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Asaro Wins Sectional 55 Meter Dash
Kennedy Catholic's Danielle Asaro won the 55-meter dash at Sectionals over President's Weekend. Check back for additional updates.
Swim Star Makes Waves At States
Panzarino ’10 commits to Bucknell
Swim team captain Alexandra Panzarino wrapped up quite the fall season with a trip to the State Championship Meet and a formal commitment to Bucknell University following her team’s successful 4-3 campaign. She finished 23rd in the state in the 100-yard butterfly out of 65 qualifiers, and 34th in the 200-yard individual medley out of 51.
Panzarino will graduate from Kennedy Catholic this spring as its most decorated swimmer. She is one of only five Lady Gaels to have qualified for Sectionals in each of her four years, and one of only two to do so in both individual events. The only three-year captain in Kennedy history, she holds school records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
She is a 2009 Scholastic All-American, state qualifier in the 100-yard butterfly (2008-2009) and the 200-yard individual medley (2009), All-Division 2006-2009 and All-Section 2008-2009. In her signature heats, the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard individual medley, the Ossining native has garnered 34 firsts and one second in just 37 total meets, and was undefeated in dual meets this year.
Mr. Dunne Recognized
Every year the Western New England College School of Engineering asks its freshmen to identify individuals whose efforts and encouragement facilitated their entry into the field of engineering. Christina Lee ’09 identified our own Mr. Richard Dunne as one of those special people. Congratulations Mr. Dunne!J-E-S-S, Jess, Jess, Jess!
Senior harrier finishes 10th in stateFirst Quarter Honor Roll
The Honor Roll for Marking Period No. 1 has been released. Download it today to see who made the President’s List, Principals List, First Honors and Second Honors. Parents are reminded that grades are now available online through our PowerSchool Parent Logon.
Girls Swimming Relay Team Makes Sectional Finals
Congratulations to the Kennedy Catholic girl's swim team! For the first time since 2003, the 200 freestyle relay team of Alexandra Panzarino (captain), Lindsie O'Hagan, Victoria Holtzinger and Ellen McTique made finals at the Section 1 championship meet! Lady Gael Harriers Finish 15th At County Championships
Jessica Kendzor (7), Breeda Mannion (60), Doran Hastings (98), Emily Thomas (130), Colleen Iral (131), Clarice Chastang (139), and April Mante (179) led the female Gaels to 15th place at the Westchester County Championships. The JFK XC girls finished in front of Harrison, Holy Child, Rye Neck, Croton, Fox Lane, Hen Hud, Ardsley, Mamaroneck, Pleasantville, Mt. Vernon, Edgemont, Valhalla, Port Chester, and Hastings.
Meanwhile, Eric DiNome (119), Anthony Djerdaj (147), Alex Cecere (161), Liam Perry (184), Brendan Paige(198), Zachary Cecere (201), and Dan Calapai (205) led the male Gaels past Blind Brook, Children's Village, Mt. Vernon and Port Chester at the Westchester County Championships.
Six Fall Teams In Playoff Action; 4 This Weekend
While the Kennedy community is still reveling in its Football Fighting Gaels’ 34-0 opening-round win over Pelham last Saturday, its New York Jets Coach of the Week Robert Schwartz and quarterfinal game at Nanuet this Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1:30 p.m., five other Kennedy Catholic teams are enjoying playoff appearances this weekend.
The action kicks off this Friday, Oct. 30, with the 11th-seeded boys’ soccer team traveling to Rye Neck for a 2:30 p.m. showdown, while the volleyball team will be at Westlake for a 4:30 p.m. open-round matchup. The fun continues on Saturday, Oct. 31, with the girls’ soccer team at home against Rye Neck at 2:30 p.m.
The swimming team will be competing in Sectionals at Felix Festa Middle School on Nov. 3-4, and the cross-country teams round out the postseason players with their Sectional meet at Bowdoin Park at 9 a.m. next Friday, Nov. 6.
