Deacon Martin says the thing he'll miss most from his high school days is the friends and relationships he's built along the way. Martin was named the 2025 valedictorian for Eagle Butte High School.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
For Eagle Butte High School’s graduating class, their story is just beginning as they prepare to enter post-secondary, the workforce and adult life – and 2025 valedictorian Deacon Martin is no exception.
This year saw a few possible candidates for valedictorian, says Martin, so finding out he would be the one to take the position has been a surprise.
“I knew there were a lot of other people in the running for it, too, and I thought at least one of them already had me beat,” said Martin. “But it feels good, I’m proud and honoured to do this for my class.”
Martin described himself as first and foremost a fan of baseball, something he was pleased to represent his school in on their high school team after playing since he was about eight years old, as well as someone with a knack for math and science and a “fan of physics.” He plans to head to the University of Calgary to pursue engineering in the fall.
“I’m going to miss a lot of this, now that I’m graduating,” said Martin. “Not the homework, of course, but I got to know a lot of people here, and just hanging out with my friends and everyone since we’re all moving on to new opportunities now. It’s a big step.”
“These past 12 years … it’s hard to pick any one big thing to look back on that was awesome, it’s been a lot of little things,” said Martin. “To me, it’s about goofing off in class, laughing with your friends about stupid things and just kind of being together with everyone.”
Starting his journey at Seven Persons School, Martin has called the region home as long as he can remember, and says he thinks that going to smaller, more rural schools allowed him to feel a stronger sense of kinship with the whole of his graduating class than he otherwise might have at a larger, more urban school.
As someone more inclined to STEM subjects, Martin claimed he was not one for public speaking and as such had been a bit anxious to address his peers during their graduation ceremony back in May, but had somehow found the words.
“I said thank you for all the memories we’ve had, for making these years fun and enjoyable. I wanted them to know that I know they can all do great things, that I’ve seen how much they can do,” said Martin. “And then also, just to go to live this summer. Go find stuff you want to do, go have fun with our youth.”
He intends to follow his own advice, with plans for camping, cliff jumping and general memory-making before he begins post-secondary. Martin stressed that above his status as valedictorian, he wanted people to know he was a “normal person, too.”
“Being valedictorian and smart doesn’t make me any different than anyone else. I still go to work, I’ve still got exams, I’m still mostly looking forward to spending time with my friends, I’m not very good at golf,” said Martin. “I”m a normal, hard working guy, like all of us.”
