Massapequa Names Its Valedictorian And Salutatorian

Massapequa High School has announced its top two graduates for the Class of 2019: Nino Baghashvili was named valedictorian with a grade point average of 101.26, and Ariana Fang earn salutatorian honors with a 99.94 GPA.

Baghashvili was born in the country of Georgia and moved to Massapequa in fourth-grade, attending Fairfield Elementary School. During her time at Massapequa High School, she has taken 14 Advanced Placement courses. She has been a member of Chief’s Challenge, Model United Nations, Science Olympiad, the Science Research club, Math Olympiad, DECA, the National Honor Society, the National French Honor Society and the track team, and has served as historian and secretary for student government.

Recently, Baghashvili was named a 2019 National Merit Scholarship semifinalist. The program recognizes academically talented high school seniors, and she will continue in the competition for a chance to win one of 7,500 scholarships.

Fang attended Unqua Elementary School and has also been active at Massapequa High School, with participation in Mock Trial, Science Olympiad, the Poparazzi string ensemble, Chief’s Challenge, the Health Care Explorers Club, the National Honor Society and the National Chinese Honor Society, in addition to taking 13 AP courses. She and other students from the Mandarin Chinese program took a 10-day trip to China during the summer.

Her summer also included involvement in a highly-selective research program at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories, which continues through March. Fang recently attended a reception for the students selected for the Partners for the Future program. She has been studying the use of CRISPR technology for cancer, and her mentor scientist is a Massapequa resident with children in the district.

Baghashvili has been involved in research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in which she worked on finding point mutations on polymorphous low-grade carcinoma. Both seniors also did science research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The two are both currently exploring their college options. Baghashvili said she is undecided on what she plans to study but is learning toward engineering and business, while Fang is strongly considering biology or pre-medicine.

“It’s an honor to be able to represent the Massapequa High School Class of 2019,” Baghashvili said. “It’s nice to see that hard work pays off.”

Fang said that she is grateful to have been named salutatorian, but said she would have been proud of her high school accomplishments whether or not she earned a spot in the top two.

“Nino and Ariana have distinguished themselves for their academic achievements and involvement in the school community,” said Principal Brian Conboy. “They are model students and citizens, who consistently challenged themselves with high-level coursework and took advantage of the many opportunities offered her at Massapequa High School. These young scholars have bright futures ahead of them.”

Photo: Massapequa High School Executive Assistant for Guidance Paul Weber, top left, and Principal Brian Conboy congratulated Class of 2019 valedictorian Nino Baghashvili, left, and salutatorian Ariana Fang. Courtesy of the Massapequa School District