Senior Spotlights
Jonathan Anozier ’24
Jonathan attended Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy before attending Holy Cross.
He is passionate about music and has been part of our music program all 4 years here at Holy Cross as a member of our Concert and Jazz bands.
Jonathan was also a member of our bowling team. As a sophomore, Jonathan was a member of our Track team and our Sci-Fi and gaming club. As a senior, he took advantage of our elective courses and enrolled in Computer Science and Science Fiction classes.
Jonathan shared that some of his fondest memories of his time here at Cross involved playing in the band during our annual Walk-a-thons and prep rallies. Jonathan also credits his band teacher Mr. Cochrane’s impact on his life, and providing him with the direction to choose to continue his pursuit of music in college.
Jonathan graduated Cum Laude and will be attending Long Island University on scholarship with a declared major in Music, Technology and Entrepreneurship.
Terrence Avin ’24
Before joining Holy Cross, Terrence attended PS 109 Jean Nuzzi Intermediate School.
He describes himself as an outgoing person who is interested in athletics. Terrence was a member of our football team all 4 years and played on our basketball team during his sophomore and senior years. Terrence cherishes all the memories he made with his teammates on the football team, and cites winning the Battle of the Boulevard and defeating St. Francis Prep’s team as one of his favorite memories. Terrence also took AP Precalculus along with several electives, including Criminal Law, Public Speaking, and Applied Robotics. He credits Ms. Daus with being his favorite teacher and opening his mind to see things in a different light.
Terrence will be attending Hartwick College with a declared major in Pre-Med.
Ethen Barcia ’24
Ethen attended St. Luke’s School in Whitestone before attending Holy Cross. Ethen shared that attending a tour at Cross and seeing how nice everyone was while visiting was the deciding factor in choosing holy Cross for the next set in his educational journey.
Ethen was a member of our Student Council and he cherishes the friends he made here during his four years. One of Ethen’s favorite memories includes our Fall and Spring Pep rallies. Ethen took several electives during his time here at Cross, including Marine Biology, Digital Photography, Personal Finance, Public Speaking and College Theology.
Ethen credits Ms. Kegel as one of his favorite teachers for helping him further explore his interest in photography and helping him better understand how to use a camera.
Ethen will be attending Iona University on scholarship with a declared major in Adolescent Education and a concentration in Biology.
Kevin Calisto ’24
Before joining Holy Cross, Kevin attended St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy. Kevin was a member of our Junior Varsity and Varsity Soccer teams and played all four years during his time at Cross.
Kevin was enrolled in several electives including Introduction to Occupations, Marine Biology, Sports Management and Drama. He was also enrolled in several Honors courses, such as Economics Honors, Political Science Honors and US History Honors.
Kevin shared that loved attending the pep rallies at school and enjoyed the entire community coming together.
Kevin graduated Summa Cum Laude and will be attending Molloy University on scholarship with a declared major in Nursing.
Sabrina Carey ’24
Sabrina graduated from Holy Trinity Catholic Academy in Whitestone. She was a former competitive ice skater and was a member of our Volleyball team all four years as well as a member of the National Honor Society.
Sabrina began taking Honors courses as a sophomore and took several AP and college-level courses, including AP Government and Politics, AP Precalculus, College Theology, and College English. Sabrina says her favorite memories include playing volleyball games at home and feeling the support of the school community rooting for her team to win. She also enjoyed being in the audience for home games for other sports and cheering on her friends and classmates.
Sabrina graduated Magna Cum Laude and will be attending St. John’s University on scholarship with a declared major in Nursing.
Kyara Champagne ’24
Kyara is an avid basketball player and has been competing since she was in 3rd grade. Kyara attended catholic school her entire leave and came to us from Our Lady of Snows Catholic Academy.
Kyara was a member of our Varsity Basketball team all four years and was also a member of our Cross Country team. She was a member of our English National Honor Society and participated in our Photography club. Kyara’s favorite memory of her time here was her college signing day and recalling how everyone had come out to her support her. Kyara is our first female student-athlete going on to play on a Division I team since we graduated our first coeducational class in 2022. During her time here, she was also the first girl’s basketball player to score over 1,000 points! This May, she was also the recipient of the Holy Cross Scholar Athlete Award.
Kyara took several college-level courses, including AP Environmental Science, College Theology, and College English. Kyara shared that Mr. Arens has had a significant impact on her life and helped her understand additional aspects of her faith. She shared that Mr. Arens always supported her and was open to questions and having conversations about the presence of God.
Kyara graduated Summa Cum Laude and will be attending Chicago State University on scholarship with a declared major in Nursing.
Emma Chifriller ’24
Emma graduated from IS 25 Adrien Block and enjoys reading and writing.
