Cat 5 hurricane, pandemic could not derail Bay County's valedictorians, salutatorians

BAY COUNTY — Despite having their high school careers thrown off course by a Category 5 hurricane and a pandemic, Bay County's valedictorians and salutatorians are closing this chapter by marking the major accomplishment.

The top students gathered Monday afternoon to celebrate their academic achievements.

A valedictorian is the student with the highest academic grade point average in the graduating class who delivers the valedictory at the graduation ceremony. A salutatorian is the student who ranks second highest and delivers the salutatory.

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Bay District Schools hosted the seniors at the Nelson building, giving them a chance to tell their stories. About 1,500 Bay County students will graduate in the next few weeks.

Students' journey to the top

The titles of valedictorian and salutatorian are highly coveted, with students working their entire high school career to earn the rank. As Mosley salutatorian Alexis Rowe said, between her competitive nature and her goal to achieve the title, she had to go for it.

"My mom was in the military, so that's always motivated me to be competitive and we're goal-driven because of the way she is," Rowe said. "And the accomplishments my parents have gone through have always motivated me to be really encouraged and goal driven."

For other students, the title came as a shock. Bozeman salutatorian Brandon Satos said he found out about his No. 2 ranking after a classmate advised him to check.

"I wasn't really expecting it because others around me have been working hard and I haven't been really paying attention to how well I was doing," Satos said. "So when I was told that, 'Hey, you know you're second place, right?' I was ... very surprised at how well I was doing."

The climb to the top of the graduating class wasn't quick or easy. With advanced placement (AP) classes, sports and clubs, many of the top students balanced a tough schedule throughout their four years.

Arnold salutatorian James Reece said he juggled a passion for theater while staying on top of his other club commitments.

"I have the theater to thank for a lot of the things that I've learned in high school about life. It's taught me how to be a good friend and how to show humility and respect for others and encourage them and it's just such a special experience to me," Reece said. "And I hope to continue that within the future. But I've also been an active presence within Student Government. I was the junior class president and I'm the senior class secretary of our high school."

The seniors acknowledged several faculty members from their schools who have helped shaped them as students and as citizens. From Bay's Sean O'Connell helping with tough math equations to Bozeman's Giovanni Pereira leading the award-winning band, they have left a mark on the seniors that will last a lifetime.

"(Jodi Harless) has kind of helped me through a lot of things that I've been through the past four years. She's really opened her doors to me," Rowe said. "I had her only my junior year but kind of all four years. She's helped me through everything and she's just really good at connecting with students and helping them through whatever they're going through."

Four years rocked by storms and sickness

The past four years have been anything but normal for the Bay County seniors. During their high school careers, they have seen Hurricane Michael destroy much of their hometowns in 2018 and then the COVID-19 pandemic two years later.

Bay co-salutatorian James Boyd said he remembers stopping everything after his house was destroyed and he lost most of his possessions.

"My parents sent me up north to Wyoming, to my cousin and my aunt for a bit," Boyd said. "We came back down when school started back up, we went to Jinks (Middle School for classes) from like 7 to 12, spent a lot of time there. My AP physics teacher was there, all of my classes were there."

Throughout the panic and destruction, students said they found some sense of normalcy with school.

"That was kind of crazy, but I still found time to go to school, it was kind of the normal at that point since my house is messed up and everything," Rowe said. "Going to school was that normal in my life. So, I kind of found a joy in school, doing my work, that's kind of what kept me steady."

The pandemic was another beast, with students suddenly forced to continue their sophomore year online. Some welcomed the new experience while some struggled at first.

Reece said despite the challenges, he found valuable lessons in the situation.

"I was just kind of stuck in my house but it made me realize that you don't always have to have face-to-face interaction to keep a friendship or relationship going through a screen," Reece said. "You can find ways around to just connect with your friends and whenever friends would reach out to me or text me, even though we couldn't go out, it was always encouraging because it showed that I was on their minds."

Closing this chapter

The seniors finished up their final days of high school the past week, saying their goodbyes and completing the last bits of schoolwork.

All headed to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Boyd will major in engineering, Reece in computer science and Rowe in neuro-psychology. Sato will attend Gulf Coast University in Fort Lauderdale.

As for replicating their success, the seniors advise other students to follow their heart and work hard.

"Try your hardest, keep trying no matter how much life throws at you," Sato said. "Just keep trying."

High school will remain a significant piece of these top students' lives but they are happy to move on to the next chapter.

"High school has been an incredibly stressful, yet rewarding, experience to me and to my class as well. But in a way, it's bittersweet," Reece said. "(Monday) was my last day, so I visited a lot of the teachers who have helped shape me into who I am and it felt hard to say my goodbyes, but it also feels very easy to accept that I'm taking my first step into this big bright future."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County's valedictorians and salutatorians celebrate achievements