Earlier this month, Mr. Paul Bellitto and Mrs. Kathleen Redding-Bellitto, as well as close to twenty of their beloved, late daughter's colleagues, stopped by St. Mary School to present a plaque to our principal in Leah Bellitto's honor.
Leah, a 2011 graduate of St. Mary School Swormville, was passionate about basketball. She played here at SMS, and subsequently at Nardin High School and Mercyhurst University. A championship banner bearing her name, & the names of her 2010-2011 Girls Varsity Champion teammates still hangs in our gymnasium. A graduate of the Mercyhurst cohort of Intelligence Studies and Political Science, Leah went on to become a FBI Investigative Specialist.
Before she began her impressive career, Leah was an integral part of our girls Varsity team, and exemplified sportsmanship in every game. She played with integrity, lead with humility, and treated every opponent with respect. Celebrating team victories over personal stats, she uplifted her teammates and always played the game the right way. It's no doubt that the lessons she learned early on about integrity on the basketball court helped shape her into adulthood.
In honor of Leah's legacy, starting this year, a Girls Varsity Basketball player from SMS will be chosen to receive the Leah Bellitto Sportsmanship Award. The varsity girl must posses the qualities of sportsmanship and character that Leah proudly displayed. Once selected, the player's name will be added to the plaque that now hangs outside the entrance to our gymnasium.
In addition to this new award for SMS students, a memorial garden is underway for parishioners to enjoy and remember Leah by as well. The Bellitto family have been members of the St. Mary's Faith Community for years, and this garden will serve as a beautiful remembrance of her young life. Before the snow started this past week, ground was broke on the garden which will face the St. John Neumann statue to the left of the main church entrance. The new garden will feature a statue of Our Blessed Mother as well as perennial blooms.
Leah's disappearance and ultimate discovery gripped our local community during February of this year, and we continue to extended our deepest sympathy to, and offer prayers for the Bellitto family as they mourn the loss of their daughter and sister. She loved this school and her parish, and now her legacy will endure in the St. Mary's family through the Leah Bellitto Sportsmanship Award & Memorial Garden.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
