Staples High School does not rank students numerically, so although top students may suspect they rank high in the class, they don't know exactly how they stack up against each other.
So when the two young men were called down to the principal's office to learn that they had earned the top two honors, neither one could predict who would be the valedictorian. Feinberg admitted it was a bit like a scene out of "American Idol" - when he found out he was named valedictorian he was surprised, certain that in fact it would be Jonathan Choi. Feinberg said, "When they announced it, I didn't believe it."
Both young men are stellar students, with a number of outstanding academic honors to their credit as well as a broad range of interests in which they have excelled. Feinberg will be attending Georgetown University in the fall in a business program, and Choi will be attending Harvard University, tentatively concentrating on the study of applied mathematics.
Mitchell credited Staples High School as a wonderful place to be educated. "The sheer opportunity you get at a school like Staples is great," he said. In particular, Mitchell said he enjoyed classroom experiences where challenging discussions and learning would take place and where the exploration of topics and ideas, rather than memorization or reading, was the focus.
He has also particularly enjoyed his experience on the track team, and said Coach Laddie Lawrence has been a big inspiration to him. Mitchell, modest about his accomplishments, credited many of his fellow students saying, "It's important to keep this in perspective. Some of the kids have done really incredible things and are really talented and impressive."
Jonathan Choi has been an outstanding student at Staples High School, after being selected by A Better Chance of Westport to be a scholar at Staples. After completing ninth grade, Jonathan left his Arizona high school to join the program, which offers educationally gifted scholars from disadvantaged areas an opportunity to live in a home in Westport and attend Staples High School. He has a younger brother who is in an ABC program in Wilton, and his parents, who have been very supportive of his education, now live in Seattle.
Jonathan, who spent the first nine years of his life in Korea, said his experience as an ABC scholar taught him to become mature and independent, and has prepared him well for the adjustment to college. He, like Feinberg, credited Staples High School for offering him so much.
"It's like no other high school I've ever heard of with so many wonderful academic and extracurricular opportunities." He said Staples teachers are very supportive, helping students deal with the naturally competitive environment as well as personal adjustment issues.
Harold Kamins, former president of A Better Chance of Westport, said of Jonathan, "Obviously to be the salutatorian you need to have really good grades and to be a really good student. He has a natural intellectual curiosity and is good at whatever he does. I took him golfing; he was a complete novice, but he determined that he wanted to join the golf team at Staples, which is really hard to do. He kept at it, practiced hard, and made it. That's the kind of person he is-determined to succeed."
Music and dancing are Choi's biggest hobbies. He loves hip hop dancing and started the first hip-hop club at Staples. "It was the one thing I couldn't do here so I started the club. I taught the kids how to have fun with it. It helps make stress go away and is a great way to spend time," he said.
Choi also gave a heartfelt nod to his parents. "My parents made a lot of sacrifices for me and my brother. They left Korea for my educational experience because I believed it was the best thing to do. They gave up family, friends, their network, and their occupations in Korea for us."
Feinberg is a member of the National Honor Society and the Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Track and Field teams. Mitchell played alto saxophone in the Freshman and Sophomore Bands, the Symphonic Band, the Staples Pit Orchestra and the Jazz Band. He won the Harvard University Book Award, the Award for Excellence in Spanish 3 and 4 honors and the award for Excellence in Robotics. He was named a 2008 AP Scholar with Distinction and was a National Merit Finalist.
Jonathan has been a member of the Math Team for the last three years and served as the Team Captain in his senior year. He was the founder and crew leader of the Break Dancing Club and was a member of the JV Soccer (Captain, 11th grade), JV Golf and Varsity Indoor Track teams. He was a member of Peer Advisors and served as the Co-President this year. In addition, Jonathan participated in Habitat for Humanity and the Key Club. Jonathan was the recipient of many awards during his tenure at Staples, including the Yale Book Award, the English Department Special Recognition Award, the Fairfield University Math and Science Award, the Spanish Award and the Physics "Rhodes" Scholar Award. He qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination through the American Mathematics Competition and was a Connecticut Governors Scholar Semi-Finalist and a National Merit Commended Student.