Walt Whitman Stories

Michael S. Curtin Citizenship Awards 2023

Written by Liz DeMonte | Jan 18, 2024 8:43:54 PM
Sergeant Michael S. Curtin was appointed to the NYPD in January 1988 after serving 12 years in active duty in the United States Marine Corps. He was originally as­signed to the Emergency Services unit in 1991 but saw his police career interrupted when he was called to duty during Operation Desert Storm. Serving on the front lines, he held the rank of Gunnery Sergeant and retired from the Reserves as a Sergeant Major. After returning to the NYPD, he responded to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and was assigned to the Oklahoma City rescue efforts.
 
 
Michael Curtin was promoted to Sergeant in 1995 and subsequently served as a security guard at Walt Whitman High School. On September 11, 2001, he was called into action and tragically perished during World Trade Center rescue efforts. The students recognized for this award are nominated by their teachers in his honor for demonstrating exemplary citizenship. Rather than emphasizing academics or athletics, these awards focus on character and compassion. They are about how students live their daily lives and how much they do for others without asking for anything in return. They are about what makes Whitman such a special place, and what makes South Huntington such a special community.
 
 
Congratulations to Walt Whitman’s 2022-2023 Michael S. Curtin Citizenship Award recipients:
 
 
Julia Allen, Julianna Andrade, Andrew Apaza Chacon, Angel Araujo, Armaan Bakshi, Aderayo Balogun, Anthony Bancheri, Timothy Bas, Ryan Boutin, Denise Carrillo, Simal Chaudhry, Hasham Choudrey, Tatiana Cifuentes, Daniel Citle Palestino, Kaitlyn Clark, Luke Condon, Aquiles Correa Araya, Lucina Cortez Lopez, Hailey Crocco, Nicholas Da Costa, Joseph Decker, Britany Delao Romero, Olivia Drange, Brianna Flathmann, Chloe Francis, Trevor Galgano, Magaly Garay, Adrian Garcia Arevalo, Yohana Gonzalez Saravia, Vicki Granados Ortiz, Mason Greco, Harley Guarisco, Allison Gudaitis, Sienna Guerrero, Husna Halimi, Cameron lannuzzi, Brayan Jimenez Avila, Hunter Knell, Connor La Regina, Jonathan Lazo, Alexandra Molina Coreas, Nancy Moreno, Anastasia Novinski, Julianne Panarello, Christopher Pazzini, Mary Pohalski, Brian Portillo Melgar, Kimberlin Quintanilla, Carlos Ramos, Isabel Rich, James Ritchie, Ryan Saslaw, Lucas Schwandtner, Sean Schwantner, Nathaniel Sobina, Jacob Somer, Monica Sorto, Frederick Steenson, Liam Towers, Kaitlyn Verga, Kemani Virgil, and Nimrah Yousaf.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Addie Balogun started the evening ceremony with her impressive singing of the National Anthem.
 
 
 
 
Recipients proudly stood next to the plaque before it is hung on the walls of Walt Whitman.
 
 
 
 
The students recognized for this award are nominated by their teachers in his honor for demonstrating exemplary citizenship.
 
 
 
 
Curtin was not only one of the first responders to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. He was also one of the first to respond to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. In addition, he received a great deal of notoriety for actions when he was deployed as a member of the NYPD Emergency Services Unit to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.
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