North Branford Students Get Promoted to High School

More than 200  students became high schoolers (see PDF for a list of graduates) after being promoted in a school-wide ceremony on June 23. The large  gym was filled with hundreds of proud parents, family and friends to celebrate the students’ accomplishments.

“I think its really exciting [and] a great accomplishment for these kids,” parent Michelle Romanella said, “ It gives them a taste of what’s to come in the future.“

According to Principal Alan Davis, the 8th-grade class has been through a lot together in their three years at NBIS because of all of the school’s construction.

“This is the first class that transitioned from portable classes to the third floor in the new building, “ he said, “so it’s been a lot of transition. But there was never one complaint.”

The promotion exercises started with a speech by Davis, who himself graduated from North Branford Intermediate School more than 30 years ago.  He spoke to the 8th-grade class about “never rest[ing] on accomplishments but look[ing] forward” and the benefits of taking risks. While he said the “time fills us with great pride and excitement,” he felt “a little sadness” in seeing so many successful students leave the school.

After speeches from the chairperson of the Board of Education Marcey Onofrio and Superintendent Scott Schoonmaker, student awards were given out (see the complete list beneath the article).

The large class then took to the stage to receive their certificates after students Gina La Cerva and Mia Ney serenaded the crowd with an inspirational song.

Once the certificates were handed out, the ceremony continued with a speech by Student Council President Christopher Kruglik who commented that, “When you think of all the fond memories over the past few years, it went by so quickly” followed by a closing remark from Christine Imperato (see the details of the night in the PDF of the program).

With a roar from the audience, the ex-8th-grade students, decked out in dressy clothing, paraded out through the gym to their former school next door where they enjoyed a Hollywood-themed party. Alongside family and friends, they danced away their first night as high school students.

Awards

• South Central Superintendent Award: Ryan Murphy and Kaitlyn White
• CAS Scholar Leader Award: Robert DellaCamera and Deanna Sintay
• Student Council Service Award: Bryce Mase
• Kelly Newberry Sportsmanship Award: Sara Olsen
• Scripts National Spelling Bee: Reyna Lyn
• National Geography Bee: Aren Longo
• Tilcon Citizenship Award: Alexandra Galluba and Carly Mastriano

Memorial Awards

• James Papa Science Book Award: Christopher Stankiewicz
• Michael Penta Jr. Book Award (for Science): Thomas (T.J.) McMahon
• Erna Cocchiaro Book Award (for Physical Education): Paige Dostie
• Robert Tobin Book Award (for Sportsmanship): Michael Querfeld
• Theresa Sanservo Jensen Social Studies Book Award: Justine Johnson and Ryan Murphy
• James Glossa Guidance Book Award: Riley Stone and Gabriella Annunziato
• Miranda Borsari Award (for achieving academic & social goals): Victoria Albino, Murphy Baylon and Anelica Reilly
• Rainbow Team Awards: Willow Brown, Holly Carotenuto, Melissa Cirivello, William Coleman, Erica Flanagan, Christian Iuteri, Alex Martone, Katherine Moeller, Sara Olsen and Maggie Vergati
• Gold Team Awards: Juliana Castillo, Paigie Dostie, Olyvia Gleason, Stephanie Hogan, Casey Lambert, Ashley McManus, Matthew Murphy Michael Querfeld, Victoria Santamauro and Riley Stone
• President’s Educational Award Of Excellence: Alexander Bunnell, Nancy Bush, Nicholas Candelora, Sarah Gallo, Olyvia Gleason, Dayna Hagewood, Stephanie Hogan, Christian Iuteri, Justine Johnson, Casey Lambert, Carly Mastriano, Jay Mavani, Brynn McClure, Katherine Moeller, Jessica Munck, Sara Olsen, Bryana Saroka, Rachel Siciliano, Jacob Sidle, Christopher Stankiewisz and Maggie Vergati