The classes of 2023 at Cherry Hill East and West have endured a lot in four years, with a freshman year marked by COVID, among other issues.
To recall their experiences, The Sun spoke with the 22 valedictorians, 13 from East and nine from West – to reflect on their experiences.
Valedictorians at East included Akshay Anand, Jazz Ch’ng, Vox Ch’ng, Vinayak Chidrawar, Joelle Kang, Eric Li, Sean Li, Gina Liu, Christopher Shin, Brianna Swartz, Sabriye Yilmaz, Grant Yoon and Alena Zhang.
West valedictorians were Jacob Carlson, Julia Green, Carolyn Kirk, Olivia Mazahra, Cher Ami Panis, Ronin Rogodo, Lizabeth Reyes, Julisa Rodriguez and Matthew Sonn. Lauryn Lomon was named West’s salutatorian.
On COVID
“You could feel the strain on the entire community as a whole, not only on the students of course, but also on the teachers as well,” said Gina Liu, valedictorian at East and senior student government officer. “You could tell teachers were really trying their best to keep the class engaged, but it’s so hard when it’s online, and that really changes the entire dynamic of the classroom structure, because kids were really just turning their cameras off by the end of it.”
“I think freshman year we were still in middle school mentally, but coming back, you definitely saw a change,” noted Lizbeth Reyes, West valedictorian and student representative for the board of education. “But at the same time, you also saw a community come together.”
“It was exciting to come back, because I hadn’t realized how much I missed my peers and learning in person,” added Carolyn Kirk, valedictorian at West. “It made me appreciate it more.”
Leaving a legacy
Cherry Hill West valedictorians shared some of their class achievements and things they would leave for the class behind them. West valedictorian Ronin Ragodo shared that he and his friends restarted the Robotics club after it got shut down during the pandemic.
“We bought a bunch of new equipment and started building new robots and stuff like that, so we’re just setting the next classes up,” Ragodo noted.
“Academically, we’ve all had some pretty good accomplishments but also athletically, we’ve won a couple of championships that we’ve never been able to do before,” Reyes added. “And just overall, we’re able to do a lot better in sports, academics and clubs.”
East’s valedictorians highlighted the efforts made to engage students by adding a new student voice committee to the student government association.
“Now we’ve established a system where students can discuss with teachers and administration on a routine level, where student voice really has an impact on policies and such,” said Christopher Shin. “And I feel like a lot of that has really improved the school.”
Alena Zhang, who is also editor in chief of the Eastside student newspaper, described some of the accomplishments achieved through media.
“I think there was also a lot more student voice in the newspaper as well,” Zhang pointed out. “We were able to push out a double truck in our junior year highlighting discrimination and certain behavior from East students, and we were really able to highlight those issues and raise awareness about student voice and our behavior.”
Teacher shoutouts
Both during graduation and in their reflections here, there were a number of people the valedictorians wanted to thank.
From East, valedictorians gave a shoutout to:
Bill Semus: math teacher
“Mr. Semus is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had and probably one of the best teachers that many of us have ever had,” said Eric Li, “because he’s got unmatched dedication … “
“He is so diligent and organized,” said Brianna Swartz of Semus. “He doesn’t let us go without any resources, and he doesn’t let a student fail. He provides everything a student needs and more to succeed in his classroom.”
Charles Davis and Debbie Barr: activities director and secretary of activities
“Coming back from COVID, their energy and pure drive, none of this could have happened without their constant motivation, constant energy, constant passion towards making student activities a thing again,” said Shin.
Tracye Walsh: guidance counselor
“I just wanted to thank her for the constant care and comfort through these past four years of high school, especially with COVID and just in general,” said Zhang. “The entire guidance department for working together with us.”
Joe Dilks: computer science teacher
“He’s an amazing CompSci teacher,” said Akshay Anand. “I’ve been in robotics for all four years. Just a great teacher.”
From West, valedictorians praised:
Paul McNally: AP calculus teacher
“He was my favorite teacher this year, not just because of the way he taught, but because of the way he interacted with his students,” said Carolyn Kirk.
Jennifer Tan: physics teacher
“I’m shouting her out because she’s just been so welcoming,” said Julia Green. “I’ve had her twice now, and she’s always been great giving extra help.
Mrs. Langmann: English teacher
“She really did teach me a lot, and she was there for the past four years, because I had her freshman year,” said Reyes.
Derek Fields: government and U.S. history teacher
“He just made something that doesn’t seem very interesting, like government and U.S. history, one of my favorite things I’ve ever learned.” said Jacob Carlson.
Brian Grillo: research and science teacher
“I have never seen a teacher so dedicated to their job,” said Cher Ami Panis. “He doesn’t fail to show his support for his students.”
“I second Mr. Grillo,” said Matthew Sonn. “He’s out there after school every day for like two hours a day. He has kids he still has to take care of and everything like that and he still manages to make time for us in his research class.”
ROTC chief: Daniel Bouchee
“He’s given me so many opportunities, like going out to fly in the summer, and he’s given me the ability to exercise my leadership skills through positions he’s given me,” said Rodriguez, who joined the JROTC.
