March 10, 2023 -- Each year, Superintendent Scott Carpenter awards one Monomoy Regional High School senior the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Award for Academic Excellence. This award is given to a high school senior who has distinguished themselves in the pursuit of excellence during their high school career. In selecting the award winner each year, Dr. Carpenter looks not only for academic success within our classrooms, but for demonstrations of leadership and initiative within the school and the greater community. MRHS high school counselors and administrators helped with this selection, and for 2023, the team has selected Christie Beckley to receive the Award for Academic Excellence.
Christie was presented with the award at the School Committee meeting on March 9, 2023. Dr. Carpenter read the following remarks from Christie’s guidance counselor when bestowing this honor:
Christie is a remarkable young woman. She sits at the top of a supremely competitive class with students who are truly neck and neck for the valedictorian and salutatorian positions. Christie is well respected by faculty and staff and this is supported by the numerous accolades she has been awarded. She is a natural leader, elected by her peers as their Vice President, and I can say with certainty that she has left a mark at Monomoy.
When Christie graduates, she will have completed eight Advanced Placement courses and two Dual Enrollment courses through a partnership with Cape Cod Community College. Of the three AP exams Christie took in May 2022, she earned a 5 on each exam. Christie also achieved a Perfect Score on her Math MCAS. Her ELA and Math MCAS scores were in the top 25% of the district and she is a recipient of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. Christie is so much more than just test scores, but hers are quite impressive.
This past June, Christie attended the American Legion All State Conference, where she spent an intensive week with fellow high school juniors who learned how to participate in their state government in preparation for their future roles as responsible adult citizens. Christie was also nominated by our principal to participate in the Massachusetts Department of Secondary Education Student Government Day, where she collaborated with other nominated students from across Massachusetts, as well as members of the MA State Government. One of Christie’s more notable accomplishments is her position in Key Club - she is the President of the Monomoy division and also serves in a state position as the Lieutenant Governor of Division 12. Christie is active within the National Honor Society in her role of treasurer and she was the Induction Speaker for the 2022-2023 ceremony. She was chosen by administration to serve on an interview committee last year when there was a sudden departure of a teacher, she was named the Cape Cod Climate Change Ambassador, and she is actively involved in the Political Action Club and STAND Club. In February 2020, Christie traveled to the Iowa Caucus and then in March, facilitated a Mock Caucus for MRHS. Christie is also one of the senior captions for the Mock Trial Club. I have been fortunate enough to watch Christie compete in a trial and I truly thought I was listening to a prosecutor with years of legal practice behind them, not a high school student.
This past spring, Christie was rewarded for her hard work when she received numerous awards during the Junior Book and Department Awards. Christie was chosen by her teachers for awards in the following categories:
● MIT Junior Book Award - given to students who demonstrate outstanding levels of achievement in STEM
● Excellence in Math Award
● Excellence in Biology Award
● Excellence in English Award
● Excellence in Social Studies Award
Rarely does a student sweep the awards categories, and she deserved every one.
Christie has a genuine love of learning and has a wide variety of interests, including all areas of science (particularly biology and physics), political science, creative writing, music, and art. She is self driven, organized, articulate, passionate, and she makes it seem effortless. Christie plays flute for our excellent concert band in addition to private piano lessons. She is also a student athlete. She has been a varsity member of the Girls Tennis Team since Grade 8 and is a runner for the Girls Cross Country team. In May 2022, she was named the Scholar/Athlete of the month due to her performance both on and off the court.
Christie is so much more than what is written on paper. She has developed deep friendships with her peers and has been able to connect with the adults in her life and develop meaningful relationships with those around her. Christie has been a true gift to work with and I am in awe of her intellectual abilities.
