WHS announces class of 2025 top ten

Olivia Tran

Olivia Tran embodies determination, guided by the unwavering support and inspiration of her parents, Kelly and Charles Tran, her older brother, Bryan Tran, and her dog, Oreo Tran.

Throughout school, Olivia pursued a rigorous academic program, excelling in Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, and summer college courses. Her dedication earned her the Rensselaer Medal, multiple Sojourner Truth Awards, seven Certificates of Recognition, and an upcoming internship at Amazon. She was also inducted into the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, and Science Honor Society. And yet, despite all that, she still can’t catch a ball in P.E. to save her life.

Beyond academics, Olivia embraced leadership, serving as President of GEMS in STEM, Vice President of both the Math Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society, and liaison to the Blooming Grove Conservation Advisory Commission and Community Service Club for the Naomi Sewell Richardson Park Project. She also competed with the Math Team and Quiz Bowl Team, and played piano with the Jazz Ensemble.

Outside the classroom, Olivia dedicates her time to community service and passion projects. She volunteers with two EMS agencies—earning her EMT-B certification—and serves on the Moffat Library Teen Advisory Board, where she organized free math tutoring events. In her spare time, she founded a web development business with over 20 clients and 300,000+ views, competed and presented in app development competitions, interned at the Taft Health Office under Mrs. Davy, and joined Girls Who Code and Kode With Klossy. Along the way, she tutored math students and helped middle school students with French.

Olivia credits her growth and achievements to the guidance, and encouragement of her family, friends, mentors, and dedicated teachers—including Mrs. Aleci, Mr. Bacher, Ms. Benjamin, Ms. Frey, Mrs. Giordani, Mrs. Redeker, and every one of her math teachers—who inspired her and believed in her potential every step of the way.

In the fall, Olivia begins her next chapter at Brown University, concentrating in Computational Biology, while continuing her study of French and Vietnamese. She carries with her the lessons and the love of her community. With heartfelt gratitude, she congratulates the Class of 2025. We made it. Somehow.

Sophie DeCarvalho

Sophie DeCarvalho is the oldest daughter of Rachael and William DeCarvalho, twin sister to Olivia, and older sister to Emelia.

Sophie’s dedication to academic excellence is exemplified by the rigorous course load and a variety of extracurricular activities that she has challenged herself with throughout her high school career. Some of the college and AP courses she has taken include College U.S. History, AP Environmental Science, Spanish 4 & 5, SUPA Public Affairs, College Macroeconomics, SUPA English, Criminal Justice, College Statistics, and AP Calculus AB. She has earned recognition and membership in National Honor Society, English Honor Society, Science Honor Society (President, 11th), Math Honor Society, World-Language Honor Society (Treasurer, 12th), and Tri-M Honor Society where she engages in various forms of community service. In her junior year she was awarded the Elmira College Key Award for her exceptional academic achievements.

Beyond this she is a member of the Community Service Club (Secretary 11th, Co-President 12th), Youth in Government, the Mock Trial team, as well as the Odyssey of the Mind team. Further she participated in JV Volleyball and Outdoor Track in her freshman and sophomore years. Odyssey of the Mind has played a major role in her life, as she has participated on and off from elementary school to her senior year. In her sophomore and junior years, she and her amazing team advanced to the world competition, and in her senior year to the state competition. Her experience in Odyssey of the Mind has taught her the value of true friendship, cooperation, and thinking outside the box.

Outside of school, Sophie has participated in the Orange County Youth Government Immersion Program where she worked as a student intern in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office under an Executive Assistant District Attorney, reviewing appellate motions and briefs, observing litigation, and completing FOIL requests. Additionally, she has privately tutored students since 2023 in the subjects of Algebra and Geometry.

Sophie would like to thank every person who has influenced her life until this point: Washingtonville teachers, faculty, staff, fellow students, friends, and family. Specifically, she would like to thank her twin sister Olivia for being an inspiration and motivation through her dedication to her running career, proving that hard work pays off. Her little sister for giving her someone to be a role model for. Her mom for always showing up at every possible event and supporting her throughout her life, and her dad for giving her someone to look up to and for always making her laugh.

In the future Sophie hopes to further her education and pursue a career in law, and tentatively plans to attend the University at Buffalo as an honorably selected Presidential Scholar, a student in the Honors College, and a participant in the University at Buffalo’s 3+3 accelerated partnership program with UB Law School.

Sophie wishes her fellow 2025 Washingtonville High School graduates the absolute best in all of their future endeavors. Once a wizard, always a wizard.

