Thornton Academy held its graduation at 1 p.m. June 7 at the school. School officials presented diplomas to 356 students. Below are the students who achieved summa cum laude status.

PAULA MARIE CARAS, is the daughter of Lisa Cabot and George Caras of Saco. She is a competitive figure skater, captain of Academic Decathlon team, member of the National Honor Society, Interact Club, Ambassadors Club, Student Council, and plays piano. Paula will be attending Connecticut College to major in biology.

 

XINYI (LUCY) CHEN,  is the daughter of Liping Hao and Mingwei Chen in Beijing, China and is now living with homestay mom and dad Darlene and John Boissonnault of Dayton. In her years at Thornton Academy, she has been actively involved in math and science. She joined Thornton’s math team as a sophomore and has done well in all three years. She won first place in the Maine State Math Competition as a junior and second place as a senior. Meanwhile, Lucy is the president of TA Chinese Club, a leader of TA Amnesty International Club, and a member of National Honor Society. She is also a dancer and has participated in Dance Company for three years. Xinyi (Lucy) Chen is going to enroll in MIT for college and possibly major in engineering and business.

TORI JEANELLE DANIS, is the daughter of Johanne and Scott Danis of Saco. While at Thornton Academy, she participated in field hockey, tennis, Ambassador’s Club, National Honor Society, and Robotics. She received Excellence in Honors Chemistry, Pre-Calculus, and Spanish I, II, III, and was selected to the SMAA All-Academic Team for Field Hockey. She will attend the University of Connecticut next fall to major in chemical engineering.

HALEY MARIE DAGRACA, is the daughter of Michael DaGraca and Sandra DaGraca of Saco. During Haley’s time at Thornton Academy, she has participated in a wide variety of activities ranging from sports to student council. In student council, Haley has held the position of Class Treasurer where she has participated in things like Mr. TA, the Thanksgiving and Christmas drives and Children’s Winter Carnival. Haley was also selected to be a part of National Honor Society and the Reducing Sexism and Violence Program where she taught Saco middle schoolers the causes of sexism. Holding most special to her, Haley has participated in TA soccer all four years and was recognized for the All-Academic Team, the Western Maine Class A All-Star Team, the All-Conference Team and the Journal Tribune All-Star Team, her senior year. Haley plans to attend St. Joseph’s College in the fall.

KATHERINE GILLESPIE, is the daughter of Scott and Beth Gillespie of Arundel. She was inducted into the National Honor Society as a member of the Welcoming Committee, where she served as an Admissions Tour Guide. Katherine also devoted much of her time to the girls’ varsity soccer program, acting as a captain her senior year. One of Katherine’s favorite high school activities involved using this passion for soccer to host a 3v3 tournament to benefit Grassroots Soccer, an organization that educates and mobilizes young people to stop the spread of HIV. In addition, she has participated in Chamber Singers and Treble Choir, as well as the musical productions of Phantom of the Opera, CATS, and Pippin. Katherine is looking forward to attending Colby College in the fall and is planning to major in Global Studies.

EDWIN FRANCIS INNESS, is the son of Ed and Laurie Inness of Dayton. Throughout his years at Thornton Academy he has received numerous Certificates of Achievement and Certificates of Excellence. Eddie has competed in indoor and outdoor track and field all four years of high school, which earned him a spot on the SMAA All Academic Team. Eddie has enjoyed participating in the mentoring program his junior and senior years where he worked with a kindergarten class at Young School. Eddie attended Dirigo Boys State in June 2014. Eddie is looking forward to attending St. Michael’s College in the fall.

KELSEY ANN KEHOE, is the daughter of Jill Kehoe of Saco. She has dedicated her years at Thornton Academy to her academics, running and volunteering. Kelsey ran cross-country for three years where she earned her varsity letter and was able to compete in the state meet. She has been an active member of the Reducing Sexism and Violence Program, which is a club that works to combat bullying and conducts workshops at local middle schools. Kelsey also serves as a mentor to a young girl through Sweetser Services and she is the president of the Hunger Committee for the National Honor Society. Kelsey looks forward to attending the University of San Diego in the fall, where she plans to major in Psychology.

