New London Students Honored At Education Breakfast

Read the biographies of the group of students gathered at for the local chambers of commerce of annual Education Breakfast and it’s easy to be impressed. But listen to the seniors speak and it’s hard not to wonder if maybe our communities would be better off if they were in charge. 

They volunteer at soup kitchens, raise money to build radio towers in the Congo and at a time when many area school administrations seem troubled have plenty of their own ideas about what makes a successful school.

The and the recognized 10 seniors and 10 juniors from area high schools at their annual Education Breakfast, Wednesday morning. Each senior honored received $250 from People’s United Bank and the seniors and juniors received assorted gifts from the breakfast’s other sponsors, Groton Utilities, Perkins & Murphy and Your Ticket to College.

“These young people are really wonderful,” Groton City Mayor and Groton Utility representative Marian K. Galbraith said.

Each of the seniors gave a speech explaining, “the importance of community interaction with educational institutions.” Their speeches were a reflection on their high school years and a blueprint for public education. Each student spoke of their appreciation of the involvement of the community in their education and that if it wasn’t for the business community supporting their activities or veterans sharing their experiences with them they wouldn’t have learned have as much.

“This is one of my favorite events of the year,” Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce President Tricia Cunningham told the students. “Thank you for your thoughts.”

The Senior Class Scholars are:

• : Alex Schroeder
• East Lyme High School:  Nathan Zhao
• : Eduardo Aguilar
• : Jenna Farquhar
• Lyme-Old Lyme High School: Nick Walker
• New London High School and the : Samantha Lake
• : Randy Fitzmorris
• : Kierstyn Smith
• Wheeler High School: Elizabeth Ashley Iorio
• : John Ramatowski

The Junior Community Leaders are:

• Stonington High School: Joni Moody
• East Lyme High School: Piper Hayes
• Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School: Catherine Nowakowski
• Ledyard High School: Sam Porter
• Lyme-Old Lyme High School: Amanda Burke
• : Hira Afzaal
• Robert E. Fitch Senior High School: Erika Mayer
• Waterford High School Nora Sullivan
• Wheeler High School: Jacob Sylvestre
• The Williams School: Julia Lane