The commencement ceremony for the Saugerties High School’s Class of 2019 is scheduled to take place on campus on Saturday, June 29 at 10 a.m.
The ceremony is planned for the vast lawn in front of the high school, but would be moved indoors should the weather be an issue; no tickets are necessary for an outdoor commencement, but if it’s held indoors graduates will have an allotment of four tickets apiece. As of press time, the forecast is for a cloudy and humid morning, with the possibility of a mid-afternoon thunderstorm.
Emily Christiansen and Hilary Mulford are the valedictorian and salutatorian respectively of the Class of 2019.
Christiansen, the daughter of Sarah and Samuel Christiansen, has a GPA of 101.23 and has completed eight advanced placement (AP) courses and two college courses during high school. A member of the French Club, Key Club, and National Honor Society, Christiansen is also the social director of the Student Council.
A student-athlete, Christiansen was varsity captain of the girls soccer team this year, and was a member of the varsity track team from freshman through junior years, helping the team win the Mid-Hudson Athletic League’s spring medley relay championship as a sophomore.
Mulford, the daughter of Becky and Steve Mulford, compiled a 100.99 GPA and has completed eight advanced placement (AP) courses and two college courses during high school. Mulford is president of the National Honor Society, and is a member of the French Club, Key Club, Student Government and Student Council. She was a delegate for the American Legion Auxiliary’s 2018 Girls State, a government-in-action training program.
Also a student-athlete, Mulford has been a four-year member of the volleyball and girls basketball teams, as well as running track from freshman through junior years, specializing in the 100-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Volleyball, where she was a two-time captain, was Mulford’s favorite.
Christiansen is the president of the Eco Club, and Mulford its secretary. The club has seen its membership skyrocket over the past year. Among the initiatives started by the Eco Club this year was a recycling program called “Clynk,” which is part of grocery store chain Hannaford’s efforts to encourage green thinking by helping clubs and organizations raise money.
Christiansen and Mulford are also planning on a course of environmental-based study in college. Christiansen will major in environmental science at Cornell University in the fall.
“As of right now I’m really interested in the biodiversity issue and how climate change affects that,” she said in April. “I was looking into helping out with different non-profit organizations and seeing what different stuff I could do to help raise awareness for that. I want to do a lot of research to help other people understand issues with the environment.”
Mulford plans to study landscape architecture at Cornell University in the fall.
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