Meet Traip Academy's co-valedictorians, top students in Class of 2023
KITTERY, Maine — Traip Academy has announced the co-valedictorians and Latin honor students from the Class of 2023.
Commencement exercises will be held Friday, June 9 at 5 p.m. at Fort Foster Park. In the event of inclement weather, commencement will be held in the Traip Academy gymnasium. The commencement address will be given by Vice Adm. Sandy Stosz (retired), the first woman assigned as deputy commandant for Mission Support, directing one of the Coast Guard’s largest enterprises. A ticket is required for admission to the ceremony.
Graduating summa cum laude
Carrigan Cyr is a co-valedictorian of the Class of 2023. She is the daughter of Jessica and Gregory Cyr. She takes pride in her work and involvement in her school community. She is the president of the National Honor Society and spends time each week working with students as a peer tutor. She is inquisitive and a strong advocate for her thoughts and beliefs. Carrigan has many outlets for advocacy; she has been part of the Kittery Climate Action Now Organization since the spring of 2022. She cares about the environment and works with this organization to inform the public about climate action. She is also an American Red Cross volunteer. She writes newsletters for the Red Cross and has started a new project working on a website for them called Sharepoint. Her advocacy and volunteer work are very important to her. She loves meeting new people and sharing a common goal of helping others. She is also a force to be reckoned with on the pitch. She has been on the Traip Academy soccer team for the past four years. In Carrigan’s words, she is most proud of “my determination and empathy. Also, my ability to manage a great deal of commitments.” Carrigan will be attending the University of Maine in the fall of 2023 and has been accepted into their honors program with an interest in English and journalism.
Caroline Reiss is a co-valedictorian of the Class of 2023. She is the daughter of Daniel and Julie Reiss. Caroline transferred from Virginia where she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, and the French Honor Society. She received two bronze medals in Le Grand Concours, which is a National French Exam administered across the country. Caroline also received the Virginia Seal of Biliteracy in French because of her high performance on the AAPPL exam. As a freshman, Caroline participated in Space Camp where she was the mission captain for a simulated shuttle mission, and during her sophomore year, she was accepted into the Virginia Space Coast Scholars Academy, which was a competitive admission program run by NASA Wallops Flight Facility. Currently, here at Traip Academy, she engaged her leadership skills to help restart the FIRST Robotics Team which successfully competed this year. She plays the cello and viola and prides herself in learning fencing, archery, welding, and woodworking. Caroline is a sophisticated learner who truly exhibits the enthusiasm, passion, and motivation for learning. She would like to be remembered by her classmates as someone who believes that instead of striving for success, we should define and measure success as “Giving our ‘all,’ recognizing that by doing so, others are inspired to give their ‘all’ as well.” Caroline will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall with a major in engineering.
Aram Brewer is the son of Sarah and Edward Brewer. Aram is a student who stands out for his kind, respectful demeanor. He has managed a very demanding academic schedule throughout his time at Traip Academy. As an 8th grader, Aram attended Traip Academy for part of his school day and engaged in freshman level courses with great success. Aram also studied online prior to his freshman year. Aram takes pride in his academics and is an integral part of the Traip Academy community. He is involved in many athletics and extracurricular activities and balances his full schedule with great success. Aram has been on Student Council for the past four years as well as the National Honor Society for the past two years. He is an outdoor enthusiast and spends time outdoors backcountry skiing, fishing, and rock climbing. Aram plays on the varsity lacrosse team at Traip and was awarded the Coach’s Award for his efforts in lacrosse his junior year. He shares his love of lacrosse with younger students as a Kittery Youth Lacrosse assistant coach. He would like his classmates to remember him as “a good person who was a hard worker in school but still a fun friend to be around.” Aram will be attending University of Denver in the fall of 2023 with an interest in biology.
Noelle Denholm is the daughter of Kimberly and Kurt Denholm. Noelle is an intellectual who puts time and effort into her academics. She is not only dedicated to her academics, but also to athletics and her extracurricular activities. Noelle has played on the Traip Academy varsity soccer team since her freshman year of high school. Along with her year-round commitment to soccer, she also runs indoor and outdoor track and plays on the varsity basketball team. Working with Kittery youth is one of Noelle’s passions. She has recently started coaching the U9 and U14/15 girls soccer teams. Noelle’s commitment to supporting others goes beyond her coaching experiences; she is also the president of Traip Academy’s Interact Club. In her role as president, she guides her peers in the process of creating community-based activities to help those in need. She has been a member of the Traip Academy Student Council for the past four years as well as a member of the National Honor Society. Noelle states that “there are a million things I could do with my life that would fit society’s idea of having success, but I want to do something with my life that will make me proud of who I am and what I do every day.” Noelle will be attending Montana State University in the fall of 2023 and will be pursuing a degree in mathematics.
