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Light Rain Pirrone's life work honored through words
Friends of Bridge awards essay contest winners
The memory of former administrator Diana Pirrone will be kept alive for many years in District 24. On May 26, Friends of Bridge presented the first set of awards to students in the Diana Pirrone Memorial Essay Contest, which is expected to become an annual tradition.
Pirrone died last July at 67. She was principal of the William L. Buck School from 1983 to 2000, then served as the district’s assistant superintendent for three years until retiring. She remained active in District 24, serving as a consultant for the character education program which she developed along with Maureen Florio.
She was actively involved with Friends of Bridge, a Valley Stream-based substance abuse treatment facility, and served on its board of directors for five years. Barbara DeGrace, past president of Friends of Bridge, said Pirrone worked hard to make sure that children understood the importance of making healthy choices.
Her work inspired the theme for the essay contest, “Why do we think substance abuse negatively affects healthy living?” It was open to all sixth-graders in the district and one winner was chosen from each school.
A panel of five judges from the district and Friends of Bridge selected the three winners. Robert W. Carbonaro Principal Dr. Lisa Conte and DeGrace coordinated the contest.
Robert Sangirardi had the winning essay at the William L. Buck School. He wrote about how substance abuse can derail someone’s future plans and goals, and also about avoiding peer pressure.
The term “substance abuse,” Robert noted, says it all. “You put those words together, it’s a dangerous combination,” he said. “It could potentially destroy your life. Millions of teens have fallen victim to this and I feel it’s a very serious matter.”
Robert said he was proud that the judges recognized him for his deep thoughts on the subject.
Daniella Brunner was the winner from the Robert W. Carbonaro School. She wrote about the negative health impacts of smoking and drug use. Additionally, Daniella explained that drug abuse can cause someone to lose their job, car, house, friends and future ambitions.
