The graduation ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Hall in Albany where the new troopers marched into the convention center in a procession led by the New York State Police Pipe and Drum band. The National Anthem was performed by Trooper Elizabeth Fallon and the ceremony included a video presentation of the training received by all members of the 204th Basic School Session.

"Six months ago these outstanding men and women answered the call to serve, and after the rigors of training they are ready to join one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the world," said Lieutenant Governor Hochul. "This class chose the motto ‘Protecting New York to the core, we are the 204’, and nothing could speak more to their courage and sense of dedication. I’m honored to take part in today’s commencement, and wish all the graduates the very best as they enter an exciting and noble profession."

"After months of training, the 204th Basic School join the ranks of one of the finest police agencies in the world," said New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II. "For nearly 100 years the State Police have served and protected the citizens of New York. I congratulate all of our new Troopers and thank them for their continued dedication to the State Police and the people of New York."

In addition to honoring all graduates from the 204th Session of Basic School, Superintendent Beach presented the following awards:

Academic Achievement Award
As a special incentive for all students attending the State Police Academy Basic School, the Superintendent sponsors the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest level of academic performance during Academy training.

The winner of the Academic Performance Award is Trooper Joseph A. Sparacino, a 27-year-old resident of Tonawanda, New York. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he was a Police Officer with the Town of Tonawanda Police Department. Throughout the Academy training program, he achieved an outstanding overall academic average of 99.3. He will be assigned to Troop E.

Firearms Proficiency Award
The New York State Trooper Foundation has sponsored the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest level of performance in all phases of firearms training.

The winner of the Superintendent's Firearms Proficiency Award is Trooper Michael R. Beck, age 30, of Auburn, New York. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he served as a corporal for nine years with the Cayuga County Sherriff’s Office. During firearms training, he fired an average score of 250 out of a possible 250. He will be assigned to Troop D.

Investigator Joseph T. Aversa Physical Fitness Award
The New York State Police Investigators Association has sponsored the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest degree of physical fitness during the Physical Training Program at the Academy. This award will be presented in memory of deceased Investigator Joseph Aversa. Investigator Aversa made the ultimate sacrifice in New York City on March 5th, 1990, during a narcotics investigation while serving as a Member of the Joint Drug Enforcement Task Force. Investigator Aversa was a six-year State Police veteran who believed that physical conditioning was an integral part of being a Trooper.

The winner of the Joseph T. Aversa Physical Training Award is Trooper Jeffrey Blazek. He is 27 years old and resides in New Hartford, New York. Prior to entering the New York State Police Academy, he graduated from Utica College with a Bachelor Degree in Economic Crime Investigation. During the physical agility testing, he achieved the highest score of all 226 Members of the 204th Session, a tribute to his superb physical conditioning. He will be assigned to Troop B.

Student Representative
The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association has sponsored the awarding of a firearm to the Member of the class who is selected by his or her peers to represent them during these exercises. The PBA presents the award in memory of Trooper John J. McKenna IV, who was killed in action in 2006, while serving his country as a Marine in Iraq.

Trooper Avery Katz has been chosen as the class representative. He is 34 years old and resides in Yorktown Heights, New York. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice. He is currently an Executive Officer in the United States Marine Core Reserves. He will be assigned to Troop F.

Video sound bites with the members listed directly below are available on the New York State Police YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/nyspolice.

Trooper Joseph Sparacino – Tonawanda
Trooper Sparacino will be assigned to Troop E.

Trooper Daniel Arcadi – St. Regis Falls
Trooper Arcadi will be assigned to Troop B.

Trooper Arron Whitney – Endwell
Trooper Whitney will be assigned to Troop C.

Trooper Jeffrey Blazek – New Hartford
Trooper Blazek will be assigned to Troop B.

Trooper Olivia Beck – Rochester
Trooper Beck will be assigned to Troop D.

Trooper Edward Donohue – Middletown
Trooper Donohue will be assigned to Troop F.

Trooper James Oliveto - Ballston Spa
Trooper Oliveto will be assigned to Troop K.

Trooper Avery Katz – Yorktown Heights
Trooper Katz will be assigned to Troop F.

Trooper Kyle Shillingford – West Hempstead
Trooper Shillingford will be assigned to Troop F.

The new troopers reported for field duty on October 20, 2016. For the following 10 weeks the new troopers will be evaluated under a field-training program supervised by senior Field Training Officers.

Below is a list of field training Troop assignments where graduates will begin field duty supervised by senior training officers. Included are the hometowns of the graduates.

