METUCHEN – Growing up in a small supportive school community allows students to try out new and different activities.
That is what Nina Suss and Rachel Wyetzner said they did as they entered Metuchen High School, and it is one of the biggest takeaways from their four years as they start to begin a new chapter in their lives.
Suss and Wyetzner were named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of the 2019 Metuchen High School graduating class.
“I was part of the Italian Club and I’m not Italian, but it’s one of the best parts of being part of a small school,” Wyetzner said.
Suss said during her time at Metuchen High, she participated in track and cross-country, she played the flute in the Marching Band, and was a member of Student Council. Outside of school, she was involved in the youth group at Temple Emanu-El in Edison.
Along with the Italian Club, Wyetzner said she participated in Student Council, Harvard Model Congress, softball and basketball.
Suss and Wyetzner were two of among 153 students in the 2019 Metuchen High School class who moved their tassels from right to left during the graduation ceremony on June 21 at the high school.
The valedictorian and salutatorian were named at a convocation ceremony on June 18. Suss and Wyetzner said it was nice to have their family and friends present when Schools Superintendent Vincent Caputo, Metuchen High School Principal Bruce Peragllo and Assistant Principal Susan Parades presented them with the top honors.
In the fall, Suss will attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, with plans to major in statistical science and chemistry. Wyetzner will attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, with plans to major in the biology part of the pre-med track at the university.
As part of a small tight knit community, Wyetzner said it allowed them to know their fellow peers as well as their teachers, who they could count on when necessary.
Suss said she will miss the small community feel and the familiarity of her classmates who she grew up with from kindergarten to senior year.
“We got to know each other really well … it’s going to be different not seeing them next year walking in the halls,” she said.