Tech 32-22 on Friday night at home in the Chuck Funke Memorial Classic. They are now scheduled to play Iroquois in the Funke Classic final on Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. at Depew High School.




Sports Briefs - October 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 10/23/2014"




Sports Briefs - October 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 10/16/2014"




3rd Annual Haunted Weekend For Teens & Children - October 2014


   

Art Club students working on Spooky Fun decorations.

   The Grand Island High School Art Club and the Grand Island Recreation Department will once again work together to put on a weekend of Halloween activities. Events for children, teens, and adults will take place on the weekend before Halloween at the Nike Base on Grand Island. Props, make-up and costumes are student designed and built, and the actors are all students from the GIHS Art Club and the GIHS Spotlighters. Both events are fully chaperoned by teachers and parent volunteers.
   On the nights of Friday October 24th, and Saturday, October 25th from 7:00-10:00 p.m. the Community Center will come alive with beings creepy enough to scare pre-teens and adults in the "Isle of Horror!" This is a scary haunted house, intended for teens and adults. The cost is $5 per victim.
   For the little ones, Art Club will present a new, even gentler "Isle of Spooky Fun" on Saturday from 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. in the Rec Building. This area will offer friendly spooks and fairy tale characters to delight your youngsters. They will even receive little treats along the way! The children will then be directed to the Senior Center to enjoy games, crafts, face-painting, contests, and treats. The Halloween Party is sponsored by the Town Rec Department. The $5 per person charge includes admission to both the "Isle of Spooky Fun" and the Halloween Party. All proceeds from the event benefit the GIHS Art Club. If you would like to make donations of Halloween props, decorations or costumes, please call Mrs. Wynne at 773-8820.




Sports Briefs - October 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 10/9/2014"




Sports Briefs - October 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 10/2/2014"




GIHS Winter Sports Sign-Ups - October 2014

    Sign up for Winter Sports on the Athletic Website from October 1-31st. Sports Candidates questionnaire (Green Sheets) are available on doors of PE Locker Rooms, from Coaches and the Athletic Dept.
Winter Sports Practices Scheduled to Start:
Boys Basketball - JV & Varsity - Monday, Nov 10
Girls Basketball - JV & Varsity - Monday, Nov 10
Wrestling - JV & Varsity - Monday, Nov 10
Boys Swimming - JV & Varsity - Monday, Nov 10
B/G Bowling - JV & Varsity - Monday, Nov 10
B/G Indoor Track - JV & Varsity - Monday, Nov 10
Ice Hockey - Varsity - Monday, Nov 3
Modified Wrestling - Monday, Nov 3
Modified B/G Basketball - Monday, TBA

   Students in Grades 7 & 8 who try out for a WINTER JV/VARSITY High School Sport MUST have a Selection/Classification Test and Fitness Test on file for that sport.




"Friday Night Under The Lights" - September 2014

Kevin & Dawn Cobello Photo - Click for larger view.

   Oh what a night! The "Friday Night Under The Lights" event was a stupendous success. Time Warner Cable and the Buffalo News estimated there were 3000 people on hand to re-dedicate Gene Masters Field and to honor retired Athletic Director H. David Meyers by naming the sports complex after him. The Vikings took on longtime rival Williamsville South and battled back from a 14-0 score at the half to come close, with the Billies winning 28-21. Many former Viking players and coaches visited before the game and lined the field as the team's starting line-up was introduced. The High School audio visual department led by Mark Gorton put together an awesome video that can be seen on the Viking Vision Newscast. You can see a slideshow of pre-game activities here. There are two more Friday night games, they are October 10th against North Tonawanda and Homecoming game on October 17th against Williamsville East.
   Thanks to Kevin and Dawn Cobello for their fantastic work with their aerial camera over the past summer and at the event.




Sports Briefs - September 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 9/25/2014"




Lights, cameras, action on the bill in Grand Island - September 2014

Click Buffalo News Story By Miguel Rodriguez




Sports Briefs - September 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 9/18/2014"




Sports Briefs - September 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 9/11/2014"




School Board Receives T-Shirts - September 2014


    The Grand Island School Board was proud to show off the official "Night Game" T-shirts compliments of Casey's Corner School Store at Grand Island High School. The first night game on Gene Masters Field at the new H. David Myers Complex will be held on September 19th at 7:00 p.m.. T-shirts are available now at www.k12.ginet.org (High School Page) or at the game!




GIHS Open House - September 2014

    Grand Island High School will hold its annual Open House on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. Information and schedules will be available in the main foyer. Parents will follow their child’s “Day 3” schedule. Parents follow that schedule which provides an opportunity to meet with each teacher for 10 minutes and gain an overview of the curriculum for that subject area.




Lady Vikings Swim Meet Results - September 2014

See results.
The GI Lady Vikings Swim Team recently participated in an unscored NFL Quad meet with North Tonawanda, Lew Port and Kenmore East.




GIHS Summer Graduation Ceremony - August 2014

From left: Dr. Andres Arroyo, Brianda Pembleton, Courtney Simon, Amanda Pembleton and Lisa Pyc

   The Grand Island High School summer graduation ceremony was held on Friday, August 15th at the Huth Road school courtyard. Outgoing high school assistant principal Dr. Andres Arroyo welcomed the graduates and their families and Board of Education President Lisa Pyc congratulated the students and passed out the diplomas. Graduates Amanda Pembleton, Brianda Pembleton and Courtney Simon were honored at the event.




GIHS Chalk Walk Team Win People's Choice - August 2014


From left: Abhiraj Grewal, Ali Price and Lovepreet Kaur
Click for larger view.

   On Saturday, August 9th, the talented and artistic team from Grand Island High School took home the People's Choice trophy along with Third Place honors at the 30th Annual KeyBank Chalk Walk Competition. People's Choice is an award bestowed to the team with the most votes casted by the public. The public votes by placing a quarter next to the school in which they believe has the best design. Abhiraj Grewal and Ali Price competed for the last time on the GIHS Chalk Walk team. In the four years that Abhiraj has been a member, he has accumulated three First Place ribbons, a Third Place ribbon and two People's Choice trophies. Ali, a member for three years, has two First Place ribbons, a Third Place ribbon, and two People's Choice trophies. Amazing accomplishments! Lovepreet Kaur will be returning next year, with her First Place and Third Place honors, to compete alongside this year’s alternate Lexi Hy. Another new member will be selected during the course of the school year. The team looks forward to next year's competition.
   Each chalk team needed to submit an artistic statement explaining the concept of the drawing. This was Grand Island's: Let's face ...in today's world there are very few people who don't know what a selfie is. In fact, the venerable dictionary, Webster, just recently added the word to its reference list and defines it as, "an image of oneself taken by one using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks". Although adults may participate in this practice, it is the young people of this generation that use this self-promoting venue to share their lives with the world. Selfies can be silly, humorous, revealing, alarming, mysterious, creative, thought-provoking, original, and deceptive. These same adjectives can describe the art works produced by many well-known artists. Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Amedeo Modigliani, the artists represented in our drawing may not have lead picture perfect lives but they are remembered for their artistic genius and contributions in the art world. They were born; they lived, and left their mark on the world. We know they existed. A selfie is also proof that a person has lived and participated in life. Once posted, your image is out there for the world to view…forever, in cyberspace! We wanted to put a twist in our drawing and create an altered reality. What if we, the art students, who are taking the group selfie, took on the characteristics and style of these artists in reality but when photographed turned back into our true realistic images in the viewfinder? This concept could have many meanings and many interpretations. Maybe the image that we want people to see is slightly different than our own reflection or maybe we all have that creative genius hiding within all of us just waiting to be revealed and shared with the world.




30th Annual KeyBank Chalk Walk Competition - August 2014

From left: Lovepreet Kaur, Ali Price and Abhiraj Grewal
By GI Art Teacher Megan Gaiek

   It is hard to imagine that we are heading towards the end of summer. It seems like it just arrived the other day but with a quick glance at the calendar, it reminds us that the Annual Lewiston Art Festival is scheduled this weekend and along with that, the 30th Annual KeyBank Chalk Walk Competition. The theme this year is very relevant to young adults: Selfies. The students are asked to compose a selfie done in the style of a famous artist’s self-portrait. Returning again to compete in the contest will be Abhiraj Grewal, Ali Price and Lovepreet Kaur. This will be Abhiraj’s fourth trip to the contest and Ali’s third; both competing for the last time in Chalk Walk. Lovepreet will return to the team next year with two new members. The team met early in the morning in order to accommodate work schedules and to fit practices in between storm and rain forecasts. The competition gets started on Saturday, August 9th at noon and finishes at 4:00pm when the judging begins. Please come out and support this fabulous team of artistic talents.




Casey's Corner Selling Commemorative T-shirts - July 2014


Shirts will be available at the game
   Gene Masters Field will be lit up at the first night football game on September 19th, 2014 and the students of Casey's Corner School Store have designed a t-shirt in conjunction with the Grand Island Alumni Association and Rhino-tees to celebrate this momentous occasion. T-shirts will be available at the Isledegrande office & DeSignet Jewelry, 1869 Whitehaven Road, after August 7th. They are $12 each, 2x-$14, 3x-$15. You can order pre-sale through the Grand Island School Store Website during the month of August for pick-up at the school store during the first week of September. T-shirts will also be sold the night of the game. This is sure to be one of the largest attended sporting events at the high school and Casey's Corner is the only place you can purchase the official commemorative shirt.




