Write a commentThe Fulton Athletic Booster Club hosted the Senior Athletic Recognition Banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of their senior athletes and their time in Fulton athletics before they graduate.
The event was held on June 11 in The Oasis at Thunder Island, with over 50 seniors in attendance with their family.
Athletic Director Christopher Ells welcomed the students and their families before dinner was served, outlining how important it was for them to recognize all that the students have done over their four years at G. Ray Bodley High School.
“Tonight we celebrate not only the accomplishments of our athletes, but their perseverance and dedication to their sports and their education,” Ells said.
The Boost Club also brought in guest speaker Curt Fitzpatrick, a 2000 G. Ray Bodley alum and 2004 St. John Fisher alum. Fitzpatrick returned to Fulton in 2005 to coach the football team he had once been part of before coaching two seasons at his other alma mater of St. John Fisher. Most recently, he has been the head coach for the Cortland Red Dragons football team since the 2021 season.
“It’s truly an honor for me, seeing a lot of familiar faces and talking about old memories. It’s an honor to be here and be able to talk about my experiences,” Fitzpatrick said.
After Fitzpatrick’s speech about the importance of goal setting and encouraging the next generation of athletes to chase after their passions, the awards and scholarship announcements began. The seniors of Girls Lacrosse were acknowledged for making it to the State Semifinals after winning the Section III and Regional games. They dedicated their remarkable season to Rylee Bartlett, their teammate who tragically passed away last year in a car accident with her boyfriend Brady Niver.
There were two new scholarships added to the lineup in honor of Bartlett and Niver, the Brady Niver Memorial Scholarship and the Rylee Bartlett Memorial Scholarship. The Brady Niver Memorial Scholarship was presented by Niver’s mother Heather and his two sisters Reese and Riley, and was awarded to Zoey Kerr and Gavin Doty to recognize the support they had provided for the Niver family over the past year and their friendship to Brady.
The Rylee Bartlett Memorial Scholarship was presented by Bartlett’s mother as well, Jenn Burlingham, and was awarded to the seniors of the Girls Lacrosse team for their support and outstanding performance in the past season that they dedicated to Rylee. This included Geena Abbott, Anna Bednarz, Lauren Bush, Molly Evans, Ella Halladay, Mandy Miller, and Carleigh Patterson.
“It was impossible to narrow down just who deserved this honor the most out of all the girls that had played with Rylee for years, so this scholarship is awarded to all seven senior members of Girls Lacrosse,” Burlingham said.
In addition to these two scholarships, the Booster Club acknowledgements and coach awards included the Dave and Judy Trepasso Fan of the Year Award (Don and Jeannie Clary), the Bob and Sandy Weston Booster of the Year Award (Alissa Bush), the Red Dragon Award (Gavin Doty), Dale Tombs Baseball Award (Matt Brown), the Caroline Richardson Outstanding Achievement Award (Natalie Frost), the Barney Naioti Leadership Award (Anna Bednarz and William Brown), the Joe Castiglia Effort Award (Laura Barlett and Nick Barbagallo), the Gene Adams Most Improved Athlete Award (Zoey Kerr and Vincent Salerno), the Sox Stuber Sportsmanship Award (Geena Abbott and Trent Farrands), and the Dan McGinnis Senior Athlete of the Year Award (Carleigh Patterson, Aiden Trude, and Natalie Frost).
Other scholarships awarded by various families and organizations included the Chas Merritt Culture Scholarship (Olivia Bauer and Tyler Budd), the Rick Luciano Football Scholarship (Aiden Trude), the Dominic Sciacca Scholarship (Karsen Conn), the Danielle Rae Kunzwiler Guistina Scholarship (Geena Abbott), the Brian Dodge Scholarship (Harper Ells and Cody Romanowicz), the Margaret Beckwith Scholarship (Anna Bednarz), and the Carl Barton Scholarship (Matt Brown and Bryce Greenier).
The banquet ended with well wishes to the senior as they embark on the next chapter of life after high school, with graduation swiftly approaching on June 14.
