By Nicole Falco
He also participates in many extracurricular activities including Men's Choir, Varsity Club and World of Difference, an anti-bias group.
Vincent Mattone's accomplishments on the field and in the classroom have recently earned him the "Scholar Athlete Achievement Award." Each week for thirty weeks, one student is selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship, with a $4,000 grand prize scholarship awarded in June. Citibank and News 12 Long Island sponsor the program. Bob Wolff, sports director for News 12 Long Island, started the program 15 years ago. To be eligible, the student must be from Long Island, nominated by a coach or athletic director, score a minimum of 1200 on the SAT's, have an unweighted average of at least 90 percent and participate in at least two sports according to Carl Reuter of News 12 Long Island.
Mattone was nominated by North's Athletic Director, Tom Schiavo, who has coached Mattone for six years.
"He's been the perfect example of a student athlete.... He's someone who is a Renaissance-type of individual who tries his hardest all the time," Schiavo said.
Dr. Thomas Troisi, North's principal since August, said, "I'm very proud of him. This is not only a great honor for Vincent, but also a great honor for our school. It speaks very strongly about the quality of our entire program. In the short time I've known him, he's been everywhere...in many school activities."
Karen Ehrlich, North's social worker, has worked with Mattone in both the World of Difference program and Student Peer Organization.
"This kid has a value system that comes from his family. He has a sense of right and wrong, a foundation of character that you don't see in a lot of kids," Ehrlich said. "He's clearly athletically gifted and could have gone far without doing anything extra."
After he graduates in June, Mattone said he hopes to go to a college that offers an academic challenge and allows him to continue playing football as he has done since he was six-years-old. He's already spoken to the coaches of colleges including Amherst, Gettysburg and John Hopkins University.
"I just try my hardest whenever I'm available whether its athletics or academics," Mattone said.
Marie Taylor of the financial services firm Edward Jones has opened a local office at 323 Hempstead Avenue in West Hempstead. Taylor invites the public to join her at a grand opening celebration on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.
Activities will include ribbon-cutting, cake-cutting, games, contests and drawings. Legislator Vincent Muscarella and CouncilWoman Dorothy Goosby will be on hand to greet visitors and discuss trends in today's securities industry.
Prior to joining Edward Jones, Ms. Taylor worked as an officer at Chase Manhattan Bank and administrative officer at Nassau County Medical Center. She graduated from Pace University with a degree in Business Administration. Ms. Taylor and her husband, Barry, have two children, Sadiyq, 25 and Aiysha, 22.
Even before the office opened, Ms. Taylor was in the community, introducing herself to business people and residents. "I've been impressed with the welcome I've received here," Ms. Taylor said. "I have enjoyed meeting the people of West Hempstead, and I look forward to continuing to help them meet their financial needs from my new office."
Edward Jones was founded on the philosophy of personalized service. For that reason, Ms. Taylor was required to meet more than 2,000 members of the community personally before even opening her office.
"I am excited to be opening an Edward Jones office in West Hempstead because I really see a need for the type of service we provide," Ms. Taylor said. "This firm concerns itself exclusively with the needs of individual investors and small business owners, and I'm happy to be bringing that kind of personalized service to this community."
Edward Jones, the only major financial services firm advising individual investors exclusively, traces its roots to 1871 and currently serves 5 million clients from 7,900 offices in the U.S., and through its affiliates in Canada and the United Kingdom.
