By Jennifer C. Smith
Richard Thornhill could be the ideal jack-of-all-trades.
The high school senior’s involvement in everything from athletic and academic scholarship to community service earned him the title of Holy Cross High School’s Man of the Year for the class of 2002.
“Richard is the outstanding example of what we call the Holy Cross man, concerned with mind, body and soul,” said Principal Joseph Gianuzzi. “Obviously his body because of athletics, his mind because of academics, and his soul because of his role as a eucharistic minister and his community service.”
Thornhill delivered the commencement address at his graduation ceremony on June 1 at Queens College’s Colden Center for the Performing Arts. He urged his classmates to not forget the nurturing environment of the all-boys Catholic institution.
A resident of Bayside, Thornhill, 18, became involved in the Holy Cross community his freshman year, when he joined the football team. He became junior varsity team captain in his sophomore year and was a member of the wrestling team.
His school activities included playing the bass guitar in the school band for both his junior and senior years and belonging to the Law Club as a witness in his junior year. The club conducted mock trials with other schools in courthouses around Queens.
The honors student, who was ranked seventh in his class, has won medals of excellence in chemistry, health, psychology, English and college history.
He was inducted into the National Honor Society his sophomore year and served as vice-president the next year.
This past year he was awarded the chapter’s Michael Perolizzi scholarship, which is allotted to one junior and one senior. Other awards include the United States President’s Award for Educational Excellence and recognition as an Outstanding Senior in the state of New York in the Governor’s Committee on Scholastic Achievement Scholarship, and a New York State Scholarship.
In addition, he was nominated for the national scholar recognition program, Who’s Who Among American High School Students, in his sophomore year by his English teacher, Suzanne Carl.
His achievements also prompted Carl to nominate him in represent his school at the National Congressional Young Leaders Conference in Washington last summer. “I learned how different parts of our country are,” he said. “I learned that everybody has their own ideas about everything.”
Thornhill took an active role in fostering his spiritual development. He served as both a eucharistic minister at Holy Cross and an usher at his parish, Sacred Heart , in Bayside.
Thornhill said his parents, particularly his mother, have provided spiritual guidance since he has been a young child. She, himself and his brother, Ken, 11, usually go to church with him. “I go to church as much as I can,” he said. “I go every Sunday.”
His community service participation exceeded Holy Cross’s 50-hour requirement, in which students had the option of substituting community service for a religion class.
His service commitment was recognized with a service learning award at an academic awards ceremony this past May. “He was involved from the first day he came to Holy Cross to the day he graduated,” Gianuzzi said.
Thornhill will attend Iona in the fall and plans to major in history and education. “I want to be a high school teacher,” he said.
