Regional School District 12 honors students and top seniors at year-end recognition

Regional School District 12 opened its meeting with an extended student recognition program in which the superintendent and board members honored dozens of students for academic, leadership and agroscience achievements. Superintendent Lori opened the segment by saying, "one of the most uplifting aspects to the end of any school year are the many opportunities that we have to recognize our students and to celebrate them."

The board recognized two agroscience students—Cameron (Forest management) and Haley (Diversified agricultural production)—who placed first in Connecticut proficiency award categories; both will be recognized at the state FFA convention and each will receive a $250 award, and their applications will be eligible for national recognition in October.

Superintendent Lori presented superintendent awards administered through the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, highlighting students such as Celeste Columbo (Booth Free School) for community-minded leadership, Penelope Cooper (Burnham School) for citizenship and Penelope’s extracurricular involvement, and Marvin Cabrera Palacios (Washington Primary) for bilingual peer support and strong math skills.

The board also recognized student leadership award winners including Vienna Karu and Nathan Fiser and highlighted top seniors. Don Shells and Mike Croft announced the class of 2024 valedictorian, Faith Barolini, who will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology to study bioengineering, and salutatorian Annabelle Churk, who will enroll at the University of Connecticut. Several senior projects were noted, including Ronan’s swim-and-triathlon training project and Marie’s stained-glass installation in the agroscience center.

The segment concluded with board members praising students’ academic and extracurricular accomplishments and a short reception before the business portion of the meeting resumed.