Board of Education honors athletic trainer; top 10 grads revealed

Story and Photos by Alice Gerard

Senior Contributing Writer

At its March 9 meeting, the Grand Island Central School District Board of Education honored athletic trainer Samara Johnson for an article that was published in the “Journal of Athletic Training,” titled “Lower Leg Morel Lavallee Lesion in a Female High School Athlete: a Case Report.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, a lower leg Morel Lavallee lesion is considered to be a rare type of injury to the lower leg. In the case Johnson described in her case study, a 17-year-old girl sustained this injury while playing soccer. The student received treatment in the form of compression and protection over the site of the lesion, and has since returned to playing soccer and flag football.

“I actually had no idea of what this injury was,” Johnson said. “I worked collaboratively with Dr. Jesse Fodero (a primary care sports medicine specialist). It was very interesting. We never knew about this injury before. We did a little research.”

Johnson added, “Getting approval from the student, her parents, and getting all the information about this case, getting it all together, and then going through the revision process. Tony Surace was extremely helpful through this process.”

Surace, one of Johnson’s supervisors through Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, said, “Just to support Samara and the work she did on this project was significant. I was there to guide her and to mentor her a little bit in this project. She did an unbelievable job in writing it and in putting it together. You don’t understand the number of revisions and things we had to do to get this approved. She just did outstanding work.”

“We’re recognizing you for all the good work you do in our district,” Superintendent Dr. Brian Graham said. “Above and beyond that, you are representing yourself and our district in ways that are ultra professional by writing an article and telling a story and researching that story so that other athletic trainers could benefit from your expertise in working a true case study in our district. Not only did you put this journal article together, but it was approved by a refereed professional journal.”

“It was a career goal to find something that was worth publishing in (the Journal of Athletic Training),” said Johnson, who is currently enrolled in a doctoral program.

Top 10

Grand Island High School’s top 10 graduates were honored at the March 9 Board of Education meeting held at Grand Island High School. The top 10 graduates, in order, are Colin Morgan, Elijah Castner, Audrey Holler, Ieva Stalyga, Aiden Golembiewski, Brianna Rejewski, Cleopatra Basiliko, Gabriella Amato, Janelle Spiescz and Camryn Harding.

Pictured with the Board of Education are all but Elijah Castner, who was unavailable that night.