Olivia Wood, Staples
This senior two-time captain of the girls golf team has a 3.98 GPA after having made First Honors every semester.
Olivia had been inducted into the National Honor Society, National Chinese Honor Society and Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society and is a recipient of the AP Scholar Award and the President’s Education Award for Academic Excellence.
Last year she helped lead Staples to the FCIAC championship and this year she was selected to the FCIAC Girls Golf All-West Team.
Olivia has volunteered many hours for several organizations. She has participated in four missions and traveled to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Guatemala and the Domincan Republic as a volunteer for Builders Beyond Borders. She and her colleagues have helped improve sanitation facilities and helped build classrooms in underdeveloped areas of the aforementioned countries.
She has worked at weekend events and helped raise money to buy adaptive skiing equipment for wounded military heroes as a volunteer since 2010 for Adaptive Sports Center located at Bromley Mountain in Vermont.
Olivia also prepares and delivers meals to the homeless population in Fairfield County as a volunteer for the Gillespie Homeless Shelter the last six years.
She will attend the University of Virginia.
Max Popken, Staples
Max had a 4.4 GPA and has registered a 36 on the ACT and a 5 on AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics tests.
He made FCIAC Honorable Mention in baseball.
Holly Rivers, Danbury
Holly has been accepted to the National Honor Society and Peer Leadership and has achieved a 3.8 GPA and is a High Honor Roll student while taking mostly AP and Honors classes.
She was co-captain of both the field hockey and girls lacrosse teams as a junior and has also run indoor track. Holly earned All-FCIAC Honorable Mention in field hockey as a freshman and sophomore.
Holly was a recipient of the Wellesley Book Award, she is her Class Advisory Representative and has volunteered for Special Olympics, Key Club, Unified Basketball and Danbury Youth Lacrosse.
Cassidy Schiff, Darien
This senior with the unweighted GPA of 3.56 has been a member of softball and girls ice hockey teams all four years and was team captain as a senior for both squads.
Cassidy has won three FCIAC titles and two state championships, including netting the game-winning goal in overtime this past winter. She was All-FCIAC First Team and All-State First Team this past winter in ice hockey after having been All-FCIAC Second Team in softball last spring as a junior.
She is president of the Support our Soldiers Club, a Senior Link Leader, and a member of Safe Rides Darien.
Cassidy plans on playing both ice hockey and softball at Trinity College.
Sophia Barbour, Darien
Sophia has been one of the best softball pitchers in the FCIAC the last couple years.
She was recently selected MVP of the 2017 FCIAC Girls Softball Tournament after helping the Blue Wave capture the conference championship and was selected to the All-FCIAC Second Team for the second consecutive year.
The senior bound for Penn State has a 3.40 GPA while taking five AP courses.
Spencer Jarecke, Darien
Spencer has achieved a 3.4 GPA while taking several demanding courses such as Honors Earth Science, Honors Biology and AP European History.
He was a two-year starter for Darien’s football team which won the last FCIAC championship game ever and two state championships during that time when the Blue Wave went unbeaten in each of the last two years and he also helped Darien’s boys volleyball team win the state Class L championship this past spring and the last two FCIAC championships.
Selena Temozihui, Bridgeport Central
This National Honor Society member is ranked among the top 10 percent of her Class of 2017 with her 3.62 GPA while taking many demanding courses such as AP Language Composition, AP U.S. History, AP U.S. Government, AP Psychology, AP Chemistry and AP Physics.
Selena is the No. 4 singles player for the girls tennis team and she also finds time to volunteer for many worthy causes.
She has cooked, served food and interacted with retired soldiers from the U.S. Army while volunteering for Homes for the Brave and Selena has also done the same as a volunteer for Female Soldiers Forgotten Heroes in addition to speaking with women and learning about the difficulties of being a woman in the armed forces.
Hala Dadoush, Bridgeport Central
This diversified young lady is a National Honor Society member who has achieved a 3.7 GPA while taking courses such as AP Physics, AP Language and Composition, Advanced Studio Art and Advanced Band.
Hala has made First Honors as a junior after having made Second Honors as a freshman and sophomore.
She has played doubles and more recently singles for the girls tennis team and she is excellent in fencing, where she is a Foil woman captain who competed in the 2015 and ’16 Connecticut state championships.
Hala has volunteer experiences in Syria in addition to volunteering for several area organizations. She utilizes her talent and skills as an artist to create decorations during the holiday season and paint murals, and she also provides brain and physical activities along with organizing singing sessions for senior citizens at The Watermark.
Jessica Aaliyah Clarke, Bridgeport Central
This well-rounded senior is a multi-sport athlete who is a strong student (3.3 GPA) as well as a talented singer and piano player who also volunteers for the needy in the Bridgeport community.
She has been a member of the girls track and field team during the spring seasons of her upperclassman years after being a softball player as an underclassman. This past winter Jessica was the team MVP after leading the girls basketball team in several categories.
Jessica co-founded Deserving Desserts in 2009 and is still involved in organizing the collection of desserts for homeless shelters and religious organizations during the holidays. That is among many community or charity organizations she volunteers for.
