NORTH SMITHFIELD – A tennis player with a passion for mathematics and a setter for the girls volleyball team who hopes to pursue a degree in environmental science have been named the top students in the North Smithfield High School Class of 2025.
Madeline McCauley, daughter of Steven and Kim McCauley, has been named valedictorian of the graduating class, according to a release from the school.
McCauley served as president of the National Honor Society through her senior, one role among many in a long list of extracurricular activities she participated in throughout her years in high school. McCauley played on the varsity girls’ tennis team from grades 9 to 12, serving as captain and earning an All-Division First Team Singles selection during her senior year. She was also a member of the indoor and outdoor track team her freshman and sophomore years while dual-sporting with cross country.
A bio on the class’s top student notes that she has also organized and operated multiple successful fundraisers. Additionally, she participated in the growing Active Minds chapter at her school, working to integrate mental health into students’ lives by creating engaging events that aimed to reduce societal stigma and encourage individuals to seek help.
McCauley also regularly competed with the math team throughout her four years in high school and is a member of the student council
and Select Choir. For four years, McCauley has worked at Pound Hill Creamery and in her free time, she said she enjoys shopping, going on adventures, and spending time with friends and family.
For her senior project, McCauley said she decided to combine her two passions: mathematics and working with children, by helping second graders who were struggling with math. Two days a week, McCauley tutored at North Smithfield Elementary School, developing lessons and
activities to engage students and help them better understand the material. She said she hopes her efforts encouraged the youth to take pride in their education and learn to have fun with numbers.
This year’s valedictorian said she is immensely grateful for the family, teachers, and friends who have supported and motivated her throughout high school. She said she especially wanted to thank her parents, her sister, Kylie, and her brother, Casey, for always encouraging and celebrating her throughout the way.
McCauley plans to study mathematics at Clemson University in the fall.
Grace Aleksiewicz, child of Amy and Lance Aleksiewicz, has been named salutatorian of the Class of 2025. Aleksiewicz’s extracurricular activities during time at the school included participation with the Student Civic Liaison program, working with the community to promote civic engagement and education. The work earned Aleksiewicz the Hugh Grant O’Brien Youth Leadership Award in 2023, and the Rhode Island Civics Leadership Award in 2024.
Aleksiewicz also played on the girls’ varsity volleyball team from 9th to 12th grade, and helped lead the team to the semifinals for the first time in many years during senior year. The salutatorian has also been a member of the choral program since 9th grade and joined the chamber choir from 10th to 12th grade. Aleksiewicz participated in the RIMEA All-State choral festival in freshman, junior, and senior years, and was also in the after-school elementary choir and the National Honor Society.
Outside of school, a bio provided by the scholar stated that Aleksiewicz loves to spend time in nature, draw and paint, and continue to learn new information by reading and exploring.
For a senior project, Aleksiewicz worked with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Education and Outreach department to create an educational science kit focused on coastlines, part of the “Rhody Critter Kit” series. Aleksiewicz created lesson plans, activities, and supplemental materials, which were brought to a 4th-grade North Smithfield Elementary School classroom. Aleksiewicz led the class through a lesson about coastlines, had them participate in a craft, and ran a “real-life” fieldwork simulation. The senior said that the experience was a great success, and Aleksiewicz hopes to continue to spread an interest in learning about the environment through
educational work.
Aleksiewicz expressed gratitude for the family, friends, teachers, mentors, and coaches who have been supportive and encouraging, especially thanking their parents, sister Anna, and extended family for the constant support, unconditional acceptance and love.
Aleksiewicz will be attending the University of Richmond and pursuing a degree in environmental science.
