The pride of South Side

Dignitaries including newly-elected state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (a South Side alumnus), Assemblyman Robert Barra, Rockville Centre Mayor Mary Bossart and Trustee Jeanne Mulry occupied the grandstand next to district administrators and school faculty and staff.
In their speeches, Class President Matthew Geyer, Salutatorian David Mendelsohn, Valedictorian Perry Schein and Student Government President Estee Gabel credited their families, teachers and administrators for their success, and acknowledged the accomplishments of their classmates in academics, athletics, music, art and community service.
Family members came with bouquets of flowers and oversized balloons, cheering and shouting their congratulations.
Outgoing Board of Education Vice President Vivian Lewandowski also spoke, honoring the achievements of the graduates. She seemed visibly moved by what she described as the ambition shown by this class, and said she was fortunate to watch the students flourish.
Principal Dr. Carol Burris said that this year's graduates had shattered all of the school's academic records, proving to be talented students and gifted athletes and musicians.
Burris wished the graduates the best of luck and said she hoped they would find jobs that offer them challenges and happiness, not merely status or money. "I wish you joy," she said. "Deep and abiding joy that comes with a life of purpose."
When you start to feel caught up in the material aspects of life, she advised them, think about your earliest memories of your parents. "Did you care about their Lexus?" she asked. "All you wanted was a smile and a hug."
Burris thanked retiring Assistant Superintendent Delia Garrity for her many years of service, and honored the memory of senior Tim McMullan, who died earlier in the year, by asking the crowd for a moment of silence.
Exceptional students were honored with awards given by the district. Anna Duggan and Jamie Carey were presented the Centennial Award for School and Community by Andrew Krause, alumni association president. The Richard S. Byers School and Community Service Award was presented by Burris to Ingrid Loveras who is also the class of 2008 secretary. School superintendent Dr. William Johnson presented the Laurel Award for Boys to class president Mathew Geyer and the Laurel Award for Girls to Patricia Garrity.
And then, as their names were called one by one, the graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, ending one memorable chapter of their lives and beginning a new one.
South Side High School
Class of 2008
Razan Abdelmajid
Joseph Abrams
Amanda Agosto
Elyse Aldana
Meghan Elizabeth Alles
Brett Amione
Jake V. Aronowitz
Yesenia Baez
Brittney Bannon
Jacob Banschick
Brianna Barbieri
Deasia Barnett
Francis John Barricelli
Sean Basista
Kenneth Bassett
Erick Bautista
Leo Harris Bentovim
Jeremy Berke
Ross D. Berman
Alaina R. Beyar
James Patrick Boles
Zachary Bondy
Casi Dana Borut
Jonathan Evan Bove
Allison Boyle
Molly Bralower
Melanie Bronfeld
Kerri M. Brown
Kevin Patrick Brown
Vincent Brunetta
Ashley Eileen Budelman
Courtney Ann Budelman
Kristen Buell
Jordan Burke
Yolanda Burroughs
Jake Daniel Cameron
Latoya Campbell
Jamie Carey
Katherine Cartier
Mark Caso
Zaccary Castellano
Jonathan Pitchford Catania
Irene Patricia Ceballo
Joseph Cecere
Jose Checo
Timothy Chelius
Matthew Chen
Angela Chieffo
Jenna Lynne Cielo
Joseph John Cifarelli
Brian Coleman
Alexia Coletta
David Coren
Thomas Vincent Corsaro
Sarah Costa
Alyssa Cotto
Rohit Crasta
Katherine Cullinan
Stephen Thomas Dacek, III
Mackenzie Ann Degen
Robert William DeGregoris
Mary DeLaCruz
Gregory Demas
Daniel Devine
Erica Diaz
Franklin Diaz
Rebecca DiBari
Sofia DiBari
Brittany Dolan
Julia Mary Donaldson
Kara Donoghue
Anna Duggan
Jennifer Duran
Craig D'Urso
James P. Ege
Tiara Eley
Zsade Evans
Michael Fabiani
Carla Felzenberg
Daniel Femminello
Jaclyn Femminello
Kara Ferguson
Douglas Forgione
Schuyler C. Forsberg
Alana Michele Frey
Janisa Freycinet
Estee Gatenio Gabel
Ashley Gallagher
Erin Gallagher
Alexandra Gambale
Michael L. Gangadeen, Jr.
