Academic Achievement Dinner honors county’s brightest

By RICHARD A. ROSS

ELDRED, NY — Being in their presence is uplifting and edifying.

The top four percent of graduating seniors from each of Sullivan County’s eight school districts were honored at the 20th annual Academic Achievement Dinner on June 6.

Dr. Martin Handler, district superintendent of Sullivan County BOCES, served as master of ceremonies. He introduced the evening’s guest speaker, Dr. Hal Teitelbaum, CEO and managing partner of Crystal Run Healthcare.

“Don’t give up,” Teitelbaum said to the graduates. “Think of something you want to do for the rest of your life and do it with passion. Obtain the tools and remember, if the cause is important, there’s no such thing as working too hard.”

Teitelbaum was born in Queens but has deep roots in Sullivan County. His grandparents owned and operated the original Monticello Bagel Bakery. After spending the early part of his medical career at The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, initially in teaching and research and subsequently in oncology, he began his quest to open Crystal Run Health Care in Middletown, NY to help alleviate a shortage of accessible health care.

“Crystal Run was not an overnight success,” Teitelbaum said. One of the mantras he shared with the graduates centered on the concept of initiative. “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” he said.

Teitelbaum heads up the fastest growing practice in New York State. The opening of Crystal Run in Rock Hill now provides Sullivan County residents with the same accessibility to heath care enjoyed Orange County residents.

“Leave the world a better place than you found it,” Teitelbaum concluded.

Handler then called up each of the schools’ superintendents and high school principals to introduce their students. Each student then told where he or she would be attending school and what they planned to study.

Tri-Valley: Cecilia Pompeii, Russell Sage College, dietetics; Abram Leon, Tufts University, engineering; Hank Curry, Ithaca College of Music, music performance. Sullivan West: Joseph Winski, SUNY Cobleskill, fishery and wildlife management; Emily Nebzydoski, University of Scranton, biology; Amanda Martins, Emerson College, audio production; Heather Lander, Villanova, biology/pre-med; Natalie Triolo, University of Hawaii, marine biology and zoology. Roscoe: Dana Bucholtz, Moravia College, pre-veterinary medicine; Roseanne Wilcox, Sullivan County Community College, pre-law and English. Monticello: Medum Choe, Harvard University, biology/ government; Cono Cirone, SUNY Stony Brook, mathematics/pre-med; Murry Echt, Binghamton University, undeclared; Shanhai Heywood, Xavier of Louisiana, psychology/pre-med; Taryn Lounsbury, University of South Carolina, music; Michael Makram, Binghamton University, pre-med; Julie Mariski, University of Scranton, accounting; Jacob Stein, Cornell University, business. Livingston Manor: Emily Dalrymple, Marist College, journalism; Jessica Fisk, Elmira College, international studies. Liberty: Michael Wagner, Duke University, political science; David Olsen, Clarkson University; Michelle Silva, Boston University, undeclared; Jaclyn Hamlin, SUNY Brockport, dance; Daniel Belgard, Syracuse University, engineering. Fallsburg: Robert Sneckenberg, Harvard University, pre-law; Kelly Hobby, University of New Haven, music industry; Jasmine Taylor, Binghamton Universty, engineering. Eldred: Tim Hallock, Hartwick College, accounting; Jessica Cherry, Binghamton University, pre-law; Kristie Meehan, Marywood, speech pathology.

Handler closed the program by giving each graduate a copy of the inspirational poem, “Desiderata.”

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