Commencement Scholars Class of 2013

VALEDICTORIAN PATRICK WALSH is the son of the loving and supportive Bill and Lisa Walsh. Born and raised in York, Maine, Patrick has been involved in a wide range of activities at York High School. He was a three-year varsity football starting offensive linemen and a captain in his senior year. He loved playing with his teammates and under his coach Randy Small. He has shared class presidency for the last three years with his good friend Ben Gauthier, while also being an active member of Interact and the Secretary of the club during his senior year. Additionally, he has been a member of Key Club, the Civil Rights Team, the Writing Center, Student Listeners, Senior Facilitators, and co-founded the York High Debate Team in his sophomore year. He has been an honor roll student his entire four years at York while maintaining a year-round job. He is honored to be a member of both the National Honor Society and the National World Language Honor Society in German. He has received several awards in all subject areas throughout his academic career at York and received both the Williams Book Award and the Bausch and Lomb Science Award in his junior year. He has loved following his passions at York High School. Most notably, he is the proud owner of two Bourbon Red Heritage Turkeys, Hank and Daisy. He is looking forward to fulfilling his curious nature at Bowdoin College next fall, while studying Biochemistry and Biology. He is excited to start the next chapter in his academic journey.

SALUTATORIAN THOMAS REID, son of David and Megan Reid, was an athlete and a scholar in his time at York High School. His recent selection as the Salutatorian of the Class of 2013 proved an excellent conclusion to his academic achievement over the last four years. His fifth place finish in the 300-meter hurdles at the recent New England Track and Field Championships was the culminating event of his high school athletic career. Named captain of his varsity soccer, indoor, and outdoor track teams and earning Most Valuable Player honors in each, Thomas is especially proud of his athletic accomplishments and thankful to all the coaches who supported him along the way. A four-year member of Interact and the senior writer and editor for the York High School Pawprint, he engaged in many extracurricular activities as well. A senior facilitator, a rather dapper graduation marshal, and a member of the National Honor Society, Thomas takes pride in his contributions to his school and his community. Thomas will be attending Northeastern University in the fall, where he intends to find his path in life and keep dancing the night away.

WILLIAM MICHAEL BENNETT is the son of Jim and Kathy Bennett. He was a member of numerous clubs and activities at York High School including Chamber Singers, Concert Band and Jazz Band, Naturally Sharp (a cappella group), the National Honor Society, and the World Language National Honor Society for Spanish. Active in sports, William was a member of the indoor track, varsity outdoor track, and varsity soccer teams. William won several awards while at YHS, including the Geometry, Animation, Art I, and English Top Cat awards. He has achieved high honors all four years of his high school career. William has been an active USSF certified referee since the eighth grade, officiating almost every weekend each fall, has coached five and six year-olds in soccer on Saturday mornings, and volunteered as cantor and brass musician for his church, Parish of the Ascension of the Lord. In his free time, William enjoys reading, running, and playing soccer with his siblings. He was selected to take part in the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation’s Consider Engineering Summer Program and plans to major in Biomedical Engineering at Dartmouth College.

CHRISTINA BOUTIN, daughter of Rosalie and Daniel Boutin of York, was an involved student and athlete during her four years at York High School. Christina was a yearbook editor-in-chief, member of the YHS Green Team, National Honors Society, and French and Spanish Language Honor Societies. In addition to maintaining honors, Christina worked a year-round job. An avid runner, Christina was a varsity athlete and captain of the cross-country and indoor track teams. Christina has won the Senior Art Purchase Award as well as the Outstanding Senior in French Award by the American Association of Teachers of French. This fall Christina will pursue her interests in art, language, and environmental studies, as well as run cross-country and track, at Soka University of America in Southern California.

COURTNEY BURNS, daughter of Debra and Stephen Burns, prides herself on her participation and hard work at York High School. She was a four-year member and two-year Editor-in-Chief of her school's yearbook committee, a Photo Editor of her school's newspaper, and an active member of numerous other clubs, such as WordPlay, Spanish Language Honor Society, and Senior Facilitators. Courtney won several awards, such as the Wellesley College Book Award, honors or high honors all four years, as well as many academic achievement awards in math, art, and science. Her artwork has been on display around the school, on the walls of the public library, and, this past winter, in the halls of the Portland Museum of Art during Maine Youth Art Month. In the fall, Courtney looks forward to studying at Emmanuel College in Boston, Massachusetts, with a potential major in Psychology.