Surf's Up at Grand Island Tech Club! - June 2014


From left: Matt Wellence, Brandon York, Erik Carlson, Ben Freedman, Frank Derubes, Andrew Colautto, Leah Killian, Marah Killian, Austin Mahoney, Adam Bahgat.

From Carl Koppmann, Technology Educator at GIHS
   The Engineering Tech Club students recently tried out their finished 9'8" Stand Up Paddle-board at Beaver Island State Park. Stand up paddle-boarding is the fastest growing water sport in the world right now. It uses a long paddle and a board that you stand on in order to paddle. It's just great fun! I've been stand up for over 8 years and wanted to share the fun and connection to the water and the outdoors with the students so we thought it might make a great after school project.
   The students started fundraising in October and commenced with design in January. They met several times a week until June. They researched ideas and designed the board using our SolidWorks 3-D design software. They then transferred the design to template material and used a ni-chrome-hot-wire to cut the locally sourced foam block to the proper shape. After they had the "rocker" cut, they split the "blank" down the the middle and glued in a stringer for support. Once that was compete the blank was ready to be hand shaped by eye and feel just like the classic surfboard shapers of the 1950's and 1960's. When they were satisfied with the shape they applied 2 layers of fiberglass and epoxy resin to each side of the board in order to make it rigid and watertight. A single fin box was added to the bottom and a deck pad on the top to stand on.
   Throughout the process the students were exposed to a variety of design challenges as well as new materials such as advance epoxy composites, aerospace cloths like fiberglass, and extruded polystyrene (EPS). Once complete, the only thing left to do then was to paddle it. We've had several sessions at Beaver Island and the students had a chance to try out their design. Everything worked great and all their hard work paid off. They are already talking about ideas for next years Tech Club project.




2014 Roberta Frisoni Venture Yearbook Scholarships Announced - June 2014


From left: Shannon Robillard, Mr. Christopher Simpson (Yearbook Adviser), and Thomas Corrao

   The winners of the 2014 Roberta Frisoni Venture Yearbook scholarship are Shannon Robillard and Thomas Corrao. Each will receive $800 to be put toward college costs for the fall semester. Both Shannon and Thomas were members of the Venture Staff for the past four years and helped not only create and edit the award-winning publication but also contributed to many community service activities and fundraisers. Thomas will attend Fredonia in the fall and Shannon will attend D'Youville. Since 2005, the Venture Yearbook has provided winners with almost $16,000 in scholarship money as well as many donations to local organizations such as the Lupus Foundation, Make-A-Wish, MDA, and other local families.




Flowers & Bouquets Available at GIHS Graduation!- June 2014

    The GIHS DECA Club will be selling single roses and bouquets with mixed flowers at the Grand Island High School Graduation ceremony at Artpark on Sunday, June, 29th. Bouquets will be $18 and single roses $6. A table will be set up near the entrance to the venue prior to the start of the ceremony. To preorder, please email cherylchamberlain@k12.ginet.org.




School District Calendar Sale - June 2014

   The Grand Island Music Boosters, in cooperation with the school district, will print and sell the school district calendar for the 2014-2015 school year. It will include holidays, vacations and each building's activities. Please place your order now for the fall as there will be only a very limited number of additional copies available. In addition to the full size calendar for $6, a pocket calendar at $4 is also available. See the order form for more details. Any questions, please contact the Grand Island Music Boosters at gimusicboosters@gmail.com.




Zachary R. Zarbo Scholarships Announced - June 2014


From left: Shamus Johnson, Jared Eichel

   The Zachary R. Zarbo 2014 Spotlighters Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Shamus Johnson. The Zachary R. Zarbo NYSSSA Choral Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Jared Eichel. These awards are dedicated in the memory of Zachary Zarbo. Zachary was involved in drama and choral studies at Grand Island High School. Shamus Johnson, the Spotlighters recipient, had to write an essay, show community and faith involvement, and be an active member of the drama club Spotlighters. He received $500 towards college tuition. Shamus will be attending University of Alabama majoring in Political Science.
   Jared Eichel received $500 towards his tuition at the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Choral Studies (NYSSSA). This is a summer program at Fredonia State College where students study choral and music theory with students from all over New York State. Students have to audition to be accepted into the school. They perform several concerts throughout the summer. NYSSSA was one of Zac's most memorable experiences.
    The Zachary R. Zarbo scholarship committee voted on these selections. We hope to have this scholarship continue for a long time. If you would like to support the scholarship, send your donation to Grand Island Central Federal Credit Union C/O Zachary R. Zarbo Memorial Scholarship, 1875 Grand Island Blvd, Grand Island NY 14072. Please specify Spotlighers or Choral Scholarship.




Students Compete for BEEP Scholarships - June 2014


From left: Jacob Athoe, Cheryl Chamberlain, Timothy Utz

   Two students from Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain's Career Exploration Class took their professional portfolios to the next level last week and competed against students from all over WNY for scholarships. Jacob Athoe and Timothy Utz interviewed with representatives from NFIEC (Niagara Frontier Industry and Education Council) and were awarded the top award levels in the competition. The Business Education Employability Portfolio (BEEP) gives students an edge in their career area by bridging what they do in school to what they will do in their future world of work through competency based activities. For more information on BEEP and internships contact Chamberlain at 773-8820.




Kevin Freedman Headed to Naval Academy - May 2014


From left:Ben Freedman, Donald Freedman, Kevin Freedman, Denise Freedman, Marissa Freedman.

    Congratulations to GIHS senior Kevin Freedman who signed a letter of intent on Wednesday, May 7th to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and participate as a hurdler. Kevin is No. 1 in hurdles in Section VI and last year finished 5th at the State meet. Kevin is also in the National Honor Society and is in the top 10 percent of his class academically. Nice job Kevin!




GIHS and VCMS assist with Kindergarten Orientation - May 2014


Click for larger view.

   Grand Island High School and Veronica Connor Middle School students traveled to Charlotte Sidway School on Tuesday, May 20th to help with the yearly kindergarten orientation. Incoming kindergarten students were greeted by the older students who were once in their shoes! Each year, these student volunteers enjoy the job of greeting and help to calm the nervous, new students as they make their way to their classrooms.




GIHS High Honor Roll - May 2014


9th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Liam Atkins, Kristen Atkinson, Conner Buzby, Cole Ellsworth, Adam Frosolone, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Alexis Hofmeyer, Amanda Jordan, Genavieve Koyn, Kelsey Mahoney, Ryan McDonald, Owen Morrish, Kayli Nelson, Jennalise Olson, Lindsay Proctor, Garrett Robinson, Lucas Robinson, Emma Schultz, Jacob Spencer, Jessica Surace, Brooke Thomas, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb

10th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Cailin Atkins, Emily Augugliaro, Adam Bevilacqua, April Booker, Thomas Botticello, Natalie Braun, Yaling Chen, Colten Deuser, Michael Duda, Bridget Federico, Benjamin Freedman, Victoria Gruber, Maya Harper, Kaitlin Hoy, Sydney Keane, Courtney Liberte, Holly Lutnick, Michael Pyzynski, Heather Robinson, Cassie Shickluna, Cameron Smith, Eric Watt, Dakaylah Winfield, Brian Wynne

11th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jessica Ackendorf, Ryan Allen, Joshua Barrett, Hannah Bastian, Carly Bernatovicz, Kayla Conway, Rajveer Dhaliwall, Shannon Driess, Julia Drozdowsky, Eric Dudley, Justin Figler, Katherine Fonte, Alexander Garey, Rebekah Gaydosh, Kathryn Gentz, Balraj Grewal, Carly Hand, Connor Harrigan, Jack Kennedy, Leah Killian, Kurt Laschinger, Taylor Latvala, Michaela McMahon, Alexandra Miller, Jacob Neumann, Kayla Popovich, Andrew Riederer, Emily Szabo, Rebecca Wall, James Wilson

12th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Samantha Bartolotta, Amber Betterson, Alicia Bianco, Hannah Corrao, Quinton Corrao, Sarah Dollendorf, Emma Garten, Ashley Gugino, Emily Kernin, Emma MacIntyre, Anna Nicolia, Maygan Payan, Ryan Proctor, Emilie Rengler, Javier Solis, Tanner Speer, Lindsey Spiker, Mitchell Weis



GIHS Honor Roll - May 2014


9th GRADE HONOR
Genna Baldassarre, Theresa Baughman, Joseph Boyko, Karli Burford, Julia Buscaglia, Nicole Castiglione, Rachel Colan, Alexandra Colucci, Jessica Culbert, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Jacob Dollendorf, Todd Domowicz, Samuel Eichel, Simon Esternoz, Louis Fabiano, Colin Fish, Joseph Frailey, James Franz, Angelica Garcia Lenin Harper, Kelsey Harrigan, Jessica Harvey, Marilyn Hess, Richard Hoover, Timothy Howard, William Hughes, Robert Jankowiak, Bryce Jellinick, Olivia Johnson, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Maxwell Keller, Sydney Khreis, Julia Koprevich, Katherine Kovacs, Matthew Kowalski, Justin Kozlowski, Adam Krathaus, Jason Kubanek, Hayley Latvala, Lauren LoTempio, Rachel Madigan, Julianna Major, Jacob Masucci, Alyssa Maxwell, Gracie McNamara, Catherine Merletti, Kassie Moss, Tyler Muggli, Claire O'Connor, David Pachia, Simon Pannullo, Madisyn Pezzino, Ryon Pietrzak, Connor Pignatora, Emily Prawel, Kaylee Richard, Thomas Riniolo, Alexa Rogers, MaryElisabeth Rustowicz, William Scalzo, Kelly Schlifke, Brandon Schoener, Nemanja Simic, Brianna Smith, Alexis Studley, Kristine Sutton, Sarah Swagler, Lauryn Swanson, Nicholas Szabo, Ryan Tetreault, James Thorpe, Jenna VeRost, Dakota Wolf, Gillian Worrall, Caitlin Young

