Lesperance is a multi-talented student who has pursued a variety of academic, athletic and artistic interests.

In high school, she participated in organizations such as the National Honor Society, where she served as vice president for a year; the Tri-M Music Honor Society, where she served as vice president for two years; and the English Honor Society. She also played on the Varsity Volleyball Team, which she captained during her senior year. Lesperance spent the last three years in concert choir and was selected for All-State choirs both her junior and senior years.

Her full schedule makes it difficult to pick a favorite high school moment. “It was all too good to chose,” said Lesperance.

She has earned numerous awards and honors thanks to her many interests. During her junior year, she earned a Bausch and Lomb Science Award, a Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Award, an invitation to attend the Congressional Student Leadership Conference, and a nomination to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. This year she received awards from the Schalmont math and science departments, a scholarship from Dollars for Scholars, and a U.S. Air Force Math and Science Award.

Another of her interests is volunteerism. Her most recent volunteer activities include helping run a volleyball camp, making blankets for children in Honduras, participating in fundraising walks for breast cancer and diabetes, and working at blood drives.

Next year, she’ll pursue her interest in biology at Siena College, where she looks forward to “making friends and Siena basketball games.”

Salutatorian: Kelly Piotrowski

Piotrowski’s academic success didn’t make her too busy to have a rich high school experience.

Over the years, she found time to join the varsity swimming, cross country and basketball teams; the Diversity Club; Key Club; and Class Council. This year she was the class treasurer, secretary of the National Honor Society and English Honor Society, co-editor of the newspaper, and captain of the Girls Varsity Basketball Team.

Her drive started at home. “My parents have taught me to always try my absolute hardest, no matter what the circumstances are. I think that this is what has taught me to put forth my best efforts in high school,” she said.

That attitude helped her earn several athletic and academic honors. Most recently she was selected for the Colonial Council Leadership Summit at Siena College, named the Schalmont Girls Varsity Basketball Team MVP, and given an Eastman Young Leaders Award. She also earned a Schalmont Scholar Athlete Award, a Schalmont Athletic Association Award and a High School Faculty Award at this year’s Senior Awards Night.

Piotrowski regularly shares her time with organizations that help her community. She has participated in several fundraisers, such as Relay for Life, and volunteered to help with Earth Day clean ups, a regional food pantry, coaching basketball clinics for youth, and tutoring middle school students.

Next year will find Piotrowski at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she hopes to study mathematics.

“My goal is to learn as much as I can in college, to truly enjoy the experience 100 percent, and to get a job that makes me excited to go to work every day after college,” she said.
 

Top 10 Percent of the Class of 2010

Students in the top 10 percent of the Class of 2010 all had more than a 94 percent grade point average. On June 1, they were honored during a ceremony to which each student invited someone who had been personally inspiring during high school. Several of the honored students are pictured below (left to right): in the front row, Cassandra Brown, Angela Bove, Kristen Cusano, Kayla Countermine, Kaitlyn Perkins, Chelsea Diana, and Zachary Borst; in the back row, Benjamin Fontana, Kelly Piotrowski, Kimberly Manikas, Maithily Chakraborty, Maria Mastroianni, Carla Mastroianni, Stacy Scheffer, Megan Lesperance, and Gregory Olsen.

Top scholars not in the picture include Claire Fisher and Adam Lawyer.