When St. Mary’s High School seniors Lindsay Marrone and Kristina Magas were summoned in early May for a guidance department meeting at the exact same time on the exact same day, they quickly realized what the session would be about.
With weighted averages of 104.55 and 103.97, respectively, Marrone and Magas were named the Class of 2014’s valedictorian and salutatorian.
“Our guidance counselor, Mr. [Vincent] Gschlecht, called us in and said to sit down, and said I’m sure you both already know, but Lindsay you’re the valedictorian and Kristina you’re the salutatorian,” said Marrone, a Seaford resident. “Then he handed us the paperwork for the guidelines for our speeches. He did it so nonchalantly, like of course it was us.”
For Magas, the meeting was anticlimactic, as the two have been finishing at the top of their class since the start of their freshman year, she said.
Their quarterly report cards ruined the surprise, she said, as they list their class rankings at the end of each marking period.
“I had a pretty good idea I’d be either No. 1 or 2. I pretty much knew all throughout high school,” said Magas, a resident of Manhasset’s unincorporated South Strathmore community. “I’ve worked hard, but then again, so did all my other peers. Those rankings and averages are so close, so I’m honored that I am where I am.”
Both Marrone and Magas will address their classmates at the Class of 2014’s commencement services this Saturday at the Tilles Center at LIU Post.
Though Marrone said she feels honored to be recognized as the class’s top academic performer, she said she feels an even greater responsibility to succeed for her classmates, neighbors and younger brother, who plans to attend St. Mary’s High School in the fall.
“In my speech, I used the analogy that everyone is like a sailboat and we’re on this journey. I wanted to remind them that we’re not at the end of the journey, that we’re just beginning,” she said. “We still need to work hard and try in college and it’ll all pay off because of the foundation we’ve received here at St. Mary’s. This school has put us on a good path.”
Magas said she is proud to represent the Manhasset community as the school’s salutatorian despite not being a St. Mary’s parishioner.
Her speech will reflect on the fun memories she’s had at St. Mary’s and thank teachers and parents for their inspiration over the years.
It will culminate with a bit of advice to the graduates, she said, to believe in themselves and their talents as they progress through life.
“I want to speak to them as their friend, not as someone who supposedly knows better than them, because I do care about my class and wish them the best and want to encourage them to keep doing new things,” Magas said.
Magas plans to attend Fordham University in the fall and study biology with the tentative goal of going on to medical school and becoming a doctor, she said.
The decision, she said, stems back to her passion for volunteer work, as she was intrigued by Fordham’s Campus Ministry program after serving in St. Mary’s program throughout high school.
Magas was a member of the National Honor Society, the president of the school’s Scholar Service Institute, captain of the Science Olympiad team and editor-in-chief of the school’s literary magazine. She also played badminton and volleyball and participated in the school’s mock trial team.
“I feel like it still hasn’t sunk in for me yet, that I’m the salutatorian,” she said. “I feel like on the day of graduation, when I give my speech, it will.”
Marrone has enrolled at Princeton University in the fall to study international affairs and make an impact on the ever-changing political and economic global climate.
“I speak Spanish and my family is of all different backgrounds, and I feel like the world is becoming so interconnected among these countries,” she said. “What happens in the United States affects the world, and vice-versa. To work in a global setting like that would be a great path for me.”
Marrone, also a National Honor Society member, was the captain of the mock trial team and was also involved with the Scholar Service Institute and Science Olympiad team.
She was a lector and Eucharistic minister and was on the St. Mary’s swim team.
“It’s just a surreal feeling and I just can’t even believe I made it. Living in Seaford, it’s a bit of a hike to get to St. Mary’s. I took two public buses and then I started driving,” Marrone said. “It was just so hard at times to keep going, but here we are.”
