Congratulations to the SMS Class of 2024!
The proud parents, families, & friends of our twenty eight 8th grade students gathered at St. Mary’s Church on the evening of June 20th to celebrate the Class of 2024. Father Tom, Father Joe & Father Art concelebrated the graduation Mass.
Father Tom addressed the congregation in his homily, and encouraged the graduates to be aware and appreciative of the people in their lives who helped them get to this point and achieve their educational goals. Father Tom reminded us that nothing we accomplish in this world is done by ourselves, and our students should be grateful for to God for the many gifts they have been given. He also impressed upon the class that every ending is a new beginning, another opportunity to be who God wants us to be. He encouraged the graduates to use the gifts they have been given during their time at SMS, and be representatives of their faith, their school, & families as they begin their next new adventure in life - high school.
The readings were proclaimed by Jackson Sendlak & Samantha Campanella, while Colton Howe, Maeve Langdon, Samantha Zgoda, Avril Ashworth & Ashley Zielinski led us with their beautiful voices in the Responsorial Psalm & Gospel Acclamation.
The Prayers of the Faithful were offered by Brayden Coloaiacovo, Solin Cruz & Evan Wilkes, and the Offertory Gifts were presented by Paige Botzenhart & Maggie Glenn.
After Mass the Graduation Ceremony began, and Abigail Millich & Aiden Charland, class co-presidents, addressed their peers. Mrs. D’Angelo, SMS Principal, announced the numerous special award & scholarship winners. Scholarships awarded to the SMS Class of 2024 totaled over $351,700! The special awards & scholarships presented at graduation included:
The NYS Attorney General Triple “C” Award acknowledging the commitment, character, and courage of New York State’s most exceptional young people: Aiden Charland, Abigail Millich & Jackson Sendlak
The President’s Award for Academic Excellence is awarded to students maintaining an average of 90% or above in their core classes in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades as well as Mastery Level scores on New York State assessments: Aiden Charland , Colton Howe, Maeve Langdon, Brady Mentkowski, Abigail Millich, Michael Noah, Lucas Pepe, Gavin Scholl, Jackson Sendlak, Amelia Urbanski & Ashley Zielinski
The Charism of Mary Award is given to a student who shows the gifts of Mary our Mother, and serves others without being asked and without seeking any recognition. This year’s recipient was Meghan Carver.
The President’s Award for Academic Achievement is awarded for commitment to learning, growing, and putting effort into education. The following students were recognized: Avril Ashworth, Paige Botzenhart, Mckenzie Butch, Samantha Campanella, Meghan Carver, Brayden Colaiacovo, Solin Cruz, William Dillemuth, Maggie Glenn, Kaitlin Henry, Ryan Kubiak, Patrick Macdiarmid, Anna Malinich, Noah Purcell, Teagen Talarczyk, Evan Wilkes & Samantha Zgoda
The New York State Comptroller’s Achievement Award is presented to students who have excelled academically and have also shown leadership potential by volunteering to serve the school or community: Avril Ashworth And Patrick Macdiarmid
The Principal’s Honor Roll recognizes scholars who maintained an average over 97% all school year: Mckenzie Butch, Abigail Millich, Michael Noah, Jackson Sendlak, Amelia Urbanski & Ashley Zielinski.
Class of 2024 Salutatorian (98.85%): Amelia Urbanski
Class of 2024 Valedictorian (99.53%): Abigail Millich
The Sister Sheila Anne Burke Memorial Award is given to a student who starts each day anew, perseveres through hardships, learns through life experiences and demonstrates growth from those experiences: Brayden Colaiacovo.
The Principal’s Award for serving as a role model of excellence, and standing out with some very special qualities including quiet strength, humble discipleship, compassion, effort, goodwill, humor, faith, service, and academic talent: Abigail Millich
HSA Essay Contest Winners: Meghan Carver, Aiden Charland & Ameila Urbanski
HSA Family Awards: Kim & Emilio Colaiacovo, Jen Glenn
The graduates will attend the following high schools this fall: Clarence, Williamsville East, Williamsville North, Nardin, Canisius, St. Joe’s, St. Mary’s Lancaster, Sacred Heart, & Starpoint.
Congratulations to all of our amazing graduates -we pray that the bonds formed between you, and the faith shared among you will stay with you throughout your lives!
SMS Class of 2024: McKenzie Butch, Meghan Carver, Aiden Charland, Brayden Colaiacovo, Solin Cruz, Kaitlin Henry, Maeve Langdon, Brady Mentkowski, Abigail Millich, Michael Noah, Lucas Pepe, Jackson Sendlak, Amelia Urbanski, Ashley Zielinski, Avril Ashworth, Paige Botzenhart, Samantha Campanella, William Dillemuth, Maggie Glenn, Robert Howe, Ryan Kubiak, Patrick MacDiarmid, Anna Malinich Noah Purcell, Gavin Scholl, Teagen Talarczyk, Evan Wilkes & Samantha Zgoda.
Click here to view more photos of the Mass & Graduation Ceremony, and be sure to watch our social media pages in the coming weeks for profiles of each graduate!