Katerina Karaiskos, Norwalk
This senior is ranked at the top of her class with a 4.8 GPA while taking a challenging course load.
Katerina is also president of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
She was named captain of the girls volleyball team for two consecutive years as a junior and senior. She has received much praise from her coaches and teachers for her strong leadership and verbal skills.
Katerina was a recipient of the Brown University Award for her excellence in writing and she also received the AP Scholar Award for her high performance on the Collegeboard exams. She is involved with the BROWN community service club and Link Crew organization at school.
Julia Wilson, Ridgefield
This National Honor Society member has made High Honor Roll and has an unweighted GPA of 3.67.
Julia is currently taking two AP courses and the rest are Honors classes.
A three-year starter for the varsity field hockey team, she scored seven goals in the early portion of this current season.
Julia participated in the First Congregational Church H.O.M.E. Service trip to Orland, Maine for one week for the past three years. She is a member of Lions Heart (community organization).
Christopher Martenson, Staples
This senior has earned First Honors every quarter of his high school career and compiled a 3.9 cumulative GPA. He is a member of National Honor Society and Rho Kappa National Honor Society for Social Studies.
Christopher is co-captain of the boys’ varsity soccer team and the #15 Preston Hirten Jersey Award recipient. As a junior, Christoper was selected to the FCIAC All-West Boys Soccer Team and was a representative to the FCIAC Leadership Conference in August. He was captain of the Everton America NPL 2000 team, played for Everton FC Westchester Academy for two years and will play for AC Connecticut this spring.
He also traveled to Northern Ireland to play in the Foyle Cup with the Everton America/Everton FC Westchester 1999 team.
In partnership with Save the Sound, Christopher has helped organize the cleanup of the Saugatuck River, with Experience Mission, he has worked with Sudanese and Somali refugees in Portland, Maine, and with environmental farming projects/disabled families in Cuba and with DOOR, he has worked on urban and homeless projects in Denver, CO. At Staples, he has been a four-year member of Service League of Boys (SLOBs).
Reid Kagan, Ridgefield
This National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America member became the state champion in Introduction to Business in the Future Business Leaders of America State Competition and he was also recipient of the Outstanding Recognition in Business Award.
Reid has made High Honor/Honor Roll for 12 consecutive quarters to lift his GPA numbers up to 3.95 unweighted and 4.325 weighted.
He is also an integral player for Ridgefield’s strong boys soccer and boys lacrosse programs, having been selected to the 2017 All-FCIAC Boys Lacrosse Second Team. He will attend Vassar College to play lacrosse.
Reid volunteers for several community service organizations. He has served as Vice President and Secretary of the local Lion’s Heart Chapter, donated over 400 hours of his time to the organization and received the Lion’s Heart Torch Bearer Award for Outstanding Service. He is also a member of Ridgefield SafeRides as a co-captain.
Kevin Connolly, Wilton
This senior center midfielder has been captain of the Freshman and JV soccer teams and is currently captain of the Varsity soccer team. He has also been a member of the Varsity Track Team since his freshman year.
Kevin has an unweighted 3.9 GPA while managing a schedule filled with several AP courses. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and is an AP Scholar.
He is President of the Top Inclusion Models Club, a TOPSoccer volunteer, head coach of youth basketball, a SafeRides volunteer, a Student Learning Fund tutor, a St. Baldrick’s Foundation shavee, a member of the Wilton Athletics Steering Committee and recipient of the Saint Michael’s College Book Award for outstanding academic achievement with a social conscience.
Megan Mercer, Danbury
This four-year player and current senior co-captain of the girls volleyball team is a member of the National Honor Society.
Megan has made High Honor Roll all four years of high school while taking all Honors and AP courses and has a 4.3 GPA. She made All-FCIAC Honorable Mention in volleyball last year as a junior and has verbally committed to play volleyball for Southern Connecticut State University.
She also volunteers in the Danbury High School Special Education Department.
Jude Andrzejewski, St. Joseph
This three-year varsity starter and senior captain of St. Joseph’s excellent football program is a member of four national honor societies – the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, English Honor Society and Math Honor Society.
Jude has made High Honor Roll all four years as an Honors/AP student. He was the 2017 Cornell Book Award Winner at St. Joseph.
He was also a member of the baseball team as a freshman and sophomore. He is a volunteer for the Special Olympics and at Trumbull Pop Warner as an assistant coach.
Sophia Kaplan, Wilton
This senior captain of the field hockey team with the unweighted GPA of 4.0 has already committed to play field hockey at Amherst College.