Troop B – Plattsburgh
Daniel J. Albee	Hudson Falls
Daniel K. Arcadi	Saint Regis Falls
Kurt W. Becker	East Meadow
Matthew C. Bishop	Dickinson Center
Jeffrey A. Blazek	New Hartford
Brendan G. Bolis	Canton
Alfred M. Brassard	Champlain
Ryan J. Carrow	Potsdam
Dylan K. Dawson	Lake Clear
James D. Dew	Ithaca
Salvatore C. Dilegge III	Bay Shore
Brandon M. Drews	Hamburg
Mark D. Eggleston	Plattsburgh
Joshua E. Gushlaw	Plattsburgh
Shane R. Harridan	Chateaugay
David Hennessy	Nassau
Kale C. Hitchman	Madrid
Derek E. Jubert	Altona
Ryan J. Kennedy	Albany
Zackery M. Leader	Lake Placid
Derrick A Leonard	Black River
Taylor A. McCarthy	Watkins Glen
Christopher Meliti	Scarsdale
Kayla L. Messier	Troy
Michael L. Milbauer	Bayshore
Joseph Mistretta	Shirley
Erin W. Mulcahy	South Glens Falls
David A. Nash	Latham
Juan D. Olarte	Rensselaer
Kevin D. Peterson Jr.	Buffalo
Alex C. Phelps	Amsterdam
Kimberly M. Pikarsky	Clay
Joshua M. Porcell	Latham
Joseph T. Port	Queensbury
Joshua W. Prashaw	Norfolk
Ryan C. Reid	Morrisonville
Jeremy Reynolds	Cornwall-on-Hudson
Michael B. Roman	Watertown
Craig M. Samiof	Troy
Srdjan Simic	Buffalo
Matthew A. Stivala	Yonkers
Alex E. Stuart	Tupper Lake
Aaron W. F. Sulkey	Queensbury
Charles E. Szablewski II	Queensbury
Jennifer Terpstra	Gouverneur
Dustin J. Thomas	Dexter
Jasmin Veiz	Utica
Maurice H. Walker	Bronx
Bradford T. Wiggins	Manlius
Shawn M. Windoloski	Bombay
Angela Yacobucci	Henderson
Troop C – Sidney
Sean M. Ancker	Rochester
Joshua R. Bannister	Blasdell
Michael R. Boice	Buffalo
Brian D. Brinkman	Williamsville
Diane K. Caraballo	Rochester
Jake T. Catalano	Fredonia
Adam Cernauskas	Richmondville
Mark A. Ciccotti	Horseheads
Jennifer Daignault	Rome
Samantha L. Dayton	Tonawanda
Andrew N. Dlugosz	Lackawanna
Nicholas K. Dziamba	Troy
Paul A. Evans	Elma
Christopher R. Gibbs	Bernhards Bay
Daniel J. Goldrick	Nyack
Dylan R. Goodrich	Elma
Samantha Hartmann	Remsen
Edward T. Hernandez	Oneonta
Matthew M. Hourihan	West Seneca
Michael D. Kline	Liverpool
Matthew J. Kowal	Dunkirk
Jenna M. Kozel	Amherst
Herbert Maldonado	Central Islip
Ryan J. McConnon	Canandaigua
Justin C. Miller	Guilford
Jevon C. Pakkala	Newfield
Mariella C. Pantano	Buffalo
Derek T. Peschieri	Greenfield Center
Aaron D. Quinitchett	Elmira
Shaun M. Reynolds	Lockport
Daniel H. Schuler	Holland
Matthew P. Schwandt	North Tonawanda
Keith G. Sciarratta	Rochester
Cory A. Sprague	Clinton
Justin P. Statt	Rochester
Tyler J. Stevens	Depew
Rachel R. Stockholm	Fairport
Nathan C. Strange	Johnson City
Andrea M. Swanger	Rochester
Christopher M. Thayer	Dolgeville
Eric J. Tomczak	Cheektowaga
Cody C. Towner	Batavia
Adam T. Vargeson	Corning
Carolina Vergara	Yonkers
Joseph F. Vogel	Buffalo
Jared Vonderheide	Goshen
Aaron R. Whitney	Endwell
Cansu Zaim	West Hempstead
Troop D – Oneida
Olivia R. Beck	Auburn
Michael R. Beck	Auburn
Andrew P. Caldiero	Buffalo
Jason T. Cleason	Hamburg
Jeffrey J. Gmerek	Cheektowaga
Nathan M. Horner	Liverpool
Waleed Javed	Seneca Falls
Jacob W. Klock	Wellsville
Richard T. Kosakowski	Lee Center
Drew H. Lewandowski	Tonawanda
Brian E. Locastro	Auburn
Eric M. Lojba	Herkimer
David W. Lyubezhanin	Oriskany
Kyle J. Meyers	Penn Yan
Timothy K. Nanry	Rochester
