pilot

Nikki’s Niche

by Cate Murway

Temple University's first President, Dr. Russell H. Conwell’s famous lecture,

"Acres of Diamonds," made him America's foremost platform orator.

Some of the "Acres of Diamonds" which he mentioned through so many years are

surely found in Historic Bristol on the Delaware. One of its sparkling GEMS, Nicole Marie Gottsabend, BHS ’10

is “dead set” on Temple, to enroll in its interdisciplinary program that uniquely empowers students to explore, design and implement a course of study in the field of communications.

Nicole [means victory, believed to be derived from Nike, the Greek Goddess of victory] is a voracious reader. Since the 4th grade, Nikki always wrote and painstakingly included her “vocab” words in her stories. Her Grandmom, Mary L. Gottsabend constantly encouraged her to continue writing but reminded her, “You have to read, too!”

Nikki’s favorite reads are The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, widely regarded as a paragon of the Great American Novel, ranked second in the Modern Library's list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century, and To Kill a Mockingbird, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the classic renowned for its warmth and humor.

Nicole is a former halfback/fullback soccer athlete, bowling athlete and aspiring journalist. Her goal is to contribute to “Rolling Stone” magazine, devoted to music, politics, and popular culture; or a fashion magazine, emphasizing style. No surprise here, as her mother, Annette [Capriotti] is the owner of Bridal Miniatures, Inc., as well as an incredible pattern maker for the Jones Apparel Group. Her dad is Joseph John “Buddy” Gottsabend, a drywall contracting business owner and Nikki has two older brothers, Joseph Earl and Michael Blair.

She is always writing. As part of the BHS Yearbook staff, she was responsible for an entire page in the Yearbook. Nikki was the only Junior who attended the Walsworth Workshop, enhancing her production skills, cultivating a foundation for a stronger editorial team, and sharing ideas and networking with other school yearbook staffs.

Last year, Nicole also took on the responsibilities of assistant director for the BHS “Seussical the Musical”, a rather complex amalgamation of many of [Theodor Seuss Geisel] Dr. Seuss's most famous books.

Athletics are “right up her alley”. During her “spare” time, she earned a 2008-2009 B.A.L. Bowling All-League Team 2nd Team ranking and according to her social studies teacher [“He’s a very good teacher. You never get bored of him!”]/bowling coach, Ronald Brian McGinn, “Nicole is actively engaged in the classroom and a good participant. She will make a really good [bowling team] captain; she’s picked it up a notch!” Coach McGinn also commented that Nikki has good arm strength. Nicole is very dependable, sets goals and works diligently to meet the challenge.

She “strikes” up the lanes with her Brunswick purple sparkle bowling ball and her purple with silver flames bowling shoes.

Life stays interesting for people who keep moving.

"A rolling stone gathers no moss" [credited to Publilius Syrus]

Nicole has participated in the Rising Stars program, designed to help today's youth develop their personal leadership skills and begin to set goals and directions for their lives, developing positive attitudes, interpersonal, goal-achievement and time-management skills.

She had an occasion to put those skills to work at the PFEW [Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week] from July 5th through July 11th at Lycoming College. She experienced dormitory life and gained valuable knowledge by participating in the challenging experience of designing an almost indestructible cell phone from cardboard and [lots of] tape.

Her team, she was part of the advertising group, won the [Return On Net Assets] – RONA Award, a measure of financial performance: the higher the return, the better the profit performance for the company.

Nicole, descendent of the Capriotti family originating from Spinetoli, is also President of the BHS Italian club that celebrates the rich culture of Italy. This club offers all of the students a better understanding and appreciation of the Italian culture, art, history, music, film, food and language. Benvenuti! This club provides the perfect opportunity to get involved in things Italian both inside and outside the Italian language classroom.

Salvatore Sermania, intensely interested in language, culture and heritage, has taught Italian at BHS for the last 15 years. He shared, “Nicole is the singular reason that the Italian club is so successful. She is highly involved. She works diligently for her [academic] marks, and socially and organizationally, she is a dynamo. It’s like working with an adult. I’ve never seen this quality in a kid before!”

Nicole was one of the dancers who catapulted in the authentic and versatile colorful red, green, blue and purple wrap lace dresses with ribbons on the skirt hems for the Action News cameras in the Columbus Day parade on Broad Street. [Nicole thinks purple is the ideal color. It symbolizes magic and mystery, as well as royalty.] Their lively, whirling Italian folkdance, the Tarantella, the classical dance with instantaneous spins and directional changes was visually enhanced by the dresses created by Nicole’s designer mother.