Jessica will attend the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
Erica Shaulson, Westhill
This junior with a 4.0 GPA has played all three years and been a starting defender for both the girls varsity lacrosse and girls varsity soccer teams.
Erica is a College Board AP Scholar with Distinction, a member of the Spanish National Honor Society and a recipient of the Harvard University Book Award.
She is a Friends @ Home volunteer, has also volunteered for The Friendship Circle and Erica has taken great pride in that she has bonded with and developed an attachment and friendship with a young child who struggles with attachment and social interaction.
Erica also volunteered for the 2016 Jewish Community Center Maccabi Games & ArtsFest.
Kaira Ramon, Westhill
This senior with the unweighted GPA of 3.3721 and the weighted GPA of 3.5921 has been among the best softball players in the state since she was a freshman and she’ll take her softball talents up the line on Interstate 95 to play softball for the University of Bridgeport, where she will major in Computer Engineering.
Kaira pulled off the rarest of rarities as a freshman when she was selected to the 2014 All-FCIAC Softball First Team and she recently pulled off the feat of being an All-FCIAC First Team selection all four years. She was also selected to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State First Team her first three years and in 2015 and ’16 she made the New Haven Register All-State Softball Second Team. Kaira has been Westhill’s team captain as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Kaira has volunteered to tutor Algebra I to Cloonan Middle School students since 2014 and she also works as a softball instructor for youngsters aged 8-17 at Chelsea Piers.
Gabby Laccona, Westhill
This three-time captain was the recipient of the prestigious Allyson Rioux Scholarship Award and selected to the All-FCIAC Softball First Team this year after she made All-FCIAC Second Team her previous three years.
Gabby has a 3.5 GPA while taking Honors and AP courses. She will play softball at Ithaca College.
She volunteers as a softball coach for the Connecticut Wreckers 16-and-under softball team and as a softball trainer at Chelsea Piers.
Emma Jelliffe, Westhill
This senior is ranked first in her large class of 506 students with her unweighted GPA of 4.0 and she is ranked sixth with her weighted GPA of 4.95.
Last year Emma was the girls lacrosse team MVP, she was the field hockey team Defensive MVP in 2015 and ’16, and has been captain for both of those teams.
Emma is a National Honor Society member and a National Merit Scholarship Commended Scholar, and a recipient of the Williams Book Award.
She has helped construct homes in La Plant, S.D., developed and executed summer camp activities for children aged 3-16, and she has also cared for animals and volunteered for several more organizations and participated in several extracurricular activities.
Emily Healy, Fairfield Warde
Emily has made Honor Roll or Headmaster’s List every year since she was a freshman and her GPA is 4.0/5.0.
She was inducted into the National Honor Society and Chinese National Honor Society.
Emily made the FCIAC Girls Golf All-East Team for the second consecutive year this year.
As a volunteer for the First Tee at Fairchild Wheeler she teaches youngsters life skills and golf skills and she also organizes clothing drives and helps set up the Earth Day Celebration as a volunteer for the Key Club.
Maddie Dunn, Brien McMahon
Maddie has received Honors or High Honors each marking period and has achieved a 3.5 GPA.
She has been a member of the girls varsity tennis all four years and played girls soccer all four years, including the last three with the varsity. As a senior she was captain of both teams. She made All-FCIAC Honorable Mention in soccer during the fall season and this spring she and her partner became McMahon’s first girls doubles team ever to qualify for the state tournament.
Maddie is a member of Center for Youth Leadership at McMahon, a group which educates its peers and community members about child abuse, animal abuse, dating violence, human trafficking and much more. She also volunteers with Al’s Angels to help families in need during the holiday season.
Maddie plans on being involved in athletics for her career as she will attend Norwalk’s National Personal Training Institute to become a Certified Personal Trainer.
Lauren Ahern, Ridgefield
This senior girls lacrosse player with the 4.238 unweighted GPA and 4.571 weighted GPA has made the High Honor Roll for 11 quarters and Honor Roll for four quarters throughout high school.
She has received Academic Recognition awards in Biology H, Geometry, Computer Applications II, Algebra II H, Chemistry H, English II H, and Global II H.
Lauren has earned Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards as a Girl Scout for 12 years. She volunteers as a coach for the Ridgefield Basketball Association and is a Peer Witness at St. Mary’s Parish.
She is also founder and president of Ridgefield High School’s Club Comfort, a therapy dog program which enables students to interact with comfort dogs as well as community members who are in need of comfort.
Lauren will attend the University of Miami (Florida) to study pre-med in its Honors Program.
Aneeka Britto, Ridgefield
Aneeka finished her previous marking period with a 5.0 weighted GPA and is ranked among the top 10 in her class.
She was captain of the field hockey team and also a member of the successful girls lacrosse team. She has received academic recognition in AP Calculus and Spanish in addition to the National Spanish Exam Gold distinction.
This National Honors Society member participates in several community service organizations as the president of Ridgefield Community Volunteers and has been an assistant coach for four years for both the Ridgefield Youth Lacrosse and Ridgefield Youth Field Hockey programs.