Patricia R. Garrity
David Gash
Jesse Geffen
James Geraghty
Matthew Geyer
Frank Rocco Giampaolo
Daniel Perri Goldberg
Logan Gough
Matthew Ryan Graham
Alannie Grant
Gianluca F. Grasso
Michael Gregerson
Kara Hackett
Christopher S. Haig
Karolyn Hasday
Marie Hayes
Michael Ryan Heller
Katherine C. Hellige
Sandra Hennig
Adolfo Hernandez
Jesenia Hernandez
Wendy Hernandez
Jennifer Hieronymus
Barbara Marie Hinton
Ray Hoger
Christopher Horace
Sabina Adriana Ion
Kimberly Ann Johnson
Sabrina Enid Johnson
Kurt Joseph
Kaitlyn Anne Judge
Eden Kanowitz
Ronnie Kanter
Meghan Khosla
Katherine M. Kiernan
Alexandra Irene Kislowski
Michael Kladias
Gregory Laurence Knoch
Jennifer Kolonkowski
Kieran Kriss
Mary Kathleen Krol
Mackenzie Albert Krush
Lynda Kwiatkowski
Jennifer Lara-Hidalgo
Frank K. Laupheimer
Daniel Lawrence
William R. Leck
Natalie Patricia Leone
Kristen Lewandowski
Fernando Lopez
Joseph Lopresti
Meggie Lovece
Ingrid Loveras
Marlene Loveras
Alan David Macklin
Christopher Cody Mancusi
Zachary Mandinach
Stefanie Rose Manna
Gail Mantell
Sean Marrin
Katherine McCabe
Kate E. McCarrick
Erin McDonough
Lindsay McDonough
Jordan McPherson
Rochelle McQuillan
Travis James McShane
Patrick McTague
Brendan Robert Meehan
David Benjamin Mendelsohn
Katherine Mendoza
Kristen Mendoza
Antonio Miceli
Malik Michel
Wesley Michael Milillo
John Modica
Kathleen Molloy
Dustin Molter
George Monfort
Frank Monteforte
Steven Morelli
Colin M. Moriarty
Steven Kenneth Motschwiller
James Murad
Alan Murphy
Anna Murphy
Christopher Murphy
Michael Patrick Murphy
Anthony Naclerio
Ryoko Nagano
Eric Needell
Marc Nemeth
Derek Nielsen
Jacqueline Northacker
Kaitlyn Norwood
Elizabeth Caitlin Nugent
Courtenay A. O'Connor
Brendan O'Hagan
Ryan O'Hagan
Alejandra Olivos
Christopher Ortiz, Jr
Ann Marie Pagnotta
Daniel Palmas
Kelly Panzenbeck
Michele M. Paolella
Gaelle Paul
Brittany Rebecca Pearl
Gregory J. Pellizzi
Geri Thoma Pepito
Yvette Phifer
Ryan Portenoy
Max Post
Alexandra Poveda
Daniel B. Prevete
Amanda Quaresima
Colleen Quigley
Emmelyn Quinn
Chantel Denee' Rasberry
Colette Rayder
Evan Reap
Latifa Reed
Sasha Reiber
Kenneth F. Reiser
Kelly Elizabeth Reynolds
Lucas Richner
Adam J. Rieff
Brian R. Riley
Laura Rindone
James Robinson
Kristin Robinson
Andrew J. Rodriguez
Kyle Rogers
Michael Rogers
Emily Rosenblum
Kyle Ian Rosenblum
Sarah Harper Ross
Craig Roth
Christopher Rovere
Devon Rubenstein
Sean Rubin
Nicholas Ryan
Lauren Ryerson
Salvatore Saia, III
Marco Sansone
Laura Santiago
Michael Scaduto
Perry Schein
Andrew N. Schenone
Jeffrey Schoenfeld
Elaine Schwartz
Christopher Sciarabba
Colin Serling
Jaime Anne Sharot
Emily Sheiffer
Christopher Sherman
Maxwell Silver-Thompson
Douglas Simonian
Danielle Sims
Rachel Singer
Elizabeth Slome
Cornelius Smith
Kayla Smith
Kyle Smith
Scott Jordan Sobel
Christian J. Sorensen
Angelina H. G. Soriano
Nelcie Souffrant
Erica Spessot
Daniel Staffa
Kathleen M. Starsia
Trisha Stein
Shatique-Lamar Streater
Alberto Suero
Sze Guan Tan
Simon Tangney
Emily Tetelman
Patrick James Tighe
Timothy Tolan
Michael Ruben Torres
Alison Turnier
Andrew John Turro
Annie Valant
Rene Valdez
Cristopher Vasquez
Jessica L. Vercillo
Megan Votke
Peter Charles Wadkins, Jr.
Ashley Walls
Erin Walsh
Kathryn Walsh
Ryan Waxon
Susanne Westmacott
Stephanie Denise Williams
Shannon Williamson
Alec David Wishney
Rebecca Wurwarg
Gregory Alexander Wyler
Stephen Yaffar
Philip Yam
Amy Yim
Sarah York
Kevin J. Young, II
Virginia Zappia
Erica Zavala