TPS honors valedictorians, salutatorians for excellence

Bob Vasquez, president of the Toledo school board, left, and Start High School salutatorian Laura Zielinski, center, and her father, Paul Zielinski, discuss Miss Zielinski's plans for college. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Nicholas Francis, salutatorian of Toledo Technology Academy, attended the Celebration of Excellence event at the Toledo Club with his mother, Randy Jean Francis. He said he benefited greatly from the academy's business-engineering curriculum. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Not everything is gloom and doom at the Toledo Public Schools, where the administration and board struggle to come up with $30 million in cuts by June 30.

Last night, the district held its "Celebration of Excellence," at which the valedictorians and salutatorians at the nine high schools were recognized for their hard work, good grades, and high accomplishments.

Laura Zielinski of Start High School and Nicholas Francis of Toledo Technology Academy were typical of the overachievers school officials paid tribute to at the Toledo Club. Both are 17 and salutatorians.

Laura placed second in the state regional fundamental accounting competition in 2009 and second in the advanced regional accounting competition the same year; in 2008, she was first in the regional competition.

She also was a member of the second-place All City Girl's Cross Country Team in 2009 and was named a Distinguished Expert Marksman in the junior rifle program to which she belongs and where she has been an assistant coach for four years.

Laura plans to go to the University of Toledo, where she'll study accounting, of course, a subject she said she loves.

Nicholas, like Laura, also has a resume as long as a person's arm.

He was president of the student council and National Honor Society and received the Coalition for Youth Enrichment's Youth Walk of Fame Award in the entrepreneurship category.

He also is an Eagle Scout and was a member of TTA's science olympiad team and alternative energy team.

Nicholas runs his own business, International Halloween Productions LLC, which employs more than 40 seasonal workers. Last year, the firm operated a commercial haunted house and raised more than $6,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northwest Ohio.

Nicholas plans to major in business administration at Ohio State University.

Laura credited her parents, Marianne and Paul Zielinski, with instilling a work ethic in her and her elder sister, Carolyn, a third-year pharmacy student at UT.

Said her mother: "There's no real secret. It's just a four-letter word called 'work.'•"

Nicholas said he benefited enormously from TTA's business-engineering curriculum, and that he prefers the business side to the engineering. "Our whole senior year is set up as an industrial workplace with a boss," he said.

He describes himself as "an entrepreneur at heart. It's what I love doing, working with someone and running your own thing."

School board President Bob Vasquez congratulated the students and said the evening was "one of those nights that is always a pleasure. ..."

He predicted the school district would emerge from its current financial crisis. "We are going to get through this. ... We are facing a bright future."

Superintendent John Foley, the keynote speaker, joked that, like the "vals" and "sals," the youngsters he once had as a teacher of the behaviorally handicapped also made the Top 10 list - "at the Post Office."

The comment was met with laughter.

Contact Carl Ryan at:

carlryan@theblade.com

or 419-724-6050.