_________________ FREEPORT _________________
HERALD $1.00
Girlz Talk Summit attracts hundreds
Hometown Heroes at Brew USA
Kuncham flies with Angels
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Vol. 87 No. 24
JUNE 9 - 15, 2022
Blue skies, fun rides, songs and waffles By REINE BETHANY rbethany@liherald.com
Reine Bethany/Herald
FAmIlIES lINED UP for a fast ride down a high slide at the Nautical Mile Festival last Saturday.
The 32nd annual Nautical Mile Festival last Saturday was an event that stimulated all the senses. It was sunny, but not hot. Breezy but gentle. Vendors were selling unique creations. There was curbside music, outdoor drama and inside dining. Wafting deliciously through the air were fragrances of corn dogs, sweet waffles, Philly cheese steaks and fried calamari. The festival delivered it all. As families strolled along Woodcleft Continued on page 10
Freeport student academic leaders share hopes, activities By BRENDAN CARPENTER bcarpenter@liherald.com
Becoming a high school valedictorian can set someone up for more academic opportunities in the future — but it isn’t easy. Freeport High School’s valedictorian, Elise Smith, said that to achieve that feat, it’s “part luck, part the work you put in and part who you surround yourself with.” Smith, 18, couldn’t speak to luck, but she could reflect on the work she put in. In the classroom, she was eager to be in the most difficult classes. Throughout her four years, she took 10
AP classes, including five this year. Among others, these courses included calculus, psychology, biology and government. Smith said she has always been a big procrastinator, but learned how to do what was needed to get ahead. “I worked on self-discipline so I can get everything done,” she said. “I also stayed very organized, and had support from family and friends.” Her self-discipline and organization helped her amass a 108.9 weighted GPA, leading Freeport High’s graduating class of 477 students. Outside the classroom, Smith
I
worked on selfdiscipline so I can get everything done.
ElISE SmITH Valedictorian
stayed just as busy. She has been a member of the Select Chorale for the past three years, and has been both its treasurer and section leader. She and the group will be singing at Carnegie Hall this week. She is also a member of the Future Problem Solvers Club,
student government, National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society, for which she is treasurer. She has also spent time as a peer tutor, and has been a varsity lacrosse player for the past three years. As for those with whom she surrounded herself, Smith’s best friend is Karina Rios, the class of 2022’s salutatorian.
Rios, 17, has been involved in many of the same clubs and organizations alongside Smith throughout high school. She is also a member of student government, Future Problem Solvers, National Honor Society, where she is the secretary, and the varsity lacrosse team, where she was named captain this past Continued on page 9