Thomas Student Honors Former Principal with Scholarship Essay

Congratulations to Webster Thomas High School senior Emmet E. and Titan Athletic Director Steve Lamonica! On April 23, Emmett was honored as a SAANYS Scholarship Award winner for his essay about his former elementary school principal.
 

The School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) celebrated its 2026 award recipients on April 23 with a dinner at the Webster Golf Club. During the ceremony, Emmett read his winning essay, “A School Administrator Who Has Made a Difference in My Life.” Standing at the podium with him was Mr. Lamonica, who is now the director of physical education, athletics and health for the Titans.
 
“Looking back at what shaped my experience throughout school, through all the changes of growing up there has been one person who’s stayed with me that whole time: Mr. Lamonica,” Emmett wrote. “He was once my elementary school principal, and now, as a senior, he’s my athletic director. Few students have the privilege of an administrator guiding them throughout two separate parts of their lives. Most of the memories that have shaped me throughout school come from the activities that he helped arrange and shaped me into the student I am today.”
 
In his essay, Emmett shared how school-wide events such as the Halloween parade, roller skating parties, and Flag Day ceremony were formative for him in his elementary years. He noted how they showed Mr. Lamonica’s drive to create a sense of community, and that he understood kids beyond grades to what they need to thrive.
  
“Now, not only do I see how much fun these events were throughout my elementary experience, but I see the leadership behind them that made it all work,” he wrote.
 
His essay went on to detail how Mr. Lamonica is making the same impact on his high school experience as the athletic director and the impact he creates through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), of which Emmett is a member.
 
“Being a part of SAAC showed me just how important student leadership is to him,” he wrote of Lamonica. “He listened to our ideas, and made sure athletes have a voice in shaping the role sports play in school today. We talk about ideas ranging from balancing the workload of athletics and academics to the importance of athletes' mental health. It reminded me of the way he brought students together at Klem North, now on a much larger scale. 
 
“Taking a step back, the impact he made on my life didn’t come from long conversations or a few key moments. It was the environment he created, first for me as a young kid in elementary school and now as a senior preparing to leave. His dedication to building community and making school meaningful has been with me for over a decade. That is the kind of impact that lasts,” Emmett summed. 
 
Among those on hand for the SAANYS Scholarship Award celebration were Brian Neenan, Webster CSD Superintendent of Schools; Erin Land, district deputy superintendent; David Swinson, district assistant superintendent for human relations; Glenn Widor, Webster Thomas High School Principal; and Emmett’s parents, Ann and Bill.
 
After graduation, Emmett plans to study electrical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology for Engineering Exploration.