BEDFORD – On Friday, 289 seniors graduated from Bedford North Lawrence High School, accepting their diplomas, tossing their caps, and exiting the field in what were final moments as Stars.
During the ceremony, hosted on the team’s football field in front of a packed crowd of family and friends, four students took to the podium to speak to their classmates one final time.
Those being valedictorians Italy Lewis and Max Klein, and salutatorians Faith Ritter and Kallista Sykes.
Lewis, the 2023 class president, was the first to speak, talking to her classmates about her journey to the honor of valedictorian. She said she spent much of her time at the school focused on finishing at the top of her class, so much so that she felt at times it detracted from her life outside of academics.
“If you had known me two years ago, you would’ve known I was selling my soul to become valedictorian. I did not take any classes that were considered fun or easy because I knew they would drop my grade or GPA. I ran on maybe 10-12 hours of sleep a week and my parents would constantly have to deal with complete and utter meltdowns from me, due to the possibility of an A-,” she said.
After coming across another student’s valedictorian acceptance speech online, where he noted the excitement of the honor quickly had worn off, as he then began to think about all of the sacrifices he made to get there, Lewis said she began to reconsider her approach, which ultimately led to her taking part in work-based learning her senior year, even with the potential cost to her class standing.
“I decided that work-based learning and a real-life experience would be more worthwhile than those 15 seconds of fame. Fast forward to the present day and I am happily working at my work-based learning job through the summer, while somehow still getting the pleasure of standing here today as the co-valedictorian of the class of 2023,” she said.
Klein spoke next, discussing some of the difficulties faced by this senior class, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the switch from a semester system to trimesters, before thanking those who’ve helped him and others along the way.
“While we are gathered here today to honor my peers and I, we cannot overlook everything that our family members have done for us. They have sacrificed their time to drive us to school and sports. They’ve helped us with assignments we may not understand and they’ve supported us for our entire lives. They deserve our thanks and appreciation,” said Klein.
“Additionally, the faculty here at Bedford North Lawrence High School deserve recognition for all they do. Teachers helped us learn and prepare for the future. Counselors kept us on track and reminded us what we needed to do next and maintenance staff kept the school clean and running. We would not be here without support and sacrifices from family members of faculty’s effort into making us successful,” he continued.
Ritter spoke directly to her class about how their experiences during their four years of high school have helped ready them for the future.
“What we have faced undoubtedly shaped how we view the world, as well as the way we view ourselves. We have become more cultured, more informed, well rounded and determined individuals who are now more equipped to become successful members of society,” she said.
“Whether we are going to technical school, to college, the military, or joining the workforce, we are each ready to contribute to the community in our own unique ways.”
Sykes said she was surprised to learn she was in the running to be one of the top members of her class, as she struggled in one of her senior-year courses. Having completed the course and earned the honor of salutatorian, she was proud of the perseverance shown by her, as well as her classmates on their way to completing high school.
“At the beginning of the school year, I went to my counselor to try to drop out of my calculus two class,” she said. “That was until I found out I was in the lead for either valedictorian or salutatorian. I was in absolute awe and I knew that I had to persevere and try my best to achieve what I never thought was possible. With a lot of hard work and tears, and I mean a lot of tears, I was able to bring my grade up and complete the class. And now I stand up here looking at all of you who have also worked incredibly hard to be sitting here today. My fellow graduates, I am so incredibly proud of all of you for making it.”
