Congratulations to the class of 2023 Valedictorian and Salutatorian!

2023 Valedictorian: Claire Vincent

Congratulations to Claire Vincent for receiving the highest grade point average for Rice’s class of 2023!  Claire is an exemplary student, a natural leader, funny, mature, and humble. As an AP diploma candidate, she has excelled academically in a rigorous academic course load. She is very focused in the classroom and works well with her peers. Her attention to detail and willingness to take the time to work through more challenging questions is outstanding. Her determination, remarkable work ethic and an intrinsic love of learning has earned her the Excellence in Latin award among many others. In addition, she was bestowed the Harvard Book Award which honors a student with exemplary character, commitment to community service, and high academic achievement. 

Claire has successfully balanced her academic achievement with her engagement in the Rice and local community. Claire was the captain of our championship varsity soccer team. This year, she also earned the Vermont Defensive Player of the Year award for Division II soccer. Claire is a natural leader, approaches each situation with compassion and humor, and is passionate about helping others. Claire also enjoys sharing her love for soccer. She has assisted with coaching an indoor youth soccer team and volunteered with the Top Soccer program.  

Claire is an intelligent young person who has a great sense of humor and is wise and mature beyond her years. She has made a difference at Rice, and we know she will continue to do so at the University of Vermont and beyond! 

2023 Salutatorian: Catherine Viner

Congratulations to Catherine for receiving the next highest grade point average for the class of 2023! Catherine embodies the Rice mission: to love learning, to serve others, and to seek God. At Rice, she has challenged herself with one of our most demanding course loads. She has also shown impressive engagement and leadership in the classroom, innate curiosity, and initiative. In recognition of her academic prowess and passion for learning, Catherine has earned 10 awards for academic excellence throughout her years at Rice. In addition, she is an AP Capstone Diploma candidate.  

Furthermore, Catherine has successfully balanced academics with athletic endeavors, a part time job, and extracurricular activities. She played volleyball, acted and sang in Rice’s production of Les Mis and The Music Man, performed at numerous coffee houses and was an integral member of our chorus program. Catherine is passionate about music and wrote, produced, and published an album. During Stunt Nite, she performed on stage and also helped to write the script and choreograph a number of dance routines. 

Catherine is a natural leader, takes initiative, and is passionate about helping others. As a sophomore, she was selected to attend a HOBY leadership seminar and applied the skills learned to make Rice and her local community a better place. Catherine has volunteered as a camp counselor for Totus Tuus, a week-long camp for Catholic youth, and is a counselor for the Greater Burlington Children’s Chorus camp. Catherine’s faith is certainly reflected by her commitment to helping others, her strong moral compass, and her kind, positive, and compassionate nature. 

Catherine is a leader within our community and is an intelligent, determined, and compassionate young person. The Rice community is so proud of you and can’t wait to see all you will accomplish at Notre Dame and beyond! 

Quotes from some of their teachers:

"I have had the pleasure of learning Latin with both Catherine and Claire in the same class for the last 4 years. That’s about 700 classes together! Even so, I frequently get their names mixed up, because they are both the same sort of student—eager to learn, and always prepared. I admire how these two have progressed academically at Rice, but I admire even more how they have advanced and flourished as friends. They are both happy students, two of Rice’s finest." - John Cirignano, Rice Latin Teacher

"It has been wonderful to learn two different subjects with Claire and Catherine as their academic versatility is one of their amazing gifts. In AP Seminar, their intellect and collegiate writing skills were on full display whilst in my AP Physics class, their focus and problem solving has taken center stage. They are both incredibly kind and I am grateful to have been part of their journey." - Darren Clas, Rice Science and AP Seminar Teacher