Scholar Athletes, December, 2009
District 1
Erin Laney - Greenwich
Lauren Poletsky - Greenwich
Christina Reid Boehn - Trinity Catholic
District 2
Cali Ceglarski - Darien
Cali Ceglarski is a senior at Darien High School and is a two-sport star with the Blue Wave’s varsity swimming and diving and lacrosse teams.
During the winter, Ceglarski was a captain and a four-time time All-FCIAC, All-State and All-American in swimming. She is the Darien High School record holder in the 100 freestyle, the 200 medley relay, and the 200 freestyle relay.
Ceglarski is a co-captain of the Blue Wave’s lacrosse team this spring, and is a junior All-American. She has been recruited to play lacrosse at Boston College.
Academically, Ceglarski is a a four-year student on the DHS honor roll.
Emily Sawyer - Brien McMahon
Emily Sawyer is a senior at Brien McMahon High School and is a four-year player on the Senators’ girls’ basketball team.
She also participated in outdoor track during her sophomore and junior years. In the first quarter of her senior year, her grade point average was a 3.9, and she was one of five captains on the basketball team this winter.
District 3
Samantha Hickey - Fairfield Ludlowe
Samantha Hickey is a senior at Fairfield-Ludlowe High School and is a four-year player on the Falcons’ basketball team.
She is a member of the National Honor Society and the French National Honor Society and has a cumulative GPA of 4.1
During her senior year, she was named a Bluestreak Overtime FCIAC co-player of the week and set a school record with 25 rebounds in one game.
John Vislosky - Fairfield Ludlowe
John Vislosky is a senior at Fairfield-Ludlowe High School and is a member of the Falcons’ lacrosse and swimming and diving teams.
Vislosky also took part in the American University Washington Community of Scholars Program on Diplomacy and Dictators: U.S. Foreign Policy in an Uncertain World, in Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2009. The event discussed how the U.S. government confront dictators, maintain allies, and protects the nation from international threats to national security. Field trips included the State Department, National Defense University, Millennium Foundation, Canadian Embassy and the National Archives. Students also volunteered at the Washington D.C. area food bank.
He also attended The Junior Statesman Foundation Symposium on Leadership and National Security at Princeton University in August of 2009. The Junior Statesman Foundation accepts 300 students from across the United States and students met with Israeli and Iranian diplomats, Congressmen and women, local government officials, FBI agents and a Princeton professor who attended the first Six Nation Talks with North Korea, as well as Colonel Mead from the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s team on Iraq.
In 2008, Vislosky was chosen to attend the Georgetown University National Security and Counterintelligence Program, which explored security and counterintelligence issues from wiretapping and the U.S. Patriot Act to counterinsurgency efforts, covert actions, spy operations, and the use of torture.
Vislosky, who transferred from Washington High School in Washingtonville, N.Y., as a sophomore, has played in Ludlowe’s lacrosse program for three years. After two years of junior varsity play, he joined the varsity team for the spring of his senior year.
Vislosky has earned two varsity letters with the swimming and diving team, and was a co-captain this winter.
During his junior year, he participated and raised funds for the Sticks for Soldiers program to support the United States soldiers serving in Iraq.
Ali Rocchi - Fairfield Warde
Alex Aufiero - Fairfield Warde
District 4
Matt Danaher - St. Joseph
Amy Gorel - St. Joseph
Candace Naude' - Trumbull
Candace Naude is a senior at Trumbull High School and runs for the Golden Eagles cross county and track and field teams.
Naude has been a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams since her freshman year and began running cross country as a sophomore. As a senior, she was named a captain of the cross country team and was given the team’s sportsmanship award
She has earned numerous honors and high honors awards throughout her high school career. As a junior, Naude finished third in the Foreign Language Cooking Competition and was inducted into the National Honor Society for 2009-2010.
Tori Wetmore - Trumbull
District 5
Melanie Erk - Danbury
Melanie Erk, a senior at Danbury High School, has been a standout athlete on four different teams for the Hatters and will finish her high school career having earned 12 varsity letters.
Erk is a four-year starter in soccer. She earned All-FCIAC Honorable Mention and served as a team captain her senior year.
She is also a four year starter in lacrosse. As a sophomore, Erk helped her team win the Division II State Championship. As a junior, she earned All-FCIAC Second Team honors and was selected to the CT Super Juniors team. Erk was then named a team captain for her senior year. She recently accepted a scholarship to play lacrosse at Bryant University.
As a freshman, Erk ran indoor track and was a member of the FCIAC-West Division champion 4 x 800 meter relay team. She turned to boys swimming her sophomore year serving as the team’s number one breaststroker.
During her junior year, she placed fourth in the breaststroke at the girl’s 2009 Winter State Championships and received the team’s scholar athlete award. She was also chosen team captain her junior and senior years.
Academically, Erk is an AP Scholar, member of the National Honor Society, is very active in DECA sponsored community projects, and she received a “student of the month” award in physics. She has already received early admissions to Bryant University in Rhode Island where she plans to study International Marketing.
