BJ Giannone, ’11, was awarded a Spirit Award posthumously at a school-wide assembly in Jersey City on February 8, 2011. Spirit Awards were instituted by John Browning, SJ, in 1981 and recognize those in the community who lead by example and exemplify for the community what it means to be a true “man for others”.
Giannone, of Mountainside, who died suddenly after a swim meet on January 31, 2011, was called "one who shines like few others that have walked our halls, and whose spirit drives us to be better men and women for others," by Prep Principal James C. DeAngelo, '85, as he presented the award to Maureen and Bill Giannone, B.J.'s parents. DeAngelo added, "His good nature and positive humor made even the toughest situations he faced seem manageable."
Giannone co-founded the Society of Comedic Appreciation, participated in baseball and swimming, the Italian Exchange, and was an officer in Marauder Nation, Prep’s spirit club. He wrote for the newspaper and the yearbook and served as an intern for “Marauder Radio”, assisting in the broadcast of Prep football and hockey games. He was a member of the Campus Ministry Team and served as a Big Brother and Emmaus Leader, and participated in and led many retreats.
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Bill Giannone said of his son: “This is one of the greatest honors he could receive since he took such pride in his school and loved being part of Marauder Nation. He felt it was very important to communicate his love of Saint Peter’s to the younger students at Prep.”
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