On the first Friday of June my younger sister graduated from Tewksbury Memorial High School. Like most siblings, I was not looking forward to sitting through a long graduation (I barely wanted to sit on my own). As much as I was not looking forward to listening to one generic speech after another, there was one particular speech I was looking forward to, and it was coming from the student who finished number one in his class but was not allowed to disclose that information.

You see the lovely principal at Tewksbury Memorial High school decided to get rid of the class ranking system, meaning there was no valedictorian, no salutatorian, and no top 10. All they had was a top five percent. When I heard about this — I was baffled. My sister and the high school seniors I work with expressed their anger and opinions to me in the weeks leading up to graduation. While no one seemed to know the exact reason the principal made this decision, there were rumors that “it was unfair to other students” and that “it hurt other students feelings.” Are you kidding me? You can have a prom king and queen, a sports MVP, but we can’t reward academic excellence? I was true beside myself. I then learned that if you wanted to speak at graduation, you could submit a speech and it would have to be accepted and approved by the administration. Only three students were selected and one of them was the valedictorian. When I heard this, my response was “I really hope he gets up there and says he’s the valedictorian.” When I was told that it was a definite possibility, I was suddenly excited to go to my sister’s graduation just to see what happened.

Towards the end of his speech, Thomas Jefferson’s “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing” was quoted and the words everyone was waiting to hear were uttered. “With that being said, I stand before you as your valedictorian who’s not allowed to say he’s valedictorian.” The gym went crazy, and the look on the principal’s face was absolutely priceless. I had actual goosebumps listening to him honor the salutatorian and remind us again that he was the valedictorian. When he finished his speech, the sounds of cheering and clapping were deafening. I was so proud of this kid, and I didn’t even know him.

So, to the valedictorian, who wasn’t allowed to say he was valedictorian, thank you. Thank you for fighting for what you believe in. Thank you for telling the entire gymnasium who the valedictorian and salutatorian were. Thank you for making the administration look foolish. Thank you for making your graduation one I will never forget. Finally, thank you for bringing the ranking system back to Tewksbury Memorial High School. It is because of you that the class of 2017 will honor their valedictorian and salutatorian. You should be very proud of yourself. Good luck with your future!