Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbia County student leaders reflect on hard work, teachers and college plans on district podcast
Summary
Four graduating student leaders — two valedictorians and two salutatorians — told Columbia County Schools’ District Download podcast that their honors reflect sustained effort and involvement; they named teachers and music programs as formative and shared college plans including Florida State, University of Florida and Yale.
Superintendent Mr. Cooley interviewed four student leaders on the Columbia County Schools District Download podcast, asking what being valedictorian or salutatorian has meant and what’s next after graduation. Lila Chapman, salutatorian of Columbia High School, said the title reflects “the hard work” of giving “your full effort 100% of the time.”
Nathan Chong, valedictorian of Columbia High School, told the podcast the honor combines grades with responsibility across four years and “never being able to take a day off.” Juan Bustamante, valedictorian at Fort White High School, emphasized that top-ranked students also tend to be deeply involved in student life — from student government to music programs — not solely defined by grades. Sarah Hackey, salutatorian at Fort White, said she wants to be remembered for how she made people feel rather than by a title.
The students credited several local teachers and programs for shaping them. One student described music education as having “the most profound impact” on personal development and named Ms. Norris (elementary), Ms. Tina Johnson (middle school) and Ms. Bethany Owens (high school) as influential. Another singled out Mr. Kirby in the art history and humanities department for broadening academic interests.
On balancing academics with extracurriculars and friendships, students said the activities often blend: involvement with friends and shared classes can make school more enjoyable and sustainable. Their advice to incoming ninth-graders was practical: get involved early, set priorities, and aim to be well-rounded rather than fixated on a single title.
Students also outlined immediate plans: one will attend Florida State University to study public health, another will attend the University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy, and two students said they will attend Yale University with plans that include biomedical engineering, law and a double major in music and global affairs. One student said a long-term goal is to return to the district to teach.
Mr. Cooley closed by praising the students for representing Columbia County Schools and announcing the district’s graduation timeline: baccalaureates on Thursday nights and graduations on Friday nights, with Fort White’s ceremonies starting this week and Columbia High School scheduled next week. He encouraged the community to attend and congratulated the students.
The podcast episode provides firsthand reflections from student leaders about academic effort, teacher influence and college plans; it did not include any formal board actions or policy decisions.
