Photos: Levittown School District Honors Students

Proud parents, teachers, principals and community members crowded the auditorium of the Levittown Memorial Education Center Wednesday night to honor students from all of the Levittown public schools for their accomplishments in sports, music and scholastics. 

MacArthur High School Principal Kathleen Valentino and Division Avenue High School Principal Francesco Ianni announced their class of 2011 valedictorians and salutatorians.

Adam Brulhardt was named MacArthur's valedictorian, with an average of 101.97. Brulhardt is an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Commended student. He is captain of the senior mathletes and ranked among the top 20 students in the  Nassau County Math tournament, and he is planning on majoring in math at NYU in the fall.

He is also a member of the National, World Language, Tri-M Music and Math Honor Societies and is a Peer Leader, Peer Tutor and Key Club member. Brulhardt was a student ambassador for People to People International, was selected to participate in the 2010 Congressional Student Leadership Conference and was a grassroots lobbyist for a local politician. 

He has won awards for his excellence in music, as he plays the alto sax, contra alto clarinet, bass keyboard and piano. 

"I feel comfortable with my friends because we all aim to excel and we share common interests," said Brulhardt. "We've taken advantage of extracurricular activity as much as possible and in that way we have really enjoyed the high school experience."

MacArthur salutatorian Jesse Frye has earned an average of 100.69 and is an AP Scholar with Honor, a National Merit Commended Scholar and a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal award winner. He is president of the Tri-M Music and Theater Honor Societies and is recording secretary of the National Honor Society. He is a Peer Leader and Peer Tutor and has been honored for his achievements in both the written and performing arts. He is considering offers from Cornell and Hofstra, among others. 

"Everyone in my family was excited to learn I had been named salutatorian," Frye said. "It's an amazing reward for all of the hard work I've been doing throughout high school, and my parents are very proud."

Both MacArthur honorees hope to pursue a career in medicine.

Division valedictorian Karolina Ksiazek could not attend the event because she was visiting colleges, but she will be honored at an upcoming Board of Education meeting, Ianni said. 

Peter Harvey was named Division's salutatorian. "Peter is a fixture in the science department at Division Avenue," said Ianni. "He recently won two gold medals at the Science Olympiad Regional Competition. Additionally, Peter won two medals at the Science Olympiad State Competition, a silver medal in 'Physics Lab' and a fourth-place medal in 'Mission Impossible'."

Harvey has won more state/regional medals than any other student at Division Avenue High School and has spent much of this school year working on a submission for the Intel STS Competition. He is president of the Student Council and Science Olympiad, vice president of the National Honor Society and a Peer Leader. He also plays soccer both in and out of school.

Harvey has been accepted to Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Univeristy of Notre Dame and University of Virginia with a focus on mechanical engineering.

Division athletic trainer Lynn Willie was honored for her dedicated work, including saving a student athlete's life when she discovered a serious medical condition. Nationally ranked wrestler Chris Perez and All-County wrestler Brian Conrad were congratulated along with All-County wrestler John Pellegrino.

Music students who earned All-County and All-State honors were recognized by the Long Island String Festival Association (LISFA), and MacArthur's Melissa Schachter was applauded for earning a spot on the All-National Chorus squad.