The Wheatley School conducted its spring Sports Awards Program on Tuesday, June 6, at which the coaches and athletes were recognized for their contributions to the athletic program.

A highlight of the evening was the establishment of the Mo Schneider Scholarship and the awarding of two $500 scholarships to deserving seniors. The scholarship was established to celebrate Mo's long coaching career at Wheatley and to honor the memory of his two beloved children. This year's recipients were Rachel Katz and Andrew Reich.

Thanks to the generosity of the Roslyn Booster Basketball Club, a $500 scholarship was awarded to Eric Wasserman. The scholarship is named in memory of Alan Kleinman, who served many years as a coach commissioner and board member of the Roslyn Booster Basketball Club.

Another major portion of the program was the announcement and presentation of special awards to those students who had been most active in the Wheatley athletic program. They received Participation Awards and graduating seniors were presented with Senior Participation Awards. Thirty-seven students met the criterion to receive the Participation Award by accumulating a minimum of 300 participation points. Twenty-eight of the most active seniors in the athletic program received the Senior Participation recognition.

The Walter W. Wathey Award, which honors a former Principal of The Wheatley School, was presented to Andrew Reich for athletic excellence and outstanding service. Alexandra Affigne was the recipient of the George Glaser Memorial Award as the senior who most exemplifies the qualities of excellence and dedication to the athletic program. George Glasser was a graduate of The Wheatley School (1965) and charter member of The Wheatley Hall of Fame. The Scholar-Athlete Awards, which are presented for scholastic and athletic achievement, were presented to Svetlana Dobrow and Yuting Chiang.

The most prestigious awards to be presented recognized the Athletes of the Year. These awards are presented to those graduating male and graduating female student-athletes for outstanding athletic achievement, dedication and sportsmanship. The recipients were Mona Lekaj and Scott Gorski. Since the ninth grade, Mona has been a starter on the Varsity soccer and has received All-County and All-State honors. She holds several school records and will attend New York Institute of Technology next year on a soccer scholarship. Scott has played varsity tennis for four years and varsity basketball for three years. As a junior, Scott achieved a high level of success as a high jumper and he earned a Nassau County Championship and broke a 40-year-old school record in that event. Scott will attend Cornell University next fall and plans to continue his track and field career.

For the second consecutive year, The Wheatley School's Varsity Girls Track and Field team has been recognized by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) for academic excellence and has been declared New York State Champions in its Scholar/Athlete Recognition Award Program. This program recognizes athletic teams from across New York State for the exemplary academic performance of its team members. Based upon a composite of the grade point averages among team members, team champions are selected for each varsity sport from those high schools across New York State that enter the competition.

The Wheatley School's Varsity Girls Track and Field team achieved a near-perfect average of 99.599, which was the highest girls indoor track team academic average in New York State. Just a year ago, the Wheatley girls track and field team captured similar state honors with a composite average of 99.577.

The Wheatley School is proud of the recognition the team members have earned and offers its congratulations to Coach Joe Kelly and Assistant Coach Bruce MacDonald, who entered their team in the scholar/athlete competition and to the members of the Wheatley Varsity Girls Track and Field team. During the season the team finished second in the Conference Meet and established or tied seven school records. For the third consecutive year, it won The Wheatley Invitational Track and Field Meet. The New York State Championship Banner was presented to the team by Dr. James Tolle, a representative of NYSPHSAA and retired Superintendent of Schools for the Malverne Public School District.