Schools
Top Students Took Advantage of All Opportunities
Valedictorian and Salutatorian both say their drive helped them achieve success.
The Berlin High School valedictorian for the class of 2011 is Caitlyn Budnick, daughter of Lori Budnick and Steven Budnick. Ryan J. Morrison, son of Scott and Kate Morrison, has been named salutatorian for the class of 2011.
Taking honors and advanced placement courses throughout her tenure, Budnick has met with much success. She augmented her academic rigor with five years of French language and a four-year interest in chorus.
"I always read a lot when I was younger and when I got to high school I just enjoyed learning," said Budnick, who has a twin sister, Kelsey. "I was ranked fifth when I was a freshman and by my junior year I decided I wanted to creep up there and maybe be able to give a speech at graduation. I would have been OK with either number one or two because you get the recognition and you get to make a speech."
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Budnick is a junior-elected member of the National Honor Society. Recognized for her academic achievements, Budnick was the junior recipient of the Rensselaer Medal, Smith College Book Award and the Society of Women Engineers award for her excellence in math and science.
Budnick is a People to People Student Ambassador Alumni and participant in Close Up, Washington D.C. Caitlyn is involved in Madrigals, Jazz and Select Women’s Choirs.
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She has performed in BHS musical theater and drama club productions each year.
Budnick volunteers her time at the Hospital for Special Care and is one of five senior Coordinators for the BHS UpBeat Peer Leadership Program.
This fall, Budnick will attend Emerson College in Boston, Mass. to pursue a degree in writing, literature and publishing.
"I looked at a lot of the Ivy League schools and really like Columbia but the school I chose was the one who had the closest major to what I want to do for a career," Budnick said. "I want to be an editor of a publishing company and Emerson has a Publishing major so I thought this was the best choice."
Budnick says she will miss Berlin High School but is ready for a new adventure.
"I love a lot of my teachers but the best part of high school for me was that I got to learn with all of my friends," said Budnick, who is in the senior class play "May The Farce Be With You" and admitted she hasn't started writing her graduation speech yet. "It's going to be different not knowing anyone and that I'll miss my friends but it will be a new and interesting experience."
Morrison has maximized his academic opportunities at Berlin High School, enrolling in the most challenging program of study available to students and earning a cumulative average of 100.56.
Some of Morrison’s courses include: honors advanced placement United States history; honors advanced placement/University of Connecticut biology, honors advanced placement/UConn English 12, honors advanced placement/UConn calculus, honors UConn statistics, and honors UConn discrete math.
"At first I just wanted to impress my parents," Morrison said. "Then I latched onto seeing all the hard work turn into success. I wish I was number one in the class but Caitlyn and I had a good talk about it and I have accepted it. We duked it out for four years and it came right down to the end. It came down to percentage points."
Morrison was a junior-elected member of both the National Honor Society and Boy’s State, reflecting his superior academic achievement, strong involvement in the school and community, leadership, and good character. Both recognitions are held in highest regard among faculty and students.
Morrison is also an integral member of both the high school Marching Band and Symphonic Band. Morrison is secretary of his class and senior board member of the high school Upbeat Peer-Leadership program.
He has also received a number of awards throughout the past four years as a student, some of which are: The Dartmouth Book Award; Berlin High School Faculty Top 10th and 11th Grade Student Awards; and the Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award.
Outside of school, Morrison has earned Eagle Scout honors and participates in martial arts.
"Personally, getting my Eagle Scout is something I'm really proud of," Morrison said. "I wanted to accomplish that and do it in a short amount of time. Academically, I'm proud of my track record. I was voted top student in every grade and that led to scholarships, which is going to help my parents pay for college.
"Each school contacted me with a scholarship proposal and then I won scholarships from both Boy's State and Northeast Utilities. The plan was to work hard and it would pay for college and that has worked out."
This fall, Ryan plans to study chemistry at Stonehill College in Massachusetts.
"My plan is to go into Research and Development in the science industry," he added. "That's the plan right now anyways. I'm going to miss my friends. We had a tight-knit group of friends and I'm really going to miss UpBeat. Mrs. Mitchell wrote my letter of recommendation and kept me on the straight and narrow and away from drugs and alcohol. I was in UpBeat from my first day in high school. There is a campus ministry at college but I don't think I'll find anything like UpBeat."
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