Wantagh Names Valedictorian And Salutatorian

WANTAGH, NY. — Wantagh High School seniors Victoria Ferraro and Ethan Chen have gone from sharing a first-grade class to placing first-in-class after the district announced Monday that they were the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the class of 2026.

Victoria finished first in the class with a 108.428 grade point average, while Ethan followed close behind with a 108.119 average to nab the second spot. The duo found out in the middle of a school day, each being called to principal Dr. Paul Guzzone’s office to receive the news.

“I was so proud of myself that all of my hard work and dedication paid off,” Victoria said.
“I called my mom and she was crying because she was so happy.”

While their grade point averages are remarkable, the district said in a news release that the high marks aren’t the only place the duo left their mark on Wantagh High. Victoria is president of National Honor Society and the Math Honor Society, as well as a member of honor societies in business, English, science and world language, focusing on Italian. She also participates in cheer outside school, traveling nationwide for competitions and coaching youth cheer in Wantagh.

For his part, Ethan is president of the Science Honor Society and vice president of Wantagh Animal Rights and Recycling. He’s also treasurer of the national and math honor societies, and runs on the varsity cross-country, indoor and outdoor track teams.

“The school gives us a lot of opportunities to take different classes and participate in
extracurricular activities,” Ethan said. “I’ve had the freedom to explore whatever my
passions are.”

According to their principal, that exploration could take the pair of WHS seniors to lofty places after graduation.

“Victoria and Ethan are tremendous academic scholars, but even more importantly
they are tremendous people,” Dr. Guzzone said. “They are going to go on to do great things
and make Wantagh High School proud.”

Victoria hopes to study mathematics in college, while Ethan plans to major in biomedical engineering. Both are AP scholars with distinction, while Ethan has been named a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist and Victoria a National Merit commended student.