10th GRADE HONOR
Clare Ahne, Eric Albrecht, Narmeen Asif, Adam Bahgat, Sarah Bellinger, Destiny Benjamin, Emily Bognar, Troy Brady, Zachary Breeden, Madison Brown, Caitlyn Bykowicz, Dominique Capizzi, Justine Cardone, Andrew Carlson, Taylor Cecere, Jesus Cisneros Vilchis, Cameron Colan, Alexis Conway, Jeremiah Cooper, Frank Cotroneo, Patrick Cramer, Patrick Dansereau, Allison DeMartin, Sari Dickinson, Adam Dryfhout, Emily Dudziak, Cydney Fairbairn, Marissa Freedman, Alexis Garcia, Ashley Giambra, Sabrina Giordano, Olivia Goc, Kali Hausrath, Haylee Heitman, Briana Hollfelder, Nicole Hollfelder, Kaitlynd Howell, Samara Johnson, Taylor Johnson, Michaela Kozek, Joseph Kulikowski, Sarah Kustich, Sara Kwarciak, Julia Lawley, Sabrina Lemme, Brianna Little, Edward Logel, Michaela Malesky, Cameron Mastykarz, Madison McNamara, Kiana McQuestion, Tiffany Melendez, Sabrina Mistriner, Sarah Moseley, Nathan Newell, James Niland, Emily Nobumoto, Ryan O'Neil, Zachary O'Neill, Michael Oldman, Anthony Ormsby, Yukino Ota, Eric Pease, Maria Ramsperger, Hailey Randle, Sarah Rennells, Sammantha Reynolds, Gabrielle Robinson, Mikayla Rosati, Emelie-jo Scheffler, Amber Schwinn, Christina Serianni, Brendan Sheehan, Cassidy Siebert, Joseph Smolko, Brandon Surdi, Melanie Sweeney, Taylor Vanderzell, Ciara Vedella, Katherine Verso, Smanatha Violino, Hannah Wessner, Alex Whetham, Brianna Wik, Hannah Wiktorowski, Douglas Yockey, Kevin Zhang, Spencer-Jon Zukic

11th GRADE HONOR
Nicholas Bonora, Bradley Boreali, Brianna Brandon, Nicholas Brink, Sierra Brooks, Vincent Bruno, Alexa Calandra, Giuseppe Campanella, Robert Carroll, Rochelle Cataffo, Dennis Chatkhan, Natalie Christiano, Sara Cichon, Mariah Ciffa, Andrew Colautto, Sara Colon, Caitlin Conlon, Lillian Cultrara, Colton Czajka, Enrico D’Abate, Nancy Dahlquist, Genevieve Davis, Anna DeMartin, Isabel Dengos, Katherine Diefenbach, Joseph Egloff, Jared Eichel, Robert Ellegate, Thomas Euscher, Joseph Farrell, Morgan Finn, Austin Fisher, Halle FitzGerald, Ashley Franz, Andrew Fred, Emily Fuoco, Leah Geis, Marissa Gress, Nikolai Harper, Christian Hilts, Alexander Hollatz-Guastella, Kimberly Huffnagle, Grant Johnson, Grey Johnson, Marah Killian, Khristian Kline, Thomas Major, Holly Mandura, Nathan Marino, Colton McGraw, Sara McMahon, Devlin McMaster, Matthew McNaughton, Alanna Mergel, Nolan Miles, Courtney Monroe, Thomas Morgan, Anthony Mosher, Jocelyn Mueller, Robert Nappo, Robin Neary, Meaghan O'Leary, Colin Osborn, Alyssa Pelosi, Kelsey Percival, Mary Kate Petz, Miranda Phillips, Jordan Piershalski, Michael Podgorny, Brendan Pratt, Jenna Reinard, Eric Riederer, Lauren Rogoza, Raymond Rott, Kaitlyn Rudney, Margaret Rustowicz, Benjamin Shaw, Pushpinder Singh, Mackenzie Smith, Emilie Stinner, Hiral Suthar, Laura Taylor, Melissa Ullrich, Brian Verso, Scarlett Whitman, Apelasan Wigneswaran, Corey Wilkinson, Jessica Wing, Emily Wolcott, Bennett Wright, Bethany Wynne, Taylor Zoldowski

12th GRADE HONOR
Natalie Argy, Jacob Athoe, Marisa Atkinson, Sukhdeep Bajwa, Natalie Baldassarre, Sierra Besl, Grace Bolton, Kevin Borowicz, Kirsten Burtch, Liana Buscaglia, Amanda Cancilla, June Chadima, Magdalyn Chauby, Qian Chen, David Cich, Thomas Corrao, Sierra D’Ettorre, Brian DeRubes, Jensen Dorey, Heavyn Dreher, Jenell Duxbury, Alexandra Dzielski, Michael Dzielski, Kai Ellsworth, Elijah Fields, Kevin Freedman, Ian Freudenheim, Jack Gorman, Bianca Gowanny, Justin Graesser, Anthony Grana, Joseph Halpin, Andrew Hannah, Ryan Held, April Hippert, Ciara Howley, Henry Huang, Amanda Jelonek, Zachary Jones, Addison Joslyn, Alexa Kalinowski, Kristina Kasprzycki, Alexander Kelly, Julia Kelly, Michael Kleinschmidt, Stephanie Kowalak, Ashley Kroetsch, Joshua Krstevski, Julianna Lavalle, Justin Lavis, Gabriella Liberatore, John Lillian, Brittany Little, David Madigan, Johnna Marinello, Justin McCarthy, Jacob McMahon, Brentyn Mendel, Elliott Michki, Wyatt Mock, Benjamin Morrish, Catherine Navagh, James Osborn, Jenna Paternostro, Kamra Phillips, Nicholas Pino, Zoann Pittman, Alessandra Price, Dominic Prine, James Pufpaff, Zoe Reda, Shannon Robillard, Andrew Rodriguez, Kaitlyn Rose, Ryan Ross, Maren Russell, Alyssa Schmitt, Kyle Schoener, Natalie Schultz, Jillian Sheehan, Vincent Shores, Lucas Siebert, Chelsea Sinicki, Pamelia Slattery, Kristen Stark, Tara Stewart, Timothy Sutton, Christopher Swagler, Brock Tetreault, Helen Tran, Timothy Utz, Victoria VanNorman, Mia Villani, Lillian von Reyn, Stephanie Voyzey, Jadon Wegrzyn, Ashley Weiser, Jackeline Wilson, Brandon York, Nicholas Young, Matthew Zabaldo




GIHS Merit Roll - May 2014


9th GRADE MERIT
Jordan Anthony, Marcella Barberic, Eric Beauchamp, Jordan Blanchard, Devin Brandon, Liam Bryan, Sarina Buscaglia, Nicholas Capizzi, Erik Carlson, Andrea Colan, McKenna Collignon, Joseph Cooper, Mallory DelSignore, Megan DiBerardino, Anthony Emmi, Madison Finn, Mikala Gallagher, Emily Jelonek, Julie Klein, Reganne Kleisath, Hannah Mahon, Harrison Mangat, Faith Martell, Nathaniel Massaro, Jerome Masters, Sean McFarland, Alexandra Meinhold, Joseph Mesmer, Heather Michki, Zachary Morano, Tyler Moskala, Katelyn Newbould, Kianna Norman, Juleeann Nyitrai, Trevor Palamuso, Ashley Parmelee, Madison Phillips, Matthew Racz, Thomas Reed, Robert Sadkowski, Cassandra Shores, Bradley Stevenson, Noah Teator, Randy Thomas, Collin Tolsma, Marie Tomasula, Jacob Tucker, Jamie Warren, Aruran Wigneswaran, Cassidy Wilkinson, Wesley Wolf, Nicholas Yung

10th GRADE MERIT
Jill Anderson, Hayley Becker, Alexis Belstadt, Austin Blair, Jarod Brandon, Kyle Burns, Catherine Carver, Charles Cetola, Tyrone Chillis, Jenna Corrao, Matthew Crist, Danielle Duck, Erin Dugan, Jayson Endozo, Ian Estenoz, Brenton Fischer, Jordyn Fisher, Nicholas Giancola, Brittany Grant, Daniel Grinchishin, Jacob Hauer, Shannon Holt, Taylor Internicola, Alexander Jackson, Julia Kavanagh, Brendan Kenney, Lydia Knope, Derek Konopski, Kady Liesenfeld, Liana Lombardo, Loveleen Mangat, Michael Mankowski, Anna Martinez, Haley Melisz, Manny Montes, Kalista Nizialek, Jake Nowak, Daniel Otto, Mark Piechowiak, Julia Pino, Joshua Rizzo, Maximilian Russell, Chelsea Schmidt, Jake Schmidt, Smeen Shah, Rohan Alexi Smith, Lindsey Spencer, Thomas Stedman, Robert Stolfo, Lindsey Supparits, Nicholas Terlecky, Matthew Tollner, Evan Valint, Xavier Vazquez, Maxwell VeRost, Chancellor Warmus, Amber Woodard, Michael Ziehm

