The valedictorian of the Watertown High School Class of 2026 is April Wang, daughter of Mr. Keyong Wang and Mrs. Fa Lam.
April has excelled in Advanced Placement Biology, Advanced Placement English Literature, Advanced Placement United States History, Advanced Placement Chemistry and Advanced Placement Physics. In addition, April has achieved excellence and a 4.0 grade point average in a variety of SUNY Jefferson
EDGE courses, including Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Spanish, Psychology, English Research & Composition, English Literature & Composition and Medical Terminology.
April is a student in the New Visions Health Program. She is a Samaritan Medical Center Anesthesiology Intern, a Samaritan Medical Center Clinical Rotation Student, and she is certified in CPR, First Aid, Basic Life Support, Stop the Bleed and NARCAN Administration.
April is a 7 NEWS Academic All-Star. She is a 2025 CARE Award recipient, and she has earned a NYS Seal of Civic Readiness. April served as her Junior Class President and currently serves as the WHS Student Council President. April is the Chairperson of the Northern New York Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Council, and she is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society.
April is the President of the Watertown High School Wind Ensemble, in which she plays both piccolo and flute. She is the Vice President of the WHS Environmental Club, the Vice President of the Sprout Society Club and the President of the World Language Ambassadors Club. April is a member of the WHS Whiz Quiz Team, she is a member of the Audio-Visual Club, a crew member of the WHS musical, and a Watertown High School representative to the Noon Rotary.
April works at Texas Roadhouse and she is affiliated with many volunteer initiatives including the Samaritan Summer Teen Volunteer Program, the Jefferson County SPCA, the You Matter! event, the Sherman Science Fair, the Wiley Pen Pal Program, the Homecoming Committee, the Campus Clean Up, the WHS Science Fair, Food4Families, the WHS Angel Tree and the WHS Talent Show.
This fall, April will enroll in Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Upon completion of her baccalaureate studies, she plans to attend medical school, after which she will pursue a residency in anesthesiology.
April’s grade point average is 98.96.
The salutatorian of the Watertown High School Class of 2026 is Anthony Ye, son of Mr. Hua Xi Ye and Mrs. JinChai Jiang.
Anthony has excelled in Advanced Placement Calculus, Advanced Placement United States History, Advanced Placement English Literature & Composition and Advanced Placement Biology. In addition, Anthony has achieved excellence in several SUNY Jefferson EDGE courses, including Calculus I, Calculus II, English 101, English 102, Spanish IV and Psychology.
Anthony is a member of the Gary M. Jones Chapter of the National Honor Society, he is a member of the Student Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Committee, and he has earned a NYS Seal of Civic Readiness. Anthony is a member of the Watertown High School Boys Varsity Tennis Team, he is a member of the WHS Volunteering Club, the WHS Environmental Club, and he is a parishioner of Greater Love Ministries.
Anthony has earned a Rail Innovation in Action Program Completion Certificate from the California State Railroad Museum and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of a Talent Initiative Pathway Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and he is on the President’s List at SUNY Jefferson. Anthony is employed at United China Restaurant in Watertown.
This fall, Anthony will enroll in the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he will study for one year before transferring to the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Anthony’s grade point average is 98.38.
The Outstanding Vocational Student of the Watertown High School Class of 2026 is Paige Marie Jacobsen, daughter of Mr. Kenneth Jacobsen and Mrs. Jasmin Jacobsen.
Paige has excelled in Advanced Placement Biology and several SUNY Jefferson EDGE courses, including English 101, English 102 and Psychology. Paige is a student in the New Visions Health Program, through which she recently earned third place at the New York State SkillsUSA Competition for Medical Terminology. In addition, Paige holds certification in Stop the Bleed, First Aid and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation.
Paige is a member of the Gary M. Jones Chapter of the National Honor Society, as well as a member of the Watertown High School Volunteer Club. She is a Teen Mentor for the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Program and a member of Student Council. Paige works as an assistant at the Chamberlain Equestrian Farm in Cape Vincent, and she is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Future President Certificate, presented for leadership and outstanding academic performance.
This fall, Paige will enroll at the University of Buffalo where she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science. Upon completion of her undergraduate program, Paige plans to attend medical school where she will study either emergency medicine or cardiothoracic surgery.
Paige’s grade point average is 97.
