The 24th William A. Haps Scholarship Awards were presented in ceremonies held at Wantagh Fire Headquarters on June 3. The awards are in memory of the deceased firefighter who passed away July 20, 1989. He had served the community for some 42 years.
Seven students were honored this year. Chairperson Don Snyder spoke of the student achievements as family, friends and firefighters looked on. Making the presentations on behalf of the late William and Dora Haps was grandson and Ex-Captain Bill Bischoff and granddaughter Diane Geddes. Also present was Assistant Principal Anne Rao of MacArthur High School and Frank Muzio, director of the guidance department at Wantagh High School.
The first award winner was Jennifer Newins of MacArthur High School. Academically Newins has a grade point average of 95.9367 and has scored in the 90s in all of the 10 Regents she took. She has been a member of the national honor society for the past three years and on the principal’s honor roll for four years. She has been a member of the World Language Honor Society for the past three years and is a MacArthur Renaissance cardholder.
In addition to her academic achievements, Newins has served as a class officer and has served as an advisor to the superintendent by attending school board meetings. She has been an active member of the girls JV and Varsity lacrosse teams. She is a cross-country team member and a track and field participant. Newins will attend Marywood University, where she will pursue a career in medical technology.
The second award winner is Tracey Mitzelman of MacArthur High School. She has a grade point average of 92.453 for the past four years and has been a member of the honor society for the past three years. In addition she is a member of the language honor society for the past two years.
Mitzelman has been a Key Club member for three years and is a member of the concert choir. She is a platinum and gold cardholder and has been awarded a certificate of merit from Nassau County. She has been very active in the MacArthur soccer program for the past four years and was very involved in her team earning honors in County and State Conference. Mitzelman has also been a member of the Levittown Soccer Club for the past 15 years.
When not involved with her activities at MacArthur she can be found at the Gardiners Avenue Elementary School where she serves as the assistant director of the drama club, teaching acting classes to elementary students. Mitzelman will attend Oneonta College in the fall and will major in social and human services.
The third award winner is Michael Munoz of MacArthur High School. He has a grade point average of 93.372. He has scored in the high 80s and 90s in the 10 Regents Exams he has taken.
Munoz has been a member of the Key Club for the past four years and has worked on the Wounded Warrior Project for three years.
Munoz has been a member of the rock & roll musical group at school. He will attend LIU Post in the fall where he will major in audio recording in the electronic media of music therapy.
The fourth award winner is Thomas Cieslewicz of Wantagh High School. Of the 11 Regents he took, nine scored in the high 90s while two scored in the high 80s.
Cieslewicz has been a four-year track participant, as well as a four-year member of the Wantagh/Seaford PAL Travel Soccer Team. In addition he has served as a soccer referee and was named Eastern New York Young Soccer Ref of 2010.
He is involved in scouting and has earned Eagle Scout status. Cieslewicz has represented VFW Post 1273 at Boys State in 2012 and also attended summer seminars at West Point and Annapolis. He has yet to make a choice of the six colleges in which he has been accepted but he hopes to make a career in computer science/cyber security.
The fifth award winner is Anthony Mendes of MacArthur High School. Mendes will receive his Advanced Regent’s Diploma upon his graduation from MacArthur. He is an active member of the Key Club and currently serves as its editor.
Besides his academic achievements Mendes has been a member of the Varsity football team as well as the Varsity wrestling team. He has been a competitor in the Skills USA Competition and is an active member of the Wantagh Fire Department Explorer Post 690. In addition, for the past two years he has been enrolled in the Police Science/EMT Career and Technical education program.
He will attend one of four colleges in which he has been accepted and will pursue a degree in fire investigation or criminal justice.
The sixth award winner is Megan McCarthy from MacAthur High School. Academically she has met the challenge of high school and has maintained good grades in subjects such as physics and college math.
She has been a member of the national honor society for the past three years. In addition to her academic success she has proved quite versatile outside of the classroom. Upon graduation she will attend Mount Saint Mary College where she will pursue a career in nursing.
The seventh and final award winner is Amanda Sculco of MacArthur High School. In her four years of high school Sculco has maintained a grade point average of 86.4 and has successfully passed all of her 10 Regent Courses.
Besides her academic achievements, Sculco was very active in the MacArthur cheerleading squad. She participated for her four years of high school and served as captain for two of those years. Upon graduation Sculco will attend Nassau County Community College where she will pursue a career as an x-ray technician.
