Remembering Mr. Ilnitzki

Joseph Ilnitzki joined the Verot family this past August. Originally from Long Island, New York, after being offered a teaching position in the English Department, he packed up his belongings and moved to Florida. In a recent conversation with Mrs. O’Grady, his family shared, “being offered the opportunity to teach at Bishop Verot Catholic High School was a great blessing to him, and he enjoyed his time there very much.” His impact on the Verot family was great despite his short time here. Mr. Ilnitzki passed away over the Christmas Break. An all school Mass was celebrated in his memory upon our return to campus in January. Members of his House, St. Joan of Arc, shared their heartfelt memories, showing the impact one person can have with some simple acts of kindness. Grace Canzano (12th) – Mr. I was the sweetest man ever. He listened to all of us and really cared about making a difference. He loved to learn about all of his students. He once told me “I’m going to pray for you.” I thought a lot about this all the time during midterms week. I’m going to miss him so much and I think about him every day. Bella Sullivan (12th) – Mr. I had a smile on his face every day, he always suggested new ideas and activities for the house, which really helped me as the senior captain to feel even more comfortable leading. He always made jokes and was so friendly and open minded. One of my favorite memories of him was during kickball. He got really into the game and really wanted to win. He kicked the ball pretty far and ran as fast as he could to the base. He was such a good sport and encouraged everyone to participate.

Thomas Sciarrone (12th)

Mr. I was the type of man who was open and friendly to all. As a member of the house of Saint Joan of Arc, he brought a fun and enthusiastic energy to our house. Often times I would get hung up after class chatting with him about the different things going on in my life. One thing that Mr. I and I bonded over was our love for New York and our connections to Long Island. My father grew up just 20 minutes down the road from where Mr. I lived, so I enjoyed all the stories he would share with me. Before Christmas vacation we did a house secret Santa exchange. Unknown to me, Mr. I had picked me. When it came time to exchange gifts Mr. I handed me an old new balance shoe box that had my name on it. Inside was a letter, a letter that I still have today, that talked about how great of a young man and a leader I am. This really meant a lot to me, especially hearing it from a staff member at school. The greatest part of my gift was the NYPD hat. Me being a person who loves wearing hats and collecting them this meant a whole lot to me. Later I came to find out that Mr. I had actually had someone from New York go out and purchase the hat and ship it down to him. This really stood out to me about the kind of man he was. It brought great sadness and

disappointment to hear the news about Mr. I’s passing. But deep down I know that his memory will not only be carried on in his friend's and family’s hearts but mine as well.

Geri Herrera (10th) – My favorite memory was playing four square and teaching him and him beating me in the game every time. He gave me my nickname G-Money, because I was athletic and was always talking about sports. Lucas Campero (10th) – During kickball I caught a ball and my new nickname from then was “Jeter”. We talked a lot about baseball. Conor Cranfield (12th) – The first time I met Mr. I, I introduced myself to him and from then on, he called me “champ” every time I passed by in the hallway. Kevin Kelly (10th) – The favorite and most fond memory of Mr. I was when we played kickball. He acted more like a friend than a teacher and was always excited to see us in house and participate in every game we played. Shipley Wagamon (12th) – The best memory I have of Mr. I was when we would all come into house, and if we were doing an activity he would always make sure everyone participated and was included. Jeremy Barrow (11th) – I remember how enthusiastic he was when we played wiffle ball and how he complemented me on my fielding skills. Also, when he dressed as a catcher for Halloween. Nicholas Richmond (9th) – Mr. I was always full of energy and he participated in the physical activities. It was a lot of fun to get to know Mr. I when he sat down next to me during house. Thomas Bravo (10th) – When I sat in my corner in house, he would usually sit next to me and talk to me, always asking what I was doing and listening to what I had to say. Sometimes when I was in a bad or upset mood he would listen to what was going on and give me words of encouragement. Colin Stanley (11th) – He was an extremely kind man and was very into house. He would always talk to everyone and was extremely friendly. One memory that sticks out for me was when he was very excited to dress up for Halloween and he wore a full catcher’s outfit. He was extremely enthusiastic and will be greatly missed. Zoe Vadas (9th) – I drew Mr. I for secret Santa and he was super happy when he opened his gift and said how much he loved it. It was so nice to see him happy. Rae-Lee Stefanacci (12th) – One of the best memories I had with Mr. I was when we played wiffle ball and he noticed and commented on how he could tell I actually played the sport and complimented me on it. He was a great man who always tried to put a smile on every student’s face and always came into house as happy as he could be and tried to talk to everyone. He was great at getting everyone in our house involved in everything from just talking in our house, playing a game, and even on field day. Gracie Mitchell (9th) – One memory is when we played foursquare and kickball, he was very competitive. Andrew Pino (9th) – One nice memory of Mr. I is him beating us all in foursquare and during kickball he kept encouraging us to fight for the win. BV