Berlin Scholarships & Awards
The Albany/Troy Lions Club Citizenship Award was presented to Dylan Hover
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The American Red Cross Life Share Scholarship was presented to Maria Gordon
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The Berlin Central School Staff/Student Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Berlin High School graduate who has worked to the best of his/her ability and does not necessarily rank at the top of the graduating class but who has worked to the best of his/her ability and who desires to further his/her education either academically or technically; and to a graduate who has been courteous and considerate of others. The 2013 recipient is Sakan Sadowsky
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The Berlin Central School Most Outstanding Athlete Award was presented to Maria Gordon and Sakan Sadowsky
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The Berlin Fire Department Frank Jones Memorial Scholarship was presented by Vice President Joseph Sweener to Casey Legg
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The Berlin Middle/High School Dollars for Scholars Awards were presented by Steven Mellor to Sakan Sadowsky and Maria Gordon
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The Berlin Middle/High School PTO Awards are presented to graduates who have attended Berlin Middle/High School for two years and participated in the Music Program, done community service work within the school or have been involved in the interscholastic sports program. The 2013 recipients are Taylor Brock for Music & Drama, Dylan Hover for Community Service and Maria Gordon for Interscholastic Sports
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The Berlin Rescue Squad Wilma Anderson Memorial Scholarship was presented by Captain Tammy Osterhout to Erika Pelletier
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The Blue Shield Scholar’s Award was presented to Dylan Hover
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The Lillis Bunce Memorial Award is intended to encourage community service in our younger citizens as exemplified by the life of Lillis Bunce. The 2013 recipient is Brad Hoyt
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The Ruth B. Canfield Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a member of the graduating class who has achieved the highest grade point average and who is continuing his/her education. The 2013 recipient is Andrew Zlotnick
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The CHVL Outstanding Senior Athlete Awards were presented to Erika Pelletier and Dylan Hover
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The Thomas Conklin Memorial Award is a monetary gift to graduating Seniors from Grafton, continuing on to college or military service. The 2013 recipients are Emily Bedford, Jacob Mills and Briana Stowell
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The DAR Good Citizen Scholarship was presented to Kelsey O’Dell
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The Gabe Duffy Award was presented to Sarah Bentley
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The Dorothy I. Gutermuth Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Berlin High School graduate who is continuing his/her education and who demonstrates a strong work ethic. The 2013 recipient is Dylan Hover
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The Harriet Gorton McCumber Hannon Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Senior who plans to continue his/her education at a trade school, two year college or four year academic institution. The 2013 recipient is Erika Pelletier
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The Barbara Horton Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a current graduate of Berlin High School pursuing a career in the education field. The 2013 recipient is Maria Gordon
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The Dr. Stanton Perry Hull Scholarship Award was presented to Dylan Hover
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The Rick Ingraham Cross Country Award was presented to AnneMarie Guerdan and Erika Pelletier
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The William J. Kinn Scholarship is awarded to the Valedictorian and Salutatorian of the graduating class. The 2013 recipients are Andrew Zlotnick and Daniel von Schilgen
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The Kjelsen Trust Fund Scholarship is awarded to a Berlin High School graduate entering a university within the State of New York. The 2013 recipient is Samantha Lefavour
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The Knights of Pythias Achievement Award was presented to AnneMarie Guerdan
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The John Laws Memorial Scholarship commemorates one of Berlin Central School District’s outstanding faculty members. It is given to a student who is planning a career in teaching or human service. The 2013 recipient is Maria Gordon
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The Norma Lewis Memorial Scholarships are awarded to Berlin High School graduates who have enrolled in an accredited college program. The 2013 recipients are AnneMarie Guerdan and Kaitlyn Morse
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The NYS Attorney General’s Triple “C” Award was presented to Kaitlyn Morse and Sakan Sadowsky
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The NYS Comptroller’s Achievement Award was presented to Brad Hoyt
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The NYS Education Department Scholarships for Academic Excellence are awarded to graduating Seniors attending a NYS College. The 2013 recipients are Kelsey O’Dell, Daniel von Schilgen and Andrew Zlotnick
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The Frances Palmer Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Berlin High School graduate enrolled in a two or four year accredited college entering the education field, especially teaching. The 2013 recipient is Molly McCumber
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The Questar III Construction Technology II Awards were presented to Byron Alderman and William Gundrum
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The Questar III Automotive Technology II Awards were presented to Andrew Davis and Christopher Drogos
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The Questar III Technical Endorsement Awards were presented to Byron Alderman, Christopher Drogos, Andrew Glodny, William Gundrum and Justin Ryan
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The Questar III Two Year Honor Roll – Byron Alderman
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The Questar III Food Services Award was presented to Bianca Slade
