03/22/07

The DiTommaso real estate firm is happy to announce the success of it’s first annual scholarship contest. DiTommaso, a member of the world renowned Coldwell Banker Realty Network, recently invited all eighth grade students throughout Staten Island to participate in a scholarship essay contest. The winner would take home a $500 education scholarship toward their high school tuition.  The students had to respond in typewritten, essay form to the question,  “If you were mayor of New York City, what positive changes would you make to Staten Island?"

The students were given a two month period to compose their original and well thought out essays. Upon receipt of all entries, the essay committee, a panel of 18 judges, met to begin the judging  process. The judges, which consisted of staff and sales agents, diligently read through nearly 200 entries. “many of the entries were so well put together.  You have to be proud of these kids for their creative thoughts and how much time they put into composing them”, said Laura Candrilli, event coordinator.  As for broker frank DiTommaso, “I  write and publish articles each month in our company newsletter and I know how time consuming it can be, especially when you try to be creative and keep your reader’s interest”.

Nevertheless the essays were nothing short of terrific.  Some of the ideas the students  suggested  were as follows: to offer better nursing home facilities for the elderly,  better transportation infrastructure, better security in high schools, less housing development in the borough, installation of security cameras in various locations, increase the presence of more police officers,  add more recreational parks, and add more hospitals. Some students were so convinced about their ideas that they even began their essays by saying,  “When I become mayor some day…”.

Essay Committee Decision
After thoroughly reading and comparing,  the committee finally reached a decision.  It was not to award one winner, but it was to award two winners.  It became such a difficult decision because the finalists were that good.  The committee  eventually decided that it was only deserving to award an additional winner a $100 scholarship.  Several other entries were also recognized as honorable mentions.  The first place winner was Kelly Suprenant of Our Lady Queen of peace.   Second place was awarded to Caitlyn Grima of St. Clares School.  The honorable mentions were: Christopher King of Holy Rosary,  Lauren Deforte of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Vincent Pellizzi of Our Lady Help of Christians,  Mary Emily Ficara of Notre Dame Academy, Casey Brady of I.S. 24, Robert Pinto of Our Lady Queen of Peace, and Angelo Cardinale of St. Clares school.  The judges of the essay committee were: Joe Errichiello, Beatrice Karbowski, Gerri Apollonio,  Rich Cofrancesco, Annette Bernabe, Victor Sedaros, Nikki Borriello, Moe Younes, Veronica Sarcone, Frank Sarcone, Mike Morringiello, Christine Lonergan, Noel Ferguson, Lina Petito, Michelle Desio, Cecelia Olsen,  Rosemarie Carrozza, and Laura Candrilli.

Surprise From Mayor Bloomberg
At the awards ceremony on February 28th at the Old Bermuda Inn, the essay committee proudly presented the scholarship awards to the winners.  The winners were especially excited since they were a  part of the company’s annual top producer award presentation.  As a surprise to the scholarship winners, Mayor Bloomberg personally composed a congratulatory letter to the winners and the honorable mentions for their achievements.  The students and their parents were elated as were their principals, Mrs. Theresa Signorile of Our Lady Queen of Peace, and Mrs. Jo Rossicone of St. Clares school who also attended the presentation.

The entire staff of Coldwell Banker DiTommaso realty would like to take this opportunity to thank all the schools island wide that participated in this year’s scholarship event. We also wish to thank all the students and their principals for their involvement and look forward to  their continued participation in our future scholarship events.  Lastly, we wish to thank our Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his support and congratulatory message to our award winners.

For any questions or interest in our upcoming scholarship events please call 718-667-8000 and ask for event coordinator Laura Candrilli.  You may also visit us on the web at DiTommaso.com and click on “news” for additional information.  Coldwell Banker DiTommaso Realty, located in the Dongan Hills section of Staten Island, is a full service real estate agency.  Serving the realty needs of Staten Islanders for over 20 years, the DiTommaso firm also provides mortgages and foreclosure properties and is part of the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Network with over 10,000 offices and 120,000 agents world wide