May 24, 2017

11TH ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY HOSTED BY CONNETQUOT TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Winning students and the teachers that ‘Made A Difference’ in their lives: (l-r) Nilehil Bamarajpet, Mr. Ken Lehman, Meghan Forster, Ms. Debra Collier, Diana Hocker, Mrs. Erica Dosch, Mrs. Joanna Zalewski, Mr. Chris Dolce, Mr. Robert Bachisin, Ms. Cathleen DiPeri, Ms. Christine Dassler, Ms. Ellen Perz, Mr. James Nagle, Jacqueline Conlon, Lea Romano, Mr. Michael Murphy, Mrs. Beth Owens, Kenneth Haller.

Bohemia, NY --- Connetquot Teachers Association (CTA) Vice-President Mr. Chris Dolce hosted a reception and awards ceremony for the winners of the 2017 annual essay contest. Held at the colorfully decorated library at Connetquot High School, Dolce and CTA committee members welcomed the selected students, their parents and the teachers “… who made a difference …” in their lives. Each of the six winning students received an attractive certificate, a copy of their winning essay, and a check for $500.

Speaking on behalf of CTA President Tony Felicio, Jr., Dolce congratulated the students and their parents for the outstanding essays they had submitted. The topic for the essays was The Teacher who Made a Difference in My Life. Close to 200 essays were read and graded by a committee of CTA members from Connetquot HS, as well as the middle and elementary schools.

Essays submitted by the following Connetquot students were selected as the six winning entries: Kenneth Haller (Mrs. Beth Owens), Diana Hocker (Mrs. Erica Dosch), Nilehil Bamarajpet (Mr. Ken Lehman), Meghan Forster (Ms. Debra Collier), Jacqueline Conlon (Mr. James Nagle) and Lea Romano (Mr. Michael Murphy).

The Connetquot Teacher’s Association has been increasingly involved in community events such as providing financial support of both boys’ & girls’ local sports teams, collecting clothing & snacks for the needy, raising funds for cancer research, as well the financial awards for graduating Connetquot students. The latest Connetquot Teachers Association project has been partnering with the Education & Assistance Corporation to provide healthy snacks, fruit drinks and bottled water for youngsters waiting for the parents at the Cohalan Court Complex in Central Islip.

Mr. Dolce personally congratulated each of the winning students, and their families. The kind words the students used to describe the impact Connetquot educators have had on their lives touched the hearts of the teachers being recognized. Dolce also thanked the following CTA members who helped organize the evening’s award ceremony: Joanna Zalewski, Christine Dassler, Cathleen DiPeri, Ellen Perz and Robert Bachisin. Special thanks to Mrs. Cheryl Sosa for preparing her special recipe’ hazelnut flavored cookies for CTA Scholarship Night!

CTA Vice President Mr. Chris Dolce congratulates Meghan Forster.

A quote from Meghan Forster’s essay about the effect Ms. Debra Collier has had on her life.

photos by Joseph Maniaci