EMILY CAMPBELL is the daughter of Kate and Greg Campbell. She was a member of the National Honor Society and World Languages National Honor Society for French. She led her class as vice-president for past three years and represented the school as a student-athlete member of the York High School Hall of Fame Committee. She was a four-year member of the Interact Club and served as a treasurer for the past two years. As a member of the York First Parish Church Youth Group, she volunteered her time on a weeklong mission trip. Emily is an avid tennis and basketball player, receiving multiple accolades in both varsity sports. As an all-conference tennis player, she has enjoyed the competition of playing #1 singles. In basketball, she won a state championship and earned all-conference, all-state, and McDonald’s senior-all star honors. She plans to continue playing basketball at the collegiate level. This fall Emily will attend Bowdoin College.

NICHOLAS EATON is the son of Nancy and Randy Eaton and was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1994. Nick has many hobbies and interests but over the years he has discovered that he has a strong love for surfing. Through surfing he has learned the value of hard work, dedication, and passion. Nick took these values and applied them into his everyday life in order to push himself to succeed. Whether it is creating his videos, placing in the top ten percent of the class of 2013, receiving high honors, or being given the coaches award his senior year of cross country, Nick pushes himself in everything that he does. He sets goals for himself and is determined to reach them. In the fall he will attend Emerson College as a film major. Unsure of what the future holds, Nick is sure to succeed.

BENJAMIN GAUTHIER is the son of Michael and Naomi Gauthier. He is co-President of his class, editor-in-chief of his high school’s newspaper, a founding member of the debate club, and a member of Interact and the National Honor Society. He attended both the Maine Youth Leadership and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camps and has volunteered at Camp Meridian, an overnight camp for children with heart disease. He was a the recipient of the Rensselaer Medal, the Phi Beta Kappa Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award, the Western Maine Conference Citizenship Award, and is a National Merit Finalist. This fall he will be attending Northwestern University and plans to be a Radio/Television/Film major. Despite all this, though, he still can’t grow normal-looking facial hair.

ISABEL GOODWIN is the daughter of Peter and Susannah Goodwin. Isabel is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish chapter of the World Language Honor Society. She was the recipient of the Society of Women’s Engineers Award and has been awarded with several departmental recognitions for outstanding academic achievement. Outside of the classroom, Isabel has been involved in a number of extracurricular activities, most notably serving as the student body government representative for the Class of 2013. Athletically, Isabel has spent her time passionately involved as a competitive gymnast, having the honor of being a State, Regional, and National team member for the past few years. Isabel has elected to defer her matriculation to the College of William and Mary until the fall of 2014 and will spend the next year volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and doing outreach in Southeast Asia.

OLIVIA GREER, daughter of Kimberly and Nathan Greer, has lived in York, Maine, for her entire life. In recognition of her determination and hard work, Olivia was inducted into both the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society for Spanish. Leading a busy life aside from her academics, she was a varsity member of the cheerleading team at York for the past three years and the tennis team for the past four years. Her outstanding leadership was recognized by her peers when she was selected captain of the cheerleading squad for both the football and basketball/competition seasons during her senior year. She has also been a member of the YHS Chamber Singers for the past two years and has performed with them at various venues including a concert for Senator Collins inside the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. For three weeks in the summer between her sophomore and junior years, she volunteered her time in a reforestation project on a reserve in the Galapagos Islands, one of her most valuable service experiences. Olivia recently received the AP Biology award during convocation and plans to major in pre-medical biology at Stonehill College in Massachusetts.

