VOORHEESVILLE — With high-school grades averaging 97 percent, this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian rose to the top of their class.

Jill Malfetano, a diver, science enthusiast, and accomplished musician, is ranked first in Voorheesville’s class of 2006, and Matt Belgiovine, a soccer and volleyball player with an interest in economics, math, and politics, is ranked second.

Jill Malfetano

Diving has been a major part of Jill Malfetano’s life since the fifth grade. She dives all year, whether it’s during the school team’s season or with the Flip and Rip diving team which practices at Union College four times a week and competes nationally. She stared out as a gymnast and transitioned to diving at an early age, she said.
As a junior, Malfetano took a one-year hiatus from diving. "I was really burned out," she said. She chose to play on Voorheesville’s golf team for that one year instead.
Golf had always been a leisure activity for Malfetano, something she did with her family at the Albany Golf and Country Club off of Wormer Road, she said. She was the only girl on the co-ed school golf team, and had fun with the experience. "I didn’t take it nearly as serious," as diving, she said.
"I still golf, but I’ll never be on a team again" I’m not very good," Malfetano said through a smile.

She’s going to Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute (RPI) next year to study bio-medical engineering. It’s a field that specializes in making machines used for medical purposes, such as in research and hospitals. Malfetano said she’s a real hands-on person.

She hasn’t decided yet if she’ll dive at the college level but her long-term Flip and Rip coach, Maria Coomeraswami, is also RPI’s driving coach, so Malfetano said she anticipates receiving some encouragement and or pressure to join the institute’s team.

Another passion of Malfetano’s is music. Voorheesville music teacher Chris Jantson has been an inspiration, she said. Malfetano started playing the trumpet in the fifth grade and knew pretty much right away that it was something she was going to be good at, she said.
She started taking private lessons with Jantson in eighth grade. "He made it really fun," she said. By high school, Malfetano was playing in the Stage Band, Brass Quintet, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and for the Empire State Youth Orchestra.

In terms of academics, Malfetano said she likes math and science. Her favorite classes at Clayton A. Bouton High were chemistry and physics, both of which were taught by one of her favorite teachers, Robert Freyer.
"He always made class very interesting; he got involved," Malfetano said. A good teacher makes himself available to help students, Malfetano said.
"I loved how everyone knows everyone and all the teachers are great," Malfetano said, reflecting on her 12 years at Voorheesville. All around, her education was a good experience, she said. The only regret she has is that she wished she could have taken advanced math, which she said is nobody’s fault, but students are tested in elementary school for their placement in math, and pretty much set on a track then, she said. Another opportunity arises in eighth grade to take advanced math but it wasn’t something that was on her mind at that time, Malfetano said.

Her interest in math didn’t really pick up until high school. She wanted to take AP Calculus, but wasn’t able to because by that point she was already a year behind the other advanced students, she said. Some of the advanced classes she did take, though were AP global, AP U.S. History, AP chemistry, and honors English. She liked how the district permits a flexible high-school schedule and allows students to pick what they want to take.

Matt Belgiovine
Matt Belgiovine spent his "entire life" in Voorheesville growing up in its public schools, he said. "I really liked that," he said of spending his childhood in one place. "I liked being around people I really knew, and great friends."

Belgiovine was the vice president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter, and is the senior class president.

One of his fondest high-school memories is winning the soccer sectional finals when he was a junior. He has spent many years playing soccer with the same kids, even before getting to the level of high-school competition.

Belgiovine played both varsity soccer and varsity volleyball at Clayton A. Bouton. He plans to continue to play soccer in his adult life, but in a less organized fashion such as on an intramural team, he said, rather than on a college team.
Belgiovine is attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall and has enrolled in a special business and engineering program, resulting in two degrees after four years. He had to first apply to the university and then separately apply to the special academic program. He chose to go to UPenn because, he said, "It’s the best business education in the world."

Belgiovine said he has an interest in studying the sciences and aspires to own his own business some day, although at this point he doesn’t know what type.
He enjoyed AP Economics this year with Patrick Corrigan. "Interesting material presented by a great teacher," Belgiovine said.
What’s fascinating about economics is "how it can explain a lot of our behavior — I think it’s very rational," he said.

His favorite Voorheesville teacher is John Sittig, who taught statistics. Belgiovine said math and science are two things that he really has going for himself, which is why he thinks he’ll enjoy engineering although he has never taken a course in it before.
While not in school, Belgiovine enjoys his family’s vacations to Maine; he has two sisters. "My parents are a major part of my life — but I like to think I’m pretty independent," Belgiovine said.