Class of 2020
Amber Casiano
Class of 2009
2009 graduate of South Windsor High School where she was a member of the Varsity Lacrosse Team (four years), Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team (three years) and Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team (two years).
Amber was named a Lacrosse All-American in 2008 and 2009 and All-State and All-Conference in 2007, 2008 and 2009. She was also selected as All-Conference in Basketball 2008 and 2009. Amber was a member of two Lower New England Teams, Connecticut Lacrosse Futures Team and CFC Premier Soccer Team.
Amber graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2013 where she was a member of the Women’s Lacrosse Team for four years. She was selected for the 2010 America East All-Rookie Team and was America East Rookie of the Week (three times) and was recognized on the America East Academic Honor Roll. She was a SAFE Peer Educator and participated in USA Athletes International games as a member of Team USA in Australia where the team won the Gold Medal.
Amber received a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati where she graduated with Honors. She is a supervising Case Manager for Community Partners in Action. She is a member of the Puerto Rico Women’s National Lacrosse Team.
Kara Fleet
Class of 2002
2002 graduate of South Windsor High School where she was a member of the Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team (four years). She was First Team All-Conference (three years), First Team All-State (two years), member of the All-Courant Girls’ Soccer Team (2000 and 2001), 2001 Journal Inquirer Athlete of the Week, 2001 CGSCA Senior Bowl participant, and 2002 recipient of the Hugh Greer Award for Best Female Athlete in her class. She served as a Team Captain her senior year and led the team to three CCC East Titles and three CIAC Quarterfinal Tournament appearances. Kara was also a member of the Honor Roll for four years.
Kara is the Girls’ Soccer #2 All-Time leading scorer with 54 goals, #1 and #5 for Top Season Goals scored and leads South Windsor with five all-time Hat Tricks. She was a member of the CFC Wolves Premier Team and Captain from 2000-2006. The 2004 team were CJSA State Cup Champions and she led the team to the Region One Semifinals.
Kara graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 2006 where she was a member of the Women’s Division 1 Soccer Team (four years). She was chosen for the 2004 IndustRecycle All-Tournament Team and was on the Dean’s List and Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll her entire career at St. Bonaventure. She finished her career at St. Bonaventure with five goals and nine assists for nineteen points.
Kara is employed at Brighthouse Financial as Director of Business Management in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was previously employed at MetLife in Charlotte, North Carolina and Bloomfield, Connecticut. She also served as an Assistant Girls’ Soccer Coach at South Windsor High School for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Kara resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her wife Meghan.
Edward Florio
SWHS Faculty and Coach
Ed was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey and attended St. Peter’s Prep School in Jersey City, New Jersey. He graduated from Boston College in 1974 with degrees in History and Education.
Ed joined the South Windsor High School Social Studies Department teaching staff in 1974. Ed served as the Varsity Baseball Head Coach from 1975-1983. He also served as an Assistant Football Coach under Head Coach Ralph McCarroll for the period 1975-1983.
He left South Windsor High School in 1988 and has practiced law in New Jersey with his law firm now known as Florio Kenny Raval L.L.P. The law firm represents individual, corporate and public entity clients in the areas of Employment Law, Civil Rights, Election Law and Personal Injury Law. The firm serves as General and Special Counsel to numerous governmental entities throughout New Jersey.
Ed has served as Coordinating Counsel for the Presidential Campaigns of John Kerry, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, successful campaigns of Governors Jim McGreevy, John Corzine and Phil Murphy and campaigns of United States Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker.
Ed resides in Bloomfield, New Jersey with his wife of 41 years, Nancy (Mahoney) who is a 1974 graduate of South Windsor High School. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Jay Murtha
Class of 1984
1984 graduate of South Windsor High School and lifelong resident of South Windsor, Jay decided college was not for him so he sold his jeep, purchased a professional mower and started Jay’s Landscaping and Lawncare. As a Mohegan tribal member Jay was offered the opportunity to bid on the large landscaping project at the Mohegan Sun Casino. He won the contract in 1999 and he registered with the State of Connecticut as a minority contractor and renamed the company Jay’s Landscaping, LLC.
Jay now has thirty employees during the landscaping season including five mow crews that work on residential, local commercial and high visibility sites throughout South Windsor and Greater Hartford. At age 14 he became a volunteer member of the Fire Explorers through the South Windsor Volunteer Fire Department and the South Windsor Rescue Squad. He now has forty years of service as a volunteer firefighter and thirty-six years on the South Windsor Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad. His commitment to the town of South Windsor runs deep as his mother, Jan Murtha, was the registrar of voters for many years.
Jay is a member of the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce and has donated his time and materials to many local organizations in South Windsor and throughout Greater Hartford including the Channel 3 Kid’s Camp.
In 2004 he received the Public Service Award from the Secretary of State, in 2005 he received the Achievement in Business Award from the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce, a Town of South Windsor Certificate of Appreciation for his patriotism and in 2019 he was recognized as the Town of South Windsor Honoree for the Hartford St. Patrick’s day Parade. He also received recognition by the South Windsor Chamber of Commerce as the Business Person of the Year.
