Academic honors seniors were recognized Thursday, May 4, at the annual Honors Convocation held in the high school gymnasium.
The dinner hosts graduating seniors with a cumulative weighted grade point average of 90% or higher, along with their families, administrators and board of education members.
2023 academic honors students are Nicholas Andrews, Natalie Baron, Samantha Basinait, Natalie Bertsch, Clara Bolton, Hailey Crawford, Dallas Ecker, Keyonna Hamilton, Samantha Hand, Nicholas Harling, Amari Jones, Maya Knaak, Ulises Ledesma, Abigail Mancuso, Vincent Molisani, Audrey Pask, Sarina Payne, Jamie Penna, Jessica Penna, Daisy Perez Reyes, Corleone Plain, Grace Plank, Brianna Sample and S’koi Sanders-Smith.
The honors students were called to the stage individually by board of education members, received their certificate, and then were adorned with their honors cords from their parents/guardians.
Mr. Gary Simboli, ‘81, was the guest speaker for the evening. Simboli worked at Albion for 35 years and was involved in Signor Prize, served as a summer reading and math specialist, directed Swing Choir, Acapella Choir, Women’s and Men’s Select Choir and supported numerous student groups. As the advisor for the high school drama club, he produced 69 stage shows in addition to directing music for graduation, Senior Tea and accompanying for multiple other events and groups. Simboli was named Educator of the Year by the district for the 1997-1998 school year. His commitment and service to the Albion Central School district and the local community is still felt today.
In his speech, Simboli reflected on resilience, telling the Class of 2023 how they have shown great perseverance while being faced with the COVID-19 pandemic throughout their entire high school careers. He shared personal stories of his own resilience and how they shaped him and led him to where he is today.
The class of 2023 is set to graduate on Friday, June 23 with a rain date scheduled for Saturday, June 24.