GO GAELS!
Gaels Wrestle Down Bears, 27-7
The Varsity Football team enjoyed a sweet Homecoming on Oct. 3 with a 27-7 victory over the Briarcliff Bears. Dylan Schuck ’10 scored two touchdowns and amassed 213 yards on 21 carries for the Gaels. It was the first time Kennedy has won back-to-back games in almost a decade, following its 23-6 win over Westlake on Sept. 26. The Gaels now sit at 3-1, just a game behind front-running Pleasantville. For more on Kennedy Catholic’s Homecoming victory, read The Journal News.
College Board Recognizes 17 Students As AP Scholars
Seventeen Kennedy Catholic students have earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on AP Exams. Only 18 percent of the close to 1.7 million students taking AP Exams worldwide performed well enough to qualify for AP Scholar Awards.
Class of 2009 Valedictorian Matthew DiSalvo and Lauren Gillette ’09 were named AP Scholars with Distinction, averaging 3.5 on all their APs with grades of 3 or higher on five or more of those exams. Daniel Carinci ’09, Catherine Gold ’10, Michael Omboni ’09 and Brianna Sergio ’09 qualified as Scholars with Honor by averaging a minimum of 3.25, with grades of 3 or higher on four or more exams.
Eleven Kennedy students earned the AP Scholar Award, completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. That list includes 2009 graduates Matthew Britt, Thomas Califra, Catherine Heinzinger, Ebony James, Jacqueline Kastberg, William Ledley, Nicholas Modico, Megan Morris, Marie Normile and salutatorian Anthony Pais, along with the Class of 2010’s Matthew Picarillo.
Congratulations to all our AP Scholars. You make Kennedy proud.
The Last "O" To Go
Congratulations to the Class of 2009, which graduated from Kennedy Catholic on June 7. Please click on the following link for pictures from our 80th Commencement Exercises, or check out Photojournalist Mark Vergari's shots in The Journal News.
Kennedy Harriers Shine At Sectionals
Girls’ 4-by-400-meter relay team breaks 16-year record
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The girls’ 4-by-400-meter relay team enjoyed a record-breaking day at the Sectional meet on May 21.
Danielle Asaro, Nneka Ekwerekwu, Jessica Kendzor and Breeda Mannion combined for a time of 4:10, shattering the previous record of 4:11.6 set by Bernadette Meehan ’93, Victoria Lynch ’92, Jessica Swolfs Kisling ’92 and Maria Lisa Walton ’92 in 1992. The team finished third in the Sectional race.
Individually, Kendzor also won the 800-meter run, while Asaro and Mannion each finished third in the 100-meter and 1,500-meter runs, respectively. Jennifer Cicchetti placed fifth out of 28 pentathletes and Jesse Aprile bested both of top distances in placing third in the long and triple jumps.
Taking Care Of ‘Business’
Kennedy Catholic Players up for 3 Metros
Though their name has changed, their significance has not. And the Kennedy Catholic Players is excited to be nominated for three Metropolitan High School Theater Awards—formerly the Helens—for its spring production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
The Players’ rendition of “Coffee Break” is in the running for Outstanding Production Number, while Jesse Aprile, Robert Bittlingmaier, Michael Campobasso, Matthew Espejo, Thomas Greco, Warren Lucas, Christian Paulmann, Matthew Pereira, Anthony Ruperto and Nico Van den Bergh were nominated collectively as “The Executives” for Featured Ensemble Group. Rounding out the Players’ nominations is Production Assistant LeeAnn Lisella, who is up for the Technical Merit Award.
The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill. Tickets are available on a first come, first serve basis. You can order yours by calling (845) 659-1427.
For more information on the awards program, call (845) 826-2049 or e-mail the Metros.
