As another great school year comes to a close, it is time to congratulate Wyatt Eglinton Manner for his impressive accomplishment of becoming Ramapo’s Class of 2024 Valedictorian,
an honor he has achieved through years of hard work and dedication.
While at Ramapo, Wyatt has been a part of varsity basketball all four years and was varsity captain for two years. Wyatt has been involved in basketball training for neurodivergent youth through the Bounce Out the Stigma program, along with working at the Ramapo Basketball Camp every summer. Additionally, Wyatt is co-president of the Ramapo Athletic and Activity Leadership Council (RAALC), a team captain of Relay for Life, and both a strategic district planner in Ramapo, and a FAMS student ambassador. He is a member of the Stock Market club, Mad4Kids, Kaiyapalooza, Chess Club, and the Women’s Sports Coalition. Wyatt is also involved in the Senior Ambassador Program where he mentors incoming freshmen and assists them with their transition into high school.
Outside of school, Wyatt enjoys various other activities. He comments that “Fishing is one of my favorite activities. I also enjoy biking. My favorite places to go are aquariums when I’m not playing basketball. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends on weekends. When my pool is open, or I’m at a lake or ocean, I enjoy swimming.”
While reflecting on his time at Ramapo, Wyatt recognizes that his favorite classes were math. He believes his love for math is partly because there are objectively correct answers and you can’t argue the answers. Wyatt comments that he “also feels like having something click in math feels the best compared to all of the other classes. I’ve also had very good math teachers at Ramapo.”
While balancing varsity athletics and being a hard-working student, Wyatt comments that prioritizing mental health and not overexerting yourself is key to maintaining a balanced schedule. Wyatt says that “athletics provide a reprieve from academics, so it feels like less of a balance and more of an escape from school work when I’m able to be working out or playing basketball.”
Wyatt’s AP English teacher Mrs. Manzo comments that, “Wyatt has been a pleasure to have in the classroom. He completes all his work on time. In fact, he even hands in work early sometimes! He has a great ability to budget time between his academics and sports. He goes beyond the minimum to craft thoughtful and insightful answers in his homework and essays.” She was able to get to know Wyatt during his AP Literature and Composition class this year and says that “Wyatt has a unique ability to look at literature through different lenses, in which he includes outlooks on gender, race and social class that show the empathy he has for others. Wyatt is an extremely respectful student who consistently has a positive attitude and outlook on life. He is humble, intelligent, generous, and kind to those around him. He is a model student who will be missed next year!”
Peyton Seals, a senior at Ramapo and Wyatt’s varsity basketball teammate, mentioned that “Wyatt has displayed his admirable leadership and responsibility as a captain of the basketball team the past couple of years. He takes pride in all of the little things and is always the hardest worker in the gym. This along with his constant positive encouragement make him a great role model and leader for his teammates” Peyton is extremely proud of Wyatt and is glad he has been able to spend a lot of time with him in high school. He says that Wyatt “holds himself to a high standard that is contagious to people around him. Wyatt never fails to lighten the mood and I always find myself laughing when I am hanging out with him.” Wyatt’s personality and leadership skills are known throughout Ramapo and will be missed next year.
This upcoming fall Wyatt will be playing basketball and attending Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is excited to be back in the city and exploring more of the area, as well as going to Orioles and Ravens games.
Ramapo would like to congratulate Wyatt again for becoming this year’s valedictorian. We wish him all the best and we know that with his current work ethic, there is nothing he cannot accomplish in his future!
