South Portland High School's top 10 graduates

Conor Beck, son of Matthew and Denise Beck, is active in the Poetry Club, debate team, Interact, Spanish Club and Student Senate. Outside of school, he enjoys fencing, politics and Kanye West, and he was actively involved with the campaign to ban tobacco in South Portland’s parks. His accomplishments have earned him a number of awards and distinctions, including being AP Scholar with Distinction, a recipient of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, U.S. Presidential Scholar nominee, 2012 MYAN Anti-Tobacco Advocate of the Year, and finalist in The Nation magazine’s 2011 essay contest. Conor will study applied math and computer science at Rice University in the fall.

Jackson Beck, valedictorian, is the son of Matthew and Denise Beck. Beck is extensively involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, including Spanish Club and the National Honor Society. He also captains the swim team and debate team, and is president of the Student Senate. He is one of two student representatives to the South Portland Board of Education. His interests include current events, politics, film and music. Beck has been recognized with a number of awards and honors, including AP Scholar with Distinction, Yale University Book Award, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award, DAR Good Citizen Award, George Eastman Young Leaders Award and Rotary Youth Leadership Award. He was selected as one of two Maine delegates to the United States Senate Youth Program, and interned at the district office of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, in 2011. During the summer, he works at the Casco Bay Lines in Portland. Beck plans to study political science at Yale University in the fall.

Emma Dadmun is the daughter of Dean and Rebecca Dadmun. In addition to her academic achievements, Dadmun shines in the performing arts realm. She’s been a member of the renowned girls’ choir, Musica de Filia, since third grade, and has been involved in stage productions both at South Portland High School and in Portland Stage Company and Madhorse Theatre. She’s active in Interact and French Club, and volunteers at Small Elementary School. Additionally, she enjoys traveling and the outdoors, and spent the fall of her junior year at the Chewonki Semester School in Wiscasset. Dadmun is a recipient of the Cornell Book Award and a member of National Honor Society. When not in school or performing, she is a kennel assistant at the Brackett Street Veterinary Clinic. She plans to take a gap year to travel and volunteer, and then attend Whitman College.

Keirstan Field, daughter of Nicolle Field and Adam Lakari, participates in the swim team, tennis team, Spanish Club and Earth Action team and is involved in WMPG Blunt Youth Radio. She enjoys reading, swimming, music, Spanish, and science. Keirstan’s interest in Spanish led to a month-long excursion in the south of Spain following her sophomore year. Her academic achievement has earned her awards for excellence in biology, English and Spanish, and she has received the Bausch & Lomb Science Award and Maine Youth Leadership Award. She also has been selected as an alternate to the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership program. In addition to her school work, Field works part-time at The Cookie Jar in South Portland. She’ll be studying biochemistry and Spanish at Worcester Polytechnic Institute next year.

Sonita Hav, daughter of Chantha Mak and Molika Preap, is active in French Club, Interact and Red Riot Ambassadors, and has interned at Friends of Casco Bay. She devotes time to volunteering in the community, including working at local soup kitchens. She enjoys reading, biking and traveling, and is interested in languages and international affairs. Hav is a member of National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society, and has been recognized with several awards including the Colby College Book Award and the Rosella Loveitt Award for Excellence in American History. Hav manages to squeeze in time working at Red Mango and Churchill Events. In the fall, she’ll attend Colby College, majoring in international relations.

Thuy Nguyen, salutatorian, is the daughter of Vy Ho and Cuu Nguyen. In addition to devoting time to academics, Nguyen participates in the Outing Club, math team, and marching band, and is a member of the National Honor Society. Her interests include origami, piano, drawing and reading, as well as collecting stamps and snow globes. Nguyen makes time to give back to the community by volunteering at the 21 Club at Skillin Elementary School. She has been recognized for outstanding performance in earth science, math II and III, biology, precalculus and chemistry, and was a recipient of the Dartmouth College Book Award. She will attend Smith College, studying to be a chemical engineer.

Abigail Onos is the daughter of Steven and Connie Onos. Her interests and talents are wide-ranging: she’s captain of the swim team, secretary of Spanish Club, a member of Interact and Outing Club, and competes in outdoor track and field. She enjoys camping, hiking, paddle-boarding and traveling, and is an accomplished artist. Her academic and artistic excellence have been recognized with a number of honors and awards, including National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society, the Smith College Book Award, the Rhode Island School of Design Book Award, Scholastic Art Award, Silver Key, Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest Best in Show for Maine, Maine Youth Excellence in Art and Women’s Literary Union Writing Contest, second place. In addition, she still finds time to work at Twisted/TCBY in the Maine Mall. Onos will be attending Smith College in the fall.

Derek Tannoia, son of Philip and Tracy Tannoia, excels both in and out of the classroom, and was captain of the golf and ultimate frisbee teams, president of the Outing Club, and a member of Interact, Amnesty International, and the National Honor Society. Tannoia enjoys spending his free time skiing, golfing, playing frisbee, swimming and watching movies. His interests include medicine, technology and politics. He is a recipient of the Bates College Book Award, was a 2011 delegate to Dirigo Boys State, and a runner-up in a Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance contest in 2011. Tannoia works as a cashier/stocker at Legion Square Market. In the fall, he will attend Lehigh University. He plans to major in biomedical engineering and minor in politics.

Zoe Trout, daughter of Chris Sue Trout, has been involved in dance (ballet and modern) since age 4, and has brought that talent to South Portland’s stage as a cast member of the annual musicals. Additionally, she’s been involved with Interact, Spanish Club, and Outing Club. Trout enjoys travel and being outdoors, and spends considerable time volunteering with such organizations as Kids Firs,t in Portland, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and at Kaler Elementary School. She is the recipient of the Wellesley College Book Award, and is a member of both the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society. In her spare time, she works at Bono’s Pizzeria & Grille as a hostess, and is a studio assistant at Maggie Bokor Jewelry. Trout will be attending Florida Southern College in the fall, and would like to join the Peace Corps.

Brian Weden is the son of Samuel and Tina Weden. An accomplished musician, Weden is active in marching band, wind ensemble, and jazz ensemble. He also participates in ultimate frisbee and is a member of the National Honor Society. In addition to his love of music, he enjoys spending time with friends, vacationing with family, skiing, and volunteering at Maine Medical Center and Memorial Middle School. Among the awards he has received are Excellence in Honors Chemistry and St. Michael’s College Book Award. He is also a member and former president of the Tri M Music Honor Society. In addition to school work and extracurricular activities, Weden finds time to work as a cashier at Hannaford. He’ll be attending Boston University next year, studying biomedical engineering and pre-med, with the goal of attending medical school and becoming a physician or surgeon.

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