Massapequa Names Class Of 2020 Valedictorian And Salutatorian

Five years ago, Talia Cartafalsa and Alexa Mangione entered Berner Middle School together from different sides of the Massapequa School District and quickly became friends. Little did they know that they would lead similar academic paths en route to becoming the top ranked graduates of Massapequa High School’s Class of 2020.

Cartafalsa, with a grade point average of 100.125, was named the valedictorian while Mangione's 99.8 GPA earned her the distinction of salutatorian.

“I’m grateful,” Cartafalsa said, “and I’m proud that it’s the two of us because we’ve been friends since 7th grade.”

Cartafalsa got her start on the north end of the Massapequa at Lockhart Elementary School while Mangione attended Birch Lane Elementary School, the district’s southernmost building.

Separately, they began building the foundation that would eventually lead them to the top of a senior class with more than 550 students. Together, they did their best work, inspiring each other as they completed work in rigorous college-level courses. During their high school careers, both scholars enrolled in 10 Advanced Placement classes.

It wasn’t just in class that they made their mark. The two are active citizens in the Massapequa school community. Cartafalsa was the stage manager for the Massapequa High School and Berner Middle School musical productions, a member of the French Club and French and National honor societies. Additionally, she worked as the assistant to the director for the Summer Fine Arts program.

Mangione was president of the Visions art and literary magazine, a member of the Spanish Club and the Art, Spanish and National honor societies. She has also been a student assistant in the Summer Fine Arts program, and this past year supported young artists in ceramics, sculpture and printmaking classes.

Although she is considering majoring in information systems or applied mathematics in college, Mangione said that art and literature are among her passions and it’s the study of those areas that have been her favorite high school classes.

Cartafalsa, as begins to explore her college options, said she is planning to study either earth science or environmental science. She explained that she has enjoyed the challenge of her high school science classes and learning more about the world around her.