West Orange Scholarship Fund awards record amount to graduating WOHS students

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WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Scholarship Fund awarded a record dollar amount of scholarships for the sixth consecutive year to deserving West Orange High School seniors at the Senior Awards Ceremony held June 2.

A total of 77 graduating seniors will receive $67,600 in scholarship awards to help fund their future education. This year’s awards put the WOSF over the $1.1 million mark in scholarships awarded since inception.

Scholarship winners submitted written applications and were chosen in part based upon financial need, academic performance, extracurricular activities and community service.

Superintendent Jeff Rutzky, also a trustee on the West Orange Scholarship Fund, assisted with the presentations and Board of Education member Sandra Mordecai was present for the ceremony.

“The record amount awarded this year is a tribute to the community’s support and commitment to providing higher education for our West Orange high school students,” WOSF President Rich Rizzolo said, according to a press release. “We were especially pleased with the quality of the applications and the high level of excitement the seniors showed on Awards Night.”

There were 86 scholarships awarded in all. The Nikhil Badlani Foundation awarded five scholarships to need-based graduating seniors who demonstrated strong academic achievement and have participated in music or drama. Funds raised by Don and Lisa Shauger allowed the WOSF to issue four scholarships in memory of West Orange Police Officer Timothy Groves.

“It is our honor to be able to assist in the pursuit of higher education by these outstanding individuals,” Sangeeta Badlani said in the release.

In addition to the expanding partnership with the Nikhil Badlani Foundation and the Shauger family, Rizzolo thanked the West Orange community and the fund’s sponsors including Kessler Institute, the McKeon and Parisi families, the West Orange Women’s Club, Provident Bank, Sodexho Food Services, West Orange Rotary, the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Towne Realty and the Bligh family for helping to set yet another record this year.

Established in 1923, the WOSF has awarded scholarships to deserving West Orange students every year since 1925, assisting close to 1,700 students with now more than $1,100,000 since its inception. In 2015, 49 WOHS graduates received $61,900 in WOSF awards; 32 students received two awards making a total of 81 awarded scholarships.

“This was our second year that the scholarship application was offered online,” Rizzolo said. “It was a wonderful success in terms of student awareness and ease of use, and of significant value to the Awards Committee who reviewed each application. Trustee Tynia Thomassie gets much credit and thanks for making that happen. In addition, the Senior Awards Night presentations ran as efficiently and smoothly as ever adding to the enjoyment of the student awardees and their families.”

The WOSF is a collaboration of an all-volunteer board of trustees, who pay their own fundraising expenses, and the West Orange Council of PTAs. All funds raised go to current and future scholarships. Most recently, the WOSF held a fundraising event to establish an endowment for Marie DeMaio, a 54-year West Orange educator and current principal of Washington Elementary School.

In addition to the awards distributed by the WOSF, several other local awards were given out separate from WOSF. Senior Marshall Lipsey received a $191,000 U.S. Army ROTC scholarship to attend Syracuse University. Lipsey will participate in the ROTC program at Syracuse and commit to the Army following graduation.

West Orange High School administrators announced the recipients of their annual senior recognition in areas of study, and Principal Hayden Moore presented valedictorian Brianna Attamante and salutatorian Mythili Kanagala with their sashes to wear at graduation.

Applications for all awards are available each year through the WOHS guidance department and announced at the Senior Awards Ceremony held in late May or early June.

Student Council Awards were given to senior officers. Recognized were President Temitayo Adesokan, Vice President Kathiana Cajuste, Secretary Kierra Thompson and Treasurer Joel De La Rosa. Additionally, recognized for their service to Student Council were: Anita Calmday, Ralph Mathias and Jamaal Dryden.

Principal’s Awards for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement were given to: Harper McVey for 3-D art; Madeline McVey for 3-D art; Victoria Estoque for choral music; Cameron Wolf for instrumental orchestra; Sam Adelsohn for instrumental band; Courtney McGrath for business education; Luvens Therlonge for cooperative business education; David DeLuca for technology and engineering; Sara Cayemitte for child development in family and consumer science; Alli Ashby for foods and fashion in family and consumer science; Douglas Hughes and Harper McVey for physical education; Dasha Temniy for English; Milagros Puelles for English as a second language; Mythili Kanagala for general science; Caleigh Molner for biology; Robert Newman for chemistry; Thomas McGovern for physics; Liam White for mathematics; Genesis Guedes for social studies; Anupama Krishnan for Chinese; Caleigh Molner for French; Brianna Attamante for Italian; and Camila Mas for Spanish.

Following this, departmental awards were given.