KCHS Announces National Spanish, Latin, Italian Exam Awardees
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Spanish students led the way with five gold medalists—Richard Aprile, Jason Davin, Emily Thomas, Douglas Crockatt and Matthew DiSalvo—placing above the 95th percentile. Silver medalists Kristen Gold and Louis Fusco scored between the 85th and 94th percentiles, while Kelsey Lloyd, Colleen Nestler, Megan Callaghan, William Crockatt, Jessica Bucaria, Michelle Modica, Mary Vasile, Patrick Delacruz, Cristina Barletta and Anthony Pais each earned bronze medals for scoring in the 75th to 84th percentile.
Honorable mention was also granted to Katherine Hines, Sarah DiNome, Jacqueline Tosto, Dylan Salamone, Daniel Girolamo, Katherine Towey, Alexa Mancuso, Amanda Viteretti, Cindy Gonzalez, Catherine Gold and Vanessa Agudelo. More than 115,000 students took the National Spanish Exam, an online, standardized assessment tool used by more than 3,000 teachers throughout the country to measure the proficiency of students studying Spanish as a second language.
Kennedy Catholic also had seven awardees for the National Latin Exam, starting with silver medalist Michael Bueti, who finished in the maxima cum laude category for Latin I. Michael Campobasso, magna cum laude, and Keriann Eliseo, Louis Sarro and Kerry Ford, all cum laude, round out the top finishers for Latin I.
In Latin III, Teresa Smith scored in the magna cum laude category, while Warren Lucas finished cum laude. More than 135,000 students from all 50 states and 11 foreign countries took the National Latin Exam.
Rounding out this year’s exam takers is Daniele Unti, who received Honorable Mention in the National Italian Exam for Level II.
Congratulations are in order for Languages Other Than English Chair Ellen Kelly, as well as teachers Jacob Bergmeier, Mario Cartularo, Sister Barbara Heil, Andres Soltren and Brent Tieber. This marks the second year Kennedy Catholic has had multiple award winners in the Spanish and Latin exams.
Boys’ Track Team Wins League III-A Championship
Sweeps seasonal titles for cross-country, indoor track, outdoor track and field
The Kennedy boys’ track and field team won the League III-A title on May 6 at Putnam Valley, giving our harriers a title in each of the three running seasons. The girls also had a strong showing, finishing three points behind eventual winner Croton. So since September, Kennedy is home to four of the six possible titles for League III-A (the girls also won their indoor track and field season).
Heading into the final day (May 4 was called due to rain and darkness), Kennedy had already garnered 10 first-place finishes. Dylan Schuck led a string of junior scorers for the Gaels with wins in the 400-meter dash, 400-meter hurdles and 110-meter hurdles. Quick on his heels are Kennedy’s dynamic duo of Jessica Kendzor (400-meter dash, 800-meter run) and Breeda Mannion (400-meter hurdles and 1,500-meter run). Junior Jesse Aprile, long jump; sophomore Danielle Asaro, 100-meter dash; and freshman Michael Campobasso, pole vault, rounded out the scoring for the Gaels. The Gaels also ended the day with two of the seven National Elite results: Brandon Wynne in the 2-mile run and Schuck in the javelin.
Third Quarter Honor Roll
The Third Quarter Honor Roll has been release. Download it today to see who made the grade this marking period.
Kennedy Bowlers Among Top 100 In Section 1
Murphy ’09 finishes 18th overall
Two Kennedy Catholic bowlers, Anthony Corona ’09 and Jude Murphy ’09, placed among the top 100 in Section 1 at the Sectional Tournament on Feb. 12 at Cortlandt Lanes. Corona finished 99th, rolling a 539 series in the morning and 514 in the afternoon to finish among the area’s best. The tournament was especially satisfying for Corona, who missed qualifying for last year’s tourney by less than one pin.
The Gaels’ anchor bowler for most of the season, Murphy saved his best for last, striking in 11 of his last 12 frames en route to a 265 and a tie for the fourth-highest game of the tournament. Murphy shot a 624 and 626 on the day, good enough for 18th place in all of Section 1. Congratulations to our high rollers.
