A Conversation With The Class of 2026 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

For the last few years, the Steel Valley School District has taken the opportunity to sit down with the class valedictorian and salutatorian to learn more about the impact Steel Valley had on them and their future plans. This year, that conversation features Aubrey Guciardo, the Class of 2026 valedictorian, and Rebekah Kleiber, the salutatorian.

As close friends with shared interests, Aubrey Guciardo and Rebekah Kleiber sometimes seem to occupy the same mind. They pick up on each other’s train of thought, finish sentences, and recall familiar stories with ease. As the following interview with them shows, they’re natural conversationalists, allowing them to easily showcase their bond and deep appreciation for each other.

That connection has also helped them succeed in the classroom and in extracurricular activities at Steel Valley. Both are active in numerous programs in the district, yet they have been to excel academically despite the heavy workload. For their efforts, Guciardo has been named the Class of 2026 valedictorian, while Kleiber will serve as salutatorian.

Joining them in the Class of 2026 Top 10 are Adam Keesecker, Dominique Ruiz, Aston Mitchell, Theo Coyne, Wyatt Franko, Abigail Novak, Savannah Cibula, and Alex Huynh. You can meet all of them here.

Guciardo and Kleiber took some time to reflect on their achievements, share a few Steel Valley memories, and detail what will come next on their academic journeys. The following conversation has been lightly edited.

Was this level of academic success always a goal for you?

GUCIARDO: It was kind of a goal from probably fifth grade on. I actually didn't start in the district; I came from St. Therese and then I transferred over in fifth grade. That's kind of when it started where grades matter and all this stuff. And then my parents were like, “Hey, there is this opportunity, if you keep pushing it down the line for when you're a senior,” and then it just kind of kept building from there. I was like, “Yeah, I'm not giving up. I want that.”

KLEIBER: In freshman year, we were in all the honors classes, and it's not necessarily expected, but it’s like, “Oh, you're doing really well. It’s probably going to happen.”

GUCIARDO: It was expected for me, and last year my parents were like, “If it doesn't happen, it's okay.” But, “I was like, No! I'm this close!”

KLEIBER: Yeah, that’s what my parents were like, too.

You’re friends, so does it become competitive at all or is it more of mutual support?

KLEIBER: I had to write a recommendation letter for her and it kind of got this idea sparked. It’s never felt like a competition. It’s more like we help each other. We knew one of us was going to be one, one was going to be two, but at the end of the day, we're both excelling.

GUCIARDO: In my head, we’re still tied, because that’s just how our relationship has always been. It’s always, “Let’s get this done. Hey, let me help you.” It actually hurts my soul that there has to be a one-two, because it feels like there shouldn't be. I feel like it doesn't reflect our relationship, because we're not one and two. We are one combined.

Outside of the classroom, both of them are heavily involved in various extracurricular activities. Kleiber is the co-president of the Steel Valley Concert Choir, co-president of Student Council, vice president of the National Honor Society, and a member of French Club, Art Club, Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy, Prom Committee, and Drama Club. Earlier this spring, she starred as Cinderella in Steel Valley’s production of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Broadway version of “Cinderella.”

Guciardo is a captain on the softball and volleyball teams, the president of the National Honor Society, and a member of Student Government, French Club, Chick-Fil-A Leader Academy, History Club, and Prom Committee.

How did you manage to balance your academic workload with all of your extracurricular activities?

GUCIARDO: I think athletics and the activities were my breather compared to my schoolwork. It was more of a reward in a way, not an overwhelming amount of things to do. It was like, “OK, let me get this stuff done, because I get to be involved with this.” Having the relationship with the teachers that we have, we're not ever stressed out that we're missing so much work. We can get the work ahead of time so that we’re not falling behind, and that just helps us stay on top of things and excel through everything that we do.

KLEIBER: I think she stated most of that perfectly. With the musical this year, it was definitely a lot being the main role in the show. It was really fun, though. Like she said with sports, it's definitely stressful at times. There is some crunching of homework and all of that, but it’s a breather. OK, I have school, but now I can go to musical for an hour or two and just sing and dance and be goofy with my friends. Then I can go home, I can get my work done for the next day. But in the end, it's really just so fun.

What kind of classes did you gravitate towards? Which ones did you really enjoy during your time at Steel Valley?

KLEIBER: Last year we took Stats through Pitt for a (College in High School) course. That was really interesting. It didn't end up being my favorite, but I still found it interesting.

GUCIARDO: It was something different. We were also taking a Trig and Pre-Calculus course at the same time, so we were, in reality, taking three math courses in one year. So, it was definitely a heavy math load, but it was just a different side of math.

KLEIBER: Starting in eighth grade, we took Algebra, which kind of led to Geometry, with those subjects leading to Trig and Pre-Calc, and they all build up to one thing. But Stats was something new. We got to start at the basics.

GUCIARDO: For me, AP Bio was one of my favorite classes I've ever taken in high school. It is hands down one of the hardest courses I've ever taken. But between Ms. Maddigan, our teacher, and the content of the class, it was so in depth but so beneficial. I want to go into the health field, so it was solidifying what I want to do in the future. That was my light-bulb moment of, “This is it. This is what I want to do,” which was really amazing for me.

KLEIBER: It was so difficult. That class explored so much. It was so difficult, but it was so interesting that learning the difficult content was almost fun. That class was so amazing, especially Ms. Maddigan teaching it.

