Shirley Truland, valedictorian

What does being named valedictorian mean to you?

I’ve strived for high grades my whole high school career; that was kind of my thing. So, you know, getting named that for my senior year is pretty awesome.

What’s one moment from high school that really stands out?

Social-wise, drama and chorus and, you know, my family, but academic-wise, I think taking AP capstone was a huge portion of my high school career.

Was there a class, teacher or project that had a big impact on you?

Probably Ms. Emami. She was my AP Capstone teacher, and I never left her room last year. She’s done a lot for me, and also Erin (Smith) and Liz (Thompson) (music and art teachers at RLRS).

How did you stay motivated or manage your workload?

Just determination. Oh, my God. I don’t even know how I survived last year.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in high school, and how did you handle it?

Probably just personal life things, especially this year, but last year, managing all my time. I had so many extracurriculars. I was vice president of Student Council last year and I just had so much on my plate on top of Capstone.

What activities, sports, or clubs were most important to you?

Definitely chorus and drama — a big part of me — I also do a lot of artsy stuff, and I’m currently doing student aid with kindergarten.

How did you balance academics with everything else?

I have no idea. I could not do that this year. Determination to get it done.

What are your plans after graduation?

I’m currently planning on going to Montserrat College of Art and going for interdisciplinary arts. I’m hoping to make children’s media, like books and stuff. Afterwards, I’m gonna get my master’s in early childhood education and maybe be a preschool teacher or kindergarten teacher. But if life takes me different places, then we’ll just roll with it.

Is there something you’re especially excited or nervous about after you graduate?

I’m definitely excited to be surrounded with art and stuff, which is one of the reasons why I’m going to art school. I don’t know, just getting to see the world a little bit.

Do you have a favorite place, tradition or memory tied to RLRS?

I like the people I met here and learning to become a teacher, which was mostly at like Mt. Blue, but I’m very close with a lot of the teachers here, and it’s all like one big kind of family.

What advice would you give underclassmen?

Don’t stress yourself out with academics too much, because you’re gonna get burnt out real quick. I’m pretty burnt out this year. Get your core classes finished as quickly as possible, so senior year isn’t as stressful. You know, academics really aren’t anything when it comes to the grand scheme of college. They want to see who you are as a person, and extracurriculars are just as important.

Alex Hathaway, salutatorian

What does being named salutatorian mean to you?

The hard work I put in early in high school so that I could slack off now.

What’s one moment from high school that really stands out?

I’d call it less of a moment and more of a time every day, which was the AP capstone class I took. It was me and two other students with the history teacher, and just the moment of spending every morning having discussions with them.

Was there a class, teacher or project that had a big impact on you?

That (capstone) class and the first year we did group projects together. Like, that’s part of the first year. The second year was just our own projects, but … those classes definitely shaped my views on things … because we all have very different perspectives on different topics.

How did you stay motivated or manage your workload?

It was a struggle. But I think the biggest thing that I did, that my classmates did not, was that I didn’t overextend myself. I chose a goal, more like a method that I knew I could realistically achieve without burning myself out.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in high school, and how did you handle it?

Especially in my sophomore year, I just really struggled. Why am I taking these classes? Why do I care about this work that I’m turning in? Why do I care about good grades? But I kind of turned it into, oh, I care about this because if I get this done, then I can have a schedule like I’m having this year, where all I’m doing is I’m going to Foster Tech and taking an electrical class, and then on the other day, I’m working as an electrician.

What activities, sports or clubs were most important to you?

I did pretty much all of them, but I really enjoyed soccer. I really enjoyed the volleyball club. I enjoy all of the different clubs I do at the school, like the gardening club is fun when we pick stuff in the fall. That’s really the main club I took part in. The Quiz Bowl team, the math team, I’m on student council, and that’s very fulfilling.

How did you balance academics with everything else?

I just did things when it was time to do them. Rarely did I bring stuff home, which was a bit of a problem sometimes. I have spurts of motivation, so I make sure to actually use those spurts to do the work. Even if it’s doing math and science. I just find the time to do the work, I guess.

What are your plans after graduation?

I’m hoping to go to Bath Iron Works.

Is there something you’re especially excited or nervous about after you graduate?

I’m excited to go meet new people in a bigger place than this small town. As much as it’s nice knowing everyone. I’m looking forward to meeting new people that I haven’t been stuck with, and getting to experience new things.

Do you have a favorite place, tradition or memory tied to RLRS?

The time I’ve spent with my class, because there’s only eight of us, and five of us have been in this school since kindergarten, so that’s a lot. That’s 13 years spent with these same people.

What advice would you give underclassmen?

Try to work hard while at the beginning of high school so that your options open up. The same thing I did, actually reaching out to our guidance counselor, but possibly reaching out to people who seem that they are in the same situation I was in at the start of high school.