Dinner honoring Lower Hudson valedictorians and salutatorians returns after pandemic pause

Diana Dombrowski, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Updated ·2 min read

An annual dinner recognizing valedictorians and salutatorians in the Lower Hudson Valley returned Wednesday after a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.

High achieving students from almost every high school in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties attended the Carroll F. Johnson Scholastic Achievement Dinner at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, where 16 were also awarded scholarships.

Scholarships ranged from $1,000-$1,850 a year for four years.

2023 Scholarship winners, left to right, top row: Madison Kaminski, Roy C. Ketcham High School, Kylie Staebler, North Salem High School, Rebekah Field, Clarkstown High School North, Olivia Yin, Irvington High School, Alexxandra Hoffmann, Fox Lane High School, Diya Sharma, Clarkstown High School South, Isabella Levine, Sleepy Hollow High School. Front row: Sophia Li, North Salem High School, Sharon Hemo, Dover high School, Jessenia Nasqui, Peekskill High School, Wilson Tenezaca Villegas, Pleasantville High School, Leysha Esteves, Peekskill High School and Brendan Mahon from Suffern High School are pictured during the 55th Carroll F. Johnson Scholastic Achievement Dinner at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, May 24, 2023.

Sponsored by the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents, the dinner had been a tradition for 54 years until 2020, when it was canceled because of the pandemic.

The late White Plains Superintendent Carroll F. Johnson, who has been credited with leading the desegregation of that school district, started the dinner in the mid-1960s. Johnson died in 2012.

"He reminded us all that you don't do it by grand gestures," Harrison Superintendent Louis Wool said during the event. "You do it by seeing people where they are and taking the time and effort to bring them into the conversation even when they disagree."

Wool also recognized the contributions of the late Scarsdale superintendent and New York State Education Commissioner Thomas Sobol, who fought for increased state aid to school districts as a way to foster equity. Many districts will see substantial increases in aid for next year.

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In closing remarks, Clarkstown Superintendent Marc Baiocco told the students in attendance that they had demonstrated "remarkable ability to overcome challenges along the way." The pandemic started during March of the class of 2023's freshman year.

Here are the scholarship winners:

Corporate Scholarship

Madison Kaminski, Roy C. Ketcham High School

Kylie Staebler, North Salem High School

Rebekah Field, Clarkstown High School North

Daniella Costa Dos Santos, Mount Vernon STEAM

Olivia Yin, Irvington High School

Engineering/Architecture/Math/Science Scholarship

Amira Ibrahim, Poughkeepsie High School

Alexxandra Hoffmann, Fox Lane High School

Diya Sharma, Clarkstown High School South

Isabella Levine, Sleepy Hollow High School

Technology Scholarship

Sophia Li, North Salem High School

Judith Johnson Opportunity Scholarship

Sharon Hemo, Dover High School

Jessenia Nasqui, Peekskill High School

Aliyah Schwartz, Clarkstown Noth High School

Wilson Tenezaca Villegas

Stephen A. Perelson Memorial Scholarship

Leysha Esteves

Bruce Bothwell Memorial Scholarship

Brendan Mahon

Contact Diana Dombrowski at ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lower Hudson valedictorians, salutatorians honored for achievements