Meet the 6 finalists for the Marcus A. Henry Award

NICHOLAS BADILLA

Pierson, Sr., soccer, swimming

Look at virtually any aspect of Nicholas Badilla’s time at Pierson and one sees someone who can be described as having a “a big heart.”

Whether on the soccer field or in the swimming pool, Badilla made himself into a key contributor in games and spent time helping younger athletes with everything from technique to mental preparation.

In the hallways of the Sag Harbor school, it is there, too. In chamber music and jazz band, where his chief instrument is bass, he performed on videos sent out to entertain people in the community during the pandemic and, as student council president, he organized various fundraisers.

And there is his community service work. For his church, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons, Badilla joined efforts to feed and clothe the unhoused. He volunteered his tech skills to help a local business modernize its record keeping. He even served as a lifeguard for the Town of Southampton.

“A lot of it stemmed from my father (Joe Badilla), who is committed to the church and to giving back, and from [its priests]  Fr. Alex and  Fr. Constantine, who dedicated their lives to service,” Badilla said of his community service. “They encouraged it and I find it fulfilling to have an impact on someone who [benefits] what we do.”

Badilla is also a standout in the classroom, with a weighted GPA of 98.9 while taking a dozen International Baccalaureate-level classes, and a 1,450 score on the SAT. He will attend the University of Miami.

“I’m relatively new to the school and have spoken to many [on the faculty] about Nicky and have been so impressed by how they describe his character and leadership qualities -- he is a great representative of our school,” Pierson athletic director Brian Tardif said. “He does so much beyond sports here. Students in his grade and those below him see him as an example, but so does our staff and administration.”

“I played piano my whole life but in middle school, I transferred to playing bass and there was a reward,” Badilla said. “I loved playing within a group of people. I love the community that it brought . . . It’s a great feeling to be part of something bigger than yourself.”

- Roger Rubin

KWASI BONSU

Baldwin, Sr., football, wrestling

Kwasi Bonsu is exceptional at bending an opponents’ will on a wrestling mat. It's how he went 41-3 in matches this season and earned a spot on Newsday’s all-Long Island second team. Off the mat, however, Bonsu  is trying to bend the will of a more formidable opponent: the societal pitfalls that surround young people in his community.

Bonsu remains highly-dedicated to his classroom work and the Bruins’ wrestling and football teams. The Duke wrestling commit has taken 11 advanced placement classes, come through with a 113 weighted GPA and scored 1,320 on his SAT – accomplishments that earned him the Jay Fiedler Award as the National Football Foundation’s Nassau Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was a state wrestling semifinalist at 189 pounds and a ferocious defensive tackle who made 17 tackles for a loss and six sacks last fall.

He is many other things at his school as well: student body president and a summer custodian to name just two. As Baldwin athletic director Dr. Ty Scarlett said “He’s a genuine leader who is involved in every part of the school community, the first person you call when you need anything.”

However, in the community Bonsu has positioned himself as a guidepost for young people. As part of the Athletes Helping Athletes program and a volunteer instructor with the grassroots Baldwin Bombers football program, he seeks to be an example for grade school-aged kids.

“My community service is around making sure I'm building the legacy and setting an example for those little kids to follow,” Bonsu said. “Helping little kids realize the potential they have and how good it's going to feel when they do the right things, when they really pursue what they're passionate about, when they don't give in so all the bad things that can be lurking . . . They’re lessons to be learned young . . . because as soon as they grow up and follow a dark path, it's going to be harder.”

Bonsu explained that while there were role models for him in his school years, he wished there had been more from the sphere of athletics, where there is potential for great influence. He’d like to see the “old stereotypes about jocks” change so that people realize “high school athletes can be valedictorians or anything they want to be.”

“I get a lot out of working in the community: I get to make sure they're in a good position when they grow up,” Bonsu said. “I get to make sure that when they think about taking that cup from some random person or smoking something or hitting someone or damaging something or laughing at someone . . . they remember my words and think twice.

