Superintendent’s Spotlight: Anna Biondi and Gabriella ‘Gabby’ Romero

Warwick Valley High School seniors and Class of ‘27 officers Anna Biondi (president) and Gabriella Romero (vice president) describe their class as energetic, welcoming, and full of personality—qualities both students exhibit individually and hope to strengthen collectively through their work.

Anna’s journey to leadership began before high school. She became interested in student government and participated in the Warwick Valley Middle School Student Senate. She became even more involved in ninth grade.

“I became secretary freshman year, and then I was elected president last year and this year,” Anna said.

This is Gabby’s first year as a class officer, which she pursued out of friendship and a desire to make her senior year meaningful. She explained what motivated her to step into a leadership role.

“I wanted to be the vice president because I thought it would be fun to help the class my senior year,” she said. “And I wanted to help Anna because we’re friends.”

Serving as leaders

Both Anna and Gabby also serve in leadership roles outside of their class officer positions. Anna participates in both Student Senate and Interact Club, and has seen how these organizations support both the school and greater communities.

“As class president, it also puts you in Student Senate, which is separate from this. Class officers work with things like homecoming,” she said, “while Senate is events like Pink Out; last year I got to help out with the Toy Drive, which was super cool.”

Gabby’s commitment is also seen in her role as vice president of the orchestra, which means she gets involved with group trips for performances, competitions and fun.

“This year we’re planning a trip to Nashville,” Gabby said. “We’re also working on seeing a show and a visit to the Stardust Diner in New York City. We’re trying to pick days that work around AP [exams] so we can have a fun day!”

Class of ‘27 has a lot of energy

With only a few weeks of senior year behind them, Anna and Gabby are already learning about the challenges and responsibilities of leading their class.

Sharing more about their class’s unique personality, they describe the Class of ‘27 as having a lot of energy and playfulness. Gabby explained that the class’s diverse personalities are a big strength and help foster a welcoming atmosphere.

“Our class is definitely very exciting—full of different personalities, but all very nice and welcoming. There’s never a dull moment,” Gabby said.

“We definitely like to joke around, but we know when to be serious, too,” Anna added. She also said that as everyone has matured, any lines that may have separated social groups have blurred, and a strong sense of unity has grown. “As we’ve grown older, social groups have just started to intertwine. It’s nice to see.”

Bringing their classmates together

Despite the challenges of these first few weeks, both Anna and Gabby have found that their leadership roles are already bringing them closer to their classmates and helping foster an inclusive environment. Anna also talked about how the impending end of high school has brought everyone together.

“Again, as we’ve gotten older, we all realize that this is our last year together,” Anna said. “Even if you didn’t talk to everyone, you’ve spent years with these people.”

Gabby echoed that sentiment.

“I’ve known these people since I was five, and now I’m about to be eighteen, and I’m still with the same people,” she said. “Over the years, we realized we really are almost a family. Senior year really brings people together.”

“At the beginning, it was a little stressful because sometimes I didn’t even know the answers myself,” Gabby said. “But we’ve figured it out, and now it’s easier to help people.”

Anna and Gabby also wanted to be sure to recognize and appreciate the other students working so hard alongside them as Class of ‘27 officers...

Henry Wright, Treasurer, Isabella Costanza, Secretary, Hayes Pizanie and Sydney Becker, Social Chairs.

Encouraging fellow students to get involved

Both Anna and Gabby are focused on making the most of every moment of their senior experience, while also encouraging others to get involved. And as Anna pointed out, that doesn’t mean just other Class of ‘27 students or just this year’s events and fundraisers.

“Being a class officer is such a good way to get involved with the school,” Anna said. “You start helping run events, and you just start to make friends. I don’t know if I would have had as many conversations with all of the people I have if I wasn’t class president or secretary.”

Gabby agreed, emphasizing the sense of connection that comes from being part of something bigger than herself.

“I joined to be vice president because I really wanted to be more involved,” Gabby said. “It really helps people come together, and I love seeing that.”