Best of the Class of 2006

East Brunswick High School

Valedictorian: Dennis Jang

Age: 18

GPA: 4.764

SAT Score: 2290

College: Brown University, Rhode Island

Intended Major:

Applied math; Jang intends to choose one of the many concentrations within the field at a later time.

Academic Success Strategy:

"I've worked hard," Jang said. "Some classes I guess are more difficult than others, but I treat them all the same and get my work done."

Awards: Doug Jordan Swimming Award;

East Brunswick Superior Officers Award for academic achievement; East Brunswick High School Orchestra Award; Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar Award; James Kerrigan Scholarship Award from Merck pharmaceuticals; President's Award for Educational Excellence.

School Involvement: National Honor Society; Math Honor Society president; Math Team president; Academic Team; school newspaper; orchestra; four years on the varsity swim team, and its co-captain this year.

Musical Talent: Jang has played the violin for more than 10 years and for the past three has participated in both the Central Jersey High School and All-State High School orchestras.

Favorite Teacher: English teacher Mr. Feeney; computer science teacher Mr. Seel; Mr. Timko, Jang's seventh-grade science teacher at Hammarskjold Middle School.

Favorite Lit: Classics like "A Clockwork Orange," "The Stranger" and "A Confederacy of Dunces"

Besides swimming, Jang plays fantasy baseball and follows baseball in particular.

He is good friends with ... salutatorian Alex Zozula

Favorite Local Restaurant: Any Chinese restaurant that serves sushi; Jang's mom also prepares it homemade.

On What He'll Miss: "I've been able to meet a lot of people through everything I've done," Jang said, adding that the people he has encountered have been "good-natured."

Salutatorian:

Alexander Zozula

Age: 18

GPA: 4.709

SAT Score: 2330

College:

Princeton University

Intended Major: Chemistry or biology

Career Goal: Zozula is unsure if he will pursue research or study to become a doctor.

Academic Success: "I can't say I really studied for high school," Zozula said. Though the lessons came naturally, "I guess I found it easy because I tried to understand things more than memorize them, so then it really took less time in the long run," he said.

Awards: American Citizenship Award;

Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar Award; Memorial PTA Award; President's Award for Educational Excellence.

Academic Competitor: In addition to the Chemistry Olympiad, Zozula has participated in the national Science Bowl for the past two years with the EBHS team; local level Science Olympiad competitions with school teams since eighth grade; the high school Quiz Bowl team, traveling recently to Chicago for the national competition; and throughout high school has taken a series of written tests in biology and chemistry through the New Jersey Science League.

Olympic Feat: Zozula recently competed in the national Chemistry Olympiad at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. (He qualified for the Biology Olympiad as well, but it was held at the same time as the chemistry competition). Twenty high school students from around the country conducted labs, sat through college-level lectures, and took tests throughout the two-week study camp. Zozula, who participated last year, qualified for one of four spots on the U.S. team for this July's International Chemistry Olympiad in Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea.

Favorite Teacher: Dr. Kimmel for honors and Advanced Placement chemistry.

Favorite Book: "A Clockwork Orange"

Favorite Local Restaurant: Delhi Garden, North Brunswick

On What He'll Miss: "Seeing my friends on a regular basis, though I'm sure I'll have new friends in college."

Monroe Township High School

Valedictorian:

Laura Sahyoun

Age: 17

Cumulative Four-Year Average: 101.086

SAT Score: 1970

College:

Cook College, Rutgers University.

Intended major...with a twist: Biochemistry, but Sahyoun added that she hopes "to follow through with art in college." She mainly draws and paints, but

she also dabbles in ceramics, pottery and photography.

Career Goals: Medical illustrator or a

bionuclear engineer who designs equipment.

Academic Success Strategy: "Make sure you're serious but also have fun at the same time."

Awards: Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar Award; Italian American Club of Rossmoor; India Cultural Association Award; Saint James Knights of Columbus; Monroe Township High School Parent Teacher Organization Award.

School and Community Involvement: National Honor Society tutor officer,

scheduling appointments for high school

students with NHS tutors; NHS tutoring; National Arts Honor Society, an organization for creative and primarily visual arts; NAHS volunteer art instruction for younger grades; weekly volunteering at the Monroe Township Public Library; Environmental Club vice

president; Key Club.