VICTOR RIBEIRO MENEZES, is the son of Evandro Menezes and Monica Ribeiro. Victor is from Southern Brazil and studied his first year of high school in his hometown, Campo Mourao. Victor transferred and moved to Thornton Academy as a sophomore, where he has been very active. Victor is the captain and No. 1 singles player of the tennis team, coach of the tennis club, a member of the Order of DeMolay and the National Honor Society, a soccer goalkeeper, and skier. Victor has been selected as a SMAA All-Stars tennis player and the recipient of the Daughters of the American Revolution good citizen award. Victor looks forward to attending Georgia Institute of Technology, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering.

SYDNIE PICARD, is the daughter of Guy and Shelley Picard of Saco. She has been an active member of Student Council throughout her four years at Thornton Academy. Sydnie has also participated in treble choir for all four years, drama for two, and was inducted into the National Honor Society her senior year. She played multiple sports in high school, which included soccer, basketball, and her favorite, lacrosse. Sydnie plans to attend Fairfield University in the fall and her major is currently undecided.

JENNA LYNN SCOTT, is the daughter of Michelle and Jason Scott of Saco. Throughout her time at TA, Jenna served as Sophomore Class Vice President, Senior Class Secretary, and has received numerous Certificates of Excellence and Achievement. She has divided her four years here between the TA Players – where she has participated in 14 productions -, Student Council, Student Ambassadors, Orchestra, the Speech Team, and at the end of her junior year, she was inducted into the National Honor Society, adding one more thing to her schedule. Jenna is excited to attend Bowdoin College in the fall, and is very thankful for all of the support and opportunities she has been provided with at TA.

KATHERINE SENECHAL, is the daughter of Guy Senechal and Victoria Rogers. She has played varsity soccer throughout her years at TA, becoming captain her fourth year. She was inducted into the National Honor Society and participated with the Action Team, which is a volunteering group that reaches out to the surrounding town of Saco. She also has participated in varsity tennis in the spring, reaching captain her senior year. Katherine will attend Colby College next year, going in undecided for her major.

ERIN ELYSE TANGNEY, is the daughter of P.J. and Sue Tangney of Dayton. During her years at Thornton Academy, Erin was a member of the Interact Club and the Ambassador’s Club. She played three years of varsity soccer and lacrosse, earning a spot on the SMAA All-Academic Team. She was also inducted into the National Honor Society. Erin will continue her education at Loyola University Maryland in the fall.

XUEZHOU (EILEEN) WANG, is the daughter of Zongcui Zou and Li Wang of Tianjin, China.
She has been a member of Chamber Singers, NHS, Speech Team, and Interact Club. She will major in history at New York University.

 

 

 

WENHUI (JESSIE) ZHAO, is the daughter of Jianjun Zhao and Wen Li of Shanghai, China. Jessie is the valedictorian of the Thornton Academy Class of 2015. She was the recipient of the MPA Principal’s Award as well as the MPA Golf Tournament Scholarship. Jessie also received AP Scholar with Honor and a bronze medal in the 2014 Maine Academic Decathlon. Throughout her three years studying at Thornton Academy, she has been the captain of Action Team for three years, co-captain of Academic Decathlon for a year, and treasurer for Ribbon Club for two years. She has also been a member of the National Honor Society Tutoring Committee, Admission Committee student tour guide, Model United Nations, Neuroscience Club, and Thornton Academy Mentor Program. Jessie also started a project called Humans of America with her friends, which is a photo blog inspired by Humans of New York. Beginning this coming fall, Jessie will attend Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she plans to double major in Science and Business with minors in French and Educational Studies.

XINGPEI (AUSTIN) ZHUANG, is the son of Weihua and Xiaokua Zhuang of Shenzhen, China. Throughout his three years at Thornton Academy, he has participated in various activities involving athletics and art. Xingpei has been heavily involved in the Dorm Soccer Team, serving as captain, and the indoor-soccer league held by Fitness Center for three years. He is a member of Math Team, Interact Team, Small Ensembles, 5k Club, Chinese Club, and plays guitar and violin. Xingpei looks forward to attending Brandeis University in the fall, where he plans to major in Computer Science with a minor in Finance.

