You don’t have to be a high-level athlete to graduate at the top of your Staples High School class.
But – this year at least – it sure didn’t hurt.
Valedictorian Leigh Foran anchored the 4×800 meter relay team that finished eighth at the national competition. With the soccer team, she won two state championships.
Salutatorian Andrew Berkowitz was a four-year varsity swimmer, earning All-State recognition his senior year.
The duo – who finished their Staples careers with the highest grade point averages – will speak at graduation ceremonies June 10, 2024.
Throughout high school, neither focused on grades. Both found, however, that sports helped them manage their time, focus their attention, and relieve stress.
Foran began her schooling as a Long Lots kindergartner. Her family moved to New York, but returned to Westport for her sixth grade year at Bedford Middle School.
Leigh Foran
Track and soccer take plenty of time. But Foran also managed to do biomedical research at Yale University, focusing on kidney disease; work (as the youngest member) with a research team at Norway-based Center for Global Health Inequalities that examined COVID mortality rates, and conduct research locally with Fairfield University’s Dr. Anthony Santella, looking at HIV disparities in healthcare providers. Those findings will be presented at an international conference.
Foran’s interest in science also led to research with Dr. Kimberly Doughty of Fairfield University on maternal stress in breastfeeding outcomes, and work last summer at the Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, where she learned to code and organize data on autism. She’s been invited back to the Yale Center again this summer.
The valedictorian enjoys writing too. She has been published in the International Youth Sciences journal.
Before high school, Foran was unsure of her interests. As a freshman, she realized during Black Lives Matter and Asian Pacific Islander rallies that disparities in backgrounds and socioeconomic status can lead to differing healthcare outcomes. In school, she merged academics with activism. That led to her involvement with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, a New Haven-based non-profit organization. She helped provide information to clients navigating the U.S. healthcare system.
Closer to home Foran, who is half Korean and half Irish, teamed up with a friend to start IDEA (Inclusion and Diversity through Education and Awareness). The Staples club teaches young children about the importance of inclusivity, particularly with peers who may not look like them.
She also volunteers with the Save the Children Action Network, and at Norwalk Hospital.
But that’s not all. At Staples, Foran is a member of Link Crew, the support program for freshmen; president of the Math National Honor Society; co-president of the National Honor Society; vice president of the Science National Honor Society, and a member of both the Spanish and Social Studies National Honor Societies.
“That’s a lot,” she admits. “But sports help me decompress.”
She has been inspired too by teachers like Cathy Schager (Contemporary World Studies) and Suzanne Kammerman (AP U.S. Government “We the People”) and Ann Neary (Advanced Placement Literature).
“Having teachers who are so encouraging, and who teach content but also relate to the world today, is important. We’re learning not just facts, but how to take our knowledge and solve issues, to make a difference. I’m very grateful. I’ve been taught that I can be a global citizen.”
Foran adds, “I’ve been surrounded by teachers, friends and parents who motivated me and cheered me on, in and out of school. They’re happy for me, and gave me confidence.”
Track is an endurance sport. “I’ve never felt more pain than when my lungs and legs were burning,” she says. “I learned that if I can push through that, I can push through studying and assignments too.”
She will continue studying – and advocating, and running – at Columbia University. She was recruited for track, and New York is her “favorite city on earth.” Foran is not yet sure of a major, but hopes to be involved in diversity and equity work in some way.
She has not yet begun writing her valedictory address. But, she says, “I was just voted Most Likely to be Late for Graduation. So I may joke about that.”
Berkowitz, the salutatorian, has gone all through the Westport schools. He calls his career at Saugatuck Elementary, Bedford Middle and Staples “really great. The schools have been extremely welcoming. People really care about you. My teachers have been phenomenal, and very supportive.”
Like Foran, he cites Kammerman’s “We the People” class as a formative experience. “We study the Constitution, debate, and apply it all to what’s going on today. It’s very collaborative, and I love the small groups.” The team tied for the state championship this winter, and heads to the national competition in April.
Berkowitz’s Advanced Placement Economics teacher, Robert Shamberg, is “a fascinating person. He really helps us apply economic concepts to the real world.”
Though Calculus BC with Jonathan Watnick was his most difficult class, he was able to bond with the other students. “I made some of my closest friends there,” Berkowitz says.
Andrew Berkowitz
Years earlier, his second grade Saugatuck Elementary School teacher Roshawn Lawrence inspired him to pursue his interest in geography. He read about states, environments and ecosystems during class, and for the first time discovered the joy of independent learning.
At Bedford, social studies instructor Andrew Zold set the foundation for Berkowitz’s interest in history.
Swimming is a large part of the salutatorian’s life. He joined the Westport Weston Family YMCA Water Rats team at age 8, and has continued ever since. His main events are the 100 and 200 meter freestyle.
Though competition and exercise are important, so are the opportunities he’s found through the sport. As with his calculus class, he has bonded closely with teammates during their eight weekly practices.
In the summer of 2022, Berkowitz traveled to Israel as a member of the United States Maccabiah Games 16-and-under team. It was an important way to connect with other swimmers, through religion, he says.
He is an elected board member of Connecticut Swimming, which oversees all youth and masters swimming in the state. He serves on the Finance Committee, which has given him real-world experience in budgeting and financial planning.
Berkowitz is also an athlete representative on the Y’s Water Rats board.
And every year, he joins the Water Rats in a fundraising Swim Across the Sound relay event, from Long Island to Bridgeport.
“My balance was swimming,” Berkowitz says. “It taught be to work hard, and get good grades in school.”
Out of the water, Berkowitz reinstituted the DECA entrepreneurship club last year, and was co-president. They competed in two virtual business competitions.
He volunteers too with the National Honor Society, and the Math and Social Studies Honor Societies, as well as Staples Service League of Boys (SLOBs).
Berkowitz calls being salutatorian “an amazing honor. It’s a reward for hard work.” But, he notes, “at the end of the day, it’s just a number. So many kids at Staples do phenomenal things, in and out of school. And they will go on to do more amazing things later.”
His graduation speech may mention COVID. That was a defining moment for his 400-plus member class. As difficult as it was, he says, it brought them close together.
Next fall he’s off to Amherst College, as a recruited swimmer. He looks forward to exploring areas like economics, political science and math, through its liberal arts curriculum.
But he leaves this parting message for undergraduates: “Balance is key. Enjoy your high school experience. Don’t take the hardest class, just because it may look good. Work hard and challenge yourself. But remember: family, friends and your health always come first.”
(“06880” is your go-to, hyper-local blog. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
