2020 Salutatorian: Tessa Fountain rounds out top two for Class of 2020

MILLBROOK — Many people know Tessa Fountain from her many performances in middle and high school theater during the past several years; and some may know her from her working at Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook. This year the musical offering was supposed to be “Anything Goes,” but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sadly, there was no production. Others still know her as Millbrook High School’s Class of 2020 salutatorian.

Tessa will be taking many fond memories of past performances and fellow thespians with her when she heads off to Union College in Schenectady this fall, if the school opens in the wake of the health crisis. She’s still waiting to hear about its fate, but the school runs on a trimester schedule, so it’s a possibility that it will reopen for classes. While she professes to be a little nervous, she’s also ready for the many adventures and experiences that await her.

Moving away from her family, parents Amy and David, and two younger siblings, Jamison, a seventh-grader, and Skylar, who is currently a junior, will be hard, she said. She’s also leaving two dogs and some goats that her siblings are raising for 4-H. They are a close and active family.

Tessa said she really loved her time with the high school chorus and band, and who can forget her performance in last year’s play, “Legally Blonde?” But while she loves performing, she is looking forward to a future that involves political science, and possibly law school at some point. The star student also participated in mock trials and said she found it fascinating.  

Tessa may also look into working in the film industry, and hopes her performance career is not over. She was supposed to work for a local dance studio this summer, but the current circumstances, which she finds “scary,” put an end to that. Her love of singing, dancing and playing musical instruments is evident, but she’s also a serious student who worked hard to attain good grades while serving as president of the Drama Club for a few years. The Millbrook district, she feels, provides not only a good education, but a well-rounded one.

As with so many of her fellow graduates, Tessa said she was grateful for the small classes at Millbrook, and that in a small school system, students could spread their wings and try so many different activities. She also appreciated that the size of the district allowed her to get to know all of her teachers over the years. She was thrilled that former Superintendent of Schools Philip D’Angelo was chosen as the keynote speaker for commencement, adding she’s grateful that in spite of the pandemic, the school district went all out to make the 2020 graduating class feel special.

Tessa would like to give some advice to next year’s seniors:

“Be confident, even if you are not 100% sure of what you want to do when you are older; it is totally fine to be undecided.” 

Clearly she can be confident in her own future, which happily looks very bright, and which she will travel with her own sense of panache.