Boston Public Schools honors Class of 2009 Valedictorians

BOSTON – Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Boston School Committee Chair Rev. Gregory G. Groover, Sr., Superintendent Carol R. Johnson, Headmasters and proud family members today honored 37 valedictorians of the Class of 2009 from the Boston Public Schools (list attached below).

The Boston Harbor Hotel hosted a luncheon for the students and their families, marking the 11th year that Boston has held a celebration for the top graduate of every Boston public high school. Jorge Quiroga from WCVB-TV welcomed the guests, including members of the Boston School Committee, elected officials, community leaders and representatives from several local colleges and universities, along with school administrators and teachers. The event was sponsored by Reebok and other partners. Each valedictorian received a college dictionary from Barnes and Noble, a backpack from Reebok, and other gifts.

The 37 students come from neighborhoods across the City of Boston. Sixteen of the students were born overseas, including immigrants from Albania, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Nigeria, Somalia, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The valedictorians plan to attend the nation’s top colleges and universities, including Boston College, Boston University, Brown University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northeastern University, Suffolk University, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts, among others.

Min Zhong of Chinatown, the valedictorian from Charlestown High School, spoke to the attendees about her path to graduation. Min came to the United States from China three years ago knowing very little English. She recently won a $15,000 college scholarship through the “Power of an Idea” invention competition. Min will attend Tufts University in the fall to study chemical engineering.