ESM announce their top two

By Nicole Fuentes

The Eastport-South Manor Central School District’s top two are Amanda Seligman and Camryn Warsaw, who were named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of the Class of 2025. The Center Moriches School District’s 2025 valedictorian is Troy Goetz and salutatorian is Giuliana Versacci.

AMANDA SELIGMAN, Valedictorian

GPA: 108.324

MAJOR: Electrical Engineering

Seligman will be earning an AP Capstone Diploma with Advanced Regents and Honors designation and will be noted for her mastery-level achievement for the math and science Regents exams.

She has played the viola for more than nine years and has a list of musical accomplishments on her resume. She is also in each of the district’s honor societies and is the chief writer for the school’s newspaper, Shark Bites.

From internships, speaking at board of education meetings, community service and creating a blog about environmental issues, principal Salvatore Alaimo has described Amanda as a well-rounded and impressive student.

“Amanda is the type of student who offers no hesitations when taking steps toward bettering herself and our world,” he said. 

Q&A

What will you miss most about ESM? “Trying to sum up the past 13 years in this district is no easy task—but if I had to choose, the thing I’ll miss most is the sense of community I’ve found here. I’ll miss the late nights at pit rehearsals for ‘Into the Woods,’ when we were all sleep-deprived and a little delirious, but somehow made it through on nothing but caffeine, music, and laughter.”

What advice do you have for your peers? “Don’t be afraid to fail. One thing I wish I had known earlier is that you are allowed to mess up. You are supposed to! Failure is not this big, bad, monster of emotion to fear. It’s just part of the learning process. I used to put so much pressure on myself to get everything right the first time, and honestly, it’s exhausting and not enjoyable at all. It took me a while, but I have realized that perfection is not what allows you to grow. Growth comes from figuring out how to bounce back when you’re not perfect.”

CAMRYN WARSAW, Salutatorian

GPA: 107.627

MAJOR: Warsaw is an AP Scholar with Distinction and will also receive an AP Capstone Diploma.

She will also graduate with an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors designation and mastery in both math and science.

She is involved with Natural Helpers, Varsity Leaders, and various honor societies. She is also a member of the Pit Band, treasurer of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, a jazz band member, and drum major of the marching band.

In her future, she hopes to become a child psychologist and to support and educate children coping with trauma, stress, and emotional disorders. She will be attending Wesleyan University in Connecticut this coming fall.

Q&A:

What will you miss about ESM? “Although there are many things I will miss about ESM, I will undoubtedly miss our Natural Helpers program the most. Natural helpers is a peer mentorship organization that heavily centers around social-emotional learning and improving the mental health in our school and community.”

She also contributed much of her success to the program and learning from club adviser, Mr. Gomez.

Do you have any advice for your peers? “My main piece of advice I would offer to my peers is that, although hard work is incredibly important, it is equally as important to take a step back sometimes and enjoy life outside of working. I feel that we live in an overly competitive world that pressures us to work ourselves past our limits, but that brings about the questions: if we spend our lives tirelessly working and struggling so we can live well, when do we actually get the opportunity to live?”

THOUGHTS FROM THE DISTRICT

“I am excited that the Eastport-South Manor community has the opportunity to celebrate two amazing young ladies who will make the world a better place,” said Alaimo. “They are the testament of an amazing class that will leave an indelible mark on our school.”

The ESM graduation ceremony will be held on June 27.