Homecoming/Family Day 2019 Enjoyed by All
Saturday, September 21, was a beautiful day on the GSB campus, as the Gill community celebrated its annual Homecoming/Family Day. This celebration marked the culmination of three days of activities, starting with the Athletic Booster Club’s third Home Winds Walk on Thursday, and Spirit Day, and the Pep Rally on Friday.
Co-Chairs Jen Meenan, P '24, '27, and Megan Migliaccio, P '20, '24, along with an enthusiatic group of parent volunteers and the operations crew arrived bright and early to provide essential help in setting up for the days’ activities. The grassy area behind the Field House became the center of the action, as a bounce house, obstacle course, pumpkin patch, and a petting zoo were masterfully assembled. Booths were also placed throughout the field, the Booster Club had a full GSB clothing line available for purchase, and Home Winds offered fresh produce, honey, and flowers from the nearby farmland.
Each Upper School class hosted fundraising tables for school activities, such as prom, and the senior class had a special guest volunteer to serve in their dunk tank this year: Upper School Director Dr. Joel Coleman (in a full tuxedo, as well!).
GSB families had plenty of food options from which to choose, as the game-side concessions stand was in full operation, and there was a delicious sit-down lunch under the tent, including pulled pork sandwiches, popcorn chicken, and multiple side dishes. For dessert, the event brought in a doughnut truck, which remained a popular option throughout the day (who says dessert needs to be saved for last?).
Sports Recap
Initiating the athletic action at 9:30 am., the middle school boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams battled Wardlaw-Hartridge. All the runners did a great job racing around the campus and improving on their season times. The boys’ squad came out victorious, while the girls’ squad was unable to claim the win. Robinson Argobright ‘26 won the race, while Emma Hercules ‘25 was the top female runner for GSB and took second overall in the girls’ competition.
Middle School kept up the great performances immediately afterwards as the girls’ soccer team defeated Wardlaw-Hartridge, 4-0. Abby Novinski ‘25 was in goal for the shutout, and Addison Rodriguez ’25 recorded two goals, while Charlotte Binder ’24 and Mia Liberti ’26 each added a goal as well.
Not to be outdone by their younger counterparts, the girls’ JV soccer program also had a tremendous showing on Saturday, as the Knights defeated Newark Academy, 5-0. Katie Scott ’21 had a day to remember as she recorded a hattrick, and Charlotte Aunger ‘23 provided two goals as well.
Earlier in the day, JV girls’ volleyball enjoyed its first home match of the season. Although the Knights fell 2-0 to Immaculata, Head Coach Mark Signorelli said the girls appreciated playing in front of the enthusiastic home crowd.
Moving on to varsity action, the girls’ tennis squad fell to an extremely skilled Lawrenceville team by a score of 4-1. Mayjah Jean-Pierre ’21 was the lone winner for Gill, and the Knights are now 8-3 on the season.
The girls’ varsity soccer team also suffered a tough loss, as the Knights were defeated by Newark Academy, 2-1, after leading for much of the game. Delaney Yates ’23 earned the goal for GSB, while Tereza Zimmer ’20 had six saves in net.
While the JV boys’ soccer team had a tough loss to Hillsborough, the varsity program was able to close out the day with a thrilling win as the Knights defeated defending Somerset County champion Hillsborough by a score of 3-1. Jaeden Ead had a clutch performance for the Knights, as he came off the bench to score the eventual game-winning goal. Providing the other two goals for Gill was Jordan Canica ’21, and Micaah Garnette ’21 added an assist as well. Alex Borto ’22 had eight saves on the day.
“We knew it would be an interesting game because they entered with a five-game winning streak, with all their victories via shutout, meanwhile we entered with a four-game streak, scoring 20 goals in those four games, so something had to give,” said Head Coach Tony Bednarsky. “They scored first, and things looked bad, but the boys, urged on by the Homecoming crowd, fought their way back to the victory.”
Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this day possible, and thank you to everyone who came out and supported the school! Go Knights!
Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard’s is a private, coeducational day school for students age three through grade 12, located in suburban New Jersey. Each of the three school divisions provides a rigorous, meaningful, and age-appropriate curriculum, and all students benefit from the environmental learning opportunities that exist on our 208-acre campus.