Five Old Rochester Regional High School Seniors Named South Coast Conference Academic All-Stars

MATTAPOISETT — Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Principal Michael Devoll are pleased to recognize five Old Rochester Regional High School seniors who were honored as South Coast Conference Academic All-Stars on Thursday, April 25. 

On Thursday, April 25, Old Rochester Regional High School seniors Theo Jacobsen, Brenna O’Donnell, Alia Cusolito, Jacob Hadley and Ava McLeod were recognized as South Coast Conference Academic All-Stars during the Academic All-Star Ceremony and Luncheon at Independence Harbor in Assonet. Superintendent Michael Nelson and faculty advisors, Kathleen Brunelle and Randy Allain, also attended.

During the ceremony, South Coast Conference Principal’s Group President and Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Michael Devoll served as the emcee.

“I am incredibly proud of our students, who I know will achieve great things after graduation,” Superintendent Nelson said. “Their distinctions were highly deserved, and it is a privilege to have such outstanding individuals represent Old Rochester Regional High School and watch them receive this recognition.”

Old Rochester Regional High School Class of 2022 graduate and keynote speaker Edward Gonet IV spoke to students about his experiences since graduating. The former Academic All-Star quoted Mahatma Gandhi telling those in attendance “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

South Coast Conference Schools recognize the top five students of the graduating class with the South Coast Conference Academic All-Star Award every year. The chosen students reflect each of the National Honor Society’s four pillars — Service, Character, Scholarship and Citizenship — and have positively impacted their schools and community. 

“This is a wonderful annual event that kicks off the celebration of the accomplishments of the Class of 2025,” Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Michael Devoll said. “I have been privileged to attend 16 banquets over the years and each one captures the unique accomplishments of our top five ranked seniors.” 

The South Coast Conference includes Apponequet Regional High School, Bourne High School, Joseph Case High School, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, Fairhaven High School, Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School, Old Rochester Regional High School, Seekonk High School, Somerset Berkley Regional High School and West Bridgewater High School. 

Alia Cusolito 

Alia is a member of the Old Rochester Regional High School Drama Club, most recently performing in Little Shop of Horrors. They are also a member of the National Honor Society, Knit and Crochet Club and Acapella. They serve in leadership positions in the ORR Music Appreciation Club and as the GSA Club President. Alia is a tireless champion for advocacy. As co-president of the nonprofit Queer Youth Assemble, Alia led the National March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy in Washington D.C. They also collaborated on research with Harvard graduate students about MA high schoolers’ perceptions of gender-neutral bathrooms. They are the recipient of the 2022 Advancing Equity and Justice Award from the MA Commission on LGBTQ+ Youth, an independent state agency. Alia will be attending Smith College in the fall to study public policy. 

Jacob Hadley

Jacob exemplifies his leadership skills by serving as co-captain of the debate team his junior and senior years, captain of the varsity tennis team, student council treasurer throughout his four years of high school, vice president of the National Honor Society and as the ORR Boy’s State representative. He also founded and served as president of the ORR Science Olympiad for which he organized six trips to competitions including two state championships. Jacob led a research project with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on the effect of COVID-19 on antibiotic resistance in Massachusetts hospitals and published the study in a scientific journal. He also worked as a biochemistry lab researcher at UMass Dartmouth on developing new treatments for HIV using biotech. Jacob has earned his AP Capstone certificate and is an AP Scholar with Distinction. He will attend Brown University and pursue a concentration in Biomedical Engineering. 

Ava McLeod

Ava is president of Old Rochester Regional High School’s Environmental Club. Under her leadership, students have been working with the Mattapoisett Land Trust to begin removing an invasive plant species from campus. Ava has served as a member of Old Rochester’s Student Council for the past four years, as president of her class and as a class senator. As a member of our Community Service Learning Club, Ava has also worked with Damien’s Pantry and the Mattapoisett Town Library. She plans to attend Bristol Community College in the fall and study Biology.

Brenna O’Donnell

Brenna is a member of Drama Club, Tea Club, DnD Club and Latin Club. She is also the co-founder of Climbing Club. During her junior year, Brenna represented Old Rochester at Girl’s State. She earned two silver medals and one gold medal on the National Latin Exam. Brenna plans to attend Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in the Fall where she will study General Engineering with a concentration in Robotics. 

Theo Jacobsen

Theo is an AP Scholar with distinction and is a four-year participant in both DECA and Debate club, having qualified for the state-level competition in each of his four years. In this past debate season, his team achieved second place in the league, tying the first-place team in speaker points. Theo has taken on many leadership roles including V.P. of Finance for DECA, Debate Team Captain, and Treasurer of the Old Rochester National Honors Society chapter. Theo will attend Tufts University this fall where he will study Biochemistry.

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