Sophia is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She is a High Honor Roll student and was a recipient of the Smith College Book Award, the CT COLT Award for Excellence in Spanish, and the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists Award of Excellence.
She was selected to the All-FCIAC East Field Hockey Team during her sophomore and junior years. Sophia has also run for the girls outdoor track and field team,.
Sophia is a tutor through a service called The Learning Fund, where proceeds go to charity. She is Vice President of the club Serious Fun and a coach for youth recreational basketball.
Zoe Butchen, Ridgefield
This four-year member of the varsity dance team has consistently made High Honor Roll , has a weighted GPA of 4.5 and is a National Honor Society member.
Zoe is founder of Dance Donations which distributes costumes and dance attire to in-need dance/theater programs. She is a Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold Recipient, a member of the National Charity League for six years, and a recipient of the 2017 United Way Emerging Hero Award.
She has been a Ridgefield High School Student Government member all four years and currently serves as its secretary.
Maggie Leatherwood, Fairfield Ludlowe
Maggie is a three-year member of the girls cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field programs who was an Honor Roll student in all eight of the first marking periods of her high school career.
She has a 3.8 GPA while taking most Honors courses and is taking AP U.S. History.
She earned the Most Improved Runner Award last year after having been named the freshman MVP her first year.
Maggie is president of the School the World Club.
Anoushka Chatterjee, Norwalk
Anoushka is a member of the National Honor Society, Science Honors Society, and has been an Honor Roll student throughout high school.
She has a cumulative weighted GPA of 4.2 while taking mostly AP and Honors courses.
Anoushka attends AITE and is the only student from that school who is a member of the Norwalk/McMahon cooperative swimming and diving team. She has qualified for several championship meets in her specialty, the 100-yard breaststroke, and hopes to continue her swimming career in college.
Anoushka tutors young children at Kumon Math and Reading Center in Westport. She is also a member of Mayors Youth Leadership Council, a student ambassador for her high school, and plays the cello in the Norwalk Youth Symphony.
Owen Hopwood, Trumbull
This junior is a High Honors student with an unweighted GPA of 4.00 while taking all AP and Honors level courses.
Owen has been a runner during every season of high school for the cross country, indoor and and outdoor track and field teams and plans on doing so every season until he graduates.
He volunteers at an animal shelter and a local youth track camp.
Julia McSpedon, Ridgefield
Julia has made High Honors every semester since her freshman year, has a weighted GPA of 4.78 and is a National Honor Society member.
She is a two-year starter at defense for the field hockey program and was selected All-FCIAC Honorable Mention as a junior. She was also named Outstanding Defender in 2016.
Julia is also a three-year varsity member of the girls indoor track and field team and will be a team captain for the upcoming season, and in the spring she has been a three-year member of the softball team.
She is on the Leadership Committee and has been involved in many other extracurricular activities. She has been a member of the National Charity League since the seventh grade, a longtime member of the Girl Scouts, Saint Mary’s Parish Lifeteen Leadership, Irish Dance, and she has been a camp counselor at Waccabuc Country Club since 2015.
Kayleigh Boyle, Fairfield Ludlowe
This AP Scholar and member of a few honor societies is taking three AP courses this year after having taken three last year. Kayleigh has been a High Honor Roll student throughout high school and she has a 3.9 GPA.
Kayleigh is member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (Math National Honor Society) and History National Honor Society.
She has been with the girls volleyball program since her freshman year, a varsity member these last two years. She was with the softball program her first two years, switched to the girls outdoor track and field team as her spring sport when she was a junior and is now the school record holder in the javelin.
Kayleigh also finds time to participate in extracurricular activities and volunteer for several community organizations. She is a math tutor, the secretary of AFS service club, and was a member of the Red Cross Club as a freshman and sophomore. Kayleigh volunteers for Operation Hope, St. Baldrick’s, and Fairfield Little League Girls Softball.
Kayleigh Fleming, Trumbull
Kayleigh is a National Honors Society member who has a 3.99 GPA by making High Honor Roll throughout high school. This spring she will be inducted into Quill and Scroll Honors Society.
She is in her third year as a starter of the field hockey team and is a senior captain this year.
Kayleigh is a member of DECA – the club for students who are interested in majoring in business.
She volunteers for Top Soccer, a program which teaches soccer to children who have special needs, and she is also a volunteer coach for and referee for youth field hockey programs.
