Awards Night with Centro Scuola

Eight hundred and fifty people at Montacassino Place to honour youth's work

The Awards night at Montecassino Place will long be a pleasant memory for all those who attended it. This will be particularly true for the young men and women who attend the courses of Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana and CONI - Canada, and who received the awards.
This positive night stems from the joy and determination of young people who wish to improve their culture and excel at sports, and do so with great commitment and a generous dose of passion.
Some 840 people participated. "The audience included Secretary of State Maurizio Bevilacqua - who announced the earmarking of $10,000 from the Foundation for Youth Activities, Consul General of Italy Luca Brofferio, several CGIE members, diplomats Cardilli and Benedetti, the youngsters attending the activities of Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana," says director Alberto Di Giovanni, "and of course the parents of the kids, overjoyed."
During the event, bursaries worth $20,000 were assigned. "We opened the Awards Nights by presenting awards to the young men and women who took part in the Giochi della Gioventù," continues Di Giovanni, "then we recognized the commitment and achievements of those who attended our academic courses."
The event was therefore devoted to kids who shone in several fields. "We assigned the Valedictorian 2003, an award for results achieved both in sports and in study, to Giancarlo Soppelsa," concludes a satisfied Di Giovanni.

The Letter
"This truly was and will continue to be an experience of a lifetime"

Dear Signor Di Giovanni,

It was a pleasure and an honour to meet with you in your office last week. I wanted to share with you some of the comments my son shared with us after the Centro Scuola experience last summer.
Our family is deeply rooted in the Italian culture. Both my husband and I come from the Abbruzzi region and have visited Italy many times. When we heard of the Centro Scuola experience, we were thrilled to be able to give Eric this opportunity. At this point in time, my son, who is a dedicated student, was really searching for an opportunity to expand his knowledge of the Italian language, let alone the Italian culture. Centro Scuola has not only given him a great head start with the language but his travels through Florence, Rome, Verona, Ferrara and Venice have enlightened and inspired him to seek his roots and be proud! It was very enriching for him. Having brought his digital camera, he captured over 700 pictures of everything he saw. At the 'reunion dinner' he handed out pictures to everyone he had taken a picture of so they could keep memories alive. He wants to return again next summer and is trying to convince us to buy a condominium in Roseto.
As you can see, we can't say enough wonderful things about this program and it shows. It shows in the dedication and hard work of everyone on your team. There is great attention to detail and parents can truly feel at ease knowing their children are in good hands. They eat well, sleep well, travel well, learn well and also manage to have a fabulous time. This truly was and will continue to be an experience of a lifetime. Thank you very much.

Clelia Saraceni and Robert Tozzi


A Worthy Holiday
Youth discover Italy from the Dolomites to Taormina

Italy is at hand. This is not a slogan of an airline but a reality for hundreds of youngsters attending the courses of Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana. "This year 500 kids visited Italy," specified director Alberto Di Giovanni, "300 of which in July alone."
The summer was spent travelling throughout the Italian Peninsula, visiting artistic cities, discovering charming landscapes, and having a lot of fun. "We stayed at three different locations," added Di Giovanni; "Atri, Pineto, and Roseto in Abruzzo; San Vito al Tagliamento in Friuli; and Briatico, close to Vibo Valentia, in Calabria."
The trip was a constant discovery for these youth, anxious of getting in touch with Italy's lifestyle and culture: from the Dolomites to Udine, Trieste, Verona, Venice, Ferrara, Florence, Perugia, Assisi, Rome, Tivoli, L'Aquila, Pescara, Pompeii, the Neapolitan coast, Paestum, Tropea, Roccella Jonica, Gerace, Reggio Calabria, and Taormina. "They were left speechless by the monuments, the churches, the squares, the beautiful sea... their joy was overwhelming," remarked Di Giovanni, "and it went off-scale when I surprised them by requesting our driver to drive us to Maranello for a visit to Ferrari."
In their excitement and surprise, the kids hugged, laughed, cried, called their parents in Canada, and jumped all over Di Giovanni. "That was a kind of collective delirium," he recalls with a smile. "They kept repeating 'Oh my God, the Ferrari... I can't believe it.'"
They believed it when they could see the beautiful cars on display in the Gallery, or buy souvenirs, t-shirts and caps to bring back home.
They were also welcomed in Friuli, where Tommaso Boer of EFASCE received the young visitors in San Vito al Tagliamento. "And in Abruzzo, too, the welcome was triumphal," recalled Di Giovanni. "Benigno D'Orazio, Regional Councillor in charge of Emigration, was so friendly that he devoted every spare moment to our kids, even his lunch break!"
Finally, in Calabria the young visitors found an exceptional guide: Tony Silipo. "He was vacationing there and proved very approachable, a really exquisite fellow," added Di Giovanni. "He took the kids to Taormina. Despite the fact that in Calabria institutions were unavailable, our youngsters loved the region."
These travels of discovery are becoming increasingly important and acquiring new and deeper significance. "This positive impression is confirmed by the kids' feedback. No fewer than 82 have already registered for next summer's trip," concluded Di Giovanni. "I'm really glad that this experience contributes in a fundamental way to their cultural growth, and that it is such a nice memory that they will fondly remember forever."


