A contingent of J. Taylor Finley Middle School National Junior Honor Society members were up at the crack of dawn this past Sunday to participate in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk at Suffolk County Community College’s eastern campus in Riverhead.
The Finley scholars gathered on Suffolk’s athletic fields with their faculty advisor, Amy Hughes. The event was timed to coincide with national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The walk at Suffolk-East featured 139 teams consisting of 776 participants, who raised nearly $80,000. Combined with a similar walk at Jones Beach State Park one week earlier, Making Strides Long Island has raised about $1.6 million this year.
Many of the Finley Honor Society members donned something pink, whether it be a sweater, socks and a hair bow or hand band. Community service and charitable works are important facets of what’s expected of the scholars who claim membership in the highly regarded organization.
This year’s J. Taylor Finley Middle National Junior Honor Society membership ranks include Riley Ackerman, Talia Addeo, Olivia Agosti, Mackenzie Ahern, Joseph Algieri, Nadeera Ali, Grace Allen, Anthony Annunziata, Jaden Argaman, Nick Barretta, Victoria Befumo, Miranda Bellissimo, Amelia Boccardo, Laurel Bonn, Sophie Bradford, Catherine Bree, Peter Breingan, Sofia Breskin, Fiona Brosnan, McKenna Buffa, Hannah Byers, Aidan Carrello, Gemma Cartwright, Nicholas Cesario, Sarah Corwin, Izabela Cuji, Ryan Curran, Laura Curtin, Katerina Damiano, Julia Danseglio, John DelPonte, Megan Donaghy, Gabriela Ferreira, Gianna Forte, Aislyn Franciscovich, Annika Galvin, Lauren Gennarelli, Matthew Gerardi, Emily Gershuny, Emma Glascock, Vincent Grassi, Dylan Hanna, Aria Hannah, Emma Hannigan, Leigh Hepworth, Keylin Hernandez-Moreira, Ian Husselbeck, Kieran Husselbeck, Brenda Jandres-Benitez and Tyler Johnson.
Ella Kamenstein, Gavin Kata, Michael Kline, Sarah Krisch, Cecilia Kye, Ryan Lawless, Isabella Lima, Daniela Luca, Tessie Maerz, Keyla Maldonado, Allison Malone, Markella Markotsis, James McCormick, Seamus McDevitt, Kaci McDonald, Renee McKean, Kathryn Meagher, Danielle Mendikyan, Gabriella Miller, Kathryn Montefusco, Samuel Morales, Rachel Morina, Margaret Morrisroe, Michael Mungo, Brad Misipeanu, Emma O’Brien, Jillian Panos, Lillian Polak, Enzo Pupillo, Erin Purcell, Estefany Quijada Mojica, Neha Rathore, Sol Rodriquez-Arevalo, Benjamin Root, James Rosselli, Jordan Rund, Erin Scanlon, Mikah Schueller, Carlee Schultz, Nikolai Seferian, Leah Sheran, Haileigh Smith, Sophia Thompson, Logan Toth, Liam Tucker, Dominick Vidota, Stephanie Wickey, Linnea Wong, Anna Bell Young and Nicholas Zahn are also among the Finley Honor Society members.