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Mahwah High School Location....................50 Ridge Road, Mahwah, NJ 07430 Telephone..............................................(201) 762-2300 Colors.........................................Columbia Blue and Grey Nickname................................................Thunderbirds Athletic Affiliation.................Big North Patriot Division Director of Athletics...............................Roger Pelletier Athletics Secretary................................Monica Lederer Athletic Trainer............................................Rich Raiani Field Maintenance..........................................Rick Kunz Head Coach................................................Craig Nielsen Assistant Coaches.....................................Paul Saporito, ......Jason Calhoun, Kyle Cook, Shannon DeMaio, Rob Doyle Statistician.......................................Garine Kaushagjian Softball Media Assistant..............................Emily York Returning Lettermen......................Alexandra Adamski, .......................Emily August, Alexis Corra, Isabella Devine, ...........Julia Devine, Brenna Forgette, Stephani Kantanas, ..........Madison Kolich, Morgan Morris, Isabella Orlandoni, .......................Emily Pryor, Lexi Varrato, Hannah Wichard Graduated Lettermen.......................Danielle Altamuro, .................................................................Danielle Fisher 2016 Season Record....................... 19 Wins – 10 Losses Press Guide Staff.........David Jankowski, William Strauch BOARD OF EDUCATION Kim Barron, Board President Richard A. DeSilva, Jr., First Vice President John Dinice, Second Vice President Prema Moorthy, Trustee Michael Galow, Trustee Peter Wendrychowicz, Trustee Linda Mavretish, Trustee Benjamin Kezmarsky, Trustee Leslie Konikow, Trustee DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION C. Lauren Schoen, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools Dennis Fare, Assistant Superintendent Kyle J. Bleeker, Business Administrator Lisa E. Rizzo, Director of Special Services Christine Zimmermann, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Joan Schettino, Director of Transportation Carlos O. Rosa, Director of Technology Scot Van Demark, Buildings & Grounds Supervisor HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM John P. Pascale, Principal Linda A. Bohny, Assistant Principal Dominick J. Gliatta, Director of Guidance Robert H. Mac Farran, School Security Officer Roger Pelletier, Director of Athletics Danielle Poleway, Supervisor of Mathematics 6-12 Roger Pelletier, Supervisor of Physical Education 9-12 Maureen Lynch, Supervisor of English Language Arts 6-12 Joseph Cozine, Supervisor of Special Education 6-12 Dennis Jarvis, Supervisor of Science 6-12, Practical Arts 9-12 Nikki Van Ess, Supervisor of Social Studies 6-12, Business 9-12 Miriam Lezanski, Supervisor of World Language 6-12, ESL K-12, Visual and Performing Arts 9-12 the thunderbird outlook The 2016 edition of Mahwah High School softball was a successful one by almost anyone’s standards. The team won 19 games for the second year in a row. Those wins included a victory in the County Tournament, a deep run in the North 1 Group II State Tournament; in which they lost an extra inning affair in the Sectional Finals to eventual state champion Demarest, and a #15 ranking in the final Bergen Record Softball Poll. Senior second baseman Dan- ielle Altamuro and junior pitcher Emily August even earned First and Second Team All-Bergen County honors respectively. Sounds pretty good. To “almost” anyone. The almost includes the 2017 version of the Thunderbirds. “We have the capability of being one of the elite teams in Bergen County” says sixth year Mahwah mentor Craig Nielsen. “We just need to push a little bit harder.” Leading that push is the aforementioned August. The senior right hander burst onto the county scene a year ago by compiling a stellar 16-6 won-loss record with a microscopic 0.91 earned run average. Also looking to contribute in the circle is junior Julia Devine who was 8-1 with the Junior Varsity last season as well as sophomore, Christina Altomara, 3-1 with the JV in 2016. Junior, Mandy Morgan, sophomore Val Bognar and freshman Juliet Corless all have shown great potential and give the T-Birds depth in the pitching department. The backstop for Emily August will once again be Lexi Corra. The strong armed junior batted .375 while being named to the Patriot Division All-League team. She enters the season with 54 career hits. Adding security behind the plate is a pair of sophomores, Allie Adamski and Riya Moorthy. Both possess above average speed and agility as well as accurate throwing arms. The infield will be led by two returning Second Team All-League regu- lars in shortstop Brenna Forgette and first baseman Stephani Kantanas. The sure handed Forgette can make all the plays and has displayed a steady bat with surprising