Meet your 2011 McGann-Mercy Val and Sal

Amanda Termine, Valedictorian

GPA: 101.683 (weighted)

On being named valedictorian: “I wasn’t expecting to be,” she said. “I worked hard in school but there were a lot of people who worked hard, too. I knew my parents would be really proud.”

Future plans: Amanda will enroll in Stony Brook University this fall where she will study nursing. She said her volunteer work at Peconic Bay Medical Center, where she did everything from transporting patients to administrative work, is where her passion was born.

Sports: Amanda was on the Mercy swim team during her sophomore, junior and senior years of high school. She also works as a swimming instructor at St. Joseph’s College.

Perfect attendance: Amanda has never missed a day of school in her four years at Mercy. “Every time I was sick, we had off,” she said. “It worked out perfectly.”

Notable achievements: Amanda was the recipient of the President’s Award for Educational Excellence and St. Michael’s Book Award in 2010. She was also a member of the school’s chamber choir during her junior and senior years.

What she’ll miss most about Mercy: “I’ll miss the family atmosphere and the wonderful teachers,” she said. “They care so much.”

Rocco Pascale, Salutatorian
GPA: 100.339 (weighted)

Future plans: Rocco will attend Manhattan College this fall, where he will study engineering. “There is a lot of money to be made in engineering,” he said matter-of-factly.
Scholar athlete: Rocco’s talents extend to the baseball diamond, where he helped Mercy take home its first Long Island championship this year. A catcher for the Monarchs, Rocco said winning the championship earlier this month was one of the highlights of his time at Mercy.
Solid work ethic: In addition to the hard work he puts in in the classroom and on the baseball field, Rocco is employed at his family’s business, Rico’s Clothing in Center Moriches, which was founded by his grandfather Americo Eaderesto in 1953.
Notable achievements: Rocco served as president of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society and received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence in 2010. He is also an active member in the Rico Memorial Foundation, founded by his grandfather.
On leaving high school: “I’m going to miss high school,” Rocco said — though he added that he is “looking forward to getting into the real world.”