Wyckoff Y Honors Local Teenagers With Exemplary Character

WYCKOFF, NJ — Fifteen teenagers were honored by the Wyckoff Family YMCA recently for their commitment to community service and a relaunched initiative for seventh- and eighth-graders was announced.

The teens are the "embodiment of the Y's cornerstones of character: Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility.

The other honored students were: Matthew Albrecht, Taline Banks, Jack Centrelli, Alex Costabile, Andrew Gamper, Michael Horkan, Joaquin Kull, Henry Martin, Jonathan DiFilippo, Stephen Machak, Jordan Orlando, Laura Park, Sophia Sheikh, Nick Gilies and John Skead.

DiFilippo and Machak were presented with the Terry Battaglia Above and Beyond Award for "going above and beyond" to help their peers and neighbors.

In related news, the Y's Link program for seventh-and eighth-graders has been renamed Bridge. The program runs on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m.; covered topics include nutrition, peer pressure, stress, and substance abuse.

Email meganm@wyckoffymca.org for more information about the Bridge program.

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The honorees of this year's YMCA Youth Character Awards. — Courtesy of Wyckoff Family YMCA