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Holocaust survivor tells students her story By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Courtesy Oceanside School District
Hedy Page, a Holocaust survivor, visited Oceanside High School on May 1, providing students with a rare opportunity to come face-toface with living history. Page, 94, of Long Beach, shared her journey with students while imparting them with lessons of empathy, acceptance and human connection. Born in Vienna, Austria in 1929, Page fled the Nazi regime with her family in 1938, and after seeking out several embassies, the family found refuge in Panama the same year Austria was annexed by Nazi Ger-
Hedy Page encouraged Oceanside students to express ideas through artwork, just as Page has throughout her life.
COntinued On Page 16
Meet Oceanside High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
As Oceanside Valedictorian Julian Piedrahita and Salutatorian Justin Connolly gear up for graduation, they preparing to bid farewell to their alma mater and embark on new adventures in higher education. “I got called to the principal’s office, so I knew something was up, because I didn’t even know where the principal’s office was,” Connolly said of being informed that he had the second-highest grade point average in the senior class. “I didn’t really have a lot of words. It meant so much, but I
just couldn’t put it into words. There are kids who are talented and smart here, and I was just happy, because it meant a lot, and it was really cool to do it with a friend.” Connolly and Piedrahita have been friends since freshman year, and have bonded over shared classes and extracur ricular activities. They emphasized the support and motivation they provided each other. Both took at least five Advanced Placement classes. Piedrahita’s involvement in swimming has been a central part of his life since childhood. He has competed in regional and national meets, and hopes to continue his aquatic career
at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, next year. As a member of the Computer Science Honor Society, Piedrahita enjoys teaching coding to younger students. He has also taken part in leadership programs like the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Youth Leadership Institute. At Harvey Mudd, a private college with a 13 percent acceptance rate, he plans to study engineering, with a focus on sustainability and renewable energy. Connolly got involved with the school’s Cancer Awareness Club as a freshman, after his mother was diagnosed with the disease, and is now the club’s president. He is also a member
of the Mathletes, and is on the track team, played lacrosse for two years, has competed volleyball throughout high school, and plays hockey outside school. He has done research at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, inspired by his mother’s experience with cancer. He plans to attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he
will be a pre-med student in preparation for a career in biomedical engineering. “This is an exceptional graduating class, in terms of academic achievement,” said Kevin Carbonetti, the district’s associate principal and director of school counseling. “That makes this even more special. The relationship between the COntinued On Page 11