Congratulations Class of2024! SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO JULY 3, 2024 LT PHOTO: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL RT PHOTO: BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER
PAGE 2 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 Anthony Abbondanza Elissa Abreu Esmeralda Acevedo Ariana Acuna Shannon Adler Sohum Aggarwal Michael Ahlstedt Suha Ahmad Silvio Ahmataj Ryan Ahmed Jonathan Almanzar Dylan Almeida Justin Alvarado Angelica Amantea Michael Antonucci Valentin Araujo Ioannis Argiros Ryan Arias Pheby Aryee Oscar Asencio Raymundo John Bartolotta Jasmine Bashjawish Isabella Basulto John Baumeister Harkunwar Bawa John Beers Martine Benaroch Robert Benaroch Isabella Benedetto Jake Berlingo Amanda Blechner Natalie Brady Amelia Bray Darren Brody Luke Cahill Mary Katherine Callaghan Flavia Camargo Mia Campisi King Cane-Franco Ashley Carozza Aiden Carroll Isabella Catania Dylan Chalco Sky Chen Leigha Chotalal Amanda Cohen Dylan Coppola Logan Crilly Lucas Cruz Yalitza Cruz Angel Cuevas Matthew Cumbal Mya Curanovic Jonathan Curran Colin Daly Connor Daly Emma Dedushaj Juliana DelGaudio Araina Demchuk Amanda DiMauro Maeve Dineen-Herzog Kris Dominic Ryan Done Jesse Ehrenreich Youssef Eskandar Omar Espinoza Gianna Eustace Vincent Evola Paige Fagan William Fagan Ashley Familia Anthony Farroni Jr. Natalie Fata Layla Federoff Brandon Forte Isabella Fortunato Aidan Fraleigh Talia Franklin Lily Fraser James Fritz Kyle Gallagher Julia Gannon Brooke Gaynor Julia Gaynor Peter Gazivoda Nicholas Gecaj Ashley Glass Tristan Goc Brianna Gogola Haden Gold Sebastian Goldstein Matthew Gomez Joseph Gouvea Kailyn-Elizabeth Graham Lakeland High School Class of 2024 SEE LAKELAND GRADS PAGE 16 Yorktown High School CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE 2024 GRADUATES! Lakeland High School & FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT Congratulations! HORNETS From Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman To All 2024 Yorktown/Lakeland Graduates
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 3 PAID FOR BY LAWLER FOR CONGRESS, INC.; PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF MATT SLATER, 334 UNDERHILL AVE., SUITE 4B, YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY 10598 www.lawlerforcongress.com Lawler4NY // www.SlaterforNY.com @SlaterforNY “ Congratulations to the Class of 2024 – you did it! Together, we wish you good health, much happiness, and a future that is filled with opportunity and success! CONGRESSMAN MIKE LAWLER // ASSEMBLYMAN MAT T SLATER ” Lawler-Slater News Ad_2024.indd 1 6/14/24 1:26 PM Anthony Acosta Salazar Sophia Albertie Gianna Almonte Param Amre Joseph Aoukar Maggie Appelle Xavier Armato Benjamin Ascher Nathan Ayala Cameron Baker Leighton Barton Alexandra Bogan Cassidy Boylan Jasmin Broughal Reese Bruno Nicolas Bucello Denis Bufaj Connor Burns James Callaghan Monika Camaj Julia Campanaro Ryan Cane Nicholas Carducci Tiana Carenza Devan Carney Olivia Caruso Joseph Centofanti Julia Centofanti Zayneb Cherif Stephen Choolfaian Alisha Choudhury Matthew Cicinelli Jillian Cinquemani Victoria Cipriano Sean Coney Christopher Constantine Alexandra Cortese Thomas Costello Molly Coughlin Rajii Crawford Jovanni Crocamo Zevin DaCruz Shpejtim Dakaj Gregory Dalietos Marc DeAcutis Dylan DelVecchio Miles DeMella John Desiderio Marcelo Diaz Troy Diaz Ryan DiNapoli Reilly Doller Jason Douglas Devesh Dubey Conor Duncan Drew Duncan Tristen Duranti Bryn Edelmann Sharjeel Evans Isabella Falcone Savannah Falcone William Feeks Garred Ferguson Jack Ferone Brianna Figueroa Breanne Finnegan Jack Flaherty Lucas Flandreau Grace Floryshak Madison Forbes Ronan Forde Kaitlin Fox Rose Fox Antonio Frucco Sakina Frucco Nat Fruchtman Madelyn Galbert Jillian Galimi Madeline Gallagher Ava Garnsey Blera Gashi Angelise Gentile Acasha George Maria Giannopoulos George Gjergji Teresa Gjergji Ellie Glicksman Jane Glynn Emily Gnerre Allen Gomez Jaqueline Gonzalez Ryan Gopie Madelon Gorman Maya Grabowski Joseph Granitto Dylan Grano Kevin Griffiths Ava Guglielmo Yorktown High School Class of 2024 SEE YORKTOWN GRADS PAGE 18
PAGE 4 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 BY KRIS DOMINIC Boy, oh boy, where do I even begin? Good morning fellow graduates, family and friends, faculty, and administration. It is with great pleasure and honor that I stand before you today to speak as your valedictorian. More importantly, I stand here as one of the few people left to speak before you can get out of here with your diploma. I’m sure we’re all itching to celebrate by attending grad parties, spending time with family and friends, or if you’re anything like me, playing Brawl Stars, so I’ll do my best to keep this brief. Sometimes, you just gotta trust what’s going on inside your gut. However, I’m positive that if we had followed this advice during our academic journey at Lakeland, many of us, including myself, would not have been here today. So instead, I would like to give a quick thank you to those who we did trust to keep us on the right track and make our time as students enjoyable. First and foremost, I would like to thank Mr. Cummings and the rest of the administration for putting all this together. I would also like to give a shoutout to our teachers who have taught and guided us throughout our 13 years of schooling, including my physics teacher Mr. Prost, who wouldn’t stop annoying me unless I finished this speech on time. I’m