BETHEL — Telstar High School staff and students are pleased to recognize the top scholars from the graduating class of 2024.  These individuals have distinguished themselves throughout their high school careers.  The Telstar community congratulates these young scholars for their commitment to their academics, their school and their communities.

Sarah Chase

Sarah Chase is the daughter of Bob Chase of Andover and Melissa Smith of Bethel, as well as the stepdaughter of Walter Smith of Bethel. During her time at Telstar, Chase participated in many different activities in which she volunteered her spare time.

Chase has volunteered her time at Telstar’s Snack Shack during middle school basketball games, she has participated in multiple community clean-up days (locations including Greenwood Fire Department, the Bryant Pond 4 H-Camp, and Bethel, Maine) this giving Chase 19 hours of community service in community clean up days alone.

Chase volunteered her time assisting Crescent Park Elementary’s Field Day spending time with the children and lending a helping hand wherever might be needed. Chase also volunteered her time to put on a Thanksgiving dinner for anyone in our community who might not have been able to have their own.

Chase is an active participant in school sports and activities such as soccer, basketball, and softball holding many leadership roles such as being a captain. Even without the label as a “captain”, Chase strives and takes pride in helping others succeed and setting exceptional examples to follow. So, when given the opportunity, Chase is willing to help anyone at any cost. Chase is also a member of Student Council where she holds the position of being the treasurer for the graduating class of 2024.

This past spring, Chase received the MPA Principal’s Award for her outstanding academic, athletic, and leadership achievements. She was not only published in the paper with an article all about her accomplishments, but she was recognized at Telstar High School as well as the Honors Luncheon at Jeff’s Catering on Saturday, April 6th, of 2024.

Chase has been on the high honors roll throughout every semester of her high school career and will graduate with Magna Cum Laude Honors. After high school, Chase plans on attending Central Maine Community College for her first two years of post secondary education and she will be studying Psychology with a concentration in behavioral studies. Outside of school, Chase enjoys outdoor activities such as swimming, hiking, four-wheeling, fishing, and in the winter snowmobiling and ice fishing.

Though she is a very busy student, Chase spends most of her free-time working at the Sunday River Brewing Company as a host, busser, and server and will continue to work there full-time this summer.

Makenzie Eliot

Makenzie Eliot is the daughter of John and Tania Eliot of Bethel. During her time at Telstar, Eliot has participated in a wide variety of sports, clubs, and community involvement. She is a 12 Letter Varsity Athlete participating in Soccer, Basketball, and Softball, as well as served as co-captain of all three of these sports for her junior and senior years.

Athletically, Eliot is the recipient of many awards such as being named First-Team All-Star, All-State All-Star, Second Team All-Region, and team MVP for softball, as well as Academic All-Star, Honorable Mention All-Star, and many athlete of the month recognitions for her other sports.

Academically, Eliot has worked hard to earn the title of Valedictorian for Telstar’s Class of 2024 and will be graduating with Summa Cum Laude Honors. Throughout highschool she continuously pushed herself by taking numerous AP and Honors level classes while achieving High Honors every semester of her four years at Telstar.

In addition to her grades, Eliot puts a lot of time into serving as one of her classes Co-Presidents, National Honors Society President, and Student Council Secretary. She has also accumulated over 50 hours of community service through volunteering with youth sports, helping with activities at CPS, participating in community clean up days, helping organize the THS music department, and much more.

Outside of school Eliot fills her time working two jobs, one at Mt Abram Ski Resort during the winter and the other at Barker Brook Dog Kennel during the off seasons. After high school Eliot plans to attend the University of Maine Orono where she will study Nursing and Army ROTC to become an Army Nurse upon her college graduation.

Madison Gingras

Madison Rose Gingras is the daughter of Gerald and Kathleen Gingras of Bethel. Gingras has always been involved in her school, classes, and her grade. She has been a class officer and a part of Student Council since freshman year. Gingras’s junior year she was also inducted into Telstar’s Chapter of the National Honor Society. She was also elected as a Student Council Co-President alongside Gabby Groves last year and Emma Newell this year.

Along with upholding her responsibilities in her school extra-circulars she dances at Toe Tappin’ Jazz dance studio. She has been dancing there since she was 3 and is sad to have to say goodbye to dancing there. She spends multiple hours there each week dancing to multiple different styles.

Though she enjoys her time relaxing, she is not commonly found doing that. This is due to the fact that she is actively enrolled in online college courses through multiple Maine colleges. She has been enrolled in courses every semester since freshman year, allowing her to complete 14 early college credits.

She also traveled to Washington DC during the summer of 2023 to complete a National Youth Leadership Law and CSI program. This program had 400 teenagers from all over the United States that she was able to meet and explore the world of forensic science and crime scene investigation with.

Along with listening to guest speakers from the Innocent Project and a Retired FBI agent. While she was down there her group explored and toured George Mason University, which awarded her a college credit from completion of the program.

Gingras has accumulated 43 college credits graduating from Telstar High School. After considering all of the multiple college acceptance she came to her conclusion. Gingras will be attending Thomas College with a major in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Forensic science. She will be participating in Thomas’s 3+1 program.

