Photo by Steve Ognibene
On Tuesday evening at Batavia Downs five students from area schools were each presented with $500 scholarships. The outstanding Italian-American was Elizabeth Riter.
Leslie Harrower and Teresa Fritts introduced Elizabeth and she spoke of Paolo Busti and his life and legacy. It was about building a community that had a cultural presence with a social presence.
"What a community we have right here in Batavia and the Genesee region ... you can become a fabric of a community by giving just a little bit," she said. "I attribute my Italian heritage to the importance of family and tradition."
Grayson Fix, a Batavia High School senior who is proud to be "one of my only siblings who looks Italian," spoke about his unique Italian experience.
"I remember being a little boy and telling my teachers that my brother and sister were Irish and I was Italian; it made my mama very happy. Traditions are very small but present in my family," he said. "My mama 'grandma' makes the sauce and remedies everything with food. Feeling under the weather I made you goulash, busy sports schedule, there is manicotti in the oven, and accompanied with a huge bowl of meatballs and sausage. Having an Italian-American upbringing has helped me mold to the person I am today."
One of the things that Kaitlyn Kratz, a Notre Dame High School senior, has appreciated over the years is family, she said. While growing up, she always heard stories of the Peca and DeFazio families.
"It wasn’t until recently that I really understood how much those old stories, traditions and values meant. I have learned about sacrifices and love. We show up for each other whether it’s a ride to the airport, a quick phone call or just sharing a meal," she said. "Some of my best memories are with my grandma making meatball cookies, pies and her famous sauce passed down through generation by generation. It’s not just about the food, it’s about the stories behind the recipes."
Being Italian for Adam Root, a Career and technical student at BOCES, means having "a sense of community within my own family," he said.
"I have seen so much kindness, love and care shown by my family at every occasion. Growing up we attended family reunions at one of my relative’s pizza shops, there are always so many people there all laughing and visiting with each other, people they have might not seen in a while," he said. "I choose culinary in school because I learned that I love food and attended the program in my junior and senior year in high school. "Cooking is something I love a lot and have always seen this with my family growing up."
Rocco Sprague, a Notre Dame High School senior, shared similar feelings about his Italian-American heritage "defining part of my life."
"I learned to work hard, help others and how to celebrate and share the culture of our ancestors by caring on the traditions that was passed down to us," he said. "My grandmother had a St. Joseph table at her house in Le Roy, every March 19th on the feast of St. Joseph, it was a family neighborhood event. It was a tradition of the table by my Grandmother Mecidi who started this table with everyone in her community in LeRoy."
BHS senior Matthew Wittmeyer has learned through family that the sauce simmers on the stove and the gossip simmers at the table. But more than the food and the fun, it’s the everyday skills that pass down through the family that brings everyone together, he said.
"I picked up a lot of personal values through my Italian family. The traditions, food, culture and size of my family are significant factors of who I have become in my family. In my family agreement is rare, gossip is practically a love language and volume control doesn’t exist," he said. "They have shown me invaluable morals, some of which has resonated with me. With an Italian family life is like the wind in a sailboat. When you point in the right direction, they will push you until where you want to go."
Wittmeyer received the founder’s scholarship and Kratz received the Vincent Gautieri Scholarship. Music entertainment was by Ross Chua, accompanied by Mark Hoerbelt.
Photos by Steve Ognibene.
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