“They should say ‘I'm not that type of person (and) I don't want to become that type of person. I will never sabotage myself in that way.’”

- Roger Rubin

WILLIAM FRANCOIS

Longwood, Sr., wrestling, lacrosse

William Francois’ skills as a long-stick midfielder won’t be all he’s remembered for at Longwood High School. A program-changing leader  in lacrosse, Francois captained the Lions for three years and scored the double-overtime winner against Bay Shore this spring in Longwood’s first playoff appearance since 1995.

Francois finished with 12 goals and six assists this year.

He’s also a three-year varsity wrestler who captained his team this year and placed third at  215 pounds at the state tournament.

“I think the main thing about leading is you have to recognize how to exert your leadership skills on certain groups of people,” Francois said. “Some, you might need to pick them up a little more, some you might need to take a step back and let them do their own thing. In the end, it’s all about letting other players and your teammates develop themselves on the field. Or if it’s off the field, then making them better people.”

Francois was an active member of the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps and participated in community service projects through St. Frances Cabrini Church in Coram. He also volunteered at Longwood Youth Sports Association lacrosse clinics on weekends.

“It’s super rewarding when you can share your talent, and all of the kids look up to you,” Francois said.

Francois’ 101.4 weighted GPA ranks fifth in his class of more than 700. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and the Foreign Language Honor Society at Longwood where he studies Spanish.

He   completed seven AP classes, including courses in government and politics and macroeconomics this school year. He will play lacrosse and study political science at the United States Naval Academy, and is leaning toward joining the Marine Corps through the Naval Academy, where he’d commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation.

He believes his time at Longwood has prepared him to lead at that next step.

“Just from the leadership roles that I’ve had at Longwood, you meet so many people in so many different circumstances due to how diverse it is,” Francois said. “Participating in both the wrestling and the lacrosse teams and having that leadership role as a captain on both, it really allows you to connect with people of all different backgrounds, and you can really learn how to help those in need.”

- Dean Zulkofske

KATHERINE KILLIAN

Wantagh Sr., cross country, basketball, lacrosse 

Katherine Killian noticed that Wantagh lacked clubs for students who are interested in health sciences, like herself. So last spring, she co-founded Wantagh’s chapter of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), a global student-led organization that empowers students to become leaders in the global health community.

The three-sport athlete is president of her chapter, which has hosted a CPR training night for about 40 students, raised $370 for breast cancer awareness research and written thank-you cards to health care workers.

“I wanted to start this club so people could understand what being into health science looks like in terms of college and beyond,” Killian said. “Also, just to inform people on the different careers because there are a lot of careers, like Med Techs, that get overlooked.”

For the past three summers, Killian has volunteered at Sensory Beans Children’s Gym in Wantagh, a facility for children with Autism and other disabilities.

While helping children on the swings, she noticed that they became calmer when they were swinging back and forth. For her AP research project as a junior, Killian focused on that relationship and determined that playground swings can help teachers and parents’ calm children with Autism.

“I love helping out kids of all different ages and abilities,” Killian said. “It doesn’t matter what you’re capable of doing, everyone is welcome there and I really like being in that type of environment.”

She has also volunteered at Wantagh Public Library, planning summer reading program events and creating activity booklets for elementary students.

Between the volunteer work, extracurriculars and maintaining a 108.56 weighted GPA, Killian  captained the girls' cross country, basketball and lacrosse teams.

She helped her cross-country team organize a push-up challenge fundraiser, that raised more than $600 for the Limb Kind Foundation, a non-profit that provides prosthetics for children.

After graduating as classe valedictorian, Killian will attend Rochester Institute of Technology, where she will play lacrosse and pursue a combined bachelor’s/master’s physician assistant degree.

“She’s one of those special student-athletes that don’t come along too often,” Wantagh girls basketball coach Stan Bujacich said. “The way she balances academics, community service and playing three sports, she’s so well-respected by everyone in the school and even by opposing players.”

