Sixth grader starts new club

When Warwick Valley Middle School sixth grader Gianni Cerulli wanted to bring more Italian culture to his school, he didn’t just talk about it, he made it happen.

Inspired by his deep-rooted love for his heritage, Gianni set out to launch Warwick Valley’s first-ever Italian Club.

“My Nonno and Nonna immigrated from Italy, and both of my parents are really Italian,” Gianni explained. “At first, I wanted to get Italian offered as a language at school, but that was a little too big to start. So, I decided to create a club instead.”

It turns out starting a club wasn’t that simple either. Gianni remained determined to make it happen, so he put together a detailed slideshow pitch that he took straight to WVMS Principal Jared Yapkowitz. The pitch worked like gang busters, so Gianni enlisted the support of WVMS teacher Nicole Rose next. She volunteered to be the club’s advisor. With the backing Assistant Principal Christopher Radon, the club got the green light from the district’s Board of Education.

Gianni and Rose collaborated to develop a comprehensive lesson plan for each meeting. Next step was to market and promote their club, which they did by creating some eye-catching flyers and an engaging slideshow. Their promo campaign also made its way onto the morning announcements, and word of mouth also began to take off.

In just a few weeks, the Italian Club held its first meeting with about 15 members in attendance.

The club kicked things off with a quick lesson in language, learning five words at a time, a practice they plan to keep up at the beginning of each meeting. Members also got to taste Italian seltzers, such as Pellegrino, and watched a video on how to make pasta.

Upcoming plans include more cultural discussions, making their own pasta in the WVMS kitchen, playing Italian games like bocce (often referred to in America as bocce ball), and even enjoying a pizza and movie day, exploring kids films with Italian roots or references, such as Pinnochio or The Mario Movie. And while exploring the cuisine plays a significant role in the Italian Club, Gianni’s primary goal is to foster cultural understanding.

“A lot of people have Italian heritage, so it’s really important to understand it,” Gianni said, emphasizing that studying different languages and cultures can create more opportunities, “both in work or friendships.”

Gianni is also a dedicated student-athlete and enjoys playing point guard in basketball. He’s got some time to consider career plans, but said he currently dreams of becoming a sports agent lawyer one day.

“I saw the movie Jerry Maguire and it just looked really cool,” he explained. “I also want to live near the beach in South Carolina and own my own boat.”

When he’s not leading the club or shooting hoops, Gianni enjoys exploring nature, fishing with friends and cooking at home. His specialties include eggs and French toast, but he hopes to improve his skills by cooking his favorite meal, steak, soon.

“I like to lend a hand in the kitchen at the holidays,” he said. “I’m usually responsible for making the Thanksgiving stuffing each year.”

Reflecting on the process of launching the Italian Club, Gianni shared that it taught him the value of hard work and the importance of having fun with friends.

“Once you do all the hard work, you get to enjoy it,” he said.

Gianni is thankful for his principals, friends and especially Rose for supporting his efforts.