Valedictorian title split 9 ways at Bellaire High
Record-breaking number of seniors earn perfect GPAs at HISD’s largest campus
The valedictorians of Houston ISD’s Bellaire High School in June will forgo the time-honored tradition of delivering a commencement speech to their Class of 2021 — and they’re fine with that.
There are, after all, nine of them.
“I think nine speeches at one graduation would be kind of boring, to be honest,” conceded co-valedictorian Wenson TsiahHao Tang.
Such are the sacrifices that come with a record-breaking nine seniors reaching the pinnacle of academic achievement at HISD’s largest campus, each earning a perfect 5.0 GPA en route to some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges.
As HISD honors its valedictorians and salutatorians this week, the nine at Bellaire High — Alkiviades Boukas, Daniel Chen, Evie Tsen-Ying Kao, Angela Ling, Miles Mackenzie, Tang, Christopher Zhou, and twin sisters Annie and Shirley Zhu — have the unusual distinction of sharing the school’s top title.
While nearly all HISD and neighboring districts typically recognize one or two valedictorians, Bellaire High ended the first semester with several of its 700-plus seniors tied atop the class rankings.
“Even when they came in (as
freshmen), what I started to hear from teachers was this group was different,” Bellaire High Principal Michael McDonough said. “Teachers just talked a lot about their curiosity. We have that on campus, but it was the density of that with them.”
For the nine, the accomplishment reflects countless hours of study, incredible amounts of support from school staff and family members, and a smidgen of smart scheduling.
Each student completed more than a dozen Advanced Placement classes, starting as early as freshman year. They powered through their biggest hurdles — complicated chemistry, perplexing physics, an onslaught of reading in sophomore English — and emerged unscathed. They skipped over potentially easier elective classes in favor of more difficult courses, such as music theory and advanced languages.
“I think it just shows that hard work does pay off at some point down the road,” said Mackenzie, a soon-to-be physics major at the University of Texas at Austin. “Valedictorian isn’t necessarily the most important thing, or even being No. 2, as long as you’re working hard and giving it your best.”
A shared honor
Although rare, the decision to name multiple valedictorians isn’t without precedent. Spring Branch ISD high schools sometimes boast dozens of valedictorians, a product of the district limiting the number of advanced courses that count toward GPA calculations. Many districts, including HISD, award additional grade points for more difficult classes.
Some school districts, including Cy-Fair ISD, have scrapped the honors altogether, concerned about the pressure put on students and perverse incentive to game GPAs.
The proliferation and elimination of valedictorian titles has drawn occasional eye-rolls in recent years, with critics hailing it as another example of coddled kids-these-days avoiding the harsh realities of the real world.
The nine Bellaire seniors, however, regaled in sharing the honor.
Gathered on a Zoom call Monday, they jovially recounted overcoming similar obstacles — including a once-in-a-generation pandemic — and managing their hectic schedules. While a few acknowledged a bit of friendly competition among themselves, others said the potential for sharing the title sneaked up on them.
“I’m definitely really excited to be part of a group of nine,” said Annie Zhu, who plans to attend Harvard University or Stanford University, majoring in computer science. “I think it goes to show how our school is very collaborative. It’s not something we feel like we have to be competing for.”
‘Not just academics’
In truth, the potential for multiple valedictorians increased at Bellaire High several years ago. That’s when the campus started offering health, physical education and other classes that do not produce a potential 5.0 grade during the summer. Taken before the start of freshman year, those courses do not count toward a final high school GPA.
Still, the prior two Bellaire High graduating classes maxed out at two valedictorians, illustrating the difficulty of maintaining a perfect GPA. The 3,200-student campus typically matriculates some of HISD’s highest-achieving seniors.
“I think that shows something about us,” said Tang, who is leaning toward studying computer science at the University of Pennsylvania. “We show grit and character. And it’s not just academics. A lot of us have clubs and extracurricular activities.”
To date, the nine have not yet gathered together to revel in their accomplishment. That time will come before graduation, however, with McDonough hinting that the group is planning a “really special and creative” commencement day surprise.
“We’ve got to create some suspense with graduation,” McDonough said.