Rosarian Academy honors scholastic, sports achievements

Rosarian Academy honored its middle school students with exceptional academic performance and athletic acheivements and recognized its lower school students with athletic achievements during the first trimester of the school year at an awards ceremony this month.

Three eighth-grade students, Maggie Acosta, Mercedes Cassidy andMacarena Gonzalez-Cabanellas, achieved Highest Academic Honors, with all As in the first trimester and on all exams. Two students, Elise Lanahan and Acosta, received Accelerated Reader awards for reading 300,000 words or more since the start of the school year.

The school also announced that the eighth-grade students selected as Kiwanis Students of the Month were Gonzalez-Cabanellas (October), Robby Vargas(November), and Acosta (December).

Many other students also were recognized for academic achievements, including those sixth- to eighth-graders who received no less than a B in all academic subjects and no grade less than satisfactory in all co-curricular classes. Those honor roll students were awarded a certificate. Additionally, Double E Awards were given to students who received “E” in effort and conduct in all core and co-curricular subjects.

All students who participated in a fall sport — flag football, volleyball, swimming, and cross country — were acknowledged, too. Those receiving special mention were: Varsity flag football MVP: Christian Azqueta; Offensive Player of the Year: Jamis Bornschein; Heart Award: James Smeenge; Most Improved: Thomas Coates. Junior varsity flag football MVP: Declan Coates; Offensive Player of the Year: Finn Duran; Heart Award: James Molina and Most Improved: Jack Beylo.

On the varsity volleyball team, Gonzalez-Cabanellas was named MVP; Mia Pariseleti received the Heart Award and Loran McGruder was named most improved. For the junior varsity squad, Amelia Walsh was named MVP; Alexia Keough earned the Heart Award and Juliana LaPapa was named most improved.

For the swimming team, Matthew Cohen was named Most Valuable Swimmer; Ariane Holton received the Heart Award and Joseph Modenos was named most improved. In cross country, Teddy Duncker earned the Male Running Raider Award, and Eleanor Hall earned the Female Running Raider Award. Vargas earned the Unsung Hero Award, and Iliana Beauchamp was named most improved.

Nine girls and their coaches who won back-to-back championships in basketball and soccer in the 2016-2017 school year received a ring and special recognition. Those were: eighth-graders Acosta, Elizabeth Guerrieri, Haiden Hersey, and Grace Colangelo, along with Benjamin Schoolfreshman Devyn Dyett; Cardinal Newman freshmen Madison Fabbri, Lacey Steele and Isabella Fiorentino; Suncoast High freshman Isabella Vega-Dadurian; and coaches Lindsey Beylo, Jameson Olsen, Jon Payne and Melissa Vittagliano. An anonymous donor provided the rings, each inscribed with “Live Like Oakley” in honor of student Oakley Debbs, who died last year as the result of complications from a nut allergy.

In addition to the academic and athletic recognition, Rosarian Academy awarded parents Diane and Marcello Fiorentino with The Rose and Torch Award. The annual award is given to one or two individuals who serve Rosarian and possess and live out the school’s values.