David Durling is the son of Barbara and Dave Durling. David is a confident, inquisitive student who strives to succeed in school. He describes himself as someone who loves to learn new things and takes time to research topics introduced to him in and out of school. David has been inducted into the National Honor Society and he is the vice president of its peer tutoring program. David is not only a strong student, but he is also a dedicated athlete. He was selected to represent Traip Academy at the Western Maine Conference student athlete summit at St Joseph's College. David went from starting his freshman year basketball season on the JV team and ending the season starting for the varsity team. He is a humble and persistent player. David has been on the Traip Academy soccer team and basketball teams for all four years of high school. This year he was named team captain for the basketball team. Along with his participation in sports, he is a member of the Traip Academy Interact Club and he referees Kittery Recreation soccer games. David’s favorite quote is "as long as you believe in yourself, you can do anything." He likes this quote because he feels that a little bit of self confidence changed his entire high school experience. David will be attending the University of Rhode Island in the fall of 2023, and will pursue a degree in marine biology.
Emerson “Emme” Hale is the daughter of Heather and Ryan Hale. Emme has the ability to listen, process, and respond in conversation with the utmost respect, intellect, and thought. Emme has maintained high achievement in all of her classes and has remained a top student for the past four years. Emme has been a member of the National Honor Society her junior and senior years. She has played varsity basketball and softball for Traip Academy for the past four years and served as captain to her teammates her senior year. She is an extremely talented athlete and is proud to share her love for basketball with younger athletes. For the past three years, Emme has volunteered at a youth basketball clinic with 5th and 6th grade basketball players. Emme is a leader on the court and softball field as well as in extracurricular activities that she dedicates her time to, including student government and Project Search. Putting herself “out there” and trying new things have always been a focus for Emme. She has expressed pride in her ability to push herself and take herself out of her comfort zone with her involvement in activities and clubs in school. Emme’s definition of success is “being content and confident in my own standing.” Emme will be attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in the fall of 2023 to pursue a degree in business administration.
Tucker Johnson is the son of Amanda and John Johnson. Tucker is the epitome of a responsible student. He excels in the classroom and sets high goals for himself academically. He has consistently received honors and high honors recognition during his time at Traip Academy. As a result of his high academic standing, Tucker was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior. Tucker’s interest in the medical field sparked his interest in applying to the Certified Nursing Assistant program at Sanford Regional Technical Center as a junior. He was recognized with high honors in the CNA program. Tucker is strong in the classroom as well as on the lacrosse field. Tucker prides himself on his accomplishments in lacrosse in the past four years. He was chosen as the MVP for Traip Academy varsity lacrosse and was an All-Conference honorable mention. His dream has been to play lacrosse in college. He has gone above and beyond on the field to reach this goal, but has remained a humble and skilled team player. Tucker is able to ebb and flow successfully with his academic, athletic, and extracurricular schedule. He is very busy, but he stays positive and is able to prioritize and participate fully in everything that he commits to in and out of school. Tucker has received a scholarship to Wheaton College for lacrosse; he will attend in the Fall of 2023 with a focus in biology to pursue a career in physical therapy.
Sophia Mosqueda is the daughter of Emily Mosqueda. Sophia’s dedication to excellence pervades all of her pursuits; she is often the first to tackle a task and the last to call it a day. She has always challenged herself, earning Summa Cum Laude, which is quite an achievement considering the fact that she moved to the United States from the Philippines at the age of 11 and had to overcome obstacles that such a move creates. Sophia has been part of Traip Academy’s Student Council, civil rights team, math team, and National Honor Society (Vice President of Service). She is currently the president of the Interact Club. Sophia’s sincere compassion for helping the under resourced is displayed in her volunteering weekly at Kittery’s Footprints Food Pantry. Sophia’s passion for preserving the environment helped her to create a Climate Action Plan for Traip Academy. It goes without saying that Sophia has established herself as a well-respected member of the school community at Traip Academy as well as in the community at large. She would like her classmates to remember her as a “smart, calm, and friendly classmate who always tried her best to help and excel at things.” Sophia will be attending Boston College in the fall to study biochemistry and pre-med.
Hannah Thorsen is the daughter of Andrea and Jeffrey Thorsen. Hannah is a natural leader who strives for excellence in her academics as well as athletics. She has a calm and supportive demeanor with her peers and is looked up to as a role model. Hannah has worked hard, and it shows in her academic standing at Traip Academy. She has upheld a strong grade point average throughout her high school career. She is a proud member of the National Honor Society. She is a peer tutor for students in English Composition since English is one of her many strengths. Hannah is a presence on the court as well, playing for the Traip Academy varsity girls basketball team all four years of high school. She is passionate about basketball and will continue to play at the collegiate level. She has played on the Traip Academy varsity softball team, sharing her love for athletics with her teammates. Hannah has a foundation of maturity and integrity which will aid in her future success. Hannah wants her classmates to remember her as “more than just the tall girl who I went to school with or the basketball player. I want to be remembered as a strong and hardworking achiever.” Hannah will be attending Southern Maine Community College in the fall and will play for their women's basketball team while studying business administration with a focus in sports management.
Graduating magna cum laude
Oliver Balano
Emerson Bouffard
Griffin Gillam
Michael Graham
Benjamin Hawkes
Quinn McPherson
Tegan Page
Madeline Pitcairn
Dylan Santamaria
Zachary Stacy
Iz Sweeney
Page Williams
Graduating cum laude
Jaxon Adams
Reid Alessi
Dominic Dewhurst
Amanda McCarthy
Conor McPherson
Isabelle Piche-Andrews
Elizabeth Rondeau
Gracie Salema
Geisele Sappleton
Kayla Tapley
Adriana Tostenson
Maya Wheeler