The valedictorian of the Class of 2017 is Mara Vaccaro. She is the daughter of Kristen and Anthony Vaccaro of Colton.

Salutatorian for the Class of 2017 is Sage Richards. He is the son of Deborah and Darren Richards of Colton.

Mara Vaccaro has pursued rigorous coursework at CPCS, including advanced-placement (AP) world and US history, AP calculus, AP biology, and college level courses in physics, Spanish and statistics. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Whiz Quiz, and Environmental Club, and has played soccer and basketball while at Colton-Pierrepont. Mara has been active in the Big Brother/Big Sister program, providing mentoring and guidance to a younger student on weekly for the last two years.

Vaccaro is also an accomplished musician who plays piano, flute and saxophone as part of the school band. She has attended Area All State, and is president of the Tri M Music Honor Society.

[img_assist|nid=199884|title=Richards|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=175|height=220]“Mara is a stellar role model to our younger students, in big ways like presentations to our Board of Education or being the emcee at a recent holiday concert, or in little ways by just being kind and supportive to all students,” the school’s announcement said.

Outside of school, she has been involved in community service activities, including helping with elementary basketball and altar serving at her church.

Vacaro will graduate with an advanced Regents diploma with honors with mastery in math and dcience.

She plans to attend SUNY Stony Brook to obtain an education in engineering and pursue a career in mechanical engineering.

Sage Richards has been very active during his high school career. He completed AP courses in world history, US history, biology, English and calculus, and college coursework in physics and statistics. During his senior year, he chose to challenge himself with AP biology and physics.

“Sage does well in his classes and is an excellent role model for his peers as he demonstrates that he is always able and willing to tackle any challenge placed before him,” the school’s announcement said.

Richards is a member of the National Honor Society, Environmental Club and has been a three-season athlete at Colton-Pierrepont. “His quiet and positive leadership skills on and off the fields will truly be missed,” the announcement said.

He also known for his musical talent and dedication to Colton-Pierrepont’s music program. As a trumpet player, he has been involved in NYSSMA solos, All-County Band, All County Jazz Band, Area All State Band and Tri M Music Honor Society.

He will graduate with an Advanced Regents diploma. He plans to attend St. Lawrence University in the fall to study natural sciences and pursue a career in scientific research.

Colton-Pierrepont High School Graduation will take place in the school auditorium at 7 p.m. Friday, June 23.