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The first Michael G. Richardson Memorial Scholarship honoring Mr. Richardson’s commitment to education, athleticism and nature was awarded to Dylan Hover
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The Lester T. Russell Scholarship is awarded to a graduating Senior living in the Berlin Central School District and enrolled in a two or four year accredited college in the field of engineering and/or business. The 2013 recipient is Andrew Zlotnick
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The School Systems Federal Credit Union Community Service Award was presented to Kelsey O’Dell
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The Ethel Simmons Memorial Award is awarded by the Grafton Community Library and the Grafton Historical Society to a Senior from Grafton submitting the best essay on aspects of Grafton History. The 2013 recipient is Daniel von Schilgen
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The John Phillip Sousa Award was presented to Brad Hoyt
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The Taconic Valley Garden Club Scholarship is awarded to a graduate enrolled in a two or four year college with a major in Earth Science, Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation, Environmental Science, Farming or Biology. The 2013 recipient is Dylan Hover
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The Taylor Trust Fund Scholarship is awarded to a Berlin High School graduate entering a university within the State of New York. The 2013 recipient is Erika Pelletier
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The United States Air Force Excellence in Math and Science Award was presented to Kaitlyn Morse
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The United States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award was presented to Sakan Sadowsky
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The United States Marine Corps Semper Fidelis Award for Musical Excellence was presented to Whitney Woolley
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The Varsity MasterMinds Award was presented to Kelsey O’Dell
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The Voice of Democracy Award was presented to Kelsey O’Dell
Department Key Awards
Art Department Keys -Outstanding Performance – AnneMarie Guerdan; Academic Excellence – Emily Bedford
Business Department Key – Academic Excellence – Tessa Ranellucci
Drama Key – Outstanding Performance – AnneMarie Guerdan
English Department Keys – Academic Performance – Brittany Crandall; Academic Excellence – Maria Gordon
Family & Consumer Science Department Key – Taylor Brock
Math Department Key – Outstanding Performance – Dylan Hover
Music Department Key – Outstanding Performance – Sakan Sadowsky; Academic Excellence – Andrew Zlotnick
Science Department Key – Academic Excellence – Andrew Zlotnick and Kelsey O’Dell
Social Studies Department Key – Outstanding Performance – Samantha LeFavour
Berlin Valedictory
by Andrew Zlotnick
Good evening everyone. So, as you may or may not know I’m not a good public speaker, not even a little bit. Even now that I’ve just started, I know that half of my class is falling asleep. I truly do have other attributes that are what helped me get to this point in my life. Honestly, ever since it was announced that I was going to be valedictorian I have been dreading making this speech, but the only thing I was dreading more than making the speech was writing it. I had no idea where to begin. I always imagined these speeches to be long and filled with quotes, and I knew that that was not what I wanted to do. I decided to take a different path. So good news, this isn’t going to be long!
What I would like to say, and what I think the entire class of 2013 is thinking, is this, “Oh my God I can’t believe we are graduating. There were times when I never thought I would make it this far.” For many of us, this is such a bittersweet moment in our lives. We are moving on, which means we will be leaving the people we have known for most of our lives. But before I get into a lot of mushy stuff and get all mushy myself I’d like to look back on all of the times we’ve had these last four years. From that pile of homework that threatened to topple over and bury you, to those classes like Trig, Physics, and Chemistry that just made you insane, to all of the drama of these four years, to senior skip day, senior trip and prom and our fun and exciting international trips; we have had an interesting four years that I don’t believe any of us will ever forget, no matter how hard some of us try.
This is the part of the speech where I am supposed to say something inspiring, something that will stick with every one of us, something that may just wake up the sleeping half of my class. Sadly, I am not very inspiring, but if I were to say anything in an attempt to be inspiring it would be this, “We all made it this far, and if we can make it through high school with all of its craziness, we can make it through anything.” Persevere – live life like it’s your last day – and most of all, be happy.
Now I’d like to take a minute to briefly thank the people that really stood out and were absolutely incredible. First and foremost, on behalf of the entire senior class, I would like to thank Ms. Day. You have been incredible with everything. You are a great teacher and an even better person. I would also like to thank Mr. Paul Slaver, Mr. Mellor, Mr. Santarcangelo, Mr. Byron and all of the teachers and coaches we have had over the years. You have taught us so much and you have dealt with everything we have thrown your way. Thank you to the administration and guidance counselors for always being there for us as best as you can. Thank you to all of the parents and families out there. Sometimes it probably seems like a thankless job, but here we are and we are saying, “Thank you!” It is you that helped us become the people that we are today.
Hey guys, we did it! We really are graduating! I still can’t believe it! I wish every one of you the very best luck in everything you do. Finally, I think that if our high school years have proven anything it’s that it is amazing what four years can do. Thank you.
Berlin Salutatory
by Daniel von Schilgen
Graduation is a milestone in life which makes us feel reflective and introspective, or maybe we’re all naturally like that and we just need an excuse to let ourselves feel that way. School is all that we have known for as long as we can remember, so it’s comforting to think that it was all designed for a reason, that it meant something and that we weren’t better off staying home just to wonder what we were going to do with our lives. In searching for your own interpretation, of these last four years especially, a lot of you are going to want to express certain sentiments that you’ve kept for a while, or the urge to say something – anything – may have crept up suddenly and unexpectedly.
