Brooklyn Adams
News Editor
As the 2019-2020 school year comes to an end, so does the high school career for the 2020 seniors. Throughout the past 12 years, each of them has worked hard towards this moment. A special few worked extra hard to become valedictorians and salutatorians. Valedictorians are those with the highest GPA (4.0 or higher) and salutatorians are those with the second highest GPA throughout all four years.
The special few valedictorians include Jordynn Allinger, Tyler Calloway, Abigail Carey, Samuel Fox, Duane Knapp, Alejandra Ortega, Abigail Schaffer, and Hayden Taylor. The salutatorians are Patrick Barrett, Ivy Hartman, and Amanda Hansen.
These 11 seniors have worked hard and pushed themselves everyday throughout their high school career. Each has a different reason on why they are motivated to push themselves to be better.
“I decided I wanted to be valedictorian around fifth or sixth grade when I finally understood what it meant. I decided this so early because my dad was valedictorian of his class and I wanted to be like him,” Allinger said. Allinger’s plan is to attend Bethel Seminary school ministry school in fall of 2020.
“It was during my freshman year of high school when I set my goal to be 2020’s valedictorian. The reason for this is because, when I am older, I want my kids to look up to me and be inspired,” Schaffer said. Schaffer’s best high school memory is becoming a 2020 Valedictorian.
No matter the amount of work, time and effort needed to become a valedictorian or salutatorian, these students have pushed through to make the time.
“I always just tried to get the best grade I possibly could because my parents always stressed how important school was, and once I saw I was close to being valedictorian it made me push even harder to finish,” Fox said. Fox will be continuing his academic and football career at Case Western Reserve University in the fall to study nursing.
“There wasn’t really a deciding factor on why I made the decision to put forth the effort to become Valedictorian. I have always been an overachiever and my parents have always pushed me to do the very best,” Carey said.
Occasionally getting a push from family and friends, these students used that as motivation.
“I made the decision of becoming a valedictorian when I made a bet with my dad. I’m really competitive and don’t like to lose bets, so when my dad bet me that I couldn’t be valedictorian of my senior class, I had to show him wrong,” Taylor said. Taylor will be attending Montana State University in the fall.
These students have pushed to achieve something special to them during their high school career. This motivation is making them even stronger for the next chapter in their lives.
The Pioneer Press 