Set for Success: This Year's MHS Valedictorian

With Mamaroneck High School's graduation less than two weeks away, Monday may seem a bit surreal for Catherine Gerkis, along with her fellow graduating seniors. Like the hallway lockers, four years of high school will be coming to a close on Monday, the last full day of classes in the school year.

Last month, Gerkis was named Valedictorian for the Class of 2010, after maintaining an unweighted grade point average of 97, along with Salutatorian, Natalie Diacovo.

Gerkis will be attending Williams College in the fall, but before receiving her diploma on June 23rd, she will give a speech at the graduation ceremony to her peers and the community. The most important listeners of her words may be the high school teachers, who were essential toward her academic success.

"I feel very fortunate to have had great teachers throughout my four years at MHS, and I learned so much from them both in and out of the classroom," said Gerkis. "I've always had a love of learning, but they helped me really foster that interest."

As a member of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society while participating in community service, Gerkis kept herself active in extracurricular activities. She also played the flute in the school band and at the Larchmont Music Academy while maintaining an interest in sports by running on the winter and spring track teams.

She even received five awards at the schools annual Awards Assembly, including: The University Club of Larchmont Scholarship Award to the Senior Class Valedictorian, The BC Calculus Award, The Spanish AP Language Award, The Joseph T. Downey Award from the Music Department, and The William E. Warren Scholar/Athlete Award.

While Gerkis was surprised and honored to be the class Valedictorian, the nerves haven't set in just yet as she continues working on her speech. Luckily, Gerkis has built up her writing experience the past four years on the staff for The Globe, the school newspaper. One of her biggest contributions to the school was her work this past year as editor-in-chief of the paper. Under Gerkis' leadership, the newspaper received a first place award in the American Scholastic Press Association 2009-2010 Annual Newspaper Review/Contest.

After an impressive end to her high school career, Gerkis plans on working as a camp counselor this summer. To keep herself focused for next year, she has an eclectic list of summer reads, which include Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Jack Kerouac's On the Road and Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner's SuperFreakonomics. She also plans on traveling with her family while making the most of her time with friends before she departs for college.

Gerkis plans to study math and economics at Williams College, although she says she wouldn't be surprised if her academics eventually led her into another direction. Her decision to attend Williams College almost didn't happen, to the point where she almost sent in her deposit to another university, she said. It wasn't until she visited the campus on a weekend for accepted students that she realized the small class sizes made for a more comfortable, intimate college experience.

"I feel that, at Williams, I can really get to know my professors well, which I wouldn't be able to do at a bigger university, and that really appeals to me," said Gerkis. "I suppose I just hope to get a great education and learn a few life lessons along the way."