South Jefferson Central School District

Mr. Justin West, Principal of South Jefferson Central High School, is proud to announce the top academic honorees for the Class of 2026. These students have demonstrated exceptional dedication both inside and outside of the classroom through their academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, leadership and community participation.

 

Patrick Tousley Jr., Valedictorian, son of Patrick Tousley Sr. and Elizabeth Tousley of Mannsville, NY, will graduate with a grade point average of 98.43 and has earned the honor of Valedictorian for the South Jefferson Class of 2026. He will graduate with a Regents Diploma with Honors and plans to attend Jefferson Community College, where he will major in Mathematics.

 

Patrick has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his entire high school career and has earned numerous academic honors, including the Scholar Athlete Award (2023–2024), the Rensselaer Medal in 11th grade and a nomination for the 7 News Academic All-Star award in 2026. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and was enrolled in two Jefferson Community College EDGE classes during his senior year.

 

Throughout high school, Patrick was heavily involved in music and student activities. He participated in South Jefferson Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Spartan Jazz, Bi-County Jazz Ensemble, and Bi-County Wind Ensemble, where he served as First Chair Alto Saxophonist in 2026. He also earned acceptance into the Area All-State Modern Band in 11th grade and participated in the Area All-State Instrumental Ensemble during his senior year. Patrick served as Chess Club President in 12th grade after being an active member throughout high school. Additional involvement includes Class President in 9th grade, South Jefferson Trap League, FFA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society and Varsity Golf for all four years.

 

Reese Roberts, Salutatorian, daughter of Melissa and Michael Roberts of Adams Center, NY, will graduate with the honor of Salutatorian. She will receive an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors and Mastery in Science and plans to attend SUNY Brockport to major in Nursing.

 

Reese has pursued rigorous college-level coursework throughout high school, including JCC Pre-Calculus, Human and Environmental Biology, Calculus, English and French. She is a member of both the National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society and consistently earned Honor Roll recognition throughout grades 9–11. Reese also participated in Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

 

A dedicated athlete, Reese served as Captain of the Varsity Cross Country team and earned multiple Frontier League All-Star honors in both Cross Country and Track and Field. She was also a member of the 2021 and 2024 Sectional Champion Cross Country teams. Outside of school athletics, Reese has participated in competitive dance for more than 10 years.

 

Avaya Ackley, Career & Technical Education Honor Graduate, daughter of Jessica Steele of Watertown, NY and Jeremy Ackley of Adams, NY, will graduate with a Regents Diploma and has earned the distinction of Career & Technical Education Honor Graduate. She plans to attend SUNY Geneseo, where she will major in Psychology.

 

Avaya has been actively involved in numerous academic and leadership organizations throughout high school, including Student Council, SkillsUSA, National Honor Society, and the National Technical Honor Society. She consistently earned Honor Roll recognition at both South Jefferson and BOCES and received the Professionalism Award for Medical Careers in 2025, along with Student of the Quarter honors in Medical Careers in 2024. Outside of academics, Avaya has been a dedicated dancer for the past nine years.

 

South Jefferson congratulates these outstanding students on their achievements and wishes them continued success in their future endeavors