11th GRADE MERIT
Alwareed Abdellatif, Eric Ackerman, Joshua Acquisto, Jason Belous, Brian Brennan, Michael Brown, Nicole Burley, Patrycia Burley, Nathan Ciffa, Marcus Cook, Alexandra Cutting, Kaitlyn Davidson, Karli Deuser, Daniel Edel, Ian Eisenberger, McLain Erhard, Ayannah Ford, Dylan Graff, Kyle Graves, Sabrina Hausrath, Keegan Hirtreiter, Emily Hjalmarson, Michael Hughes, Andrew Husted, Benjamin Jensen, Jacqueline Kehoe, Nicole Kerr, Kelsey Ketterer, Samara Lanthier, Jonathan Link, Austin Mahoney, Ryan Marlin, Michael McMahon, Talha Mojawalla, Stephanie Muranyi, Nicholas Ortiz, Jessica Patterson, Devon Perri, Bryce Pfalzer, Drew Pitts, Michael Podlucky, Joseph Pusateri, Mitchell Racz, Paul Roach, Michael Rugg, McKenzie Schaefer, George Smith, Meghan Sonnenberg, Alexandra Sponn, Heena Suthar, Meghan Thomas, Branden Tripi, Mark Valle, Jordan VeRost, Matthew Wellence, Steven White, Timothy Winder, Katherine Wolski, Jordan Yamonaco, Brenna Young, Alexander Zimmerman, Jessica Zoldowski

12th GRADE MERIT
Rana Abdelal, Jennifer Argy, Michele Aronica, Brielle Backlund, Alexander Baker, Miles Bentley, Jack Boyko, Jon Busch, Christina Butcher, Kristen Call, Bryce Callen, Jason Carroll, Jason Cichon, Jessica Cieri, Jonathan Colucci, Aaron Cook, Nicholas DeMita, Frank DeRubes, Sean DeRubes, Thomas Doctor, Cassie Gilcart, Emily Glose, Benjamin Goc, Alex Gormady, Abhiraj Grewal, Andrew Grinchishin, Patrick Hall, Jake Hawley, Kara Hazelet, Alyssa Heitman, Steven Howard, Emira Islami, Madeline Jackson, Katlyn Jennings, Kurtis Johnson, Kristin Kalman, Alyssa Karb, Mary Frances Koch, Nathan Link, Austin Loveric, Tyler Ludwig, Michael Madigan, Vincent Malpica, Andrew Masiello, Emmalee McNamara, Jeremy Meer, Brooklyn Morton, Steven Moss, Gregory Nicolia, Yiannis Papavramidis, Shawn Passero, Michael Paternostro, Angela Pozantides, Derrick Schutrum. Samantha Sheppard, Jeremy Smith, Jenna Stufkosky, Paul Sukmanowski, Max Tafelski, Raymond Tafelski, Sarah Valvo, Joaquin Vazquez, Christian Wallinder, Brigid Wilton, Madalyn Wright




GIHS DECA Travels to Nationals! - May 2014

Ashley Franz, Nancy Dahlquist, Cheryl Chamberlain and Christopher Swagler

   Three Grand Island High School students qualified for the 68th Annual DECA International Career Development Conference and just returned from Atlanta, Georgia where they competed against students from all over the world in business related events. Ashley Franz competed in Hotel and Lodging Management and the team of Nancy Dahlquist and Christopher Swagler competed in the Hospitality Team Decision Making event. There were over 17,000 students and advisors in attendance at nationals this year and twenty from the WNY Region 12 competed.
   With over 200,000 high school members for the first time ever, the results of this conference were extraordinary. DECA partners with businesses to offer students unique opportunities and it was announced at this conference that DECA will now be partnering with Disney! Over $300,000 in scholarships were awarded this year to members from these partnerships. Our own DECA Co-President, Kevin Freedman was award the national Vistar Scholarship as they are a partnering business of DECA.
   Cheryl Chamberlain, is in her 11th year as a DECA advisor for Grand Island High School chapter where she has built the program from 6 members to over 140 including a Middle School Chapter at VCMS under the care of Mary Jane Fonte. The National Conference is a once in a lifetime trip for students who want to hone leadership and management skills while meeting people from many different states and countries. The GIHS DECA Chapter would like to extend a special note of thanks to Mrs. Donna Tomkins, School Board Member and the PTSA for their support.




Celebration of Inspiration 2014 - May 2014

   The "Celebration of Inspiration 2014" was held on Wednesday evening, April 30th at the GIHS auditorium. The event is sponsored by the Grand Island PTA Council. Senior students are invited to honor a school district employee, faculty or staff that has inspired them in their time in the Grand Island School District. Twenty-five honorees were named by 32 seniors. The speeches by the students and the honorees were emotional, enthusiastic and sentimental. It is a wonderful way for the students to let their "favorites" know how much they are appreciated. See list of names.




DECA Helps Grand Island Mini-Marathon - May 2014

Conner Hutton with a tricky Gatorade hand-off.

Row 1: Josh Schaefer, Chloe McQuestion, Conner Hutton, Megan Stanley, Abby Klie , Imani Williams and Ryan Ross; Row 2: JV Advisor Mrs. Mary Jane Fonte, Co-President Ray Tafelski, Kristen Stark, Jadon Wegrzyn, Andrew Masiello and Dave Hollar.
Click for larger view.

    While many teens were tucked in their warm beds, two dozen members of Grand Island High School’s DECA Club and Connor Middle School’s JV DECA were braving the winds and the rain along West River Parkway at the Saturday, May 3rd Grand Island Mini-Marathon. DECA students gathered at the half-way point to cheer on runners from teens to the elderly, while providing them with rehydration for their return run to Beaver Island State Park. Many runners yelled a grateful “thank you” to our students as they ran by! Despite the inclement weather, the DECA members enjoyed carrying out one of the Four Points of the DECA Diamond: Civic Consciousness by "maintaining awareness of a principled, informed citizen's role in the life of the community."




Sports Briefs - May 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 5/1/2014"




GI Wins Tech Wars Five In A Row - May 2014

    It was another great showing by the Grand Island High School Technology students this year at the N.C.C.C. Tech Wars Engineering Competition. Over 50 students competed this year in events ranging from Vex Robotics to large scale bridge and seismic tower design. The students took the 1st place trophy home again for the 5th year in row, second place North Tonawanda, thirdplace Williamsville North. The GI team took the top three spots in the Hockey Bots competition. First place, Noah Teator and Will Hughes, second place-Ricky Hoover and Lucas Robinson and third place - Shane Quaratillo and Simon Pannullo. Congratulations to all students that competed.




School District to Review Dress Code - April 2014

See Buffalo News story by Barbara O'Brien.
Grand Island sophomore Shane Kinney's one day suspension will be removed from his record and the district dress code is under review.




Sports Briefs - April 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 4/24/2014"




Alley Cutting Headed to Kennesaw State - April 2014


    Grand Island junior Alley Cutting is no stranger to the game of softball. Alley has received over a dozen D1 offers, and is pleased to have accepting and verbalized to Kennesaw State University in Georgia Atlantic Sun Conference. Alley stated, "Coach Holly is a fighter like me, he wants to win, like me, the school, the area just beautiful, and it is where I feel I can make the most impact." Alley started playing when she was seven in the town house league with both of her parents as coaches. When asked, "what made you decide on softball?" she replied, "It wasn't my decision, my mom said I would be good at it," and that she was. It was very apparent that Alley had a natural ability for the sport.
    After playing for three years in Grand Island, she moved up to a more competitive travel team. By year four Alley not only was the clean-up batter and known to all on the field as "Tank" due to her long ball hitting, usually over the fence, Alley gave it a go in the circle as a pitcher. She stated, "I was thrown into the spot, we had no one else to pitch, my mom said you try, so I did, I was fast but wild." As an 8th grader, she was brought up to Varsity Softball to pitch. Alley made her mark, and so started her pitching carrier.
    Alley is just as good in the classroom as she is on the field. She has held down honor roll status all through high school, receiving awards such as Scholar Athlete since 9th grade, Academic Honors since 9th grade, Most Outstanding Freshman Female Athlete, 1st Team NFL All Star since 9th grade, All Area Honorable Mention 10th grade, and also MVP of the All Area All Star Game 10th grade. Alley like most serious athletes works 6 days a week on her skill. She plays in Depew for Team Mizuno under the direction of head coach Chuck Righetti. Coach Gerry Acierno and Coach Bob Andolina also from Mizuno were instrumental as well in her development. Now at 16 she is throwing faster, harder with more movement and spot on accuracy. Alley states "I was once known as the wildly effective pitcher, now it's nice to be recognized as a player that will contribute all to their team on and off the field in order to win the game." Alley will be studying Animal Science, as well as Criminal Justice. Good Luck Alley and Congratulations!




Shadow Day 2014 - April 2014

Kelsey Percival and Cassidy Siebert at the Culinary Institute

Joe Chiaravalle seated with from left, sister Mary Chiaravalle, Michael Giambra (owner of Michael the Salon) and Michelle Aileen.

   Grand Island High School Students were encouraged to read and comment on articles about careers and helping others during this year's Shadow Day opening speech by Fahim Mojawalla, of Island Ship Center. Shadow Day is a very unique program that introduces students to shadow a career for a day. The Grand Island School Business Alliance (GISBA) and the high school business department are instrumental to the success of this program. Event coordinator Cheryl Chamberlain had the opportunity to visit the Culinary Institute in Niagara Falls and Michael the Salon in Amherst to follow some of her students in their chosen field of work. In addition, Shadow Day was recognized by the Grand Island Town Board with a Proclamation! For the students, Mr. Mojawalla gave this advice,"pick a career with passion and make sure that it balances with pragmatism!" For more information on this and other career focused programs contact Chamberlain at 773-8820.




