Rye Salutatorian Challenges Underclassmen To Get Involved

RYE, NY — This year's salutatorian for the Rye High School Class of 2018 is Nora Murphy. Patch asked Murphy to answer a few questions about her high school experience and what she looks forward to the in the future.

1. What will you miss most about high school?
I’ll miss knowing everyone in my grade and having so many familiar faces around all the time. I’m going to a university of more than 8,000 so there will be always be a lot more strangers around, no matter how long I’m there.

2. What are you looking forward to in moving on to college?
I’m looking forward to being able to take more in-depth classes in the things I’m interested in and less classes in the things I’m ... not so interested in (sorry, science).

3. What was your favorite high school class?
I think my favorite class was AP Spanish, which I took this year with Sra. Nardo. I’ve always loved Spanish, but this year Nardo made it so fun and interactive that it didn’t even feel like a class. She balanced learning lots of grammar and vocabulary with lessons about culture and activities that were genuinely fun — not “teacher fun,” if you know what I’m saying.

4. What clubs or extracurriculars were you involved in?
I pulled the classic Rye move of joining like 40 clubs while I was here, but by senior year, the two I really stuck with were Model UN and Zephyr Lit. Model UN was great because we got to go to conferences in Boston and Washington, DC and meet some really ... eccentric people from all over the world. Zephyr Lit, the club that publishes Rye’s literary magazine, was also great because we would sit around for an hour and half discussing original student work. Aside from that, I was also in RHS Vocal Ensemble for three years and, outside of school, I taught religion at Resurrection CCD for two years.

5. What advice would you give to underclassmen?
Number one — even though literally everyone says this — get involved, starting from freshman year. But do it to meet people and have fun, not to resumé-build. Some Rye kids live all four high school years trying to please some faceless college admissions people, and end up doing so may pointless things that don’t bring them any real joy or benefit. Besides, let’s be honest, joining International Club your junior year isn’t going to get you into Harvard! Rye kids tend to spread themselves thin and end up not even showing up to most things. I would say, stick to things that you can, and want, to dedicate yourself to.

6. Any teachers/staff who stood out throughout your journey?
So many! I had so many amazing teachers I feel bad just listing a few. I already mentioned Sra. Nardo, but I should also mention Mr. Valinoti, who has to be the best calculus teacher on the face of the Earth, Mrs. Goldstein, my English teacher who really inspired me my freshman year, and Ms. Comitino, who’s not at Rye anymore but who was always the best teacher to talk to about anything.

7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Haha, um, that’s a loaded question. I don’t even know what I’m going to major in yet. I really can’t tell you what kind of job I’ll have, but my hope is that I will at least know what I want to do and have a career started. Now that I’m leaving New York for Indiana I’ve started to get really nostalgic about the place that raised me, so I’m thinking I’ll probably come back here, probably to the city, to work after I graduate.

8. Tell us a fun fact about you.
One fun fact is that I’ve been a Girl Scout since first grade, and last summer went with my troop to Switzerland to stay in a Girl Scout Chalet where we met Girl Scouts from all over the world.

Photo caption: Nora Murphy. Photo credit: Courtesy.