The Olympic Heights class of 2023 is an extremely competitive one. There are many bright students that do very well, which leads to the anticipation of learning which students from the class will fill out the prestigious top 10 rankings. The OH class of ‘23 top ten were announced on Feb. 23 and posted to The Torch’s various social media platforms. It’s now time to get to learn a little more about the best and brightest from the Class of ‘23. 

Maya Goldstein is number 10 in the class rankings. She is a member of several OH clubs and is the president of the Best Buddies club and the co-president of National Honor Society. Number 9 is Lindsay Osinoff, a standout varsity soccer player who has been named ESPN player of the week and is one of the top players in the county. Tyler Haas, at number 8, is a varsity baseball player and varsity bowler and is the president of Compete2Give. 

Jesse Bloom, at number 7, oversees Teens Tutors and is involved in several other clubs at OH. Number 6 is Bella Anusbigian, who is the captain of the varsity volleyball team. 

Shiloh Bass, number 5 in the class rankings, is an excellent student and heavily involved in the OH theatre program.  Nathan Feuerberg, at number 4, is a varsity baseball player and varsity bowler. Number 3 is Ben Zapson, who has recently committed to the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a part of several OH clubs, including National Honor Society and Key Club. 

The Class of ‘23 Salutatorian at number 2 is Emily Zhang. She explained that her “rank is an honor and a reward for my hard work. I’m proud to be named salutatorian of my class and know that I’ve challenged myself with many rigorous courses to get there.” Her hard work was clearly displayed throughout her high school experience, as she began in her freshman year taking mostly honors classes, transitioning towards taking all AP/AICE classes by her junior year. She was able to not only continue receiving amazing grades, but established an impressive work ethic, as well. 

Zhang has been involved with the National Art Honor Society since her freshman year and also had the position of vice president in her sophomore year. She currently takes part in the Creative Writing Club and holds the position of Idea Manager in the club, which gives her the opportunity to help people with their ideas on writing. She is also a part of the National Society for High School Scholars. 

When asked about the teachers that impacted her the most, she explained the huge influence math teacher Mr. Michael Drake had on her due to his effective teaching methods. Another teacher Zhang appreciates is art teacher Ms. Chrisanthy Vargo, saying, “I was able to bring some of her ideas into my hobbies and academics. The teacher I’d credit the most would be a past [art] teacher at the school Ms. Tobal, who introduced me to many events that grew my participation and ambition.” 

Emily felt like the best advice she could give to others attempting to achieve their best is “challenge yourself, not against others. There’s always going to be someone better than you, and that’s okay – honestly! Take the classes you want – because you want to, not because someone else is. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and know yourself and where your limits are. Push yourself, but never too hard. It’s okay to stay in your lane but to grow requires taking risks.”

The number one ranked senior and the OH Class of ‘23 Valedictorian is Brandon Silver. He explained that it was “a huge honor to be given the prestigious honor of valedictorian, but it shows that I’ve had great parenting and a great support system throughout my life.” 

He felt that an early omen for him was being one of the few to win the Principal’s Award at the end of middle school, meaning it was a sign before high school that he could do very well. His advice is that it’s important to “manage time because the times I didn’t, I stressed and had to scramble to get things done.” 

Silver’s main extracurricular activity has been playing basketball, as there were summer and fall games, as well as workouts before the regular season in the winter, which takes up a lot of his time. Silver is also in National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Science Honor Society. His biggest influences were Drake and math teacher Mr. James Cullen “as they were amazing for me and were a very positive impact for me.” Silver adds that  Spanish teachers Ms. Margaret Sclafani and Ms. Jennifer Chacon “were great too, as well as many other amazing teachers that brought me to this position today.” 

OH has many amazing students, and these top 10 represent exactly why it has become a school of choice for many prospective Palm Beach County high school students and remains “The Pride of Boca.”