Way to Go! St. Anthony's High student Shaye Ventura beautifies 9/11 memorial

A Fort Salonga teen recently beautified a Sept. 11, 2001, memorial on his school’s grounds.

Shaye Ventura, a junior at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington, spearheaded improvements that included two “prayer and reflection” benches and a remembrance board that features photos and descriptions of eight alumni who died in the attacks.

The remembrance board, which was blessed last month during a school ceremony, also includes three parents who died in the attacks and had students enrolled in the school at the time.

Ventura pursued the project as part of his Eagle Scout Award, which is the highest achievement attainable within the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of Troop 214.

“I wanted to do something for St. Anthony’s that was long lasting,” said Ventura. “One of the biggest things for me that was important was seeing a lot of the families there at the blessing, and they all seemed very, very touched from it.”

To fund the project, Ventura collected approximately $8,000 through efforts that included the sales of T-shirts and first aid kits as well as donations from family and friends. He also received donations of materials from the Ace Hardware and Home Depot stores in Commack and assistance in mixing and pouring concrete from Bob Arnemann of AALL Seasons Remodeling.

Ventura, 16, is a member of his school’s crew team, National Honor Society and Habitat for Humanity Club.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.