Superintendent Academic Excellence Awards recipients with the School Committee, Superintendent, and BHS Principal

The April 6 School Committee Meeting kicked off acknowledging and congratulating the two Superintendent Academic Excellence Award Recipients: Jessica Guo and Phoebe Papavaciliou! These awards are given to high school students who have distinguished themselves in the pursuit of excellence during their high school careers. Criteria for the awards are students’ three-year cumulative average, being in the top 5% of their class, and their extracurricular activities. 

  • Jessica Guo: Jessica has a weighted 4.53/4.0 scale GPA and has challenged herself taking honors and AP level classes for four years. She believes in social awareness and justice and this is reflected in her volunteer work at the Centerville Library with the YEARN Program. She also helps run her family’s restaurant business. She is President of the Barnstable High School Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, a BHS Student Ambassador, tutors peers, and plays the flute in the school band. She plans to study biology on a Pre-Med route with the ultimate goal of attending medical school for dermatology.
  • Phoebe Papavaciliou: Phoebe has a weighted 4.6/4.0 scale GPA and has challenged herself taking honors and AP level classes. She founded, with her older sister, the Community Empowerment and Leadership Club that focuses on empowering minorities and putting empowerment into action in Barnstable schools and the community. She was the captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team and traveled with her team to Dominica (after a hurricane hit the island) in April 2019, over school break, and performed community service helping repair schools, deliver supplies, run soccer clinics, and be of service to the community. In the fall of 2021, Phoebe worked with a group of girls in Massachusetts and India to raise awareness about the water sanitation crisis. They helped raise enough money to help around 500 people in Nagpur, India. Phoebe is a member of the National Honor Society and Future Problem Solving Team (in March 2021, she placed first in the state for the Future Problem Solving Scenario Writing Competition). Phoebe plans to attend Wesleyan University and is considering studying Pre-Med.

Next, students Ryan Christianson, Lucille Komar, and Nora Penny spoke about the Scientific Discovery Field Trip to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole they went on during February vacation. They worked in a lab on organisms in their embryonic stage modifying their DNA. When not in the lab, they were in lectures learning about the ethics of the science. It was valuable to see the theoretical concepts of the classroom right in front of them. They all agreed the opportunity was amazing, unlike any other, a valuable learning experience, and enjoyable. Senior Nora Penny said her time on the field trip helped her decide her future plans. She will be studying marine biology at Harvard University in the fall.

In the business portion of the meeting, the School Committee approved the FY’23 School Budget.  This budget will go to the Town Manager and ultimately the Town Council for final approval.