Kennedy Harriers Shine At County Championships
Having already brought home three league titles this year, Kennedy Catholic runners continued bringing home the hardware at the Westchester County Championships on Feb. 1 at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City.
Jesse Aprile ’10 got things started with a third-place finish in the Class B, 55-meter dash. As one would expect by now, Jessica Kendzor ’10 and Breeda Mannion ’10 both medaled, with Kendzor taking home top honors in the 1,000-meter run for Class B schools and second in the Class B, 300-meter dash. Not to be outdone, her good friend Mannion finished third in the 1,500-meter run.
A number of other Gaels, include Theresa Tolan ’09 and Liam Perry, also set personal bests. Congratulations to all our Kennedy Catholic harriers. Don’t forget about the team dinner on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in the Lakeview Room.
Making The Grade
Second Quarter Honor Roll Released
Two marking periods and one round of semester exams are in the books. Find out who topped the list by downloading the Second Quarter Honor Roll today! Congratulations to all of our young scholars.
Boys, Girls Indoor Track Win League III-A Titles
After winning a cross-country title this past November, Kennedy Catholic’s male harriers proved they were still hungry, adding an indoor track league title this past weekend at The Armory (see link for complete results). Not to be outdone, the girls also bested Briarcliff to become League III-A champions, giving Kennedy two titlists on the weekend and the school its third overall this year.
While the multiple accomplishments of each team are too many to mention, the Gaels did record the following first place finishes:
GIRLS
Jessica Kendzor ’10 (300-Meter Dash; 1,000-Meter Run)
Jennifer Cicchetti ’09 (Long Jump; Triple Jump)
Abby Henry ’09, Kendzor ’10, Breeda Mannion ’10 & Theresa Tolan ’09 (4 x 400 Meter Relay)
BOYS
Dylan Schuck ’10 (55-Meter Hurdles; Triple Jump)
Brandon Wynne ’09 (3,200-Meter Run)
Jesse Aprile ’10 (Long Jump)
NCN Names 11 Gaels Among Fall All-Stars
Kendzor '10 named Girls Runner of the Year
Joining Kendzor on the NCN First Team was Breeda Mannion ’10, while Abby Henry ’09 made the Third Team. Not to be outdone, the 2008 League Champion boys’ cross-country team saw Brandon Wynne ’09 make First Team and Carlos Cartaya ’09 the Second Team.
In football, linebacker Marc Palmer ’10 was named to the First Team Defense, while tailbacks Eric Mercado ’09 and Dylan Schuck ’10 received Honorable Mention. In Field Hockey, Briana Sergio ’09 garnered Honorable Mention, as did Kelly Conlin ’10 for volleyball. Rounding our Kennedy’s Fall NCN All-Stars is Sarah Viebrock ’09, who received Honorable Mention for tennis. Congratulations to all our stars!
First Quarter Honor Roll Released
Who made the grade in the first quarter? Download the First Quarter Honor Roll today.
Mercado, Schuck Combine For 280 Yards In Homecoming Win
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Senior Eric Mercado had 12 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Dylan Schuck recorded 161 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries—plus one interception on defense—as the varsity football team ran over the Falcons of Albertus Magnus, 35-13, on Homecoming Weekend. The win evened the team's record at 2-2 for the season. Kennedy Catholic will suit up again on Oct. 4 at Briarcliff High School starting at 3:30 p.m.Swim Team Tops Keio For 6th Straight Year, 86-70
With only 11 of 14 swimmers available, the Kennedy Catholic Girls Swim Team might not have had the numbers, but it had history on its side as the team beat the Keio Unicorns for the sixth straight year, 86-70. Find all the scores and highlights from our Swimming Page.
