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Highland High's top students reflectclass diversity
BY JAMES JACENICH • STAFF WRITER
 | | Sean Duff, HHS Salutatorian and Leigh Gibson, HHS Valedictorian |
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MONTEREY - The top academic spots at Highland High School have gone to two young people with very different backgrounds and goals, yet they share a common aspiration - to be the best they can be in their chosen field.
HHS class of 2008 valedictorian Leigh Gibson spent 14 years in New Zealand before returning to Highland County in 2006.
The 18-year-old daughter of Ann Gibson of Hightown spent her first summer in the county working for The Recorder in a variety of duties ranging from typesetting to serving customers.
In her spare time, she likes to take photographs and spend time with her friends. Not surprisingly, one of her favorite "pastimes" is learning.
"The transition from New Zealand was an adjustment for Gibson," said HHS guidance counselor Caroline Sponaugle. "Students in New Zealand don't get grades like they do in the United States. But she did very well. Leigh enjoys art. She has taken some distance learning or college prep classes. She is a very friendly, nice, well- organized young lady. We are pretty proud of her."
Gibson will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in the fall to study fashion merchandising.
Sean Duff, son of Tim and Terry Duff of Monterey, earned the second highest grade at HHS and is this year's salutatorian.
Duff spent most of this year with Future Farmers of America as local chapter president and Augusta Federation secretary.
See DIVERSITY, page 5
"He has done very well with the distance learning classes through DSLCC," said Sponaugle. "He has around 18 hours of college credit this year, and six from last year. Duff is a very respectable young man, good manners, someone you enjoy working with."
Duff wants to attend Dabney S. Lancaster Community College or Virginia Tech's agriculture technology program in the fall to pursue a bachelor's degree in agriculture economics. Long term, Duff hopes to own and operate a large-scale cattle operation.
Based on their academic careers, interests and goals, Gibson and Duff hold out the hope that their parting words at graduation will mirror the full range of experiences and backgrounds of their classmates, a group of students as diverse and talented as the ones at the head of the class.
"This class is very social, they have a personality of their own," said Sponaugle. "There are a lot of good students in there; it's a group we've enjoyed working with."
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