Mystic Valley Graduates First K-12 Class

[Editor's note: The following was submitted by Mystic Valley Regional Charter School.]

On Friday, June 10 the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School graduated the Class of 2011. The Commencement Ceremony was be held at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford with a reception for the graduates and their families and Mystic Valley faculty and staff held immediately after in the Boys and Girls Club. 

The Class of 2011 was the first one to attend classes at Mystic Valley from Kindergarten to graduation. Forty-one of the students were awarded John and Abigail Adams Scholarships which entitle them to four years of tuition free education at any state college or university in Massachusetts.

The Valedictorian address was delivered by Joanna McPherson, the President of the National Honor Society. She was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist as well as an All Star soccer player. She will be heading to Princeton in the fall.

The Salutatorian's address was delivered by Jeffrey Yee, also a member of the National Honor Society. He was a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student.

During the ceremony awards were presented to the students whose performance in different areas surpassed those of their classmates. The following awards were given:

• Science: Stephanie Martorana
• History: Taylor Roseen
• Math: Joanna McPherson
• English: Kelly Finn
• Art: Samantha Childs
• Spanish: Joanna McPherson
• Latin: Kelly Finn
• Outstanding Effort: Alana Casullo.

Awards for Leadership (Nicholas Krasco) and Service (Meredith Williams) were presented prior to the ceremony at the senior luncheon.

The Commencement Speaker was Anthony A. Williams, the former Mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999–2007) and the current Executive Director of the Global Government Practice at the Corporate Executive Board in Arlington, Virginia. During his two terms as Mayor, Williams was widely credited with leading the comeback of the city, restoring the finances of our nation’s capital and improving the performance of government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services.

Before his election as Mayor, he was the independent Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia from 1995 to 1998, working with and on behalf of local officials, the D.C. Financial Control Board, and the U.S. Congress. Before his service in local Washington, Williams worked in a variety of positions in federal, state, and local government, including as the first CFO for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Williams spoke to the graduates about the need to think as well as act as they proceed through life.

The members of the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School Class of 2011 are: Erika Aiello, Evanah Bernard, Michael Bonet, Leah Brown, Samantha Brown, Brennan Bushee, Audrey Cain, Alana Casullo, Ryan Cerrato, Cailyn Chiccuarelli, Samantha Childs, Taylor Cossette, Margaret Coughlin, Hayley Cunningham Amanda DiBenedetto, John Dion Jr., Evan Dolber, Amanda Ellis, Nicola Fabrizio, Kyle Finch, Kelly Finn, Jean Giraldo, Zachary Hamhoomis, Brendan Hogan, Sean Hooley, Calvin Huynh, Michelle Jaynes, Jamie Kerner, Colin Kinnon, Joan Kinnon, Patrick Kinnon, Nicholas Krasco, Tiffany Kwong, Miranda Lai, Derek Lee, William Leung, Stephanie Lin, Stephanie Martorana, Joanna McPherson, Kevin Mei, Rebecca Milley, Ausjoli Minichiello, James Monzione, Nicole Mui, Marissa Munafo, Eric Natale, Michael Pascal, Aaron Payne, Gina Pedro, Hunter Poulos, Jessica Poutre’, Rachel Rennie, Taylor Roseen, Jessica So, Clori St. Paul, Gardy St. Paul, Kayla Teves, Emalee Thomas, Krithiknath Tirupapuliyur, Rachel Touayl, Stephanie Venezia, Jenna Walker, Jonathan Walker, Hillary Wen, Helena Whitlow, Meredith Williams, Rebecca Wright and Jeffrey Yee.