With graduation coming up on Friday for Mt. Hope’s senior class, the school has released its list of the Top 10 highest achieving students for the Class of 2024.

We offer our sincerest congratulations to all who made such strenuous efforts throughout their tenure at Mt. Hope to make this list, and to all students who strive to do their best each day in and out of the classroom.

The list this year includes an impressive array of students who will be going on to attend an array of prestigious universities across the nation, pursuing a range of majors from the fine arts, advanced mathematics, and applied sciences. We look forward to learning about their achievements going forward in the future.

So without further adieu, the Top 10 of Mt. Hope High School for the Class of 2024:

#1 - Lucien Chidester

“Lucien has applied himself beyond what most students in High School would attempt to do,” wrote guidance counselor Anthony Simmons. “Much of what I have learned is Lucien fills most of his waking minutes doing something. He is involved around and in our community as a great, positive leader. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know more about Lucien and getting to joke around with one of the most well rounded individuals I have been able to meet.”

Chidester will major in mathematics at Princeton University.

#2 - Isabelle Courtney

“Isabelle has a quiet fierceness about her,” wrote Simmons. “She has been an advocate and a determined force to get what she needs. When she says she is going to do something. You best believe it will be done.”

Courtney will major in history at the College of William and Mary.

#3 - Arden Wilkes

Arden Wilkes made her mark at Mt. Hope in about as many ways as a student could, being active in sports (ice hockey, tennis, lacrosse) as well as extracurriculars (Vice President of DECA, Class Secretary all four years, the debate team, National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society).
Wilkes will major in biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

#4 - Fiona Sharp

Fiona Sharp will head to one of New York’s most prestigious universities after a fulfilling high school tenure that included being the president of the National Honor Society and a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society, as well as extracurricular activities that included being a dance instructor, a Girl Scout, and a participant in the Science Olympiad.

Sharp will major in biomedical engineering at Syracuse University.

#5 - Vic Bullard

Vic Bullard has been seen often in these pages representing Mt. Hope’s vibrant crop of musical talent. Involved all four years in the Vocal Ensemble (rising to its top rank of President), and the Vice President of the Masqueraders, Bullard was also involved with the Jazz Band, the JIVE jazz choir, the Tri-M Music Society, and was a perennial representative at All-States for singing, including a 2022 selection among only 15 Rhode Islanders chosen for the National Association for Music Education’s 2022 All-National Honors Ensemble.

Bullard will major in theatre at Chapman University.

#6 - Adam Garies

Adam Garies established himself as a leader at Mt. Hope both as a member of the Class of 2024 Executive Board and through his time as a member of the school’s Unified Basketball team.

“Unlike many kids his age who were playing against their will, Adam always hustled, listened to his coaches, was respectful and tried to improve during each and every game and practice,” said Brian MacDougall, guidance counselor and the coach of the 2015 King Philip Little League champion team that Garies played on. “Adam continues to possess these character traits through young adulthood and it has helped propel him to become one of the finest students in the entire Mt. Hope High School Class of 2024.”

Garies will major in environmental biology at Providence College.

#7 - Bridget Williams

Bridget Williams aspires to be an environmental scientist, and carved out a name for herself at Mt. Hope through sports (including Soccer, indoor track, and lacrosse), as well as extracurriculars (Vice President of DECA, the Class Executive Board, National Honor Society, and World Language Honor Society.

Williams will major in environmental science at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst).

#8 - Edda Petrillo

Edda Petrillo received numerous accolades during her Mt. Hope tenure, including the Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal, the Saint Michael’s College Book Award for Academic Achievement & Social Conscience, and the AP Scholar Award. She also was active in the Jazz Band, String Ensemble, the rowing team, theatre, the Class Executive Board, the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society.

Petrillo will major in architecture at the University of Virginia.

#9 - Elsa White

White quickly became a standout on the Mt. Hope tennis team, where she would become the team captain. She was also a leading contributor to the Huskies efforts on the basketball court, the softball diamond, and was a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.

White will major in accounting at Bentley University.

#10 - Seren Davies

Rounding out the Top 10 is Seren Davies, who made a mark on Mt. Hope through a natural sense of leadership and a motivation to succeed. The following story, provided by MacDougall, highlighted her willingness to stand up for what she believed in.

“Two years ago our theater program, The Mt. Hope Masqueraders, was on the verge of being cut out of the budget…Seren had already fallen in love with the program and was an instrumental member in her first two years at Mt. Hope,” writes MacDougall. “Seren knew she had to act fast and wrote an email that she poured her heart into, explaining how the theater program had changed her life. Her email made it through the proper channels and two days later Seren got a response from school administration saying that the program would stay alive.”