06/03/2026
Great night for the Blue and Gold. Karen, Millie and I presented at the Senior Scholarship Night at the high school. We awarded six scholarships each worth $10,000 to some very deserving students.
They are:
Sage Williamson Grant
Dhaniah Imani Coley
Samiyah Belton
Aryanna Rodriguez
Aisha Gutierrez Powery
Griffin Tavares
Wishing them all the best in the future.
Below are my comments from last night:
Good Evening
My name is Doug Vicari. I am a graduate of the class of 1977. With me is my wife Karen Vicari who is a graduate of the class of 1979. We are honored to be here tonight representing the Ed Acciardi Blue and Gold Scholarship Fund and presenting scholarships on its behalf. As you may or may not know, this program was founded over 25 years ago by Ed Acciardi after his retirement as a guidance
counselor at this high school. Ed advised many students over his career about what to do beyond high school and what options were out there for graduating seniors. His commitment to this program was unwavering. Sadly, Ed passed away in early 2025 but we are committed to continuing to fulfill his mission of helping
our graduates. Since its inception, this program has awarded approximately two hundred scholarships and tonight we are thrilled to award six scholarships each in the amount of $10,000 to some very deserving students.
Our first scholarship is sponsored by one of our officers, Millie Nadal, in honor of her son Hoshiko who passed away at the young age of 23. Millie has been a big supporter and donor as well as an important member of the Blue and Gold team over the years. So, this first scholarship goes to Sage Williamson Grant who will be
attending Cedar Crest as a Nursing student in the fall. She had a great GPA while managing many extracurricular activities. Well done, Sage.
Long time donors and HHS graduates Michael and Ellen Esposito sponsored our second scholarship. They have supported our program for many years. This scholarship goes to Dhaniah Imani Coley who will be a business major at William Paterson University in the fall. Dhaniah showed a strong entrepreneurial spirit in
her activities while producing a great academic record while in school. Congrats.
Our third scholarship goes to Samiyah Belton who will be attending Hampton University studying Early Childhood Education in the fall. Samiyah was able to combine athletics and cheerleading with a strong GPA. Great work Samiyah.
Our fourth scholarship goes to Aryanna Rodriguez who will be attending Stockton University studying forensic psychology in the fall. Aryanna had numerous extra activities that she combined with a high GPA. Nice work Aryanna.
Our fifth scholarship tonight goes to Aisha Isabel Gutierrez Powery who will be studying Nursing at Washington State University. Another outstanding student who managed athletics with community service while producing a great academic
record. Best of luck Aisha.
Our sixth and final scholarship of the evening is awarded in memory of Ed Acciardi, our founder, who passed away last year. This scholarship will become a new Blue and Gold tradition, and our first recipient is Griffin Tavares, who balanced athletics, academics, and community service throughout his time at HHS. Griffin will attend Monmouth University in the fall to study Marine Biology.
On behalf of the Blue and Gold Trustees, Officers and Donors I would like to congratulate our recipients and wish them the best in their future endeavors.
