Kids these days. It’s a common refrain with each generation. Google defines this effect as: “The incorrect belief that children in the present are substantively different and necessarily worse than children a generation or two ago.” Even Google knows that it’s a myth, but we have gone a step further and ventured out into our community to prove that kids these days are, in fact, exceptional. Well, at least ten of them are (plus a bunch more who would have made the cut if we were featuring twenty or thirty of Westport, Weston and Wilton’s finest young folks).
Staples High School, Weston High School, Wilton High School, Greens Farms Academy, Fairfield Prep, St. Luke’s, King School and Wooster School submitted their most impressive upperclassmen from our towns, and the pool is brimming and bright with: nationally ranked athletes, political prodigies, environmental stewards, award-winning artists, published writers, multilingual phenoms, school ambassadors and budding medical researchers. Each of our finalists juggles a mind-boggling schedule of academic and extracurricular activities, and every last one is a compassionate human being who proves KIDS THESE DAYS ARE AWESOME.
ANDREW BERKOWITZ
Staples High School
Staples Class of 2024 Salutatorian Andrew Berkowitz has represented the U.S. on the junior swim team at the Maccabiah Games in Israel; he’s a YMCA Youth of the Year winner; he has helped raise almost $30,000 swimming across the Sound the past three years; and his We the People group placed tenth in the nation.The guy knows how to keep his head above water in a riptide of activities that would spit most mortals up on the shore, wiped out!
“I have been swimming since I was 8 years old with the Westport Weston YMCA Water Rats,” says Andrew, who now swims for Amherst College. “Over time, it became much more than how I was doing in the pool. It taught me about discipline and time management, and some of my closest friends were on my team. I served on the Board of Connecticut Swim, which organizes all competitive swimming in the state.”
At Staples, Andrew was All-FCIAC and All-State in swimming. “In my junior year, we had a great team and won one of the relays at FCIACs, which was definitely a highlight,” he says. Andrew was part of three relay teams that won silver medals at Israel’s Maccabiah Games.
Andrew loves math, economics, history and government. “I really enjoyed my We the People class. We divided into groups of three to four to analyze and debate Constitutional questions and then competed against other schools,” he explains. “Our class tied with Trumbull for first place in Connecticut. My group finished tenth in the country at the national competition in D.C.”
Andrew also actively served the community through the National Honors Society, math and social studies honor societies and SLOBs (Service League of Boys). The service that has meant the most to him is the Swim Across the Sound, which is a 16-mile charity race from Port Jefferson in Long Island to Bridgeport.He and a few teammates raised almost $30,000 for cancer treatment and research. “The race itself is pretty grueling,” says Andrew, “but it’s a lot of fun. Last year our team actually won, which was cool.”
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What is the greatest challenge you have overcome?
Balancing my extracurriculars and school. Swimming goes all year with eight practices a week, including two at 5:15 a.m. on weekdays. Some travel meets require missing a lot of school, so it forced me to manage my time well and communicate with my teachers about making up work and tests. Fortunately all my teachers were supportive.
What would you tell your freshman self?
Don’t worry, you’ll eventually be able to take your mask off! We started ninth grade during Covid, so we were only in school two days a week and wore masks for most of the year. It’s hard to even imagine now. As far as school, I wish I could have taken a few more fun classes like photography and culinary arts.
Which teacher had the biggest impact on you?
My second grade-teacher Mrs. Lawrence had a big influence on me because she gave me independent work in an area that I loved at the time, geography. It was less about the geography and more about giving me the ability and confidence to explore my interests, even while she managed twenty-five rambunctious second- graders. In high school, my freshman Spanish teacher, Señor Barahona, set really high expectations. I learned so much that year, and he showed me that if you put yourself out there and work hard, you can accomplish much more than you thought possible.
Words to live by?
“Preparation is key.” My parents always tell me not to focus too much on results. They’ve stressed that all you can do is prepare yourself and try your best. Sometimes it works out great, acing a test or swimming a personal best time, and sometimes it doesn’t. But as long as you’ve prepared and put in the effort, you should be content with the outcome, even if it wasn’t what you hoped for. This applies to school, swim and life.