The Queen and her royal court will be officially crowned on Sunday February 26, 2012 at 4pm at the East Wind Grand Ballroom on 25A in Wading River. The Coronation the highlight of the Friends of Saint Patrick fundraiser reception. Tickets are available at McCarrick’s Dairy in Rocky Point, Hartlin Inn in Sound Beach, and Gracie’s restaurant in Rocky Point.
Officially crowned on Sunday February 26, 2012
Coming from a close knit family, Megan Dwyer has deep community orientated roots being involved at Mt. Sinai High School in sports such as being captain of her cross country, winter and spring track teams, membership to numerous and varied clubs and organizations including the National Honor Society, and playing flute in her school’s orchestra and band. She was also voted the Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen, all while making the honor roll every semester and graduated in the top 5% of her class.
Currently, Megan is a junior at Stony Brook University being on the Dean’s List every semester and part of the elite University Scholars being the top 7% of her class, while studying psychology and journalism. When not being a student ambassador and orientation leader where she escorts visitors and future students around the vast campus, music still is a big part of her life and is a piccolo player on the Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Band as was appointed section leader of the band’s flute section while working as Administrative Coordinator in the Office of Athletic Bands and as an Orientation Leader. Her extra curricular activities include membership to the National Honor Society of Collegiate Scholars, Golden Key International Honour Society, serves on the Student Life Advisory Council, Co-Captain of the Marketing and outreach Division of the Stony Brook Community Pledge, and Publicity Co-Chair of the Relay for Life committee.
Many local residents who frequent the CVS pharmacy in Rocky Point will surely recognize the face of Lady in Waiting Carissa Cantone. For she is the cheerful person who develops photos at its film processing center there. During her 9 year tenure at CVS, she has taken her dealing with the public to new charitable heights.
While never missing a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Carissa noticed how the event bonded the community together and decided to take advantage of the massive crowds. She teamed up with a close friend and turned into a charitable event by applying stickers to children’s faces and donating the collected funds the St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
During her working shifts at CVS Carissa witnessed that nearly outdated perishable food items were being discarded and decided to do something about it. With her store manager’s permission, she now sees that these items are distributed to local churches and the Island Heart Food Pantry.
Since graduating from Shoreham-Wading River High School she has seen many friends and colleagues go off to college undecided about their career path. Through time she realized her strong desire for helping the community and lead her to joining the Air Force Reserve. There, she can not only serve her country, but also her community as well by being close to home at the 106th Rescue Wing based in Westhampton Beach and serves as a munitions expert. Currently Carissa is in the process of applying to be a Protection Specialist in New York City.
Lady in Waiting Tara Kathleen McKnight is not only deep rooted in Mt. Sinai but has roots in Ireland, as her father emigrated from there as a young child and has visited there many times over the years and stay at a family owned house while traveling abroad. She is very proud of her Irish heritage, and the parade is a very important part of her culture and has not only watched the parade part she also participated while being a student at the LI Academy of Dance where she now teaches.
Her love of dance and expertise continues as she is now a junior at St. Joseph College, where she is a double major in Child Study and Speech Communications. Being President of the Dance Club at St. Josephs, she helps raise money through performances for such organizations as breast cancer, downs syndrome, the Special Olympics, Make A Wish Foundation, and Co-Chairs the Relay for Life committee among many others. While being on the Dean’s List, Tara also does work for the dance club’s charity House of Roses which helps inner city children with a safe and fun environment based on dance.
.Her love for children consumes her and hopes that she some day in the future she can have her own child care center.