GUCIARDO: I feel like it also opened up our academic skills, because the amount of studying and effort that went into that class showed us that we really can do anything we put our minds to. The stress that came with it was extreme, but, once it was over, it was like a breath of fresh air.

Commencement is about a month away. What comes next?

KLEIBER: I'm going to Duquesne University this upcoming fall for early childhood education. I think I've always known that I've wanted to do that. My mom has been a preschool teacher since I was born, so just seeing her do that with kids really made me want to do that. On top of that, my biggest passion is to just help people and, help kids learn. On the days when we didn't have school, I'd go with her and help out the kids, and that was my favorite thing to do. I would get so excited.

GUCIARDO: I'm attending Penn State University’s Health and Human Development College and majoring in Bio Behavioral Health. It’s a mouthful! I actually didn't know what exactly I was going to major in prior to touring Penn State. I’ve always known that I've wanted to go into the health field. My mom was in the health field for a while when I was little and she never really had a primary position she stuck to. She dabbled in a lot of different things – dermatology, ER work, and that’s what she loved to do. She didn’t like to sit in one place for too long, and I kind of admire her for that, because I didn’t know what I wanted either and that it was OK not to know.

At first, I didn’t want to go to Penn State. I didn’t even want to tour it. My mom actually forced me to tour Penn State. I ended up falling in love with it. It was the most beautiful school I've ever been to. With my major, I don't have to pick right now what I want to do exactly, but in the future, I do want to become a physician's assistant. I also like the idea that I get to explore a little bit and figure out what I really like, while still having the freedom to do so and not jeopardize my future.

Are there Steel Valley teachers or club sponsors who have made an impact on you and who you would like to recognize?

KLEIBER: Ms. Maddigan is one of my favorite people on the entire planet. She retired after last year. She is so kind and caring. She helped us through everything. We had her for probably the hardest course we’ve taken at Steel Valley with AP Bio. But we also had it first period, so we’re coming to school with lots of emotions and feelings and just waking up. So she was helping us with learning lessons in life, too.

She taught my dad in high school, so she also knew my whole family. We had that connection too, and she supported us through everything, whether it was academics, life, decisions, clubs, sports. She came to so many sporting events. She came to the musical every year, which meant a lot. She was just always there for us no matter what. And that was really powerful. I just love her so much.

GUCIARDO: She’s still involved, and I think that shows how much she genuinely cares about every single student she has or doesn't have. I had a lot of family issues going on last year with my siblings. It was just like a breath of fresh air to have someone so kind and loving, but still be able to teach us something.

KLEIBER: After our college tests, she made us a huge buffet of food. She would make casseroles, and it covered an entire wall. She just wanted us to feel comfortable and have a reward. She made it such a safe space.

GUCIARDO: Mr. Vickers is one of the funniest, real people I’ve ever met. The second-hardest class we’ve ever taken is calculus. Hands down.

KLEIBER: It’s kicking my butt.

GUCIARDO: The difference between Mr. Vickers and Ms. Maddigan is, Mr. Vickers is just so outright with you. He’s straight to the point. He is a baseball coach, and me having a background in softball, I am able to relate with him for a lot of different things. I struggled with the decision of whether I wanted to play further in college with softball. It was a family expectation that I was going to do it. I put so many years into it. He looked at me and said, “You don’t have to. It’s OK that you don’t want to. You will be OK.” He has a son in college, so he can relate to us. He makes a hard class so much easier just because of how he teaches.

KLEIBER: He makes it more understandable and attainable. It makes me sad that he’s retiring, but I feel so grateful to have had him as a teacher.

GUCIARDO: We had him for two years. It genuinely builds a relationship with our teachers that at bigger schools you’re not going to have. That’s why I love Steel Valley for that aspect. We’ve had the same teachers multiple times in four years, so you’re able to build a really solid foundation and relationship with a teacher who can go to for advice.

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this conversation, but is there a memory or two that will stick with you after you’ve left Steel Valley?

GUCIARDO: When we were in middle school, we kind of grew apart for a little bit. But freshman and sophomore year, we found a really good group of people. Growing up, I didn’t have a big group of friends. I didn’t even have a best friend. I kind of dabbled in groups here or there, but I never had that childhood best friend. So it was really important to me that when I found this group of people that I will remember them forever. They’ve taught me so much. We’ve gone through some really hard things together, but it just shows how close we are as a friend group and support each other.

We all support each other so much. We have a study hall together. We go to each other’s games, and we’re just always there for each other. It just shows that each one of us means so much to each other, and it helped me become who I am now. If it wasn’t for these people, I probably would have failed so many times and never gotten back up. They’ve showed me failure is OK, but it’s what step you take next that really solidifies who you are as a person.

KLEIBER: It’s just having study hall with them every day, being with all of our friends and trying to get some work done – if we can, which we rarely ever do.

Also, low-key – Mr. Deabner and the planetarium. Whenever everyone has always talked in the past about having Astronomy or Earth Space with him, I’ve never understood why they loved it. I’m like, "What’s the hype?" But genuinely, Fridays in the planetarium is one of my favorite times of the entire week. He’s another teacher we need to give more recognition to. He’s so funny, very kind and caring. He knows we have a lot going on, and he’s willing to help us in any way.

GUCIARDO: The thing I love about Steel Valley is that by having teachers who you have close relationships to, they tell you so many different stories with these life lessons they’ve learned that they can feed into us. I hope my siblings have this experience, because I’ve learned so much from their stories.

KLEIBER: It’s not even the school work that we’re actually doing, but the stories they tell us and life lessons we learn from them.”