glad teachers like him, Ms. Ganz, and Ms. Miller were so hard on us, because without their challenges and support, most of us could not have grown not just into better students, but better people. I’m also obligated to thank my family. My dad, who served as both my coach and role model, said that he wouldn’t pay for my college tuition unless I thanked him for all his hard work. Thank you. I’m also deeply indebted to my mother for her sacrifices to make sure that I made the decisions that she knew were best for me, even though I didn’t think so at the time. We may have disagreed often, but we both know by now that you’re always right. I guess I also need to give a shoutout to Kevin, who was not only my younger brother, but my best friend, my gym and volleyball partner, but most importantly, someone who won’t shut up about the fact that he’s taller than me. I also want to thank my friends for making my four years here at this school the best period of my life so far. I want to individually thank Raj, a close friend with whom I could share my favorite songs and Instagram reels; Sky, who was always there to help me and is also the person who’s paying for my Spotify Premium; Jordan, the smartest guy I know and someone who likes the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum a little bit too much. There’s also Sohum, who made me and many others laugh by unintentionally being funny. Last but certainly not least, I have deep gratitude for Dan and Anuj for letting me rant about my life late in the night while playing games like Fortnite and Roblox. I’ll never forget what happened in the Fall Guys party chat. Another one of my friends, Elliott, gave me a valuable life lesson: “Every day is what you make it.” Well, he didn’t really tell me this. That was just a quote on a pretty sick eight-dollar t-shirt with a frog on it that he bought me at Marshall’s. However, even though the shirt may have been cheap, the lesson it has taught me is priceless. Although all of us here went to the same school, what we will take away from our time at Lakeland will differ vastly from one another. How we go back and look at our student life here entirely depends on how we made it to be. Ultimately, will we see it as a success or as a failure? Both depend entirely on what we put into being students here. Were we rewarded for putting in the extra effort by studying that topic one more time, having fun at that pep rally, or trying to make that one friend? Or were we punished for procrastinating or having feared the unknown? As we transition into a new, unfamiliar stage in our lives, the quote on the frog t-shirt couldn’t be truer. Without putting in effort or having the bravery to try new things, we won’t be finding ourselves living a fulfilling life. If every day is what we make it, then why don’t we make the most out of each day? Once again, I wish the best of luck to the Class of 2024 for our future endeavors. Congratulations on this monumental achievement, and let’s make Lakeland proud with our future success. ‘Every day is what we make it...’ PHOTO: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL VALEDICTORIAN
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 5 BY TALIA FRANKLIN Thank you and good afternoon to the Class of 2024. I’m truly honored to be able to deliver this speech to all of you today. I’d of course like to start off by giving a big thanks to the teachers, friends, and especially my mom, dad, brother, and family who all helped get me to where I am today. A few years back, my brother, Blake, got to stand up here and deliver his own speech—so, the only real reason I’m doing the same is to one-up him. While my mom and dad must’ve transferred the “smart genes” over to me, they definitely failed me in the food-eating department. In other words, they did not bless me with an expansive palate. For years, almost 18 now, I have been the dreadful person who refuses to order anything other than chicken tenders and fries at the most gourmet restaurant out there. With Blake being home from college, we got to have our fun sibling argument about how I’m a picky eater. Although I defended against whatever it was he was saying, the truth is, I have no problem with being picky—in fact, I’m proud of it. It seems as though people are more commonly taught to lower their standards and expectations of those around them and of themselves. No one is “allowed” to be picky anymore. Just as you should be able to be picky with your food, you should be picky with who you surround yourself with, picky with what you do, and more importantly who you are and who you hope to be. Don’t settle for anything less than you deserve. If we continue lowering our standards and erasing any and all expectations, we get less, we do less, and we ultimately live an unfulfilled life. ‘Don’t settle for anything less than you deserve...’ PHOTO: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL SALUTATORIAN SEE FRANKLIN PAGE 17 C Clark & Giordano | G Funeral Home Family Owned and Operated Joseph Giordano Jr., Owner Yorktown Graduate and Resident Centrally Located in the Heart of Yorktown Oversized Chapel and Large Parking Lot We look forward to serving and giving back to the community that has been our home for so many years. 2104 Saw Mill River Road (Route 35, 118 & 202) Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Additional Location: Curry & Giordano Funeral Home, Peekskill 914.962.3333 www.clarkfh.com Congratulations Class of 2024!
