Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/23/2022
AGAWAM — Every November, two Agawam High School seniors are awarded a prestigious award that recognizes not only their academic achievements, but also their leadership abilities and strong character traits.
Sean Colfer and Hailey Newsome are the latest students to be honored with a Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) Certificate of Academic Excellence award. School Superintendent Sheila Hoffman presented the awards to Colfer and Newsome at the Nov. 15 School Committee meeting.
The superintendent said Agawam presents the award early in the school year so it can be included on college applications. Seniors chosen for the award have distinguished themselves with academic excellence throughout their high school career so far.
“While there are many worthy candidates in the class of 2023, Sean and Hailey have been chosen as this year’s recipients,” said high school Principal Jim Blain. “Hailey is well deserving of this award, and is a model student and great representative of AHS.”
He described Newsome as a “high-level” student, explaining that in the classroom, she has never earned a grade below an A-minus while taking mostly honors and AP courses. That has earned her a grade-point average of 4.37.
“This is a special honor. I’ve worked hard and maintained high expectations for myself in my career as a student,” said Newsome, who admitted she was shocked when she got the letter from Hoffman notifying her of the award.
“I believe I have set an example, especially throughout the last four years, and it’s acknowledged with this award,” she added. “It means there’s something unique about me compared to other worthy students — I did something outstanding to be chosen for this award.”
A talented musician, Newsome represents Agawam High School as a member of the jazz band and honors wind ensemble, playing the flute and piccolo. A member of several clubs, including the Model Congress, Diversity Club and Art Club, she’s in the process of joining the school’s “As Schools Match Wits” team.
“My secret to balancing everything is to have a place to take a break when I’m stressed — whether it’s with a person, at a location or doing an activity — and to be organized. Staying organized keeps me on top of everything, including homework, extracurriculars, work and other things,” Newsome explained.
The 18-year-old also works at the Springfield Country Club in West Springfield from May to September. A member of the club’s maintenance team, her responsibilities include mowing greens and maintaining sand traps. When school is in session, she only works on weekends for about eight hours a week, but during summer she usually works 20 hours a week.
As Newsome begins applying to colleges, she’s hopeful the MASS award will show that she worked hard, took her studies seriously and wants to succeed. “I hope it helps distinguish me from other applicants and increases my chances of being accepted into the colleges and universities I’m applying to,” she said.
Newsome has applied to the University of Massachusetts, Boston University, Harvard, McGill University in Montreal, Mount Holyoke College and Trinity College. Although she is unsure of her long-term career goal, Newsome plans to major in mathematics or French.
Blain said calling Colfer a “well-rounded” student would be an understatement.
“Sean is a true role model for students at AHS,” Blain said. “He’s an athlete and a member of the chorus. During his junior year, Sean not only was selected to perform with the Massachusetts All-State Chorus, but he also won the school’s poetry contest.”
Colfer said he’s very proud to have been selected for the award.
“It’s nice to get recognition for hard work,” he said. “I wasn’t very aware of the award’s existence, so I was happily surprised when I got the superintendent’s letter. It was nice to share the honor with my family.”
He added that what makes the award such a special honor is that it’s based not just on statistics, such as GPA, but also on the overall perception of who the student is as a person.
“This award shows the dedication Hailey and I have put into being good students in a holistic sense. It shows how much we contribute to the school overall, through things like leadership and notoriety, not just our academic success.”
The 17-year-old, who has a GPA of 4.42, has had a rigorous course load during his four years at AHS. His past AP courses include U.S. history, European history, biology, language and composition. Blain said Colfer scored fours and fives, the top marks, on all of his exams.
This year, Colfer remains committed to academic excellence, taking AP courses in chemistry, psychology, statistics and literature and composition.
Although he doesn’t believe this award will be a “make-or-break” to getting into his target college, Colfer said “it certainly doesn’t hurt to have the award, since it reflects on my impact within my own community.”
Colfer is considering attending college in the Midwest, possibly the University of Chicago, where he would focus on biology, ecology, conservation and environmentalism. His career goal is to protect ecosystems.
With all his AP courses and extracurricular activities, Colfer said school has sometimes been a challenge and has even involved some loss of sleep. He said it takes a certain kind of person to enjoy the struggle and the balancing act that’s required.
His biggest tip for other students trying to challenge themselves in a similar way: enjoy it.
“If you don’t enjoy a challenge, or have fun taking hard classes and doing whatever extracurriculars you do, it will be impossible to just show up and then not follow through,” he said. “Make sure that the things you spend time on feel right for you.”