Petrides Student Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science

Enzo Rapacciuolo '25 Wins Prestigious Award

Monsignor Farrell High School senior Vincenzo “Enzo” Rapacciuolo was named the 2025 Petrides Award winner at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 13, at Petrides High School. “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Petrides family and the scholarship committee,” Enzo said.

The Michael J. Petrides Student Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science is presented annually to a graduating high school senior who excels in math and science. Awarded in memory of Michael J. Petrides, a Staten Island educator who passed away in 1994, the winner is chosen by the Petrides family and the scholarship committee from seniors who are nominated by all Staten Island High Schools — public, private, and parochial.

“I never imagined that what I was doing as a member of the Monsignor Farrell STEM Institute — helping other students to learn more about what they find interesting — would lead to me receiving an honor like this,” - Enzo Rapacciuolo

Back-to-Back

This is the second year in a row that a student from Monsignor Farrell High School has received the award. Brian Lihari, who went on to Cornell University after graduating from Farrell, was the 2024 winner. “We are especially proud to have captured this distinguished award for the second consecutive year, a testament to the strength of our academic community and the exceptional promise of our students,” said Lou Tobacco, President of Monsignor Farrell High School.

About Enzo

Enzo, a member of Monsignor Farrell’s highly selective Scholar’s Program, scored a near-perfect 1550 on the SAT and will graduate from Monsignor Farrell with a 102.13 GPA. “Enzo’s remarkable achievement reflects the core of our mission at Monsignor Farrell High School – to develop faithful men who are aware of their God-given talents and confident in their abilities,” said Tobacco. “He has truly embodied this principle, excelling in both the classroom and the lab, demonstrating the discipline, curiosity, and determination that define a Vir Fidelis (faithful man), our school’s motto,” Tobacco added.

Larry Musanti, Principal of Monsignor Farrell High School, noted the similarities between Enzo and Michael Petrides. “Not only is Enzo an outstanding math and science student, as a student-leader of our STEM Institute, he gets great enjoyment and satisfaction from sharing his knowledge with the younger members of the program, much like Michael Petrides did, when he left NASA to teach the next generation of aspiring engineers at Staten Island Community College,” Musanti said.

Inventions

One of Enzo’s most impressive STEM inventions is his teleoperated robotic hand, which originated from his summer experiment with a DIY haptic glove. “I expanded upon the glove’s initial design by integrating VR technology to control a robotic hand, transitioning from a simple cardboard model to a 3D-printed, Arduino-programmed robotic arm,” he explained.

His work was so remarkable that it was showcased at Monsignor Farrell’s Open House this past October. “I’m continually refining the hand, aiming to incorporate an elbow joint and explore haptic feedback transmission,” Enzo said.

The Monsignor Farrell senior also designed and built a “Doctor Octopus” Halloween costume that featured over one hundred 3D-printed segments around heat-shaped PVC pipes. His creation not only won the school’s senior Halloween costume contest last October, but also earned a feature in the school newspaper.

Enzo is also developing DIY heads-up display glasses to enhance gardening by improving the visibility of weeds. His concept integrates a smartphone with computer vision technology to outline objects in real time, using a periscope system to project labeled images onto a transparent visor. Though still in its conceptual stages, the project demonstrates his vision for practical, everyday technological innovation.

Academics and Beyond

Enzo is a three-year member of the National Honor Society and a member of the Monsignor Farrell STEM Institute, where he serves as the head of robotics and computer-aided design. He actively collaborates with faculty and administration, working to integrate his personal projects into the STEM Institute’s activities. “Enzo is an extremely talented young man,” noted John DeMartino, Farrell’s Assistant Principal for STEM and director of the school’s STEM Institute. “In addition to his exceptional academic record, he has a clear passion for STEM and dedication to STEM projects, helping numerous underclassmen at Farrell develop enthusiasm for STEM while teaching them about coding and 3D printing,” he added.

He is also a peer tutor in Farrell’s Center for Learning and Academic Wellness, a member of the school’s Classics and Philosophy Colloquium, as well as Farrell’s Math Team, Big Brother Program, and Marine Biology Society.

“The entire Monsignor Farrell family congratulates Enzo, and we look forward to all of the great things that he will accomplish as he continues to use his gifts to serve and inspire others,” - Farrell President Lou Tobacco

“Enzo absorbs knowledge, synthesizes ideas, and applies them to passion projects aimed at bettering the world,” said Kristen Kiernan, Assistant Principal for College Advisement & Guidance at Farrell. “What sets him apart is his relentless drive to learn beyond the curriculum, consistently pushing himself to acquire new skills in electronics, programming, and engineering.”

Enzo has received numerous academic accolades as a student at Monsignor Farrell, including the distinction of being an AP Scholar with Honors, and the recipient of the First in Merit awards for Chemistry and Physics in his class. His artistic talents have been acknowledged with a prestigious Gold Key from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. He is also captain of the discus, weight throw, and shot put events on the Farrell track and field team.

After graduating as Monsignor Farrell’s Salutatorian later this month, Enzo plans on attending either Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) or Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Both institutions are renowned for their STEM programs.

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