Avery Upeslacis

Einstein once wrote, “A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it's built for.” Avery Upeslacis has lived by this motto throughout her high school career, always pushing herself beyond her comfort zone to take on new challenges and make a meaningful impact. Whether balancing a demanding course load, earning over 60 college credits or leading a variety of extracurricular activities, Avery believes the most rewarding experiences come from venturing beyond what’s familiar.

Her journey beyond the safe harbor of Washingtonville began when she was chosen to represent WHS at both the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) seminar and American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) Girls State.There she was inspired to pursue public service. She interned for NY Senator James Skoufis, then “sailed” out even further by serving as a U.S. Senate Page in Washington, D.C., proving that personal growth happens when you’re willing to leave safe waters.

Avery’s commitment to her community runs deep. She’s Co-President of Special Olympics, leads the Wizards Against Cancer Club in supporting local families, and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the 2025 Yearbook. Her love of editing and writing pushed her to sail into uncharted waters again by founding “The Blooming Grove Post,” a student-run newspaper she created with Ms. McCrossen, Director of Moffat Library. As Editor-in-Chief, she mentors underclassmen and provides a platform for students to share their voices. She considers this opportunity both a privilege and a responsibility.

Being a leader is a defining part of Avery’s high school experience. She’s President of both the National English Honor Society and the National Art Honor Society, Vice President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, Treasurer of the National Math Honor Society, and a member of the executive council for the National Honor Society. Yet, the role she treasures the most is serving as the 2025 Class President, where she works to bring her classmates together to create lasting memories.

In the Fall, Avery will leave the harbor once again to attend Harvard, where she’ll major in Environmental Engineering, minor in Political Science and hopes to write for “The Harvard Crimson.” One day, she plans to run for public office, too. In the meantime, she is grateful for the support of her family, teachers, and friends. Avery looks forward to navigating new challenges and continuing to make a positive impact wherever the metaphorical tides may take her.

Jeffrey Carola

Jeffrey Carola is the son of Jeff and Amy Carola, and the younger brother of Jack Carola. He is incredibly grateful for everyone that has helped him throughout his high school career, including his mother and father, brother, teachers, coaches, and friends. He appreciates the continued support of everyone around him, as he would not be in this position without them.

Jeffrey’s high school career has been characterized by his curiosity and eagerness to learn many new things and enrich himself with advanced coursework. He has taken classes such as AP Calculus BC, AP Environmental Science, Spanish 4, College US History, Financial Accounting, and SUPA English. He has also received Academic Achievement Awards in Accounting, Math, and Chemistry, along with the Rochester Institute of Technology Business and Leadership Award. In addition to his academic success, Jeffrey is a member of the National, Math, and World Language Honor Societies.

At Washingtonville High School, Jeffrey has also participated in many extracurricular activities. He has been a member of the Cross Country and Track teams for all of his four years of high school. He is also the captain of the Rocket League ESports team, which he has been a part of since his sophomore year. Additionally, he has participated in activities such as mock trial, peer tutoring, and recycling club.

Jeffrey would also like to thank his parents and brother for always supporting him, and his teachers for always pushing him to excel. He would specifically like to thank Mrs. Giordani, Mrs. Frey, Mr. Cerar, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Bacher.

In the fall, Jeffrey will be attending Fairfield University, majoring in accounting, and also will be a part of the honors program. He wishes his the best of luck to the Class of 2025 with all their future endeavors.

Andrew Dahlstrom 

Andrew Dahlstrom is the son of Hyunmin and Roger Dahlstrom and the step-son to Samuel Cerone and Angelina Rivera. He is also the older brother to Emily Dahlstrom and Finn Gallagher. Andrew feels a profound appreciation to his family and their support for him and his passions.

Andrew takes great pride in his commitment to the performing arts and his membership in community ensembles, school bands, and other honors ensembles. His principal achievement is his acceptance and participation in the 2024 New York All State Wind Ensemble, the top high school wind band in the state. Over the course of his high school career, Andrew has also participated in the Washingtonville Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, Pine Bush Community Band, the SUNY New Paltz Band and Orchestra, the SUNY Orange Community Orchestra, and performed in the Masque and Mime’s production of The Addams Family in the pit orchestra. Andrew spends as much time as possible making music with others.

Without the guidance and wealth of knowledge passed to him from Mr. Ari Contzius, Mrs. Nicole Redeker, and Mrs. Laura Giorgio, Andrew would not be the person and musician he is today. Mr. Contzius inspired Andrew to compose and pursue music education as a whole and curated an environment in which Andrew could pursue his goals of composition and conducting. Mrs. Giorgio provided Andrew with a strong foundation in music education and is the teacher that Andrew aspires to be in the future. Mrs. Redeker helped Andrew become a better human and is who Andrew looks up to not only as an educator, but as a future adult and member of society. Andrew would like to further thank the entire Washingtonville Music Department for providing him, and thousands of other students, a supportive, challenging, and accepting environment to grow in.

