St. Mary’s inducted 35 new members into the Marian Chapter of the National Honor Society. Congratulations to the new members!
Olivia Atlman |
Vincent Bargnesi |
Bridget Barr |
Isabella Becker |
Luis Bermudez |
Braden Callahan |
Timothy Campbell |
Emilia Clausen |
Danielle Day |
Claire DeAngelis |
Jarett dePerio |
Magdalene Dziadosz |
Amelia Fontaine |
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Amy Hamilton |
Shane Henning |
Max Laistner |
Lindsay Luksch |
Mya Maher |
Ashleigh McCoy |
Cecelia Mineo |
Tyler Nowicki |
Kaylyn O’Grady |
Jenna Paler |
Bella Persico |
Kristin Pronobis |
Eric Ridolfi |
Caleb Ross |
Michael Vealey |
Stefan Vukas |
Alex Walter |
Tyler Warmington |
Tyler Wass |
Paige Wentland |
McKenna Zaleski |
The following students were named to the Dean’s List for the first quarter of the 2021-22 school year:
St. Mary’s High School is home to roughly 110 seniors in the Class of 2022, and seven of those students signed letters of intent to play Division I sports at some of the best universities in the country. It is impressive for a school to have one Division I athlete, but seven? In a school of 430 students? In a school with 110 seniors? And all of them have GPAs in the top 10% of their class and are National Honor Society students? That’s unheard of.
You won’t find any more impressive of a group:
· Shay Ciezki – Basketball – Penn State University – West Seneca native
· Bella Farina – Softball – University of Houston – Orchard Park native
· Gabby Gambino – Soccer – Clemson University – Lewiston Native
· Jordan Hummel – Volleyball –Davidson College – North Tonawanda native
· Lily Lauck – Softball – SUNY University at Buffalo – Lakeview native
· Shae O’Rourke – Soccer – University of South Carolina – Wheatfield native
· Charlie Pawli – Soccer – University of Albany – Lakeview native
“It’s a really special day for us,” St. Mary’s President Kevin Kelleher said. “Each one of these girls is better than the next. They’re fantastic in the community, in the classroom. Obviously on their preferred athletic on the field. They’re just amazing with the youth and everything we do at St. Mary’s High School. We’ve been blessed to have them for four years.”
St. Mary’s High School continues its focus on the importance of students’ mental health and overall well-being. In doing so, they have added a new position at the school, naming Alyssa Cometto, MS, RDN, CDN the Dietitian-Nutritionist. In addition to being an important resource for the school as a whole, Cometto will work closely with the St. Mary’s Center for Career and College Counseling, Health Department, as well as the Athletic Department in the Lancer Sports Performance Lab.
Mental health is a top priority at St. Mary’s High School, so the school is dedicated to investing more resources to benefit the student body and bolster the Center for Career and College Counseling. Through the Center, Cometto will work with students on the role food plays in their overall physical well-being and will work in conjunction with the counselors to identify any potential disordered eating habits among students. She will also work with freshmen and transfer students to ensure they are dealing with the transition in a healthy way. Cometto will also be available to work with St. Mary’s staff and families to create plans that foster better nutrition habits at home as well.
Cometto will play a big role in the Health Department as part of St. Mary’s Adjunct Professor Program. Cometto will serve as a guest lecturer in health classes, engaging students with real world nutrition applications and practices to implement into their daily lives. She will also serve as a resource for students looking to get into the Dietitian and Nutrition fields of study.
Through the Athletic Department and Sports Performance Lab, Cometto will work with Athletic Director Zach Weiss and full-time Athletic Trainer Tim Williams to suggest tailored nutrition plans for individual teams and student athletes. Nutrition is a key part to proper preparation and recovery, and oftentimes overlooked in high school athletics.
Cometto brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to St. Mary’s. She is the founder and CEO of Fabulous Nutrition. She has worked with both individual and corporate clients. Cometto holds a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from D’Youville College. She also is a graduate of St. Mary’s High School, as a member of the Class of 2006. Cometto is excited to have the opportunity to come back to her alma mater and work in a field she’s passionate about: “Nutrition and wellness are broad and diverse fields. My two favorite areas within these fields are the culinary arts and mental wellness,” Cometto said. “I am looking forward to being able to work with the students at St. Mary’s to support their food choices and help in any way I can to improve each student’s overall wellness – whether that be physically or mentally,” she concluded.
