The Ellenville Central School District athletic community gathered on November 16 to celebrate and honor its fall athletes and their accomplishments with a festive Athletic Banquet and award ceremony. The energy was high in the packed cafeteria, where families, students, and staff chatted and had dinner together. Each table was decorated with Blue Devil colors and specially framed athlete candid photos, which led to storytelling after sparking many fond memories.
The commemoration then continued in the auditorium, where the official awards were presented. As coaches related anecdotes about the athletes and thanked the many people who had helped support them during the season, one thing was clear—the vitality and success of the District’s athletic program has everything to do with the strength of the Ellenville community.
“I am just so impressed with this community as a whole,” said Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics Matthew Salamone. Like the coaches, Salamone thanked the many supporters of Ellenville Athletics, including principals, administrators, parents, high school and athletic department staff, community members, and of course, the coaches. “Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication,” he said.
Coaches from Varsity Boys Golf, Varsity Girls Tennis, Varsity Field Hockey, Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Volleyball, Varsity Girls Soccer, Varsity Boys Soccer, and Varsity Football presented various awards to students based on traits of sportsmanship, leadership, skill, and improvement. In the audience, the athletes cheered each other on, showing the great bond they had made together.
In addition, a moment was taken to honor the 61 students who earned the status of scholar-athlete by maintaining a 90 percent or above grade point average during the first marking period, as well as the Scholar-Athlete teams—Varsity Girls Tennis, Varsity Boys Soccer, Varsity Girls Soccer, Varsity Cross Country, Varsity Boys Golf, and Varsity Field Hockey—who earned that status with 75 percent of the team's roster achieving the same.
Congratulations to all of the athletes!