GIHS Student Receives DECA/Vistar National Scholarship - April 2014


    Kevin Freedman, a senior at GIHS, has received the DECA/Vistar Scholarship for 2013-2014. This scholarship is provided by Vistar Corporation which is a vendor for school stores and restaurants nationwide. Kevin is a senior manager of Casey's Corner School Store at the high school and applied for this scholarship as a member and co-president of the DECA Business Club. Kevin's competition was vast, as students from all over the United States also applied for the scholarship. Kevin's advisor, Cheryl Chamberlain, is extremely proud of his participation with the GIHS DECA Chapter and everything he has accomplished. Kevin has been appointed to the United States Naval Academy after graduation this June.




Six GIHS Graduate LYNC Program - April 2014


From left: Dr. Andres Arroyo, Rohan Smith, Sara Colon, Bryan Wynne, Tiffany Melendez, Adam Dryfhout, Lexi Miller and Cheryl Chamberlain.
Click for larger view.

   Written by Adam Dryfhout
    Since early in September, six Grand Island students have participated in a program called 'LYNC', otherwise known as Leadership Youth Niagara Community. Students from all over Niagara County began to meet one Tuesday in each month to discuss what it takes to be a leader and how to construct a foundation to lead others. Grand Island students were nominated to be a part of LYNC if they demonstrated leadership qualities in and out of school, and by taking action in their communities. The six chosen students to represent Grand Island at each LYNC session were Sara Colon, Lexi Miller, Tiffany Melendez, Rohan Smith, Brian Wynne and Adam Dryfhout.
    The LYNC program is funded by the Irene E. Witkowski-Agrawal Foundation in hope to encourage the young to depend on themselves, and to develop leadership skills. The LYNC class is guided and monitored by a collective bunch of Leadership Niagara graduates, who mentor the students and help them process what they have learned at each monthly session, and apply the lessons to their lives outside of the LYNC program. The Executive Director of Leadership Niagara, Molly Anderson, states "It is extremely rewarding to see our LYNC students grow and develop as leaders, and even more so to witness their deep appreciation for each other and our region. They are the change we want to see in Western New York and thanks to the generosity of the Irene Witkowski Agrawal Foundation and the support of our local schools there are many more to come." The LYNC program kicked off on September 22nd, 2013, at Camp Kenan in Barker, New York. Eighty student leaders from 12 Western New York high schools gathered together for two days of orientation, leadership skills and concepts, high ropes and camping. The students were launched into leadership training and began to form inseparable bonds with the people around them through trust and leading exercises. As each LYNC session passed, students indulged themselves in learning about Problem Solving/Project Management, Change and Transformation, Servant Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion, Leading with Purpose and Values, and finally, Communications, Writing and Rhetoric. LYNC participants were able to travel all over Western New York to places such as Niagara Power Project Visitor's Center, to Niagara County Legislature, depending on that session's topic.
    One common goal of the LYNC program is giving back to the community. LYNC students participated in planning and organizing fundraisers to support the Community Missions. Collectively, LYNC students gathered hundreds of dollars, canned goods, new/slightly used clothing and toys to give to the less fortunate. Following the leadership principles taught in earlier sessions, students spent a day volunteering at Community Missions and gave back to the community, completing various duties such as organizing food pantries, to working in the soup kitchen. Not only did it feel good to do something beneficial for the community, but all the students could agree the experience was humbling. Not only has LYNC provided Western New York's youth with new friendships and unforgettable memories, but also with the invaluable knowledge and skills adapted during the sessions. Each peer feels LYNC has changed their life in one way or another, much like Adam Dryfhout (Grand Island High School) who said, "I learned that leadership is not just about leading others, but it is about listening to others. This will change my leadership and my view of those who lead." and Jamie Nixon, of Newfane High School, who told LYNC mentors, "I can be the change I want to see. This will change my life in positive ways; it will help me reach my goals." Students from the LYNC program plan to become 'LYNC'ed' with their communities and deploy the tools of leadership locally.
    The future of LYNC is only expanding and widening their horizons due to a generous grant was announced from the Irene E. Witkowski-Agrawal Foundation of $460,000, an increase from the previous commitment of $375,000. The program plans to include over 100 students from 14 schools in Niagara County, and Grand Island High School. On April 8th, 2014, the LYNC Class of 2014 graduated at Antonio's Banquet Facility as they said their farewells and began working on spreading their wisdom and skills in leadership to the future of leaders. For more information on how you can 'be the change at GIHS', contact Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820. To apply for LYNC or Leadership Niagara, please visit www.leadershipniagara.org.




Students Participate in the Dixie Classics Invitational Festival - April 2014

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    On Thursday, April 3rd, 168 Grand Island students in Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and String Orchestra along with their directors Martin Allen and Matthew Ells traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Dixie Classics Invitational Festival. All three groups performed and each was awarded the highest individual rating of Superior. In addition, Wind Ensemble was awarded Best Brass Section and Best Percussion Section. Jillian Sheehan, clarinetist of Wind Ensemble was also awarded best soloist. The top Honors Award for best performing group overall was presented to Wind Ensemble.
   On their trip, the students toured many of the Capital Monuments, the Smithsonian Museums and Arlington National Cemetery where they witnessed a laying of a wreath and the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They walked to the Capital Building and White House and enjoyed a well-deserved dinner cruise on the Potomac. It was a very fun-filled, educational and successful four days filled with many, many compliments about our well-behaved students. We were, and are, extremely proud of these bright, talented, respectful young men and women who represent the Grand Island School District.
   Congratulations are also in order for the Grand Island Central School District Music Department for being designated by the NAMM Foundation as one of the Best Communities for Music Education! Out of more than 2000 school districts, 376 were chosen. Designations are made to districts and schools that demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and greater access to music education. "Our students are incredibly fortunate to have this music program and the dedicated teachers who work tirelessly to provide them with the best education and experience possible," said Diana Nobumoto, president of the Grand Island Music Boosters. "Music is a vital part of a complete educational program." said Teresa Lawrence, Superintendent of Schools. "This acknowledgement underscores the dedication our teachers and students have and evidences how much our community values music education."




Sports Briefs - April 2014

Click "Sports Briefs 4/10/2014"




Leadership Development Program Available - April 2014

   Monday, April 7, 2014...Leadership Niagara has announced that thanks to a new commitment of $460,000 from the Irene E. Witkowski-Agrawal Foundation, LYNC, the youth leadership program run by Leadership Niagara, will be able to include up to 100 area high school students. The expansion of the original commitment of $375,000 that was announced in 2013 was made by foundation founder and husband of the deceased Irene E. Witkowski-Agrawal, Prabhakar Agrawl because of his desire to include more students in the leadership development program. This new amount will allow the program to reach students from 13 schools in Niagara County as well as students from Grand Island High School. The grant will stretch over the next four years for a total funding commitment of $535,000. Agrawal said that the Foundation supports the LYNC program because "it is important to encourage and teach young people to depend on themselves, and to succeed in their lives by being honest. That is how my deceased wife would have done it. So my foundation is to remember her honestly and values."
   Molly Anderson, Executive Director of Leadership Niagara said, "We are incredibly grateful to the Agrawal Foundation for their ongoing support and their confidence in what we are doing at LYNC and Leadership Niagara. Being able to influence our region's young people and give them the tools to be successful in life is incredibly rewarding and we are thankful to Mr. Agrawal for believing in what we do." On April 8, 2014, the 15th graduating class of LYNC will graduate 78 students from 12 schools, the first funded through the foundation. The class that begins in September will include up to 100 students. Announcement of this increased commitment comes on the 30th anniversary of Leadership Niagara, the state's oldest leadership development program, which has graduated over 1200 local leaders between the adult and youth programs it oversees. LYNC, an eight-month program for high school students, provides leadership development and mentoring, as well as training in self-awareness, problem-solving and project management, communication, and leading with purpose and core values. It is designed to prepare students to contribute to society and the world. To apply for LYNC or Leadership Niagara, please visit www.leadershipniagara.org.




Heavyn Dreher Signs with U. of PENN - April 2014

From left: mom Ashli Dreher, daughters Heavyn and Skye

    GIHS senior Heavyn Dreher signed a letter of intent with Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, April 8th in the high school gym. Her scholarship is for rowing along with academics. Heavyn is ranked in the top 10% of her graduating class at Grand Island Senior High School, and has rowed at both the St. Catharine's Rowing Club in Canada and the West Side Rowing Club in Buffalo over the last six years. She was ranked 16th at the C.R.A.S.H.-B Indoor World Rowing Championships in February of 2014 on the ergometer. This was out of 239 rowers and was the top finish from the West Side Rowing Club Junior Open Women. Dreher has won two state club championships in 2012 and 2013 in the women's open four and competed in the USRowing Youth National Championships in 2013. Heavyn's mom Ashli, a former collegiate rower and the 44th NYS Teacher of the Year said, "The Grand Island Schools have really helped prepare Heavyn academically for acceptance to an Ivy League institution. Heavyn has a tough competitive spirit and I'm looking forward to watching her row in college!"




