Horner, Panse named valedictorian, saludatorian

It has been a challenging year for Stratford’s Class of 2022. And seniors Hadley Horner and Esha Panse want to recognize the strength and resiliency of their classmates when they deliver their graduation speeches on Saturday, May 21.

“I definitely want to emphasize the importance of making meaningful connections with others and valuing every moment together,” Hadley said.

“I’m going to highlight how despite the obstacles this year has thrown at the senior class,” Esha said. “And the Stratford community as a whole, we have fought hard and pushed through, and have done our best to see things positively even during hard times. 

Hadley was named valedictorian, and Esha was named salutatorian at an all-school assembly on Wednesday, April 6.

Esha admitted she was surprised when her name was called.

“I was sort of hoping it would be me but I didn’t really think it actually would be,’’ she said.  “My parents, teachers, and friends all helped me get to this point and I couldn’t have done it without them. Obviously hard work and determination plays a role, but I couldn’t have done it without these important people in my life.”

Hadley also was somewhat surprised at the news she was valedictorian, but she knew it was a big possibility even before the assembly.  She agreed with Esha that hard work and studying were big parts of her academic success in high school.

Hadley will be attending University of California, Berkeley as a Biology major, while Esha will be attending Georgia Institute of Technology as a neuroscience major.

Also, seniors with a GPA of 3.75 higher were named as honor graduates