06/17/2026
Over the next several weeks, we'll be highlighting AHSSI scholarship funds established in memory of people who left a lasting mark on Astoria High School and the Astoria community. Behind every named scholarship is a story worth telling and we're honored to share them.
We're starting with someone who was a Fishermen long before she became one of AHS's most beloved teachers and coaches.
Dena Bondietti Marsch, AHS Class of 1972, came back to Astoria High after college and spent 28 years teaching P.E. and Health, coaching varsity volleyball, and pouring herself into the students and athletes who passed through her classroom until she retired in 2009. She was inducted into the AHS Hall of Fame in 2014 — not just for what she coached, but for who she was. When she passed away in August 2015, students, alumni, and colleagues across the community came together to honor the impact she made.
The Dena Bondietti Marsch Scholarship carries her legacy forward, supporting the next generation of Fishermen the way she supported so many before them.
Did you know Dena as a classmate, her student, or as a colleague? We'd love for you to share a memory in the comments.
