Mystic Valley graduates first class to go the distance

The following was submitted by Mystic Valley Regional Charter School:

On Friday, June 10th the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School graduated the Class of 2011.  The Commencement Ceremony was held at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford with a reception for the graduates and their families and Mystic Valley faculty and staff held immediately after in the Boys and Girls Club in the basement of the building.

The Class of 2011 was the first one to attend classes at Mystic Valley from kindergarten to graduation. Forty-one of the 68 graduates were awarded John and Abigail Adams Scholarships which entitle them to four years of tuition free education at any state college or university in Massachusetts.

The Valedictorian address was delivered by Joanna McPherson.  Joanna is the President of the National Honor Society. She was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist as well as an All Star soccer player. She will be heading to Princeton in the fall. The Salutatorian's address was delivered by Jeffrey Yee. Jeffrey was also a member of the National Honor Society. He was a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student.

During the ceremony awards were presented to the students whose performance in different areas surpassed those of their classmates. The following awards were given: Science Stephanie Martorana; History Taylor Roseen; Math Joanna McPherson; English Kelly Finn; Art Samantha Childs; Spanish Joanna McPherson; Latin Kelly Finn and Outstanding Effort Alana Casullo. Awards for Leadership Nicholas Krasco and Service Meredith Williams were presented prior to the ceremony at the senior luncheon.

The Commencement Speaker was Anthony A. Williams, the former Mayor of Washington, D.C. (1999 — 2007) and the current Executive Director of the Global Government Practice at the Corporate Executive Board in Arlington, Virginia.  During his two terms as Mayor, he is widely credited with leading the comeback of Washington, D.C., restoring the finances of our nation’s capital and improving the performance of government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services. Before his election as Mayor, he was the independent Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia from 1995 to 1998, working with and on behalf of local officials, the D.C. Financial Control Board, and the U.S. Congress. Before his service in local Washington, Mr. Williams worked in a variety of positions in federal, state, and local government, including as the first CFO for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, appointed by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  Mr. Williams spoke to the graduates about the need to think as well as act as they proceed through life.

Members of the Class of 2011 and their hometowns:

First        Last       Hometown
Calvin      Huynh    Malden
Michelle  Jaynes    Malden
Jamie     Kerner    Medford
Colin       Kinnon    Malden
Joan       Kinnon    Malden
Patrick    Kinnon    Malden
Nicholas  Krasco    Melrose
Tiffany    Kwong    Saugus
Miranda  Lai    Melrose
Derek     Lee    Malden
William   Leung    Malden
Stephanie    Lin    Malden
Jacob    Marks    Malden
Stephanie    Martorana    Malden
Joanna    McPherson    Wakefield
Kevin    Mei    Malden
Rebecca    Milley    Malden
Ausjoli    Minichiello    Lynnfield
James    Monzione    Malden
Nicole    Mui    Malden
Marissa    Munafo    Everett
Eric    Natale    Malden
Connor    O'Keefe    Lynn
Michael    Pascal    Melrose
Aaron    Payne    Melrose
Gina    Pedro    Lynn
Hunter    Poulos    Everett
Jessica    Poutre    Melrose
Rachael    Rennie    Malden
Taylor    Roseen    Malden
Jodel    Saimbert    Lynn
Jessica    So    Medford
Clori    St. Paul    Everett
Gardy    St. Paul    Everett
Kayla    Teves    Malden
Emalee    Thomas    Malden
Krithiknath    Tirupapuliyur    Wakefield
Rachael    Touayl    Revere
Stephanie    Venezia    Saugus
Jenna    Walker    Melrose
Jonathan    Walker    Melrose
Hillary    Wen    Malden
Helena    Whitlow    Malden
Meredith    Williams    Peabody
Rebecca    Wright    Melrose
Jeffrey    Yee    Malden