The following awards were given for mathematics:

• Senior recipients of the New Jersey Mathematics League award are: Brianna Attamante, Krista Dong, Samantha Jacobs, Thomas McGovern, Brigette Reynaga, Isabella Saba, Adrienne Saldanha and Liam White;
• Recipients of the Essex County Mathematics League Award in calculus are: Philip Jeszeck, Thomas McGovern, Caleigh Molner, Isabella Saba, Thomas Tran and Liam White;
• Senior recipients of the Essex County Mathematics League Award in statistics are: Thomas Bradley, Matthew Eng, Mythili Kanagala, Abigail Mesfin, Adrienne Saldanha and William Spaulding;
• Recipients of the National Council of Supervisors of Math Award for Excellence in Mathematics are: Zachary Brown, Tynisha Dumond, Krista Dong, Akil Edwards, Anupama Krishnan, Shayna Lillis, Nancy Jimenez, Christina McDonald, Thomas McGovern, Siera Meaux, Robert Newman, Alexis Nguyen, Obianama Okani, Sowande Ase Osayande, Brigitte Reynaga, Thomas Tran and Liam White.

The following awards were given for social studies:

• History Award to Yacob Laine;
• Jewish War Veterans Sanford L. Kahn Ladies Auxiliary Award for Americanism to Samantha Jacobs; and
• Philosophy Award to Carmel Moscova.

The following award was given for English as a second language studies: The Michele Daniels Outstanding ESL Student Award to Mailma Jones.

The following awards were given for world languages:

• Confucius Honor Society Award to Matthew Eng;
• Societe Honoraire De Francais Award to Caleigh Molner;
• Societa Onoraria Italica Award to Kristina Jaeger;
• Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica Award to Nancy Jimenez;
• Recognition for Dedication to the Study of a Foreign Language to Clare Kelly for Chinese, Caleigh Molner for French, Kai Bonhomme for Italian and Milagros Puelles for Spanish; and
• UNICO Award for Proficiency in Italian to Brianna Attamante.

The following awards were given for language arts:

• Philip Roth Award to Dasha Temniy; and
• Norman Mailer Award to Jai Bronson-Boddie.

The following award was given for business education: the Cisco Award to Rushil Garala.

Many students achieved Presidential Scholar Awards for Educational Excellence: Denise Alabi, Zachary Ames, Brianna Attamante, Matthew Bana, Katherine Berwind, Jordan Bialik, Thomas Bradley, Anita Calmday, Krista Dong, Matthew Eng, Ann-Lynn Fernandes, Zachary Horan, Samantha Jacobs, Kristina Jaeger, Damani Jagdath, Nancy Jimenez, Mythili Kanagala, Vidya Kanthan, Clare Kelly, Anupama Krishnan, Yacob Laine, Shayna Lillis, Christina McDonald, Thomas McGovern, Harper McVey, Madeline McVey, Siera Meaux, Abigail Mesfin, Caleigh Molner, Robert Newman, Alexis Nguyen, Obianama Okani, Rebekah Pedo, Joel Poku, Brigitte Reynaga, Constance Reznik, Isabella Saba, Adrienne Saldanha, Siena Stanislaus, Joshua Strauss, Dasha Temniy, Rebecca Temple, Thomas Tran, Marie-Kyla Trinidad, Cassandra Umetiti, Liam White and Cameron Wolf.

The Principal’s Award for School Service was given to: Zachary Ames, Erika Bakirtzis, Cassidy Blake, Anita Calmday, Tatiana Charles, Maria Chineppe, Henry Gardner, Valerie Giovine, Victoria Estoque, Mythili Kanagala, Anupama Krishnan, Yacob Laine, Camila Mas, Courtney McGrath, Milagros Puelles, Donato Querques, Jakale Shannon, Siena Stanislaus, Kyla Trinidad, Cristhian Vargas and Cameron Wolf.

The following are more awards and scholarships:

• Marines Distinguished Athlete Award to Courtney Bell;
• Marines Distinguished Scholastic Excellence Award to Rebekah Pedo;
• Marines’ Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence to Robert Newman;
• Army ROTC Scholarship to Marshall Lipsey;
• VFW Post 376’s Commander Ralph Panciello Merit Scholarship to Kyla Trinidad;
• Melissa Williams Scholarship to Katherine Berwind;
• Black History Month Dinner Scholarships to Kathiana Cajuste, Anita Calmday and Abigail Mesfin;
• 2014 WOAHO-Thomas W. Holcomb Sr. Scholarships to Courtney Bell and Justice Rooney;
• New Jersey State Trooper Scott M. Gonzalez Memorial Fund Award to Kemberly Lopez and Sarah Soy;
• The Betty Maddalena Memorial Award to Guy Cohen;
• West Orange Elks Lodge No. 1590 “Most Valuable Student” Scholarships to Denise Alabi, Thomas J. Bradley Jr. and Brian Crann; and
• Sanford L. Kahn Post No. 538 Jewish War Veterans Olympiad Memorial Award to Roula Ramadan.