BY JULIA WHALEN Family, friends, teachers, and my fellow members of the class of 2024: I would like to thank you for allowing me the honor of standing before you today. Apparently, according to precedent that is, I have about seven minutes up here. I will try to stay brief, but old habits die hard. My task today is to find a way to delineate our collective achievement as Yorktown High School graduates, to summarize the challenges and victories we’ve found our way through together since freshman year, and — maybe, if I’m lucky — to transfer some advice that I hope will serve us as we leave high school. But, just for a moment, I would ask you to put aside that terrifying, exciting inevitability. We’ll return to it later. Now, I ask you to focus on the present moment, on how you feel, on what you’re thinking, and how you’re thinking it. We view the present through the lens of everything we’ve experienced: our memories, our perceptions of others, our education, and the media we consume. You could call them the metaphors we live by — metaphors because we’re making constant comparisons and adding them together to formulate a reaction to every circumstance. As a kid and up to the modern day, I spent a lot of my time reading. So what I’ve learned from books comprises a great deal of how I see the world. Today, I want to share with you some fraction of my worldview; a momentary glimpse of the way I see our graduation. I could recite advice from one of the dozens of classic coming-of-age stories — “Catcher in the Rye” or “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” or even “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.” But the book with the advice for graduates that I liked the most wasn’t anything like any of these. You may laugh, and I sincerely apologize in advance if you know me well enough to have already been subjected to some version of these remarks. Because I think we could all do well to see these past 12 years, this moment of transformation, and the future to come through the lens of none other than “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Your teachers will tell you that this book is about the American Dream — which, okay, it is — but to me it has come to represent so much more. Something that’s prominently featured in this book is a theme of time: the past, the present, and the future. There is so much talk of the past in “The Great Gatsby,” and not just in the last line: “and so we beat on, boats against the shore, borne back ceaselessly into the past” — and yes, I can recite that from memory. Everyone knows that Gatsby’s real problem is that he is obsessed with the past, that he can’t let it go. And yet there are some parts of the past that he tries to erase entirely. You can’t pick and choose from your past — it’s all a part of you, the good and the bad. When I went Back to the Nest two weeks ago, one of the things they gave me was this really cute mug. And it says “Forever a Bulldog.” And, I’m not gonna lie, the cynic in me took over and my first reaction was “Wait, I don’t want to be a Bulldog forever! I want to move on to bigger and better things than elementary school.” But then I realized that holding onto your past doesn’t mean letting it overtake your identity. It means treasuring the pieces of the past that you care about, but it also means recognizing that everything you did back then made you who you are today. I would never be up here delivering this speech if hadn’t failed a microscope quiz in fifth grade and realized that you actually had to study for tests sometimes. I would never have become president of the Environmental Club if I hadn’t been completely obsessed with owls in elementary school. And I would never have started writing if it weren’t for how much I loved the “Dragon Slayers Academy” book series by Kate McMullan. Everything that happened back then is a part of us, and that is so fine. Our struggles taught us how to stand up for ourselves, our victories taught us what really mattered in life, and they both brought us here today. And I think where I am, right here and right now with all of you, is a pretty great place to have ended up. Jay Gatsby might have tried to ignore where he came from, but in the end all he wanted to do was go back and relive something that happened to him a long time ago. That kind of obsession with the past... I won’t give spoilers, but it doesn’t do him any good in the end. If only he had listened to Nick Carraway, who told him truly and famously: “You can’t repeat the past.” Valuing the past and embracing all of the places and people who made you who you are today is certainly important, but trying to live exclusively in the past will only hold you back. Even though we’ll never forget everything that connects us to YHS, we can’t let it tie us down. Instead, we can use it as a launchpad into our future. There are so many great things awaiting us. Let’s keep the ones that already happened to us not as goals, but as memories. Nick might have become close enough to Gatsby in the final chapters of the book to give him that timeless advice on time, but his first impression of the man was one of glamor and mystery — the arresting sight of him staring out over the bay, reaching towards a distant green light. Later in the book, we find out that this green light is on the dock of Daisy’s home. To Gatsby, it represents the unattainability of his dream life. It’s a beautiful image — a light that seems so close but is really an eternity away. The Great Gatsby is all about how you can’t let life pass you by while you’re reaching for that impossible green light. It’s about how harmful it is to aspire for an ideal instead of embracing who you are. Having goals and dreams is important, but not if they take us over. Throughout high school, we’ve all had defeats — low moments when it seemed like our dreams weren’t going to come true. But unlike Gatsby, we were able to get up again and find the strength to keep loving ourselves, keep dreaming, and keep going forward. There is nothing wrong with looking at our dream from a new angle, stepping away from it to heal, or even finding a new dream entirely. When I was a freshman, I was so sure that I would be a political science major. Being a senator or the president was my green light across the bay, the future I searched for blindly without even considering why I wanted it or who it would turn me into. And the closer I got to reaching PAGE 6 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 ‘I hope that you’re proud of who you’ve become...’ PHOTO: JENNA WALDMAN YORKTOWN HIGH SCHOOL VALEDICTORIAN SEE WHALEN PAGE 15
BY SOFIA LAM Thank you Mr. DeGennaro and thank you to everyone for being here today. Congratulations to the Class of 2024! I’m so honored to have the opportunity to speak today and would like to thank all the people who have guided me along the way. Thank you to my teachers, counselor, coach, and mentors, for inspiring me every day and always patiently answering my stream of questions. Thank you to my friends for your constant encouragement and for all the incredible memories we’ve shared. Thank you to my family—Mom, Dad, and Ethan, for being my biggest supporters and staying with me every step of the way. Throughout high school, we’ve shared many memorable moments together, from logging onto those dreaded Zoom meetings as freshmen, uncertain of what the next four years would reveal, to frantically gathering every signature for our very last yearbook on our very last day of high school. The years in between have been filled with countless joys and memories, laughter and tears, the calm and the chaotic, all representative of the experiences that have built us and sculpted us to become who we are today. I want to first take you back to a time, about two and a half years ago. This was November of sophomore year when, for the first time, I was doing dryland PHOTO: JENNA WALDMAN JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 7 ‘High school taught us how to fly through howling winds...’ YORKTOWN HIGH SCHOOL SALUTATORIOAN SEE LAM PAGE 19 JOIN TODAY! SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COLLEGE MEMBERSHIPS FLEXIBLE OPTIONS COMPETITIVE RATES ACCESS DURING SUMMER & VACATION BREAKS For students that board at a school greater than 50 miles away 2090 Crompond Road • Yorktown Heights For more information, call 914-962-5196, 914-642-3923 www.piedpiperschoolyorktown.com Family owned and operated • Owners always on premises Now the year is over, things are going to change We’re heading in different directions, we’ll all rearrange But good friends stay together, even when they’re apart Because I’ll always keep you deep down in my heart Now a Piper... Forever a Piper There is nothing like a Pied Piper Graduation!
