Two Calhoun High School students were recently awarded NYS Senate Youth Leadership Awards.

Junior Marc Edayadi, who serves as president of Calhoun Model Congress, is a member of several honor societies, editor of the school newspaper, Hoofbeats, and plays trombone and baritone in the band.

“Marc has a talent for getting other students engaged in politics and public policy,” said Beth Finneran, Calhoun Model Congress supervisor. “As president of the Calhoun Model Congress Club, he mentored 12 other students on how to write bills on various topics from the environment to trade to education. He coached them on how to present and effectively debate. Thanks to Marc’s leadership this year, Calhoun had the most bills pass through committee at Yale Model Congress in Calhoun history.”

Senior Brianna McDonough attends the BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts. She is heading to the University of Rochester in the fall. She is a member of three National Honor Societies. 

“I have seen both a tremendous work ethic and persistence to be an agent of positive change in her community and around the world,” said her guidance counselor/Calhoun Assistant Principal Dr. Neil Testa. “She has steadfastly grown into a natural leader, aiming to help people in and around her community. Her activities and performances outside of school are often geared toward helping people and raising awareness  for various causes. Her involvement and writings about her work with helping victims of the natural disaster in Puerto Rico has earned her the “American Scholastic Press Association Award for Outstanding Story.”

Nominations for an award come from teachers, administrators, counselors or other school faculty for well-rounded candidates who excel not only academically, but through leadership in extracurricular and volunteer activities. There are four categories including Academics, Athletics, Arts and Community Service.