Tuesday, November 24, 2015
9:53:43 AM
Mr. Justin Hertz
Girls Volleyball Coach
Connetquot High School
190 Seventh Street
Bohemia, New York 11716-1331
Dear Coach Hertz:
I would like you to share this letter with the members of the New York State Class AA Champion girls’ volleyball team.
Please let me introduce myself. My name is Peter Guerin. I’m a member of the Class of 1987 here at Connetquot High School.
I want to congratulate all of you—the coach and members of the girls’ volleyball team—for winning the Class AA title at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Girls Volleyball Tournament in Glens Falls on November 22. You have made your fellow classmates as well as alumni like myself extremely proud of your accomplishments. Your accomplishments rank up there with Connetquot winning its first state title in any sport when the field hockey team won the state title in 1984, a victory I remember very well.
I’m pretty sure you had to deal with adversity and some setbacks during your championship season. I should know something about those things.
As a Special Education student for most of my school years because I have both ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delay—Not Otherwise Specified, which is an autism spectrum condition), I can understand dealing with adversity and setbacks. For most of my schooldays I was bullied because of who I am and what I have. At one point the bullying became so horrible I tried to commit suicide. Thankfully my attempt failed due to the efforts of one particular Special Education teacher—Donald Gamarano (who has since retired). I was also the first Special Education student to run for Student Government President in 1986. Although I lost in what was called the closest election in school history, it did pave the way for another Special Education student to be elected a few years later. Although I dropped out of SUNY Stony Brook in my freshman year in 1988, I later went to Adirondack Community College (now SUNY Adirondack) and got my Associate’s degree in Business Administration in 1994. I now live Upstate and help my mother run a print shop that she and my now late stepfather (who died on April 10) took over the same year I graduated from ACC.
I know something about having to deal with adversity because there were some people who thought I’d never amount to anything because of my mental conditions. I would like to think that for the most part I proved them wrong. Besides, how do you really define “amounting to anything”, really? What one would consider failure could be considered success in the long run by someone else.
As student-athletes, you should set a good example for your peers—especially those who are in Special Education like I was. If you see someone—especially a Special Education student—being bullied, step in and stop the bullies. Also, make sure you don’t engage in bullying behavior yourselves. Ending the continuing cycle of bullying should begin with you.
Finally, I certainly hope that you—the members of the girls’ volleyball team—continue to have success in your future endeavors and that Coach Hertz continues to instill in future members of the team the values of hard work, sportsmanship and teamwork that led you to winning the state championship.
I would like to thank you, Coach Hertz, for taking the time from your busy schedule to read this letter and to thank you, the members of the girls’ volleyball team, for taking the time to hear my comments and congratulations. Once again, I congratulate all of you for winning the state championship and wish all of you the best in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
Peter W. Guerin