PAGE 8 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 BY AMANDA COHEN Good morning everybody. My name is Amanda Cohen, but if you hate my speech, my name is Amanda Jorge. I’m truly honored to be the final speaker on today’s special occasion... To the Class of 2024: We did it! I think we can all agree that high school was filled with completely unpredictable moments. Who but The Simpsons could’ve predicted that our entire freshman year would be taken over by a worldwide pandemic? However, we made it to the end...I don’t know about you, but I can still recall my first day of high school pretty vividly. My mom was dropping off my sister and me after making us pose for 30 minutes in front of the porch so she could cultivate another “Back to school!” Facebook post. I remember being a little nervous as I approached the front steps, realizing that this would be my new home for the next four years. It wasn’t until I was standing directly in front of Mr. Cummings that a wave of fear dawned over me. But it wasn’t because of him. I realized I’d forgotten my phone in my mom’s car and I was watching as her white Honda Pilot grew smaller and smaller as she drove further away. So, I did what anyone would do; I darted across the parking lot, with Mr. Cumming’s voice echoing behind me, “Leaving so soon?” Freshman year was an absolute blur... Waking up at 7:19 every morning and completing an entire school day from the comfort of our beds wasn’t half-bad. But it did suck missing out on our first year of high school. Sophomore year was a bit more normal, besides not knowing what anybody’s whole face looked like until about March. But it was definitely a lot more fun...Junior year was arguably the most difficult. We were hammered with APs, SATs, and ACTs, and for some of us, the start of the college search. However, junior year was also filled with some exciting moments, like the majority of us getting our driver’s licenses. But the best part of junior year was seeing how much everyone had grown...We began to draw the outlines to our futures, and that is worth acknowledging. On the first day of senior year, I drove to school blasting “Where’d all the time go?”...I know it’s cliche, but seriously, high school flew by. This year included an exciting agenda. Senior sunrise (I don’t know about you but I don’t remember a sun rising), senior superlatives, senior walk, prom...While we struggled to find a skip day everyone could agree upon, we had enough spirit to bring back Mr. Lakeland. All kidding aside, our high school careers were filled with a ton of exciting memories. I’d like to conclude my speech with a few statistics... The average human lives roughly 76 years. That means 76 summers, 76 autumns, 76 winters, and 76 spring times. When you look at it like that, it doesn’t seem like a lot of time now does it? So if there’s one thing I can encourage you to do, it would be to take advantage of the moment. Taylor Swift once said, “I wanna be defined by the things that I love. Not the things I hate. Not the things I’m afraid of. … I just think, you are what you love.” This speech has been edited for length ‘Take advantage of the moment...’ BY SEAN RYAN Students, faculty, staff, Board of Education, administration, family, and friends... Thank you for being here on this momentous occasion and for the unwavering support you have shown all of us. Approximately four years or 1,461 days, is how long our time at Yorktown High School has been. But all that time, it was only ever one minute. One minute until class is over, one minute until we can leave school, one minute until practice is done. Just one minute. We are always rushing and counting down the time until the next big thing. One year left before graduation turned into one semester. Which turned into one month and eventually one week. Next thing we know it’s one minute until we leave for good. One minute until we may never step foot in a high school again. But we never realized how much we would want another minute. One more minute to learn something new. One more minute to laugh with friends. One more minute to enjoy just being in high school. As we stand here today, we are not just celebrating the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. And I’m reminded of just how far we’ve come. We began our time at YHS in a world that was vastly different from the one we know today. A world that was turned upside down by a global pandemic. However, we learned to adapt, to pivot, and to thrive in the midst of uncertainty. We learned to navigate remote learning, to communicate with each other through screens, and find ways to stay connected despite physical distance. It wasn’t easy, but we got through it. But beyond the challenges and struggles, those early days also brought us closer together. They reminded us that despite our differences, we are all in this together. We learned to appreciate the small victories, like surviving another day in math, finally submitting your English essay at 11:58, or rushing to the library to print out your assignment that is due when the bell rings. I would like to thank the numerous people who made this high school the place it is today. To my fellow graduates, thank you for being a part of the amazing memories we will all take away from our time at Yorktown To the YHS faculty and staff, thank you for making the high school as welcoming and supportive as possible. To the administration and Board of Education, thank you for creating such an enjoyable place of learning and growth. To our families and friends, thank you for the continuous encouragement and facilitation of our education. I would also like to thank The senior class advisors, Mrs. Fratarcangeli and Ms. Fink. Finally, I would like to thank Vice President Alisha Choudry, Secretary Manar Nassar, treasurer Blera Gashi, and social media manager Justin Price. Without them, my time as president would have been a total mess. Congratulations Class of 2024, We did it! And as always, have a great day! ‘We learned...to thrive in the midst of uncertainty...’ PHOTO: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SPEAKER PHOTO: JENNA WALDMAN YORKTOWN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS PRESIDENT
