Riverwood Announces 2021 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

Riverwood International Charter School announced its 2021 Valedictorian and Salutatorian, students with the highest and second-highest cumulative GPAs in the Class of 2021.

Valedictorian Elle Mezzio is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Certificate Candidate and Dual Enrollment student at Georgia State University. She is a 2020 Harvard Prize Book Award recipient.  

Mezzio is a four-year, four-sport varsity athlete, lettering in Cross Country, Diving, Soccer, and Track. She received numerous athletic accolades, including being named to the Powerade All-Metro Cross Country Team her Junior and Senior year; placing 5th in GHSA State Competition in Division 6A Diving her senior year; and qualifying as a region and state finisher in the 1600m and 3200m in Track and Field State competition. She served as Team Captain for both the Cross Country and Dive Teams.

Mezzio was appointed to the Superintendent Advisory Committee for Fulton County Schools, and served as the Historian for Healthcare Occupations Students of America (HOSA), competing in their State Leadership Conference in 2020. Mezzio is also a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Be the Voice, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and was selected to participate in Riverwood’s first Desire to Lead class, a sports leadership development program.

Mezzio used her sports acumen to serve the greater Sandy Springs community, volunteering as a road race volunteer for multiple charity races throughout high school, including the Chattahoochee Road Race, Heritage Sandy Springs Lightning Road Race, and the Kaiser Permanente Road Race. She also stepped in to continue a Meals on Wheels route throughout the entire summer of 2020 to support volunteers who had to stop working due to COVID. Additionally, Mezzio volunteered her time with Hands-on Riverwood, an annual event dedicated to beautifying the Riverwood campus.

Mezzio will attend the University of Miami where she will run Cross Country and Track, and plans to major in Biology (Pre-Medical Concentration).

Salutatorian Lauren Cohn is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program Candidate and a 2020 Columbia Book Award recipient.  

Cohn is an avid writer, and reestablished Riverwood’s school newspaper from development to publication. She currently serves as Editor-In-Chief and has overseen the evolution of five issues, including a special quarantine edition. Cohn also had the unique opportunity to serve as a volunteer at the Aspen Words Festival in 2019, where she ushered in guests for panel discussions and spent time surrounded by writers she admired. 

Cohn was a two-year nominee for the Governor’s Honors Program and is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Riverwood’s Community Service Club, and serves as a Board Member and Legislative Lead for Students Demand Action. 

Cohn’s community involvement includes tutoring students at the Sandy Springs Mission and serving as a Board Member for Jumpspark’s Strong Women Fellowship, an organization of female Jewish high school students from around Atlanta. In her various leadership roles, Cohn hosted neighborhood meetings, helped select speakers, and planned larger group meetings, empowering members to learn and discuss important aspects of their identities as Jewish women.

Cohn will attend Northwestern University, and plans to major in journalism.

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Photos Attached: Elle Mezzio, Riverwood Valedictorian;

Lauren Cohn, Riverwood Salutatorian

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