North top grads ready for next challenge

By less than a tenth of a point, Katherine Callaghan edged out Spencer Lee for valedictorian honors at Valley Stream North High School. But there are no hard feelings, as both are proud of their hard work and pleased to lead the class of 2010.

Callaghan’s 106.33 grade point average didn’t come without sacrifice. She said she gave up going to parties and spending time with her friends to study in her room. “It was definitely a goal,” she said of being valedictorian. “It’s been a goal since ninth grade.”

Lee, who finished with a 106.26 average, said it was a pleasant surprise when he was called down to the guidance office a few months ago and told he was salutatorian. He said his counselor gave him a big hug and congratulated him. “I knew they were good,” Lee said of his grades. “I didn’t know they were that good. I was always satisfied with my performance at school.”

Next year, Callaghan will head to Cornell University in Ithaca and enroll in the College of Human Ecology. The Malverne resident wants to study biology and research its correlation with autism. “There has to be some common link,” she said.

Callaghan has been involved in community service activities for many years. She is a youth leader at her church, Our Lady of Lourdes, and has led collections for the food pantry. Earlier this year, she organized a “lock in” — a 24-hour fast to raise money for Haiti relief efforts. She also has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten and did a courtyard beautification project at North for her Gold Award.

She has participated in clean-up days at Tanglewood Preserve, Hempstead Plains and the Valley Stream State Park, organized activities and charity events with the Library Teen Action Group and helped out at Malverne Historical Society events. “We’ve been given so many opportunities in our lives,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to give back.”

Lee will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Once he received his acceptance letter, he knew he couldn’t pass up going there. “It was such a big opportunity being accepted into a prestigious school like that,” he said.