Collegiate Jump Start: Sahyoun auditioned for Arts High School and has participated with other area students in the program for the past two years. She took art classes at Middlesex County College and earned six college credits. Her artwork was selected to go on tour in New Jersey.

On Art and Community: Sahyoun's artwork has achieved prominent status in Monroe. Her 4-by-4-foot painting of the Monroe Township Fire Department badge is displayed at the building. She also drew a

picture of biology teacher Mr. Madreperla upon his promotion to vice principal that now hangs in his new office. "[Art is] a great release...because it's very relaxing," she said.

Hidden Talent: Sahyoun taught herself

how to play the piano, and she also enjoys singing.

Favorite Teachers: Mr. Madreperla and art teacher Mr. Wainwright, for whom Sahyoun drew a picture upon his retirement.

Favorite Local Restaurant: Basile's Italian Bistro, Monroe Township

Film, Music, Lit: "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy; the band Taking Back Sunday; "Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury.

A High School Lesson: "Try all the new opportunities because you don't want

to have any regrets when you leave."

What would be the name of the movie about your high school experiences? "Stand and Deliver"

Salutatorian:

Kenneth Stanley

Age: 17

Cumulative Four-Year Average: 100.6

SAT Score: 2080

College:

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida, which Stanley said

is ranked the top school in aerospace

engineering.

Kenneth Stanley (continued)

Intended Major: Aerospace engineering.

What is Aerospace Engineering?

"It has to do with designing rockets and satellites to send up into outer space, designing equipment to work on different planets and different environments in space."

Career Goal: "I would really love to work for NASA and help design stuff to send up to Mars," Stanley said, citing the red planet as the focal subject of future space study. Would he like to be the man in a future

mission to Mars? "It would be fine with me, that's for sure," he said.

Collegiate Anticipations:

Stanley looks forward to "start specializing in one thing that I really have an interest in," he said. And since the school is in Daytona Beach, "I'm not going to mind the weather either."

Academic Philosophy: Stanley credited his academic success to his work ethic. But sometimes he delays his work when he gets home from school, preferring instead to take a nap and continue late at night. "I work when it's the best time for me to work," he said.

Awards: Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar Award; Greater Middlesex County Scholar Athlete, which names one male and one female student with the highest GPA who plays two varsity sports; New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar Athlete from MTHS; Physics Award; Mathematics Award; Italian American Club of Rossmoor.

School and Community Activities: National Honor Society; Environmental Action Club Treasurer; four years of varsity tennis, with such accomplishments as captainship this year and two years of playing first singles (the team's top position); four years of cross country, running at the varsity level for the past two and this year's team captain; Monroe Township Library volunteer since eighth grade and an employee there this past year; student representative on the library board of trustees in 2005.

Favorite Teacher: Mrs. Gasko for advanced placement calculus. "You can tell how much love she has for math and calculus just by her teaching it. It really can't help but rub off on you."

Recreation in Monroe: Stanley often plays tennis with friends and goes to movies.

Favorite Movie:

The entire "Star Wars" series

Favorite Music: The Fray and Maroon 5

Favorite Local Restaurant: Wasabi House, East Brunswick

What He'll Miss: "Definitely my family and friends, because I've been here my whole life."

A Monroe Lesson: "It would probably be: Always make sure you stay motivated and always make sure you're challenging yourself, no matter what you do."

What would be the name of the movie about your high school experiences?

The original title "Time Waits for No One," because of how fast high school passed

South River High School

Valedictorian:

Martyna Matusiak

Age: 18

GPA: 4.8448

SAT Score: 1840

College:

The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University

Future Goals: "I will be in the medical field eventually, I just don't know where exactly," Matusiak said. She intends to stick with math and the sciences, though art is a hobby. "I just want to test the waters and see where I end up," she said.

Academic Strategy:

"Basically just take it as it comes."

Awards: John Verb Scholarship; Summit Engine Company; The Emelar Foundation of The Oppenheimer Funds Legacy Program; South River Woman's Club Math Award; South River Board of Education Special Academic Award; Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar Award; President's Award for Educational Excellence; Middlesex County Principals and Supervisors Outstanding Student Award (one student chosen from each Middlesex County high school).