Jon Roth Receives Award - April 2014


   At the annual NYS Athletic Administrators Association (NYSAAA) conference in Saratoga Springs in March, GIHS Athletic Director Jon Roth was presented with the Apple Appreciation Award for Section 6. The award recognizes individuals for "the loyalty and extra effort given to the NYSAAA". Jon has been a part of Grand Island athletics for 40 years and has been Athletic Director for the past 20 years. He received the NYSAAA Award in 2011 for Section 6.




29th Annual Special Olympics - April 2014


Kim Kalman Photos
See Slideshow.

   The GIHS Special Olympics was held on Tuesday, April 8th at the high school gym. There were 18 teams of 4 participants and 15 teachers and staff that participated. Over $1200 was raised to buy equipment, uniforms and help pay for travel for the Grand Island Special Athletes. The Special Athletes meet in the GIHS gym on Sundays to train.




Ryan Ross Named 1st Team All Area - March 2014

   GIHS senior Ryan Ross was recently named to the Niagara Gazette First Team All-Area team and the first team All-Niagara Frontier League. Playing the guard position, Ryan led all local players in scoring average with stats of 18.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.0 apg.




DECA iPad Mini Raffle - March 2014

    The GIHS DECA club is holding a raffle for an iPad mini all this week! Winner will be chosen during Corporate Bowl on Tuesday, March 18th. Tickets are $5 each, 3 tickets for $10, or 7 tickets for $20. Tickets are available in room 152 or by emailing cherylchamberlain@k12.ginet.org Thank you for supporting the Grand Island DECA Club.




16th Annual GISBA Corporate Bowl - March 2014

Rescheduled for Monday, March 24, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in the Grand Island High School Cafeteria.
    The 2014 Corporate Bowl is taking place on Monday, March 24th at the Grand Island High School Large Cafeteria beginning at 6:00 p.m. Nine teams will participate in the semi-final matchup, followed immediately by the Championship Match. See matchups to view team pictures and participants. The Corporate Bowl is sponsored by GISBA, the Grand Island School & Business Alliance. The top three teams receive scholarship awards.




GIHS DECA Succeeds at States! - March 2014


Jude Kuehne Photo - Click for larger view.

    The GIHS DECA club sent 47 qualifiers to the New York State Conference in Rochester on March 5th - 7th. DECA, an association of Marketing and Management students, is growing all over NYS and America with over 200,000 members. The importance of being college and career ready is what this club is all about and our GI students learned this first hand in Rochester where they competed with 2,000 other DECA students from all over NYS. Competition areas included Marketing, Accounting, Business Law, Radio Broadcasting, and Job Interview. Students were given case studies and then a short period of time to brainstorm ideas and present to a judge from that area of business. Judges then rated students based on their answers to those questions with a rubric of specific performance indicators. Many students took tests on-line in the areas of management, marketing, and finance and did very well and were awarded medals for their efforts. There are State only events where Grand Island students Jacob Athoe, Natalie Baldassarre, Katherine Fonte, Sabrina Mistriner, and Catie Merletti took home trophies and others medaled in the top ten in the state. In the National Events that go on to competition in Atlanta, Georgia with students from all over the world, Christopher Swagler, Nancy Dahlquist, and Ashley Franz qualified to move on and compete! Countless other medals were awarded to students in many different events and Grand Island took top honors for increasing membership over 15% again this year with 140 members currently at VCMS and GIHS. Cheryl Chamberlain, advisor and co-president of Region 12 DECA in WNY was proud of the students and could not have made this possible without the help of Christopher Simpson, MaryJane Fonte, and Eric Cohoon who also attended this worthwhile trip. This is Chamberlain's tenth year attending the NY DECA State Conference where over 300 Grand Island students have benefited from their attendance at this State Conference since 2005.




Students Learn Bystander CPR - March 2014


    The American Heart Association (AHA) is training all GI High School students this week in Hands-Only or bystander CPR. From March 4-7th, over 1000 students will be trained during gym class. Hands-Only CRP can be taught in 30 minutes or less and during class the instructors are also showing the students the operation of an AED (automated external defibrillator).
    Information provided by AHA shows that each year, almost 424,000 people have sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital and only 10.4% survive. When a CPR-trained bystander is near, they can double or triple victims' survival rates until EMT's arrive. Bystander Hands-Only CPR can be just as effective as conventional, mouth-to-mouth CPR in the first few minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest in an adult.
    The students did the chest compression to the beat of "Staying Alive" by the Bee Gee's playing in the background. It was mentioned to continue for four minutes and if EMT's had not arrived yet, get another bystander to take over. The AED is designed to be simple to use for even those that have never seen one. After turning on the unit, it prompts you by verbal and screen instructions on the steps to follow. The defibrillator should not be used if the victim is lying in water but can be used on snow or ice. This very informative instruction has made the Island a safer place by far. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Teresa Lawrence stated "While we hope students never have to put the skills into practice, providing these skills is a valuable opportunity we are not going to pass up."




GIHS JV Hockey Team Headed to States - February 2014


Click for larger view.
Back Row: Manager: Scott Morrow, Asst. Coach Steve Calandra, Ryan McDonald, Zack O'Neil, Blake Bennett, Simon Pannullo, Parker Morrow, Nathan Massaro, Cameron Collignon, Tanner Morrow, Coach: Bill Cline, Coach: Marv Pawlowski
Middle Row: Drew Callen, Anthony Leone, Timothy Howard, Thomas Cecere, Will Hughes, Nino Calandra, Mike Mankowski
Front Row: Ed Logel, Andrea Colan - Missing for Photo: Carson Suffoletta, Asst. Coach: Dean Massaro.

   For the second year in a row Grand Island High School JV Hockey team won the Western New York High School Club Hockey Small School Championship on Super Saturday, February 22nd. They are now headed to the State Championships in Ithaca, NY. They will play Alden on Friday, February 28th and on Saturday, March 1st will play Merrick and Hamburg teams. Good luck and congratulations Vikings!




GIHS High Honor Roll - February 2014


9th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Liam Atkins, Kristen Atkinson, Conner Buzby, Cole Ellsworth, Adam Frosolone, Gabrielle Gagliardi, Alexis Hofmeyer, Genavieve Koyn, Adam Krathaus, Kelsey Mahoney, Ryan McDonald, Catherine Merletti, Owen Morrish, Jennalise Olson, Lindsay Proctor, Garrett Robinson, Lucas Robinson, Alexa Rogers, Emma Schultz, Jacob Spencer, Jessica Surace, Kaitlynn Tuohy, Olivia Turck, Marianthi Vasiliadis, Jenna VeRost, Cameron Watt, Madelyn Webb, Dakota Wolf

10th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Narmeen Asif, Cailin Atkins, Emily Augugliaro, Adam Bevilacqua, April Booker, Thomas Botticello, Natalie Braun, Justine Cardone, Jesus Cisneros Vilchis, Michael Duda, Bridget Federico, Benjamin Freedman, Victoria Gruber, Maya Harper, Kaitlin Hoy, Holly Lutnick, Madison McNamara, Sarah Moseley, Nathan Newell, James Niland, Michael Pyzynski, Gabrielle Robinson, Cassie Shickluna, Cameron Smith, Eric Watt, Dakaylah Winfield, Brian Wynne

11th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jessica Ackendorf, Joshua Barrett, Hannah Bastian, Carly Bernatovicz, Sara Colon, Kayla Conway, Rajveer Dhaliwall, Julia Drozdowsky, Eric Dudley, Justin Figler, Katherine Fonte, Alexander Garey, Carly Hand, Marah Killian, Taylor Latvala, Christian Mason, Alexandra Miller, Emily Szabo, Rebecca Wall, James Wilson

12th GRADE HIGH HONOR
Jacob Athoe, Amber Betterson, Alicia Bianco, Grace Bolton, Quinton Corrao, Sierra D'Ettorre, Sarah Dollendorf, Bianco Gowanny, Ashley Gugino, April Hippert, Zachary Jones, Kristina Kasprzycki, Emma MacIntyre, Anna Nicolia, Jenna Paternostro, Maygan Payan, Ryan Proctor, Shannon Robillard, Javier Solis, Tanner Speer, Tara Stewart, Mitchell Weis



GIHS Honor Roll - February 2014


9th GRADE HONOR
Jordan Anthony, Genna Baldassarre, Theresa Baughman, Joseph Boyko, Devin Brandon, Karli Burford, Julia Buscaglia, Roman Cacciatore, Erik Carlson, Andrea Colan, Rachel Colan, Alexandra Colucci, Jessica Culbert, Julia Diehl, Nicholas Dingey, Jacob Dollendorf, Todd Domowicz, Samuel Eichel, Anthony Emmi, Simon Estenoz, Colin Fish, Joseph Frailey, James Franz, Angelica Garcia, Kelsey Harrigan, Marilyn Hess, Richard Hoover, Timothy Howard, William Hughes, Robert Jankowiak, Bryce Jellinick, Olivia Johnson, Amanda Jordan, Brennen Joslyn, Natalie Kaminski, Maxwell Keller, Sydney Khreis, Madelyn Konopczynski, Julia Koprevich, Katherine Kovacs, Matthew Kowalski, Jason Kubanek, Hayley Latvala, Lauren LoTempio, Rachel Madigan, Julianna Major, Jacob Masucci, Alyssa Maxwell, Gracie McNamara, Kassie Moss, Tyler Muggli, Kayli Nelson, Kianna Norman, Claire O'Connor, David Pachla, Madisyn Pezzino, Ryon Pietrzak, Connor Pignatora, Emily Prawal, Sean Pufpaff, Kaylee Richard, MaryElisabeth Rustowicz, William Scalzo, Kelly Schlifke, Brandon Schoener, Kristine Sutton, Lauryn Swanson, Nicholas Szabo, Ryan Tetreault, Brooke Thomas, James Thorpe, Wesley Wolf, Gillian Worrall, Caitlin Young

