Chloe Conger named Groton salutatorian

In last week’s edition of this column (tinyurl.com/y6ps72yp), Groton High School’s (GHS) Class of 2022 valedictorian, Rachel Cargian, was featured. This week gives readers a glimpse into the life of the GHS Class of 2022 salutatorian, Chloe Conger.

Conger’s parents are Tim and Angela Conger, and she has one sister, Peyton Conger, who is currently a fifth-grader at Groton Elementary School.

Tim is a 1989 graduate of GHS and a machinist at BorgWarner. Angela is a customer service representative for the Village of Groton office.

After graduation, Chloe plans to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, where she will major in English with a focus on early childhood education and minor in theater.

Once Chloe earns her bachelor’s degree at Middlebury, she hopes to continue her education and obtain her master’s. It will likely only take her two years to earn the bachelor’s because Chloe will graduate from Tompkins Cortland Community College this May with her associate’s degree through the high school’s early college degree program, wherein students may take courses and earn high school and college credits simultaneously.

“Reading has always been a huge passion for me,” Chloe said. “And becoming an elementary reading teacher is my ultimate goal.”

Music and theater are also high on the list of Chloe’s passions, and the depth of her involvement there through the years could fill more space than this article can hold. But I bring you a synopsis.

Chloe plays the clarinet and has sung in chorus for as long as she can remember. She has participated in NYSSMA for band, All-County and Area All-State for chorus and has been in every drama club musical during her high school career as well as three middle school productions.

“I love being in a small school where everyone knows you,” Chloe said. “And I have especially loved the nurturing people in the music and drama departments. It’s my ‘safe space,’ and I have always felt welcome there.”

In addition to drama and music, Chloe is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Tri-M Club, Interact Club and the yearbook staff.

Chloe has also been a Girl Scout since the first grade and has earned some prestigious awards.

As a Girl Scout Junior, Chloe had completed all her “Journeys,” which then allowed her to earn her first major level award — the bronze, which must be a team effort that benefits the community. Chloe achieved this with her friend, Sarah Dean, by collecting toys, food and monetary donations for the Cortland SPCA, as well as making dog toys themselves.

The silver award, earned as a Cadette, must also benefit the community and requires 50 work hours. Chloe earned this by raising hunger awareness in Groton. She conducted extensive research on the topic and was astounded at the statistics she uncovered on the effects of hunger in school children. She became passionate about her feeling that hunger was not recognized in our community as much as it should be.

Many of Chloe’s required hours were spent the summer of 2018 in the school cafeteria, as she worked with Food Service Director Kelly Neville, prepping and freezing fresh produce to be used for school meals that fall. This culminated in the publication of Chloe’s “Healthy Recipes” book.

Due to the pandemic, the annual Groton Community Night that was started in 2015 by the Groton Girl Scouts has not been held since 2019, but Chloe was an integral part of those events when they took place.

Chloe’s civic contributions do not end with her Girl Scout activities. She was an intern through the United Way at the Village of Groton in the summer of 2020, and that fall, she helped to read applications and disburse grant money through the Youth and Philanthropy program.

In the summer of 2021, Chloe was chosen to participate in Empire Girls State, which is a training program run by the American Legion Auxiliary for high school juniors that teaches democratic ideals and the role each individual plays in upholding them. The main goal of Girls State is to instill a love of country and help its participants to develop a better understanding of the role of government and how it functions.

“I think Groton is a great community,” Chloe said. “I’ve always known everyone because of my family’s involvement in things. I’m also very grateful for the advantages and opportunities, such as the advanced courses and college credits and degrees through the school and getting to work in the village.”

Chloe has also spent time after school and during her summers working as a page at the Groton Public Library, doing check-ins at the Groton Memorial Park pool and helping with crafts at the Groton recreation summer camp. This summer, Chloe will be the craft director.

I just had to ask Chloe her secret for managing to keep her grades so high in the midst of all her activities and what advice she has for students who are still in high school.

“I look at my workload and put everything in a planner,” Chloe said. “I knock off the easy stuff first, and I always have music in the background. I would tell others not to push assignments off to the last minute and avoid procrastinating. Hard work pays off. If you put the effort in, you’ll get the reward.”

Angela spoke about how tremendously proud she is of Chloe, particularly as she watched her rise above some of her rough spots in life, and said it was also heartening to hear how Chloe feels about things.

“I am excited and proud to be the salutatorian,” Chloe said. “I worked hard to get here, and I am honored and thankful to have been chosen.”

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com or text or call Linda at (607) 227-4922.

In brief:

TST/GHS student of the month

The following Groton High School students were recognized as outstanding students of the month for March at the TST BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center: Damian Cobb, Outdoor Rec Services, Isaac Hall, Welding, and Austin Jacobs, Heavy Equipment.

These students are chosen based on qualities such as character, leadership, citizenship, work ethic and attendance and should be compassionate, honest, trustworthy, responsible and a positive role model.

Offerings at J’s Arrays

Upcoming vendor offerings at J’s Arrays, 211 Main St., on April 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will feature Basil Boutique, Epicure, LMC Designs — handcrafted jewelry by Linda Competillo, and Handmade Crafts.

To reserve a vendor space on a Saturday or to ask questions, contact Janette at JsArrays211@gmail.com.

Groton Rotary awards students

The Rotary Club of Groton has chosen two additional Groton students, Mathias Brehm and Braedy Dilger, to join Leanna Jackson and Julia Ramey and 85 other students from high schools in south central New York to participate in the 37th Rotary District 7170 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference held at SUNY Oneonta June 26 through 29.

RYLA is aimed at developing the leadership potential of young people. The conference will feature speakers, programs and workshops focused on decision making, critical thinking, effective communication, time management, ethics, career development, public service, contemporary problems and other challenging issues.