The Suffolk County School Superintendents Association’s tradition of honoring the county’s highest-achieving graduates continued this year despite the pandemic and early closure of schools, and featured recognition of Islip High School’s Class of 2020 valedictorian Darienne Rogers. While the SCSSA was forced to cancel their 26th annual Valedictorians Luncheon, where Suffolk superintendents, valedictorians and their parents would have met to celebrate the students’ accomplishments, their enviable achievements did not go unrecognized.

On behalf of the SCSSA, Islip Superintendent Ellen Semel presented Rogers with a commemorative program, congratulatory video, a certificate of achievement and a cherished childhood storybook, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss. The program and video, created especially for the Class of 2020, featured information about each valedictorian’s school district, their formal senior yearbook photo, their college of choice and anticipated major.