Canisius High School Today
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE
he 143rd commencement of Canisius High School took placeWednesday, May 22, 2013 in the school auditorium. With the
commencement, 191 graduates entered the proud ranks of Canisius alumni. The annual graduation awards were presented,
diplomas were conferred, and remarks by interim president P. Joseph Koessler ’81 and the Mr. Canisius Award winner,
Jack Sardinia, highlighted the event.
The Philippe B. Piedad ’93 Award, which recognizes a senior who exemplifies the essence of the
Canisius spirit through academics, athletics and service, was awarded toWilliamMcCauley.
The Midshipman First Class Jeffrey R. Korn ’79 Award was presented to Massimo Capizzi.
The Korn award is presented for outstanding moral character, leadership, and sportsmanship.
The Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA) Award recognizes two students who best
resemble the Ignatian ideal of a well-rounded person who is open to growth, intellectually
competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people
of God. JSEA awards were presented to Jacob Dittenhauser and Shane Fiust-Klink.
The Hogenkamp Awards presented for outstanding academic achievement were presented to
Alexander Pizzuto, Ajay Kolli and Alex Kazmierczak, who graduated with the highest overall
cumulative averages.
Heading into 2013, we are particularly excited about preparation for our largest ever student retreat. The entire freshman
class of 2017, approximately 100 upperclassmen, along with CHS faculty, administration and staff (over 100 strong), as well as
alumni volunteers, will participate in a two-day retreat at the end of February that includes an overnight stay right here on
campus. A core planning team, led by student leaders, campus ministry and faculty coordinators, has been busy since this past
spring planning details of the project, modeled after programs in Jesuit schools nationally. Alumni opportunities to share in this
retreat are available and details can be found by contacting campus ministry.
We continue to gain momentum in our formation programs with retreats as well as service programs that now feature
immersion trips to sites in local, national and international locations. Teams of CHS students, faculty, staff and administration
provided service to Newburgh, NY, Biloxi, MS, Concord, NC, Slidell and New Orleans, LA, the Dominican Republic and right
here in Buffalo in the 2012-13 school year.
Local service was provided by the Canisius family throughout Western New York, with particular focus on supporting the
good work of St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy, the Response to Love Center, the Teacher’s Desk and of course the Food Bank of
Western New York. These worthwhile agencies benefited from more than 2,000 service hours and $17,000 provided by
the CHS community. The overall total hours of service our students contributed to local agencies, parishes, schools and
other non-profits in the region was in excess of an incredible 25,000 hours.
These stories are an endorsement of the Canisius High School
programs and the seeds planted right here.
It’s a great time to be a Canisius Crusader.
God Bless.
Timothy Fitzgerald
Principal
Canisius students and faculty along with residents of El Faro
midway through construction of a road bridge in July 2011.
