by Doug La Rocque
For the first time in the history of the New Lebanon Central School District (and probably the same for many schools around the Capital Region) twin brothers lead the Class of 2022 as Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Ben and Forest Chaput have shared a lot in their lives and now enjoy the honor of being tops in their graduating Class. As Valedictorian, Ben has earned many accolades for his academic accomplishments, participation in school sports and music programs and such outside activities as in his church and Boy Scouts of America. Ben is an Eagle Scout, scouting’s highest rank. This fall, Ben will be walking the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
One of the questions The Eastwick Press asked Ben and Forest after the Friday evening, June 24 ceremony, was were they really supportive of each other in the quest to be best in the class or competitive? Their answer, in unison, was competitive, as most brothers close in age are.
Like his brother, Forest also excelled in academics and sports and he too is an Eagle Scout. Forest plans on attending SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica this fall, majoring in Computer Science.