She was on our Junior Varsity Softball team her sophomore and junior years, as well as a member of The Lance, our school newspaper, for four years and was responsible for authoring our girl athletics stories for publication.
Emma was also a member of our Art and Photography clubs and Student Council. Emma took advantage of several electives here, including Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Law. Emma also was enrolled in our College Theology and College English courses.
She shared that her favorite memories were of sophomore year as it felt like the world had returned to normal post-pandemic and many of the health limitations from last year were no longer present and it felt like a fresh start.
Emma also shared that there were so many teachers who made an impact on her life. Her Theology teacher Mr. Lyons was sweet and kind and challenged her to think about topics that no one else had challenged her to do up to this point in her life. She also shared that she enjoyed her classes with Mr. McCarthy, a member of our Theology and Business Department. She described her Italian teacher, Mrs. Nitti, as a second mother and she knew that she genuinely cared for all of her students.
Emma will be attending St. John’s University on scholarship with a declared major in Psychology.
Sierra Conroy ’24
Sierra transferred to Holy Cross in 10th grade after attending St. Agnes Academic High School.
Sierra was a member of our Swim Team, Volleyball Team, and our Step Team. She was also a member of the Weight Training Club, Photography Club and our Outdoor Adventure Club.
Sierra shared that one of her favorite memories is from our International Night in the Spring. Students and their family members come together to celebrate our different cultures and experiences and bring a traditional food item to share with everyone else in attendance that evening. Sierra shared that Ms. Carine was one of her favorite teachers which makes sense as Sierra took several electives with Ms. Carine, including Drawing and painting.
Sierra graduated Magna Cum Laude and will be attending St. John’s University on scholarship and is still deciding between majoring in Business or Education.
Jianna Davneiro ’24
Jianna came to Holy Cross from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy in Bayside.
She was a member of our basketball and volleyball teams. She enjoys singing and playing music with her sister, Jamie, and explored several electives during her four years here at Cross, including Forensic Science, Painting, College Theology, and College English and was a member of our National Honor Society.
Jianna shared that she believes the education she received here at Holy Cross is important for her to be successful in the future, as well as recognizing the role God has in her life. One of Jianna’s favorite memories is from her sophomore year where she volunteered to help at our Freshman Experience – an event where we welcome our incoming 9th-graders over the summer before the official start of the school year. She shared that she was inspired when meeting these new students and helping them become comfortable with their new “home away from home”, as well as helped her reflect on her own experiences at Cross so far.
Jianna shared that Mrs. Vodopivec had a significant impact on her life. Although Mrs. Vodopivec may be strict, Jianna felt that she helped her grow into a better person than she was at the start of high school.
Jianna graduated Magna Cum Laude and will be attending Molloy University on scholarship with a declared major in Political Science.
Issac Glaudin ’24
Issac attended MS 210 before coming to Holy Cross, and during his 4 years here he has been a member of our football team as a wide receiver, safety, and defensive back.
Isaac shared that he enjoyed the business electives here, including the Financial Markets course. Issac shared that some of his fondest memories from his time at Cross include going to his first football camp and making friends with his new teammates, especially after the remaining restrictions from the pandemic were lifted. Issac shared that Mr. Aufieri, Mr. Fischer, and Mrs. Whelan all made him feel comfortable and at home here at Cross, which allowed him to be at ease and succeed.
Issac will continue to play football while attending the University of New Haven on scholarship with a declared major in Business Management.
Ivan Grgas ’24
Ivan attended St. Luke’s School in Whitestone before attending Holy Cross.
Ivan was part of our Handball, Animal Rescue, and Chess clubs. He took several electives he enjoyed here, including Painting, Physics, and College Theology. Ivan shared that his favorite memories included making new friends during his freshmen year. Ivan shared that Mr. Mendez was one of his favorite teachers because he felt like he could go to him for anything, and felt that he was successful on the Living Environment Regents because of Mr. Mendez’s extra review classes.
Ivan graduated Magna Cum Laude and will be attending Adelphi University and has not yet declared a major.
Jakov Kolich ’24
Before Jakov transferred to Holy Cross for his junior year, he attended Gimnazija Andrija Mohorovicic, a prominent high school in Croatia.
Jakov stated that he credits Holy Cross with providing him the freedom to choose his own electives and courses which allowed him to pursue his own interests and passions.
He shared that although he was anxious at first when he first joined our school, all of the students and teachers were very welcoming and helped him feel comfortable. Jakov was a member of our soccer team senior year.
He also shared that one of his favorite memories was starting his senior year, he was concerned that people would forget about him because he spent the summer back home in Croatia, but everyone remembered him and was excited to catch up. Mrs. Nitti was one of Jakov’s favorite teachers because not only was she a great teacher, but also helped him become interested in the Italian language and culture.
Jakov will be returning home to Croatia to attend college and continue to pursue his interest in Economics and International Business Management.