Jay is the father of two adult daughters and is engaged to Beth Grigorian.
Sam Odell
Class of 2013
2013 graduate of South Windsor High School where he was an All-American Wrestler in 2013, three time Class LL Champion, two time State Open Champion, a New England Championship Finalist, four time All-Conference and two time Team Captain. Sam also served as a Team Captain on the Varsity Football Team and was named All-Conference. Sam was an Honor Roll student at the high school.
Sam graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in History. He was a member of the Wrestling team for one year.
Sam is a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and is currently serving as the Rifle Platoon Commander for Second Platoon, Lima Company, Third Battalion. Seventh Marine Regiment in Twenty-nine Palms, California.
Jan Snyder
Class of 1978
1978 graduate of South Windsor High School, member of the National Honor Society and member of 1978 CVC and State Champion Varsity Softball team, CVC Champion and State Tournament Finalists/SemiFinalist Varsity Field Hockey Teams and CVC and State Tournament Finalists Varsity Basketball Teams.
Jan graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science Degree (with Distinction) in Health and Physical Education/Kinesiology. She was a walk-on member of the Division I Varsity Field Hockey Team (1978-1981) and she was named a First Team All American in 1979, participated in the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado and participated in training weekends with the United States National Team Practice Squad of which the 1980 United States Olympic team was chosen. In 1979 her Field Hockey Team was Division I National Runner-up and in 1980 and 1981 they were Division I National Champions.
In 1984 Jan received an Associate’s Degree in Surgical Technology from Manchester Community College and in 1993 she completed the Physician Assistant Certificate Program/Master of Health Professionals Degree at Northeastern University.
Since 1993, she has been employed as a Physician Assistant in the Department of Surgery at Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Previously she was employed as a Certified Surgical Technologist and Fitness Instructor.
Jan resides in Belmont, Massachusetts with her spouse Janet.
Jill Snyder
Class of 1978
1978 graduate of South Windsor High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society and the Outing Club. Jill was also a member of the 1978 CVC Champion and State Champion Varsity Softball Team, CVC Champion and State Tournament Finals Runner-up Varsity Basketball Teams and CVC Champion and State Tournament Finalists/Semifinalists Varsity Field Hockey Teams.
She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with a minor in Athletic Training at Ursinus College where she was a member of the Division 1 Varsity Field Hockey Team for three years. She traveled on a Holland tour with the team and participated in regional and national tournaments. She received a Presidential Scholarship and was a member and Treasurer of Tau Sigma Gamma Sorority and Vice President of the Women’s Athletic Association. Jill completed the NATA Athletic Training curriculum at West Chester University and has been a Certified Athletic Trainer since 1983 with licenses in New Jersey and Vermont.
Jill has served as the Athletic Trainer at Pompton Lakes High School in Pompton, New Jersey since 2001 and has covered several state championship wins for the Field Hockey, Boy’s Soccer and Football teams. Previous experience includes Athletic Trainer at Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation of North Jersey/Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains, New Jersey for the period of 1991-2001, Assistant Athletic Trainer and Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach (two years) at Farleigh Dickinson University of Madison, New Jersey (1987-1991) Co-Head Athletic Trainer at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey (1984-1987). She served as an Athletic Trainer for the 1984 USA Olympic Field Hockey training squad for practices/competition and the USA Field Hockey Developmental Summer Camp (1984-1985).
She is a member of National and State Athletic Trainers Associations, serves as a NJSIAA Wrestling Weight Certification Assessor and PLHS Concussion Management Policy Coordinator. Jill is a recipient of the “Passaic County Coaches Association Service Award” in 2001 and the “Award of Honor” in 2018. In 2016, she received the Bill Petty Memorial Athletic Service Award – the Old Timer’s Athletic Association of Greater Paterson.
1995 Boys State Champion Cross Country Team
Coached by Bob Labreche, the Boys' Cross Country team of 1995 included Chris Smith, Mike Danahy, Steve Coakley, Casey Hannan, James Parisen, Justin Taylor and Jason Cooley. Winning the State Title was a team effort with constant preparation, hard work and conditioning. Chris Smith finished 2nd and Mike Danahy came in 4TH.
1995 Girls' State Champion Cross Country Team
At the end of the 1994 season, the SWHS Girls’ Cross Country team finished 4th in the CIAC Class L Division, but in 1995 South Windsor left the other teams behind.
Coached by Steve Stoklosa, the team posted impressive finishes at the Windham Invitational, the Manchester, New Hampshire Invitational, and the Wickham Invitational and completed the season with a 11-1 dual meet record. Led by all-state sophomore Maura Danahy and followed by the sextet of senior Carly Anderson, sophomores Katie McGray, Rachel Meiklejohn, and Alison Ross, and freshmen Danielle Tardif and Jessie Graham, the team continued to improve and dominate the competition, earning a fourth place ranking in the state high school coaches’ poll. At the CIAC State Class L Meet, South Windsor placed 5 runners in the top 27, beating 2nd place Amity by 14 points and joining the 1984 Girls’ Cross Country team in the winner’s circle and now the South Windsor High Hall of Fame.