Thornton Academy’s  Class of 2015

Kyle Adams, Nicole Agapiou, Justin Alcorn, Sabena Allen, Taylor Allen, Danielle Amadon, Desiree Anderson, Heather Atwater, Quintyn Bachiochi, Robert Balsamo, Kevin Barrett, Gwyneth Beaudoin, Kayla Beaulieu, Kylie Beaulieu, Faith Benedict, Kaeleigh Benson, Mitchell Bergquist, Nil Berke, Dustin Bertrand, Jordan Berube, Hunter Beyea, Jarrell Biglow-Sastre, Cameron Bilodeau, James Black, Zachary Blow, Andrew Bogatses, Derek Boissonnault, Andrea Borsani, Jayden Boudreau, Justin Boure, Ashlyn Bourque, Kayla Bowman, Katrina Brenaman, Jack Breton, Cheryl Brown, Nicholas Brown, Vojtech Brtinsky, Zachary Bryant, Daniel Bullard, Amanda Burke, Christopher Camire, Quinn Campbell, Paula Caras, Christopher Caron, Isaac Caron, Cameron Carreiro, Brianna Chaisson, Cameron Chamberlain, Yiwei Chang, Tszying Chau, Abigail Chelate, Junyu Chen, Xinyi Chen, Xu Chen, Yawen Chen, Kong Wai Chu, Michael Clay, Matthew Cleary, Dani-Rae Clegg, Jenna Clum-Russell, Alexander Cole, Nicholas Cole, Sabryna Collins Hall, Evan Combes, Caitlyn Comeau, Margaret Connellan, Chase Coro, Corsetti Antonini, Brayden Costa, Emily Costello, Jonathan Cote, Ariel Courtney, Saffron Courtney, Gavin Crespin, Nicholas Cronin, Brooke Cross, Holly Crowell, Karaghan Curran, Haley DaGraca, Austin Daigle, Ryver Daigle, Tori Daigle, Mariah Dallaire, Brianna Daly, Tori Danis, Alexis Dapolito, Tyler DeGuzman, Nathaniel Deluca, Domonic DiPietro, Amirah Dor, Blake Douston, Tyler Dow, Caitlyn Doyon, Caleb Drabkowski, Jordan Dube, Kailey Dubuque, Holly Durgan, Hunter Ebling, Liam Eisenhaur, Timothy Elliott, Francesca Elnicki, Yuan Fan, Jacob Farnsworth, Jameson Faunce, Steven Field, Keira Fitzgerald, Tyler Fleurant, Curtis Fortier, Dennis Fournier, Shyanne Frazier, Stephanie Fuhrmann, Stephanie Fuller, Christopher Gagnon, George Gagnon, Logan Gailitis, Myles Gamage, Kassandra Garcia, Steven Gay, Christopher Geyssel, Katherine Gillespie, Spencer Girardin, Nathaniel Glaude, Meghan Goebel, Lucas Going, Christopher Golding, Eric Gooch, Charles Goodrum, Chelsea Goodwin, Aaron Goren, Nicholas Grantz Emily Gray, Liam Green, Ryan Haines, Kayla Haley, Lindsey Hall, Zachary Hall, Tyler Hannah, Johnelle Hardy, Brandon Harlow, Ali Harris, Christopher Harris, Emily Harris, Jessica Haskell, Kayleigh Henderson, Shawn Heyland, Tyler Hill, Tyler Hobart, Ashley Houp, Lei Huang, Andrew Huot, Edwin Inness, Mitchell Jacques, Jacob Jalbert, Lexy Jenks, Wensen Jin, Zhuhui Jin, Olzhas Karazhigitov, Kelsey Kehoe, Youngshin Kim, Shayna Kimball, Jared King, Glorianna Kittredge, Vanessa Knox, Taylor Kocyba, Christopher Kowash, Danica Labonte, Rebecca LaChance, Kaylee Lafortune, Cory Lamontagne, Taylar Lamontagne, Joy Landolfi, Hanna Langley, Abigail Lapierre, Keegan Lapointe, Tyler