WAYNE — Two gifted students at Wayne Valley High School were chosen to receive scholarship awards for embodying the same virtues as their dear principal, who recently died.
The inaugural Valley Pride Award was given at a ceremony on June 17 to seniors Gabriel Santana and Sarah Vastano. They each received $500 to spend toward college tuition.
Speakers at the ceremony said the awards represent much more than financial aid.
Each scholarship is an investment in the future of a high school graduate, and in this case, they recognize the lasting impact of Kenneth Palczewski, who was the principal of Wayne Valley for 11 years.
Palczewski, a native of the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township, died of neuroendocrine cancer at his township home on April 10. He was 58.
His son, Peter Palczewski, delivered a speech at the ceremony, telling an audience gathered in the high school auditorium that Gabriel and Sarah were selected because they exhibit qualities of inquisitiveness, leadership, selflessness and unity.
Those positive traits, he said, are at the core of what it means to show “Valley Pride.”
“In moments of darkness, the Wayne Valley community has shown its true hearts to my family, to the people beyond our community and most importantly, to each other,” said Peter Palczewski, a 2015 graduate of Wayne Hills High School.
“This tribe has shown that it has been strengthened by the pillars my father supported,” he added. “I know that as they move forward, these two students will carry on the principles of Valley Pride.”
Peter Palczewski, 28, who was joined at the ceremony by his mother, Maureen Palczewski, and sister, Brenna Palczewski, 23, then announced the names of Gabriel and Sarah, who walked to the lectern to receive certificates.
More than $93,000 in scholarships were given to Wayne Valley seniors at the ceremony. Wayne Hills held a separate awards night on June 3.
The Wayne Valley Class of 2025 also honored its valedictorian, Urvi Sinha, and salutatorian, Aidan Kindler.
This year’s graduates have had to process grief more than once in the past four years.
Paula Corrieri presented a scholarship in honor of her 15-year-old son, Rocco Sivolella, who died of acute myeloid leukemia in May 2022. He was a Wayne Valley freshman, and he would have graduated this year.
She said the ceremony was extra meaningful for that reason.
“This class has been through a lot — losing a classmate, a friend and even their beloved principal,” Corrieri said. “But through it all, they’ve shown so much strength and resilience.”
The “Valley Pride” honorees remembered Palczewski as a man who was kind and open-minded — attributes that they said they wish to emulate.
Sarah, 17, who plans to study food science at the University of Maryland, is the outgoing president of the Student Council. Palczewski was willing to do “many things that we wanted,” she said. “He cared so much about the student body,” she said.
Gabriel, who will major in criminal justice at Rutgers University in Newark, led the high school in the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. His daily announcements were piped through loudspeakers in every classroom and every hallway.
“It means including everyone,” said Gabriel, 18. “‘Valley Pride’ means being inclusive of everyone.”
Philip DeVencentis is a reporter for NorthJersey.com. For access to the most important news in your community, subscribe or activate your digital account.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
