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Bulldog SpotlightCongratulations to September Athletes of the Month, Savanna Skelly (volleyball) and Ryan Letizia (soccer)! Savanna Skelly is a fourth year varsity letter winner who: Has had a tremendous season as a senior, co-captain, and leader of the Girls Volleyball team. At this early stage of the season, Savanna leads the team in kills, service points, and aces. She has been displaying her true potential as an Outside Hitter/Blocker and Backrow, Savanna’s versatility, leadership, energy on the court, as well as presence at the net, provides her team with an edge that will lead to great things. Her official statistics at the end of the first eight contests include: 41 kills, 26 Digs, 49 service-points with 17 aces. The team is currently 8-2 overall with a 5-0 record within the Big North Liberty Division. They may be on their way to being named BNC-Liberty Division Champions for the third year in a row! In the classroom, Savanna embodies her role as student-athlete. She is a member of the School of Communication Arts (Graphic Arts) and maintains a 3.0 GPA. Savanna is weighing her options with her post high school plans. Currently, she plans to join the Operating Engineers Union. We wish her, and the entire Lady Bulldogs Volleyball team, all the best for the Fall 2018 season! Ryan Latizia is a four year varsity letter starter who: Has had a tremendous senior season as one of the tri-captains and a standout leader of the Boys Soccer Team. As a left mid-fielder, Ryan has proven to be a staple in the transition game and offensive “attack.” His speed and ball-possession skills down the left wing keep most defenses on their heels. At this stage of the season, Ryan has four goals with three assists and has helped the Bulldogs earn a top seed in the PCCA county tournament. Equal to his offensive skillset, as a midfielder, Ryan has stopped many of the oppositions’ offensive attacks. He led the team to a 4-3 record! What that record doesn’t show is that two of those losses were to top teams in the state (both in overtime, Ramapo 2-1 and Old Tappan 3-2), proving that this team is battle tested and ready for great things. The squad is collectively looking forward to the PCCA Tournament, the NJTAC Tech tournament, and a solid seed in the NJSIAA state-playoffs. Academically, Ryan is a student in the Academy of Finance. He is currently weighing his options with his post high school educational/career plans. We wish Ryan and the entire Boys Soccer team all the best in the Fall 2018 season. Omar IbrahimOmar Ibrahim is a mathematically inclined youth who spends much of his time figuring out how and why things work. This young man hails from Clifton and selected to pursue an education as a member of PCTI’s School of Engineering Technology.
School has always been a large part of Omar’s life. This trend continued into high school where he challenges himself to take on an academic course load of honors and AP classes. Omar has achieved Principal’s Honor Roll throughout his entire high school career. He currently ranks number two in the Class of 2019 with a GPA of 4.56 and has the potential to graduate with an astounding fifty-four college credits! In addition, Omar has been selected as a Freshmen Foundation for Success member. He is involved in Gifted and Talented, Engineering Club, the Muslim Student Association (where he serves as Vice President), ERASE, SkillsUSA, Chess Club, Book Club, and the NJROTC. Omar has been honored as an NS3 Outstanding Cadet, is the Supply Representative for the program, and was declared as the Unit Honor Cadet for the past four years. He’s also participated in NASA Hunch projects, acted as his group’s team leader, and was awarded with the NASA HUNCH Group Achievement Award. Omar has undoubtedly worked hard to achieve these accomplishments and many more. In whatever free time he has left, Omar enjoys volunteering with the Islamic Center of Passaic County and the NJCDC. The future is bright for this brilliant Bulldog. Omar looks forward to becoming a Mechanical Engineer, working in either the aerospace or machinery industries. He will pursue a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Mathematics. As for universities to further his education, Omar will apply to Columbia, MIT, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton, and more. Omar hopes to one day combine his passion for engineering with a career in business. He also seeks to obtain a Professional Engineer License. When asked what’s been his greatest asset while attending PCTI, Omar cited perseverance. “Take classes that challenge you and don’t give up. You’ll gain so many transferable skills. It’s all about opportunity.” Congratulations Omar, your drive and dedication to the pursuit of great achievements will ensure success! Highlights
Abdul UddinAbdul Uddin is a young man from Paterson who is passionate about circuits, electricity, and electronics. His aptitude for this particular area stems from an event in his childhood. “I had an LED hooked up to a power cable and it exploded right in front of me,” Abdul says. Since then, he’s been interested in how electronics work.
