The fourth annual Greg Sill Foundation Golf outing took place this week at the Wind Watch Golf and Country Club.
The event was to honor the legacy of the late Greg Sill, the beloved Smithtown High School West history teacher. Sill passed away in March 2021. As the tournament was set to begin Smithtown High School West's social studies/special education teacher and coach, Ashley Marchese told the crowd to "remember this is all for Greg".
A GoFundMe page was created by his wife, Elizabeth, to raise money for what’s now called the Greg Sill “Be the Coffee Bean” Memorial Fund.So far more than $120,000 has been raised in scholarship money for local students, including an annual $5,000 scholarship for a Smithtown High School West and Smithtown High School East student.
Being the 'Coffee Bean' is a metaphor for life in which the challenges we face are represented by pots of boiling water. We can act as either the carrot, the egg, or the coffee bean.
The carrot goes into the pot strong, but once it sits in the boiling water, it softens and grows weak. The egg enters with a hard shell and a soft heart. This fragile egg soon becomes tough and rougher on the inside once it faces the boiling water. The coffee bean, however, is able to change its environment. The coffee bean spreads its strong flavor and turns the water into a pot of coffee.
When life throws us in a pot of boiling water, we have the opportunity to change the environment around us, better our situation, and spread love and positivity.
Elizabeth, along with her three daughters, Emily, Isabella and Natalie attended the event. At the golf fundraiser, locals participated in a lunch, golf outing and dinner, as well as purchased gift bags and raffles.
Sill was a prominent member of the district and many of the Smithtown Central School District staff were on hand, including Smithtown High School West's Principal William Holl, West's Assistant Principal Scott Johnson, Nesaquake Middle School Assistant Principal, Michael Freiberg, as well as former High School East's Principal, Robert Rose.