Two PHS, One Taconic Student Honored With Superintendent's Award / Pittsfield.com

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two Pittsfield High School and one Taconic High School student were honored with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendent's Award.

Seniors Jamie Duquette and Randi Duquette of PHS and Jane Wong of Taconic were congratulated by the School Committee on Wednesday for their scholastic achievements.

The Superintendent's Award for Academic Excellence is given out annually to high school students who have distinguished themselves in the pursuit of academic excellence and have achieved the highest grade average at their school.

This is the second time in Pittsfield's history that it was given to a set of twins.

Wong ranked second in her class of 195 students with a cumulative GPA of 103.6. Throughout her four years at Taonic, she has steadily taken on more honors and advanced placement courses and classes that will be beneficial to her and her career, including early college dual enrollment courses for college credits.

She has successfully completed Advanced Placement courses in human geography, U.S. history, biology, European history and English, for which she received a four out of five on the exam. This year, she is enrolled in AP chemistry, statistics, and psychology along with college dual enrollment courses.

Wong also participates in class council and the National Honor Society, was named captain of the cross country team, and is a leader in Link Crew, a high school leadership program, who serves as a positive role model for freshmen.

"Jane has developed skills and a love for education which puts her ahead of the pack. She is a student who will take full advantage of the education afforded to her and immediately put it to good use in the real world," guidance counselor Jillian Galvagni wrote.

"At Taconic, Jane is a valued member of the school community and her involvement puts her at the core of what it means to be a Taconic student, one who takes responsibility, has respect, and strives for excellence."

The Duquettes tied for first place in their class of 148 students with a GPA of 104.7. By the end of their senior year, they will have completed 10 Advanced Placement courses.

Jamie is a four-year member of the varsity soccer and basketball teams and has served as captain for the last two years. She is the secretary of the National Honor Society chapter and a member of the class council, Link Crew, Rotary Club, and Best Buddies club.

She suffered a foot injury last year and had to find a new way to continue leading her team so she became its biggest cheerleader and showed up in any way that she could with encouragement and a positive attitude, guidance counselor Mia Albano reported.

"Jamie embodies a growth mindset and has learned from experiencing setbacks the power of perseverance and that challenging times provide you with opportunities to grow. She exemplifies how hard work, persistence and alternative solutions can be the most rewarding outcomes," Albano wrote.

"Of all Jamie's accolades, her gratitude and appreciation for life are most impressive. She embraces diversity and is accepting of all. Her face lights up when she talks about her experiences working as a recreational therapy counselor at Camp Russell over the summer and describes these students as being some of the greatest influences in her life, as she has learned as much from them as they could have learned from her. Jamie has demonstrated excellence both in the classroom and in our community. She is willing to take risks, work through productive struggle and collaborate well with others. Her competitive drive, curiosity, and engaging personality will make her successful in all of her future endeavors."

Over the last two years, Randi has been captain of the varsity soccer, basketball, and track and field teams. She is a member of the Keystone Leadership Club, Best Buddies, Rotary Club, and Link Crew, and is vice president of the National Honor Society.

"Randi is curious, inquisitive, and hard-working. She has embraced a growth mindset and is always willing to push through productive struggles to find solutions. She will reach out for help when needed and believes that the key to her school success is having the confidence to ask questions if she does not understand something as well as seeing her commitment through until the end," Albano wrote.

"Randi is a natural leader. This might be most evident in the work she has done as captain of the varsity soccer, basketball, and track and field teams over the last two years. She models enthusiasm, encouragement, and grit on a daily basis and leads with compassion and pride. Randy keeps her teammates motivated and focused and has been the driving force to strong team chemistry. Not only does she lead by example by putting forth her greatest effort each day, on and off the field, she leads by maintaining integrity and sportsmanship and all of her encounters."

It was noted that her list of admirable traits is endless. When asked if she ever felt pressure being a twin or if there was ever competition, without hesitation Randi said that if anyone was going to beat her, she would want it to be her sister.

The School Committee called a five-minute recess to congratulate the outstanding students.