It’s no wonder that Abdul is a member of the School of Applied Technology and selected Electronics as his concentration. This young man lives by a distinct code and holds the belief that helping others is paramount to achieving happiness. Abdul regularly tutors his peers in one of his strongest subjects: mathematics. He also feels strongly about pursuing learning in every aspect of his life. It’s no surprise, that Abdul has challenged himself with a rigorous academic course load. He has taken numerous AP and honors courses, which has lifted his GPA to an astounding 4.59! In fact, Abdul currently ranks number one in the Class of 2019 and has the potential to graduate with thirty-eight college credits! He has achieved Principal’s Honor Roll throughout most of his high school career. This academically astute Bulldog has also been involved in the following activities: Engineering Club, SkillsUSA, & Book Club. He’s even volunteered to help with patients at the Preakness Healthcare Center. The theme of assisting others runs throughout his life, even in future aspirations. “I really want to become an Electrical Engineer,” he says. Abdul further explained that Engineers solve problems and design solutions to issues faced by people every single day. He looks forward to attending Rutgers University and pursuing a major in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Eventually, he’d like to earn a Master’s degree in Telecommunications and Signal Processing. He also aims to one day becoming a high school Math teacher. When asked about any advice advice he has for fellow Bulldogs, Abdul cautions his peers against confusing memorization with education. “Memorizing facts to get by in school won’t help anyone in the long run. Success depends on obtaining knowledge, not for the sake of a grade, but to ultimately grow in life.” Congratulations, Abdul. Your kindness and concern for helping others is an outstanding quality that will ensure much success in the future! Highlights
View the PDF Avani Topiwala (Tennis) and Sasha Griffin (Volleyball) are PCTI’s September Athletes of the Month! Avani Topiwala is a three-year varsity letter winner who: As a senior, she has had a tremendous season as the captain of the Girls Tennis team. Avani plays in the 3rd singles position and has a record of eight wins and only two losses. She leads the team in blocks and kills. Her efforts have improved the team to a very competitive overall record of 6-4, with a 3-2 record with in the Big North Conference Liberty Division. She has accomplished all this success despite playing out of position. Avani should be playing 1st doubles, but because of a pre-season/season ending injury to one of her teammates (and because she holds the team’s success in such high regard), she has embraced her new role and excels at 3rd singles. In the classroom, Avani takes the role of student-athlete to the next level. She is a member of the Academy of Medical Arts and boasts a 4.35 GPA, ranking in the top 1% of the class of 2018. She will be applying to Northeastern, Rutgers, St Johns, and Albany College and will pursue an education in Pharmaceuticals. We wish Avani, and the entire Lady Bulldogs Tennis team, all the best for the 2017 fall season! Sasha Griffin is a three-year varsity letter winner who: As a senior, she has had a tremendous season as a leader of the Girls Volleyball team. At this early stage of the season, Sasha leads the team in blocks and kills. It’s the first year Sasha has been able to demonstrate her true potential, which is showcased as she plays both Middle Hitter/Blocker and Backrow. Her energy on the court and presence at the net provide her team with an edge that will lead to great things this season. Her official statistics at the end of the first six contests include: 12 kills, 5 blocks, 10 service-points with 6 aces. The team is currently 4-2 overall with a 4-0 record within the Big North Liberty Division and they are well on their way to being named repeating BNC-Liberty Division Champions with an amazing 2-0 over the Lady Mustangs of Clifton High School (the Lady Bulldogs toughest divisional opponents). In the classroom, Sasha embodies the role as student-athlete. She is a member of the Academy of Information Technology (Computer Science) and boasts 