Puyallup High School valedictorian speaking at the school's 2005 graduation

Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution.^[1] The term is an anglicized derivation of the Latin vale dicere ("to say farewell"), historically rooted in the valedictorian's traditional role as the final speaker at the graduation ceremony. The valedictory address generally is considered a final farewell to classmates, before they disperse to pursue their individual paths after graduating. The term is most often used in the USA, Canada, and The Philippines. Its equivalent in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Iceland, and Scotland is dux. Its equivalent in France is "Major de promotion".

Selection[link]

How an individual school confers the title is typically based upon the highest grade point average. Generally, the graduate deemed to be the highest academically ranked student in the class, as determined by the academic criteria of the school, is given the title of class valedictorian. They must be the best representative of the graduating class. Some institutions confer the title on the class member chosen to deliver the final graduation address, regardless of the speaker's academic credentials. Historically and traditionally, however, schools confer the title upon the top ranking graduate of the class, who thereby earns the honor of delivering the valedictory address.

Some institutions award the title based upon various criteria such as overall academic record of grades and credits, a student's grade point average, the level of rigor within a student's academic program of studies, a vote by school administrators, the level of participation in and dedication to extracurricular activities, and one's public-speaking skills and abilities. In other schools, the position may be elected by the school body or appointed directly by the school administration based on various systems of merit. Some schools may feature "co-valedictorians" in lieu of conferring the title on a single individual from among the graduating class. This may occur in the case of a numerical tie in grade point averages, as part of a Latin honors system, or to promote a form of affirmative action such as gender or racial balance.^{[citation needed]}

Controversy[link]

The awarding of the valedictorian honor may be the subject of heated controversy. Often the differences separating the top student from the nearest competitors are small and sometimes there are accusations that the winner took advantage of the rules in a way that seemed unfair, such as taking easy courses to get additional credits.^[2] Some schools have dropped the honor or changed the rules to allow multiple recipients.^[3][4] In turn, such changes have led to complaints that it is unfair to change the rules after a competition has begun. The New Jersey Commissioner of Education, for example, required schools to make changes to valedictorian award policy effective only for the incoming freshman class, not students already enrolled.^[5] Another New Jersey case raised the question of whether accommodations for students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and related laws should affect valedictorian honors. In Hornstine v. Township of Moorestown, a U.S. District Court judge blocked the Moorestown Superintendent of Schools from retroactively changing school policy to deny a disabled student sole honors.^[5]

Valedictory address[link]

The valedictory address, or valediction, is the closing or farewell statement delivered at a graduation ceremony. It is an oration at commencement exercises in U.S. and Canadian high schools, colleges, and universities delivered by one of the graduates. The mode of discourse generally is inspirational and persuasive. The various aims of this address are to inspire the graduates and to thank individuals responsible for their successes while reflecting on youthful frivolity and the accomplishments of the class. Above all, however, the primary aim of the valedictory address is to allow a representative of the graduating class to bid a final farewell to the students and to the school, as the graduates prepare to disperse and to begin the next phase of their lives.

See also[link]

• Class rank
• Dux
• Grade inflation
• Salutatorian

References[link]

External links[link]

• Patricia Breakey (June 25, 2005). "From Valedictorian... to the real world". The Daily Star. http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:0HwAI6OHRicJ:www.thedailystar.com/lifestyle/2005/06/25/vals.html+From+Valedictorian...+to+the+real+world&hl=da&ct=clnk&cd=1. 
• Head Boys/Girls Network

Megyn Marie Kelly (born November 18, 1970), formerly known as Megyn Kendall,^[1] is an American journalist and news anchor employed by the Fox News Channel. Kelly currently hosts America Live from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST live from the network’s New York City headquarters. She occasionally also co-hosts on America's Newsroom along with Bill Hemmer during the Fox Channel Network's Morning Line-Up at 10:00 AM EST. Since 2007, the two have hosted Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve special every year.

Personal life and education[link]

Kelly was nine years of age when her parents moved to Delmar, New York from Syracuse, New York. At Bethlehem Central High School, she played on the basketball and field hockey teams, as well as captaining the cheerleading squad. Kelly's father, who was on the staff of the University at Albany, died when she was 15.^[2] After high school, she pursued an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Syracuse University and later pursued a J.D. from Albany Law School; she served as an associate editor of the Albany Law Review while enrolled at Albany Law School.^[3][4][5] Kelly's first marriage to Daniel Kendall, an anesthesiologist, ended in divorce in 2006.^[6][7] In 2008 she married Douglas Brunt, the President and CEO of Authentium, at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York.^[8] They have two children: Edward Yates Brunt (September 25, 2009) and Yardley Evans Brunt (April 15, 2011).^[9][10]

Career in law[link]

Following her graduation from Albany Law School in 1995^[11], Kelly practiced law for nine years at Jones Day^[12] She first worked as an associate in the Chicago office of Bickel & Brewer LLP during which the time when she co-wrote an article for the American Bar Association's Litigation journal entitled "The Conflicting Roles of Lawyer as Director."^[13]

Career in journalism[link]

Kelly moved to Washington, D.C. where she was hired by the ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV as a General Assignment Reporter.^[14] While at WJLA-TV she covered significant national and local events including major national events such as the 2004 Presidential Election and the D.C. Sniper cases.^[15] She then applied for a job at Fox Entertainment Group in 2004.^[15] Prior to her anchor role on the Fox News Network she served as a General Assignment Reporter located in Washington D.C where she provided live coverage of the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Chief Justice John Roberts; she reported on the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and the death of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.^[15]

Kelly contributed legal segments for Special Report with Brit Hume and hosted her own legal segment, "Kelly's Court," during Weekend Live; she frequently appears on The O'Reilly Factor and occasionally fills in for Greta Van Susteren on On the Record. Most of her reporting focused on legal and political matters. At this time she occasionally contributed as an anchor but she was often stationed as a substitute anchor, mostly on the weekends.^[16] On February 1, 2010, Kelly hosted her own show, America Live, replacing Fox News’ previous show The Live Desk co-hosted by Martha MacCallum and Trace Gallagher. In turn, MacCallum took Kelly's position on America’s Newsroom. She has been a regular guest-panelist on Fox News' late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. Kelly's "America Live" program has been up 20% in total viewers (averaging 1,293,000) and up 4% in the 25–54 demographic (averaging 268,000).^[17] On November 23 Megyn Kelly made the following statement about a Police officer who had used pepper spray on protestors at UC Davis: "It's a food product, essentially", this episode was satirized on Funny or Die, and also went on to generate an Internet Meme.^[18][19][20]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bio on FoxNews.com
• Megyn Kelly at the Internet Movie Database
• Megyn Kelly on Twitter