Hampton City Schools announces top students in the Class of 2025 at Phoebus High School

Robert Staton III – Valedictorian

Robert is graduating with a grade point average of 4.71. His activities include basketball, soccer, and the Academy of the College Experience Project Based Learning. He is a sound technician at Providence Baptist Church and has volunteered at Mary Immaculate Hospital, with Middlesex High School basketball, Basketball 360 Academy/Ladi Pantherz, and Christopher University basketball as a camp counselor.

He was accepted to nearly 30 colleges and universities including, but not limited to, Howard University, Hampton University, Tennessee State University, Alabama A&M, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Louisiana State University. He will attend Virginia Commonwealth University to major in nursing/pre-nursing. After graduation he plans to become a travel nurse and to continue his clothing brand. 

Fondest high school memory:

“My fondest high school memories are Henry in the ceiling; seeing people rock his brand; the homecoming pep rally; going to London and Paris; and making a guard laugh causing him to get fired.”

A tradition at school you will miss:

“My fondest tradition is, Dr. Harris’ famous quote of the day – ‘Remember good better best never let it rest until your good is your better and your better is your best’. You are somebody when you enter Phoebus High School and you will be a better somebody when you leave. You deserve the education you receive here. You have things to do and people to impress because at Phoebus High School our purpose is greatness every day every way.”

An achievement you are most proud of:

“I am most proud of is the growth of Culprit Clothing; take the risk.”

I am proud to be an HCS graduate because:

“I am proud to be an HCS graduate because we are one of the very few divisions to have academies. It pushed me to excel at the highest levels possible causing more than a quarter of us to graduate with an associates.”

If you could thank a teacher who had the greatest impact on you, who would it be and why?

“Ms. Labreck – she always had a listening ear; was there for my constant rambles; accepted the goofiness from me and she is highly tolerable of me; and was the first teacher who supported me and my clothing band and every entrepreneurship and effort.”

Dante James – Co-Salutatorian

Dante is graduating with a grade point average of 4.65. He plays basketball at both Phoebus High School and the DDP Elite Travel basketball team. He is also a member of the PHS soccer team and participated in the Academy of the College Experience Project Based Learning. Dante’s volunteer experiences include The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, and Mary Immaculate Hospital. He also volunteered as a coach at Basketball 360 Academy/Ladi Pantherz and Middlesex High School basketball, and was a camp counselor with Christopher Newport University men’s basketball.

Dante was accepted to nearly 25 colleges and universities including, but not limited to, Bethune-Cookman University, Hampton University, Morehouse College, Penn State, Purdue University, and North Carolina Central University. He will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall and plans to major in pharmaceutical sciences with a concentration in medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical business. After graduation he wants to open the first black owned major pharmaceutical company that caters to people of all kinds while maintaining an ethical standard.

Fondest high school memory:

“My fondest high school memory is going to New York City with Ms. Layeni.”

A tradition at your school you will miss:

“I will miss Dr. Harris’ morning speech of ‘greatness every day in every way.”

An achievement you are most proud of:

“I am most proud of being able to end high school with no bad blood or confrontation with anybody.”

I am proud to be an HCS graduate because:

“I believe that we are one of the few cities that prepare students for the next step in life – whether it be certifications, military preparedness, or college classes to further our education.”

If you could thank a teacher who had the greatest impact on you, who would it be and why?

“To put just one would be very unjust, so my favorite two would be our past English teacher Ms. Layeni and our current English teacher Ms. Labreck. Both of these teachers display the support of a family member, the comfort of a therapist, and the creativity of an artist. They have done a lot for me and the people I know.”

Owen Smith – Co-Salutatorian

Owen has a grade point average of 4.65. His interests include bowling and playing the drums. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, the Phoebus golf team, the Young Men’s Club, Chess Club, Spanish Club, and Scholastic Bowl. He has many volunteer activities including assisting the elderly, preparing food for the men’s homeless shelters, collecting and assembling hygiene kits for the homeless, raising money for veterans and breast cancer research, assisting at bingo nights at the Community Knights Bingo Hall, and reading to elementary students through the Phantom Reads program.

Owen was accepted to 15 colleges and universities including, but not limited to, Hampton University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and William & Mary. He will attend Christopher Newport University in the fall and plans to major in mathematics/computer science/data science. He is not sure of his career direction after graduation but he knows he wants to help others and continue with volunteer work in the community. He also has a desire to mentor young bowlers.

Fondest high school memory:

“My fondest high school memory is going to my first pep rally in my ninth grade year and feeling a sense of school pride and community after COVID.”

A tradition at your school you will miss:

“I will miss Principal Coccoli’s words of wisdom on the morning announcements.”

An achievement you are most proud of:

“I am most proud of getting a 600 series in bowling and also seven strikes in a row.”

I am proud to be an HCS graduate because:

“I am proud of the sense of community Hampton evokes. ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ HCS has given me a multitude of opportunities to explore who I am and who I want to become. It is because of the dedication of the HCS School Board, teachers, and staff that I am graduating with an Associate of Science degree coming out of high school, and I am more than prepared for what lies ahead.”

If you could thank a teacher who had the greatest impact on you, who would it be and why?

“I am grateful for all my teachers, especially for them putting up with all my questions. They have all been instrumental in my development throughout my high school journey. Two teachers I would like to give a special shout out to are Ms. Labreck for her patience and understanding with my barrage of questions and her help with solving problems inside and outside of school. I also want to give a shout out to Dr. Snyder for helping me become more confident in my public speaking skills and allowing me to see public speaking in a different light; nothing is as scary as one imagines.”