A Step Above Average: Matusiak also

received awards for the highest four-year

cumulative averages in French and all sciences.

Organizations: National Honor Society; Earth Club president; four-year member of the school cheerleading squad; yearbook editor.

Cheering the Community: Matusiak is a

volunteer cheerleading coach for Pop Warner, coaching the youngest age bracket last year and the oldest this year. With students from 5 to 13 years old, she said it was a great experience because of the wide age variety.

Her tastes in books, movies and music are all over the board. "I read everything," she said, citing Jane Austen as a favorite - and in turn the recently released movie based on Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice." "I pick up a book and I gobble it up."

Study Abroad: "I eventually want to travel," said the native of Poland, who still speaks the

language after moving to South River about 15 years ago. She cited Europe, Australia and parts of Asia as potential places to study abroad for a semester or travel to after college.

On South River: "It's a great place to grow up and I'm going to miss that," she said of the small community where "everyone knows everyone." But a note of caution: Rumors do travel quickly.

Salutatorian: Christy Fic

Age: 18

GPA: 4.83

SAT Score: 2130

the highest in her graduating class

College:

Lafayette College, Pa.

Intended Major: Fic currently leans toward history. She likes the discussion and debate, and said that she has been "always really

interested in older things."

Academic Strategy: "I don't believe in

failure," Fic said. "I succeed in everything

I do because I won't accept anything

less than the best."

Awards: Dr. Maxwell S. Golden

Memorial Award; Jeffrey Golden

SAT Award; South River School Crossing Guards-In Memory of Susan Zdep; The Emelar Foundation of the Oppenheimer Funds Legacy Program; Philo Lodge #243, Free and Accepted Masons Award; South River Board of Education Special Academic Award; Abe Gelb Social Studies Award; Mayor's Scholarship Award;

The Distinguished Scholar Award; Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar Award; President's Award for Educational Excellence; Christopher Dincuff Memorial Scholarship Award; Class of 2002 Award; Middlesex County PTA Award; award from the Monmouth County Education Association.

A Step Above Average: Fic was also

awarded for having the highest average for U.S. History I and II; law and government; biology (both in freshman year honors and Advanced Placement this year); and the

highest four-year cumulative averages in both social studies and English.

School Activities: Vice president of the National Honor Society and a member since sophomore year; class officer freshman and sophomore years; mock trial; flutist for

concert and marching bands; school

newspaper; junior year member of both

the physics and chemistry clubs.

Community Service: Fic teaches Sunday school at Trinity Presbyterian Church, East Brunswick, and participates in the youth group at South River First Reformed Church. For the past three summers she has taught at the church's week-long Vacation Bible School.

Scouting the Community: Fic has been a Girl Scout since the age of 5. She received the organization's Silver Award for giving tours

of the South River Museum-Old School Baptist Church and for interviewing elderly borough residents. Last year she and a friend dedicated over 50 hours to cataloguing the graves at Washington Monumental Cemetery for the South River Historical & Preservation Society and subsequently received Girl Scouts' highest honor, the Gold Award.

Favorite Teacher: Mr. Weiss, class adviser for the past two years and Fic's U.S. History I teacher.

Classic Tastes: Fic enjoys older movies like "Philadelphia Story," "Casablanca" and

"anything with Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant, basically." As for books, authors Michael Crichton and Dan Brown are favorites, as well as Sherlock Holmes novels.

Favorite Local Restaurant: The Golden East Garden, East Brunswick

Good Times in South River: "I like to go to Starbucks with my friends, that's our Friday night," Fic said.

South River Lessons: Though the town is small, Fic said it is rich in cultural diversity. "You just grow up being accepting of people because they're your friends and you're

growing up next to them." Despite such

tolerance, "it's a small town [and] rumors spread like wildfire," Fic said With only about 150 graduating seniors, Fic learned that

"if you want something to be private,

you keep it private."

Facebook Accessible: No. Fic cites that employers now check Facebook. "Keep your stuff to yourself," she said of personal

activities.