Pair of Seniors Honored as Top Graduating Athletes at IHC End-of-Year Awards Event
WATERTOWN — Two members of the Immaculate Heart Central Class of 2024 are the top graduating athletes and recipients of the Clarence B. “Boots” Gaffney Award. Gianna M. Richards was selected as the women’s recipient and Jack A. Charlebois was named as the men’s honoree this year.
The Italian-American Civic Association established the Gaffney Award in 1980 following his retirement as athletic director to honor his commitment to Immaculate Heart Academy and IHC students. That same year, the award was first presented to the top graduating male and female athletes at Immaculate Heart.
Mr. Gaffney was also a multi-sport coach at Immaculate Heart. The award perpetuates his legacy to local athletics and the greater Watertown community. The honor is awarded to an outstanding male and female graduating student athlete who demonstrates exceptional performance and personal growth. School faculty, the athletic director, and designated varsity coaches determine recipients.
The Community Foundation was selected to help continue the Gaffney family legacy by administering a charitable fund in perpetuity and raising awareness of the legacy award for students who strive to earn the prestigious honor. The Foundation partners with the Association and IHC to provide a $1,000 scholarship to each Gaffney Award recipient.
“Established in 1939, the Italian-American Civic Association has giving back to the community, especially support of our youth who excel in the classroom and in athletics at the heart of its mission,” Italian-American Civic Association President James P. Scordo said. “Many past recipients of the Gaffney Award have gone on to be leaders in our community, holding positions as coaches, teachers, physicians, attorneys, engineers, and more, while giving their resources, time, and talent to local community organizations.”
Mr. Scordo added that this year’s honorees “are exceptional students who embody the values that Boots Gaffney strived to instill in the many young athletes he coached and mentored.”
About the recipients
Gianna M. Richards is an accomplished two-sport athlete, competing for five years in varsity soccer, and four years in varsity lacrosse. She is four-year New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar Athlete.
As a varsity soccer player, she was a five-year starter and a team captain in her senior year. As a sophomore, she earned Frontier League All-Star Honorable Mention. In her junior year, she was named a Frontier League Second Team All-Star and earned a Sportsmanship Award during sectional finals play in Cortland. As a senior, Gianna was named a Frontier League First Team All-Star.
On the lacrosse field, she was a four-year starter and a team captain in her senior year. As a junior, she earned Frontier League All-Star Honorable Mention.
Off the athletic field, Gianna is a top-ranked honor student who will graduate this month with a New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation and Honors. She is a two-year member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapter of the National Honor Society. Gianna participated in chorus and theater and in numerous extracurricular clubs and activities, including Whiz Quiz, Yearbook, and Rotary Interact Club. She was also a Backpack Program and Food Pantry volunteer and was a four-time recipient of the Faith Community Service Award, earning the distinction in her senior year with 130-plus hours of community service. Gianna is a past Community Foundation Community Spirit Youth Giving Challenge winner.
Gianna is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships throughout her high school academic career, including the Donald & Bernice Gardner Memorial Scholarship, the Dick & Fern Kobel Memorial Scholarship, the Sisters of St. Joseph Art Award, and the Northern New York Community Foundation Terry O’Brien Memorial Scholarship.
She will attend Jefferson Community College this fall where she plans to study liberal arts. Gianna is the daughter of Mary Jo and Jon Richards, Watertown.
Jack A. Charlebois is a standout two-sport athlete, competing for two years on the Cavaliers’ varsity soccer team and for one year as a varsity swimmer on the Watertown High School swim team during his junior year. Jack is a two-year New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Scholar Athlete and was named a Frontier League All-Star as a varsity swimmer. He is also a 10-year member of the YMCA Blue Sharks Travel Swim Team.
Off the athletic field, Jack is a top-ranked honor student who will graduate this month as class valedictorian with a New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation and Honors. He is a two-year member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapter of the National Honor Society.
Jack was a Class Officer and five-year Student Council member, serving as President form eighth grade through his junior year and Treasurer during his senior year. He was a member of Bi-County Chorus and Bi-County Band and participated in numerous extracurricular clubs and activities, including Math League, Rotary Interact Club, School Newspaper, Whiz Quiz, and was the founding member of the Computer Club. He also participated in theater productions as a stage crew member.
Jack is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships throughout his high school academic career and is an active community volunteer, helping several local organizations, including the Salvation Army and its annual Red Kettle Drive.
He will attend Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., this fall where he plans to study computer information and network engineering technology. He aspires to work in the information technology field and hopes to one day start his own business in the North Country. Jack is the son of Melissa and Daniel Charlebois, Watertown.
About Clarence B. “Boots” Gaffney
Clarence B. “Boots” Gaffney was a Watertown native who served as a city firefighter for 33 years and retired as a captain in 1970. He was also the athletic director at Immaculate Heart Academy (IHA) and IHC for nearly 40 years before retiring from that role in 1980. He coached football, basketball, and baseball at IHA. His basketball teams captured Northern New York Catholic League titles in 1953, 1954, and 1956.
Mr. Gaffney was a three-sport star at Watertown High School and the Manlius Military Academy. He graduated in 1936 from Clarkson University where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He was considered the best New York State small school quarterback and was the leading scorer on his basketball team. Mr. Gaffney was an inaugural inductee of the Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
He also played football for the Watertown Red and Black for two seasons and coached them for four years. He was a 1995 inductee in the Red and Black Hall of Fame and a member of the North Country Sports Hall of Fame’s 2016 inaugural class.
Mr. Gaffney’s life and commitment to students aligns with another athletic legacy the Community Foundation stewards — the William I. Graf Award. Mr. Graf was a heralded teacher, coach, and administrator at Watertown High School and across the North Country. Mr. Graf died in 1954 and his passing motivated the Italian-American Civic Association to establish the William I. Graf Award to honor outstanding graduating athletes from Watertown and IHA schools. The inaugural awards were presented shortly after Mr. Graf’s passing with Mr. Gaffney’s son, Peter, named as the first IHA recipient.
The Graf Award honored students from Watertown High School and IHA until the Italian-American Civic Association announced the Gaffney Award in 1980. Graf Award recipients each receive a scholarship.
About the Northern New York Community Foundation
Since 1929, the Northern New York Community Foundation has invested in improving and enriching the quality of life for all in communities across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties.
Through partnerships with businesses and organizations, charitable foundations, and generous families and individual donors, the Community Foundation awards grants and scholarships from an endowment and collection of funds that benefit the region. Its commitment to donors helps individuals achieve their charitable objectives now and for generations to come by preserving and honoring legacies of community philanthropy while inspiring others.
The Community Foundation is a resource for local charitable organizations, donors, professional advisors and nonprofit organizations. It also works to bring people together at its permanent home in the Northern New York Philanthropy Center to discuss challenges our communities face and find creative solutions that strengthen the region and make it a great place to live, work, and play.