LaPointe, Chloe Lavigne, Madison Lawlor, Tyler Lebel, Carli Legere, John Lemoine, George Lett, Catherine Levecque, Chen Li, Yangbo Li, Yuanliang Li, Devin Littlefield, Jiahao Liu, Brooke LoBue, Ashton Lord, Ran Luo, Victoria Lux, Hannah Maddix, Casey Maguire, John Maguire, Nicole Mailloux, Isaiah Makonnen, Mikayla Maksut, Tiana Mariner, Ian Marshall, Brian Martin, Mary Martin, Zachary McCarthy, Kaitlyn McCrum, Matthew McDonald, Haleigh McKechnie, Victor Menezes, Thomas Messier, Kyle Metcalf, Christian Michaud, Brittney Mondor, Cameron Mondor, Kyle Monroe, Logan Mooers, D’Andre Morgan, Gavin Morin, Jason Morrill, Jessica Morrissette, Alexandra Morse, Tourner Moseley, Jacob Moulton, Joshua Moulton, Skye Murray, Andrew Nadeau, Devin Nason, Lea Nason, Dieudonne Nizeyimana, Olazabal Aguilar, Ryan Oliveira, Amanda Packard, Jacob Paquette, Christopher Parenteau, Pasquin Canas, Ben Patterson, Jenna Paul, Taylor Pedra, Taylor Pelletier, Joshua Penaflorida, Elizabeth Perry, Francesca Petrucci, Alexandra  Pettaway, Cody Picard, Daniel Picard, Sydnie Picard, Maggie Piecuch, Brittany Pinet, Jacqueline Pinkham, Seth Pollock, McKalie Pouliot, Madelyn Preston, Colby Priest, Sarah Proctor, Eric Profenno, Gregory Prokey, Elizabeth Provencher, Conor Purvis, Valerie Rancourt, James Remmes, Alexander Reppond, Emily Ribaudo, Brianna Roberge, Nicholas Roberts, Camrin Robichaud, Abigail Robinson, Zachary Robinson, Tyler Rogers, Nicholas Rombalski, Alicyn Romprey, Jake Ronnow, Abigail Root, Julia Rowlett, Michaela Royea, Demel Ruff, Zari Ruley, Julia Russell, Kaitlyn Salcedo, Nathan Scammon, Christina Scenna, David Scenna, Jenna Scott, Jaymie Seneca, Katherine Senechal, Keke Shao, Mackenzie Sheehan, Lyndy Sherer, Kailin Shi, Curtis Simoneau, Isaac Sinclair, Dorina Sirois, Andrew Smith, Devyn Smith, Dylan Smith, Hannah Smith, Katelyn Smith, Nathaniel Smith, Noah Smith, Taylor Smith, Megan Sommer, Samantha Sousa, Alexandria Spinney, Kathryn St. Amand, Joseph St. Hilaire, Mia Stalnik, Christopher Steward, Emma Stewart, Abigail Strickland, Heather Strout, Erin Tangney, Centong Tao, Zoe Tarr, Brandie Taylor, Kelsey Thatcher, Rucen Tian, Tuan Tkhen To, Samuel Tobin, Tian Tong, Bailey Tremblay, Bryanna Trott, Emily Turner, Nathan Vachon, Nicole Vadnais, Emily Vallee, Zachary Vandermeer, Elisabeth Vaughan, Alyssa Voccia, O’Malley Walsh, Xiaoran Wang, Xuezhou Wang, Porter Washington, Zachary Weber, Gabrielle Weigand, Alexis Wells, Lauren Wells, Noah Whalen, Chloe White, Courtney Wiemert, Hayley Wilde, Kyle Williams, James Woodburn, Cody Woodward, Jessie Woodward, Kearsten Wyman, Chang Man Xu, Hanfu Xu, Shaoxiang Yang, Ciwan Yilmaz, Alyssa Zamjohn, Ruitong Zeng, Huiran Zhang, Jiaming Zhang, Xinyi Zhang, Wenhui Zhao, Tianyu Zhou, XingPei Zhuang, Benjamin Zuke and Joseph Zuke.