Whitehurst named 2019 Valedictorian

Whitehall High School senior Maggie Whitehurst can remember being a shy and silent girl who always sat in the back of her class during her freshmen year. Things sure have changed. Since Whitehurst began her high school career in the fall of 2015, she has gone on to participate in numerous activities, was the captain of the cheerleading team, had a leading role in numerous plays and on Sunday will graduate on the top of her class as Valedictorian.

After previously attending schools in Southern Idaho and Manhattan as well as time being home schooled, Whitehurst moved to the area and attended the last few months of her eighth-grade year at Cardwell School.

"During those few months, I was able to work at my own pace along with a few classmates, and this allowed us to take higher level classes upon entering high school. Even though I was only there for a short amount of time, I must say I really enjoyed my time in Cardwell; my class was wonderful, and it's really neat to see how far we've all come in the last four years," she said.

Whitehurst felt the biggest challenge going from Cardwell to Whitehall was the size of her class changing from six to 40.

After starting high school quiet and shy, Whitehurst said various camps, activities, and trips throughout high school really helped her come out of her shell.

"School activities were really good for me. They helped me make a lot of really great friends. My favorite high school memories are all form my various activities," she said.

Whitehall High School Principal Hannah Nieskens said Whitehurst is an exemplary student and has blossomed in to a confident and self-assured young woman with an enormous amount of talent.

"It has been a pleasure to watch her perform musically and in drama productions. I give a lot of credit to Mrs. Heilig, her music teacher, and Mrs. (Cheri) Shaw and Mrs. (Marci) Whitehurst, her drama coaches, for fostering her talent. I feel certain Maggie will accomplish all of the goals she sets out to do. She one of those kids who combines fierce determination and an amazing work ethic," Nieskens said.

Looking back on her journey, Whitehurst praised her teachers for helping on her way to becoming Valedictorian, adding none of the members of her class would be graduating without them.

She also had a message for incoming high school students.

"Work hard and play hard; both are important," she said.

Whitehurst plans on attending Montana State University in Bozeman and will major in Animal Science. From there she will either go to graduate school for cattle research or vet school to specialize in reproduction physiology.

Maggie is the daughter of Billy and Marci Whitehurst of Cardwell.