Valedictorian, Ava Bartoli
Ava Bartoli took the podium at the 2023 North Shore High School Commencement Ceremony while family, faculty and her peers watched with joy and admiration.
“Today marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next,” Bartoli said.”We have made unforgettable memories, lasting friendships and achieved excellence in many ways. Whether in the classroom, on the field or on the stage, we have all left our mark on the school and today is the day to look back on all these accomplishments.”
“As we move on from high school, we should cherish the friendships we made as these could last a lifetime and can be our greatest support system in this new chapter of our lives,” Bartoli said at the conclusion of her speech. “We must take our lessons and experiences and use them to become the people we want to be. Our hard work will continue to pay off so we must put 100% of our effort into everything we do. It is then that we will achieve our goals.”
Congratulations to Bartoli, the Valedictorian of the North Shore School District.
Bartoli began her North Shore roots as a student at Glenwood Landing School. Her academic achievements include recipient of the Harvard College Book Prize, Rensselaer Medal Award, AAPT Award for Achievement in Physics and the First National Bank of LI Award for Math. She also received the Scholar Athlete Award for 2023, the Margaret Johnsen Memorial Scholarship and Seal of Biliteracy in Italian.
She was a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (National Math) Honors Society, Rho Kappa (National Social Studies) Honors Society, and the Science National Honor Society.
Bartoli’s athletic achievements are remarkable. She was on the starting line-up for our Varsity Lacrosse Team and was awarded Honorable Mention All-County 2022, Honorable Mention Academic and All American 2022, Academic All American 2023, All-County 2023 and Newsday Top 100 girls lacrosse players on Long Island.
In addition to lacrosse, Bartoli was a starting guard for the Varsity Basketball Team earning Honorable Mention All-County 2021 and 2022, Academic All-State Team 2022, All-County 2023, All Defensive Team 2023 and Newsday Top 100 Girls’ basketball players on Long Island.
A member of the soccer team, she was NCGSCA Scholar Athlete 2022 and received scholar athlete awards all three seasons this year.
Her volunteer work includes Toys for Tots and Island Harvest where she has helped with both toy and food drives throughout high school.
Bartoli will be attending Bryant University, majoring in actuarial mathematics, and pursuing her love of lacrosse.
Everyone at the North Shore Schools is very proud of her many accomplishments and wishes Bartoli only the very best of luck now and in the future.
Salutatorian, Ruben Shonik
Ruben Shonik stood at the podium as the Salutatorian of North Shore High School and spoke about accomplishing difficult tasks.
“In the coming years, it is guaranteed that we will all feel suffocated by a task or several that seem overwhelming out of reach,” Shonik said. “So, the next time you are faced with a burden seemingly too great to overcome, I want you to remember a piece of advice my grandmother gave me: ‘If not you, who?’”
“Every one of you has the potential to be part of something exceptional,” Shonik said at the conclusion of his speech. “The many accolades received by this class are a testament, above all else, to the potential each one of us has the power to discover. Remember that truly significant achievements are not the product of uncultivated talent, politics or mere luck but rather come as a result of the authenticity, grace and persistence that we all have a responsibility to exhibit.”
Congratulations to Shonik, the Salutatorian of the North Shore School District.
Shonik was an elementary student at Sea Cliff School. While at North Shore, he was a student at Juilliard Pre-College, where he studied with Pablo Rieppi and Ian Sullivan of the New York City Ballet, world-renowned marimba soloist Eriko Daimo and timpanist Jonathan Haas.
He participated in the Pre-College Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble, and was accepted into the 2022 All-State Music Festival, where he was principal Timpan and played in the All-County honor band/orchestra at the Tilles Center. He also played in the New York State Band Directors Association Honor Band.
Additionally, he was Principal Percussionist of the North Shore High School Wind Symphony, Captain of the Drum Line, and participated in the Jazz Band, Pep Band, Jazz Quartet and the Northwinds Symphonic Band.
Shonik’s academic achievements include the Principal’s Award for Academic Excellence, Orion Award, Angelo D’Avino Memorial Scholarship, John Philip Sousa Band Award, George Eastman Young Leaders Award, Cradle of Aviation Space Environmental Science Award, Seals of Biliteracy and Civic Readiness and the African American History Award.
He was a member of the Science, Rho Kappa, World Language and National Honor Societies.
He received Outstanding Freshman (2019), Sophomore (2020), Junior (2021) and Senior (2023) Band Awards and was the Co-President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society.
In addition, he volunteers every summer to play percussion/drumset in the pit orchestra for the Port Summer Show.
Shonik will be attending the Cleveland Institute of Music where he will be pursuing his passion for music.
Everyone at North Shore is extremely impressed with his accomplishments and wishes Shonik the very best now and in the future.
Please join us in congratulating both Bartoli and Shonik for their hard work at the North Shore Schools.
We wish them both the best of luck now and in the future discovering their dreams. The Class of 2023 is an extremely talented one and we are just so proud of them all!
