Joseph A. Foran High School of Milford's class leaders

MILFORD – Mr. John W. Barile, Principal of Joseph A. Foran High School, is pleased to announce Thomas Bassine will serve the Class of 2012 as their valedictorian and Jenny Taing will serve as salutatorian.  Serving the class as honor speakers will be Amanda Geib and Katrina Perry. 

VALEDICTORIAN BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Thomas Bassine

Thomas Bassine, son of Patricia Donati and David Bassine, is the top student in the Foran High School Class of 2012 with a GPA of 4.22.  Ranking first in his highly competitive class of 230, Thomas completed 14 honors level courses as well as eight Advanced Placement (AP) courses throughout his career at Foran.  He has received many academic accolades during this time, including 13 academic medals of honor for excellence in a variety of subjects.  He was the recipient of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award for outstanding achievement in science and math, and the Harvard University Book Award.  He served his class last year as a member of the Junior Class Honor Guard.

Thomas has been extremely active in the Foran community over the past four years.  As a student-athlete, Mr. Bassine earned varsity letters in Cross Country and in Track and Field.  He also served as team captain.  Thomas was named the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Scholar Athlete of the Year for Foran. 

In addition to his academic work and athletics, Mr. Bassine is a member of the Natural Helpers group, the Science Olympiad team, and the National Honor Society.  In 2011-12, Mr. Bassine served as the Foran High School Liaison to the Board of Education where he furnished the monthly report to board members on all activity taking place at the school.

Mr. Bassine will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall where he will be enrolled in the prestigious and highly selective Honors College.

SALUTATORIAN BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Jenny Taing

Jenny Taing, daughter of Bunseng and Eng Taing, will serve the Class of 2012 at Foran High School as the Salutatorian.  Ms. Taing ranked second in a class of 230 with a GPA of 4.17.  During her career at Foran, Ms. Taing completed 16 honors level courses, as well as 6 Advanced Placement (AP) courses.  A CAPT scholar, Ms. Taing has received many academic honors during her time at Foran, including the Rotary. Youth Leadership Award and the Dartmouth Book Award.  She also was a Governor’s Scholarship semi-finalist for her exceptional writing ability.  

As an accomplished artist, Ms. Taing has had several pieces of her work on display at various art shows over the years.  Her artwork is often recognized for its beauty and expression and she served as Foran’s nominee for the High School Arts Awards Banquet.  She also won first place in the state DECA competition for marketing.

In addition to her academic work, Ms. Taing has been very involved in the school community, as well as in her volunteer service in the community-at-large.  She has been a member of the Interact Club (president), the Natural Helpers group, National Honor Society (historian), the Latin Honor Society, and UNICEF (secretary).  She was also a CIEE scholarship program participant.  She was also a member of the varsity girls’ tennis team.

Actively involved in the community, Jenny volunteers extensively.  For her efforts, she received the South Central Area Superintendents’ Association Award, given to a student with outstanding community service, service to others, academic prowess and leadership to the school community. 

Ms. Taing will be attending Drexel University in the fall where she plans to double major in Graphic Design and Marketing.

HONOR SPEAKER BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Amanda Geib

Amanda Geib, daughter of Norm and Julia Geib, will serve the Class of 2012 at Foran High School as an Honor Speaker.  Ms. Geib ranked third in a class of 230 with a GPA of 4.14.  During her career at Foran, Ms. Geib pursued a most demanding course of study, including 19 honors level courses, as well as 7 Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Ms. Geib has been very involved in the Foran High School community. She served as the president of the Spanish National Honor Society, as well as the secretary of the National Honors Society.

Beyond her work with the many organizations at Foran, Amanda also was a member of the varsity girls’ tennis team. She also works part-time at a local law office.

Ms. Geib will be attending the University of California/Berkeley in the fall where she plans to double major in Spanish and Statistics.

HONOR SPEAKER BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Katrina Perry

Katrina Perry, daughter of Kenneth and Joanne Perry, will serve the Class of 2012 at Foran High School as an Honor Speaker.  Ranking fourth in a class of 230, Ms. Perry attained a GPA of 4.09.  During her career at Foran, Ms. Perry successfully completed a rigorous collection of courses, including 17 honors level courses, as well as 6 Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Her noteworthy academic work earned her the Bausch and Lomb Science Award. In addition, Ms. Perry founded the Latin Honor Society at Foran, and served as president in her senior year. 

Two additional areas of deep interest for Katrina are music and politics.   An accomplished musician, Ms. Perry has played both violin and viola in many ensembles and performances throughout her career at Foran. 

In addition to her work at Foran, Ms. Perry has been an active participant in politics for the past two years. She has been involved in many aspects of campaigning and fundraising.  Kate enjoys all work connected to a political campaign, whether it involves working at headquarters, canvassing neighborhoods with candidates, or conducting telephone support.  In fact, she created the website for the campaign of a recent political candidate.

Ms. Perry will be attending George Washington University (D.C.) in the fall and plans to major in International Affairs.

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