The Catskill Chronicle

ELDRED, NY On June 7, the Sullivan County Board of Cooperative Educational Services held the Twenty-Fifth Annual Academic Achievement Dinner at the Eldred Preserve to honor thirty-five of the top students through out the county. The Superintendents of Schools, Principals, Board Presidents, and members of the press attended the dinner. The guest speaker for the event was Steven Ruwoldt, Chief Executive Office at Catskill Regional Medical Center.

Mr. Ruwoldt, gave a reflective speech of his life and the things he wished he knew along the way. Mr. Ruwoldt, started by saying that everyone should take some time to understand who you are, once you choose a goal know what you’re getting into and what it takes to accomplish the goal.

He left the students with eight keys items for success:

When you go to college be flexible – you never know what opportunity will arise.

Find something you are passionate about – life is short; every day should be a pleasure.

Always look for your next step.

Find a mentor to help you get where you want to go.

Have a positive attitude.

Watch out who you hang out with – they will influence your direction.

Look for opportunities and take chances.

Once you have reached your goal – how do you stay there? Make sure you always learn new things, be creative and pull from others.

The students were given a copy of Roget’s Thesaurus donated by the Times Herald Record.

This Year’s Top Students Include –

Eldred: Christina Watts (unable to attend), Lauren Hazen, Michele Daboul

Fallsburg: Stephen Bedik, Uddhava Stowell, Joel Berrian, Sierra Spechler

Liberty: Nikolas Beimler, Michael Bayer, Jessica Russo, Calvin Henry, Molly Olsen

Livingston Manor: Stephen Rogers, Beth Hoffman-Patalona

Monticello: Ruben Rebolledo, Daniel Cook, Marina Lombardi, Kate Oldfield, Carly Rice, Jenna Carbonara, Juliana D’abbraccio, Virginia Boyd, Victoria Walters, Jacqueline O’Rourke, Jared Weiss

Roscoe: Abigail Dusseldorp, Alexa Bullis

Sullivan West: Brendan Creegan, Gabe LaGrutta, Danielle Marino, Hannah Rettoun, Cindy Szeflinski

Tri-Valley: Kelly McNamara, Courtney McNamara, Amanda Martin.

Good Luck to all of the 2010 Graduates. May your futures be guided by success!