About the Scholarship

“The Zachary J. Zabatta Memorial Scholarship will commemorate not only our dear son’s commitment to learning but his great spirit of generosity and love...”

Dear Friends and Family,

On behalf of our family, we are writing to share a special initiative close to our hearts, which we are sure all of you will welcome.

Over two years ago, our beloved son Zachary lost his life as a result of a tragic accident that occurred while we were all together vacationing in Iceland. At the time, many of you brought great consolation to our family and friends–especially to our daughters Gabriella and Sophia with your heartfelt prayers and condolences.

Your kind fellow feeling and moving thoughtfulness console us still. To continue bringing healing to both our family and the St. Mary’s High School family, we are announcing the establishment of a fund to serve as a memorial scholarship in Zach’s name to benefit the outstanding Catholic high school that meant so much to him.

As all of you know, Zach was an exceptional young man. A brilliant student, he was consistently ranked at the top of his class and excelled in the school’s most challenging AP courses. He was applying to some of the country’s most prestigious colleges. It is thus only fitting that the fund we are establishing in Zach’s honor offers others the same educational benefits that he received himself from Saint Mary’s College Preparatory High School.

By offering scholarships to young men and women who need monetary assistance to enroll in and benefit from the upper school of Saint Mary, the Zachary J. Zabatta Memorial Scholarship will commemorate not only our dear son’s commitment to learning but his great spirit of generosity and love, which, we are sure, all of you remember fondly. Accordingly, we ask every member of the Saint Mary’s community, parents and parishioners alike, to consider making a gift to this special fund in memory of Zach. All contributions will be used solely for scholarships awarded to qualified extant and prospective St. Mary’s High School students who need financial support to cover tuition.

All contributions to the fund are tax-deductible, and checks can be made payable to the Zachary J. Zabatta Memorial Scholarship c/o Saint Mary’s High School. You may send your contribution to:

Mr. Gerard J. Buckley, Principal
c/o Saint Mary’s High School
51 Clapham Avenue, Manhasset, New York 11030

Questions regarding the fund can be directed to Mr. Edward Short, Vice President of Development for the Schools of Saint Mary, by calling 516-627-2711 or eshort@stmary.ws.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

Very truly yours,

James and Barbara Zabatta