Maura McNeil, Fairfield Warde
This senior National Honor Society member has been on the Headmaster’s List all four years at Fairfield Warde and she has a 4.3 weighted GPA .
Maura is also a member of Spanish, Math, Science and Latin honors societies. She has received cum laude and maximum cum laude on the Natiolnal Latin Exam and been recognized for the Excellence Award in Social Studies and Scholar Award in English.
She is a solid leader and positive teammate on and off the court for the perennially-strong Warde girls’ volleyball program, having been a varsity player for the last three years.
Maura is founder and co-president of Bracelets for Kids club and a member of RAAFT. She has been volunteering weekly at McKinley Elementary School since her sophomore year.
Katy Saladin, Fairfield Warde
Katy has excelled in the classroom and the pool throughout high school.
She has a 4.09 weighted GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. She has been recognized on the Healmaster’s List during her freshman, sophomore and junior years and received the Wheaton College Book Award during her junior year.
Two years ago Katy was the Class L state champion in the 100-yard backstroke and unbeaten in that event in dual-meet competition as a sophomore and junior. She earned All-FCIAC Second Team as a sophomore and junior and is now a co-captain for the girls swimming and diving team.
Johnny Blatt, Fairfield Ludlowe
This football player with the 4.5 GPA is a recipient of the AP Scholar with Distinction Award and a proud partner of Unified Sports.
Johnny is the president of the Fairfield Ludlowe High School National Honor Society, vice president of the Math Honor Society and treasurer of the school’s Best Buddies chapter.
He plays bass in the school Chamber Orchestra and is a volunteer at Wakeman Boys and Girls Club.
Claire Christenson, Fairfield Warde
This senior has achieved a 3.7 GPA while taking mostly all Honors and AP classes.
Claire has been a key member of the girls volleyball team which has consistently qualified for conference and state postseason tournaments throughout her career.
She also contributes much of her time to her community as vice president of two school clubs – Bracelets for Kids and Humanities Now – as well a volunteering at a local soup kitchen and for Catwalk for a Cure, coaching volleyball clinics for youngsters, and raising awareness for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (P.O.T.S.).
Quinn Lareau, Fairfield Ludlowe
This junior is an Honor Roll student with a 3.32 GPA while also being a three-season distance runner for the boys cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field programs.
Quinn volunteers for Operation Home, has been a part of student government since his freshman year, and takes part in a music appreciation club and band in school. He has participated in school musicals (West Side Story and Mame) and as a drummer in the pit orchestra.
A versatile athlete, Quinn also enjoys sailing, skiing, biking and playing tennis. He has already run the Fairfield Half Marathon and plans on doing 26.2-mile marathons and more 13.1-mile half marathons in the near future.
Jacqueline Mirabile, Norwalk
Jacqueline is a member of the National Honor Society, secretary for Spanish National Honor Society and a vice president for Science National Honor Society.
She has taken plenty of AP and Honors classes throughout her high school career along with PLTW Biomedical classes. She has a GPA of 4.6 and has been on the Honor Roll while playing field hockey for all four years.
Jacqueline is team captain who earned All-FCIAC Honorable Mention. She was also selected to the NFHCA National Academic Squad in 2016.
She received the Book Award from Syracuse University, she officiates for youth field hockey programs in Norwalk, and volunteers her time at the Stamford Nature Center, her church’s food pantry, and Competitive Edge Field Hockey.
Jacqueline is vice president of the RSPACEE Club. She has also been a part of the Mini-Med Club and Student Ambassadors.
Frances Mirabile, Norwalk
Frances has been a High Honor Roll student throughout high school and achieved a weighted 4.8 GPA while taking mostly AP, Honors and PLTW Engineering classes.
She is a member of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Science Honor Society and treasurer of the Spanish Honor Society.
Frances and her twin sister, Jacqueline, are two of the three captains for Norwalk’s field hockey team and both made All-FCIAC Honorable Mention and the NFHCA National Academic Squad in 2016.
She is a vice president for RSPACEE, a Student Ambassador and a recipient of the Johns Hopkins Book Award.
Frances and her sister both officiate for youth field hockey programs in Norwalk, and volunteer at the Stamford Nature Center, their church’s food pantry, and Competitive Edge Field Hockey.
Michael Neary, Darien
Michael has a 3.76 GPA while taking at least three Honors or AP courses every year of his high school career.
He is a team captain and two-year, two-way starter who has helped the dynasty that is the Darien football program go undefeated and win two state championships the previous two years.