Kyle M. Ready	Boonville
Donald T. Schug III	Camillus
Eric L. Sherman	Oswego
Michael T. Siegfried	Utica
William J. Siwy III	Derby
Kyle L. Smith	Wolcott
Ronald J. Solem	Hamburg
Justin B. Weakley	Cold Brook
Christopher Wyant	Lockport
Troop E – Canandaigua
Peter M. Koschuk	Lancaster
Robert F. Leunig	East Northport
Steven H. Papponetti	Albion
Zachary S. Penhollow	West Seneca
Joseph A. Sparacino	Tonawanda
Troop F – Middletown
Brian T. Anderson	Massapequa
Chanel D. Beasley	Uniondale
Anthony G. Bluman	Schaghticoke
Megan A. Bologna	Stillwater
Meg H. Brown	Lindenhurst
Arielle A. Caban	Montgomery
Robert J. Casino	Scotia
Staci N. Chadwick	Troy
George A. Cook	Sparkill
Connor B. Cornine	Campbell Hall
Nicholas A. D’Angelo	Mount Sinai
Kyle I. Dawson	Monroe
John M. Degregoria II	Glasco
Kalyn M. Deso	Schenectady
William C. DiDiego	Wappingers Falls
James L. Di Stasi	Highland
Edward N. Donohue	Middletown
Sean M. Drown	Neversink
Samantha A. Gau	Pine Bush
Andrew Giga	New City
Robert E. Glas	Pine Bush
Thomas P. Goebeler	Smithtown
James E. Gomiela	Rockville Center
Alexander J. Grant	South Floral Park
Cody W. Harder	Hurley
Blake A. Hasbrouck	Middletown
Massiel Hernandez	Bronx
Kevin A. Jacks	Westtown
Kristina M. Jenkins	Slingerlands
Kenneth L. Kadar	Coram
Avery Katz	Yorktown Heights
Daniel J. Kokulak	Bardonia
Lauren A. Krogh	Troy
Zenel S. Lulanaj	Valhalla
Dominic Mangiapane	Locust Valley
Cameron R. Manley	Fort Plain
Nicole E. Mannino	Selden
Shane T. McLoughlin	Washingtonville
Colleen E. McNamara	White Plains
Thomas J. Mozer	Glen Cove
Curt J. Natalizio	Port Jervis
Claris Ortiz	Yonkers
Gabrielle A. Platt	Wurtsboro
Cory D. Quimby	Middletown
Ronald Raymond	Suffern
Daniel J. Ritz	Altamont
Jessica Romero	Brooklyn
Catherine J. Savoia	Haverstraw
Brittany L. Schurko	Lagrangeville
Kyle S. Shillingford	West Hempstead
Taylor A. Simpson	Livingston Manor
Brandon D. Smith	Livingston Manor
Adam Szlejter	Riverhead
Adrian Szlejter	Riverhead
Joshua T. Thomsen	Schenectady
Robert A. Troy II	Seaford
Nathan H. Valle	Saugerties
John G. White	Schenectady
Jason T. Wurtz	Gardiner
Troop G – Latham
Michael W. Flynn	Saratoga Springs
Ashley J. Puro	Cobleskill
Daniel J. Riggi	Scotia
Brian C. Torres	Albany
Jonathan H. Vanwie	Hagaman
Troop K – Poughkeepsie
Romel Arias	Albany
Tatiana I. Bedoya	Bronx
Dean M. Borgese	Smithtown
Leonard J. Brown IV	New Lebanon
Meghan A. Calhoun	Union Springs
Carlo G. Castro	Bronx
Carmine F. Coglitore	Bronx
Robert Costa	Wappingers Falls
Christopher J. Fitton	East Patchogue
James P. Flynn-Kocourek	East Meadow
John R. Havens	Hampton Bays
Kyle T. Jackson	Port Cehster
Tyler W. Knapp	Mahopac
Justin M. LaVarnway	Plattsburgh
Gregory W. Lewis	East Nassau
Leonard D. Lynott	East Hampton
Chad M. Martin	Lowman
Christopher C. Mastroianni	Levittown
Ryan J. McCabe	Massapequa Park
John E. Moore	Germantown
James D. Oliveto	Ballston Spa
Joseph E. Penniman	Thornwood
Francis W. Rush IV	Putnam Valley
William J. Ryan	Levittown
Paul J. Sabo	Levittown
Alison C. Sanzi	Hudson
Cody Scales	Port Jervis
Jacalyn M. Sommer	Massapequa
Andrew P. Stamatis	Fresh Meadows
Aaron Tiso	Hopewell Junction
Fotini Vartholomeos	Commack
Stephen D. Wrobel	East Patchogue