Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr., named Sarah Lynch and Hannah Grant as the Newtown High School Class of 2015 valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at the Board of Education’s meeting on Tuesday, May 19

Sarah plans to attend the University of Connecticut at Storrs, as an undecided business major. Sarah said she is considering her choices between “multiple directions” in the field when she begins classes there in the fall.

As of Wednesday, May 20, Hannah said she has decided to attend Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., to study chemical engineering, and she is also thinking about studying international relations for her minor.

Sarah said her family — dad Michael, mom Elizabeth, brother Daniel, and sister Jessica — have offered encouragement throughout her academic career.

“They’ve supported me for the past four years … They are always willing to help me, and if I am ever stressed out I know that they will help me get through it and calm down,” Sarah said about her parents.

While Sarah said her parents were never the type to push her to get high grades, they motivated her and reminded her to “have some fun.”

Sarah said she has played soccer and basketball “all my life,” and also began playing tennis last year. Along with participating in sports, to relax and “have fun,” following her parents advice, Sarah also plays the piano and watches Netflix in her down time.

Math and English have been Sarah’s favorite subjects.

For advice to future students, Sarah said, “As long as you try your best, that’s enough. I think a lot of times we try to get all of these awards and recognitions, but it isn’t really about that.”

Sarah said that while she is looking forward to attending UConn, which both her father and brother also attended, she will miss Newtown as a whole. Specifically, Sarah said she has been involved with the St Rose of Lima community, participating with its youth group and the God’s Do-Gooders group. Participating with both groups at St Rose, Sarah said, helped her forge friendships and develop herself as a person and with her faith.

While this year’s valedictorian said finding the right balance for sports and school work was difficult at times — she often completed school work while riding a bus to games — Sarah said doing work “a little bit each day” helped. Sarah is not, she said, “much of a procrastinator.”

Sarah and Hannah both said they were inspired by NHS math teacher Eugene Hall during their careers at the high school.

“He had a great style of teaching, and I really thought I responded well to it,” Sarah said, adding that Mr Hall is the kind of teacher who cares for his students both as a student and as a person.

Hannah said she and Sarah have taken math classes together since their freshman year.

For Hannah, Mr Hall was helpful with both her school work and with life advice. The salutatorian said she spoke to him on Wednesday for college advice. Mr Hall, Hannah said, is “a great guy.”

Sarah also found support from her former basketball coach, NHS social studies teacher Robert Pattison, who Sarah said helped her decide where she wants to attend college.

Hannah added her Middle Gate Elementary School fourth grade teacher John Sullivan, her eighth grade math teacher Jeanne Cavallaro, and NHS science teacher Kim Lowell have all inspired her.

“She is just a very good teacher,” said Hannah about Ms Lowell. “You can go to her for help for anything.”

Science and math are Hannah’s favorite subjects to study.

Hannah has also been supported by her family — mom Mae, father Marshall, and younger sister Sarah — throughout her academic career.

When asked to share advice for future students at NHS, Hannah said they should always try their best, because “that’s the best you can do.” Hannah admitted she sometimes struggles with that concept herself, but said she knows it is not always possible to be perfect.

Using free periods and study halls during school to complete work helped Hannah, but she also said she rarely worked on her homework beyond 8 pm.

Hannah has played soccer, participated with the Newtown International Center for Education (NICE) initiatives since she was a sophomore at the high school, and is the public relations officer for the NHS National Honor Society.

NICE, Hannah said, has been a big part of her education.

“I think it is important to experience the world outside of Newtown,” she said this week.

Hannah said she understands some Chinese because her mother is Chinese. That connection was what first brought her to participate with the NICE program, and Hannah traveled to China with NICE as a student delegate her sophomore year of high school. Hannah’s family has also hosted a number of delegates through the NICE program.

“You form good relationships with the people you meet and it shows you the similarities with the different places, even if they seem really different,” said Hannah.

In college, Hannah said she plans to travel, study, or complete internships abroad.

When asked what she will miss most when in college, Hannah said she will miss the Newtown community, which she said is filled with supportive people.

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