Published: June 25, 2008 10:20 am      

MEDINA SCHOOLS: Medina's class of 2008

The staff, teachers and administrators at Medina High School will remember the Class of 2008 for its humor, accomplishments and extraordinary drive.

One hundred forty-seven graduates are expected to receive their diplomas at Friday’s convocation ceremony in the high school auditorium. Many have set high standards for themselves with plans to become doctors, teachers and entrepreneurs.

“There are a lot of class clowns but when it’s time to get serious, we’re good at that,” said Tyler Evans, a top 10 student and varsity athlete named most valuable player in both football and baseball. “We’re all pretty close. That’s what I liked most about our class.”

Although theirs is among the largest in Medina’s recent history — previous classes have averaged around 120 students, according to senior advisor Kit Trapasso, also known as “Mr. T” — it has always felt small, the seniors report. Class President David Gray, the voice of the morning announcements with Student Association President Sawyer Green, calls the group “unpredictable.”

“We’re all cool with each other,” he said. “Everyone knows each other’s business. I think that’s the way it should be.”

The teachers have always complimented the class, Evans said. They work hard, Valedictorian Alaina Wilson adds. Those at the top of the class academically were the overachievers involved in every group and event possible.

Approximately 85 percent will go on for their post-secondary education, said Vice Principal and Athletic Director Matthew McKenna. Thirty-nine percent to a four-year college, 44 percent to a two-year college with the intent to transfer later on and 2 percent to a trade school.

Another 5 percent are joining the military, a feat Wilson attributes to the class’ patriotic nature.

The schools they will be attending are impressive, Principal Wes Pickreign points out. Everyone’s favorite classmate Yuan “Steve” Lin will study business at Harvard University. Salutatorian Joseph Moriarty has been accepted at the University of Chicago and Chelsea Champlin and Kim Hungerford will head to Syracuse University.

Green will attend Oswego University to major in English, Evans will attend SUNY Cortland where he hopes to play baseball (he aspires to become a biology teacher like his step-dad and Medina teacher Jon Sherman), and Gray will attend SUNY Brockport for history and Army ROTC.

Wilson, the valedictorian, has already been accepted to medical school at Syracuse University through St. Bonaventure’s dual admissions program. As long as she maintains a certain grade-point average, she is guaranteed a spot — and she won’t have to endure the MCATs. Her accomplishments in high school have included voluntary hyperthermia research at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, 2,000 internship hours at area hospitals, band, mock trial and Science Olympiad.

It is what adviser Trapasso terms a “bragadocious” year.

“A lot of our kids set pretty high standards for themselves,” Principal Pickreign said. “There are kids in there who have seen unbelievable growth.”

The most popular schools to be attended by the graduates are SUNY Brockport and Genesee Community College. A small percentage are going to schools out of state — Michigan University and West Virginia University, among others, McKenna said.

Pickreign attributes their success, in part, to Medina’s menu of AP courses for college credit. Many students in the Class of 2008 took advantage of the school’s classes offered through GCC.

Eight seniors completed the 12 credit Teacher’s Academy program, taking college level Intro to Education, psychology, public speaking, English communication and career and education. In the spring, participants were placed in classrooms around the district for a firsthand experience.

Yet others took advantage of programs through Niagara-Orleans BOCES, such as Allied Health.

As juniors, the Class of 2008’s SAT scores ranked among the top 25 percent in Western New York, Pickreign said.

The students credit their accomplishments to a team of dedicated teachers. The counseling staff encourages students to aim high, McKenna said.

“A lot of the teachers are willing to go the extra distance,” Green said. “They’re not just doing their job, they’re really dedicated.”

If not for the school’s infamous band program, Maggie Moriarty wonders if she would be headed to SUNY Fredonia for music education. She plays multiple instruments, the mellophone and clarinet included, and is a member of jazz band, concert band, wind ensemble, concert select, winter percussion ensemble and Winterguard. In the marching band, she was the assistant drum major.

For many in the Class of 2008, band has been “the rock,” Gray said — “High school wouldn’t have been high school without that.” Like Moriarty, he is in nearly every band program offered and served as this year’s drum major.

The majority of graduates have participated in the school’s music programs at one point or another, said Band Director Scott Ballard. At least 95 percent have been involved in multiple programs, he said.

Over the past school year, the group won the top title at the Gorham Band Pageant of Bands for the 21st consecutive year, winning the most events in a two-day period. Winterguard won a handful of shows for the first time in four years, the Winter Drum Line competed at a more advanced level, and the jazz band was one of the best the school has ever had, Ballard said.

Senior participants in the jazz band were Maggie Moriarty, Evans, Green, Gray, Jamin Knowlton, Jonathan Ioverio, Margaret Braber, Kyle Reigle and Isabella Pietroboni.

The fondest memory is the marching band’s fourth place finish at the National Championships in Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium last November. The moment they were announced, they exploded in excitement, Ballard said. It is what he will remember them for most.

“It’s tough to let them go. You always feel like you’re being left behind,” he said. “I’m sure they would say the opposite. It’s equally hard for them to sit in the stands and not be a part of it.”

Senior traditions included the homecoming dance and class competitions, a chicken barbecue fundraising event, senior night for every athletic team and Monday evening’s senior banquet at the Sacred Heart Club. Class officers Gray, Vice President Courtney Santoro, Secretary Kimberly Cherry, Treasurer Lisa Ames, historians Krista Polick and Allyson Withey and flag bearers Andrew Misiti and Mark Dubai received special recognition for their efforts.

Every Friday during the year, the seniors sold Mark’s pizza and Case-Nic cookies to raise money for the prom, Trapasso said. It was held Friday at Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club in Holley.

“It was a black tie affair. ... We had red and black everywhere,” Trapasso said. “It’s kind of like the Academy Awards. We announce each couple as they arrive.”

Speeches at the graduation ceremony will be given by the valedictorian and the salutatorian. The class president will recite a few short words of introduction. Sporting Medina’s colors, the boys will wear white and the girls will wear red.

Pickreign will provide advice about the true meaning of success. The daisy chain consisting of the top 16 female juniors and the two top males will lay the flowers at the graduates’ feet on stage, Trapasso said. It is a tradition that dates back to the 1930s.

Once their story ends, the seniors will miss seeing familiar faces in the hallway everyday, Wilson said. It was something she could always count on — someone to make her smile.

The teachers will miss their unique sense of humor.

“There’s some great kids in that class,” Pickreign said. “Every year, it’s like my own kids graduating.”

“I can’t wait,” Gray said. “I liked high school, but I’m really, really excited for the future.”

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 8227.