Lake Brantley High School of Altamonte Springs, Florida held its 1997 graduation ceremony on May 27 at the Orlando Arena. It was a large event and concluded with indoor fireworks and the release of 3,000 balloons onto the graduates' heads.
I had the distinguished honor of being the Valedictorian of my class of 619 students. Lake Brantley is a high caliber school and I was "competing" with many exceptional students, including (in rank order) Aaron Daviet, Huned Botee, Jon Blank, Erika Frantz, Lisa Harris, Jenny Bunsa, Renée Hutcherson, Ann Kirkpatrick, and Kathryn Momary. Fourteen other students graduated with a 4.0 GPA or above.
My rank-determining GPA was 4.4, only approximately 0.005 of a point above Aaron's. Aaron's GPA was about the same amount above Huned's. That's pretty close if you ask me.
For any interested, here is a copy of my Valedictorian speech. I was really nervous, as it was my first public speaking engagement and the audience numbered about 10,000. It went well, and my voice was steady though the rest of me was shaking like Jello® in an earthquake.
Ann Kirkpatrick, my friend of 11 years, introduced me with the greatest introduction I could possibly ask for.