Margaret Moloney ’24
Margaret joined Holy Cross after graduating from Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Academy. She loves dogs and hockey and is a New York Rangers fan.
Margaret was involved in our Outdoor Adventure Club and part of our Swim team. One of her favorite memories of her time here was Senior Night at one of her swim meets. She shared that Mrs. Nitti is one of her favorite teachers because she is so easy to talk and can make everything relatable.
Margaret will be attending St. John’s University on scholarship with a declared major in Business.
Michael Palmisano ’24
Michael came to Holy Cross from MS 158 Marie Curie School.
During his time here at Cross, he was a member of the our Handball team and captain of our championship Bowling Team, as well as being a member of our Cooking and Gaming clubs.
Michael took several college-credit and Honors classes, including AP Earth Science, AP Biology, Chemistry Honors, Junior and Senior Theology Honors, US History Honors, Political Science Honors and Economics Honors courses. Michael shared winning the bowling championship was one of his favorite memories of his time as a Knight. Michale also shared that his bowling coach, Mr. Arens, was also one of his favorite teachers and he helped him with the college admission process.
Michael graduated Magna Cum Laude and will be attending Adelphi University on scholarship with a declared major in Exercise Science.
Joseph Ribarich ’24
Joseph came to Holy Cross after attending St. Mel’s Catholic Academy and was a member of our Varsity Ice Hockey team and National Honors Society.
Joseph was enrolled in several AP and college-level courses, including AP Precalculus and College Theology. Joseph was also enrolled in several Honors courses, including Italian III honors and Theology 10 Honors Seminar.
Joseph’s favorite memory is defeating St. Francis Prep during the championship ice hockey game during his sophomore year. His favorite teacher was Mrs. Nitti because she was always eager to help her students with anything they needed.
Joseph graduated Summa Cum Laude and will be attending Adelphi University on scholarship with a declared major in Exercise Science.
Kristen Siegenthal ’24
Kristen joined Holy Cross after graduating JHS 194. She is interested in photography, which is one of the electives she took during her senior year here at Holy Cross.
Kristen joined several clubs over the years, including the Photography Club, Greek Club, and Quiz Bowl.
Kristen was a member of our National Honor Society and took several AP courses, including AP Government and Politics, AP Biology, AP US History, and AP World History. She shared that she felt that our school-wide liturgies are really well-done and thought out. She also shared that she really enjoyed her sophomore year and felt that all her teachers supported her. Mrs. Tsimisiris was her Chemistry teacher and she said she also knew she was there for her, even when she was no longer in her science class.
Kristen graduated Summa Cum Laude and will be attending John Jay College with a declared major in Criminal Justice.
Donnie Taylor ’24
Donnie joined Holy Cross after attending Highland Elementary School.
He was a member of our Gaming Club and our Asian Culture Club. Donnie was enrolled in several college courses, including College English and Theology.
He also took several Honors courses, including Alebra I Honors, Global Studies I and II Honors, Living Environment Honors, English 11 Honors and Junior Theology Honors. One of his favorite memories was one of the field trips the Asian Culture Club organized where he and other members visited Mizumi Japanese Buffet and were able to experience a variety of foods from Japanese culture. Donnie also shared that Mrs. Whelan has made a large impact on his life because it was obvious that she generally cared about her students.
Donnie will be attending McDaniel College on scholarship with a declared major in Sociology and a minor in Education.
Michael Varkoutas ’24
Michael joined Holy Cross from William Spyropoulos School.
Michael was a member of our Ping Pong, Computer and Greek Clubs. Michael is one of our students who is part of our student-led, in-house Chromebook repair program. Michael will complete computer repairs and component swaps of malfunctioning Chromebooks of other students while they attend classes with a loaner computer. When the repair is done, students return their loaners and receive their original laptops back – all fixed by Michael! He credits Ms. Pirovolikos with providing him the opportunity to do these repairs as he was part of this inaugural program on campus. One of Michael’s favorite memories was demonstrating our 3D printer to visitors during one of our Fall Open Houses.
Michael graduated Cum Laude and will be attending Drexel University on scholarship with a declared major in Computer Engineering.
Santiago Villanueva ’24
Santiago attended Holy Family Catholic Academy prior to attending Holy Cross.
He was a member of the Volleyball and Soccer teams, as well as being a member of National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.
Santiago shared that his favorite memories include all the friendships he has made and how close he and his friends have gotten, especially during their senior year together. Santiago also shared that Mr. Howell was his favorite teacher and he made learning Physics fun. Santiago also took several college-level courses, including AP Precalculus, AP Environmental Science, AP Government and Politics, College Theology and College Spanish.
Santiago graduated Magna Cum Laude and will be attending Baruch College with a declared major in International Marketing.