JOSEPH LEROUX, son of Kathryn and Richard Leroux, was born in Newton, Massachusetts. At a young age, Joseph learned to value community service. Director of the Vacation Bible School at his church and an actor in “To God be the Glory” for fifteen years, it is no surprise that he became a member of the Interact Club and a captain of the Action Team while at YHS. His dedication to serving others earned him the Saint Michael’s Book Award and the 2013 Maine Principal’s Award. Founder of the YHS debate team, Joseph practiced the art of skillful speaking. As a senior, he traveled across Maine to compete and tied for first at the state meet in Public Forum Debate. An avid trumpet player, Joseph has played in the York High School jazz and concert bands. For three years, he traveled to Marshwood High School where he played first trumpet in the marching band, and since the eighth grade, he has ventured to Dover to play trumpet in the Dover Community Band. He began his singing career as a tenor in the YHS Chamber Singers and since then has founded the YHS a cappella group and represented YHS in the district and all-state ensembles. As a member of the YHS Players, Joseph acted in plays and participated in two improvisation groups during his career. Joseph looks forward to attending Haverford College in the fall, where he intends to explore interests in French, economics, and conflict resolution.

SARAH PALMER, daughter of Holly Sargent and Robert Palmer, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and moved to York in 2005. Committed to the arts, she has starred in several performances including Our Town, 15 minute Hamlet, and the Haunting of Hill House. She was also a member of the advanced YHS improv group, Shtick Sharpens. Sarah was the principal alto saxophone player for the YHS Jazz Band and for the Marshwood Marching Band. She was a member of the Societe Honoraire de Français and was Treasurer of the National Honor Society. She studied abroad in Oxford, England, at Oxford University focusing on English Literature and Classical Civilization. Sarah participated in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and attended the Clinton Global Initiative. Sarah was the Second place Winner in the Rotary International Speaking Contest for Maine and New Hampshire. She has also had the opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering and donating to the local food pantry. She has received several awards for drama and her academic endeavors. She was the four-time winner of the YHS book challenge, having read over 800 books during her high school career. Sarah looks forward to attending Cornell University in the fall where she plans to pursue interests in the social sciences.

JENNA RUMBLE, daughter of Brennen and Elizabeth Rumble, was fully involved in extracurricular activities at York High School. She played for the varsity field hockey team and was captain of the varsity tennis team during her senior season. She also played lacrosse and ran for the indoor track team, both for one season. Jenna was a team representative for Student Government for her first two years of high school. She was also a captain of the Action Team for four years and was a member of Wordplay, a creative writing club, for three years. She served as a senior facilitator of a freshman team and student listener for a middle school student. Academically, she was inducted into the National Honor Society and Spanish Language Honor Society. She earned numerous awards throughout her academic career in several subjects, including Spanish, English, and mathematics. Outside of York High School, Jenna achieved the rank of black belt in Kenpo Karate after a nine-year commitment to the art. She volunteered at Sentry Hill, helped run a charity booth for the Portsmouth Brewery on Market Square Day for the past nine years, and devoted her time to the PAL program at Village Elementary School. This fall Jenna will be attending Colby College where she intends to study mathematics, Spanish, and biology.

ERIN SHEAHAN, daughter of Kathleen and Michael Sheahan, was born in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to arriving in York, Maine in 2002, Erin lived in South Korea, Virginia and Spain. During her four years at York High School, Erin was a member of numerous clubs and activities including Student Listeners, Senior Facilitators, the World Language Honor Society, Action Team and Interact. Erin was also a member of the York High School lacrosse and field hockey teams. As a senior she received academic achievement awards in English and Holocaust Studies in addition to high honors for performance in her classes. She was awarded a presidential scholarship and will be attending the College of Charleston this fall to study psychology and criminology.

KAYLA SWASEY is the daughter of Steven Swasey of Salem, Massachusetts, and Lori Langlais of Berlin, New Hampshire. Year-round soccer athlete, she received the Western Conference Sportswoman of the Year award in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Kayla was also on the All-Academic and All-Conference team for her four years at York HIgh School. She is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the World Language Honor Society for Spanish. Outside of York High School, Kayla has worked with New Hampshire Special Olympics and was a volunteer coach for York Soccer Club. In 2012 she was invited to an Athletic Leadership Conference at St. Josephs's College to represent the athletes at York. During her senior year she was selected as a Senior Facilitator for the freshman class and also received the Physical Education Student Leader award. Next year Kayla will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. She plans to major in Kinesiology with a focus on prosthetic rehabilitation and looks forward to playing Division I soccer.