10th GRADE HONOR
Clare Ahne, Eric Albrecht, Jill Anderson, Tori Aronica, Adam Bahgat, Sarah Bellinger, Destiny Benjamin, Austin Blair, Aaron Bobeck, Emily Bognar, Zachary Breeden, Madison Brown, Cailtyn Bykowicz, Dominique Capizzi, Andrew Carlson, Taylor Cecere, Yaling Chen, Cameron Colan, Alexis Conway, Patrick Cramer, Patrick Dansereau, Colten Deuser, Adam Dryfhout, Emily Dudziak, Jayson Endozo, Cydney Fairbairn, Brenton Fischer, Marissa Freedman, Alexis Garcia, Ashley Giambra, Olivia Goc, Brittany Grant, Daniel Grinchishin, Kali Hausrath, Briana Hollfelder, Nicole Hollfelder, Kaitlynd Howell, Samara Johnson, Taylor Johnson, Julia Kavanagh, Sydney Keane, Michaela Kozek, Joseph Kulikowski, Sarah Kustich, Julia Lawley, Sabrina Lemme, Courtney Liberte, Brianna Little, Edward Logel, Hope LoHouse, Liana Lombardo, Anna Martinez, Cameron Mastykarz, Tiffany Melendez, Sabrina Mistriner, Kalista Nizialek, Nathaniel Nowocien, Zachery O'Neill, Michael Oldman, Yukino Ota, Eric Pease, Maria Ramsperger, Hailey Randle, Sarah Rennells, Sammantha Reynolds, Chelsea Robillard, Heather Robinson, Mikayla Rosati, Emelie-jo Scheffler, Smeen Shah, Cassidy Siebert, Brandon Surdi, Melanie Sweeney, Nicholas Terlecky, Matthew Tollner, Taylor Vanderzell, Ciara Vedella, Maxwell VeRost, Alex Whetham, Brianna Wik, Hannah Wiktorowski, Douglas Yockey, Michael Ziehm, Spencer-Jon Zukic

11th GRADE HONOR
Alwareed Abdellatif, Ryan Allen, Nicholas Bonora, Bradley Boreali, Brianna Brandon, Sierra Brooks, Vincent Bruno, Alexa Calandra, Giuseppe Campanella, Robert Carroll, Rochelle Cataffo, Dennis Chatkhan, Natalia Christiano, Sara Cichon, Andrew Colautto, Caitlin Conlon, Lillian Cultrara, Colton Czajka, Enrico D'Abate, Nancy Dahlquist, Kaitlyn Davidson, Genevieve Davis, Anna DeMartin, Isabel Dengos, Katherine Diefenbach, Shannon Driess, Joseph Egloff, Jared Eichel, Robert Ellegate, Thomas Euscher, Joseph Farrell, Morgan Finn, Austin Fisher, Halle FitzGerald, Ashley Franz, Andrew Fred, Jacob Frosolone, Emily Fuoco, Rebekah Gaydosh, Kathryn Gentz, Marissa Gress, Balraj Grewal, Nikolai Harper, Connor Harrigan, Natalie Henderson, Christian Hilts, Kimberly Huffnagle, Grey Johnson, Jack Kennedy, Leah Killian, Kristian Kline, Kurt Laschinger, Thomas Major, Holly Mandura, Nathan Marino, Colton McGraw, Michael McMahon, Michaela McMahon, Matthew McNaughton, Alanna Mergel, Noaln Miles, Courtney Monroe, Thomas Morgan, Anthony Mosher, Jocelyn Mueller, Taylor Nageldinger, Robert Nappo, Robin Neary, Jacob Neumann, Meaghan O'Leary, Colin Osborn, Alyssa Pelosi, Devon Perri, Miranda Phillips, Jordan Piershalski, Michael Podgomy, Michael Podlucky, Kayla Popovich, Brendan Pratt, Jenna Reinard, Andrew Riederer, Eric Riederer, Lauren Rogoza, Raymond Rott, Kaitlyn Rudney, Margaret Rustowicz, Benjamin Shaw, Pushpinder Singh, Mackinzie Smith, Hiral Suthar, Laura Taylor, Melissa Ullrich, Steven White, Scarlett Whitman, Corey Wilkinson, Jessica Wing, Emily Wolcott, Bennett Wright, Bethany Wynne

12th GRADE HONOR
Natalie Argy, Marisa Atkinson, Sukhdeep Bajwa, Natalie Baldassarre, Samantha Bartolotta, Brandan Benderson, Sierra Besl, Kevin Borowicz, Jack Boyko, Kirsten Burtch, Liana Buscaglia, Jon Busch, Bryce Callen, Amanda Cancilla, June Chadima, Magdalyn Chauby, Qian Chen, David Cich, Jessica Cieri, Hannah Corrao, Thomas Corrao, Nicholas DeMita, Brian DeRubes, Jaskiran Dhaliwall, Thomas Doctor, Heavyn Dreher, Jenell Duxbury, Alexandra Dzielski, Michael Dzielski, Kai Ellsworth, Elijah Fields, Kevin Freedman, Ian Freudenheim, Emma Garten, Emily Glose, Benjamin Goc, Alex Gormady, Anthony Grana, Abhiraj Grewal, Alyssa Heitman, Ryan Held, Ciara Howley, Henry Huang, Amanda Jelonek, Kurtis Johnson, Addison Joslyn, Alexa Kalinowski, Kristin Kalman, Julia Kelly, Emily Kernin, Mary Frances Koch, Ashley Kroetsch, Lauren Kullerkupp, Julianne Lavallee, Justin Lavis, Gabriella Liberatore, John Lillian, Brittany Little, William Madigan, Vincent Malpica, Johnna Marinello, Andrew Masiello, Justin McCarthy, Brentyn Mendel, Wyatt Mock, Benjamin Morrish, Brooklyn Morton, Catherine Navagh, Anna Niland, James Osborn, Kamra Phillips, Nicholas Pino, Zoann Pitman, Alessandra Price, James Pufpaff, Sydney Quarantillo, Daniel Ray, Zoe Reda, Emilie Rengler, Kaitlyn Rose, Ryan Ross, Maren Russell, Kyle Schoener, Natalie Schultz, Derrick Schutrum, Jillian Sheehan, Vincent Shores, Lucas Siebert, Chelsea Sinicki, Pamelia Slattery, Jeremy Smith, Lindsey Spiker, Jacob Stromberg, Jenna Stufkosky, Timothy Sutton, Brock Tetreault, Timothy Utz, Victoria VanNorman, Mia Villani, Lillian von Reyn, Stephanie Voyzey, Jadon Wegrzyn, Ashley Weiser, Jackeline Wilson, Brigid Wilton, Madalyn Wright, Brandon York, Nicholas Young, Matthew Zabaldo




GIHS Merit Roll - February 2014


9th GRADE MERIT
Eric Beauchamp, Liam Bryan, Nicholas Capizzi, Nicole Castiglione, McKenna Collignon, Kaylee Conta, Mallory DelSignore, Louis Estrella, Louis Fabiano, Madison Finn, Meghan Frisch, Mikala Gallagher, Alexis Gallup, Lenin Harper, Jessica Harvey, Emily Jelonek, Julie Klein, Reganne Kleisath, Hannah Mahon, Harrison Mangat, Nathaniel Massaro, Jerome Masters, Alexandra Meinhold, Joseph Mesmer, Zackery Messier, Zachary Morano, Tyler Moskala, Katelyn Newbould, Jack Norgiel, Juleeann Nyitrai, Trevor Palamuso, Simon Pannullo, Madison Phillips, Matthew Racz, Thomas Reed, Thomas Riniolo, Robert Sadkowski, Sarah Saleh, Cassandra Shores, Nemanja Simic, Brianna Smith, Caleb Stallard, Alexis Studley, Noah Teator, Randy Thomas Collin Tolsma, Jacob Tucker, Madison VeRost, Devin Vogel, Aruran Wigneswaran, Joelle Woodard, Mario Wright

10th GRADE MERIT
Jesse Arch, Christopher Aronica, Alexis Belstadt, Christopher Bookhagen, Jarod Brandon, Drew Callen, Catherine Carver, Charles Cetola, Tyrone Chillis, Jeremiah Cooper, Jenna Corrao, Frank Cotroneo, Sari Dickinson, Erin Dugan, Lisa Fankhauser, Jordyn Fisher, Kyle Frascatore, Nicholas Giancola, Jacob Gilcart, Sabrina Giordano, Morgan Goris, Jacob Hauer, Matthew Hays, Haylee Heitman, Rebecca Hennessy, Shelby Ishmael, Alexander Jackson, Jacob Kawecki, Brendan Kenney, Kady Liesenfeld, Michaela Malesky, Loveleen Mangat, Michael Mankowski, Kiana McQuestion, Haley Melisz, Manny Montes, Tanner Morrow, Jake Nowak, Anthony Ormsby, Daniel Otto, Mark Piechowiak, Jakob Ramallo, Maximillian Russell, Chelsea Schmidt, Jake Schmidt, Amber Schwinn, Christina Serianni, Brendan Sheehan, Dana Simmons, Rohan Alexi Smith, Lindsey Spencer, Thomas Stedman, Robert Stolfo, Lindsey Supparits, Evan Valint, Xavier Vazquez, Katherine Verso, Samantha Violino, Taya Wiesmore, Amber Woodard, Kassidy Wozniak, Kevin Zhang