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 9 BY CHRISTOPHER CUMMINGS As I thought about the comments I wanted to share with you, the Class of 2024, many ideas came to mind and once I knew the weather forecast, I knew exactly what I must do and that was to keep my comments brief. Yet, within these few words lies the essence of what makes this class truly remarkable. Looking out on the Class of 2024, I see one of the nicest, most genuine, and caring groups of individuals to have walked the halls of Lakeland High School in many years. This class has not only completed their academic responsibilities but has also built meaningful connections—with each other, with teachers, and with our staff. For me, that is what I will always remember about the Class of 2024. Many of you are aware that just over a month ago, I experienced a difficult loss when my wife passed away after a long battle with cancer. I am sharing this not to make this about me, but to share how it underscores a powerful testament to who you are as individuals. Many of you reached out—through cards, messages, emails, and for some, even by attending the service. This outpouring of support wasn’t because I have or had a very close relationship with you, but rather, it reflects the extraordinary kindness, caring, and empathy that you possess as a class. On a personal level, your gestures meant the world to me. On a professional level, they made me immensely proud. To all the families and friends gathered here today, let me say thank you as you are surely doing something right. As a community, we all work together to raise your children/our students, and teach them that life is not just about academics, but the essence of relationships such as being kind, respectful, and caring human beings. At the end of the day, these are the qualities that will carry them far beyond the green and gold walls of Lakeland High School. Class of 2024, as you move on to bigger and better opportunities, I hope that you remember the importance of being kind and recognizing the love and support from your family and friends. They will be cheering you on for every success and lifting you up with every challenge. Cherish these relationships—whether it’s a family member by blood, or by choice or even a friend who becomes like family and supports you at an awards breakfast, make sure to appreciate and keep these people in your life. As they say, kindness goes a long way and while you never know what tomorrow will bring, make the most of the time you have and continue to be the remarkable individuals you’ve shown yourselves to be. Congratulations, Class of 2024! I truly wish you nothing but the best. ‘Remember the importance of being kind...’ PHOTO: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S ADDRESS Congratulations to the Class of GuidED Consulting College, Career and Academic Counseling www.guidedconsult.com • (845) 628-0726 New address as of August 1st: 880 South Lake Boulevard, Suite 206, Mahopac NY 10541 from your GuidED Team.
PAGE 10 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORPHOTOS: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL Dr. Karen Gagliardi, Superintendent of Schools congratulates the graduates. Pomp & CirLakeland High Sch
KTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 PAGE 11 PHOTOS: MIRANDA FERRANTE rcumstance hool Graduation – June 22, 2024
PAGE 12 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER, YCSD PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER/YCSD PHOTOS: JENNA WALDMAN Pomp & Circumstance
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 13 Yorktown High School Graduation June 22, 2024 PHOTOS: JENNA WALDMAN
PAGE 14 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 • Residential: Security/Fire/Video • Burglary Detection • Fire Protection • • Remote Services • Video Surveillance • Carbon Monoxide Detection • • Low Temperature • Water Level Sensors • Medical/Assistance Alert • • Open/Close Supervision • Wireless Monitoring • Contact Us To Get A Free Quote Today. NYS LIC. #12000042586 1767 Front Street • Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 914-962-4699 • [email protected] • marshallalarm.com Securing Your Home & Business Cffgralatiffs to the Cla of 2024! SERVICES • Car Washes • Oil Change • Interior Service 914-245-1912 1700 Front St, Yorktown Heights, NY www.thewonderwash.com 2024 CONGRATULATIONS & BEST WISHES BY BRENDAN CURRAN While sitting at my desk the other day, thinking about what I wanted to say to you this morning, I became antsy, and looking for inspiration, for words of wisdom to impart to you today, I began to look through folders in my filing cabinet. Over the years, I have kept letters from students, pieces of art, sketches, and fragments of paper with sayings, thoughts, and reflections. I have a particular folder entitled “Confidence” in which I have letters of gratitude from students like you. On a day I was feeling down, and wondering if my efforts in the classroom were paying dividends, I would reach for the folder and any doubts I might have felt, slowly fell away, layer by layer. Letters of thanks and appreciation rejuvenated me. A few from even some amongst you today. But we gather here today with the collective “you” the student body here before me. The body of students we have had the honor to have taught over the past four years. As I sifted through my archives I reflected on the years in the classroom spent teaching poetry, famous Spanish painters–along with irregular past participles, the simple past tense and the subjunctive–I realized that you had been listening all along, and you concluded that the quality of a life well lived is found in perseverance, grit, humor, and a passionate heart. The threads of my life were helping to form your perception of the world. And I in turn learned from you as you shared your thoughts and meditations about life. We learned from each other, and I thank you. I have said on many an occasion, it’s not easy being a teenager. Going from class to class learning and taking in facts and figures. Juggling a social calendar along with studies, work, after-school activities such as music, sports, dance, and