Valedictorian, salutatorian exude work ethic, focus
Robbinsville – So what exactly does it take to become the valedictorian and salutatorian of your peers?
To emerge from the pack, one must possess the ability to juggle a heavy course load with an equal amount of extracurricular activities – and keep your eyes on the prize from the time the journey through high school begins.
Cody Alexander Cline and Sarah Spring Gibby will lead the Robbinsville High School Class of 2022 across the stage Friday night at Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium as its respective valedictorian and salutatorian, after spending the last four years dedicated to reaching the top of the ranks.
“I was always pushing to try to be at the top,” Cody said. “After four years of trying to balance extracurriculars – sports and clubs – it’s a great feeling.”
“Ever since I started high school, I have strived to be at the top of the class,” Sarah added. “There have always been a select few of us – you knew who it was going to come down to. I feel like we really pushed ourselves academically. We took the hardest classes; it was very difficult. But it really has paid off and I’m thankful for that.”
Their resumes speak for themselves.
Cody Cline
The son of Frank and Charlena Cline, Cody has lived in Graham County since the first grade. Cody is a member of Robbinsville First Baptist Church and has worked his way up to the rank of Eagle Scout.
At Robbinsville, Cody lists the student council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Friends of the Athletes (which helps with Special Olympics), Health Occupations Students of America, Crusaders, Knightmares (a points-based system for students that frequently attend sporting events) and Spanish as clubs he has participated in throughout high school.
He said soccer was his first love – a sport he dabbled in while he lived in Franklin – but once he moved to football-centric Robbinsville, his passion shifted. Known for his no-nonsense, disciplined approach to special teams, Cline will forever be remembered in Black Knight football lore for nailing three field goals last season at Murphy – the latter of which clinched a 23-20 win.
And he never does anything halfway.
“Everything I’ve gotten involved in, I’ve went head over heels into,” Cline said. “I’ve always put all of me in anything I’ve tried, whether that was sports, academics or clubs.
“The biggest thing I’ve been a part of is my church; that has always had an impact on me. I’ve always tried to let that flow into academics and sports.”
Sarah Gibby
The daughter of Roger and Angie Gibby, Sarah is a lifelong resident of Graham County.
Sarah is a member of Whittier Church of God. She has played softball in Graham County most of her life and – acting on encouragement from faculty – also dove right in to club involvement when she reached high school, joining the Peace Jam, Spanish, Crusaders, FCA, Friends of the Athletes, Knightmares, Beta and HOSA clubs.
She served as Robbinsville’s reporter for her junior year with HOSA and was the vice president of the Robbinsville chapter as her senior year – and also reached a wider scope as the western regional representative for HOSA, which covers 11 counties.
Admittedly, Sarah “dialed down” on her club involvement her junior year, so she could focus more on her course load. But through HOSA, she discovered a passion for community aid.
“I really enjoy fundraising, specifically for a local cancer patient,” Sarah said. “I want to become a pediatric oncologist, so I attend appointments with children and I enjoy getting to learn more about that field, while also getting to help people in need.”
COVID impact
It has been well-documented how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the educational system. For the first time since their sophomore year, Cody, Sarah – and the rest of the Graham County school district, for that matter – were able to experience a mostly-normal academic calendar.
As schools everywhere were forced to adapt and wade through murky waters during the height of the pandemic, Cody and Sarah had differing views on their adjustments.
“Our freshman year was the only normal school year we’ve had – and it was awkward at that, because we had just gotten out of middle school,” Sarah said. “And remote learning was terrible. I had such a heavy course load that semester (spring 2020, when schools were first shut down); I had AP Calculus, AP History, three Tri-County (Community College) classes and an English class.
“You cannot do calculus online; I got through it, but it was unbelievably hard.”
“The first semester of our sophomore year (fall 2019) felt like it was going to be a highlight year,” Cody added. “We had just won state in football. You go into the spring semester and all of our celebrations got cut off. We had to each drive separately to the school, just to get our state rings at the field house. It was sad.
“But from an academic standpoint, it didn’t really affect me. I’ve always been able to work better by myself.”
Post-grad plans
For those keeping score at home, Cody and Sarah’s spots at the top are separated by a mere 0.0141 decimal points. Cody’s grade point average is 4.5625, while Sarah’s is 4.5484.
Cody will be attending the University of North Alabama, to pursue a degree in exercise science. He plans to get licensed as a physical therapist and has entertained the idea of walking on as a kicker while in college.
Sarah has already received an associate’s degree of arts at Tri-County and will enter Western Carolina University as a first-year junior – her major will be integrated health sciences – and Greenville or Durham are the prospective locations for the home stretch of her pediatric-oncology training.