Northwest Catholic Names Valedictorian and Salutatorian

West Hartford - Sarah Gillespie of Manchester and Emily Kearney of Simsbury have been named Valedictorian and Salutatorian of Northwest Catholic High School's Class of 2013.

Valedictorian Sarah Gillespie is an outstanding science student, a tremendous athlete, and an active volunteer with Manna Community Meals in Hartford.

During her years at Northwest Catholic, Sarah played volleyball and ran indoor and outdoor track, serving as a captain for all three teams. She was also named All-American for indoor track in 2013. Sarah is a member of the National Honor Society and the French Honor Society, was named an AP Scholar, and earlier this year, she was one of three Northwest Catholic students to be named a “Superintendent’s Summa Scholar,” meaning she carried a grade point average of 4.3 or more during the first seven semesters of high school. Sarah was also a National Merit Finalist.

A graduate of St. Timothy Middle School in West Hartford, Sarah is a parishioner at St. Bridget Church in Manchester. She will attend Harvard, with a major in biology and a minor in French.

Salutatorian Emily Kearney is an active leader who excelled both in the classroom and on the athletic field.

Emily has been a member of the girls’ soccer and lacrosse teams during her four years at Northwest Catholic, serving as captain of both teams during her senior year. As a member of those teams, she won three state championships in soccer and one in lacrosse. Emily was inducted into the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society, and earlier this year, she was named a “Superintendent’s Summa Scholar.” This meant she had a grade point average of 4.3 or more during the first seven semesters of high school. Emily also was named a National Merit Finalist.

A graduate of St. Timothy Middle School in West Hartford, Emily is a parishioner at St. Mary Church in Simsbury. She will enroll at the University of Notre Dame, pursuing a degree in engineering.

Since 1961, Northwest Catholic’s mission has been to educate the whole person: mind, body, spirit, and soul. Enrollment for the Class of ’17 is now under way. For more information, contact Maryann Lacouture (860-236-4221, x140 or mlacouture@nwcath.org).