Senior Anne Ameis was named the valedictorian and senior Katrina Gangstad was named salutatorian for the Roncalli High School class of 2022. Ameis excelled inside and outside of the classroom. She will graduate with an Academic Honors Diploma with Distinction. Throughout high school, she earned four A’s with the remainder of the grades being A+’s. This was done while completing 36 credits of honors courses. Ameis’ academic honors include Pre-Calc Accelerated Outstanding Student of the Year, AP Chemistry Outstanding Student of the Year, Geometry Honors Outstanding Student of the Year, Chemistry Honors Outstanding Student of the Year and named as a Rising Star of Indiana.
Outside of the classroom, Ameis’ commitment to serving her community and extracurricular involvement is an impressive testament to her character. She serves as an executive board member of the South Deanery Dance Marathon for Riley Children’s Hospital, volunteers at Eskenazi Health Hospital and assists at the Saints Francis and Clare’s Harvest Food Pantry. She spearheaded the Roncalli recycling program, takes care of the school garden, provides food to shelters and distributes flowers to the homebound. Ameis, who attended Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi Catholic School, plans to major in biology on the pre-medical track. She is the daughter of Marie and Michael Ameis.
Gangstad has shown incredible dedication throughout high school. She is an AP Scholar with Honor, was recognized by the Indiana Association of School Principals as an Indiana Rising Star, was nominated as a Carson Scholar in acknowledgment of her outstanding academic achievement and participated in the Lugar Symposium for Future Leaders.
Outside of the classroom, Gangstad has accrued nearly 430 hours of service during her high school career including sorting and distributing food and supplies at food pantries in our community; supporting young student-athletes in summer sports camps; and interacting with and caring for animals through a local humane society. Additionally, she co-founded a club at Roncalli which strives to make a positive impact in the Roncalli community and the greater community on the Southside of Indianapolis through planting a garden, donating produce grown in the garden to local food pantries and sorting and recycling materials to create a healthier and more sustainable environment for future generations. For the past four years, Gangstad has been a varsity athlete earning the 2021 Mental Attitude Award in tennis. She is the daughter of Joseph Gangstad and Danielle Turnak. She attended St. Jude Catholic School and plans to attend Purdue University to study veterinary medicine.