Charleroi Area High School graduation set for Thursday
Charleroi Area High School will graduate 103 seniors at commencement exercises at 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school amphitheater.
Alexander J. Short is the valedictorian, and Zachary G. Ames is the salutatorian.
Short is a son of James and Jodie Short of Monongahela.
He received highest honors all four years of high school and was the Charleroi Rotary Student of the Month for November 2015 and the Charleroi Lions Cub of the Month for November 2015. He received the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal and Scholarship, the University of Rochester Scholarship Award, the Progeny Academic Excellence Award in 2014 and 2015, the STEM award, four-time Best Advocate award and the Best Witness award for participating in Charleroi’s Mock Trial program. He also received the 2016 Pamela J. Antonio Memorial Scholarship given by the Old Trails Business and Professional Women’s Club.
Short was president of Student Council and the Class Executive Committee, vice president of the National Honor Society, treasurer of the STEM Club, co-president of the Physics Club, and was a school board representative. He also was a member of the Pennsylvania Statewide Mock Trial and Peer Jury, and he participated in varsity soccer, basketball and track.
He will attend the University of Pittsburgh to pursue a degree in bioengineering and then plans to attend law school.
Ames is a son of Tracy and Donna Ames of Fallowfield Township.
He received highest honors and was the Charleroi Lions Cub of the Month in February 2016, the Carthene Club Scholarship Award, the CHROME Federal Credit Union Ed Orisko Scholarship. He was inducted into the Penn State Fayette 4.0 Club, which is a club for students who finished the academic year with a 4.0 or better since the start of high school.
Ames was a member of the National Honor Society, Class of 2016 Executive Committee, Spanish Club, Ski Club, History Club, Chemistry Club and The Future is Mine. He also participated in the Pennsylvania Statewide Mock Trial competition, Charleroi Student Government Day and the Charleroi Area High School Pumpkin Chunkin’ Contest.
He will attend the University of Pittsburgh to obtain a bachelor of science degree in economics and plans to pursue a career in analytics.