3.0 GPA. Sasha looks forward to attending the College of St. Rose or Rutgers, New Brunswick. We wish her, and the entire Lady Bulldogs Volleyball team, all the best for the 2017 fall season! Congratulations Leilanie Hinton, Neimar Santhouse, and Ashley Martinez, PCTI’s June Athletes of the Month! Leilanie Hinton is a fourth year varsity letter winner who: As a senior on the Girls’ spring track team, she led the Lady Bulldogs sprint, jumps, and hurdle squads with amazing marks. She earned second team All-League honors in the 100 M Hurdles and second team All-County honors. Leilani placed in three events at the North 1 Group 4 State Sectional meet: the 100 M Hurdles, the 4x100 Meter Relay, and the Triple Jump. She advanced to the state group meet where she took second place overall in North 1 Group 4 and earned a place to compete in the State Meet of Champions held on Saturday June 9, 2018. Neimar Santhouse is a first year varsity letter winner who: As a junior on the Boys’ spring track team, he led the sprint team with amazing marks in the 100 meter and 200 meter race as well as in the sprint relay. Neimar is a standout football player who is experiencing his first full year running track. He managed to earn second team All-League and second team All-County honors in the 100 Meter race. Neimar placed in three events at the North 1 Group 4 State Sectional meet in the 100 M, 200 M and the 4x100 Meter Relay. He advanced to the state group meet where anchored the Bulldog 4x100 Meter Relay team and set a new school record in the event with a time of 43.6. Ashley Martinez is a third year varsity letter winner who: As a junior on the Girls’ spring track team, she led the Lady Bulldogs in the High Jump event with amazing marks. She earned first team All-League honors in the High jump and first team All-County honors in the High Jump. Ashley achieved her personal best mark at the North 1 Group 4 State Sectional meet with a silver medal in the High Jump event. She advanced to the state group meet where she took second place overall in North 1 Group 4, and earned a place to compete in the State Meet of Champions on Saturday June 9, 2018. Congratulations to Britany Lopez and Christopher Pena (Soccer), October’s Athletes of the Month! Britney Lopez is a three-year varsity starter who: As a junior, has had a very successful season as a leader on the Girls Soccer Team. Britney’s defensive tactics, and her ability to occasionally make offensive appearances, makes her an irreplaceable asset to the Lady Bulldogs’ soccer program. Britney has played in every varsity game for the past three seasons. She’s one of the only players who has seen an entirely different view of the game every single time. As the Girls Soccer season grinds to a halt, Britney has 4 goals and 1 assist - keep in mind those stats are presented from a defensive position. Britney displays her skills by assisting with corner kicks and setting pieces along by defending some of the best attackers in the county. Coach Kiernan states, “Britney is the most valuable player on our team and the type of soccer player that every head coach would beg for.” We wish Britney and the entire Girls Soccer program the best as we close the Fall 2017 season. Christopher Pena is a first-year varsity starter who: Has had a tremendous junior season as one of the underclassmen leaders of the Boys Soccer Team. As a junior on the squad, Christopher emerged as a solid forward with offensive “attack” as the primary focus for the Bulldogs. His blazing speed down the left wing keeps most defenses on their heels. Chris also baffles defenders with his footwork and Bulldog tenacity. At this stage of the season, Chris has four goals with four assists and has helped the Bulldogs earn the #6 seed in the county tournament. Equal to his offensive skill set, Chris, as a midfielder, has stopped many of the oppositions’ offensive attacks leading the team to an 8-5-1 record. He and his team are looking forward to the NJTAC Tech tournament finals and a solid seed in the NJSIAA state-playoffs. Academically, Christopher is studying electronics, he holds down a 3.69 GPA and ranks in the top twenty-five percent of his class. We wish Christopher and the entire Boys Soccer program all the best as we close the Fall 2017 season. |