On May 15, Carle Place High School hosted its first Fine and Performing Arts Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which was an exciting and memorable night filled with live music, engaging speeches and Carle Place school pride. Alumni from across five decades came together to celebrate and be honored for their lasting impact on the CPHS arts community.
The Fine and Performing Arts Hall of Fame was created to recognize outstanding Carle Place alumni—artists, musicians and performers—who made significant contributions to the school’s arts programs through their dedication, commitment, accomplishments, performance and service. The Hall of Fame also aims to inspire current students to pursue excellence in the arts, promote CPHS art, music and theater programs and take pride in being a part of the Carle Place community and its traditions.
To be eligible, nominees had to be graduates of CPHS for at least three years and meet a range of criteria—such as having their artwork shown in major exhibitions, performing in All-County or Area All-State music festivals, starring in school productions, being selected for NYSSMA All-State, pursuing careers in the arts or giving back to the CPHS arts community through mentorship or service.
The evening began with coffee, pastries and live music performed by members of the CPHS Chamber Ensemble. Mr. Michael Limone, district director of fine and performing arts, led a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the high school lobby, where the digital Hall of Fame is now permanently located. He also showed guests how to explore the interactive display using iPads.
After the ribbon-cutting, the celebration moved into the auditorium, where guests heard from Mr. Limone, Board of Education President Mr. Larry Zaino, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Cannone, Carle Place Middle/High School Principal Mr. Allen Foraker, and two surprise musical guests—both CPHS alumni. Mr. Limone also gave an update on the current arts programs at Carle Place and introduced the Hall of Fame Committee, who presented the inductees with certificates and commemorative gifts.
Congratulations to the 2025 Carle Place Fine and Performing Arts Hall of Fame inductees:
Alyssa Acierno, Walter Avellaneda, Peter Barbieri, Jr., Maddalena Buffalino, Nicole Buffalino, Angela Buffalino-Morgan Peter Buffalino, Sophia Cahill, Matthew Castello, Tom Cipullo, Nancy Colleary, Elias Costidis, George Costidis, Beth DeNicola-Jarvis, Lori DeNicola-Shaw, Mellissa Despagni Wozniak, John Dunphy, Patrick Dunphy Jr., Devin Eichel, Sydney Eichel, Kelly Eising, Juliana Ferolie, Joan Gonzalez (Leibman), Brendan Hay, John lannucci, Nicole Kingston, Christa Klatsky, Eileen Liang, Michael LoGrasso, Charlotte Maher, Nieves Maldonado Jr., Jason Martinoff, Samantha Morales, Jean-Marie Neave, Anthony Pasquarella, Sydney Perruzza, Scott Petrizzo, Annemarie Rosano, Ariel Salerno, Joe Satriani, Tommy Scardino, Adam Siegler, Phil Smith, Brian Struse, F. Antonio Urrutia, III, Steve Vai, Thomas Vestuto, Alec Visslailli, Devin Visslailli, Jean Marie Weiner, Jessica Winter and Kristina Yim.
"I am thrilled by the way the evening turned out," said Mr. Limone. "It was the culmination of years of work, and the response from the inductees and their families made it all worth it. We were able to highlight the arts and our graduates' contributions in the arts in a way that was both meaningful and celebratory at the same time."
A special thank you to the Hall of Fame Committee for their hard work and dedication, which made the night possible; Michael Limone (chair), Jen Bambino, Maddalena Buffalino, Angela Castello, Kevin Kavanagh, Daniel Krause, Samuel Plotkin, Heidi Roussis, Richard Stein and Jessica Younker.
Click here to view the Carle Place Fine and Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
