This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/22/2022 08:30 AMEach year the graduating senior with the highest academic record is named the school’s valedictorian. For the East Haven High School Class of 2022, the person to achieve this honor is Derek Coady.
Derek says his interest in academic performance didn’t begin until his middle school years, “when it started mattering,” he says of tracking how his grades and the courses he took appeared on his academic record.
“Then I really paid attention,” he says. “Before that, I did my best, but it was in middle school that I looked at the numbers.”
Derek notes that his academic motivation was a combination of internal drive and encouragement from his parents. That encouragement pushed Derek to keep achieving in school and earning good grades since neither parent had earned a college degree.
“My mom was in college for one semester and then left, and I think my dad never attended at all if I’m not mistaken, and if so, for at most a semester like my mom,” states Derek.
Today, Derek’s mom works in retail sales, and his dad works in campus maintenance at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.
“They always told me, ‘Don’t be like us, go places,’” admits Derek. “They always encouraged me and helped me out and drove me to success.”
His top grades in each class then morphed into self-reinforcing motivation.
“I did it more on my own and as I started getting more honors for my grades I was like, ‘Oh, this actually pays off,’” he says.
While Derek says he’s honored to have been named valedictorian, he admits “I never had my eyes set on it until the end of my junior year, and I just did my own thing before that and got my grades and ended up being number one at the end of junior year, so then, during my senior year I just tried to keep my GPA [grade point average] in place.”
Both the valedictorian (highest GPA) and the salutatorian (second highest GPA) of a graduating class are determined solely on a student’s GPA, which, in this case, is a measure of a student’s demonstrated outstanding academic achievement during all four years of high school.
Classmates who also had their eyes set on topping the grade-point average list provided some competition during Derek’s senior year, but he notes that in the grades before that everyone “just did their own thing” when it came to earning good grades.
“I never walked into high school thinking or saying, ‘Yeah, I want to be valedictorian,’” Derek says, adding with humility, “It kinda just happened and it’s sort of surreal. I never really imagined myself as someone at this high an academic level. I’m soaking it in, but I never really imagined it and it’s really cool. To get an honor as high as this out of 200 people is pretty crazy, and to think about the work of four years compiled—and my entire academic career—leading to this.”
When talking about his academic performance, Derek admits, “I definitely had to study.” He says he was never one to simply absorb what he learned in class, retain it, and not have to do homework.
“I had to sit down a few days before a test, preparing, a few hours each day,” Derek explains of his learning style. “Like for math, I would redo problems and go over the notes. A few days before a test I would try to ingrain everything in my head, so then the day before a test I just had to refresh.”
Derek’s next venture into education will be close to home at Sacred Heart University in nearby Fairfield, but he plans to live on campus for the full college experience.
“I will be majoring in computer science,” says the 18-year-old, but he’s unsure of what concentration or specialization in the computer field for which he will aim.
“There are a lot of different things you can do with computer science, like cyber security, computer engineering, or game design. Sacred Heart has programs for each in the first year, so I’ll see which one I really like. But I definitely want to be in the computer field.”
Both valedictorian and salutatorian of the EHHS Class of 2022 were offered free tuition to attend nearby Yale University this year, Derek says, but he also notes that “you first have to be accepted by the university.” He did not apply to Yale, however. Derek opted instead to apply at Sacred Heart because of its programs and the fact he’ll receive free tuition there because his father is an employee of the university.
Derek also made frequent visits to Sacred Heart because of his father “and I fell in love with it,” he says of the campus and the academic atmosphere that suited his unassuming nature.
A requirement for all high school students is to perform a minimum number of hours of community service, and despite his stellar academic performance, Derek also had to earn his volunteer hours to graduate.
“I was in Marching Band and we would do fundraisers like car washes,” recalls Derek. “I also did fundraising events at the Fall Festival on the East Haven Town Green. I did midnight runs giving resources to homeless people at homeless shelters, readings and greetings at church, and I filmed different basketball and hockey games with the media club at our school.”
As Derek prepares for his new ventures in college, he’s thankful for his time at EHHS, and for the teachers he had.
“I’ve had some good relationships with some of the teachers, and they really look out for you and encourage you,” explains Derek. “Because calculus is a big switch in math, my pre-calculus teacher last year, Ms. [Jennifer] Bauer, always offered extra help and I would go for extra help for tests. That put me in a good place of learning the material in an effective manner to go on my own this year in actual calculus and be able to be successful.
“A lot of the teachers really look out for you,” continues Derek, “for your wellbeing along with teaching you. They are not just there to tell you things off the book, you have personal relationships with them, too.”
Derek has played the flute for eight years and he will continue to play at Sacred Heart, “but I’m thinking of switching to the saxophone,” he says, and during his last year in the EHHS band he was the drum major, “which is like the conductor of the entire field show,” he adds.
As for the next couple of months, Derek plans a relaxed schedule, which is well deserved.
“For the summer I’m going to be working a little bit to rack up some money while also enjoying my senior summer as much as I can before moving off to college,” Derek concludes. And he will enjoy “some vacations, lots of downtime, and just some relaxation after years of hard work before I continue [with school] in the fall.”