Andrew plans to enter his freshman year of college as a music education major, expanding his knowledge and skills both as a musician and a teacher. He would like to extend one final thank you to his family, friends, and teachers for their unwavering support and wants to wish the Class of 2025 a successful and exciting future as they enter a new chapter in their life!

Katherine Overbey

Katherine Overbey, the daughter of Carla and Jim Overbey, is an exceptionally curious person, one who continuously asks ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’ She has picked up the habit of instantly responding to any vague answer by asking different questions to elicit more detailed answers. This eternal curiosity led her to choose classes that would best allow her to answer the questions she had been asking, and how to ask better questions to get detailed answers directly. To acquire more through hands-on experience, Katherine also joined clubs like Odyssey of the Mind where she learned how to make a robot and how to overcome the obstacles that come with it. For more active learning, she took engineering classes in which Katherine created things like a trebuchet that can efficiently launch items.

However, as growing up the child of two teachers, Katherine also knew that learning so much was useless, unless she could convey it to others and use it to help others. For this reason, she was a peer tutor, tutoring in every subject possible to be able to share the knowledge that she had accumulated.

In addition to Peer Tutoring, Katherine loves helping out at an animal shelter, specializing with the adoption, socialization, and well-being of cats there. She began volunteering at the shelter a few years ago, and she has since fallen in love with the animals there.

As the end of her senior year nears, Katherine would like to thank her teachers, specifically Mr. Brown, Mr. Bacher, and Mrs. Kaste, who have had extremely positive impacts on her high school career. She would also like to thank her parents and family for supporting and guiding her throughout this important stage in her life.

Katherine will be attending Purdue University in the fall as a First Year Engineering major and will be part of the John Martinson Honors College.

Karl Tedaldi

Karl Tedaldi is the son of Rick and Rene-Ann Tedaldi, and younger brother to Ryan Tedaldi.

Throughout high school, Karl challenged himself with various college courses, such as General Biology 1 and 2, U.S. History 1 and 2, Criminal Justice, SUPA Public Affairs, SUPA Forensic Science, Statistics, and Macroeconomics. In his junior year, he received a Certificate of Recognition in College Biology and the Elmira College Key Award.

In addition to academics, Karl has worked hard to maintain his love for the arts. He currently plays saxophone in the school's Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble and is developing a portraiture collection with the help of the art department. As well as this, he has been involved with Masque and Mime for all four years of high school, working with lights and functioning as the light chief his junior and senior years. The experiences he gained from the club will be ones he keeps for life, and he hopes to continue working with lights in college.

Alongside Masque and Mime, Karl has been involved in various other clubs. For three years, Karl worked as an attorney on the Mock Trial team. Additionally, he is a member of the Art, Music, and National Honor Society, Math Team, Pep Band, and Youth in Government. Outside of school, Karl works as a server at Brotherhood Winery and as a lighting designer for the New York Performing Arts Center.

Karl would like to thank all his teachers, especially Ms. Massari, Mr. Sale, Ms. Denaro, Mrs. Connolly, and Mr. Lerner for their never-ending help with his endeavors throughout the years. He would also like to thank all of his friends for always being there for him, whether it be helping with schoolwork or going out to eat. Lastly, he would like to thank his mom, dad, and brother for always being so supportive of everything he does, and for all the special memories they’ve created with him.

In the fall, Karl plans to attend Fordham University to pursue a major in Biological Sciences on a Pre-health track.

Olivia DeCarvalho

Olivia Madison DeCarvalho is the daughter of Rachael and William DeCarvalho. She was born on August 6th, 2007, and has a twin sister named Sophie and a younger sister named Emelia, who is currently in the 10th grade. Olivia is a dedicated and attentive student, always striving to push herself both inside and outside of the classroom. These characteristics have gained her admission into four prestigious honor societies and allowed her the opportunity to take enriched college courses to further enhance her education at Washingtonville.

Outside of the classroom, she is very involved in extracurricular activities and varsity sports. Olivia has been a member of the varsity cross country team, as well as both indoor and outdoor track and field teams, since her freshman year, and has maintained the role of co-captain since her sophomore year in all three seasons. Her running career has been very successful, and she has qualified for Nationals since her sophomore year, recently medaling at a state championship. She also dedicates much of her time to community service, making herself available to aid with community events several times a month. Additional extracurricular activities include National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Science Honor Society, and Special Olympics.

