For Mark Wisniewski, Class of 1983, Christmas is always a special time. 

One of the sponsors of the 2020 Christmas tree in front of the school, Wisniewski approached President Larry Rancilio, ‘86, in October with an idea for a new tradition.

“I thought creating a tradition with one representative from every class placing an ornament on the front hallway tree, with his name and class year on the tag, would be a way to keep alumni engaged in the school, and recognize they are a part of a great tradition,” Wisniewski said. 

Working with Dennis Koch, ‘94, Director of Alumni Relations, each class captain was invited to attend the ceremony on Monday, November 29, 2021. 

“Now each of those class captains will have his own ornament, and will nominate one of his classmates to represent that particular year in 2022,” Wisniewski said. “This also allows the present De La Salle students to see that it is not just about the 4 years they are in the building; they will soon be part of a group of men that spans back to 1926.”

Rancilio said, “This was a great start to a new tradition and a wonderful way to include an alumnus, or his representative, from every class.” 

Koch was enthusiastic about the project. “We had more than 30 alumni, representing classes from 1950 to 2021. They represent different decades, different generations. But they all have one thing in common: they are all Pilots.”

Following the ornament placement, the group gathered outside for the tree lighting. 

Wisniewski sponsored both the ornament project and the tree lighting.  

Alumni in attendance included

• Tony Mattar, '50
• James Guertin, '53
• Charles Lucas, '55
• Roger Laske, '58
• Tony Catullo, '59
• Frank Bova, '60
• Michael Kus, '69
• Jerry Zaccardelli, '75
• Mike Taglione, '76
• Mike McCarthy, '77
• Bob Anderson, '78
• Joe DeLave, '80
• Mark Wisniewski, '83
• Darryl Goolsby, '84
• Paul Wilk, '85
• Chris Fett, '90
• Ben Aloia, '91
• Matt Loria, '95
• Gino Tozzi, '99
• Sterling Johnson, '11
• Steve Lockhart, '13
• Jacob O'Donnell, '14
• Ray Skowronski III, '15
• Dino Bucci III, '19