Father, son top of Mattituck class 33 years apart
Mattituck High School’s commencement this Saturday will mark the district’s 100th graduation ceremony. But there’s an even more special reason why Class of 2014 valedictorian Christian Montgomery is excited about receiving the honor.
Thirty-three years ago, his father, Michael, was also named Mattituck’s valedictorian.
And though the honor’s the same, a lot has changed since then.
Christian’s class of nearly 145 has about 15 more students than his father’s did. When Mr. Montgomery was at MHS, most of his classmates came to school with muddy boots because they worked on farms beforehand. The school had just installed its first-ever computer labs.
If you ask the Montgomerys how they both were able to rank No. 1 in their classes, they’ll tell you it helped that they got support and encouragement to do the best they could without the pressure to always bring home top grades. But more than that, they attribute their academic success to growing up in an environment where curiosity about the world was nurtured.
“I always just tried to do my best on every test — it never really hindered my abilities to participate in other activities and I never felt I missed out in high school,” Christian said. “My parents have always said ‘Do the best you can. If you can get the A, get the A.’ ”
Both father and son say they didn’t specifically aim for the valedictorian honor.
Mr. Montgomery, who graduated in 1981, was the sixth of nine siblings. His father, Phil, worked in the circulation department at Newsday. His mother, Pat, raised the family at home. Neither of his parents attended college.
“I knew I was getting A’s and then somebody told me in the hallway one day that I ranked first and I asked, ‘Ranked first for what?’ ” Mr. Montgomery recalled. “I never heard the word ‘valedictorian’; never heard the word ‘salutatorian.’ I didn’t know they ranked grades. That’s the first time I heard about the terms — and how you have to give a speech.”
Eight months after his valedictory, Mr. Montgomery’s mother died from breast cancer. He said her approach, treating all nine of her children equally, helped shaped him into the person he is today.
“She wouldn’t come out and say it, but I knew she was proud,” he said. “For us, it was always about challenging ourselves — never a competition with someone else. My mom gave us the book smarts; my father gave us the common sense. That’s how they broke it down.”
Other wisdom Mr. Montgomery passed along to Christian and his other children — Carter, 15, and Taylor, 12 — stems from his experience as an undergraduate at the University of California in San Diego, which he attended with his high school sweetheart, Maria Taylor. She graduated from Mattituck High School in 1983 and the couple married while attending law school at Florida State University.
While living in California, Mr. Montgomery said he attended a Friday night political film series that focused on a theme of apartheid. Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke at the school and migrant civil rights leader Cesar Chavez also met with students.
Mr. Montgomery, who’s an attorney, described the experience as eye-opening and made sure he taught his children the importance of exposure to other beliefs and cultures.
As for his son’s earning the same honor he did, Mr. Montgomery said learning about the achievement was “heartwarming.”
“Christian has always truly had a thirst for knowledge and asked a lot of questions, so it’s pure joy as his father to watch him grow and thrive,” he said. “He doesn’t just memorize it for the test and forget. You can ask him weeks later and he still remembers what he learned.”
There’s a third valedictorian in the family as well.
Christian’s cousin, Alex Whittle, son of Mr. Montgomery’s sister Linda, was Greenport’s valedictorian last year. Alex, who has autism, was featured on the cover of The Suffolk Times last June, and described how he had overcome daunting hurdles.
Christian, who attended elementary school at Our Lady of Mercy Regional School in Cutchogue, said he’s grateful for his parents’ guidance and support from his classmates and teachers.
His advice for aspiring high achievers is to become an independent learner and try different approaches, like listening to books on tape.
“Find a way to inspire yourself in whatever it is that you’re learning and do some research before diving into a new topic,” he said. “Just explore so you’ll have a better understanding and try to learn about it on your own so you can learn at your own pace and go beyond — you’re not restricted to the school and what’s covered in class.”
In addition to achieving a 99.32 average, Christian’s accomplishments include membership in the National Honor Society and being an AP Scholar with distinction. He was also on the high honor roll throughout high school while participating in Math League, Leo Club, Anti-Bias Club and varsity track.
Christian also competed on the MSG Varsity TV show “The Challenge” and acted as a lead defense lawyer for the school’s mock trial team.
In between studies and extracurricular activities, Christian has worked as a busboy at aLure and aMano restaurants; tutored other students; and volunteered with Maureen’s Haven, John’s Place, the Southold Town Youth Bureau and the town senior center.
After graduation, Christian is off to his first-choice college — Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he plans to study finance.
Father and son are both proud of their accomplishments and believe they understand what made it happen.
“Because so much of it is out of your hands, I’m not as concerned about the grades as much as the effort you put into it,” Mr. Montgomery said. “You use what God gave you. It’s nice to get the recognition. We had to work, but realize we were also very fortunate.”
