Congratulations to the 141 seniors who were named to the 2026 Principal’s List during a beautiful dinner and ceremony in the South Gym on Friday, May 15th. To earn this prestigious recognition, a student must achieve a 94.9% or higher overall grade point average across all four years at Walt Whitman High School.

The Principal’s List was established 29 years ago to honor those Whitman graduates at the top of the class, recognize their extra-curricular involvement and service, superior character, and outstanding academic performance. While the list is reserved for dedicated students who strive for academic excellence, it also serves to inspire the entire student body to push themselves and aim for greatness. The names of each year’s Principal’s List members are printed on a plaque that is permanently displayed at the high school. This lasting tribute to this extraordinary achievement serves as a powerful example of what future students can attain.

Principal Dr. John Murphy reminded the honorees that true success is built on perseverance. “You have earned this moment–not because someone handed it to you, but because you worked for it. You sacrificed for it. You stayed committed to your goals. You chose not to take the easy path, nor did you allow the doubts or opinions of others to stand in the way of your success. Through your perseverance, you stayed the course with strength and purpose. For that, I could not be more proud of you,” said Dr. Murphy.

District Superintendent Dr. Vito D’Elia also congratulated the parents, families, faculty, and staff whose unwavering support and encouragement helped these high-achieving students succeed. “Behind every accomplishment is a support system that helped make it possible. The late nights, early mornings, difficult moments, and constant encouragement, are the reasons why your child remains successful. To our faculty and staff, your belief in and commitment to our students continue to make a lasting difference every single day,” said Dr. D’Elia.

Thank you to South Huntington Nutrition Services (SHNS) for the wonderful dinner and dessert served to the honorees and their families. Our appreciation also to the SHNS and Whitman custodial teams for transforming the South Gym into a beautiful banquet area for the ceremony.

We are confident these remarkable students will continue to excel long after graduation, and we wish them the very best as they leave Whitman to make their mark on the world!

 

Congratulations to Walt Whitman’s Class of 2026 Principal’s List honorees:

Arshia Afsari, Kassandra Alvarado, Helena Anglade, Jake App, Kiash Arjune, Adil Asif, Wafa Awan, Andrew Badalamenti, Ioannis Balanos, Alexander Bass, Giuliana Bausano, Cesanyoly Bautista, Nicole Bell, Yessica Benitez Granados, Jack Biblow, Tyler Biblow, Liliah Black, Brandon Bonilla, Julia Bosco, Kian Bowditch, Anna Braglia, Sarah Bruzual, Adrian Burga, Taylor Busch, Arianna Campanella, Deisy Cantillo, Joseph Carapazza, Thomas Carino, Emily Cary, Eva Castellanos Hernandez, Nicolas Castillo, Jayden Castro, Tracey Cesar, Soha Chaudhry, Naomi Chavez, Liana Chetty, Jacianna Chiechi, Erica Chung, Jordan Churchman, Analia Cimadevilla, Wilson Cruz, Camryn Cuozzo, Anthony DePalo, Mason Diamond, Daskne Diaz Garay, Lauren Dinstell, Samantha Dinstell, Jonathan Duffy, Kenneth Espinoza, Ibrahim Farooq, Julia Fasciano, Joseph Ferguson, Kenia Fernandez Rodriguez, Antonia Fiordalisi, Ella Fischer, Jayden Flores Nakouzi, Andy Flores Reyes, Isabella Galindo, Avni Gandhi, Alexander Gillet, Benjamin Glassmann, Nina Gonzalez, Harrison Green, Isabel Hassman, Kevin Hernandez Medina, Lucas Hill Mendizabal, Paige Hiller, Olivia Holleran, William Imhof, Emanuel Infante, Aaron Jeri Vila, Brian Jimenez Andrade, Ryan Kaiser, Monica Katwala, Lauren Knudsen, Jillian Kobel, Mikayla Kramer, Joshua Kwak, Dylan Lemke, Angelina Lorente, Shay Lublin, Megan Lyte, Alexander Maddalena, Matthew Malafronte, Lucia Maniatis, Isabella Manzanares, Tatiana Marr, Mackenzie Marsden, Justin Martinez, Marin McDonnell, Lucas Nazario, Jordyn Nicholls, Adriana Nunez Mendez, Sean O'Connor, Ava Oliveri, Nikolette Ouzounis, Allison Palacios, Fatima Parada Umana, Ryan Pastore, Ludmery Perez Valenzuela, Ryan Perillo, Arianna Petkovits, Maria Petkovits, Ana Pichardo Chacon, Issaias Portillo Garay, Sarah Pratt, Areanna Quijada Rivera, Gabriel Raynor, Samuel Rice, Nathalie Robson, Feiry Rodriguez Hernandez, Brian Rollman, Jordin Rubin, Ricardo Ruiz Argueta, Kate Sabellico, Lucien Saint Cyr, Angely Saravia, Matthew Schiller, Aryaa Shah, Anish Sharma, Ayaan Siddiqui, Shayaan Siddiqui, Tyler Smith, Brooke Striga, Natalie Symons, Kritz George Taku, Ekaterina Talyzina, David Teixeira, Jade Tintera, Noah Turano, Gabriella Varellas, Jaslyne Ventura, Eimi Villalta Argueta, Brandon Villatoro Fuentes, Jack Vollmer, Alyssa Vozza, Everett Weiss, Arianna White, Jake Williams, Keillyn Yanes Buruca, and Ryan Yuen.

 

View and download photos here!

Rewatch the 2026 Principal’s List Ceremony here.

 

Friend and families enjoyed a delicious meal together thanks to South Huntington’s School Nutrition Services. 

 

Assitant Principal Mr. Jose Castillo addressed attendees to begin the annual recognition.

 

WWHS senior Phil Clark sang the National Anthem before dinner was served. 

 

After each student was invidually recognized, Principal John Murphy happily invited guests to come up to the stage to take pictures with the Class of 2026 Principal’s List plaque. 

 

Families proudly stood next to the Principal’s List plaque honoring their children. 

 

Friends celebrate this academic achievement with each other at the end of the ceremony with a photo opp pointing to their names on the Principal’s List plaque.