Belmont's top 10 seniors headed across state, country and globe after graduation

BELMONT — The Belmont High School Class of 2024 will graduate on Friday, June 7, and the top 10 academic achievers in the class includes a mix of young people who want to make their mark on the world through health care, education, civic design, application of science and math, and military service.

Bree Bailey, who has lived in Belmont her whole life, plans to attend New Hampshire Technical Institute in the fall. She’s not certain what she’ll end up majoring in, but there’s a fair chance that it will involve dentistry.

“I really care about my teeth, I’m crazy about them,” she explained.

Bailey said she will take a lot of positive memories with her when she leaves Belmont High School.

“I’m going to miss the people I grew up with,” she said. “I will always remember a lot of my teachers who have made me who I am.”

Bailey is a member of student council, and works at Jersey Mike’s, a sandwich shop, where she recommends the Italian.

As an adult, Bailey hopes to be “a compassionate person,” and one who intentionally allocates her time. “I want to have time for my family, time for myself, I want to enjoy my life.”

Eleni Papadopolous is another Belmont kid who has known some of her classmates, including Bailey, since preschool. Papadopolous will be matriculating to Keene State College, where she will study biology and compete on the track team.

“I’m not sure what I want to do,” Papadopolous said about her decision to major in biology. “When I graduate with this, I will be able to pick from different areas, and I like science.”

For Papadopolous, the defining experience of high school has been the connections she’s made with staff members. “These are my last few days,” she said a little more than week prior to graduation. “I’m going to miss the teachers more than anyone else. We’re such a small school, you get to form relationships with all the teachers.” She added she also enjoyed school traditions such as unity days and winter carnival.

Papadopolous is a track and soccer athlete, president of National Honor Society and co-president of Future Business Leaders of America, a member of National English Honor Society, student council and Best Buddies. She works at Jordan’s Ice Cream and recommends the “pistachidough,” pistachio ice cream with cookie dough chunks, when they have it.

“I want to be someone who stands up for what I want and believe in,” Papadopolous said about her adult self. “I have a lot of goals for myself and I want to stick to them.”

Leanna Rowley, who has attended Belmont schools since seventh grade, will spend the next year teaching English in Angers, France. When she returns, she plans to enroll in community college and study for a career in food science, especially nutrition.

“My dad has always been a big influence health-wise, and I enjoy how other cultures eat,” Rowley said. She is a member of NHS and the astronomy club, participated in the Granite State Challenge trivia competition, and is president of the French NHS and co-president of the French club. She’s also a manager at Jordan’s, where her favorite flavor is called “black raspberry with attitude.” Her favorite high school memory was the senior class lip sync performance during winter carnival.

Rowley participated in a student exchange last year, and her time abroad opened her eyes to the richness of the human experience.

“The world is so big. Growing up in a small town has narrowed me,” Rowley said. “Going out and seeing the world is so important.”

Nick Daigneault, of Canterbury, will be studying forensic science and running track and cross-country at Saint Anselm College. Daigneault aspires to be a forensic investigator, an ambition that has been shaped by both police procedural series as well as coverage of local unsolved murders.

“I’m not sure I want to stay in New Hampshire,” Daigneault said, noting the police department in Nashville has one of the best forensic units in the country.

A treasured memory for Daigneault, he said, was during the state cross-country race this year. “I PR’d by two minutes, my coach was yelling at me to keep pushing.”

Daigneault is co-president of the French club, vice president of the French NHS, a member of the National English Honor Society and NHS, and plays trumpet in the band. He’s a singer and songwriter, and advocates for PTSD awareness in honor of her older brother’s experience after serving in Afghanistan.

As an adult, Daigneault said he hopes to be, “One that would drop anything to help a friend, someone who overall betters his community."

“I’m excited to graduate,” Daigneault said. “I definitely will remember a lot from Belmont, hopefully I will take a lot of these skills with me when I start my career.”

Jonathan Holmes will be matriculating to Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York, though he expects to transfer to another school where he can focus on math and computer science. Holmes is interested in a career in data analytics.

Holmes was captain of the school’s Granite State Challenge team, is a member of NHS as well as the French and English honors societies, and studied in the summer program at St. Paul’s School. Lately, he’s been developing a game to help students learn French.

One of Holmes’ favorite memories from high school was this year’s winter carnival. “It was really fun, one of the times I participated more. It was fun to do that.”

As an adult, Holmes said, “I want to be part of a bigger goal with a wide range, help a bigger community, while also having strong connections with my family.”

Demetrius Kafkoulas moved to Belmont just in time for his first year of high school, and will attend NHTI in the fall. He’s still figuring out his major, though there’s a good chance it will leverage his strength in writing.

Kafkoulas is a sprinter who competed in winter and spring track seasons, and will likely continue to run in college.

His favorite high school memory, Kafkoulas said, was the senior class performance during winter carnival, which was “the one time I felt proud of being in the Class of 2024.”