Boys, Girls X-Country Place 2 Each In Top 25 Over Weekend
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The Kennedy Catholic boys and girls cross-country teams each placed two runners in the top 25 at the annual Big Red Invitational on Sept. 13, hosted by Somers High School at Hendrick Hudson High School. The girls were led by fourth-place finisher Jessica Kendzor '10 (4th) and Breeda Mannion '10, who came in 15th, while Brandon Wynne ’09 and Carlos Cartaya ’09 finished 17th and 23rd, respectively, for the boys. See the complete Boys and Girls results online, or visit NoDo Photography to see more pictures by Coach Bergmeier. The Gaels travel to Putnam Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 16, for a 4:30 p.m. showdown with its league rival.Swimming Team Opens Season With 3 Gold Medals
The Kennedy Catholic Swimming and Diving team participated in the 2008 Section 1 Girl's Relay Carnival held on Sept. 10. The team did extremely well in its Division in bringing eight new swimmers to the meet. In its first competition of the season, the Kennedy Catholic girls proved they will be a force to be reckoned with in their division. The Lady Gaels took home gold medals in the 200-yard breaststroke relay, 200 butterfly relay and 200 medley relay. Kennedy Catholic also placed second in the 200 backstroke relay and third in the 200 freestyle relay. Read more about your Lady Gaels on the Swimming Page.
Teacher Contract Negotiations Still Ongoing
The Catholic High School Association reacted to the ongoing negations with the Lay Faculty Association late last month. For more on the Archdiocesan perspective, please download and read Sister Patricia Anastasio’s Letter to Parents.
Viebrock ’09 Earns Tennis Gold At Empire State Games
Kennedy Catholic’s No. 1 singles players since she was a freshman, Sarah Viebrock ’09 added to her illustrious tennis career this past summer with a gold medal at the Empire State Games. She is one of the top 20 players in New York State, and is ranked among the top 300 female tennis players in the country. For more about Viebrock ’09, log on to the Putnam County Courier.
LOTE Students Average Over 90% On June Regents
Kudos are in order for the Languages Other Than English Department, which saw all 112 of its June Regents takers pass their respective Italian 3, Latin 3 and Spanish 3 exams, averaging 90.89 in the process. All told, 66 scored at 90 percent or higher, while 16 students received perfect 100s. Congratulations to all the students and their teachers.
NCN Athletes Of The Week Earn $300 For KCHS
The North County News and Entergy have donated $300 to Kennedy Catholic Athletics in honor of three Gaels who were named Male and Female Athletes of the Week this past spring. Those recognized were Devon DiSiena ’09 (May 14 Edition), Mike Mercurio ’09 (April 9 Edition) and Nick Modico ’09 (June 18 Edition). DiSiena was a member of the League Champion softball team that finished second in Class B play for Section 1, while Mercurio and Modico were part of the Class B State Champion boys varsity baseball team.
“Congratulations to them and all the athletes at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School,” NCN Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Bruce Apar said. “We look forward to continuing to report on their impressive accomplishments.”
New President Profiled In The Journal News
The Rev. Mark G. Vaillancourt, Ph.D., took office as Kennedy Catholic president in July. While formal meet-and-greets are currently being planned, you can read more about him in The Journal News.
The Hope Players Go Back To The Eighties For Breast Cancer
Kennedy Catholic High School once again played host to The Hope Players and the theater troupe’s 11th summer production and breast cancer benefit, The Hope Players Go Back to the Eighties. Involving more than 30 Kennedy Catholic alumni, current students and teachers, the show featured 10 original, student-written skits spoofing the 1980s, as well as a 30-song music medley and “thrilling” finale. All proceeds go toward breast cancer research and awareness efforts, as well as a scholarship right here at Kennedy Catholic for students whose lives have been impacted by the disease in some way. You can read about this year’s show in The Journal News, or visit The Hope Players online to learn how you can help in the fight against breast cancer.4th Quarter Honor Roll
Download the Fourth Quarter Honor Roll now to find the final quarter's top performers.