In the classroom, she always puts her best effort forward and has taken on the challenge of many advanced classes, including AP Environmental Science, College Biology, College Macroeconomics, College Level Spanish, College Writing, and College Statistics. These classes have certainly challenged her at times but have taught her many valuable skills that she can apply in her future.

She expresses gratitude to her family, teachers, coaches, teammates, and classmates for pushing her to the level of success she has reached today, and she appreciates all of the efforts that have been put forward to allow her to succeed. Olivia’s time at Washingtonville High School has been very meaningful and has taught her several important life lessons. She plans on continuing her education at SUNY Geneseo this fall, where Olivia will be majoring in biology. She is also looking forward to fulfilling her commitment to run Division III Cross Country and Track and Field at a nationally ranked program.

Grayson Dueck

Grayson J. Dueck was born on November 7, 2007. He has an older sister named Ella who is currently at NYU majoring in screen scoring, and a younger brother named Gavin who is in 10th grade. His parents are Jeff and Janine Dueck. During his time at Washingtonville High, Grayson has taken 7 college/AP classes including AP Physics, College Financial Accounting, SUPA Public Affairs, SUPA Macroeconomics, College Statistics, and College Spanish levels 4 and 5.

Outside of the classroom, Grayson is a very dedicated athlete. He was a 4-year varsity soccer player where he helped lead his team to a section final, and has participated in both track and field as well as varsity golf. He has played soccer for the past 15 years of his life, and currently plays for academy team Cedar Stars, as well as semi-professional team Stockade FC.

Grayson has been part of numerous clubs and after-school programs that have shaped him into the person he is today. He has been a member of Safe School Ambassadors for four years, National Honor Society for two years, and World Language Honor Society for four years. He has also participated in Wizards Against Cancer Club, Recycling Club, Community Service Club, Adolescents Against Drug Abuse, and Student Coalition.

In his community, Grayson volunteers extensively. He has accumulated over 200+ hours playing piano for Echo Grace Church, as well as his youth program known as Collective Youth. He has also worked at numerous places in and around Washingtonville, including C&G Deli, T&M II Go, and Weir's Ice Cream.

Grayson is very grateful for the way that his parents, siblings, friends, and teachers have pushed him to always go above and beyond in his community and school. The lessons he has learned will not leave him as he goes into the next chapter of his life, especially since they have shaped him into the person he is today. After high school, Grayson is planning on attending St. Bonaventure University in Western New York where he will play Division 1 college soccer and pursue a major in Finance.

Alexis Jones

Alexis Jones is the eldest daughter of Glen and Minnasha Jones, parents who made the sacrifice of moving from the Bronx to Orange County. She continues to work hard to be a good role model for her two younger siblings, Athena and Austin Jones.

Alexis’ values started before she was in pre-school, when she lived in the Bronx. Her parents instilled the importance of intelligence and hard work by having her read more than children her age, and practice work in books made for students older than her. This helped Alexis have a head start when she started school, and allowed her to continue working and studying with a strong work ethic.

Ever since middle school, she has strived for perfection academically, never missing a high honor roll list. During the past two years she has enrolled in multiple rigorous college courses, some of her favorites include AP Chemistry, OCC Biology 101 & 102, and UAlbany Spanish 4 & 5.

Furthermore, Alexis’ parents have encouraged her to be athletically inclined. Starting from ballet classes from so long ago that she can’t even remember them, to becoming a black belt in Taekwondo, to becoming an experienced swimmer and participating on the Varsity swim team, to finally being a long distance runner. This path has led Alexis to be recruited by multiple D1 schools for her talents in Cross-Country and Track and Field, one that she couldn’t have imagined herself on at the start of her High School journey.

Alexis attests her success due to the everloving support, guidance, and love from her parents. Along the way there were multiple school figures that have helped contribute to the person she is to the day. She would like to thank Mrs. Rudecindo-O'Neill, the principal of Little Britain elementary school while she attended who believed in her and could see her potential even from 1st grade, Mr. Kaman, her AP Chemistry teacher who taught her the importance of repetition and understanding a topic enough to apply it rather than memorization, and Mr. White, Mr. White Jr., Ms. Boerke, and Mr. Quinn, her track coaches who believed in her from the beginning. Most importantly she thanks her parents and family for the everlasting love, support, and sacrifices that they have made in order for her to reach the level that she has.

Ever since middle school, after being introduced to the term of a HBCU (Historically black college/university) Alexis knew that she wanted to attend the most prestigious one. In the fall Alexis will be continuing both her academic and athletic career at the prestigious Howard University. She will be a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams.