Celebrating TC3 CollegeNow Graduates By Linda Competillo
Groton Jr./Sr. High School (GHS) is gearing up for its 50-member Class of 2023 to walk onto Ross Field to receive their high school diplomas on the evening of June 23. Yet nearly a fourth of the class – 12 students, to be exact – already graduated from Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) in May through its TC3 CollegeNow early degree program.
Elisa Allen, Isaac Allen, Lucas Darling, Mackenzie Hamilton, Leanna Jackson, Jillian Lucey, Mattison Lucey, Darian Mitchell, Zoe Morusty, Dianna Niño, Julia Ramey and Mason Slade have already earned an associate degree while simultaneously earning their high school credits.
These students, along with their families, were celebrated at a dinner in their honor in the high school cafeteria on June 6 by administrators, faculty, staff and members of the Board of Education.
Babs Carr, Early College High School coordinator and STEAM College and Career Prep teacher at GHS, opened the evening by expressing her pride in these accomplished students. She also thanked Groton Elementary School teacher, Dick Brecht, who owns the Groton Red Caboose, for providing the delicious meal.
“This year, there was a total of 90 CollegeNow graduates,” Carr said, “and Groton made up over 13% of them. Three students graduated with honors, four with high honors, and two with highest honors.”
Elisa Allen, who is the class valedictorian and president of the GHS National Honor Society, will attend Binghamton University to study mechanical engineering this fall. While at GHS, she also participated in student council and class council and played softball, soccer and basketball. As valedictorian, Elisa was featured in the May 17 edition of this column.
Isaac, who is a triplet with Elisa and their sister, Katelin, was involved in both club and high school wrestling and played baseball and football. He will study business at SUNY Brockport.
“Graduating from TC3 with my associate degree has been a great opportunity,” Isaac said. “It’s meant a lot, as I feel it will give me an advantage over other incoming first-year students. I believe this has helped better prepare me for the upcoming years of my life. Graduating has been a relief, as the hard work has paid off. It’s been a great experience, and I am thankful I got this opportunity.”
Darling plans to attend Paul Smith’s College in the fall for environmental studies. He is a member of the National Honor Society and an avid soccer player.
“I have learned a great deal from my TC3 experience,” Darling said. “Having this opportunity has allowed me to become better prepared for college by intellectually challenging me and learning better time management skills. With my associate degree, I will be able to graduate earlier and will save money. I am thankful for Mrs. Carr and the school for offering this opportunity.”
Hamilton is the student council president, yearbook club vice president, class council secretary and captain of the varsity volleyball and varsity softball teams. She is also a member of Interact Club and the National Honor Society.
“It has been a crazy roller coaster, but being awarded my associate degree in high school is one [of] my greatest accomplishments,” Hamilton said. “After high school, I plan to attend Stevenson University in Maryland, majoring in sports communications and minoring in photography. I hope to one day work for an NHL team, hopefully the New York Rangers, as a photographer or social media manager.”
Jackson will major in elementary education this fall at SUNY Cortland. While at GHS, she has been a member of the National Honor Society, drama club, Interact Club, class council, student council and Tri-M Society. She has also been highly involved in dance at the Cortland Performing Arts Institute.
While at GHS, Jillian has played soccer and basketball and run track. She is a member of the National Honor Society. She will major in illustration at SUNY Oswego.
Mattison will attend SUNY Cortland this fall to study physical therapy and will be running track on its track team. At GHS, she played basketball, ran track and cross country, was a referee for youth sports and broke the school record for steeplechase relay and hurdles. She was also a member of Spanish club, the National Honor Society, Tri-M Society, student council and yearbook club. She was also a mentor.
Mitchell, who is the class salutatorian and was featured in the May 24 edition of this column, has played football, done wrestling and run track at GHS. He is a member of French club, drama club, Groton Community Band and All-County Chorus. He will attend Virginia Tech to study electrical engineering.
Morusty has played in band, played on the volleyball team and is a Girl Scout. She will attend Daemen University this fall to study art.
“This opportunity of being in the program means a lot to me and has helped me with a head start in my college career,” Morusty said. “It is a great opportunity I took, and it gave me the chance to get my associate degree as a high school student. The opportunity also gave me a head start in my future, where I’m going to pursue a BA in art at Daemen University.”
Niño will attend St. John Fisher College’s nursing program with a goal to become a nurse practitioner. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Girl Scouts, student council, class council, Interact Club, drama club and Spanish club. Niño also played volleyball and basketball, ran track and broke the school record in steeplechase relay.
Ramey has been involved in weightlifting, wind ensemble and chorus at GHS. She is a member of RYLA, French club and Tri-M Society, and she has dedicated much of her time to community service in food pantries and soup kitchens. She will study biomedical engineering at the University of Buffalo.
Slade is the vice president of the Class of 2023. He will attend SUNY Canton this fall to study business management. He is a member of 4-H Club, the National Honor Society and student council. He has run track and played football and basketball. He will be playing on the men’s basketball team at SUNY Canton.
“Being in the associate degree program has prepared me for what college will be like in the fall,” Slade said. “It helped me learn to manage my time with schoolwork, sports and having a job. Sure, it was difficult at times, but it taught me about discipline and persevering even when things got tough. I know that my experience in this program will only help me in college because it allowed me to get the hang of the college workload early. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I am confident that it will benefit my career in the long run.”
Carr ended the student presentation well when she said, “The sky’s the limit! Go out there and make your mark on the world. Congratulations and best wishes from Groton Central School!”
Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.