The Middle Country Central School District recently announced its February students of the month. Receiving recognition were Centereach High School senior Sadia Huda, Newfield High School senior Amanda Knoph, eighth-grade Dawnwood Middle School student Santiago Valdivieso, and eighth-grade Selden Middle School student Matthew Sheridan.
“It brings me great pride each month to honor the excellence of our students throughout the District,” said Dr. Roberta Gerold, Superintendent of Schools. “These students have excelled both in and out of their class as well as in their extracurricular activities and being active role models amongst their peers.”
Centereach High School senior, Sadia Huda is an academically outstanding student. Throughout her high school journey, she has excelled in the classroom while challenging herself. Her weighted GPA is 97.1, which places her in the top 50 of the senior class. Sadia will graduate in June with more than 30 college credits. Sadia is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Language Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Tri-M Honor Society, a member of the varsity bowling team and sings in the women’s choir. She volunteers her time through these organizations as well as at the Middle Country Public Library and Sachem Public Library. With countless volunteering hours, Sadia also finds the time to work more than 20 hours a week at her local CVS. Sadia has been accepted to a number of colleges and looks forward to pursuing a double major in Biology and Computer Science.
Newfield High School senior Amanda Knoph is focused and diligent in her work habits. Her dedication has paid off in both her perfect class average and AP scores last year. She ranks number 13 in her class of 381 seniors. Amanda has an unweighted GPA of 98.102 and a weighted GPA of 101.0071. She expects to graduate in June with more than 30 college credits. Amanda is a superstar outside of the classroom as well as inside the classroom. She is a member of the National Art Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, and National Honor Society. Amanda is a member of the Middle Country varsity gymnastics team where she is a two-time scholar-athlete award winner, helping the team rise to Suffolk County League II Champions. Amanda was also named All-American team member. Outside of school, Amanda volunteers in neighborhood clean-ups in the Town of Brookhaven with her team is a homework helper at the Middle Country Public Library and is a gymnastic coach at New Era Gymnastics.
Eighth-grade Dawnwood Middle School student Santiago Valdivieso is a well-rounded student. According to Santiago’s teachers, he regularly volunteers to answer questions, and frequently raises his hand to ask thoughtful questions or check for understanding. Santiago’s overall average for his sixth and
seventh-grade school years was 98.77. His average for this school year’s first and second quarters is 98.83. Outside of school, Santiago’s passion is soccer. He plays on a travel team as well as at Dawnwood Middle School.
Eighth-grade Selden Middle School student Matthew Sheridan is a steadfast worker and holds himself to high standards. His quarterly averages are always in the mid to high 90s which has put him on the high honor roll every quarter of his middle school career. This year, he has maintained an average each quarter at or above 98. In addition to playing football at Selden Middle School, Matthew has been a member of the Select Chorus and he was one of only five students from the school selected for the SCMEA All-County Festival. He is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and outside of school, Matthew is a Boy Scout and enjoys swimming, reading, and listening to classic rock ‘n’ roll.