family obligations. It’s difficult to find room to breathe sometimes. There is a famous Chinese proverb which states, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” I have refashioned that and made it my own: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one breath.” At times, we are frozen in our tracks, unsure of which road to take, which way to turn. Choose your own path, take a breath, put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking out the door. Be steadfast, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Keep steady the course. Forge your own way, create your own journey. Make mistakes, make a lot of them. The only way to grow, and put yourself on the road to success is to fail, and fail again. It will lead to a life of success and satisfaction, a life you can be proud of. It doesn’t matter what you do in life. But what you do must be the best, dig a better ditch, throw a better pitch, than the next guy can do. Be someone, there is a reason for your being here. I am here to tell you that life is not easy. But never, never, never give up. As you continue through this sojourn of life, take time to feel the warm sunshine as it beats down upon on your face, with stars to fill your dreams, take in the cold air of a winter’s day, spot a bird in flight and watch it as it soars and glides, propelled by the winds of nature. Be kind, smile, hold hands. A simple good morning to someone has the power to change the course of that person’s life. Love is something if you give it away you end up having more. It’s just like a magic penny, you hold it tight and you won’t have any. Lend it, spend it, and you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor. For love is something if you give it away, you end up having more. I cannot take credit for this final thought, the words I have just spoken come from a children’s song which I learned as an impressionable fifth grader at Fox Meadow Elementary School in Scarsdale. That catchy melody and potent message have stayed with me all of these years, not knowing when and how I would ever use them again. But I stand here before you today, as a witness to the kind and loving acts of others to tell you, take good care of each other. I have for all of you today, a penny, a copper piece of legal tender which I give you as a reminder, to let it roll all over the floor. And to roll with the changes! To the class of 2024, I wish you Godspeed. Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir, Sayonara, Arrivederci, Adios! Aplauso! ‘Forge your own way, create your own journey...’ LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL FACULTY ADDRESS
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 15 Yorktown resident and Kennedy Catholic class of 2024 graduate Francesca Marques will be attending High Point University, where she was accepted into the nursing program on a merit scholarship. Francesca attended the Rippowam Cisqua School before going to Kennedy, where she was a member of the cheerleading team. Article courtesy of Kennedy Catholic Preparatory School Francesca Marques graduates from Kennedy PHOTO COURTESY KENNEDY CATHOLIC PREPARATORY SCHOOL out and touching that light, the less I recognized the person I saw when I looked in the mirror. Every time I tried to be an extroverted, skeptical, political type, I was shattering who I really was: an artist, a writer, a dreamer, a student of the universe. In the end, searching for the light of my true self instead of a false version of myself made me happier and allowed me to create even more beautiful and meaningful things with my time here. I have watched the rest of you encounter changes just as wonderful over these four years. I have watched as you became more sure in your passions, grew wise enough to stand up for what you believed in, and gained the strength to turn failures into opportunities. I hope that you’re proud of who you’ve become between your first day of high school and today. I hope you’re proud of each one of your green lights — both those you have allowed to fade away and those that have become a part of your shine. The journey through the rough current of high school and into the future is oftentimes a very solitary one, but our paths would have been far more difficult without everyone who stood by our side and made it possible to chase our dreams. Here at YHS, I had the tremendous fortune to find people who encouraged me, helped me out, and lifted me up, and I know that they have lifted all of you up as well. I would like to thank our principal, our vice-principals, our superintendent, and all of our other administrators on behalf of the entire class of 2024. Thank you first for uniting us and second for helping us be the best versions of ourselves. I would not be standing here today without all of the incredible teachers who have inspired and driven me. I know you all, my fellow classmates, understand how lucky we are to have such amazing educators. Our teachers at YHS have shown us a version of the American Dream that is truly worth pursuing and then given us the tools to make it our own. Thank you to our school’s custodial staff, cafeteria workers, safety officers, counselors, and everyone else working behind the scenes to keep us happy, healthy, and safe as we learned. Thank you to my family here today, our salutatorian Sofia Lam, and my other friends for everything. And, finally, thank you to my fellow members of the Class of 2024. Let us always value this time we spent together at YHS, and let us never be afraid to reach out across the void as we inspire others and begin to change the world. WHALEN FROM PAGE 6 Huge Selection! Always the LOWEST price...PERIOD! 128 East Main Street • Mount Kisco, NY 10549 • 914-666-6100 www.atlanticappliance.com Air Conditioners, Ranges, Fridges, Washer/Dryers & more! Huge Selection! Always the LOWEST price...PERIOD! 128 East Main Street • Mount Kisco, NY 10549 • 914-666-6100 www.atlanticappliance.com Air Conditioners, Ranges, Fridges, Washer/Dryers & more! Huge Selection! Always the LOWEST price...PERIOD! 128 East Main Street Mount Kisco, NY 10549 • 914-666-6100 www.atlanticappliance.com Best Wishes to the Class of 2024 25% NOT VALID ON INSURANCE ORDERS OFF summer SALE 26 Triangle Center Yorktown Hts, NY 10598 914.245.6138 homerricheye.com CELEBRATE SUMMER Mention this ad to get your discount EVERYTHING