- Matt Lindsay

ERIN McMAHON

Bayport-Blue Point Sr., softball, basketball

Life is all about lending a helping hand and making an impact on the lives of others for Erin McMahon.  

She will attend Dickinson College in the fall, majoring in neuroscience on the pre-med track. She aspires to become a pediatric neurologist.  

“I want to touch the lives of as many people as I can,” McMahon said. “I want to work where the most help is needed and be someone that everyone can count on.”  

Life is busy for Bayport-Blue Point’s salutatorian. It  is time consuming to put in the work to earn a weighted GPA of 102.69 and take 10 advanced placement exams, but McMahon finds the time to make a difference in her community. 

She volunteers with Challenger Athletics, where she teaches and plays basketball  with children with disabilities.  

“My mom is a special education teacher, so I’ve always been taught that people with learning disabilities want to be treated the same as you,” McMahon said. “When I heard the organization teaches basketball, which is a sport I love to play, I jumped at the opportunity.”  

She is also a member of the peanut butter and jelly club, where she makes sandwiches and delivers them to a church  for the homeless.  

“In all the activities I do, I can see the positive effects that it’s having on people,” McMahon said. “It may just be an hour or two out of your day, but you can be making someone’s entire week.” 

McMahon has helped raise money to send supplies to war-torn Ukraine, participated in beach cleanups and breast cancer walks. She is a member of the music honor society where she plays the flute in Bayport’s Symphonic Band and volunteers to help for various music and art shows.  

Her on-field exploits are just as impressive. After suffering a stress fracture in her back during the basketball season of her junior year which caused her to miss the softball season, she made a successful return to the field her senior season. 

McMahon had a 1.70 ERA, struck out 171 and hit .520 with 40 RBIs as she led the Phantoms to county and Long Island championships. She tossed 12 innings and drove in a run in the Long Island class A final against MacArthur. 

“I’ve never seen someone that works so hard in everything that she does,” Bayport-Blue Point softball coach Nicholle Marchetta said. “To be the salutatorian and put in all the extra time with everything she has going on, it’s unbelievable.”

- Chris Matias

KATELYN SIMPSON

Baldwin Sr, basketball

Katelyn Simpson loves seeing joy on children’s faces, whether she’s reading to them in a library, visiting a school or braiding hair at a church or community event. Much of her community service work involves interactions with children, and it’s a two-way street in terms of getting the benefits of the experience.

“I like kids, they are so creative and just being around them always brings up my spirits, and takes stress off me also,” Simpson said. “I’ve been to all the Baldwin schools, and it’s been a great experience. Giving back is something that I don’t have to think twice about doing.”

Simpson, a member of the National Honor Society, is ranked toward the top of her class at Baldwin and will play basketball and study engineering at the University of New Haven. She was a five-year varsity player and a key member of a program that has won nine straight Nassau Class AA championships and two straight Long Island Class AA crowns.

“She’s been a big part of some tremendous runs,” coach Tom Catapano said. “She was an integral part of those last two Long Island championship teams. She’s aware of the alumni that have come before her, she helps out when we have our youth clinics with the elementary students, and I know that she's somebody that’s going to stay connected not only to our program but more importantly to our whole community.”

Even with her busy basketball and academic schedule, Simpson prioritizes setting time aside for community service activities, such as tutoring math and working with children at the Baldwin Public Library. She braided hair at The Hope event at the Baldwin Church, finding a variety of ways to give back to the members of her community.

“Katelyn has an amazing demeanor about her,” Catapano said. “She’s soft-spoken, she’s emphatic and she’s just always trying to give back and make things better for people around her. She’s a tremendous role model not only for our community but the younger girls on our basketball team.”

Catapano sees big things in Simpson’s future as she goes on to study at New Haven.

“She’s just the complete package,” he said. “I feel like she’s a future leader for our country.”

- Owen O'Brien