EAST PROVIDENCE — One of the more well-rounded trios in recent years to earn peak academic laurels, the top three students in the graduating Class of 2017 from East Providence High School are once more headed to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the region.

Valedictorian Andrew Rogers, salutatorian Julia Ferreira and avedictorian Tess Amore will lead the Class of ’17 through commencement exercises Friday evening, June 9, at Pierce Memorial Stadium. Events begin at 6:30 p.m. If necessary due to inclement weather, graduation ceremonies will take place on the same day and time at EPHS in the Ramos Gymnasium.

Rogers, who finished his high school career with a grade point average of 97.2, passed on the opportunity to attend Cornell and Brown, opting instead to further his studies Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Ferreira completed her time at EPHS with a GPA of 94.4. She will matriculate to Providence College in the fall. Amore earned a final GPA of 93.5. She will continue her academic pursuits at American University in Washington, D.C.

Each of the top three are Advanced Placement students, who either took classes associated with the national standard or at the “Honors” level. Their grade point averages were weighted based on the difficulty of course load they completed during their four years at EPHS.

Rogers will pursue a degree in Molecular Biology at Wesleyan. He is a trumpeter, who was in the EPHS marching band, the musical pit band and jazz band. He was also a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic youth ensemble. He was a member, treasurer and secretary of the National Honor Society and a member of the Spanish Honor Society. He was president of the EPHS Spanish Club. He and some fellow students also initiated a Film Club at the school. He was also a past recipient of the Havard Book Award.

Rogers said he will appreciate his years at EPHS for setting him on a path of academic study.

“On a personal level I came here not really knowing much about what I wanted to do past high school at all, but all of the experiences here have kind of shaped what I want to do in the future,” Rogers explained. “So going on to do Molecular Bio, I never would have thought of doing that before I got here, but the Science teachers I’ve had over the years kind of pushed me in that direction. So it really has been kind of a self-finding experience.”

Ferreira plans to study Biology at Providence on a pre-Med pathway with the intention of then going to medical school. She also plans to minor in Spanish. An accomplished musician like Rogers, Ferreira is a pianist and flutist, where she was the “first chair” in the EPHS Wind Ensemble. She was a drum major in the EPHS marching band. She is a member of the St. Francis Xavier marching band as well as being an altar service, lecture and a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) at the church. She was a winner of the Providence Diocese St. Timothy Award and the Brown Book Award. She was also a National Honor Society member and vice president of the organization. She was the president of the EPHS Student Council and a member of the Spanish Honor Society.

Ferreira’s years at EPHS were defined, in part, by her musical endeavors, which she said helped her mature inside and out of the classroom.

“Some of the best things are the clubs and the programs here, which of course what stands above the rest is the band program,” Ferreira said a bit facetiously, showing her obvious and well-founded affinity of the music groups at EPHS. “It has helped me grow not only as a student and a musician, but also as a person.”

Amore aims for a degree in Political Science when she heads to American in the nation’s capital. Amore was a four-year starter on the EPHS girls’ tennis team of which she captained as both a junior and a senior and which she helped lead to the Division III championship last fall. She is a past winner of the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Award. She was a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She was a participant of the EPHS Young Democrats Club, an ensemble member of the EPHS Theatre Company, a member of EPHS Chorus and of class committees. She was a winner of the URI Book Award. She has maintained a part-time job since turning 16 and has been a community volunteer.

Echoing the thoughts of her peers, Amore credited the instruction she received as being a key factor in her ability to achieve and grow while at EPHS.

“The teachers, I had really good teachers all four years. They encouraged me to go for it and I learned a lot from them. And they’ve definitely helped me a lot along the way,” Amore said.

Sounding a similar note, Rogers added, “The teachers are really dedicated to what they do. They care about their students and they care about teaching. They’re really excited everyday in the classroom and it’s really apparent how much they care about their students and how much they want to see them succeed. They’ve always given great support to anyone who has needed help along the way. They’re just very engaged in the learning experience.”

And said Ferreira, “There are all different areas where the student can associate with, and the teachers are always very supportive of that. We can all overlap in the different opportunities and balance that with the great academics here.”

As they prepare to receive their diplomas, each of the top three students in the Class of 2017 will use their time on the dais Friday to reflect and look forward.

Rogers’ speech will be the keynote from the students’ perspective. He plans on discussing the need to be bold as he and his fellow graduates depart high school.

“Going out into the world, not being afraid of failure,” he said will be the tone of his address. “Not being afraid of grabbing opportunities because you can always learn from failure. There’s always an opportunity out there, so go out there and grab it.”

Ferreira, taking a cue from her cousin and EPHS Class of 2005 valedictorian Peter Texeira, will center her remarks around a quote, “It’s not about how smart you are, but how hard you work.”

“I’m also going to branch off of that and how there’s always a next step,” she explained. “I’m going to talk about the future and despite what your next goal might be, you always have to figure out what you need to do now, in the present, before you can get to that next step.”

Amore’s oration will highlight the meaning of being a city resident and an EPHS graduate. It will likely sum up the underlying tenor of this year’s commencement and many others that have preceded.

“I think there are different opportunities for a lot of kids at this school because we have so many different groups where kids can fit in. We have sports. There’s clubs. There’s music things you can do. We have a lot of different kids at this school, but because there are so many opportunities you can find something you’re interested in and it creates a real community,” said Amore.

She added, “I’m going to talk about my experience at East Providence and how it has affected me and how it is going to affect me in the future. Because this is more than just a high school. It’s really a community experience. When you’re a ‘Townie,’ you’re always a ‘Townie.’ And that is something you should be proud of.”