Best students, best friends

Carolynn McElroy and Emma Vecchione, the South Side High School valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, are pursuing very different paths as they graduate high school.

The two have been best friends since kindergarten, McElroy is gong on to the University of Virginia, perhaps to study medicine, while Vecchione is heading to Brown to maybe study international relations.

And though they’re bound for different schools, the two plan on remaining close friends. “I can go two weeks without hanging out with Emma, and I can see her and it’s like I was with her yesterday,” said McElroy.

Both McElroy and Vecchione finished their senior year of high school with GPAs north of 104. There were just tenths of points separating valedictorian from salutatorian. And they never let it become a point of consternation.

“We motivated each other a lot,” said Vecchione. “We were never competitive with each other. We helped de-stress each other, and I think we each contributed to the other’s success.”

Their favorite classes are different, too: McElroy prefers math and English, while Vecchione leans more toward history.

“I feel like, this year especially, there’s a focus on learning about different perspectives and gaining an understanding of different points of view about a certain situation or event, and that was something that appeals to me,” said Vecchione. “And I always felt that was very relevant today: being able to look at a lot of different perspectives and being able to come out with your own ideas about something. I think that’s an important skill to develop.”

The pair haven’t been in many classes together. In fact, after kindergarten, they weren’t in a single class together in elementary school and only a handful in middle and high school. But they did many extracurriculars together.

Both have dedicated their high school years to working with their peers that have developmental disabilities. They are both members of Best Buddies and the Centre Stage program, and they also have spent their summers in high school working at the Town of Hempstead’s Camp ANCHOR, where McElroy is now a staffer.

They also have their own after-school activities as well. Vecchione is an officer in both the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Art Honor Society. She also has a job at the library, where she created a free art program for kids. McElroy played on the school’s lacrosse and cross country teams, and was also a member of Athletes Helping Athletes, where high school students mentor fifth graders.

The two even helped each other write their speeches for graduation, and read the other’s over to make sure they didn’t overlap in theme or content.

They also shared the secret to their scholastic success: being able to admit when they didn’t understand something.

“I think a lot of it was going to extra help from teachers,” said McElroy. “Because I don’t think just class time is enough to get it all. I think extra help definitely adds to that.”