By Addison Schwing – Editorial and News Editor

Madeline Papcun was named the Jonathan Law Class of 2020 Valedictorian.

Papcun and senior Arunika Shee were announced as Valedictorian and Salutatorian on Twitter by Law principal Mr. Thompson. Shortly thereafter, Thompson and assistant principals Mr. Marko and Mr. Hoggatt went to Papcun’s home to personally congratulate her. 

Papcun was elated to hear she earned the title of Valedictorian. 

“I’ve worked really hard academically over the last four years, so of course it feels incredibly rewarding to earn the title of Valedictorian,” she said. 

Papcun’s accomplishment is the result of four years of tireless effort, being the top-ranked student in her class, beating over 200 other students to the prize. She credits the influence of her parents and school as a significant influence on her success. 

“In raising me my parents have always emphasized having a good work ethic, so it’s naturally something I applied to my schoolwork as well.,” she said. “Their support and also that of my friends and teachers have kept me motivated in school since elementary school.”

Papcun will be attending the University of Connecticut in the fall She has decided to follow a Pre-Social Work major pathway.  

“UConn was the first school I ever toured and I loved the feel of the campus and general atmosphere from the start,” Papcun said. “I’m so excited to be a Husky.”

Papcun has been an extremely active member of the Law community, serving as captain of the cross country team, Vice President of the Keyettes, Secretary of Friends Forever, and a member of the National Honor Society.

Her work has not gone unnoticed by others in the school, especially math teacher Mr. Frank, who was quick to praise her work ethic and enthusiasm in his AP Calculus AB class.

“She always would walk into my class with a big smile and excitedly ask ‘How are you Mr. Frank?’” Frank said. “I appreciate her enthusiasm, as it was a Calculus class after all. One of my favorite attributes of hers that I have seen in my class is her willingness to take risks. Whenever she would be uncertain of something in my class she would not give up.  She would ask questions, look into things on her own, and learn from her mistakes.”

Frank also noted her compassion for her classmates and her forwardness in the classroom. 

“She quickly became a resource for all of her classmates, always helping to clarify their questions,” he said. “Her questions were always well thought out, focused, and honest. These questions were often ones that others probably were wondering about as well.  She also has an excellent social/professional balance which helped to shape the class.”

Journalism and Humanities teacher Mr. Kulenych said that Papcun was a dedicated and well-rounded student.

“When an article needed to be written and written well, we gave it to Maddie,” Kulenych said. “When we needed to start a discussion or a debate in Humanities, we started with Maddie. She is a reliable, creative, dependable student and classmate, but she also brings a sense of humor and positive attitude to class every day that all of us that were fortunate to have her in class will remember the most.”

Thompson also spoke very highly of Papcun and said she is fully deserving of the title. 

“In addition to being a leader in many of our clubs and activities, Maddie exemplifies the qualities we are so proud of in Jonathan Law students – kindness, creativity, collaboration and commitment to the community,” he said. “I am so happy for Maddie and I am so grateful to her for her example of academic and personal excellence.”