CANTON – Little River Community School of Canton, New York, held graduation ceremonies for four seniors on Sunday, May 12.

Maddie Hansen-Schreiber, whose parents are Jenny Hansen, Canton, and Alex Schreiber, Potsdam, has attended Little River's four-room school house from first grade through twelfth, skipping her junior year. She graduated with a GPA of 3.76. Maddie took four classes at St. Lawrence University this year as part of the High School Enrichment Program. Maddie helped to organize the Climate Vigil in Canton and completed an internship at a food bank in South Carolina, where she learned the challenges of distributing thousands of pounds of food to people in need. Maddie is planning to attend the University of Redlands in California in the fall on a full scholarship. She has a special interest in film and directing.  

Elias Nelson, whose parents are Rebecca and Dave Nelson of Canton, joined Little River in second grade. He graduated with a GPA of 3.91. As a satellite student, Elias did most of his coursework at home and attended Little River one day a week. He took four courses at St. Lawrence University. He also served as a Teacher Assistant for Introduction to Philosophy at St. Lawrence for his senior internship, which strengthened his desire to become a teacher. He will attend Haverford College in Pennsylvania in the fall to study philosophy and classics.

Nico Petroccione, whose parents are Ann and Dominic Petroccione of Canton, started at Little River in 2015. He graduated with a GPA of 3.47. Nico is a competitive gamer, traveling to Rochester, Detroit, and San Jose to participate in Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments. Nico’s internship included working for the Potsdam Central School District IT department and the Canton Neighborhood Center. He will start college this fall at SUNY Potsdam and plans to major in business administration. He is receiving a Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

Toby Cannamela, whose parents are Don Cannamela and Emily Brouwer of Potsdam, started at Little River two years ago. He graduated with a GPA of 3.76. Toby took a literature class at St. Lawrence as a senior and worked in the costume shop for the CPS production of “The Addams Family” for his internship. Toby will start at SUNY Potsdam in the fall and he plans to study art. He is receiving a Scholarship for Academic Excellence.