Bridgehampton High School is proud to announce that seniors James
Fairchild and Autumn Coffey have been named valedictorian and
salutatorian, respectively, of the Class of 2019.
James has an impressive high school résumé, which includes taking
numerous honors and Advanced Placement courses. He is also a sportsman
and has participated in varsity tennis, varsity swimming and junior
varsity basketball. A member of the high school’s robotics team and
Future Farmers of America, James was also a recipient of the DAR Good
Citizens Award and the President’s’ Education Award in recognition of
outstanding academic excellence.
His community involvement includes teaching coding to fourth- and
fifth-grade students and working closely with South Fork Natural History
Museum guiding underclassmen in designing and constructing an
educational aquaponics system.
He cites his accomplishments – including his time spent on the robotics
team where he designed with a team of peers and mentors – as additional
lessons in communication and leadership.
“It feels that all of the work and time committed to my education has
truly empowered me to study and to achieve anything I wish,” James said.
James was also named a Borlaugh Scholar by Cornell University and had a
research paper that addressed food insecurities in Liberia published by
the New York Youth Institute as well and critiqued and complemented by
multiple international experts at the Global Youth Institute. He is a
potential candidate for a Borlaugh-Ruan International internship and
would like to study computer science, business or architecture in the
future.
Words of wisdom that James wants to share with his fellow classmates are
to “take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you and
trust that the dots will connect.”
Autumn is excited and proud of her honor as salutatorian of the Class of
2019. Her accomplishments include taking numerous challenging Advanced
Placement, honors and college-level courses and being named to the
school’s high honor roll. She is also a member of the school’s robotics
team and was honored as an Academic All-County student for basketball.
She is involved locally in the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational
Center. Her post high school plans include majoring in nursing and
possibly taking part in a study abroad program.
Asked about her recognition as salutatorian, Autumn said “I am happy to
have achieved something so amazing. I am happy that all of my hard work
has paid off.”
Commending both students on their exceptional achievements, Principal
Michael Miller said “James and Autumn are both wonderful students who
represent the well-rounded educational experiences at Bridgehampton High
School. Their commitment to academics will certainly drive their future
successes.”