The St. Mary’s community is equally excited to have Cometto on board: “Alyssa will be an invaluable resource for our students, families, staff, and St. Mary’s community at large,” Head of School Kevin Kelleher said. “We will really be able to utilize all of her knowledge about nutrition, the best way to fuel the body, and how nutrition has a direct correlation to mental wellness. She really adds a whole new layer to our already-dynamic counseling, academic, and athletic programs that has never been filled before at St. Mary’s or anywhere else really. We are thrilled to have Alyssa come on board and can’t wait for her to become a part of all of the exiting things we have going on here,” Kelleher concluded.
Cometto’s business, Fabulous Nutrition, LLC serves the entire Western New York area. You can learn more about it here, www.fabulous-nutrition.com.
St. Mary’s finished the 2020-21 school year completely in-person 5 days a week. As the school begins the 2021-22 school year, they’re ready to hit the ground running and put the necessary policies and procedures in place to have a safe, successful, and fun school year. You can red more about the school’s reopening plan here:
After the Class of 2020 held their graduation at the Drive-In, St. Mary’s was able to bring back its 117th Commencement Ceremony to campus for the Class of 2021. It felt like a victory for these seniors after a year of so much change and uncertainty. Congratulations, graduates!
After months of waiting, St. Mary’s Juniors and Seniors were finally able to hold a school dance – the 2021 Prom – masked edition! Students were able to have a fun, safe night in the Athletic Center decked out to look beautiful by the hardworking moderators.
After a thorough review of the application materials submitted by those students who were nominated for candidacy to the Marian Chapter of the National Honor Society at St. Mary’s High School, the Faculty Council has granted admittance to the following students:
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Christina Kocol 
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Nicole Norton 
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Eric Pfalzer 
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Allison Shepard 
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Ryan Slade 
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Ethan Agustyniak 
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Dallas Beeman 
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Jack Bojarski 
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Shay Ciezki 
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Frances Colby 
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Kamryn DeMarzio 
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Anna Dovey 
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Isabella Farina 
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Riley Faso 
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Gabriella Gambino 
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Michael Georger 
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Dakota Gorny 
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Dylan Gurnari 
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Erin Hayes 
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Ava Hickok 
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Carly Howard 
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Jordan Hummel 
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Grace Kicinski 
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Natalie Kupczyk 
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Courtney Kurkowiak 
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Matthew Larroque 
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Lily Lauck 
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Grace LaVarnway 
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Bridget Martin 
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Jeffrey Martin 
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Hailey Miller 
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Grace Monheim 
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Aidan Murty 
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Shae O’Rourke 
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Charlotte Pawli 
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Katherine Sieber 
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Jacqueline Simpson 
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Leah Wierzbowski 
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Aloise Wipperman 
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Hannah Wolf 
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December 9, 2020
As I reflect back on the last 100 days or so since the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the one word that continues to be at the forefront of my mind is pride. I am well aware that I have begun to sound like a broken record, but I truly could not be more proud of the entire St. Mary’s Community. Due to the virtues of diligence and cooperation that have been on display since the start of the school year, I am more than content with the knowledge that we have provided more face time and in-person instruction than any school in Western New York and likely throughout New York State. These virtues have been witnessed in every member of the St. Mary’s Family from our students to our parents to our faculty and our staff. For all of you, I am ever grateful.
With the above thoughts in mind, coupled with the rise in COVID positive cases throughout Erie County, I have decided that the St. Mary’s High School Community has earned some time to heal, rest, relax and enjoy the gift of family. To do this properly, we will be extending our Christmas break, and this Friday, December 11th, will be our last day of classes, in-person or virtual, until we resume after winter break on Monday, January 4th.
I ask you to remember that there are also some personal reasons for us to embark on a lengthened break. Some very important people in the St. Mary’s Family will still need you to send a ton of positive vibes their way. I ask that you continue to pray for the health and recovery of Mr. Ard as he fights his battle against COVID-19. I also ask that you keep the Junik Family in your thoughts and prayers, as Emily continues her courageous fight against breast cancer. Please do not lose sight of the power of prayer during this Christmas Season. Enjoy your time, enjoy your families, and stay safe!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! As always, Go Lancers, and keep the faith!
Kevin Kelleher
Head of School
St. Mary’s High School
Alexys Friol