Local high school students in the Bayport Blue Point, Connetquot, and Sayville school districts were honored at the 24th annual Dellecave Awards held at Villa Lombardi’s Holbrook on Thursday, June 20.

Named in memory of the legendary educator, official, and coach Gaetano “Butch” Dellecave, the award is the product of a successful 24-year partnership between local school districts in Suffolk County and the award organizers: the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk Inc., the Butch Dellecave Foundation, and Newsday.

Athletic directors from all sixty-six Suffolk County school districts were asked to nominate one male and one female from their high school senior class.

Nominees must be students who are not only at the top of their athletic game, but also be achievers in classroom performance and in their commitment to local community service.

The Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc.—a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community-based organization—has been serving Suffolk County since 1967. It is the county’s federally designated Community Action Agency, designed to assist low-income families and individuals. The agency’s mission is to promote a goal of self-sufficiency by broadening the minds of children, revitalizing communities, and assisting families and children in need through coordination of public and private resources.