Another Year of Great Accomplishments at Middletown High School

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Photo courtesy Dr. Michael Conner

MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL

Established in 1840

Another Year of Achievement

In honor and memory of Jim Bransfield, we continue this tradition that he began by publicly celebrating the amazing accomplishments of Middletown High School seniors.

Once again 1300 students- and more than 300 seniors- at Middletown High School compiled a year of great achievement in the classroom, in co- curricular activities and in athletics. We celebrate their accomplishments with you, their parents and guardians and all the citizens and taxpayers of Middletown. We trust you are as proud of them as we are.

Here are some accomplishments of our students at your high school in the 2017 - 2018 school year.

Academics

Our students were accepted by some of the finest colleges and universities in the region and the nation. Some of the schools that accepted Middletown High School seniors include:

Barnard College, Boston College, Bryant University, Catholic University of America, Central Connecticut State University, Clark University, Colgate University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Emerson College, Fairfield University, Florida Atlantic University, Fordham University, Full Sail University, Hofstra, Holy Cross, Honolulu Community College, Ithaca College, James Madison University, Johnson and Wales, Lehigh University, Lincoln Technical Institute, Long Island University, Marist College, Merrimak College, Middlesex Community College, Morgan State, New England Institute of Technology, Nova Southeastern University, Paul Smith College, Plymouth State University, Providence College, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roger Williams University , Sacred Heart University, Siena College, St. John’s University, Tufts University, University of Hartford, University of Hawaii, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, University of New Haven, University of Rhode Island, University of Vermont,Vaughn College of Aeronautics, Wesleyan University, Western Connecticut State University and Western New England University.

Rachel Gaudreau was named Valedictorian and will attend Georgetown University.

Sarah Nguyen was named Salutatorian and will attend The University of Connecticut.

Rachel Gaudreau was also named the school’s Female Scholar-Athlete by the CIAC. Carson Fitzner was named the school’s Male Scholar-Athlete by the CIAC and will attend the University of Connecticut. Some 68 seniors were honored at the Senior Awards Luncheon as Presidential scholars for achieving a four- year grade point average of 90 or above.

The Chemistry team won Second Place in the Connecticut Chemistry Olympiad held at UConn.

The Marching Band was named Best in the State in its class and is the largest high school marching band in Connecticut. The concert band, chorus and string orchestra performed at Disney.

Senior members of the Minority Student Coalition produced and performed the first annual Black History Assembly: Brianna Boirie, Nathan Chapeton, Domonique Chapman, Diamond Rose- Daniels, Nasharie Davis, Aliyah Hayes, Isaac Hendrix, Madison Johnson, Dreon Morris, Marie Perez, Teyanna Simmons, Andrew Smikle and Romaine Trimble.

Other seniors being recognized for their contribution and student agency activism:

Angelica Vargas, Elsa Torres, Silvana Barcomb and  Mayreni Barrios.

Middletown Career and Technical Education was ranked #1 for the second consecutive year by the State of Connecticut Department of Education among more than 130 programs in the state.

Marketing Education was ranked #1 for the fourth consecutive year by State of Connecticut Department of Education among more than 50 programs in the state.

DECA State Competition, a state-best 49 winners and 18 first place winners in various career-related events.

At the DECA International Career Development Conference, with almost 20,000 attendees from 10 nations, 15 DECA students earned championship medals including Gwyn Reutenauer, Rose Romano, Sheryn Albayati, Aliyah Hayes, Brianna Biorie, Veronica Meyer, Vanessa Pramberger and Richard Nakatsuka.

DECA earned “Top School Charity Team” for their work with JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

BlueTube, the award-winning video production program, won many awards including being ranked #1 by the State of Connecticut Department of Education and winning an all-expenses paid trip to the World Cup in Russia to film.

The Robotics and Engineering team competed at many state and national competitions and earned 1st place at the Daniel Hand competition and top 10% at the national championships in Indiana.

Middletown Seniors participated in the 10th annual “Credit for Life” fair sponsored by Liberty Bank with dozens of community volunteers.

Agricultural Science and Technology Senior accomplishments include Nicole Charest placing in the top ten in four different Career Development Events: Floriculture, Ag Sales, Food Science and Prepared Public Speaking.

Jessica Hart served on the 2017-18 CT FFA Executive Officer Team as District III President, providing leadership programming and mentorship to more than 3,300 FFA members across the state of Connecticut.

Timothy Pawlak and Andrew Kekacs placed 2nd in the 2018 CT FFA Agriculture Mechanics Career Development Events- both students will be serving in the Army after graduation.

Lindsey Best was named the 2018 CT FFA Proficiency Award winner in Goat Production.

Nicole DiStasio and Nicole Badamo were both finalists for the CT FFA Star in Agricultural Placement Award for Horticulture and Veterinary Science respectively.

Middlesex County Superintendents’ Award for Academic Excellence went to Rachel Gaudreau and Richard Nakatsuka.

Championship Year

The following teams won Central Connecticut Conference South Division titles:

Girls Soccer, Boys Cross Country, Girls Swim/Dive, Football, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Boys Indoor Track and Field, Boys Swim/Dive, Softball, Boys Golf, and Boys Outdoor Track and Field.

In addition to league titles, the Boys Outdoor Track and Field team was the state Class L runner-up.

The Ultimate Frisbee team was ranked 9th in the United States.

The football team finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1985.

Our boys swim/dive team recorded its 43rd consecutive winning season.

The Dance team placed 3rd at States in Hip Hop.

The Boys Crew Varsity 8 boat came in 1st in petite finals at the state championships and the Girls Crew Novice 8 came in 4th in the State Championships.

All-State Selections

The following were Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State choices:

Boys Cross Country - Matt Lecky

Girls Cross Country-Ariana Monarca - who also qualified for All-New England’s

Girls Soccer - Amalia Sessoms

Football--Max Cyr, Stone Belzo, Mike Aresco, DeAaron Lawrence, James Johnson

Boys Basketball--DeAaron Lawrence - also scored his 1,000th point

Boys Indoor Track and Field--Garrett Dandridge

Wrestling--Nick DeJesus, Tino Pusz, Eli Cyr - who was also named All New England

Boys Swim/Dive - Tyler Wenzel - who also qualified for All American status

Softball--Dominique Highsmith

Girls Outdoor Track and Field--Nasharie Davis, Veronica Meyer - both qualified for New England’s

Boys Outdoor Track and Field--Dylan Drescher, DeAaron Lawrence - both qualified for New Englands and Nationals.

Accomplishments

Carson Fitzner, Jayden Coughlin, Zachary Corvo, and Bilal Chapman were all named Connecticut Ultimate Frisbee All-Stars.

First class of the Jim Bransfield Legacy Award where Senior student athletes who played 12 seasons of their high school career were recognized:

Benjamin Carlson - Boy XC, B. Indoor Track, B. Outdoor Track

Dylan Drescher - B. Soccer, B. Swim/Dive, B. Outdoor Track

Aliyah Hayes - Cheer Club, Cheer, G. Outdoor Track

DeAaron Lawrence - Football, B. Basketball, B. Outdoor Track

Brennen Maxfield - B. Soccer, B. Basketball, B. Golf

Morgan Resnisky - Cheer Club, Cheer, G. Outdoor Track

Proudly brought to you by Principal Colleen M. Weiner, Assistant Principals Ryan Mertel, Raymond Byron, Jason Serra, Dean of Students Omaris Journet, Director of Athletics and Activities Elisha DeJesus and the MHS Booster Club and its President Anthony Fazzino.