West Orange Scholarship Fund Awards are as follows:

• Frederick W. Reimherr Scholarship to Kathiana Cajuste;
• Farnham Yardley Scholarship to Ellen Meyerson;
• Harriet Yardley Scholarship to Quincy Nwafor;
• Ian Jordan Goldmunz Scholarship to Frederick Goodman;
• Louise Spitz Lehman Scholarship to Rebecca Temple;
• West Orange Mountain Club’s Jack Bogwold Scholarship to Krista Dong;
• Lori and Marty Waldman Family Scholarship to Brittney Hughes;
• Peg Reitman Carter Scholarship to Victoria Estoque and Sophia Rudin;
• Anonymous Scholarship to Nebi Ghebre;
• Joseph Tylus Memorial Fund Scholarship to Alexandra Hyppolite;
• West Orange Fund Scholarship to Clare Kelly;
• Reid Family Trust Scholarship to Mythili Kanagala;
• Jerry P. Tarnoff Scholarship Fund to Okezia Cole;
• Weston Family Fund Scholarship to Rood Romelien, Kristine Spike and Corey Williams;
• Krimmel/Selpe Memorial Fund Scholarship to Beverly Blaise;
• Jeanne Herman Saslow Fund Scholarship to Victoria Chi;
• Subhash Kar Memorial Scholarship to Lashanda Millien;
• Jano Lee Groves Scholarship to Nebi Ghebre;
• Towne Realty Scholarship to Akil Edwards;
• Spinelli Family Scholarship to Rebecca Temple;
• Quinn Family Scholarship to Katherine Berwind;
• Linda Quinn Memorial Scholarship to Krista Dong;
• Sforza Family Scholarship to Alexandra Hyppolite;
• Arthur J. Alloggiamento Scholarship to Yacob Laine;
• WOHS Principal’s Scholarship to Temitayo Adesokan, Valerie Giovine, Robert Parisi, Alessandra Pintado, Chelbie Smith, Siena Stanislaus, Luke Starbinski and Kamsi Udodi;
• Lillian Kunz Anderson Scholarship to Ann-Lynn Fernandes;
• Timothy Groves Memorial Scholarship to Christine Bell, Brendin Espeleta-Silveria, Jada Parker and Rebekah Pedo;
• West Orange Council of PTAs Scholarship to Denise Alabi and Monet Sheard;
• West Orange Chamber of Commerce Fund Scholarship to Brian Velez;
• Rotary Club Scholarship to Paige Trezza;
• Sodexho Scholarship to Isabella Saba;
• Provident Savings Bank Scholarship to Yacob Laine;
• Joan Green Miron and Jeanette Green Scholarship to Alana Bennett;
• Bligh Family Scholarship to Zachary Ames;
• P.A.S.S.E. Scholarship to Courtney Bell, Anthony Charles, Angelique Melendez and Sarah Soy;
• Joseph Family Scholarship to Lashanda Millien;
• McKeon Family Fund Scholarship to Erika Bakirtzis;
• Kessler Scholarship to Juliet Arowosaye;
• Nikhil Badlani Scholarship to Nancy Jimenez, Angely Melendez, Abigail Mesfin, Rachel Pierre and Tahir Springer;
• Parisi Family Scholarship to Brian Crann and Thomas Tran;
• Jennie Rando Memorial Scholarship to Alana Bennett;
• Wanda & Dan Anderton Fund Scholarship to Alexander Frey;
• Joseph Suriano Scholarship to Christina Carriere;
• Adesokan Family Scholarship to Obianama Okani;
• Oluwatosin Adesokan Scholarship to Damani Jagdath;
• Mountain End Zone Scholarship to Joshua Strauss;
• Philip Augustin Humanitarian Scholarship to Anita Calmday;
• West Orange Women’s Club Scholarship to Philip Jeszeck, Camila Mas and Christina McDonald;
• Northwest Evaluation Association Scholarship to Joshua Strauss;
• Rose Baptiste Scholarship to Samantha Jacobs;
• Jack Lee Scholarship to Briana Gilliland and Sidney Gordon;
• Zal and Josie Velez Scholarship to Damani Jagdath;
• Narain Family Scholarship to Brigitte Reynaga;
• West Orange Education Foundation Inc. Scholarship to Berlinda Brun; and
• West Orange Scholarship Fund Endowment Scholarships to Courtney Bell, Matthew Eng, Tiana Fredericks, Lillian Ojo, Joseph Onubogu, Maria-Kyla Trinidad and Keenan Toussaint.

This list of awards and the names of winners was provided by the West Orange School District.

  FEATURED, Scholarships, Timothy Groves, West Orange High School, West Orange Scholarship Fund