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NORTH ATTLEBORO - Two women looking forward to careers in the science field are at the top of North Attleboro High School's Class of 2007, which will graduate at 6 p.m. Friday at the high school.

Brittany Pereira, daughter of Douglas and Debra Pereira, is the class valedictorian, and Stephanie McNamara, daughter of Karen and Thomas McNamara, is salutatorian.

Pereira, who has a reputation for being quiet and thoughtful, has racked up numerous academic honors during her high school career.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. She also has received the school's annual Harvard Book Award and the Bausch & Lomb Science Award.

Pereira earned the highest score in her class on the MCAS test in both mathematics and English. But Pereira didn't spend all of her time hitting the books. She also excelled as a student athlete, earning the Hockomock Female Scholar Athlete Award.

Pereira played both volleyball and tennis during all four years of high school, serving as captain of both teams during her senior year.

Her busy schedule was rounded out with plenty of volunteerism, including work at the Early Learning Center, the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

Pereira will attend Brown University next year and plans for a career in a science field, although she is still undecided about her major.

McNamara has also collected a pile of academic and athletic achievements during her four years in high school.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society, and received the Rensselaer Math and Science Medal Award.

For her first three years of high school, McNamara was very involved in the science fair program, winning a first-place award all three years at the high school level and a first place at the state science fair in her freshman and junior years.

As a result of her science fair project, McNamara earned a spot as a summer pathology intern at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she plans to work this summer, as well.

Athletically, she participated in cross country, winter and spring track, serving as captain of the cross country and winter track teams during her senior year.

McNamara also participated in several other activities, including math league, model senate, SADD, SCAR, marching band, concert band and science club. She is heading for Tufts University in the fall, where she plans to major in biology and enter the pre-med program.

AMY DeMELIA can be reached at 508-236-0334 or at ademelia@thesunchronicle.com.