For November, the students were Maeve McGinley (grade 9), Dean Ramsthaler (grade 10), Jack Farrell (grade 11) and Anthony Giuliano (grade 12). For December, the students were Nicole Volpe (grade 9), Caitlin Klose (grade 10), Maggie Maranz (grade 11) and Eric Torres (grade 12)
According to VHS Vice Principal Thomas Lancaster, who presented the awards, McGinley currently has an A- or higher in each of her classes. Her nominating teacher, Angela Salisbury said, “Maeve is always focused on class discussions. She works well with her peers and is quite mature, which is very helpful in a class like Financial Literacy, where we explore
topics like money management and financial goals.”
Ramsthaler, the sophomore student for November, is excelling in Spanish III, English II Honors, U.S. History Honors, Chemistry Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, and AP Biology. His Spanish teacher praised his efforts in class, singling out a Veteran’s Day essay he wrote in Spanish as evidence of his willingness to take risks in the language to improve.
Lancaster said that Farrell’s hard work and commitment are “quite apparent” in English III Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, Journalism, Mandarin IV, Physics, and AP U.S. History. Salisbury called Farrell a well rounded student and praised his “tremendous work ethic”.
Giuliano is taking five AP classes also serves as VHS’ Student Council president. “Anthony has been an outstanding student leader,” said VHS math teach Jonathan That. “He helped organize a successful night time pep rally for fall sports, which
capped off a fantastic spirit week. He also helped in coordinating multiple aspects of the Team Zoey fundraiser over Thanksgiving break”.
In introducing the December students, Lancaster said that Volpe is having an outstanding start to high school, earning strong grades in each of her classes. English teacher Alice Kobylarz said, “Nicole is a very conscientious student. She is attentive and hardworking. Throughout the first semester, Nicole has shown growth as a writer and consistently exhibits 100% effort.”
Klose, the sophomore student for December, currently has an A- or higher in English II Honors, U.S. History I Honors, Chemistry Honors, Mandarin III, Algebra II Honors and AP Computer Science, while playing in the band and serving as captain of the VHS Mock Trial defense team and playing volleyball. History teacher Christopher Tamburro said, “Caitlin is an extraordinary student who actively pursues excellence. She makes difficult connections in U.S. History I Honors, and frequently participates in a meaningful way. Caitlin has proven herself to be an excellent problem solver.”
Maranz, the junior student for December, was nominated by multiple teachers. She currently has an A- or higher in AP English, AP U.S. History, AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus, Physics Honors, Spanish IV Honors, and Into to Entrepreneurship Honors. Spanish teacher Jessica Calvo praised Maranz for her daily interest and enthusiasm in the classroom. “She consistently is willing to help others,” Calvo said. “I believe she has the grit that all of our VHS students should have.”
The presentation ended with recognition of senior Torres, who Lancaster called “a young man with a huge heart, a great work ethic–and he has an extremely powerful handshake”. Lancaster noted that, during the holiday season, Torres volunteered to deliver toys to children in need. Dr. Stacey Smith, a VHS English teacher said, “I have known Eric since his sophomore year and in that time I have watched him grow immensely. He was once a little boy who had little control of himself, and he is now a man who takes responsibility for his actions. I had the opportunity to watch Eric
box during the fall. He has thrown himself into this sport. It is a great outlet for him. He is working well in class and makes a serious effort to improve his grades. We recently completed his application for college. He was so proud of himself when he hit the submit button.”
