Ellenville Senior High School is proud to announce that Megan Wright has been named valedictorian of the Class of 2024, and Ren Anderson is this year’s salutatorian. These students excelled not only academically during their High School careers, but in a wide array of sports and extracurricular activities as well.
Megan, the daughter of Joseph and Dawn Wright of Ellenville, currently holds a weighted grade point average (GPA) of 99.682. She is a member of the National Honor Society, and outside of the classroom she competed on the Varsity Girls Golf team, earning several awards and receiving recognition as a Mid-Hudson Athletic League Scholar-Athlete.
Megan, who participated in Ellenville’s Early College program, completed her senior year at SUNY Sullivan, finishing her High School coursework while earning college credits. She also took advantage of several Advanced Placement and college-level classes offered at Ellenville, and will be graduating with an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors.
Megan credits a number of Ellenville educators for playing significant roles in her life. She also expresses gratitude to her parents. “My dad always viewed education and academic success as my sole job,” she said. “He always encouraged me to prioritize my education and has supported me unconditionally.”
“My mom played a huge role in my childhood,” Megan added. “She made sure she was always around, helping to build the foundation of who I am today.”
Megan plans to pursue a career as a physical therapist in either a college or professional sports setting. In the fall, she will be attending Utica University, where she will be enrolled in the Advanced Track 3+3 Physical Therapy program.
Reflecting upon being honored as Ellenville’s top student, Megan said, “Being able to see my unwavering dedication to academics pay off to this extent is an incredibly fulfilling and freeing feeling.”
With a weighted GPA of 98.0370, Ren Anderson is ranked second in Ellenville’s Class of 2024. Ren will graduate with an Advanced Regents Diploma, with a specialization in Spanish and a New York State Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. Ren’s mother Victoria resides in Ellenville, and their father Daniel in Minnesota.
Outside of the classroom, Ren is active in extracurricular activities. They are a member of the National Honor Society, and served as secretary of the Ellenville chapter of the Spanish Honor Society, as well as president of the Key Club. In addition, Ren co-founded the Middle School’s first Gay-Straight Alliance, serving as vice president. During their junior year, Ren participated in wrestling and received scholar-athlete recognition.
This year, Ren participated in a BOCES internship program at Ellenville Regional Hospital.
Ren, who has a passion for music and theater, has participated in Band and Choir since Grade 5, as a percussionist and often as a solo singer. In Middle and High School, Ren was part of the Ellenville Jazz Band and the audition-only Chamber Singers. Throughout their years at Ellenville Junior/Senior High School, Ren performed in five school musical productions. Outside of school, they attended the Shadowland Acting Academy, where they performed in nine productions.
Ren plans to pursue a career in exercise science with the intention of earning a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. They are considering attending Rochester Institute of Technology or the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
This year’s salutatorian credits a number of Ellenville teachers for being positive influences. Ren is also grateful for their family members’ support. “They have come to every concert and performance, and have helped me study every time I need a sounding board,” Ren said.
As far as the academic achievement of becoming salutatorian, Ren said they were surprised but happy. “I have always just wanted to do my best, and I am grateful and honored that my best was recognized.”
Rounding out the Top Ten for the Class of 2024 (in order of rank) are Skyler Davis, Dina Stewart, Tyler Beadle, Carlos Raiban, Kevin Raiban, Sara Gonzalez, Caleigh Cain, and Diamond Copeland.
We are extremely proud of all our hard-working seniors!