Cranston shines again in LLS Student of the Year campaign

By PETE FONTAINE

Posted 3/13/19

By PETE FONTAINE When it comes to raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, no students do it better than those at Cranston High School West. As proof, Team ConCure - made up of West juniors Julianna Soscia and Talia Notarianni - raised an

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Cranston shines again in LLS Student of the Year campaign

TERRIFIC TEAMS: Cranston Mayor Allan Fung is all smiles while being joined by last year’s LLS Student of the Year winners Rebecca Fryer and Isabella Tavares of Cranston High School West and the school’s three teams that helped bring in $75,000 this year. The teams are, third from left, Team AJ, including Arianna Annicelli and Jordan McInerney; Team Beat It, including Madison Marcello and Alexa Lombardi; and Team ConCure, including Talia Notarianni and Julianna Soscia.

(Herald photos by Pete Fontaine)

TEAM HOPE: Cranston High School East seniors Haley Gaess and Ashlee Sadowski are joined by Mayor Allan Fung and Carla Mulhern, area director for LLS Rhode Island, during the recent Grand Finale Celebration at Kirkbrae County Club in Lincoln. Four of the eight participating teams that brought in a combined total of $75,000 were from Cranston.

(Herald photos by Pete Fontaine)

Posted Wednesday, March 13, 2019 1:23 pm

By PETE FONTAINE

When it comes to raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, no students do it better than those at Cranston High School West.

As proof, Team ConCure – made up of West juniors Julianna Soscia and Talia Notarianni – raised an extraordinary amount of $18,503.78 to earn the LLS Rhode Island Student of the Year crown for 2019.

More impressively, perhaps, is that Soscia and Notarianni raised that much money in only seven weeks while finishing first ahead of Johnston High School’s DJ Anderson and Team Panthers for a Cure, which took in $16,000 during the seven-week campaign.

In all, a total of eight teams competed for the LLS Student of the Year title, which includes a $2,500 scholarship to the college or university of their choice. The teams collectively raised approximately $75,000, and money is still coming in, as each team has until June 1 to raise funds.

Yet another Cranston West duo, juniors Arianna Annicelli and Jordan McInerney – known together as Team AJ – captured the prestigious Mission Award. Carla Mulhern, area director for LLS Rhode Island, said that award is given to the student or students who best exemplify the organization’s mission during their campaign.

Team AJ raised $11,297.84 during its seven-week campaign, while a third squad from Cranston West – Team Beat, which was captained by Alexa Lombardi and Maddison Marcello – raised $10,774.14.

“Let’s have a huge shout our for all out amazing teams,” said Jessica Schiano, midday host for 92 PRO-FM, who served as emcee for the recent Grand Finale Celebration held at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln. “They all did a fantastic job in seven short weeks.”

The 2019 LLS Student of the Year campaign also included a fourth Cranston entry – Team Hope, made up of Cranston High School East students Ashlee Sadowski and Haley Gaess. Like Soscia and Notarianni, they worked tirelessly to make a difference in their community while helping honor families whose loved ones have been touched by cancer.

Team Hope, which raised $5,186.77, drew words of praise – as did the other three West teams – from Cranston Mayor Allan Fung.