Education

Class of 2016: Valedictorians and Salutatorians

RIVERHEAD

TPeter Cook

VALEDICTORIAN

GPA: 109.729 (weighted)

College plans: Cornell University

Major: electrical engineering

Academic distinctions: Recognized as a National AP Scholar, Peter was a Rensselaer Math Medalist and member of the National and National Foreign Language honor societies. He also received a scholarship from Brookhaven National Lab.

Musically inclined: Peter played trombone in Riverhead’s senior, jazz, pep and HMEA honors bands while also playing piano with the pit orchestra. This year, he was awarded a seat in the All National Band.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that over four years, the music department has made quite a difference in my life,” he said.

Extracurriculars: Peter ran varsity cross country and belonged to the winter and spring track and field teams. He was also captain of the Certamen Latin Club and a member of the Science Club, Math Club, Mentathletes and Coding Club.

Community involvement: Peter volunteers with a church youth organization and the Riverhead Community Awareness Program. He also helps recycle paper with the Science Club. He spends his free time working a part-time job and recently volunteered as an IT intern at Suffolk County National Bank.

Engineering dreams: In his AP physics class, Peter helped construct a Rube Goldberg machine. Although it didn’t work as intended, he said the project sparked his interest in engineering.

“I wanted to learn how to apply the mathematics and concepts taught in the classroom toward a more successful result,” he said.

Parting words: “Be good to each other and keep in mind that four years isn’t a long time.”

TJoseph Messina

SALUTATORIAN

GPA: 109 (weighted)

College plans: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Major: nuclear engineering

A little bit of everything: In addition to being an AP Scholar with distinction, Joseph was a member of the National Honor Society and National Foreign Language Honor Society. He also belonged to the Math Club, Spanish Club and Mentathletes. Outside the classroom, he worked part-time as a line cook at Long Island Aquarium.

Keep on running: Throughout high school, Joseph ran on the cross country and winter and spring track and field teams. Because of this, he received the Golden Key award, which is given to students who complete eight seasons with a varsity sport between their sophomore and senior years. During his last cross country season, Joseph was one of the team’s top three or four runners. In addition to being a scholar athlete, he broke a five-minute mile during track and field season.

Giving back: With the National Honor Society, Joseph helped raise money for local charities through a program called Helping Hands. In this program, students shadow teachers and perform miscellaneous tasks in exchange for donations that help families in need or other charities, Joseph said.

Parting words: “I attribute my success in high school to hard work. With determination and hard work, one can achieve anything.”