Some of you may feel that your actions are all that define you, that you’ve left the past miles back – festering in the body-bag at the bottom of a ditch – and nothing begs an explanation. Nevertheless, take the time that you need, and reflect on all you’ve experienced, and not only the moments that you felt accomplished and proud, but the times that you failed. What have you learned, and I don’t mean just in your classrooms? What have the days or weeks (maybe months?) of stress taught you? How did you react when you felt like dying because of some stupid mistake or when you felt like dying because there was no other way to feel? Who were the friends who stayed and picked you up, the friends who drifted and came back, the friends who drifted and were lost or the ones you had wished would just go away? Can you recall those beautiful, ephemeral moments of clarity or recognize that elusive sense of purpose that caused us to continuously torture ourselves with late nights and early mornings?
I can’t tell you what that purpose is nor can I tell you what this all meant; that’s for each of us to discover on our own. Right now I want to drop all pretense and watch it shatter. I’m not more important than any of you so I can’t pretend that you are going to put these words to action. I don’t mind if you don’t, but if you do then that’s wonderful. My musings never amount to much, most of the time. I’m just a kid with romanticized dreams of dragons and light sabers and magic. I dream in defiance of reality and sensibility because nothing beautiful was ever born from a safe, rational thought. The years of dreaming and being shuffled from small room to small room and talked at for seven hours a day really made me ask, “What’s the point?” The point was to get an education, of course, right? Not quite. Of course, our teachers did the best job in teaching everyone what they needed to know, with a little extra on the side. That much is evident. However, for the most part, our teachers were just guides – those folded paper instruction manuals that we disregard and later pick up when we realize that we don’t actually know how to fix the hyper drive on the Falcon. It’s a ridiculous cosmic coincidence in which we find ourselves, so like lab mice scrambling through a dynamic maze in search of a cheesy reward we were finding that part of ourselves that fits absolutely. It’s the feeling that you know exactly what you’re doing and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s the part that makes us create irrationally – our passions.
This isn’t the answer to the deadbeat question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is the suicide-preventative answer to “Why even bother?” It isn’t clear, and most of us don’t know it completely, yet. We’ve been putting together the pieces – slowly – like a child absentmindedly stacking blocks, unwittingly constructing a castle. Our hidden fortress is there, cloaked and covered by years of artificial direction and budding distractions. Dream in defiance. Let yourself out. Graduation is not a beginning, nor an end. It is a continuation of who you are and an indication of who you are to become. You’re not close to finished, and you haven’t even begun, but you’ve tasted the fruity pleasure of satisfaction and you just can’t give that up.
Berlin Class of 2013 Where Are They Going?
Byron Alderman – Hudson Valley Community College
Joseph Atwater – Hudson Valley Community College
Emily Bedford – Hudson Valley Community College
Sarah Bentley – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Jacob Bierwirth – Wyotech
Kymberlee Blackman – Schenectady Community College
Griffin Boyd – Seeking Employment
Vanessa Montero-Boyle – Hudson Valley Community College
Taylor Brock – Austin’s School of Spa Technology
Connor Brown – Hudson Valley Community College
Cory Chaudoin – Hudson Valley Community College
Taylor Cormier – Hudson Valley Community College
Brittany Crandall – Hudson Valley Community College
Thomas Crawford – Seeking Employment
Andrew Davis – Seeking Employment
Damian DeGennaro – Hudson Valley Community College
Chiara Dreher – Dutchess Community College
Christopher Drogos – Hudson Valley Community College
Kayla Dzembo – Hudson Valley Community College
Devin Finney – Unknown
Alexander Glodny – Hudson Valley Community College
Maria Gordon – SUNY Fredonia
AnneMarie Guerdan – College of Saint Rose
William Gundrum – Seeking Employment
Connor Halleran – United States Army
Andrew Harris – Hudson Valley Community College
Morgan Hill – Hudson Valley Community College
Douglas Hoard, Jr. – Pennsylvania Gunsmith School
Kassandra Homiak – Hudson Valley Community College
Dylan Hover – Siena College
Bradford Hoyt – SUNY Fredonia
Samantha Lefavour – SUNY Binghamton
Casey Legg – Hudson Valley Community College
Arizona Matrigali – Hudson Valley Community College
Molly McCumber – Colby-Sawyer College
Jacob Mills – Hudson Valley Community College
Ashley Moon – Hudson Valley Community College
Kaitlyn Morse – SUNY Fredonia
Kelsey O’Dell – RPI
Erika Pelletier – Hudson Valley Community College
Meghan Powers – Hudson Valley Community College
Tessa Ranellucci – Southern Vermont College
Reid Rascoe – United States Army
Michael Reger – Hudson Valley Community College
Justin Ryan – Unknown
Sakan Sadowsky – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Leona Salvinski – Hudson Valley Community College
Brittany Sass – Unknown
Isaac Share – Hudson Valley Community College
Bianca Slade – Unknown
Samantha Spaniol – Hudson Valley Community College
Lindsie Stevens – Unknown
Briana Stowell – Hudson Valley Community College
Olivia Tsalatsanis – Schenectady Community College
Dan von Schilgen – Hudson Valley Community College
James Wagner – Hudson Valley Community College
Casey Willis – Berkshire Community College
Whitney Woolley – Unknown
Andrew Zlotnick – Dutchess Community College
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