Onteora High School announced its top student honors for the Class of 2025 on Friday, recognizing Gavin Rice as valedictorian, Alexia Melendez as salutatorian, and Cocoro “Coco” Asada as the recipient of the Principal’s Award.
Rice, of Phoenicia, will graduate with an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors and Distinction in Math and Science, having completed six AP courses. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the Rocket Club, and volunteers at the Phoenicia Library. In 2024, he received the Rensselaer Medal Award and this year earned the New York State Seal of Biliteracy. Rice plans to study biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
“I am deeply fascinated by how the human body works and how it can be improved upon,” Rice said. He credited his parents for their support and praised Onteora’s close-knit environment. “The best thing about Onteora is that it is a pretty small community, and I feel like I know everyone at least by name.”
Principal Lance Edelman described Rice as “an extraordinary young man” who “always strives to do his best.”
Melendez, of Bearsville, earned an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors and Distinction in Science, along with a Seal of Biliteracy and a Seal of Civic Readiness. She completed 10 AP courses and was active in student government, National Honor Society, band, and varsity athletics. A two-sport captain and AAU basketball player, she was named a BCANY All-Section Top 50 Player in 2024.
She plans to attend Binghamton University to major in business administration and hopes to manage her family’s rental business. “Thank you for giving me the resources to succeed,” she told her family, also naming several teachers who “made learning feel meaningful and fun.”
“Alexia is a quiet intellectual,” Edelman said. “She is authentically interested in learning and absorbs everything.”
Asada, of Boiceville and Chichester, will receive an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors and multiple seals, including in French, Japanese, and Civic Readiness. She took 10 AP classes and held leadership roles in student government and the National Honor Society. As a musician, athlete, tutor, and coach, Asada has balanced academics with a wide range of activities.
She will attend The George Washington University to study international affairs, aspiring to work in immigration policy. “Every school accomplishment has been to make [my mother] proud,” she said.
Edelman praised Asada’s maturity, curiosity, and compassion. “She is a natural leader in both name and action,” he said.