Aneeka will major in mathematics at the University of Virginia.
Morgan Held, Ridgefield
Morgan was inducted into the National Honor Society in 2017. She has a 4.0 unweighted GPA and consistently been High Honor Roll.
She made the girls varsity tennis team two years ago as a freshman and last spring she made All-FCIAC Honorable Mention. She also plays for the girls soccer team.
Morgan has received the National Spanish Exam Award and the Ridgefield High School Book Award and she has also received the Academic Recognition Award in Geometry, Business Law, Chemistry and Visual Imagery.
She has volunteered for several charities and community organizations such as Special Olympics, Meals on Wheels, SPHERE and Letters to Troops and she is a mentor and tutor for a young girl in fourth grade.
Aurora Joblon, Ridgefield
This junior has made High Honor Roll ever quarter while taking the most challenging Honors, Advanced Honors and AP classes.
Aurora has played two years of junior varsity soccer, two years of squash and three years of tennis, currently playing No. 1 singles for the varsity team. She received the Tiger Pride Award for True Grit and Perseverance as a sophomore.
She has an unweighted GPA of 4.696 while taking AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP Engineering and AP U.S. History. She was a recipient of the Junior Book Award and awarded Academic Recognition in AP Physics, Chemistry Honors and the National Spanish Exams levels 2, 3 and 4.
This National Honor Society member is a three-year participant in the New England Math League, as well as an AP Chemistry National Olympiad.
Aurora is also creative as she regularly volunteers and participates in various Community Theater productions. She is nationally ranked as a Ballroom and Latin Dancer and has volunteered assisting teaching dancing to students at the University of Bridgeport.
She volunteers for local library fundraisers and is a team member of Relay for Life.
Sydney Bardsley, Trinity Catholic
With Trinity Catholic not having a girls golf team, Sydney was a two-year varsity player on the school’s boys golf team and a team captain this past year as a senior. She was runner-up in the Stamford City Amateur Golf Tournament Women’s Championship Division.
This National Honor Society member bound for Fairfield University has consistently been a High Honors or Honors with Distinction student.
Sydney was a member of the girls basketball program all four years, her last two as a varsity player.
Sydney has volunteered at St. Cecilia’s for its Pre-K classes and after-school programs and she has worked at the Sterling Farms Junior Golf Camp, Pee Wee and Junior golf clinics.
Esteven Restrepo, Norwalk
This senior has made Honor Roll every year in high school to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.7 and he is a science CAPT Master.
He joined the boys lacrosse team as a senior and played a key role as a short stick defensive midfielder. He was with the boys soccer program all four years and he received the team’s Unsung Hero Award last fall a year after he was named the Most Improved Player.
Esteven works with underprivileged children as a volunteer for the Children’s Agency clinic and he has done plenty of volunteering at youth soccer camps and for the annual O’Neill’s 5K Run.
He will play soccer this coming season at Western Connecticut State University.
Kyle Mossop, Norwalk
Kyle has a 4.35 GPA as an Honor Roll student every quarter all four years and he is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars. He will major in petroleum engineering at Penn State University.
He played football for the first time as a junior, he started at wide receiver as a senior and has been a two-year starting second baseman for the baseball team.
Kaitlin Uralowich, Norwalk
This National Honor Society member and Honor Roll student with the 4.02 GPA will major in Biology at Elon University.
She recently completed her fourth year as a lacrosse player. A three-year varsity player for the field hockey program, she was named the team’s Offensive MVP and to the FCIAC All-East Team this past fall.
Kaitlin joins her lacrosse teammates in volunteering for Al’s Angels at charity events and she also volunteers for girls youth lacrosse programs in the city.
Ben Mellor, Fairfield Ludlowe
Ben has a 4.193 GPA after having made Headmaster’s List in nine of the first 11 marking periods and Honor Roll in two of the marking periods. All of his classes are either Honors or Advanced Placement, including challenging AP classes such as Statistics and Physics.
He a member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society and a recipient of the Rochester Institute of Technology Book Award.
Ben is a three-season runner for the boys cross country, boys indoor track and field, and boys outdoor track and field teams and in 2016 he received Ludlowe’s Outdoor Track Most Improved Award as a sophomore.
He volunteers as a junior deacon at his church.
Jayne Magliocco, Fairfield Ludlowe
This National Honor Society member has made the Honor Roll/Headmaster’s List since 2015 and will finish her sophomore year with a 4.0-plus GPA.
Jayne has pitched on the varsity and junior varsity levels for the softball program and as a junior varsity team captain this spring she led her team to a 10-2 record. She was recipient of the Denise Dolugiello Sportsmanship Award and the Fairfield Ludlowe Softball Coaches’ Award.
She is a member of the Student Film Club and head editor, interviewer and writer for the Falcon Report on Ludlowe’s broadcast news network. Jayne will concentrate on Digital Film-making this summer at Columbia University’s program for high school students.
She is a member of Ludlowe’s International Day Committee, a group dedicated to spreading humanitarian principles through international awareness.