Farewell to the class of 2021

The class of 2021’s Valedictorian is Pratha Purushottam, daughter of Vani Modi and Vineet Agrawal. Pratha has attended Notre Dame High School for six years, and has obtained an overall unweighted GPA of 96.5. She is an extremely intelligent and gifted student who excels in each class, as well as all of her extracurricular activities. 

Pratha has challenged herself with some of the most difficult and rigorous courses that Notre Dame offers: she has taken AP Chemistry, AP Physics I and II, ACE/AP Biology, AP Literature and Composition, AP Language and Composition, ACE American Federal Government, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, and ACE Spanish IV. Additionally, she self-studied AP Psychology and challenged the AP exam this year. Pratha has been awarded with various scholarships, including the Joseph Ferraioli Science and Humanitarian Award, the University of Rochester Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award, a UConn Honors College and Law acceptance, a Northeastern scholarship acceptance, and a Rutgers Honors College and scholarship acceptance. Pratha has been recognized as both a National Merit Commended Student and an AP Scholar. Outside of the classroom, Pratha is valued as the President of the National Honors Society, the Student Council committee chair, the Senior Class Council President, a captain of the Quiz League team, the Maryleaf Senior co-editor, and a member of Science Olympiad. However, Pratha’s excellence does not stop in the classroom or within scholarly activities. She has also participated in sports, logging three years on the Outdoor Varsity Track and Field team, and two years on the Varsity Soccer team. Outside of school, Pratha is just as involved. She is a Head Law Guardian on Horseheads Youth Court, a volunteer math tutor, and volunteers as an MC for a local Indian organization. Over the summer of 2019, Pratha volunteered in India at a school for special needs, and loved her time spent there. 

This fall, Pratha will be attending the University of Virginia with a major in Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law. Congratulations to Pratha on all she has accomplished! She has been a wonderful student and friend to all for six years, and we look forward to seeing her continued excellence in the future! 

The class of 2021’s Salutatorian is Gino Deleone, son of Carrie and Joseph DeLeone of Elmira, New York. He has attended Notre Dame High School for six years and has obtained an overall unweighted average of 94.45. Distinguishing himself as an extraordinarily well-rounded student, Gino excels in all scholarly and extracurricular activities in which he participates.

Throughout his time at Notre Dame, Gino has challenged himself with various academically rigorous courses that include AP Physics I and II, ACE/AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, ACE American Federal Government, AP Literature and Composition, and AP Language and Composition. Gino has been awarded various scholarships, including the Chappell Fisher Families Scholarship, the Rensselaer Medal, and the George Eastman Young Leaders Award. However, Gino’s talents do not stop in the classroom. He is a valued member of the National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, and Quiz League, serving as both captain and coach. As the captain of the Quiz League in 2020, Gino led the team to qualify for the NAQT Small Schools National Competition. Outside of the classroom, Gino participated in Varsity Cross Country for three years, serving as a team captain this year; Varsity Indoor Track and Field for one year, serving as the team captain this year; and Varsity Outdoor Track and Field for four years, serving as the team captain this year. Outside of Notre Dame, Gino is a Head Judge at Elmira City Youth Court, and volunteers at Meals on Wheels each winter. 

This fall, Gino will be attending Binghamton University as a member of the Scholar’s Program with a major in Biomedical Engineering. Gino has accomplished great things in high school, and is clearly more than prepared to accomplish even greater feats in college and the years beyond. It has been a pleasure to have him as a student here at Notre Dame, and an even greater pleasure to have been his classmate and friend for twelve years. 

Congratulations, Gino! We look forward to all of your accomplishments in your future endeavors, and to seeing what lies ahead in your bright, bright future. 

This is my tenth year at NDHS. One would think that the tasks of my job would become easier or second nature with time and experience. However, with COVID impacting our lives so greatly, this year felt like my first. One task that never seems to get easier with time is selecting the Outstanding Senior. Like classes that have gone before them, the Class of 2021 is made up of great athletes, academically strong students, and students destined for greatness, making it difficult to pick just one student as the “Outstanding Senior”. After giving this a great deal of thought, I chose as this year’s Outstanding Senior a student who shines through adversity, deals with life challenges with grace and compassion, and is a person of character. The great John Wooden once said: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are…the true test of a person's character is what they do when no one is watching.” This quote, in my humble opinion, describes this year’s Outstanding Senior, Miss Renata Russo.

Renata is a young lady who quietly leads by example. She doesn’t seek to be the center of attention, but would rather fly under the radar while excelling at whatever she sets her mind to. Renata has challenged herself academically and is slated to earn a Regent with Advanced Designation. Her goal is to pursue a career in the Nursing field, which is fitting given her kind and caring personality. Renata is an accomplished member of the choir, sharing her beautiful singing voice with us in a number of NDHS dramatic productions. Renata has also proven herself to be an exceptional tennis player for the Varsity Tennis Team. What impresses me the most about Renata is her ability to commit to doing the right thing whether it is deemed “popular” or not. 

Renata has been a ray of sunshine in the halls of NDHS, particularly when she wears those amazing yellow sneakers that I love so much! :) We here at Notre Dame wish Renata the very best in her future endeavors. She has been a valued member of the NDHS community and will be missed. Congratulations, Renata!!