This program allows her to earn a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and a minor of study in four years rather than six years. She has not decided on what her masters and minor degrees will technically be yet, but she knows that they will be directly related with Forensic Science.

She plans to eventually further her education to complete a doctorate in science. After finishing up her education she plans to travel around the world before she settles down. Her long term goal is to work for the FBI to investigate cases at the national and international level.

But for now Gingras will continue working at Mahoosuc Kids Association where she is a camp counselor during the summer and after school for elementary aged students. When she has free time Gingras loves to travel, listen to music, shop, snowmobile, swim, explore swimming holes, hang out with her friends and boyfriend, and of course sleeping!

Bernadette Julia LaForte

Bernadette Julia LaForte is the daughter of Michael LaForte and Heather Bagdis. She has collected many community service hours through activities at her church, such as annual clean-ups and raffle events. During her years in high school, LaForte was involved in various clubs such as the Civil Rights Team and the National Honors Society.

She has taught snowboarding at Sunday River Ski Resort for three winter seasons, and spends the off-seasons working at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. In her senior year, LaForte chose to attend Central Maine Community College as a dual-enrollment student and completed her freshman of college.

She plans to go into an International Relations major and eventually find a career abroad.

Karen Leona Marshall

Karen Leona Marshall of Bryant Pond,  is the daughter of Kevin and Amy Marshall  of Bryant Pond.  Marshall volunteered her time helping with the Bethel Rec basketball program, supporting younger kids learning the basics of basketball.

Marshall is also a member of the National Honor Society.  She is a four-year three season athlete, playing soccer, basketball and softball.  Marshall plans to attend the University of Maine Presque Isle to earn her degree in criminal justice with a hope of attending law school.

Rebeka Palmer

Rebeka Palmer is the daughter of Nikki Viden from Bethel. Palmer has actively been engaged in numerous community service events throughout her time in middle and high school. She’s been deeply involved in the United Methodist Church’s annual events, dedicating herself to Saturday markets, community dinners, cleaning the church, and supervising the Christmas Crafts for Kids program (where kids create crafts for their parents near the holidays).

Beyond the church, Palmer has spent her time volunteering for Thanksgiving dinners for seniors, blood drives, and tending to gardens for those in need. At Telstar, she’s an active member of various clubs, that of which include Northstar, an outdoor leadership group, and the National Honor Society.

Her future plans include pursuing a degree and career in Special Education at the College of Wooster, where she hopes to help students who may need the extra help. Outside of schoolwork and volunteer work, Palmer can often be seen drawing, which has been a lifelong passion, alongside felting and maintaining her fitness routine.

Kyra Rose-Espinoza

Kyra Li Rose-Espinoza is the daughter of Jessika Rose-Espinoza of Albany Township and Andres Espinoza of Rumford. Rose-Espinoza has volunteered all around Bethel for the past four years doing fall clean up at the Historical Society, Bell Ringing for Christmas for Kids, Trunk or Treats on Halloween, Library Aid at the local library, Thanksgiving lunch for the elderly, school bottle drives, the Giving Closet, Big and Little groups at CPS, and more.

In her Junior and Sophomore years, Rose-Espinoza also attended Region 9 as a participant in their Culinary Arts program. Senior year, Rose-Espinoza is a part of the National Honors Society, field hockey (where she has operated as co-captain for two years), Interact Club, Student Council, and basketball.

A highlight of her high school career was being recognized by the Maine Field Hockey Association as an All-Star Athlete for this year’s field hockey season.

Some of Rose-Espinoza’s interests include reading, cooking and baking, camping, going to the movie theaters, dates with friends, and getting outside. In continuing her lifelong goal, this fall Rose-Espinoza plans to attend Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Baking and Pastry.

With this degree, she hopes to start a fruitful and exciting career as a pastry chef. In the summer she will continue to work with Gemini Cafe & Bakery and prepare for this new adventure.

Morgan Olivia Zetts

Morgan Olivia Zetts is the daughter of Carrie Kimball and Matthew Zetts and the stepdaughter of Amos Kimball and Trista Morin, all of Bethel. Zetts loves to be involved in her school and community. She has accumulated well over 175 hours of community service. She has volunteered her time for many different events and people in the community.

But, her favorite place to volunteer is at Bethel Rec Basketball, and serving as a youth basketball coach. During her four years in high school, she has gained over 100 hours of service through just this one program.

Zetts also loves to be involved at her school and partakes in many activities. She is a 12 letter varsity athlete participating in soccer, basketball, and softball, and she has been a captain for each sport for multiple years. She has also been selected as an academic all-star for multiple of her teams. Along with this, Zetts is also a member of the student council and has been her Class Co-President since sophomore year.

During her senior year, she was inducted into the National Honor Society. On top of all her activities, she is a well-rounded student as she has consistently been on high-honors and the Dean’s list. Zetts has also been successful in many AP and honor level courses in her high school career. Some of Zetts’s interests include sports, being outside, hanging with her family, and the biggest one being basketball.

She has played basketball since she was 3 and has always loved the game. During her senior year she scored her 1,000th career point, was selected as a Maine McDonald All Star, a First Team MVC All-Star, and First Team All-Region.  She also committed to play for another four years. After she graduates, Zetts plans to attend the University of Southern Maine to study Nursing and to continue her basketball career.

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