We’ve already introduced you to our Valedictorian (Paige Kropp) and Salutatorian (Declan O’Connor), but now we’d like you to meet the rest of our “Top Ten” students for Duanesburg’s graduating Class of 2026!
Commencement for DCS’ graduating Class of 2026 will take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 26 in Joe Bena Hall.
Harlee Manus (#3)
Plans for next year: Mercyhurst University; majoring in sports medicine. Harlee will also be a member of Mercyhurst’s D1 women’s softball team.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: My favorite memory of attending DCS is playing on the wooden playground and the field days in elementary school. I will miss the familiarity of being at DCS each day, being part of Duanesburg athletics, and seeing my friends each day.
Favorite teacher/class: Chemistry with Mrs. Gregory was my favorite and helped me to have the science background that I need to follow a science/ medicine path in college. Chemistry helped me to realize that I enjoyed science and wanted to pursue something where that science would be involved but still being around athletics, leading me to choose to follow the path of sports medicine.
Santino Bailey (#4)
Plans for next year: Cornell University; majoring in statistics. Santino plans to participate in Air Force ROTC during college and will serve as an officer after graduation.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: I’ll miss the clubs and sports. My favorite memories come from soccer and drama club. Those two places are where I met many of my lifelong friends and I’ll miss the community I had there.
Favorite teacher/class: AP Research and AP World History are tied for my favorite classes.
Jennifer Patino (#5)
Plans for next year: SUNY Oneonta; majoring in marketing.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: My favorite memory of attending DCS is probably the elementary school sing-along (especially doing the 12 Days of Christmas), tug of war during the elementary school field day, and playing Marches of the Armed Forces during the Veterans Day assemblies. I will mostly miss my teachers. I have such good relationships with all of them, and you can tell they care so much about their careers and their students. They all genuinely want us to succeed, and it feels so reassuring to know you have that support.
Favorite teacher/class: Mrs. Pless has been a huge support and help to me these last four years. She always answered any questions that I had and was always extremely patient with me. Personally, I feel that both AP Seminar and AP Research have prepared me the most for the next chapter. Writing at such a high level enhanced my writing across a wide range of essays. In addition, it taught me about citations, which will be extremely useful in college. I recommend that all students take at least one of the courses, as the information they provide is truly valuable. Another honorable mention is AP World History, which improved my timed-test performance and taught me to manage my time during exams.
Estella Hyde (#6)
Plans for next year: St. Bonaventure University; majoring in business and marketing. Stella will also compete for St. Bonaventure on their Division I cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track teams.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: I will miss all of the familiar faces in the school, the teachers that I’ve had for years and everyone who I’ve met through sports – especially the younger girls on my teams who I have become friends with.
Favorite teacher/class: My favorite class was AP research. Mrs. Pless is one of the smartest people I know. I liked the process of creating our own research papers and being taught by her.
Christiona Fourman (#7)
Plans for next year: Ithaca College; majoring in biochemistry.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: My favorite memory is field day where all of the grades would be outside and we were able to enjoy the heat of the sun. I will miss my classmates and my grade the most, I feel like we all got really close after all that time.
Favorite teacher/class: I had multiple teachers that I really enjoyed, with a couple of favorites. One of my favorites, who has been most beneficial for my career, is Mrs. Gregory. I have had Mrs. Gregory since middle school and she has always been really sweet. I love the way she teaches and she has become a great mentor for me. She allowed me to really enjoy chemistry class. I will miss her.
Evan Burns (#8)
Plans for next year: SUNY Polytechnic in Utica; majoring in mechanical engineering technology.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: I liked the field day events – they were always so fun. I also enjoyed going outside and playing sports with my friends. Athletics were probably the best part of my time at DCS because it allowed me to meet so many new people and have so many core friendships. I will miss being with all my classmates and friends, and will miss playing sports the most.
Favorite teacher/class: My favorite teacher was Mr. G (Mr. Gauthier). He was the best tech teacher. It didn’t matter what class I had with him, it was always a blast. He is also the best Robotics mentor. I also have to mention Mrs. Pless because she was always so caring to me and our class. I had her as a teacher almost every year – and I always had the same classmates – which made it always feel like we were family. She also had the best parties, including the Wedding in AP Research. They have both prepared and taught me so much that I will use in the next step of my education. I also want to say a big thank you to all the teachers I had throughout my elementary and high school journey. They all helped me get to the point I am today.
Preston Voelker (#9)
Plans for next year: UConn (University of Connecticut); majoring in plant science.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: My favorite memory of attending DCS was freshman year field day, and I think I’ll miss the teachers, staff, and my friends the most.
Favorite teacher/class: Mr. Herron’s AP World class was my favorite class that I took at DCS. He taught the class very differently from any other class that I’ve taken, as he encouraged us to fail tests that he had purposefully made very hard, because failing is how we learn best. His teaching was really the only reason I was able to get a 4 on my AP World test.
Nathaniel Lindh (#10)
Plans for next year: Nazareth University; majoring in finance.
Favorite memory/What will you miss most?: My favorite memory was the sectional run that our soccer team made this year. I will miss all the fun times with all of my friends.
Favorite teacher/class: Mr. Duff in fifth grade because he made learning fun and made it seem important.