Beverly Gregorio Giabella Guerriero Anny Guinansaca Grace Hahn Keira Harkins Zuzana Harvan David Hernandez Grace Hernandez Katie Hernandez Connor Hoban Sophia Hudson Aidan Hunt Aylin Idrovo Kelly Irwin Holly Jackman Naila James Mariah Jean-Philippe Jalyn Jez Jack Jimenez Jasmin Jimenez Amanda Jorge Nicholas Jurado Frank Kajtazi Anuj Kapoor Austin Kara Alexander Karageorge Furkan Kepekci Isabel Kocaj Teresa Kocaj Elizabeth Kocovic Thomas Kuney Alizae Lagoa Jenna Landers Kevin Langston Ashley Leak Javier Leal Lauren Lee Caitlin Leonard Grady Leonard Kirsten Lillo Olivia Ling Nichole Ljuljic Richard Lobato Pamela Loja-Chimborazo Samuel Low Dajana Lucaj Samuel Ludden Ava Lugo Ryan Luxemburg Zackary Magarelli Jack Maja Ashley Mangiafridda Kayla Manse Robert Mansfield Maya Markowski Charley Maron Andrew Marricco Gabriela Martinez Sarah Mazar Daniel McTiernan Jordan Merille Kai Milar Frank Monteleone Gabriella Montenegro William Moore Gavin Morales Klaudia Mrijaj Erin Mundy Emily Napoletano Athena Notis Grace Nugent Emma Numme Keira O’Grady Olivia O’Hara Anabella Pacchiana Robert Pagliaro Nicholas Paladino Arjun Parambath Elizabeth Parubi Joy Passafiume Gavin Patane Taarav Patel Stephanos Patrikios Isabella Pazoga Jordan Pelaez Liz Peña Jake Pepaj Darnell Perez Sean Perry Marcello Pervizi Ryan Piccirillo Anthony Ramirez Colin Reid Aleia Rizzo Gianna Rodman Aidan Rodriguez Ibrahim Rogers Christian Romero Elizabeth Ross Lakota Rowley Anthony Sabatello Jr. Charlotte Sabert Zoriana Salamaniuk Johnathan Salcedo Nada Samwell Luca Sancimino Riley Sand Michael Sanjurjo Jr. Shahed Saraireh Brian Schiller Nicholas Shalhoub Andee Shattan Christopher Shaw Solomon Shoulders Madison Singelakis Rajdeep Singh Thomas Smith Cierre Snell Marisa Somai Isabella Sommovigo Emily Soravilla Alexis Spadafino Kellie Sullivan Devin Tetro Elliott Thomas Ryan Tocci Cristian Torres Rey Torres-Macias Evan Tostanoski John Uribe Isabella Valenzo Mark Varga Jeffrey Ventura Anthony Villa Juliana Walsh Clare Warren Evan Wiesen Summer Willbright Dylan Wisner-Magee Emily Yazzetti Timothy Zaccheo PAGE 16 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 LAKELAND GRADS FROM PAGE 2 Nada Samwell, Sebastian Goldstein, Charley Maron, Maya Markowski, Dajana Lucaj, and Anabella Pacchiana PHOTOS: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL Information provided by the Lakeland Central School District
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 17 Mon: 9-6 • Tues: 9-5 Wed: 9-7 • Thurs: 9-5 Fri: 9-6 • Sat: 9-5 Sun: Closed Contact: (914) 245-1084 [email protected] We invite you to step into our hidden sanctuary to escape from the every day stresses. Angelface Day Spa 322 Underhill Avenue • Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 Radiate Success! Congratulations to the Yorktown High School Class of 2024 With that being said, you should only be picky once you exhaust all other options. One of my main debate points with Blake was the fact that I try new foods, but that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily the right pick for me. I’m selective after I’ve sampled the wide array of possibilities. In a lineup of Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi, ginger ale, Fanta, Sprite, and so on, I’m always going to pick Sprite because at this point, that best fits me and best lives up to my standards. Apply this practice to your journey beyond high school and thereafter. Try new things and later determine what’s right for you. Whether it’s immersing yourself in a new sport, new club, or hanging around an unexpected group of friends, step out of your comfort zone. Be content with knowing that you’re not going to like every new thing you try, just as you may not like every food you try. On your journey of leaving your comfort zone, expect and accept failures. When I received my first grade in the 70s in AP Chemistry, Ms. Ganz told me “no crying in chem.” This taught me to be okay with not being great at everything new I do, and it also led me to be picky when choosing my major—and avoiding any future chem classes. As we say goodbye to Lakeland, say hello to scary opportunities, and pick what and who is right for you. Shoot for high standards, believe they’re attainable, and be picky about your choices so you can become the best version of yourself. Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2024—stay picky! FRANKLIN FROM PAGE 5 The National Anthem was performed by Jack Jiminez PHOTOS: TABITHA PEARSON MARSHALL Emily Soravilla and Chris Shaw Photos: Tabi
PAGE 18 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024 Mario Gulli Cole Haddock Erik Hanson Alexandra Harrison Adrian Haxhiaj Aidan Hirsch Alyssa Huang Caden Hung Kathryn Imperato Gage Jarvis Joseph Jimenez Kaitlyn Judge Thomas Karintholil Emma Keane Matthew Kirey Alin Kraja Aiden Lajqi Sofia Lam Brooke LaSala Charlotte Lauth Kimberly Lemus Brianna Livadhi Andrew Lombardi Kaitlyn Lopez Frank Lore Gabriela Maior Ruslan Makarenko Anthony Mancusi Jr. Arjun Manu Abraham Marron Nadia Martinaj Madison Maxwell Caitlin McArdle Isabelle McCoy Alexander McCurry Reileigh McEnroe Carly McGirr Lyrica McIntyre Evan Menocal Kaitlin Meola Irwin Mercader Frank Mezini Vittoria Milizia Seth Miranda Layla Mirkin Erik Montanez Brandon Montero Owen Mooney Hunter Morgan Grace Morris Thomas Morris Daniel Moskowitz Michael Munson Jason Muroski Abhishek Nair Manar Nassar Sofia Nastasi Annabelle Newberger Xavier Newby Jayden Nezaj Sami Nezaj Valentina Nezaj Renee Nfor Cameron O’Brien Ciara O’Brien Kailey O’Connell Kevin O’Connell Tyler Olener Chi Pabon Mathew Paglino Alison Passarella Zoe Pearce Michael Peralta Bethlehem Perez Samantha Perez-Botero Adriana Pici Emily Pierro Sacir Pjetrovic Julia Placido Gianna Popovic Ash Pozzuto Elizabeth Prela Justin Price Anthony Prusak Alyssa Pugliese Olivia Radoina Bailey Ralls Akshyasree Ravi Connor Reardon Sophia Rella Mya Rendina Alina Rivera Samantha Robustelli Charley Rocafuerte Christian Rodriguez Kaitlyn Roman Cori Rosenberg Adam Rothenberg