THE WINNERS

HONOUR ROLL, 2003 GIOCHI DELLA GIOVENTÙ - Gold Medal in Track & Field, Men's 4x100 relay, at national competition in Italy. Domenico Leo, Michele Ligeti, Luca Nalli, Daniele Zaina;
CHAMPIONS GALLERY - Domenico Leo, Michele Ligeti, Luca Nalli, Daniele Zaina;
2003 GIOCHI DELLA GIOVENTÙ DIPLOMAS - Gold Medal in Track & Field, Men's relay. Domenico Leo, Michele Ligeti, Luca Nalli, Daniele Zaina;
Track & Field - Men's teams. Nate De Bono, Bruno Di Leo, Domenico Leo, Michele Ligeti, Luca Nalli, Daniele Zaina
Silver Medal in Track & Field, Women's teams. Jennifer De Rosa, Amilia Di Chiara, Ema Graci, Vanessa Salerno, Rosa Serafini, Leanna Taggio
Bronze Medals in Track & Field. Bruno Di Leo (shot-putting), Vanessa Salerno (shot-putting), Domenico Leo (80-metre sprint).
Silver Medal in Swimming - Men's relay. Jordan Di Cresce, Guido Iannucci, Michael Storto, Adriano Tantalo
Women's Swimming. Sabrina Di Clemente (breast-stroke), Brittany Mauro (free style), Rebecca Slongo (butterfly stroke), Elise Visco (backstroke).
STEVEN TACCONELLI MEMORIAL AWARD
The Award was created with the purpose of recognizing the passion for sports and love for study that marked Steven Tacconelli's short life.
The 2003 award went to Bruno Di Leo - Centro Scuola Sport, Men's Track & Field.
VICTOR ANGELOSANTE MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Remembering the commitment of Vittorio Angelosante, Phys. Ed teacher of the Catholic Distric School Board (formerly MSSB), to promoting Giochi della Gioventù.
The 2003 Scholarship went to Vanessa Salerno - Centro Scuola Sport, Women's Track & Field.
ARTS SCHOLARSHIP
Music: Claudio Santaluce
Singing: Cristina Bovino, Angelina Gulla, Joey Niceforo, Jessica Scarlato, Giovanni Spina
SCHOLARSHIPS
Academic Scholarships are given to students who distinguished themselves for their study of Italian language and culture during the summer courses held in Italy.
Ambassador Scholarships are given to students who distinguished themselves for their behaviour, deep interest in Italian culture, their interpersonal skills, and their academic achievements in general.

ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP
Italian Language
Region Abruzzo: Atri
Sabrina Fiacco (95%), taught by Angela Polsinelli; Andria Angelucci (93%), taught by Connie Ciarallo; Sabrina Donato (90%), taught by Maria Di Ruscio; Valery Stiso (York Region District School Board), taught by Nancy Torresan.
Region Abruzzo: Roseto
Luca Corrente (87%), taught by Debora Arena; Claudia Corradetti (83%), taught by Ida Brandolino
Region Friuli-Venezia Giulia: San Vito al Tagliamento
David CaneIla (92%), taught by Nancy Torresan; Johanna Sharp (91%), taught by Nadia Girardi
Region Calabria: Briatico
Jessica Paolucci (94%), taught by Vince lerullo
History
Marco Longo (96%, Toronto Catholic District School Board), taught by Maria Fantauzzi
Region Friuli-Venezia Giulia: San Vito al Tagliamento
Steven Lecce (90%), taught by Giorgio Di Chiara
Region Calabria: Briatico
Erin Lytollis (91%), taught by Eugenio D'Orazio; Michelle Cipolla (87%), taught by Eugenio D'Orazio

AMBASSADOR SCHOLARSHIP
Italian Language
Region Calabria: Briatico
Provvidenza Rosso (92%), taught by Vince lerullo

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
ALITALIA SCHOLARSHIP
The 2003 Scholarship went to Domenico Leo - Centro Scuola Sport, Track & Field. His name will appear in the prestigious Roll of Athletes of the Year.

STUDENT OF THE YEAR
CONSUL GENERAL OF ITALY SCHOLARSHIP
Award presented by Consul General Luca Brofferio to a student who displays scholastic achievement and love for Italian culture. The 2003 Scholarship went to Daniela Bellicoso (95%)
VALEDICTORIAN 2003
In recognition of achievements in study and sports.
Giancarlo Soppelsa - C.S. AZZURRI Under 18.

Publication Date: 2003-11-30
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3415