BOE Celebrates Achievements of Top Students
- Anthony Angelillo
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Board of Education at its meeting last Thursday recognized the top graduates of the 2025-26 Southington High School class as part of its Celebration of Excellence.
Bronze Scholar David Chmura, Salutatorian Andrew Nero, and Valedictorian Ethan Hoffman were introduced by Board Chairperson Zaya Oshana, who read a short passage about each before Chmura and Hoffman stepped to the front of the room to receive a Certificate of Excellence.
“David Chmura doesn’t just love STEM, he lives it,” began Oshana. “Thriving on challenge and discovery, blazing through his math curriculum two years ahead of schedule, advancing through Project Lead the Way and leading three demanding teams – Science Bowl, Math Team, and the CyberKnights robotics team – David brings focus, curiosity and determination to everything he does. In robotics especially he had distinguished himself, not just as a programmer, but as a leader who elevates his team, spending countless hours designing, building, programming, and refining systems… And beyond his own pursuits, he is dedicated to supporting others, mentoring younger students in robotics, leading coding workshops, and volunteering in his community throughout all four years of high school.”
Chmura will be attending Northeastern University this fall, with a planned major in mechanical engineering and computer science.
Speaking of Andrew Nero, who was not able to attend the ceremony, Oshana said “he is a kind and considerate young man who consistently goes out of his way to support others and contribute positively to the Southington community. Earlier this year he volunteered to show a new student around, helping them feel welcome and adjust to high school life… He has developed a strong interest in computer engineering and has taken meaningful steps towards this goal. As a member of Southington High School’s Project Lead The Way, Andrew assumed a leadership role, demonstrating initiative and the ability to collaborate effectively with his peers… He also participated in the swim team and works with the SHS technology help desk where he assists students with technical issues.”
Nero is headed to UConn this fall where he plans to major in engineering.
Finally, Oshana addressed Ethan Hoffman: “Ethan is a dedicated student leader who has made a lasting impact both in and out of the classroom at Southington High School. He is also the Class President, Student Representative to the Board of Education, as well as the captain of the Cross Country Team… One of Ethan’s greatest passions is his service to the community. Ethan has demonstrated this through his Eagle Scout project, which was to create a permanent garden stand outside of DePaolo Middle School. Ethan spent countless hours planning and designing the permanent structure and working with town officials to provide a lasting resource for DePaolo’s Garden Club. When asked, Ethan said that service to my community and making it a better place is really important to me.”
Hoffman will be attending Cornell University this fall, where he plans to major in computer science.
New BOE Student Representatives
The Celebration of Excellence continued, with the two graduating Student Representatives to the Board of Education being honored for their contributions during their terms. Hoffman and Samrath Singh were asked to come down to the front of the room, where Oshana said a few words about the impact they had on every member of the Board of Education during their time and thanked them for their service.
“They come and they give us good news and they give us tough news,” Oshana said. “They challenge us on certain things. Some things that we do, they say, ‘Why are you doing that?’ And that's why this position is so important to the board and to us, for learning and getting better and making the district a better place.”
Both received a Certificate of Excellence before speaking briefly about their experience as Student Representatives.
“Thank you for being there for us, giving us the opportunity to actually support this community in a way that you guys have supported us,” Singh said. “Being allowed to present the issues that we challenged you guys with, that was very personal to me. I know I enjoyed it thoroughly during my time on the board of education.”
The third current Student Representative, rising Senior Arshi Roy, then introduced the two new student representatives for the coming school year.
Sophomore Alexa Noacowski, who is tri-lingual (Polish, English, French), is the president of the French and Polish clubs. Junior Murad Alcatib is the advocacy officer for DECA and the secretary of Students for Progress,which is focused on representing diverse student perspectives.
Noacowski and Alcatib both introduced themselves and stated what they plan to accomplish in the upcoming school year. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with students from different backgrounds, lead different initiatives and advocate for issues that matter in the school community,” Alcatib said. “As a student representative, I hope to create a bridge between students and the Board and ensure that all student perspectives are considered.”
