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Light Drizzle Fog Friends from the very beginning
Valedictorian’s and salutatorian’s bond began in elementary school
East Meadow High School’s Nicole Newberger and Allyson Clark have had similar journeys throughout their academic careers.
The two seniors attended McVey Elementary School and Woodland Middle School before arriving at East Meadow High. They’re both Girl Scouts, were in the same high honors classes, and each point to an AP Physics class they were in last year, of only seven students, as the favorite of their high school years.
So when the school announced earlier this year its top two students of the 2015 graduating class, it was only appropriate that Newberger and Clark — the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively — were paired together again.
The girls spoke humbly of their accomplishment during a sit down with the Herald on their last day of high school, June 12. “The people right below us, their GPAs are so close,” said Clark, 18, who will attend the Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, this fall. “You have to be a little lucky to end up with that decimal point higher.”
But they acknowledged the rewarding feeling they both felt in earning the prestigious distinctions after their years of hard work. Even if it did take a few hours to finally hit home. “It sunk in when my mom picked me up,” said Newberger, 17, a future Cornell University student. “And she doesn’t really get excited about much, and she just screamed and hugged me.”
Being close friends made it easier for each of them to process, they said. That connection was evident during the interview, as they both bounced off each other’s responses with ease, and often broke into laughter as they recounted shared experiences.
The two girls have certainly taken advantage of the many opportunities the East Meadow School District offers. Newberger is a member of the National, English, Italian and Science honor societies, the Key Club, and out of school, performs ballet and tap dance. Clark does math research, is in the National, English and Science honor societies, and plays soccer and softball. She was a member of last year’s first ever East Meadow High School state championship softball team.
