Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021 Sachems LAX seniors honored on Senior Night By Tara Vocino T he Saugus High School Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team held their Senior Night game against Gloucester High School last Thursday night at Stackpole Field. (Advocate photo by Tara Vocino) Saugus High School Sachems Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Team: Pictured in the top row, from left to right: Assistant Coach Nicholas Taylor, Dom Calder, Devon Burke, Andrew Cipriano, William Robinson, Max Anajjar, Cam Zabroski, John Ferreira, Tyler Morley, Matthew Robbins and Head Coach Rob Scuzzarella. In the front row, from left to right: Mekhi Coburn, Nicholas DiVola, Jeff Szymanski, Joseph Calder, Ryan Jones, Andrew Lewis and Jack Sambataro. Pictured in the foreground: Kevin McMaster. Midfielder Jeffrey Szymanski with Coaches Robert Scuzzarella and Nicholas Taylor; Szymanski plans to attend Lasell College later this year to major in sports broadcasting. Seniors, pictured from left to right: Assistant Coach Nicholas Taylor, Nicholas Divola (captain), Andrew Cipriano (captain), Jeff Szymanski, Devon Burke (captain) and Head Coach Robert Scuzzarella. MISSION | FROM PAGE 13 said and done, there would be no losers. So many of us will celebrate this Father’s Day with special thoughts and memories of the journey that these former Martians took us on. I will nevWINNER | FROM PAGE 7 ceived numerous academic awards,” he said. “He applied for acceptance to prestigious schools including Harvard, BU and Northeastern, choosing Harvard, one of only two candidates in our history to attend Harvard. He hopes to study Bio-Mechanical Engineering.” Seven local high school students from Saugus, Revere, Danvers, Wakefield, Ipswich and Amesbury received their scholarships as families gathered at the Officer Vitale Memorial Park to enjoy an in-person ceremony, the result of the lifting of the more than year-long Covid-19 restrictions. Here are the other award recipients – three have ties to the Saugus Police Department: er “dine out” without giving thanks for my father’s continuous effort to make sure I knew my table manners. I will never start to walk up a set of stairs and not hear my father always saying… “there’s always something that needs to be carried up!” It may be why my father Blake Buonopane – St. John’s Prep, Rowley. Isabella Forte – Bishop Fenwick High School, Peabody. Brendan MacDonald – Danvers High School, Danvers (Father is Lt. Steven MacDonald). Colby Magliozzi – St. Mary’s High School, Wakefield. Domenic Morello – Ipswich High School, Ipswich (Father is Detective Frank Morello). Carly Zichella – Amesbury High School, Amesbury (Father is Detective Matt Zichella). Flag Day (Monday, June 14) would have been Officer Vitale’s 78th birthday had he lived. He was killed in the line of duty in the early morning hours of June 18, 1985, while attempting to make an arrest when he was dragged over 1,000 feet to his death. Offiwas never a big sports fan. He had gone on to other provocations. I proved to be enough of a challenge. On my wedding day, when he gave me away I was never sure whose special day it really was. There wasn’t a trophy or tee shirt or award of any kind that could trump that cer Vitale was 42 at the time and married to his wife, Eileen; he lived in Ipswich with three children: Paul, Michelle and JacLyn. Officer Vitale’s badge #17 was retired upon his death. The town constructed Officer Vitale Memorial Park in 1992 in honor of the slain officer. “June 18 is always a tough day for me, it always has been, and always will be, ‘’ said Eileen Vitale, wife of the late officer. “I love the things we do to recognize Harold. The Park Reception, the scholarship awards and our annual golf tournament we hold each August are my favorites. I’m so happy the pandemic is subsiding, and we can continue our traditional ways of keeping Harold’s memory alive,” she said. “Our charmoment. He knew he never actually gave me away. I think perhaps a father’s love is quiet and not always as obvious as a Mother’s might be. A Father’s love is more of a reverberation that comes to you later on in the everyday happenings of your life. Father’s Day is a perity work allows us to continue supporting our victim’s advocacy organizations like National and NE C.O.P.S. (National Concerns of Police Survivors and N.E. C.O.P.S.) and the N.L.E.O.M.F. (National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund) both are amazing organizations who sought out to help us back in 1985.” Les Vitale said he was thrilled that his family was able to award the scholarships in the park in person this year after COVID-19 spoiled last year’s plans. “We are excited to be able to return to our normal in-person ceremony to award our scholarships and host our annual Memorial Park reception,” he said. “The in-person event allows us to personally meet the students and their fect time to not only remember who your Father was or is, but who you are on ordinary days because of him. I think that maybe the best tribute of all I could give my Dad is that through all the ups and downs of my life, I never felt like a loser. Game point! families. For 30 years we’ve hosted our ceremony at the Memorial Park and honor Harold’s life and reflect on his many years of service and sacrifice.” The Officer Vitale Memorial Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization and was created in 1992, seven years after Officer Vitale’s death. The Memorial Fund Annual Golf Tournament usually held the first Monday in August at Ipswich Country Club is being considered after last year’s pandemic postponement. Information submitted by Les Vitale, President, Officer Harold L. Vitale Memorial Fund, Inc. % Conifer Hill Advisors, LLC, 99 Conifer Hill Dr., Suite 202, Danvers, MA 01923 – or visit on the web at www.vitalememorialfund.org.
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