power while Kantanas will be a vital cog in the middle of the lineup. The smooth fielder will be counted as one of the team’s key run producers. Depth will be provided by sophomore first sacker Izzy Durso and a host of talented freshmen which includes Abby Cohen, Brianna Mendez, Jahnel Villalba and Juliet Corless. The powerful Durso batted .408 on the JV level and the frosh all posses quickness and a keen knowledge of the game. Making up for the loss of the graduated All-County second baseman Danielle Altamuro won’t be easy but junior Julia Devine and sophomore Christina Altomara will do their best. Devine hit .556 for the JV and hits the ball very hard while quick footed Altomara hit at a .435 clip for the fledgling T-Birds. Last season the third base position was capably manned by Dani- elle Fisher who graduated. Two juniors will combine to man the hot corner. Emily Pryor, who played left field for the bulk of the varsity campaign as an outfielder last year while belting 20 hits including five doubles and Bella -Or landoni, who caught on the JV level for the past two seasons while leading that team in batting at .571 a year ago and also collecting three hits in nine varsity at bats. They are both defensively talented and have displayed strong accurate arms. Patrolling the outfield in 2017 will be a host of experienced players. Second Team All-League senior centerfielder Morgan Morris is one of the speediest players in the area and has a plus throwing arm as well. Juniors Bella Devine and Maddie Kolich will vie for regular varsity at bats. Kolich has a powerful swing and an exceptional arm while Devine’s speed and quick- ness allows her to cover tremendous ground. Senior Lexi Varrato, is a veteran presence and leader who gets a good jump on the ball and swings a nice stick. Sophomore Hannah Wichard looks to come back from knee surgery which cost her most of her freshman season. The powerful lefty was impressive a year ago, batting .275 with a .425 slugging %. She will be counted on to add some pop in the middle of the order. Also seeking to crack the varsity lineup are sophomores Aidan Morris and Val Bognar. Morris is a hard worker who hit .286 for the JV while the speedy Bognar hit .451 and swiped seven bases in as many attempts as a frosh on the junior varsity level. Freshmen Lexi Wall and Brenna Peterson have both impressed with their gloves and arms. Wall has extra base capability while Peterson’s speed makes her a potential game changer. So, can the 2017 Mahwah Thunderbirds push a little harder to go from being one of the county’s good softball teams to one of the elite? No matter what, it should be an interesting journey to find out. 2017 LADY THUNDERBIRDS 2017 Lady Thunderbirds Softball Roster Number Name Grade Position Height B/T 1 Alexandra Adamski So. C/IF 4’11’’ R/R 44 Christina Altomara So. P/IF 5’3’’ R/R 12 Emily August Sr. P/OF 5’4’’ R/R 27 Valery Bognar So. P/OF 5’2’’ R/R 6 Abigail Cohen Fr. IF 5’0” L/R 36 Juliet Corless Fr. P/IF 5’7” R/R 13 Alexis Corra Jr. C 5’7’’ R/R 8 Isabella Devine Jr. OF 5’4’’ R/R 10 Julia Devine Jr. P/IF 5’9’’ R/R 7 Isabelle Durso So. 1B 5’8’’ R/R 14 Brenna Forgette Jr. IF 5’2’’ R/R 26 Stephani Kantanas Jr. 1B 5’7’’ R/R 24 Madison Kolich Jr. OF 5’4’’ R/L 17 Brianna Mendez Fr. IF 5’0” R/R 19 Riya Moorthy So. C/IF 5’2’’ R/L 5 Amanda Morgan Jr. P 5’8’’ L/L 11 Aidan Morris So. OF 5’7’’ R/R 3 Morgan Morris Sr. OF 5’3’’ R/R 21 Bella Orlandoni Jr. C/IF 5’4’’ R/R 2 Brenna Peterson Fr. OF 5’5’’ R/R 42 Emily Pryor Jr. OF 5’4’’ R/R 15 Lexi Varrato Sr. OF 5’2’’ R/R 29 Jahnel Villalba Fr. IF 5’3” L/L 16 Alexandria Wall Fr. OF 5’6” R/R 4 Hannah Wichard So. OF 5’5’’ L/L 2016 offensive leaders Category First Second Third Hits Altamuro (42) Corra (33) Hattem (26) Doubles Forgette (9) Fisher/Kantanas/Pryor (5) Runs Altamuro (21) Forgette (17) Hattem (13) Average Altamuro (.442) Corra (.375) Hattem (.306) RBI Kantanas (16) Corra (15) August/Fisher (13) OBP Altamuro (.485) Corra (.423) Kantanas (.398) Homeruns Kolich/Wichard (1) Slugging % Altamuro (.547) Wichard (.425) Corra (.420) 2016 Pitching stats Category August Fisher Innings 154 46 ERA 0.91 1.67 Wins 16 3 Strikeouts 178 34 All-County Recognition 1st Team Danielle Altamuro At Large Senior 2nd Team Emily August Pitcher Junior Honorable Lexi Corra Catcher Sophomore Mention The Administration Dr. C. Lauren Schoen Superintendent Of Schools Dr. Lauren Schoen attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Academy, Dr. Schoen went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Education from William Paterson University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Political Science. After graduation, Dr. Schoen taught at the Wandell School in Saddle River, NJ. During that time, she earned her Master’s Degree in Administration and Su- pervision at Saint Peters College in Jersey City. Shortly after receiving her Master’s Degree, Schoen accepted a position as Vice Principal at Jefferson Township Middle School in Oak Ridge, NJ.