11th GRADE MERIT
Eric Ackerman, Joshua Acquisto, Michaela Bailes, Tyler Benderson, Brian Brennan, Nicholas Brink, Nicole Burley, Patrycia Burley, Abigail Chambers, Mariah Ciffa, Nathan Ciffa, Marcus Cook, Alexandra Cutting, Karli Deuser, Daniel Edel, Ian Eisenberger, Logan Ellsworth, Joyce Endozo, Jessica Foote, Ayannah Ford, Leah Geis, Graciana Giambra, Kyle Graves, Sabrina Hausrath, Keegan Hirtreiter, Alexander Hollatz-Guastella, Grant Johnson, Jacqueline Kehoe, Ryan Kennedy, Kelsey Ketterer, Jonathan Link, Austin Mahoney, Ryan Marlin, Mark McKenna, Devlin McMaster, Kevin Minton, Jenna Neff, Nicholas Ortiz, Nicholas Paolini, Jessica Patterson, Kelsey Percival, Mary Kate Petz, Drew Pitts, Jessica Pontrella, Joseph Pusateri, Mitchell Racz, Michael Rugg, McKenzie Schaefer, Colin Smith, George Smith, Meghan Sonnenberg, Alexandra Sponn, Emilie Stinner, Heena Suthar, Branden Tripi, Mark Valle, Jordan VeRost, Timothy Winder, Jordan Yamonaco, Alexander Zimmermann, Jessica Zoldowski, Taylor Zoldowski

12th GRADE MERIT
Rana Abdelal, Brian Ailinger, Brielle Backlund, Alexander Baker, Keegan Belstadt, Miles Bentley, Christina Butcher, Kristen Call, Jason Carroll, Aaron Certo, Joseph Chiaravalle, Aaron Cook, Alexander Cousins, Frank DeRubes, Sean DeRubes, Jensen Dorey, Ashley Dragonette, Emily Edwards, Hannah Edwards, Elizabeth Figler, Ashley Fischer, Jack Gorman, Justin Graesser, Andrew Grinchishin, Patrick Hall, Joseph Halpin, Andrew Hannah, Jake Hawley, Kara Hazelet, David Holler, Steven Howard, Emira Islami, Katlyn Jennings, Alyssa Karb, Alexander Kelly, Michael Kleinschmidt, Stephanie Kowalak, Kyle Krueger, Nathan Link, Elizabeth LoBrutto, Austin Loveric, Jacob McMahon, Emmalee McNamara, Elliott Michki, Gregory Nicolia, Shawn Massero, Angela Pozantides, Dominic Prine, Alex Rallo, Andrew Rodriguez, Alyssa Schmitt, Samantha Sheppard, Molly Smith, Kristen Stark, Paul Sukmanowski, Christopher Swagler, Max Tafelski, Raymond Tafelski, Helen Tran, Sarah Valvo, Christian Wallinder




Job Search 2014 - "You're Hired!" - February 2014

   

Top: Anthony Massaro and senior Julia Kelly.
Bottom: Interview sessions.

    Students from GIHS came out to Byblos Niagara on Thursday, February 13th with resumes in hand waiting to hear those very words: "You're Hired!" Over 30 educators, business, and community members were there to help make those words a reality. The Grand Island High School Business Department in conjunction with GISBA sponsor Job Search Seminar every year to assist students with the interview process. This year, parents of Grand Island students and local business members, Fahim Mojawalla, Ilia Beecher, and Whitney Bower were on hand to present seminars on job interview techniques. Mrs. Cheryl Chamberlain, business teacher and coordinator of the event was delighted to see her former students serve as interviewers; Erin McKenna Durante from KeyBank/Junior Achievement, Savanna Kustra from Victorinox, Joseph Menter of the GI Recreation Department and Anthony Massaro, owner of RigaTony's. "It is wonderful to see these former Grand Island graduates doing well and helping current students improve their career skills," said Chamberlain. Job Search provides students with authentic interview experience and some businesses come out to hire the students. For more information on Job Search and other business oriented events, contact Cheryl Chamberlain at 773-8820.




Inspiring Message - February 2014

Left: Fahim Mojawalla at breakout session.

    The 18th Annual GIHS Job Search Seminar was held at Byblos Niagara on Thursday, February 13th. The seminar is presented by the GIHS Business Department and the GI School and Business Alliance (GISBA). Many students and 30 interviewers participated at the event. Dressed in business attire, utilizing communication skills, and completing a resume were all a part of the preparation for Job Search.
   There were three breakout sessions provided by volunteers, Ilia Beecher; "Polishing Your Professional Image", Whitney Bower: "The 10 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Job Searching" and Fahim Mojawalla; "Effective Social Marketing Strategies". Mr. Mojawalla's session was spirited, super positive and included "life tips" that he has learned over the years. They included:
  • A kind reputation in business will make you more money.
  • Your net work is your net worth, provided you do it correctly.
  • Be a giver.
  • Have a plan, have passion and follow through.
  • Make monthly resolutions, not yearly.
  • Wake up, be awesome, go to bed.
  • Rise above negativity.
    See Mr. Mojawalla's top 10 life lessons.




    Teacher's Inspiring Legacy Lives On

    A Kaleidoscope String concert in memory of Ms. Deb Remson took place on Thursday, February 13th at the Grand Island High School auditorium.
    See Buffalo News Story written by Samantha Maziarz Christmann.




    Sports Briefs - February 2014

    Click "Sports Briefs 2/13/2014"




    Rugby Club Spaghetti Dinner - February 2014

       The GIHS Rugby Club Spaghetti Dinner is Tuesday, March 4th in the high school cafeteria from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 presale, $6 at the door and $20 for a family of five or more. There is also a basket raffle with donations from the Bills and Sabres.




    Jess Dhaliwal Signs With U.B. - February 2014

    Jess Dhaliwal (center) with parents and brothers

       GIHS senior Jess Dhaliwal signed a letter of commitment to the University at Buffalo for a full scholarship on Wednesday, February 5th. Jess competes in the shot put and the discus in both indoor and outdoor track. Just recently she achieved her personal best in shot at the Section VI meet in December, 44 feet, six and one half inches. Jess is ranked #1 in Western New York (indoor) in both events and #3 nationally (indoor) in the shot put. Over the course of grades 9 - 11, she has medaled eight times at the NYS tournament. Her accomplishments don't end there, she is also a class officer and a member of the National Honor Society. Congratulations Jess!



    Nick Brink Wins Bowling Title - February 2014

        Nick Brink won the Niagara Frontier League title in boys bowling at the NFL League Meet Thursday, January 30th. The meet took place at the Brad Angelo Lanes in Lockport. Nick rolled the highest series at 730. Grand Island also had the tournament first in a single game as Colton McGraw rolled a 289. Nick Brink was also on the winning doubles team with a tournament high total of 1313, he was teamed up with Jared Swift of Lockport.




    Sports Briefs - February 2014

    Click "Sports Briefs 2/6/2014"




    "Pirates of Penzance" at GIHS - January 2014

        The Grand Island High School musical production is "The Pirates of Penzance", on Thursday, February 6th, Friday, February 7th, and Saturday, February 8th at the high school auditorium at 7:30 p.m. This comic opera was originally produced by Gilbert and Sullivan in 1879 and is set in Cornwall, England. It features pirates, beautiful maidens, and a clash with police. Tickets are $8.00 and can be purchased at the door.




    Sports Briefs - January 2014

    Click "Sports Briefs 1/30/2014"




    GIHS Cap and Gown Orders - January 2014

        Cap and Gown orders will be taken on Friday, February 7th from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. outside of the cafeteria at Grand Island High School with a Josten's representative. Order forms were distributed in senior English classes. If seniors did not receive a packet of information please contact Cheryl Chamberlain, Graduation Coordinator, at 773-8820.




    Sports Briefs - January 2014

    Click "Sports Briefs 1/23/2014"




    Sports Briefs - January 2014

    Click "Sports Briefs 1/16/2014"




    January Examination Schedule - January 2014

       Grand Island High School has announced the January Examination Schedule. Please note that Monday, January 27th, regular classes are in session. Exams will take place Monday, January 27th - Thursday, January 30th. Due to the recent snow closures, there will be a half day of school on Friday, January 31, 2014. Students will arrive at their normal time in the morning and will be discharged at 10:49 AM.




    DECA "Makes it Count!" - January 2014

    From left: Cole Kline and Colin Osborn accept a first place award for Business Law and Ethics Team Event

       Lockport High School was the setting on Sunday, January 12th for the Region 12 DECA Competition. DECA is a competitive business and marketing club and Grand Island is the largest chapter of over 15 schools, with 109 students participating. Students competed in over 30 business categories which included: Public Speaking, Marketing Management, and Sales Demonstration. Local business leaders served as judges in these events and Grand Island boasted many volunteers. Town Supervisor Mary Cooke has served as a judge for several years and really enjoys the competition. Corey McGowan, Entertainment Director at Byblos Niagara, served as a judge this year and it brought back memories as he was President of GIHS DECA when he attended high school. After a long day of competition, 61 students from Grand Island Middle and High School qualified to move on to the New York State Conference. For more information on how you can be a part of DECA as a judge please contact Cheryl Chamberlain, advisor at 773-8820.