April Giannelli, this year’s valedictorian, has distinguished herself through both academic excellence and a strong commitment to serving others. She dedicates her time to volunteering at a local soup kitchen and tutoring elementary students at Cottle, demonstrating compassion, patience, and leadership within her community. A talented musician, April is an active member of the marching band, where she plays the flute, and she is also a proud member of the National Honor Society. Her academic achievements have been further recognized through several prestigious honors, including National Top School Recognition for her strong performance in rigorous coursework, the National First-Generation Recognition Award for her commitment to college readiness as a first-generation student, and the AP Scholar Award for outstanding achievement on multiple Advanced Placement exams. As she looks ahead to college, April plans on attending Villanova University, where she will pursue a degree in nursing.

Leila Gargiulo, this year's Salutatorian, is a passionate and driven student leader whose impact spans academics, athletics, and service. A strong advocate for STEM, she co-founded and captains the Robotics, Engineering, Coding, and Debate teams, even teaching herself programming languages such as Python, X-Code, and JavaScript. Laila is also a standout athlete, serving as captain of the varsity basketball, wrestling, and swim teams, earning All-League honors in basketball and the NYS Sportsmanship Award. Beyond the classroom and field, she is a certified EMS with Eastchester EMS, where she demonstrates remarkable composure and compassion in high-pressure situations. Leila is equally committed to supporting others, tutoring peers, coaching young people with Autism, and creating space for student voices through her podcast, The Social Project.  Leila will be attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where she will major in cyber security and minor in war studies, with the goal of becoming a Ranger one day.