He qualified for the State Open meet in both indoor and outdoor track and field in the shot put and qualified in the discus outdoors.
Michael also is a volunteer middle school YMCA House basketball coach and a member of Safe Rides Darien.
Erin Lynch, Staples
Erin has maintained a 3.7 GPA while taking mostly AP and Honors classes.
She is a member of Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society along with NSHSS Scholar.
Erin holds the center defensive midfield position girls soccer team which has won the 2014 FCIAC championship and made deep runs in the conference and state tournaments more recently.
She volunteers with Al’s Angels and is editor of Inklings, her school newspaper.
Jose Emilo Regio, Westhill
This senior football player has an unweighted GPA of 3.8869, a weighted GPA of 4.7669 and he ranks 30th in GPA in his very large class.
Jose is a member of the National Honors Society and Spanish National Honors Society, he received in academic award from the Rochester Institute of Technology, he scored a 5 on the AP Exam of Computer Science A and he is currently a teacher’s aide for AP Computer Science A.
Jose also continues with his very challenging lineup of course – three AP classes of Science AB (an independent study), Calculus BC and a double period of Physics C.
He was also a volunteer at the Ferguson Library and at the Hope in Motion Walk & Run fundraiser.
Noah Klein, Westhill
Noah serves as captain on the football team and is the Editor in Chief of Westword, the school’s award-winning student publication.
He maintains a 3.49 GPA and has excelled in the classroom while also helping others succeed, as he has been a LanD crew student mentor, and he also takes time to mentor other students who need assistance.
Noah, who plans on pursuing a career in journalism, has served as a student representative on the Student Advisory Council for the Board of Representatives.
Katherine Jenik, Trinity Catholic
This National Honor Society member (junior and senior years) has earned Honors with Distinction every semester of her high school career and has had the highest average in Religion Class each semester from 2014-17.
Katherine was among the prestigious group of 10 youngsters profiled in the September/October Stamford Magazine issue in the 10 Teens to Watch in Stamford feature.
She was a recipient of the AP Scholar Award which is awarded to AP students who score a 3 or higher on three AP exams. She also received the 2017 Villanova University Book Award and 2017 St. Michael’s College Book Award and was nominated for the National Society of High School Scholars (2016-17).
Katherine was awarded the 2017 Brian Bill Memorial Scholarship, 2016 Mickey Lione Jr. Scholarship and 2014 Brian Kelly Award for Sportsmanship in soccer.
She is a senior captain during a fourth season as a member of the varsity girls soccer program and she is also a captain on the girls tennis team.
Among her many leadership activities in high school, Katherine has been Student Council treasurer all four years, the Political Science Club treasurer, and a member of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Leadership Council.
Griffin Ott, Darien
This excellent distance runner for the cross country and track teams has a 4.26 weighted GPA and is historian of the Math Honors Society.
Currently a captain for the boys cross country team, Griffin has personal-best track times of 4:29 in the 1,600 and 9:38 in the 3,200.
Griffin is also treasurer of the Garden Club and a recipient of the Fairfield University Book Award.
Tory Bike, St. Joseph
Tory has a 3.7 GPA, achieving Principal’s Honors while taking all Honors level coursework.
The senior captain is in her fourth year with the girls varsity soccer program and a major reason why she and her Cadets are two-time defending state champions.
Tory has achieved All-FCIAC honors in each of her first three years, she was All-State last year and was recently selected to play in the High School All-American Game on Dec. 2 in Orlando, Fla.
She has been on the Student Council since her freshman year, is president of the Zumba Club, a member of SAAD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), French Club and is the “Maroon and Gold Girl” at pep rallies.
Tory has also volunteered for Special Olympics, and Challenger and Top Soccer programs.
She has verbally committed to play soccer at the University of Rhode Island next fall.
Catrina Sullivan, Danbury
Catrina has earned a 4.25 GPA by having achieved High Honors in every one of her first 12 marking quarters of high school while taking four AP classes and mostly Honors classes the last two years.
She is a captain of the girls volleyball team, having been with the program all four years and on the varsity these last three years as she was the only sophomore on the team two years ago. Last year Catrina was selected to the All-FCIAC Second Team. She is also a captain for the girls basketball and girls tennis teams.
Catrina was selected to the National Honor Society as a senior and has been in Key Club and the Science National Honor Society for two years.
She has volunteered at the Lady Hatters Hoop Camp, a volleyball clinic for middle school youngsters at PAL, and been a referee for PAL youth basketball leagues.