Frank Coviello is the Class of 2023 Portsmouth High School Valedictorian.

Even before proceeding with this interview, he was greeted by a teacher and a couple of friends. He placed his elephant drawing carefully on the table before sitting down, which caught the attention of his teacher, Mrs. Artinano, who awed at the incredible work.

Coviello shared his experiences from kindergarten to 12th grade, his future endeavors, and some advice he has for future PHS students, all while being at ease and taking a pause to think before responding to each question.

Coviello started in the Portsmouth school district at New Franklin Elementary School from kindergarten to 5th grade then attended Heronfield academy, located in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Graduating from Heronfield, Coviello started his high school career at Portsmouth High in September of 2019. 

In high school, Coviello was involved with Varsity Math Team, Peer Leadership volunteering, Student Council, Yearbook, History Club, and Varsity soccer, where he was a captain his Junior and Senior year. 

Many of his hard-earned awards and accomplishments include the RIT Xerox award for Innovation and Information Technology, the MIT Kim Lim award, and the Haven award for General Excellence for his Junior and Senior year of high school. He also is proud of playing the most minutes ever in the history of the boys varsity soccer team at Portsmouth. 

When asked about how it feels being the valedictorian for the class of 2023, he felt unsure because it had not fully set in yet. “I think once I am actually giving the speech, and then graduation, it will feel a little weird.”

Classes Coviello enjoyed most were: AP Calc BC, Spanish, AP Physics, Art and drawing, Chemistry, and AP Statistics. Outside of academics and school, Coveillo enjoys hiking, drawing, spending time with friends, and playing more soccer. 

Friends and teachers of Coviello were interviewed as well to describe him, and the impacts he has on the school community. Many said Coviello is thought of as a caring, supportive, humble, and funny classmate, student, friend, and teammate. 

“Frank is very empathetic. He’s definitely very passionate about his work on and off the soccer field, and in the classroom,” said Ethan Aviezri, a PHS senior and a friend of Coviello for 12-13 years. 

“Frank is very humble, sometimes annoyingly humble,” Aviezri adds. 

“He’s very positive, especially on the soccer field,” said Trevor Stacy, a PHS senior and a friend of Coviello for 13 years as well as co-captain with him on the boys Varsity Soccer team. Stacy recounts the time that Coviello was being a supportive teammate on the senior night game for boys soccer. “Frank leads by example.”

“He is always attentive, asks great questions, grasps concepts very quickly, but is never someone who is just looking to meet the requirements and relax,” said Kristen Artinano, a Spanish teacher at PHS. 

Artinano also reflected on some memories she had with Frank in her Spanish 4, Spanish 5, and Dual-Enrollment Spanish 6 classes over the past years. “He has a really dry sense of humor, and so he can be extremely funny with just a comment at the right time,” Artinano said. “And yes, he’s studious and on top of things, but he’s also very social, very beloved by his peers.”

Coveillo plans to attend Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in the fall where he will be studying either mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. He also hopes to go on a trip abroad to Chile or Madrid to either minor or double major in Spanish, a program offered by Tufts for engineering students. 

 “If you have the right classes and organize your schedule properly, you can get a lot from Portsmouth High School,” Coviello said. Coviello knows PHS can be very beneficial to all students. 

“Start off strong, especially if you’re looking to do well, it kind of sets the base for the rest of high school,” Coviello said. 

“It is a little intimidating as a freshman. I think if you start clubs as a freshman, it gets easier and you get into the schedule more, and you can work towards leadership roles when you become an upperclassman,” continued Coviello. 

The PHS Paperclip wishes Coviello, and the Portsmouth High School class of 2023, good luck with all future endeavors.