Edward Dong, a poet and math and science whiz, was recently named valedictorian for the class of 2013 with an academic GPA of 4.7536 and a total GPA of 4.7271, and Nikki Bedekar, a top tennis player with an outgoing personality, received the honor of salutatorian with the second highest academic GPA of 4.6582 and a total GPA of 4.5984.
On March 14, principal Paul Robinson and assistant principal Brian Safine congratulated the pair for their accomplishments.
Dong had a feeling that he had a shot at being valedictorian, but didn’t think much of it.
“My friends often told me, ‘You’re going to be valedictorian, Ed. Just wait.’ It was mostly out of jest, though, and frankly, I’ve probably said the same to a couple of classmates myself,” Dong said. “I had the sense that I was somewhere in the running, but I never felt preoccupied by the possibility.”
According to Bedekar, the title of salutatorian came as a complete surprise.
“There are so many amazing people in our grade, so I never expected to be salutatorian,” Bedekar said.
Dong has taken 15 AP and Honors courses during his high school career, while Bedekar has taken 16.
According to Dong, his one regret in attaining the title of valedictorian was that his commitment to schoolwork sometimes left him unable to explore some pursuits.
“Particularly stressful weeks sometimes left me sleepless and sick,” Dong said. “Time restrictions often meant that I couldn’t devote myself to activities that truly interested me, like contemplating poetry. In retrospect, considering what good grades cost me, I should probably have exchanged the title for a more balanced lifestyle.”
Bedekar, who will attend Princeton University this fall, attributes her success to her love of knowledge and learning.
“I know this is very cheesy, but I always liked going to school,” Bedekar said. “When I was little, I disliked vacations and summer break and instead used to look forward to school.”
English 11 Honors teacher Natasha Ritchie, who wrote Dong’s letter of recommendation for college, admires the diversity of his interests as well as his personal character.
“He definitely stands out in terms of high academic skill but also fabulous personal character,” Ritchie said. “He is involved in extracurriculars in math, but also in English like the poetry club and newspaper, so I always found it amazing that he was strong in both subjects.”
Ritchie appreciates that Dong, who will be attending Yale University next year learns for personal gain rather than for grades, and enjoyed her time as his teacher.
“He is the epitome of what teachers want in a student because he genuinely cares about the learning and not necessarily about the grade or the result so I think it’s awesome that he got that final amazing GPA,” Ritchie said.
Assistant principal Brian Safine said he admires Bedekar not only for her academic excellence but for her charismatic personality and how well she relates to others.
“I would describe Nikki as someone who has a vibrancy to her,” Safine said. “She is not only an enthusiastic learner but also a charismatic student. She’s fun to talk to. She’s intellectually very gifted but also a real person who has real hopes, strengths and fears like everyone else does.”
