September

A Salute to Hope Hall Alumni
Hope Hall is very proud of our Alumni who graduated from high school in June as the class of 2007. We know the effort and hard work that went into getting their high school diploma.


Special Congratulations to:

Bernard Bennett – 2007 graduate of Aquinas Institute

George Daniels – 2007 graduate of Edison Tech

Anthony Feliciano – 2007 graduate of School of the Arts

Nevan Forester – 2007 graduate of Norman Howard School

Ethan Friends – 2007 graduate of Naples Central High School

Besarta Ilazi – 2007 graduate of BOCES #1

Zandohn Kpor – 2007 graduate of Edison Tech

Ingrid Krogstad – 2007 graduate of School of the Arts

Tim Lewandowski – 2007 graduate of Wilson High School

Tom Tiernan – 2007 graduate of School of the Arts

We are very proud to tell you that Coralis Rivera, who entered Hope Hall as a 4th grader the year we opened in 1994, graduated in May 2007 from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree. Coralis graduated from the School of the Arts here in Rochester in 2003. She and her dad, Rick, came for a visit to show us Coralis’ University diploma and to share the additional good news that she is engaged to be married. We are so very proud of you, Coralis!

We also heard from Emily Platt who finished her freshman year at School of the Arts with 3 A+ grades, 1 B+ and 2 B’s. Last, but certainly not least, we heard that Ben Scott-Dutcher, who completed his junior year at East High School last June, received two awards: ROTC Award for Highest Average for a 2nd year cadet and Outstanding Achievement Award in Chemistry. Excellent work Ben and Emily, we are very proud of you!

Please let us know how you are doing in high school, what you are doing if you’ve graduated from high school, and be sure to stop back at Hope Hall for a visit!

October
This space is for Hope Hall graduates and their parents to let the entire community of Hope Hall, and our supporters, know how our graduates are doing and what they are doing. We are very proud of each and every one of the more than 180 students who have graduated from Hope Hall and have gone on to other high schools, college, and are part of the work force that keeps Rochester and the surrounding areas going.

In the past week, Sr. Diana received a long distance phone call from Michael Matsumoto Jr., Hope Hall class of 2001. Mike graduated from Hilton High School, and got a management position in a pizza place where he had been working while going to school. Mike is engaged to be married and realized that the salary he was earning was not enough to support a family, so he pursued a new direction. He received a full scholarship to attend the Harley-Davidson Mechanic School in Orlando, Florida. This is a 15-month program with classes running 6 to 8 hours each day. He called to thank me for the difference Hope Hall made in his life. Mike will be coming to talk to the students of Hope Hall when he is back home on break. We are all very proud of you, Mike. You have “kept your power, made good choices,” and are on a wonderful path!

Next month (November) we’d like to focus on our graduates who are now fully employed or holding part-time jobs while completing their education.