Kafkoulas doesn’t like to define his future, he said, but mused he would like to be, as an adult, “alive, comfortable, socially not alone and lonely in my adulthood, satisfied and happy with how things are going. ... The bare minimum for fulfillment is good enough for me. I don’t have to be extra happy.”

Baidyn Lewis, a Canterbury native, will be attending University of Colorado-Boulder on an ROTC scholarship, with intention to commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy after graduating.

Lewis’ grandfather served in the Navy, his father was a submariner, and Lewis hopes to become a Navy pilot.

“I’ve always wanted to serve. This country has given so much to me, I want to give back,” Lewis said. “I always knew, from the time that I was really young, that I wanted to serve.”

Lewis will study engineering at UC, and will likely focus on either mechanical or aerospace engineering.

Lewis plays trumpet in the band, is a three-sport athlete, is in NHS and English NHS, works on the grounds crew at Loudon Country Club, is vice president of the astronomy club, and class president. He was also a member of BRASS, the student-led organization that modernized the school’s mascot.

Lewis said he didn’t quite know what to expect out of adulthood.

“I don’t know how the military is going to shape me as a human. I hope to be the best person I can be, I hope to help this country, not hurt it,” Lewis said. “I just hope everything works out for me and everyone else I grew up with.”

Emilie DeFrancesco, a Belmont native, will be running track and studying nursing at Keene State College this fall.

“I want to specialize in oncology,” DeFrancesco said. “I think everyone going through cancer care deserves to have a nurse who cares for them.”

DeFrancesco said she is attracted to nursing because “I wanted a job where I could make a difference in someone’s life and work with people. I would hate an office job.”

“I really enjoyed high school and I really enjoyed Belmont,” DeFrancesco said. She said her participation on the track team is a part of high school that she wants to always remember, and she feels the same way about the bonds she’s formed with her classmates.

“We have a small class and we come from a small school, and we’ve gone through a lot together,” DeFrancesco said. “We have the kind of bond where everyone knows each other,” and everyone cares about each other, she said.

DeFrancesco is on the indoor and outdoor track teams as well as a cross-country runner. She’s vice president of her class, president of the outdoor environmental club, serves on the Belmont Conservation Commission, is a member of the French club, NHS and English NHS, Best Buddies and is manager of the unified basketball team.

As an adult, DeFrancesco said, “I want to be a mom. I want to stay close to my family and have my own family. I want to grow up to be the kind of nurse that can provide knowledgeable care, and that the patient can trust.”

Richard Johnson will be studying geography and anthropology at State University of New York’s New Paltz campus.

Geography is something Johnson said he’s always had a “knack” for — and an interest, he said, explaining he has always gravitated toward nonfiction books, especially those about the world, its physical features and cultures. That aptitude was on display when he twice won the school’s geography bee.

Johnson, an all-state clarinetist, said trips with the school band have been among his favorite experiences in high school.

“I’ve been so lucky to have great family and good friends around, they've made my experience filled with good times,” Johnson said. In addition to band, he’s in NHS, English NHES, BRASS, was on the football team and is a sprinter in track and field.

As an adult, Johnson said he hopes to be “chill.” “I want to be the kind of person people can trust and come to,” he said. “I try to be as caring as possible. I want to be the kind of person you could come to for help.”

Cate McDonald, a Canterbury native, is class valedictorian. Her love of education is bringing her to Hobart and William Smith, where she will major in elementary education.

“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I went to first grade,” McDonald said. “Most people told me I would grow out of it.”

Instead, she has already started to grow into the role. She instructs at Lakes Region Gymnastics Academy and directs their summer camp. She has also shadowed the district’s enrichment teacher and taught classes at Canterbury Elementary School. Teaching’s in her blood, as both of her grandmothers, and one of her great-grandmothers, were educators.

“I really like working with younger kids. One of my favorite things is seeing how creative they are and how imaginative they are,” McDonald said. “I think that education is really important,” and she wants to do her part to make sure every student of hers has a positive experience.

High school didn’t start off as such a good experience for McDonald. Due to COVID, her first year started in a hybrid format, with her “cohort” containing none of her friends at the time. “That was really hard for me,” she said. “I basically went to school by myself for a year.”

However, especially this year, that feeling of isolation has been replaced by a sense of connection with the rest of her class.

McDonald represents the student body on the Shaker School Board, is in student council, is a member of BRASS, the Alpine ski team and the outdoor track team. She’s in NHS and English NHS, and is president of the Canterbury 4-H club.

McDonald said she wants to be the kind of teacher who goes out of her way to make an impact on her students’ lives.

“I want to be someone who is there for my students. I have seen how [teachers] will put their personal lives on hold,” McDonald said. She said she also wants to be sure to make time for her own passions, such as cooking, skiing and connecting with her friends and family. “I want to be the best teacher I can, but I also want to be there for myself,” she said.