Nieder, Borden, Leis-Pretto, Mendel
Lyndsy Nieder is the valedictorian. She is the daughter of Carmen Iris Atiles-Nieder and Robert Harold Nieder. She lives in New Port Richey. Lyndsy was born in Harvey, Illinois, and grew up in Beacon, N. Y., Tampa, and New Port Richey. Before attending Gulf High School she attended J. V. Forrestal Elementary School in Beacon, N. Y., Schwartzkopf Elementary School in Tampa, Cotee River Elementary School, and Gulf Middle School. She has a 4.2 GPA. She plans to attend Florida Southern College in Lakeland and earn a bachelor’s degree in Science of Nursing. Lyndsy has made High Honor Roll. She traveled to France and Spain because of her academic achievement. She earned honorable mentions for pictures at the Pasco County Fair. She was awarded the Watson Scholarship ($60,0000), the most prestigious scholarship at Florida Southern College. Lyndsy belongs to HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) and FFEA (Florida Future Educators of America). She enjoys listening to various types of music, drawing, and cooking, “especially the eating part.” Lyndsy writes: “What I truly enjoyed about Gulf High School was the individuality; the root of all spirit coexisting in the building. Everyone, students and faculty, assisted each other, whether it was a personal or education problem. The teachers are extremely hands-on and put the students and their education before themselves.”
Renee Borden is the salutatorian. She is the daughter of Catherine and Jeffrey Borden. She was born in and grew up in New Port Richey. Before attending Gulf High School she attended Elfers Christian School (pre-K to 1st), Richey Elementary School (2nd to 5th), and Gulf Middle School Her GPA is 4.1. Renee plans to attend Pasco-Hernando State College and participate in their Registered Nurse program. After that, she plans to transfer to USF and earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Then, still at USF or maybe UF, she plans to obtain a Master’s degree in nursing, making her a Nurse Practitioner. She writes, “Once I have achieved that, if I still want to go further on in my education, I will look into either becoming a dermatologist, a pediatrician, or a family practitioner.” Renee won a bronze medal in the district science fair in middle school. She was on the All-A’s Honor Roll in her sophomore year. Her cumulative college GPA is 3.8 on a 4.0 scale. She was selected to the President’s Honors List at PHSC for the fall term 2015 and was selected to be a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honors society at PHSC. She is a member of the Art Honors Society and has been the photographer for HOSA. She likes playing the ukulele, reading, watching videos of dogs, and going to the beach. Asked what she most likes about GHS she wrote, “My favorite part about high school is that it’s almost over. What I mean by that is I can’t wait to get out into the world and discover new things, be it a cure to a disease, or a new place while traveling. There are a number of teachers I credit to my success, such as all of the HCA teachers, especially Ms. Butler. I can’t forget about the math teachers I’ve had because math has always been my weak point, so I’d like to thank Mr. Concilio and Mr. Miller for making it possible for a very very non analytical mind like mine to be able to easily grasp math concepts.”
Juan Leis-Pretto is the IB valedictorian. He is the son of Otilia Pretto. Juan lives in New Port Richey. He was born in Panama City, Panama, and grew up in Panama (eight years) and Florida (ten years). Before attending Gulf, he attended Calusa Elementary School and Chasco Middle School. His GPA is 4.81. Juan plans to attend the University of Rochester, with a double major in Computer Science and Business. He hopes to become a computer programmer. Juan is an AP Scholar With Distinction. He is a recipient of the Barnes Scholarship, he is a Take Stock in Children Scholar, Questbridge Prep Scholar, and a Quesbridge College Math Finalist. He earned sobresaliente at the Spanish Competition and is a winner of the University of Rochester Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award. He is a Tampa Bay Rays Everyday MVP of the Game. Juan writes, “I am most grateful for the teachers I got to work with and the education I received. Teachers such as Mr. Griffith, Ms. Alwood, and Ms. Ledman have been the most influential. They taught me the value of hard work and dedication in the classroom. I still remember how Mr. Griffith would infuse comedy with every lesson and always kept me engaged. Never once was I bored in his class! Ms. Alwood would always make sure that we understood every aspect of history, every perspective, and every detail. Ms. Ledman taught me to appreciate literature for the powerful messages it delivers. I enjoyed each and every lesson my teachers crafted. Without the hard work, dedication, and motivation from my teachers over the years, I could not have had the same success that I did.”
Mariya Mendel is the IB salutatorian. She lives in New Port Richey. She is the daughter of Galyna and Vlad Mendel. Mariya was born in Ukraine and grew up in Palm Harbor and New Port Richey. Before attending Gulf she attended Longleaf Elementary School and Seven Springs Middle School. Her GPA is 4.7674. She plans to attend Florida State University as a Political Science major with Biology minor, hoping to eventually create a career as a lawyer. Mariya is an American Legion Oratorical Participant/Winner, for an oration of a ten-minute speech on the Constitution without notes or microphone with an additional five-minute speech on one of four randomly chosen amendments. From the American Legion she won plaques of distinction from Tampa, Winter Haven, and New Port Richey. She was the regional first place oratorical winner in 2016. She was an Honored Judiciary Branch Member at Girls State and is a National AP Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction. She is a Distinguished New Port Richey Museum Volunteer. Mariya has been Interact Club President, Science National Honor Society President, Astronomy Club Vice President, and a member of Leo Club, Math National Honor Society, National Honor Society, English National Honor Society, Environmental Club, Spanish National Honor Society, and History National Honor Society. She played varsity girls golf for the 2014 and 2015 Fall seasons and was the Most Improved Team Member in 2014. Mariya writes, “I am most grateful for the International Baccalaureate program at Gulf High School and the programs boundless resources provided for me. I would like to extend a thank to my teachers: Mr. Uchacz, Mr. Griffith, Mrs. Ledman, Mrs. Stojanovska, Mr. Miller, Mr. Donaldson, and Mrs. Ferry; thanks to all of them, I developed a hard work ethic and fostered interest in every single subject I have taken. It was since freshman year that I began to really enjoy science in Mr. Uchacz’s class, as he taught us about biology in an interesting, fun way. Our classes learned about genetics, cells, and our world ecosystems, and when we did well on quizzes we got rewarded with desserts and class treats. My interest in learning about science and biology pushed me to take an interest in Science National Honor Society, where I lead a group of students interested in science towards scientific creativity at our school, such as hosting the Science Bowl. I have had only fantastic math teachers like Mr. Griffith, Mrs. Stojanovska and Mr. Miller that built an excellent foundation for math. Similarly, Mrs. Ferry and Mr. Donaldson gave me new perspectives on history, and thanks to Mr. Donaldson politics is more understandable, influential and interesting in my life because of the discussions the class has every week. In English classes, Mrs. Ledman has taught me innumerable things about poetry that lead me to analyze even song lyrics written in ballad stanzas after our studies of Szymborska and Emily Dickinson. It is because of the help and guidance of every single International Baccalaureate teacher that I hope to be an IB Diploma graduate. These teachers that worked with me inspired me and pushed me to think in a new way, leaving me grateful and hopeful for a great experience at my university.”
