Howard High School valedictorian Derquazia Smartt crouches on the track at Howard in Chattanooga on Thursday. Smartt ran track, played varsity volleyball and was a part of the superintendent student advisory committee during her time at Howard. She will be attending Tennessee State University for college, where she hopes to major in English.See the list of valedictorians.
ValedictoriansApathy, an uncertain job market and technological advances that are moving too fast are among the biggest problems facing their generation, according to a survey of Chattanooga-area high school valedictorians.
“I fear we will become so dependent on technology to do our communicating for us, we will be unable to express our true thoughts and feelings,” said Jenny Snyder, valedictorian for Chattanooga Christian School. “Everything will be boiled down to a simple emoticon.”
The annual Times Free Press survey of graduating valedictorians also found that concerns about succeeding in college and living a spiritual life far outweigh worries over money and career. Nearly 40 percent of students said spirituality was an issue for them, second only to succeeding in college, at 41 percent.
“Coming from a public, inner-city high school, I know my education has been hindered,” said Derquazia Smartt, valedictorian for Howard School of Academics and Technology. “I have committed myself to doing everything essential to [attain] success in all of my endeavors.”