Floral Park Memorial High School has named Gagandeep Kaur and Meaghan Kilcarr as the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, of the Class of 2022.
Gagandeep is a well-recognized face around Floral Park Memorial, as she is involved in multiple school organizations. She is president of the National Art Honor Society and a member of the World Language Honor Society, Mathletes, National Honor Society, Ecology Club and Culture Club. Through her role as president of the National Art Honor Society, she helped to organize a Paint and Dip Night with the World Language Honor Society last school year. With the Culture Club, she has been working on school beautification projects. Her work as a student-artist has been recognized with first- and second-place Cultural Arts Awards by the General Federation of Women’s Club-New York Island-Metro District, and her artwork has been on display at the Heckscher Museum of Art. Academically, Gagandeep has been recognized as both an AP Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction. She is also a Brown University Book Award recipient. Outside of school, Gagandeep volunteers at Anna’s House as a tutor, where she helps elementary school students with their homework. She also volunteers at her local gurdwara, where she helps younger students with reading and writing in Punjabi. This fall, she has been working as a teacher aid at John Lewis Childs School in Floral Park, helping kindergartners with their schoolwork.
Meaghan is renowned for her ambition and enthusiasm at Floral Park Memorial. She has challenged herself with rigorous coursework, taking almost all the AP courses available to students. She has been recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction; is a recipient of the 2020 Rensselaer Medal Scholarship; and has received Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards in AP World and European History, Algebra 2 and chemistry. She is active in her school community, serving as member of Floral Park’s Junior National Honor Society, National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society, Superintendent Student Advisory Board and the SADD club.
She has also played for Floral Park Knights’ volleyball team, lacrosse team and the district gymnastics team. Meaghan’s athletic talents have been recognized with the Nassau Volleyball Coaches’ Association Scholar Athlete Award and All-Conference honors in gymnastics. Outside of school, Meaghan dedicates her time to volunteering and helping others. She has been a volunteer for over eight years with Floral Park’s annual fundraiser for breast cancer, Liz’s Day, and co-founded a nonprofit Teenz Who Care. She has also volunteered for the St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser, MJ Strong Fundraiser and the annual St. Vincent De Paul Church Holiday Food Delivery. This past summer, she was asked to be on Senator Kaplan’s Youth Advisory Board.