Congratulations Class of 2010 Top Twenty Students
Top Twenty Students
Congratulations to the "Top Twenty" in the Class of 2010 who are listed alphabetically: Francesca Abranko, Brian Berkowitz, Belinda Casimir, Kaylyn Cross, Toni Dauphin, Kelly Figoski, Gianna Gelosi, Eric Heikkila, Luis Medina, Kristin Meier, Allison Nguyen, Tausif Noor, Shanelle Riccio (salutatorian), Peter Ruess (valedictorian), Catherine Scharf, Morgan Smyth, Emily Walsh, Victoria Wischerth, Angela Wong, and Christine Zhao.
Valedictorian: Peter RuessPeter
Ruess, the valedictorian, is not only a scholar but also an athlete. He absolutely loves Cross Country and Track in which he has participated since 7th grade, but a recent knee injury has kept him from running.
Peter describes himself as "an open and optimistic person whose interests range from music to reading to running." His favorite activity is playing bass guitar both alone and with a band that he and his friends started. He also enjoys fishing, swimming, driving, and going to the beach.
Having lived in North Babylon his entire life, he knows that, when he attends New York University’s College of Arts and Sciences in the fall, he will miss his friends, family, and community. However, he is excited about college, loves biology, and may pursue a pre-med track.
Salutatorian: Shanelle Riccio
Shanelle Riccio, the salutatorian, is not just a scholar. She loves the performance arts and for the past four years has been an avid member of the theater program at the high school. She has performed in each one of the school’s musicals and, as she says, "took a step out of [her] comfort zone to become a member of the Madrigals and Vocal Jazz Ensembles." She is also an athlete. Some of her fondest memories of high school center around playing on the Girls Field Hockey Team since she was a freshman.
Math and science are Shanelle’s favorite subjects but she hasn’t decided which will be her major in college. However, the theater will also be a focus in her life. She says, "Even though I take pride in my academics, my biggest goal in life is to become a professional actress so I plan to minor in acting."
Pictured are Peter Ruess and Shanelle Riccio.