Agnesa Rugova Michael Ryan Sean Ryan Ava Salveggi Sophia Sama Mia San Martin Gianna Sanabria Yunalix Santana Santiago Marcos Sarris James Sayegh Kirsten Schmutzer Ava Scolarino Sean Scully Scarlett Segal Megan Sharkey Colin Sheridan Illian Silva Dominic Sindaco Mark Sinishtaj Nyanah Sligh Justin Soliz Angelo Solla Eric Song Angeles Sosa Samuel Spiegel Matthew Stern Meghan Stewart Kaitlyn Taormina Drita Tinaj Madison Tobin Joseph Tornambe Devin Tudose Bryan Tuquinahui Paul Ujkaj Zoe Ulbrich Jacqueline Valle Tommaso Vano Nicholas Varela Esther-Anne Villamin Ryan Vogel Aaditya Wadekar Mugdha Wadekar Andrew Weissman George Whalen Julia Whalen Scott White Jake Wilson Kaitlyn Won Samuel Woolley Matthew Yee Christina Zapata Flanda Zeqiraj Loresa Zeqiraj Liz Zhingri Crespo Alexandra Zilli YORKTOWN GRADS FROM PAGE 3 PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER/YORKTOWN CSD Information provided by the Yorktown Central School District WE ARE SO PROUD of the fine young man that you've grown to be. Remember that if you put your mind to it you can do anything, the sky is the limit! MATT STERN Love, Mom & Dad
JULY 3, 2024 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – PAGE 19 LOGAN CRILLY Wishing you a bright and happy future. Much success at Maritime. Love, Dad, Mom, Gavin, Nana R., Nana C., Brandon, Kayla, Raven and James WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished. We know that Poppy is looking down on you with pride. Ryan DiNapoli WE LOVE YOU! Mom & Dad, Buddy, Nanie & Grandma & Grandpa conditioning for ski season. If you know anything about me, I’m not a very athletic person at all, and at the time of this story, I definitely was not. I don’t just mean slightly worse than average unathletic, I mean I ran pretty much a 20-minute mile. Well, on the first day of this ski conditioning, we were asked by our coach to run a full mile—as a warmup—four laps around the track, no big deal…right? I jogged barely a quarter of a lap before I decided I was dying and started walking. After two laps everyone had lapped me, and after three I straight up tried to tell my coach I was “physically incapable” of a fourth lap. It probably sounded something like, “Coach! I physically can’t do this! I feel like I’m going to pass out! Please let me stop right now!” I guess it was a good attempt at slacking off, but not good enough. She made me run that dreaded fourth lap. Throughout the next few months and for the next two seasons I was continuously pushed to the limit and encouraged to keep going. And to be honest, there were times when I questioned whether or not I should continue with skiing. “I would not have to do all this strenuous exercise if I just quit right now,” I thought. But, with a lot of help and motivation from everyone around me, I kept going. I’m glad I did; first, because skiing with my team is such a fun experience, and second, because I’ve learned so much from my time on the team—one of the most important lessons being the lesson of not giving up, even when things may be tough because you can get through them with determination and persistence. Dryland for ski season was just one of the many potential challenges of high school. While not everyone did ski, we can all agree that we all had our own obstacles and hardships throughout these past few years. Perhaps it was that one class that broke our brain, or dealing with that bit of high school drama that roped us in for no reason. Regardless, there were times when keeping going felt difficult—making excuses to stop trying or slack off seemed so much easier. I mean, there’s just so much to see on Instagram or TikTok. There also have been times when we wanted to give up entirely. But when we pushed through these situations, we learned more about how to deal with them, grew more from facing them, and persevered more the next time. High school certainly taught us how to fly through howling winds, allowing us to step forward along the pathway of life. As we move further along this path, each defeated obstacle moves distantly behind us, and each newly conquered challenge presents a rewarding feeling of accomplishment for not giving up; a small but meaningful prize. And today, we will receive the final prize at the end of the path: a simple piece of paper that we know as our high school diploma. A simple piece of paper itself may seem insignificant, but it’s symbolic of our development these past few years, our lessons, hard work, and memories, all packed into one object. And although, yes, this piece of paper could be destroyed by a machine or water, we stand unbreakable, sculpted by our high school experiences and our persistence. Over the past four years, we’ve transformed from nervous freshmen to accomplished seniors, from kids to warriors. Time and time again, high school has put up challenges and we, in return, have conquered those challenges with our perseverance. But our work isn’t done yet—there’s still a world full of possibilities and problems and room for new solutions and improvements. We’ll walk out these doors and go on with our lives—spend our next few years as college students, perhaps go on to grad school, and afterward begin our professional careers. I’m confident that you all will make your aspirations come true, work toward a solution for the issues we face today, and make this world a better place to live in. And, just like high school, there will continue to be twists and turns and setbacks along your journey but remember that each challenge is an opportunity to learn, grow, and ultimately, to redefine your own success. In the famous words of Winnie the Pooh, you’re “braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think”. When days seem hard, keep reaching for the stars because you will overcome these obstacles just like you’ve done before. Go onward on your path, don’t forget to have fun, and continue chasing your dreams. Congratulations to the Class of 2024 and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’ll do. LAM FROM PAGE 7 PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIAN MARSCHHAUSER/YORKTOWN CSD
PAGE 20 – SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO YORKTOWN NEWS – JULY 3, 2024