Friendly competition over GPA comes to end for Carthage seniors

TOWN OF CHAMPION, New York (WWNY) - Three-tenths of a percentage point separates the top two graduating seniors at Carthage Central School this spring.

Hannah Makuch and Corey Decker have been friends since 5th grade.

As they prepare to graduate, the one thing that separates them is their grade point average.

“My GPA is 99.575,” said Makuch.

“My final GPA is 99.278,” said Decker.

Makuch is the Class of 2023 valedictorian.

“It definitely was very interesting and the whole entire time I think it’s been friendly competition,” she said.

Decker, the Class of 2023 salutatorian, says there are no hard feelings. He’s happy both of them are getting the recognition they deserve

“It has helped both of us I think to do better in school because we know that it is so close and there is that competition there,” he said.

Although their GPAs are slightly different, some of their accolades are the same. The two received U.S. Army awards as well as Section 3 scholar-athlete honors.

Both are headed to different colleges in the fall to pursue degrees.

“I am going to be attending Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York and I am going to be double majoring in biology and business administration. I’ll be a part of the honors program and the three-year bachelor’s degree program,” said Makuch.

I’m going to M.I.T. in the fall. I am going to be studying electrical engineering and then I am also doing ROTC there. So I am going to be a part of the Space Force ROTC program,” said Decker.

Both credit Carthage, not only for the classes they took but for the friendships they’ve made.

“It has been so nice to have so many friends and I have always looked forward to school because I can talk to people and hang out with my peers,” said Decker.

“I have so many different friend groups, I would definitely say I am friends with everybody in my class and just that social aspect was super nice and I definitely going to miss that,” said Makuch.

The two will say their final goodbyes to the Carthage School District at graduation on June 23.

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