The Nassau County Council of School Superintendents (NCCSS) honored the valedictorians and salutatorians of the Class of 2000 in Nassau County. A total of 104 of the highest academic performers in the county were invited to the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7, for the fourth annual "Celebration of Excellence" Breakfast. Their superintendents took the opportunity to acknowledge the achievements and high hopes for future contributions that these outstanding young people hold.

Dr. Harry Jaroslaw, president of the NCCSS and superintendent of the Mineola Union Free School District, recalled at the gala breakfast that "the Class of 2000 will include the first Americans to graduate into the 21st Century. They will produce future scholars, musicians, artists, scientists, humanitarians, leaders of government, business, commerce and, probably, several fields that don't yet exist in the year 2000. But we can be certain that the group of young Americans honored on June 7 will contain the greatest concentration of 21st Century leaders that any of us are ever likely to meet. As President Kennedy remarked at a White House dinner honoring American Nobel Laureates, 'There hasn't been such an extraordinary collection of talent and knowledge gathered in this room since Thomas Jefferson dined here alone.' These academic leaders are truly the best of the best and it is an honor for all of us in the Council of Superintendents to be in their company."

Principals and parents joined the superintendents in the ceremonies honoring Nassau County's valedictorians and salutatorians. The keynote speaker was Dr. Thomas Sobol, professor of education at Columbia University and former New York State Commissioner of Education. Nassau's brightest lights shone on June 7 at Crest Hollow.

The valedictorians and salutatorians of Sewanhaka's five high schoolers were:

Valedictorian	Melissa Charles
Salutatorian	Joyce David

Valedictorian	Patrick Augustine
Salutatorian	Thomas White

Valedictorian	Devjani Das
Salutatorian	Amanda Lee

Valedictorian	Peter Makowenskyj
Salutatorian	Angie Ho

Valedictorian	Soojung Rhee
Salutatorian	Ritesh Ramdhani