SJA Announces 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

St. Johnsbury Academy announces the valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2020. Zoe Monatague, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was named valedictorian. Han “Carrie” Zeng, of Dalian City, China, was named salutatorian.

Valedictorian Zoe Montague has earned many awards and honors during her high school career. She received the Wellesley College Book Award, the UVM Green and Gold Scholarship, three Silver Medals (Maxima Cum Laude) on the National Latin Exam in Latin I, Latin II, and Latin Poetry and is an AP Scholar with Distinction. Zoe is also the president of the National Honor Society, a four-year member of the Scholars Bowl team, and the team captain, and a member of We the People team that won the state championship this year. She’s been a member of the volleyball, gymnastic, and ultimate frisbee teams, serving as a co-captain for the last two years with the volleyball and ultimate teams.

Zoe will attend Princeton University in the fall where she plans to study English, religion, or political science. Other schools where she was accepted include Dartmouth College, Colorado College, Boston College, Fordham University, and the UVM Honors College.  

Salutatorian Han “Carrie” Zeng received many honors during her time at St. Johnsbury Academy, as well. She won the top prize winner in the Disease Detective portion of the Vermont Science Olympiad and finished third in the Microbe Mission portion.  She is an AP Scholar with Distinction, earned the Harvard Book Award, and a participant on the We the People team that captured the state championship earlier this year. Carrie is on the Science Olympiad team, and a past president, a member of the National Honor Society, and the president and founder of the Student Services Club. In her spare time, she works with the school’s admissions department as a Student Ambassador.

In the Fall, Carrie will attend UCLA where she intends to major in economics and political science. She was also accepted to the University of Virginia, University of California at San Diego, University of California at Santa Barbara, Colby College, Hamilton College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Emory University, USC, King’s College London, University College London, Boston College, NYU, and Durham University.

Headmaster Tom Lovett said, “Zoe and Carrie are very impressive young women, and they and their families should be very proud! Just by listening to them talk about their Capstones, one gets a sense of the love of learning and depth of intellect that has inspired their studies.  They embody what is best in all scholars.  We will do all we can to allow them their moments during Commencement Weekend to address their classmates; they deserve the honor, and their classmates deserve to hear them!”