May/June 2008

• Congratulations Class of 2008!

• Class of 2008 Valedictorian, Yanna Daud featured in Cablevision

• Remembering Danny DiSanti

• Summer Reading Requirement for In-coming English Honors Classes

• Class of 2008 Top 25 College Attendance

• MHS Baseball team wins the County Championship

• Teen Leaders 
• MHS student honored at the NJ Hall of Fame Induction

Congratulations Class of 2008!

     Superintendent Dr. Van Zanten             2008 Class President Yanna Daud passes

     addressing the graduates.                    on the ceremonial lamp of learning to

                                                            2009 Class President Mario Tano.

Congratulatory address by Mayor Vega       B.A. Rena Hendricks, Asst. Superintedents

                                                           John Fauta and Rosemary Donnelly

         Principal Robert Sanchez                    Dr. Van Zanten and Mayor Sal Vega

           Valedictorian Yanna Daud                  Salutatorian Vanessa Avello         

 Issuing Diplomas

     Dr. Van Zanten & President Tedesco                    Bagpipes

      Memorial High School Choraliers                   Memorial High School Band

        Memorial High School Colorguard                 WNY Police Honor Guard      

President Richard Tedesco and Board of Education Trustees Vanessa Flores, Cosmo Cirillo, and Marie Bombino

Class of 2008 Valedictorian, Yanna Daud

Remembering Danny DiSanti

Friends and family of the West New York School District are mourning the loss of one of Memorial High School’s most beloved English teachers Daniel DiSanti. A teacher in the English department for 27 years, Danny is remembered by his colleagues and students as a hard working and dedicated educator, who made learning fun. “Danny remembered everything I forgot,” said Diana Stedman, district supervisor. “He was someone I could really rely on as a teacher. He was an extension of me.” Danny suddenly passed on Wednesday evening, June 4, after a bout of pneumonia sent him to the hospital.

“I worked with him in the English Department,” said Janet Lewis. “He was very funny and he was great with kids. The kids loved him; absolutely loved him.” At the time of his passing Danny was the head teacher in the English Department at Memorial High School. He had also taught grades 9 through 12 throughout his career, as well as English honors. Danny also worked after school with the students to help prepare them for the HSPA state exam. “He was a good story teller and a good buddy,” said Lewis. “He was the brother I never had and I will miss my brother.”

To his colleagues Danny was a dedicated, diligent teacher, and laughter could always be heard outside his classroom. “He made learning entertaining and he personalized everything,” said Lewis. “He made each kid feel special.” Heba Awadallah one of his students remembers him as a decent man.  “He’s protecting us and looking down on us even now.” she said.  Daniel Hernandez (Class of 07’) recalls Mr. DiSanti as an inspirational teacher who cared about his students.

Danny DiSanti grew up in Newark, or “Down Neck,” as he often referred to his childhood hometown. He grew up in a large Italian family and was very close to his mother. In addition to his love for traditional Italian cooking, Danny would frequent the Portuguese section of Newark for its fine Mediterranean cuisine. He was a graduate of Seton Hall University and is survived by a brother and large extended family including his beloved nieces and caring cousins.

The wake was held on Thursday, June 5, at the Gallante Funeral Parlor in Caldwell, and the funeral at St. James RC Church in Newark which houses the same baptismal font where he was baptized 57 years ago. Danny was laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington. The West New York School District and his extended Memorial High School family extend their condolences to the DiSanti Family.

Resto Nella Pace!

You will be missed.

Summer Reading Requirement for In-coming English Honors Classes

New 9^th Graders:  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

New 10^th Graders:  A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

New 11^th Graders:  The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

New 12^th Grade Shakespeare Honors:  The Pact by Jodi Picoult

The English Office will be open during the summer from the end of June through the first two weeks in July.  The students may stop in and borrow whatever books the library has on hand.  The WNY Library also has the list and will make as many books available to the students. 

Books not available at Memorial can be borrowed at the WNY Public Library or purchased if you choose at Barnes and Nobles.

Class of 2008 Top 25 College Attendance

MHS Baseball Team wins County Championship

Whenever Memorial's Michael Kuzirian takes the field, it's hard not to notice.

With his light brown hair flowing out of the slender right-hander's gray hat and his jump hop after he makes a pitch, he stands out on the mound.  While he might not look the part of a star, his performance would suggest otherwise.  The senior starred on the rubber and in the batter's box as the Tigers emerged with a 6-5 victory over Bayonne in Saturday's HCIAA Coviello final.

In addition to being the game's winning pitcher, Kuzirian went 2-for-2 with a walk, three stolen bases, and three runs scored in the victory.

Kuzirian started the game with a leadoff walk and then stole second and third before scoring the game's opening run.  He ended the game with a strikeout of the Bees' Nick Ruggierello on a knee-buckling curve ball.  The strikeout, Kuzirian's eighth of the game, gave Memorial (20-4, 13-4) their nine consecutive victory and their 14th Coviello title under head coach Tony Ferrainolo.

"We were playing good baseball down the stretch," Ferrainolo said.  "We didn't know which way we were going to go.  It was just a matter of trying to get the players to realize that you can play with some of the best teams.”  “  We're a better team than what we were playing earlier in the season," Kuzirian added.

What seemed like a sure victory for Ferrainolo and the Tigers quickly turned into a nerve wracking experience.  Enter the top of the seventh inning with a 6-1 lead, Bayonne scored four times in the inning, the big blast coming on a bases-clearing double by James Young.  After a pair of two-out errors to put the go-ahead runs on first base, Kuzirian (8-1) finally put the game away with his strikeout of Ruggierello.

"It happens, everybody makes errors," Kuzirian said.  "I knew I had to relax, calm down, throw some strikes.  I had to throw the ball around the plate and find the strike zone."

Up until that final inning, Kuzirian had been nothing short of dominant on the mound. He allowed just two earned runs on four hits and three walks on the afternoon, relying on his fastball to keep the Bees off-balance.

"My fastball was on today," Kuzirian said.  "I really didn't throw that many curveballs.  I threw a lot of fastballs and it was definitely on today."

Said catcher Abel Blanco, "It was fast. That was his top pitch all year."

Kuzirian wasn't the only one to have a big day for the Tigers. Randy Estrella and Felipe Morrobel, the team's second and third hitters in the lineup, both reached base four times. Morrobel drove in runs in the first and second inning, while Estrella ripped an RBI double in the third. Centerfielder Jose Zaldana made a diving catch to save a run in the sixth inning.

Losing pitcher Leo Ortiz reached base four times and scored twice for the Bees in defeat. Young, who also pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, was named the MVP for Bayonne. But on this day, no one stood out more than Kuzirian, and not just because of his hair.

Teen Leaders

Several students from Memorial High School attended the 5th Annual Ira Silvermann Teen Leadership Conference at Rider University on March 11th.  The students met with hundreds of their peers from across the state to discuss issues of human and civil rights, as well as discrimination and tolerance.  The students chosen to attend had demonstrated leadership in their school, and were escorted to the conference by English teacher Marissa Pona and social studies teacher Sandra Santiago.

MHS student honored at the NJ Hall of Fame Induction

MHS student, Brandon Cedeno, honored at the NJ Hall of Fame induction on Sunday, May 4.  NJEA quotes "New Jersey students also play a direct role in the Hall of Fame. An annual essay contest seeks student input on who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Essay winners Brandon Cedeno of West New York and Jessica Cutler of Millstone were honored at the event. They are pictured here with Bart Oates, a former New York Giant, who co-hosted the ceremony with NJEA President Joyce Powell."