Schools
Record Crowd For Seaford’s Patriot Awards Dinner
Ninth annual memorial dinner honors students, community leaders in memory of 9/11 victims Tommy Haskell, Timmy Haskell, John Perry, Robert Sliwak and Michael Wittenstein.
The ninth annual Memorial Patriot Award dinner, in remembrance of alumni from the school who were lost in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, drew record attendance this past Monday at the Woodbury Country Club.
The memorial fundraiser drew an estimated 330 people, an increase from last year's annual event, according to organizers.
“Everything went well,” said Lynda Schachner, from the 9/11 memorial committee. “Attendance at the dinner was much more than in previous years. I attribute that to the fact that it has been almost 10 years since that fateful day, as well as to the accomplishments of the honorees who we chose this year.”
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The Patriot Award Dinner helps keep alive the memory of Seaford community members who died on 9/11 including firefighters Tommy Haskell '82, Timmy Haskell '85 and John Perry '82; and Cantor Fitzgerald employees Robert Sliwak '77 and Michael Wittenstein '85.
Seaford High School students honored with $2,000 Patriot award scholarships at the dinner were John Cleary, Ryan Harding, Michael Lemken, Billy Papademas and Scott Ruona. From the community, Honorary Patriot Awards will given to Seaford Superintendent Brian Conroy, Bill Arnold and Bill Erb.
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Cleary was president of Student Council, an Eagle Scout and All-State Musician who plays 16 instruments.
Harding was All County Captain of the wrestling squad, Pipe Corporal for Tara Pipes and Drums, and performed bagpipes at this year’s dinner.
Lemkan was Secretary of Students Against Destructive Decisions while achieving honors in the school’s Freshmen Buddies Mentor program.
Papadimas was President of the National Honor Society Selected for Nassau County’s Elite 11, top 11 scholar athlete football players in the county.
Ruona was the Class of 2011 Valedictorian, vice president of the National Honor Society and General Chair of Model Congress.
“Our new Patriot Award recipients were only in third grade when the towers were struck,” said Schachner. “We are getting further and further away from that fateful day and we, but as a community, will never forget.”
The Patriot Award Dinner began in 2002 as a small get together upstairs in the to honor Mike Interrante, the architect of the 9/11 memorial at Seaford High School, as well as its first five student honorees, according to Schachner. “We decided to continue the event each year, and look at how we have grown," she said.
