BCHS’s top students take a look back

The countdown is on for the seniors of Boulder City High School.

With graduation just 15 days away on May 23, the class will be led onto the football field by the school’s three valedictorians and one salutatorian as the class of 2025 takes that step from high school to adulthood.

Last week, valedictorians Hannah Angell, Sophia Kelso and Brandon Pickett, as well as salutatorian Meleah Camphouse sat down with the Review to discuss the upcoming graduation, keys to their success and plans for the future. All three of the valedictorians ended their high school career with a weighted grade point average of 4.95 (4.0 unweighted), while Camphouse was just behind them at 4.933.

Angell will be attending Grand Valley State University in Michigan to study biomedical sciences. Kelso will be off to Menlo College in California to play volleyball and study psychology. Pickett will study mechanical engineering at BYU while Camphouse will be attending University of Nevada to major in phycology and minor in music.

A piece of advice all four gave the school’s underclassmen was simple - have fun. While hitting the books is important, they have all participated in extracurricular activities like sports, band and robotics, in order to help become a well-rounded student while getting the most out of their high school years.

The following are the questions posed to them as well and their responses.

Q: When walking onto the football field the night of graduation, what’s that going to feel like?

Angell: “It will be bittersweet because I grew up with all these people. But it’s also going to be exciting because I’m starting a new chapter of my life.”

Kelso: “I think it will be kind of surreal. I think it will be sort of like a movie. I will be walking out there but it will be kind of a third-person type of thing. But I’m very excited to graduate with all these people I’ve grown up with.”

Pickett: “I think it will be a moment of, ‘Yeah, I’ve made it and the all the hard work has paid off.’”

Camphouse: “I agree with Hannah that it will be bittersweet. I’ll feel a little sad because I’m in band and every single year we play at graduation. So, this is the first year I won’t be playing with them. I don’t think it will fully hit me until afterward.”

Q: What’s been the key to your success?

Angell: “Balance and self-discipline. You have to know how to balance your academics with playing a sport or something like that. You also have to have the drive and motivation to push yourself to get those good grades.”

Kelso: “The first thing is sleep and I don’t think I got much of that. Other than that, it’s a mindset thing. Telling yourself that you can do something and believing you can, while establishing those expectations of yourself, is important.”

Pickett: “Honestly, I just try my best and don’t procrastinate. I studied hard. Even when I didn’t feel like it, I made myself.”

Camphouse: “I definitely agree, sleep went out the window. I think it’s a matter of setting the bar high for yourself. You have to put your best foot forward and do the best that you can.”

Q: What are you going to miss most about high school:

Angell: “For me I’m going to miss all the relationships with my friends and teachers. There’s like this aura around high school, for lack of a better word. I’m going to miss living the whole high school experience.”

Kelso: “I’m going to miss my class. We have 140 students, so everyone knows everyone. I’ll miss seeing everyone I’ve gone to school with since first grade. I’m also going to miss the community because it’s the people who make Boulder City a great place to live.”

Pickett: “Probably the extracurricular activities. For me, it’s robotics and I‘m going to miss that. Also, just hanging out with my friends.”

Camphouse: “I will definitely miss the people. I’m going to try hard to not miss high school, in a way. I don’t want it to be my glory days. I do want to appreciate it but I don’t want to look back and miss it. I hope to stay in contact with a lot of them.”