Long Beach High School has proudly announced Arjun Gupta and Hayden Henry as the Class of 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively. These seniors have worked to achieve their honors and are dedicated students, athletes and members of the community.
Arjun, also recently named a National Merit Semifinalist in the 65th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, serves as president of the Math Club and a member of the Chess Club and Best Pals organization. He is a National Honor Society member and took Advanced Placement Chemistry, and is additionally a DECA participant who placed within the state’s top 10 in his category last year.
Hayden is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Long Beach United anti-bullying club and plays the cello in the orchestra. Earlier this school year he received the Rensselaer Medal Award from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute based on outstanding academic achievement in math and science. He completed the International Baccalaureate Biology course and, on his own initiative, took the Advanced Placement test in the subject and earned the highest possible score of five.
Both seniors are International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates currently preparing their extended essays – Arjun will delve into the great depression for his, and Hayden taking another approach focusing on history.
In addition to their academic success, Arjun and Hayden are excellent athletes. Arjun has been on the swim team for six years, tennis team for four years and cross-country team for three years, and Hayden is in his third year as a member of the football team.
Having balanced busy schedules and rigorous academic demands, the valedictorian and salutatorian have valuable reflections to share with younger peers.
“Everything is always attainable – you can’t have a limited mindset,” said Hayden. “Being in high school you learn how much opportunity there is, and how many directions you can take yourself.”
“Start working on time management early on,” said Arjun. “For sciences, our school has a lot of options – you can really try anything you want and there’s a course for everyone.”
Arjun intends to study engineering in college, while Hayden aspires to set forth on the pre-med track. While they have exciting futures ahead, both expressed that they will miss their home beach town when they head off to college.