Ellington High School Names 2012 Valedictorian, Salutatorian

Travis Wallace and Emily Cohen have been named valedictorian and salutatorian of the  Class of 2012.

Wallace, the son of Robert Wallace and Debra Rondinone, is the class valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. He attended both Ellington High School and the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science (GHAMAS). Wallace’s team was a regional finalist in the WPI FIRST Robotics Competition, and he is one of 100 students selected into the biomedical engineering major at Johns Hopkins University each year, and was recognized as an AP Scholar with Honors. 

Wallace helped to found the student tutoring program at GHAMAS and was the team captain for the FIRST Tech Challenge 2012 season. At the Ellington High School Academic Awards Ceremony held on June 6, 2012, he was recognized as a class scholar and received the Presidential Academic Award.  

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Wallace placed in the top three for the Trinity College Regional Brain Bee in 2010 and 2011 and was recognized for outstanding achievement in Spanish, United States History, Physics and Chemistry. 

At GHAMAS, Wallace was the National Honor Society Captain, recipient of the President's Education Award and the Active Learner Award. He was also an active member of extra-curricular activities at GHAMAS, serving as a member of the Junior Engineering Technical Society and as Squad Captain for the Biodiesel project at GHAMAS. 

Wallace will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall majoring in Biomedical Engineering.

Cohen, the daughter of Steve and Flo Cohen, is the class salutatorian. She is the recipient of the Harvard-Radcliffe Book Award, candidate for the Governor Scholar, and a participant in Girls' State sponsored by the American Legion. She has achieved high honors through all four years at Ellington High School.

In addition, Cohen was inducted into the National Honor Society her junior year, and she now holds the title of Secretary.

Besides her excellence in academics, Cohen is an active member in many of Ellington High School's clubs and organizations. She is the senior class Treasurer as well as Vice President of Student Council. As an active participant in Peer Mediation over the course of her four years, she has earned the title of a senior officer where she helps students learn the problem-solving process and leads team-building exercises.

In addition, Emily serves on the committees of Peer Advocates, Code Green Club, and Prom Committee. Other commitments Emily has dedicated herself to include tutoring fifth and sixth grade students at Windermere School through the Ellington Recreation Department and volunteering as a youth soccer coach.

Athletics have also been an important part of Cohen's high school career. Recently, she was awarded the Connecticut Association of Schools Scholar Athlete Award. She has been a player on the girls' varsity soccer team since her freshman year and received the Connecticut Girls' Soccer Coaches Association Scholarship.

Cohen played lacrosse all four years and earned the All-Conference Award her sophomore year. As a senior, she was captain of both her soccer and lacrosse teams. She also enjoyed one season of varsity basketball and one season of indoor track.  

Cohen has been accepted into the Honors Program at the University of Connecticut where she will study business finance.

Ellington High School’s Class of 2012 will hold its commencement ceremony on Friday at 6 p.m. on the school’s varsity soccer field. Stephen Cullinan, Superintendent of Schools, will present the diplomas.

The following class scholars represent the highest five percent of the Class of 2012: Wallace, Cohen, Jeffrey Patrick, Matthew Mashayekhi, Austin Heffernan, Ryan DeLand, Kathryn Angelica, Nicole Angelica, Kristen Joyse, and Nishant Patel.