Southington honors top graduates and swears in new student board representatives

The Southington Board of Education opened its meeting with a Celebration of Excellence, presenting certificates to top graduates and recognizing outgoing and incoming student board representatives.

Chair presented David Shimura as the district’s bronze scholar, praising his leadership in robotics, math (two years ahead), and community volunteering; Shimura said, "Thank you." The board also recognized salutatorian Andrew Nero (absent) and valedictorian Ethan Hoffman, noting Hoffman’s roles as class president, student representative to the board and Eagle Scout community service projects. Chair presented certificates of excellence to the students.

Chair thanked outgoing student reps for their service gathering student perspectives across district schools and introduced the incoming student representatives. Alexa Nowakowski, the sophomore representative, said she is trilingual and serves as president of her school’s French and Polish clubs. ‘‘I’m a sophomore at Southington High School... I speak Polish, English, and French fluently,’’ Alexa said. Murad Al Khateeb, the junior representative, said he has worked as advocacy officer for DECA and secretary for Students for Progress and aims to ‘‘create a bridge between students and the board and ensure that all student perspectives are considered.’’

The board recessed briefly so members could meet the incoming reps and then reconvened. Chair also asked for a moment of silence for Thomas Gallo, the district’s retired school resource officer, who died May 29.

Next steps: New student representatives will serve during the 2026–27 school year and bring student perspectives to board discussions.