Senior Chloe Makdad is this year’s Valedictorian, but you would not have found her in the halls of Tyrone this year. Makdad spent her senior year studying at Juniata College through the PACE program.

“I got ahead way back in elementary since my math classes were basically work at your own pace. I took some cyber classes in sixth grade during the school day and some placement tests and got ahead in Social Studies, and after that I was basically accelerated a grade level from seventh grade on in my core classes,” said Makdad.

After high school, Makdad will attend Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, and major in mathematics.

“I definitely [want to minor] in something, whether that be computer science, biology, physics, or something else. After that, I’m thinking about going to grad school, although if I happen to get a job I like without going to grad school, I’ll take it. I’d like my career to be research based, and that usually requires grad degrees,” Makdad said.

Even though Makdad didn’t take any classes at Tyrone this year, she was still very involved in high school extracurricular activities. She was an active member of Quiz League, Mock Trial, and Speech Team.

Quiz League has taught Makdad random facts and tidbits of information. She’s gained knowledge and new friends from her years on the team.

“Thanks to Quiz League and Mr. Wilson I now know what flying buttress is. Thanks to Mr. Funicelli I know all about mud hens,” Makdad said. “During my three years I was on the team, we posted some of the best records in school history.”

“Chloe accepts challenges and always goes above and beyond what is expected,” said Quiz League coach Mr. Funicelli.

Makdad spent four years as an Attorney on the Mock Trial A Team. She’s won six Best Attorney Awards in their trials, two Best Attorney Awards from the Pitt Tournament and one from the Penn State Tournament.

“This year, we finally won something! We did pretty well at the Pitt tournament, and then we went to the Penn State tournament for the first time. We just wanted some more practice, but we ended up placing third. [Mr. Cammarata] let me take the trophy home for a night. We also beat Huntingdon for the district championship this year, which was amazing  because we have a big rivalry with Huntingdon and because, we not only made the playoffs for the first time, but we also miraculously made it to regionals, where we only lost on a tiebreaker,” said Makdad about the team’s success this year. 

Although this year was a record-breaking year for the Mock Trial Team, Makdad  made many friends and memories throughout her four years in Mock Trial.

One of her favorite memories is meeting a massive squirrel, which the team named Chubs, who has become the mascot for Mock Trial and was the inspiration for a Twitter account.

“Oddly enough, I learned that as much as I enjoyed pretending to be a lawyer, I don’t actually want to become one. Mock trial also taught me how to think on my feet, and was great help for my public speaking and communication skills,” said Makdad. 

“Chloe is without a doubt the best attorney and leader our team has ever had. I am so proud of all that she and this year’s team accomplished. I will miss Chloe and all of the seniors tremendously and wish them all the best in the future,” said Cammarata.

Also helping with her public speaking was Speech Team.

“Speech team was another thing that helped me with public speaking, and in a variety of ways. I learned how to present original, serious, and humorous texts,” said Makdad.

Being a member for four years, Makdad was able to have Mr. Merryman was a coach and Mr. Coleman and Mr. Owens as assistant coaches.

“I loved the fact that I could do anything as a speech, from movie monologues to original pieces,” Makdad said.

Outside of school, Makdad has competed in National History Day (NHD) for five years and has moved onto Nationals twice.

“Nationals was kind of crazy. Some of the projects were incredible. I wasn’t able to see any of the documentaries, performances or websites, but I did get to see the exhibits and some of the papers. I always choose obscure topics so that my project would teach people something they might not have known before, and a lot of the projects at nationals were also like that,” said Makdad.

Her eighth grade project title was We Live Within the Wind and the Sand. And Our Eyes are on the Stars – The Wasp. Her 2017 junior year project was entitled God rewards Fools Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman’s Stand to Revolutionize Cryptography.

“The first year I went was when I was in 8th grade, and I learned a lot about writing and research from the feedback I got and looking at other projects. Coming back last year, I knew that would be my last time, and I felt like I finally knew what I was doing. I was really happy with my paper and how it turned out, and placing 10th was a nice reward for all of the work I had put in over the years,” Makdad said. 

Along with all of her academic achievements, Makdad was crowned this year’s Homecoming Princess.

“You could definitely say I was surprised and a bit confused. It wasn’t something I was expecting it. Homecoming was something I always associated with popularity and such, and I never really thought of myself that way. The whole experience and night was fun and memorable,” said Makdad.

One of Makdad’s close friends, senior Jonathan Clifton escorted her for Homecoming.

“Chloe’s funny, smart, and wacky. She’s always cracking dad jokes and is wickedly intelligent,” said Clifton.

Not only does math interest Makdad, she also loves dogs.

“I’m a big fan of mutts, Labradors, Golden’s, Labradoodles and such. I hope to be a proud dog mom!” Makdad said.

Although she has a bright and successful future to look forward to, Makdad will be greatly missed by the staff, community, and her peers in Tyrone.