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Academic Boosters Scholarship $500 Courtney Burns
Andrew Swiedler Award $1,000 Rafael Mata
Billy Cheverie Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Eleni Zotos
Billy Cheverie Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Emily Campbell
Billy Cheverie Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Hayden Pate
Billy Cheverie Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Kyle Cone
Billy Cheverie Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Peter Carley
Campbell Conference Scholarship $250 Thomas Kinton
Carter Furber Scholarship $1,000 Rachael Yorke
Don Morrison Memorial Scholarship $2,500 Kiyana Reid
Don Morrison Memorial Scholarship $2,500 Theodore Bullock
Early College for ME $2,000 Adam Christman
Educators for Maine $12000 loan Kathryn Brown
Erika Jolie Memorial Scholarship $500 Emily Campbell
Family and Friends of Linda Masella $500 Kathryn Brown
George N. Perkins Performing Arts Scholarship $500 Brandon DesmondKiYana Reid
George N. Perkins Performing Arts Scholarship $500 Sarah Garfield
Gerety/Kerrigan Scholarship $2,000 Thomas Reid
Grant Award Silver Bowl Patrick Walsh
HomeHealth Visiting Nurses of Southern Maine Schol. $100 Julie Walter
John F. Welch Scholarship $1,000 Theodore Bullock
John K. Schroeder Award Silver Bowl Benjamin Gauthier
Justin Donovan Memorial Scholarship $500 Luke Claflin
Justin Donovan Memorial Scholarship $500 Ruby Cribby
Ken Sullivan Memorial Award $500 Alexander Mercurio
Kennebunk Savings Bank Scholarship $1,000 Brandon Desmond
Lawrence Ellis Memorial Scholarship $1,500 Ruby Cribby
Maine State Golf Association $6,000 Peter Carley
Margaret S. Sewall Fund $1,000 Haley Byrne
Matthew Cruz Memorial Scholarship $2,000 Bridget Cronin
Mike Ford Memorial Scholarship $5,000 Bridget Cronin
Milton F. Todd Memorial Scholarship $500 Aaron Todd
Mitchell Scholarship $6,000 Patrick Walsh
Myron D. Rust Scholarship $650 Thomas Kinton
National Alliance on Mental Illness- York $1,500 Emilee Duffy
National Merit Scholarship $2,000 Benjamin Gauthier
Robert " Bob" Masi Scholarship $1,000 Kayla Swasey
Robert G. Pacitti Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Josh Brooks
Robert G. Pacitti Memorial Scholarship $1,000 Rafael Mata
Sanford Institution for Savings Scholarship $1,000 Adley Palreiro
Sanford Institution for Savings Scholarship $1,000 Madisen Knoepfel
Sanford Institution for Savings Scholarship $1,000 Victoria Knoepfel
Search for Knowledge Award Silver Bowl Daniel Leroux
Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Maine 1,000 Shea Spiller
St. Aspinquid David Rocray Memorial Scholarship $1,500 Shea Spiller
St. Aspinquid Elizabeth Haskell Memorial Award $1,500 Sarah Garfield
Stonewall Kitchen Scholarship $2,000 Veronica Sullivan
Stonewall Kitchen Scholarship $2,000 Zachary Leal
The Bank of Maine $1,000 Danielle Simpson
The Tyler/Grandmaison MELMAC Scholarship $1,500 Tony Finn
Wolfrett "Sport" Eldredge Scholarship $1,000 Scott Burnett
York Art Association $750 Eric Morrison
York Athletic Boosters Scholarship $500 Amanda Kasbohm
York Athletic Boosters Scholarship $500 Marquis MacGlashing
York Fisheries Association $500 Thomas Kinton
York Golf & Tennis Club Appreciation Award $1,000 Fran Mendoza
York High School Faculty Improvement Award Silver Bowl Tony Finn/Jared Twombly
York Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship Award $3,000 Theodore Bullock
York Mentor Recognition Award $1,000 Charles Holly
York Rotary Scholarship $4,000 Emily Campbell
York Rotary Scholarship $4,000 Patrick Walsh
York Rotary Scholarship $2,000 Sage Rundlett
York Rotary Scholarship $2,000 Thomas Reid
York Soccer Club Scholarship $1,000 Alexa Bando
York Soccer Club Scholarship $1,000 Thomas Reid
York Student Scholarship Fund $1,000 Haley DeValliere
York Teachers' Association Scholarship $3,000 Rachel Yorke
York Village Business Association $1,000 Veronica Sullivan