Highland High School Announces Top Two Students

HIGHLAND – Superintendent Thomas Bongiovi and Highland High School (HHS) Principal William Zimmer are proud to announce that Carlie Relyea has been named the 2019 valedictorian and Marie Ling is this year’s salutatorian.

Carlie, the daughter of Carl and Lisa Relyea of Highland, earned top honors with a GPA of 102.85. During her time at HHS, she maintained a rigorous course schedule that included AP European History, AP Biology, AP Physics, AP US History, Pre-Calculus, College Spanish, AP Literature, Calculus, AP Psychology, College Economics, AP English Language and Composition, and AP Chemistry. She excelled in math and science classes throughout her high school career.

This fall, Carlie plans to major in Biology and minor in Psychology at Drexel University in Philadelphia. By the end of her senior year of high school, she will have obtained an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Ulster via online classes.

Carlie is the Student Council President and a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She is also the president of the Interact Club and the vice president of FED Challenge. In addition, she participates in Mathletes, Model UN, Varsity Swim (for which she serves as captain), and Club Swim through the Hudson Valley Dolphins team.

During the summer months, Carlie works as a lifeguard and camp counselor.

Salutatorian Marie, daughter of William and Bee Hui Ngo Ling of Highland, has a GPA of 101.98. Her impressive high school career featured an array of college and AP classes, including AP European History, AP Biology, AP Psychology, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, College Spanish, AP US History, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, College English Literature and Language, College Algebra, and AP Economics.

Marie is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She participates in the Multicultural Club, Interact Club, and Mathletes. In addition, Marie runs for her school’s Track and Field and Cross Country teams.

Upon graduation, Marie will attend Colby College in Maine where she plans to double major in Spanish and Psychology.

Principal Zimmer is honored to have had Carlie and Marie as students. “These two have shined bright and made us proud during their time at HHS,” he states. “We look forward to seeing what lies ahead for them.”