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VALEDICTORIANS AND SALUTATORIANS

Top students recognized at diocesan luncheon

Before taking the stage on graduation day and speaking to their fellow classmates and those in attendance, valedictorians and salutatorians from local Catholic high schools gathered at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany to celebrate their accomplishments at a luncheon. 

Also on hand were Bishop Howard J. Hubbard; Sister Mary Jane Herb, IHM, diocesan superintendent of schools; and the guidance counselors from the students' schools.

"It's kind of neat because they've never done this before," remarked Morgan Ryan, valedictorian of Catholic Central High School in Troy, about the lunch.

Morgan and fellow valedictorians Kaelan Anderson of Saratoga Central Catholic High School, Jonathan Aziz of Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady and William Blake of Bishop Maginn High in Albany sat together and discussed their accomplishments over a tossed salad.

"It's always good to get recognized for your hard work," said William.

At the next table, Erika DiLorenzo of CCHS, Spencer Carey of Saratoga Central Catholic and Charlie Bouchard of ND-BG were looking ahead to college life.

"I'm excited," said Erika, who will be attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., as a biotechnology major. "You get to meet people from all over the place and you get to focus on what you're going to do with your life."

While other students will stay in New York State and go to colleges such as Syracuse University, Niagara University, Marist College, Union College and SUNY-Oneonta, Spencer Carey will follow Erika's lead in traveling elsewhere.

"I am going to the Honors College at the University of Arizona," he told The Evangelist. There, Spencer will study math as a pre-med student.

For now, however, the students were taking pride in their high-school achievements.

"It was highly amazing," said Morgan, recalling when she received the news that she was at the top of her class. "My parents cried and then that made me cry."

Parents were not the only ones who were proud of the students. In discussing the luncheon afterward, Sister Jane said she was "pleased to celebrate with these young men and women who have attained the accomplishments of valedictorian and salutatorian at their respective schools. 

"Not only do these individuals excel academically, but their education is grounded in the Gospel values. Whatever career path they choose, I am confident that the Catholic school contributed to their academic preparation and, most importantly, to integrate the values of the Catholic faith in all that they do."

(06/11/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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