Again in 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Awards Assembly for Amherst Central High School could not take place as usual.  The award of the Angela Coniglio Memorial Scholarship still occurred, however, and at graduation on June 25^th, ACHS’s School Counselor Laurie LeGoff presented a plaque and a check for $1,410 to Katherine Jacobia.  

Katherine was named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad and the 2020 - 21 Academic All American 2nd Team; she is a WNY Scholar Athlete and a member of the Amherst High School National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.  She played Varsity Field Hockey in each of her four years and led Amherst to the 2017 and 2020 Section VI Class B Field Hockey Championships.

Her Field Hockey honors and awards include: 2019, 2020 All-state; 2020 Western New York Field Hockey Co-Player of the Year; 2019, 2020 All-WNY; 2018, 2019, 2020 First Team ECIC; Team MVP and Captain. She played on a club field hockey team, the Whalers, for five years.  

Her other JV and Varsity sports were Softball and Basketball, including the 2021 Section VI Varsity Basketball Championship.  

Katherine is the sister of the 2018 winner of the same scholarship, Elizabeth Jacobia. She will attend Hobart and William Smith College, where she will major in Business and play Field Hockey.

In 2022 Margaret Kathleen Scherrer, like her sister Catherine (both great grandchildren of Ray and Marion Cappellano Coniglio) had done the previous year, graduated from Angela’s Alma Mater, Amherst Central High School, and received the Angela Coniglio Cousins’ Scholarship. 

Margaret played on the ACHS Unified Basketball which is a program that allows Amherst students with and without intellectual disabilities to join a team that supports social inclusion of everyone, typical of Angela’s beliefs.   Her lovely application letter is reproduced in the Appendix.

   Following a two year pandemic break, Amherst Central High School's annual Awards Assembly was reinstated on the evening of June 8th, 2022.
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  The twenty-sixth recipient of the Angela Coniglio Memorial Scholarship was senior Ryan Hesch, who received a check for $1,600.

She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her four years at Amherst as a National Honor Society member and a six-time AP student.

She has starred in both Soccer and Lacrosse.  She was the Women’s Soccer Team Captain, earning Section VI awards including All-Western New York First Team honors.  In Laecrosse, again she was the Women’s Team Captain, Most Valuable Player, among the top 25 points scorers in the State, and received Section IV honors.

Ryan’s extracurricular activities included Amherst’s First Chair flute and piccolo player, Pit Orchestra Member and Soloist, and Latin Club membership.

Ryan will attend the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, where she will major in Environmental Science/Biochemistry and be a member of the school’s Mighty Oaks Women’s Soccer Team.

Kelsey is a phenomenal person and leader, who works hard, is competitive and a true pleasure to coach. In addition to taking a challenging course load, she sought out the opportunity to go to the Early Childhood Education program at BOCES the past two years earning a 98% average.  She wanted to gain as much experience with children prior to beginning her collegiate studies.

In sports, she was a 3-year Varsity Soccer goalkeeper, Co-Captain, 2nd Team All Western New York, All ECIC, and Team MVP. She was a member of the Youth Activation Committee to provide ways to reach out and include Special Education students in activities. 

A member of the Yearbook Club, in her junior and senior years she also received the 2023 Tower Yearbook Award for outstanding work on the yearbook, along with the Margaret Carnahan Award for unrecognized service, and the Varsity Council Sportsmanship Award.  Throughout high school she has worked at Elder Care Solutions, Tim Hortons, and taught soccer with the Buffalo Rush Kids’ Program.

Kelsey will play soccer and study to become a math teacher at King's College in Pennsylvania.

In June 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman to give a West Point commencement speech in the military academy’s 221-year history.

Haley Van Voorhis became the first woman who was not a kicker or punter to appear in a NCAA college football game on September 23. Van Voorhis played safety at Shenandoah University.

In November, Admiral Lisa Franchetti became the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy. She also became the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Kirsten Neuschäfer became the first woman to win the Golden Globe Race, a sailing race around the world. She finished in 233 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes and 47 seconds.

In January 2024 basketball player Caitlin Clark of Iowa University became the NCAA’s all-time scorer, men or women, with a total of 3,951 points.  She was then drafted as the overall first choice in the 2024 college draft by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever,