IRVINGTON, NJ — As another school year comes to a close, many are looking forward to the upcoming events celebrating Irvington High School graduates. With a heavy emphasis on the Hall of Fame Dinner, which will be held Oct. 7 at The Westwood in Garwood, the Irvington Varsity Club has done a great deal and then some, as members of the club have managed to raise funds to award three deserving students $500 academic scholarships. The recipients are IHS students Kamya Delisser, Melissa Paguay and Christivens Jean-Paul.
“We represent the athletes who have lettered for Irvington High School throughout time,” Irvington Varsity Club founder and President Ed Kirchgessner told the Irvington Herald on June 4. “Our scholarships now benefit the people who supported us when we played for Irvington High School, namely cheerleaders, band members, team managers, etc.”
A 1972 graduate, Kirchgessner was captain of the Irvington basketball team. He formed the alumni club and its Hall of Fame to honor oft-overlooked athletes.
“One of my conditions in forming this group was that we would give back to the current community with scholarships and events, such as the pizza party held for the basketball team and cheerleaders in December of 2019,” he said.
Normally reliant on the annual Hall of Fame dinner to raise money for the scholarship fund, the club had to find alternate means of fundraising due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, due to the generosity of members, the club was able to raise enough money for three scholarship recipients, rather than the traditional two.
“The amount of scholarships are dependent upon money available. Last year, there were two,” Kirchgessner said. “The annual dinner contributes about 25 percent of the money for scholarships. The majority of funds comes from donations of members and special fundraising events.”
The club does the fundraising, while Irvington Athletics Director John Taylor selects the students to receive the scholarships.
“John Taylor selects the recipients from the criteria we advise. We have no idea how the selection is made, and we trust his judgment,” Kirchgessner said.
Jean-Paul said being involved in JROTC taught him discipline and how to be a successful leader, and playing in the marching band made him love competition and become more socially involved. Jean-Paul plans to attend Centenary University, majoring in biology on a pre-med track.
“(I’m) ready to see what’s in store for me after graduation,” Jean-Paul told the Herald on June 7. “I made sure to do the best I could in everything I did. I was determined to succeed and had faith in myself, which caught other people’s attention.
“I feel honored to be one of the recipients of the Irvington Varsity Club scholarship,” he continued. “I wanted to thank the people who made this happen, because I believe this award will tremendously help me get one step closer to my career goal.”
Paguay, who is also involved in JROTC, plans to attend community college as the next step on her journey to become a marine officer.
“I feel so grateful for the award, and I look forward to using this for my college expenses,” Paguay told the Herald on June 7. “In four years, I see myself serving for this country as a future Marine officer and will also be in college as well.”
Delisser, who is in the marching band and the wrestling team manager, will be attending Kean University this fall.
“I received this as a check and I did not know that I would even be receiving it. I did not apply. I feel honored to be one of the recipients of this award,” Delisser told the Herald on June 7. “I feel appreciated because, before this, I didn’t feel as though anyone really cared about what I’ve done as far as involvement in my school. Although I don’t know which exact career (I plan to have) … I know that I will only move forward and never backward.”
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