Falmouth High School top 10 percent of class, M-W

Isaac Merson is the son of Elizabeth Rudenberg and Dan Merson. He is the class salutatorian and has been given honors for English, French, and history, as well as receiving the St. Michael’s College Book Award. He is a National Honor Society member, an AP commended scholar, and a National Merit commended scholar. He participated in theater, cross-country, Nordic skiing, ultimate frisbee, Natural Helpers, and the Gay Straight Alliance. He volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, the Wayside Evening Soup Kitchen, and in various projects through the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church. In the fall he will attend Bowdoin College where he plans to major in the social sciences.

Madeleine Paradis is the daughter of Tim and Wendy Paradis. She is an AP scholar and a National Honor Society member. She has been recognized for excellence in French and she spent the spring semester of her sophomore year near Paris. She is a three-year member of the swim team and has participated in many Falmouth Theatre Company productions. She has spent time volunteering for AFS, the University of Maine School of Law’s Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic providing pro bono translation services for the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, and for Horse and Rider Connection/the Maine Mustang Project. In her free time, she has been taking classes in Italian, horseback riding and piano. Paradis will attend the University of Virginia in the fall and plans to major in foreign affairs.

Abby Payson is the daughter of Mike and Sue Payson. She is a National Honor Society member, has been recognized as an AP scholar, and by Falmouth High School for excellence in math and writing in U.S. history. She has been a four-year varsity member of the cross-country, ice hockey and tennis teams, serving as co-captain for all three teams. She has been an all-conference selection for all three sports, contributing to regional championships in cross country and hockey, and three state championships in tennis. This year Payson received the Hobey Baker Character Award for Falmouth girls’ ice hockey. In 2012 she was selected for the MERITS summer internship program sponsored by the Maine Space Grant Consortium. She has been a member of Big Buddies, the Service Club and math team and is the founder of the annual Fun Day to benefit Opportunity Skate and FHS girls’ ice hockey. During the summer she has enjoyed serving as a junior volunteer at Maine Medical Center and teaching tennis to children. She will attend Haverford College in the fall, where she plans to study biology or chemistry and play varsity tennis.

Aaron Peterson-Greenberg is the son of Stanley Greenberg and Julie Peterson. He is an AP scholar with honors and has been recognized for achievement in physics, chemistry, and math. Peterson-Greenberg is a member of Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, Zero Robotics, and math team. He played for the ultimate frisbee team, and enjoys hiking and alpine skiing. He enjoys playing bluegrass and newgrass music on the banjo, is an avid player of various board games, and is working towards earning A+ certification. He will attend Tufts University in the fall and major in engineering physics.

Seamus Powers is the son of James and Peggy Powers. He is a National Merit finalist, an AP scholar with honors, a recipient of the Bowdoin College Book Award, and the Junior English Scholar Award. He attended Dirigo Boys State in 2012. He is a member of the Model U.N. and the debate team. He has volunteered in the school’s tutoring center for the past three years. Powers is an avid hip-hop and sports fan and wrote about these interests in the school newspaper, The Mast. He played football and baseball and was named to the first team all-conference 2012 in baseball and awarded the Campbell Conference Academic Achievement Award 2012 in football. Powers will attend the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.

Emma Sapat is the daughter of Viren Sapat and Jessie Grearson. She is a National Merit finalist, an AP scholar with distinction, a National Honor Society member, and was named a Presidential Scholar semi-finalist. An enthusiastic member of the debate team and co-captain of Lincoln-Douglass debate for the last two years, she has participated in national tournaments held at Harvard and Columbia universities and has won qualifying spots to attend the National and the Catholic Forensic League tournaments. This year, she was honored by the debate community as Maine’s Student of the Year and will attend the national debate tournament in Birmingham, Ala., this June. Sapat received the Dartmouth book award and awards in the social sciences, French and English. She enjoys writing poetry and attended the Breadloaf Young Writer’s Conference. In her spare time, Sapat enjoys reading, working at the European Bakery, and thinking up bagel recipes. She will attend Yale University in the fall and plans to study political science, ethics, and economics.

Hayley Simmons is the daughter of Sherri and Jeffrey Simmons. She is founder and president of Falmouth High School’s first Civics Club, and co-editor of the school newspaper. She was a three-season varsity distance runner, and was a captain of both the cross-country and indoor track teams. Since her freshman year she sang in the District II choir festival, and was a member of school’s chamber choir. In 2012, she was a recipient of the Williams Book Award and of the Maine Historical Society’s annual award. She is also a National Honor Society member. Throughout high school she was a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and in the winter of her junior year she traveled to Mississippi to help build homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Simmons will attend St. Lawrence University in the fall, where she intends to explore her interests in music and English.

Tom Wilberg is the son of Anne Marie and Jim Wilberg. He is a National Merit Commended scholar, an AP scholar with honors, a National Honor Society member and a 2013 US Presidential Scholar candidate. He has earned recognition in both math and science. He has been actively tutoring fellow students throughout his high school career. Wilberg earned a total of nine varsity letters in basketball, soccer and tennis while being a member of teams that won five state championships. As a junior he was selected to the WMC tennis all-star team. As a senior he was selected to the WMC all-academic soccer team. As a senior he was co-captain and co-MVP of the Class B state championship basketball team. He was selected to the all-state academic basketball team and was the recipient of the MABC-McDonald’s all-state academic scholarship award. He is the Falmouth Forecaster male winter athlete of the year for 2012-2013. Wilberg will attend and play basketball at the University of Chicago in the fall and is currently undecided about his major field of study.

Zachary Winkeler is the son of Timothy and Tracy Winkeler. He was a member of the poetry club, and is often found writing haikus about throwing things out of windows. Winkeler will attempt to make noise with any musical instruments left alone in a room with him, but for now plays only saxophone, ocarina, ukulele and piano. He and a friend once won a bronze medal in a Science Olympiad competition with instruments made of PVC. He can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes on a good day; on a bad day it usually takes him longer just to find his Rubik’s Cube. He was a member of the math team and will attendNortheastern University in the fall, hoping to major in mathematics and chemistry.

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