By Ben Walker
Staff Writer

Michael Meagher is just your average high school student. He gets involved, works hard in school, and always tries to be the best student he can be. However, there is something special about him. Meagher stands out among his classmates as he will be the valedictorian for the class of 2015; because he is the student with the highest GPA in the class. Also, Meagher will be making a few comments at graduation, which has not been the recent tradition at WA graduations for at least the last decade.

Meagher believes he earned this position because of his personality and character. He claims that throughout high school, he always pushed himself to work hard, mostly because he did not want to fall behind as a student, as he was surrounded by people who were at the same educational level as he was.

According to Meagher, his parents have always been supportive of him academically, and they are the reason he is where he is. He also knows that no matter what happens, his parents will always be there for him.

“I think a lot of it is internal motivation. If I wasn’t the valedictorian of the class, or if I wasn’t even the top ten in my class, my parents would be fine with it […] everyone I know wouldn’t think any less of me,” said Meagher.

The idea of being the valedictorian was something that Meagher has thought about for the past few years of high school. He wanted to see if he could make this goal into a reality. Meagher thought that if he worked hard, he could make it happen.

For his senior year, Meagher took several AP classes. These classes included AP Literature, European History, French, U.S. History, and Biology. Throughout his high school career, these were the classes that interested Meagher the most, and therefore, he decided to take them at the most advanced levels.

Along with his AP classes, Meagher also got involved in a few clubs that Westford Academy has to offer.

He was a member of Mock Trial, French Club, and WA Marching Band for three years. He was also a member of the National Honors Society (NHS).

Because NHS requires a certain amount of community service hours, Meagher did an internship this past summer at a courthouse and was an assistant to the clerk.

Although Meagher admits he has fallen a victim to “senior-itis,” he also believes that he has grown intellectually as a student at WA. As a result of this growth, Meagher will be attending Boston University next fall and will be also attending their Kilachand Honors College. Though he has not decided on a major, he is leaning towards biology.

“I wrote biology on the [application] sheet because I’m interested in doing pre-med and then going to medical school after that, but as far as the exact major I’m really not sure. Biology seems like the most direct path for now, so that’s what I wrote down, and maybe it will change, maybe not,” said Meagher.

As far as graduation, Meagher feels like he is ready for the next chapter in his life. He is excited to move onto bigger things in life, but feels that he will miss his friends and teachers. Some of the teachers that influenced him were Wayne Kotary, Janet Keirstead, Rebecca Ingerslev, and Katrina Lackner.

Lackner, his French teacher, had nothing but good things to say about Meagher as a student, and as a person.

“What is most impressive about Michael Meagher is not his obvious academic prowess, but rather, his humility and willingness to share his time and skills with his community. He’s just a top notch person all around,” said Lackner.

Finally, Meagher has a bit of advice for underclassmen who are striving to be class valedictorian.

“To be honest, I don’t think Valedictorian is something you should strive for. If it happens, it happens, but I think what’s more important is to do what you’re like, to do what your good at in high school. Focus on the things that are fulfilling to you and doing as well as you can,” said Meagher. “Don’t be afraid to take creative risks or artistic risks.”