They also dance in the Bristol Christmas Parade and at the BHS Foreign Language Night.

They may be performing at

Italian Day on September 13, 2009.

Nikki shares a birthday with Elizabeth I, Queen of England, one of the best-loved monarchs, and one of the most admired rulers of all time. Queen Elizabeth became a legend in her own lifetime, famed for her remarkable abilities and achievements and she, too, loved music and dancing! Nicole “was obsessed with the American rock trio Green Day in grade school”, but now she just enjoys all types of music.

A trip to Italy just might be in the near future for Nicole. The Bristol- Spinetoli Sister City Program, co- sponsored by the Italian Mutual Aid and the Borough Council, focuses on promoting economic ties while strengthening cultural understanding. The goal is that the cities reciprocally send and receive delegations of political and business leaders, arts and cultural representatives, educators, technical experts and students, and Nicole’s name is the first one on the list of those selected.

Excitement and intrigue will surely follow Nikki closely, wherever she goes!

This was the last summer Nikki was spending at the pool. She worked as a lifeguard at the Italian Mutual Aid 5th Ward Pool on Lincoln Avenue after earning her Red Cross Certification at BCCC but the private pool opened since 1962, is closing. She has performed the supporting tasks at the altar as an Altar server at St. Ann Church. Ice-skating and rollerblading are fun and she and her dad are recreational angler buddies, catching trout and summer flounder, also called fluke. Nicole said they really do eat what they catch! Is mom a good cook? “Oh, yeah!”

Fish is her food of choice and her favorites are tuna, bluefish and flounder.

Also Italian food and Nicole makes her own pizza and her own dough.

Breakfast out is usually at the Radcliffe Café [short stack pancakes with bacon for her], a special time for just she and her mom. She helps at the St. Ann carnival, working the pizza fritta press, making the delicious, deep-fried until crispy, traditional specialty of Napoli, Italy.

Nicole loves Bristol and especially, “loves all the history about Bristol”

Tube time is spent watching her favorite show, “House". Of course, she prefers the central character, Dr. Gregory House [Hugh Laurie], an unconventional medical genius, who is “very smart and very sarcastic, and pushes people to get things done”.

Nicole is a valuable team player with her superb organization skills and her ever practical, down-to-earth approach with her obvious patience with detail.

She, too, gets things done!

The future is here. It has just not been distributed yet! Knock ‘em alive, Nicole!

To recommend a “Children are our Future”, e-mail vjmrun@yahoo.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joseph J. Gottsabend

Bucks County Courier Times

Joseph J. "Buddy" Gottsabend

passed away peacefully

surrounded by his loving family and friends

Tuesday, June 22, 2010,

after a courageous battle with Cancer.

He was 52.

He was born and raised in Bristol Borough

and spent the majority of his life there.

He was a graduate of Bristol High School,

Class of 1976.

He was a member of the Bristol Sons of Italy.

Mr. Gottsabend was owner and operator of J.J. Construction Co. for more than 20 years. He was a skilled and talented sheet "Rocker" who took pride in his work.

Buddy loved his family and cherished the times they spent together. He was a wonderful family man who loved life. He had a unique sense of humor and found humor in any situation. Hunting and fishing were his passions throughout his life.

He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph A. Gottsabend. Buddy will be sadly missed by his loving wife of 23 years, Annette (Capriotti). He was the beloved father of Joseph E., Michael, Nicole, and Desiree Gottsabend and Lauren Zocholl; and great grandfather, "Crazy Pop Pop," of Jadyn Marsh. He also is survived by his mother, Mary (Moffo); his siblings, Louis Gottsabend and his wife, Joan, Joan Ruggieri and her husband, Tom, Dean Gottsabend and Jackie Nolan; He was brother-in-law to Paul Nolan, and Blair and Ginny Capriotti; and is also survived by many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family; and numerous good friends.

Relatives and friends are invited to gather from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, at Galzerano Funeral Home, 430 Radcliffe St., Bristol Borough, followed by his funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at St. Ann Church. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery.

The family requests contributions in memory of Joe be made to Gottsabend Children education Fund, NBA Credit Union, 23 Commerce Circle, Bristol, PA 19007, to help continue Joe, Mike, and Nikki's education.

To honor Buddy, please have a cocktail in his memory. Galzerano Funeral Home,

June 24, 2010 2:51 AM

R.I.P. Joseph John Gottsabend

April 23, 1958- June 22, 2010...

You put up a good fight daddy,

be at peace,

I'll be there with you someday.

I love you.

you're the best father

a girl could ever ask for!!!