GRADERS BACKTO THEIROWN SCHOOLS

District wants to hit fall with a plan;

BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS

Elevate Sports Media founder and CEO Niko Mokanos, COO Paul Sullivan, and director of marketing and sponsorships Marc Hernandez — all alumni of area varsity baseball programs — against a shot of client Justyn-Henry Malloy. The three say their company, founded amid lockdown, has worked with nine professional athletes, 15 up-and-coming draft prospects, and many more coaches, influencers, and baseball managers.

BY PATRICKBREEN SPECIAL TO PASCACK PRESS

THREEFORMER Pascackarea athletes came together over quarantine to launch Elevate Sports Media, a company that provides budding pro baseball players with premier athlete concierge services.

Niko Mokanos, a former varsity athlete at St. Joseph Regional High School, founded the company with the help of Marc Hernandez and Paul Sullivan, who both won multiple state titles playing baseball at Pascack Hills.

Elevate Sports Media tar- gets college athletes, draft prospects, and young major leaguers who might not typically gain notice from the big sports agencies, and pairs them up with advertisers, influencers, and media connections.

Mokanos told Pascack Press last week, “The bigger agencies wonʼt give some of these players the time of day right now because theyʼre not turning the profit that a true major leaguer would, and thatʼs where we come in.”

Since its inception in 2020, Elevate Sports Media — “building brands, creating legacies” — has worked with nine profession-

Cyber Scholars

al athletes, 15 up and coming draft prospects, and many more coaches, influencers, and baseball managers.

Many of these connections came through cold calls and emails during the early stages of the pandemic, but Mokanos has been fostering his connections with talented athletes since high school.

“Going to a school like St. Joeʼs with a lot of competitive sports, youʼre surrounded by a lot of high quality athletes,” said Mokanos, “A lot of the guys get drafted or play very high end

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Following a resounding school bond defeat in March, school officials said recently they hope to offer possible architectural options — including costs and timetables — for moving fifth grade students out of the middle school and back to their respective elementary schools, at a public forum this September

Moreover, school officials told Pascack Press that they hope the forum will feature a presentation on what needs to be done at each elementary school to allow fifth graders to stay at Meadowbrook School and Anne Blanche Smith School.

“Thereʼs no small fix at George White. Itʼs a big project,” Lombardy said at the July 17 school board meeting. Lombardy said school officials were using the summertime to discuss options and work with the architect on suggested renovations made by the public at the June 1 forum.

See FORUM on page 11