Valedictorian, Salutatorian Named At Tolland High School

TOLLAND, CT — The Tolland High School Class of 2020 valedictorian and salutatorian have been announced.

Here are their biographies, as supplied by the school:

Class Valedictorian, Nathan Paolangeli

Nathan Paolangeli is an outstanding young man and an extremely bright individual. It is apparent to many that he is motivated by a love and appreciation for learning. Academically, Nathan’s program is among the most difficult our school offers. He has taken honors/advanced placement level work in English, science, social studies and math. He has completed UCONN Early College Experience classes in Biology and Chemistry. Having been recognized for awards of academic excellence in mathematics courses including AP Calculus, PreCalculus, Honors Algebra 2, and Honors Geometry, he was chosen as the recipient of the Senior Math Award. He also won awards in Honors English III, Accounting, Biology, Sports & Entertainment Marketing, and Physical Education 9.

Nathan was selected as a member of our newly established Tolland Business Academy. As such, he was involved in a two-semester internship at a local public accounting firm. Not surprisingly, the firm recognized Nathan for his diligence and commitment.

In addition to being a very strong leader in serving as a chapter officer of our local DECA organization for the past two years, he has excelled individually at the local, state and international levels. As a junior, he was inducted into the Tolland High School’s Mark Twain Chapter of the National Honor Society. Nathan currently serves as President of the Mark Twain Chapter of the National Honor Society. He has completed countless hours of community service and has been a Peer Mentor the past two years.

In addition to his academics, Nathan consistently demonstrates his strong interpersonal and leadership skills inside and outside of the school community. Nathan is a three-season track athlete who has earned All-State first team honors and qualified for Nationals. Nathan epitomizes the concept of student-athlete. As a three-sport athlete during all four year at THS, he competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. He was recognized by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference as Tolland High School’s recipient of the male Scholar-Athlete for the Class of 2020. Others see his leadership skills given he has served as captain of both cross country and indoor track.

Nathan exhibits all of the personal qualities that we desire in our students. He is personable, kind and incredibly dedicated to all of his commitments. One of his finest qualities is his consistency. He is consistently diligent, consistently well-balanced, consistently kind and compassionate, and consistently a true leader.

Nathan is a fine young man who is enthusiastic about pursuing a degree in Actuarial Science at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Class Salutatorian, Fisher Thompson

Academically, Fisher is an exceptional student. Fisher is a very diligent, self-motivated and personable young man. He was selected in his junior year to the Mark Twain Chapter of the National Honor Society. His academic achievements distinguish him among others in the class. Fisher was recognized with several awards of excellence in various academic areas including United States History, Jazz Band, and French 2, 3, and 4.

Fisher balances a demanding curriculum with involvement in several extracurricular activities, as well as service to his school and local community. For the past two years, he has served as the student representative on the Tolland Board of Education. Additionally, he has been a Peer Mentor for the past two years and has been a very active member in our school’s Student Council. In his junior year, he was selected as our school’s recipient of the Connecticut Governor’s Scholars Award.

Fisher possesses a passion for music and he is an incredibly talented musician. He has excelled in all nine of the music courses he has enrolled in while at Tolland High School and Fisher continues to perfect his music skills through his involvement with the Hartt School of Music, Central Connecticut State University’s Wind Ensemble, as well as in multiple bands. He has performed at numerous events in his community. When asked to explain the most rewarding aspect of being a musician, Fisher’s response was both inspiring and typical of his humble nature. He noted,

“Having his music reach a variety of people and encouraging listeners to be more open-minded and accepting of each other’s differences has been most fulfilling.”

Beyond his academic and musical achievements, Fisher has been involved in numerous extracurricular activities. He has played in the Pit Ensemble for musical productions and participated extensively in the Audio Technical Squad club.

He is an extraordinary young man who will be taking all his talents to Berklee College of Music to study music professionally with a focus on contemporary writing, music production, and engineering.