School Valedictorian Analysis

Looking back on high school, one memory usually stands out. For me, it was when our band marched in the Tournament of Roses. Preceding the Rose Bowl in Pasadena every January, we were thrilled to be in the parade. Considered one of the best bands in the state, the parade officials contacted our band director. The problem was only paying for the trip. However, holding spaghetti suppers and car washes, the money was eventually raised. We went to California two days early to visit Disneyland. Covered with thousands of flowers, we also got a sneak preview of the floats. Reporting to the parade site at 6:00 a.m., our place in the parade was assigned. Marching the six-mile route, more than a million people would watch us. Watching the parade on

In the fall of 2014, I embarked on the start of my ephemeral high school experience. Reminiscing back onto my first day of school, I can recall the exact moment as if it was yesterday. The adrenaline spewing out of my veins as if I had just consumed a large amount of caffeine, the anxiety boiling in my nerves not knowing who my teachers were or where my classes were. But most of all, I recall the coalescing of my fellow classmates’ personalities and the censure everyone had towards each other. It was in this moment that I had realized that Northwest Christian High School was not a banal Christian environment. In fact, Northwest Christian High School was the antithesis of a banal Christian environment.

Valedictorians, the best in the class, can be a very crucial title that top high school students fight neck and neck for. Is this much competition and stress beneficial for students? Students who are academically inclined are already recognizable to the prestigious colleges, that are filled with academically inclined peers. A student who is not capable of taking all advanced and AP courses, even if they work twice as much as others do, throughout their entire high school career could never become valedictorian. Some students can achieve straight A’s in all AP and advanced courses, without ever cracking open a book, is it fair to name them over the kids who study every night and can barely pass? Valedictorians are just another way to recognize

Maybe I have finally felt positive about myself speaking in front of others but what also scares me is not getting accepted after all the time it took me to just get out of my chair. It would be lovely to be admired by my ideas and opinions and not get rejected .But there is always that fear that never leaves me alone in which I cannot explain or blame because it is not known and I cannot predict the outcome or what is expected after my actions. That unknown fear if I will score the winning goal at my soccer game seconds before it ends, not being able to predict if I will get to college safe from my house and on time to class. That horrible feeling I have after submitting a quiz and not being sure if I passed or

I have memories from going to Hume Lake. When I was at Hume Lake, I felt like my relationship with God was grew and I was learned in the Lord. I made some good memories with my friends. At Hume Lake, my friendships built and united. In our daily classroom, I’ve made memories with those in the class and we’ve made jokes with the teachers & students. I’ve had great times with those in the class. Many people at Water of Life Christian School have left an impact on me. For example, the teachers have left an amazing impact on me. The teachers have taught me so many things and taught me some life-impacting lessons about God. The teachers have helped lead me into growing my relationship with God.There are many teachers who’ve left an impact on me and just a few are Mrs. Semanovich, Mrs. Kavan, Mrs. Fallon, Mr. Zekri, and Mrs.Belk. Also, my friends have left an impact on me. My friends have been there for me, been right by my side, supported me, encouraged me, made me laugh, and have helped me through hard and good times. THroughout this school year at Water of Life Christian School, I've made memories with the people who’ve impacted

Memories. So many of them. Only so much a little school can hold. Friendships, relationships, and so many other road bumps we encountered on our journey. I know I for sure encountered friendship problems,

During my academic journey, public speaking has always been an extreme fear. When I enrolled at Thomas Nelson Community College, the first question that I asked was do I have to take Public Speaking. My experience with talking in front of people resulted in hot pepper colored face, blacking out, dizziness, or nausea. In Spring of 2016, I went ahead and enrolled in Professor Fotinos’s class just to get it over with. As class day one approached, fear and anxiety started to rise. When the first speech day came, I volunteered to go with the first group so that I was done and the anxiety wasn’t building up. As I was doing my speech, I thought of what Professor Fotinos told the class to do and calmed down. The more speeches that I did, presenting

My life experience in middle school was an astonishing year. I went to a school called Step Charter in Houston Texas, which was full with outstanding teachers and students. I was a very well behaved student, who had mostly A’s and B’s. Most people can say time can go by so fast, well it did for me. It was the last day of school for us eighth graders, who were moving on to high school. We had just finished our graduation ceremony and I was saying goodbye to all of my marvelous friends, who I would miss forever.

Time passed and it was eventually the last week of school. By this time I knew everyone in my class and made some good friends. It was field day, and I was partners with Emma in every activity I signed up for that required two people. Emma and I won in almost every category that we were in. I still remember us jumping up and down in happiness because of it.

Every day as I walk towards all of my classes and feel the thousands of people around me, I remind myself that it wasn’t always like this. Who would have known that a boy from a small pueblo in the tropical island of Puerto Rico would end up going to the largest university in the state of Tennessee. As a young man, never in a million years would I have imagined my life to be the way it is now and it began ten years ago on the day that my family and I landed in the Nashville airport. Excitement filled all of our hearts for this new beginning, and the first memory I have was when we first stepped out of the airport that December afternoon. There was something different about the way the air and the sun felt on my skin. Almost as if the air had

“Ready, begin,” I said. Two words. I worked so hard for four years, spent a tremendous amount of hours doing homework, and participated in school activities and sports. I always tried to be the best person I could and my reward was just to say those two words. I, Kylie Ergeson graduated Selah High School with a 4.0 GPA and was the valedictorian of the Class of 2015. Many people think grades come easy for me. Well, they are wrong. I worked hard to get good grades. I set my goal of being valedictorian in 8th grade, and with determination and perseverance I achieved it. Along my journey to becoming valedictorian, I faced many obstacles. First, I got bullied a lot. Being bullied was the reason I got suspended my freshman year. I had

-Fear is mostly in your head, remember you are teaching something new to your audience, you shouldn’t be intimidated by their presence, but they; instead, should be impressed, inspired and informed by the content of your speech.

“I’m coming!” I yelled to my dad, as I heard the engine of his car rumbling downstairs in the garage. I got in his car to begin the 10 minute drive to my high school. Throughout the whole car ride, I stared blankly out the window as my mind rushed, trying to process everything that had happened in the past few days. It all just felt unreal and artificial. We pulled up to Beckman High and I got out of the stone grey honda and walked up to commons, immediately hearing the sound of old rock music as a crowd of people surrounded the entrance. It was crazy to think that our Coach had touched each and every one of their lives.

Did you know that public speaking is ranked as the number one fear in America? This fear, called glossophobia, is “as common as fingers and toes.” (McDermott,5). Many of us have experienced anxiety during a speech. It might have happened to you, and also it might have happened to your friends too. It happens to everyone, even to those people who today are famous and excellent speakers. The book “Speak with Courage” written by Martin McDermott, author and master teacher, is a unique guide to the art of confident public speaking. This book has helped thousands of students to overcome their fears and rise above speech anxiety by using the right techniques. I totally agree with McDermott when he claims that everyone can leave behind the fear of

My first favorite school memory was in eighth grade. I was in chorus and we were going on a trip to Massachusetts with the band for a competition. I was super excited and couldn’t wait to sell all of my tickets. When the day finally came I was so excited. We rode in a coach bus which was really cool because I’ve never been in one before. When we arrived in Massachusetts we headed over to where we were having the competition. The competition was being held at a really big school. We performed and sounded really good. I was super nervous I didn’t want to mess up since I had never done that before.