DALTON, Mass. — Quinn R. Walton and Juliane C. Keiper have been named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the 2022 graduating class at Wahconah Regional High School.

 

Both students will speak at graduation ceremonies on Sunday, June 5 at 1 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The valedictory speech is titled "Bravery, Put Simply" and the salutatory address "A Comeback Story."

 

Walton is the daughter of Todd and Melinda Walton, both of Hinsdale. Her academic program included Honors and Advanced Placement coursework. She is active in the many service projects sponsored by the National Honor Society and is president of the Wahconah chapter. She is the first student in Wahconah's 60-year history to receive the Massachusetts School Administrators Association's National Honor Society Student of the Year award. Walton is president of her class, of Student Council, of Best Buddies and of the Junior Rotary Interact Club, and vice president of Student Ambassadors. In her junior year, she was selected to attend the Massachusetts American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Conference. While there, she was elected by her peers as the majority leader of the House of Representatives out of 200 participants. She also is captain of the soccer team, Nordic skiing and track and field team. 

 

She is a communicant and alter server at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Hinsdale and St. Agnes' Church in Dalton. She has worked for LP Adams Co. Inc and Subway. She has volunteered at the Dalton Community Recreation Association and the Dalton Youth Center as part of the Senior Leaders program, tutoring students and helping to facilitate after-school programming. She received the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology's Innovation and Creativity Award, Clarkson University Achievement Award, the AP Scholar Award, Daughters of the

American Revolution Good Citizen Award, and the Superintendent's Academic Excellence Award. She has been recognized with school awards in English, math, social studies, Spanish and science.

 

Walton plans to study engineering at Tufts University in Medford.

 

 

Keiper is the daughter of Eric and Kimberly Keiper of the town of Washington. She also pursued an Honors and Advanced Placement College Preparatory curriculum. She is active in the many service projects sponsored by the National Honor Society and serves as the Wahconah chapter treasurer. She represented Wahconah in the Statewide Competitive Team Building Exercise with Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley in 2020, is the stage manager for the Wahconah Apollonian Players, team leader and video editor for the Wahconah Weekly student news program, and has set up sound and edited video for a variety of school-sponsored events and productions. She participated as

an active member on Quiz Team, where she has represented Wahconah on the "As Schools Match Wits"

television program and helped win a Berkshire County Championship in 2022. She also a member of Wahconah's Blood Type Blue Pep Band and concert band, and has been a dancer with the Dalton Ballet Studio. Additionally, she worked at Market 32 in Pittsfield.

 

She received the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award from the University of Rochester and the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology's Computing Medal. She was named a 2022 Commended Student in the National Merit Scholarship Program and a College Board AP Scholar with Honor. She has received the department awards for English, math, science, social studies, Latin, band, Quiz Team, and drama.

 

Keiper plans to attend Amherst College and is considering a major in the science, technology, engineering and math field.