Alyssa Jaeger is the 2024 Valedictorian for Eagle Butte High School

This year’s valedictorian at Eagle Butte High School is Alyssa Jaeger, who has always been a high academic student and her focus has been to excel in all her classes. “I wasn’t a very sporty kid, but I was a musical kid. I play violin so my group of friends were academics as well. I grew up playing music with and being friends with last year’s valedictorian. That was my group of people, they were high achievers from the time we were in Grade 4, and I grew up around that and it rubbed off on me,” stated Jaeger. “I enjoy the challenge academics brings and I love to learn so valedictorian seemed like a natural goal.”

Jaeger is proud of herself and is pleased that all her hard work has paid off. The day she found out, Jaeger was writing a calculus test when she was called down to be informed she was the 2024 valedictorian. “I had to go back to class because they announce it at the end of the day. I got to go back to my calculus test, and I was smiling the entire time I wrote it,” said Jaeger.

This semester has been a rough one academically, with Physics 30, Chemistry 30 and Calculus all on her schedule, and Jaeger is glad it is coming to an end. She is excited for all the firsts that are coming this year and the prospect of attending the University of Calgary in September.

“I’m so excited for university, I can’t wait to learn what I want to learn and to really be able to dive deep into my own interest. I know that the opportunities for me staying here are quite limited, it wasn’t necessarily a choice to leave, but it was a natural next step.”

Calgary was chosen because it had the program Jaeger is most interested in, but it being so close to her hometown of Redcliff is also a positive. While at university, Jaeger will be pursing a degree in biomedical sciences with an aim of entering medical school.

While she hasn’t played violin much lately, it is still an important part of Jaeger’s life. “I started learning when I was five, so I learned how to read sheet music before I knew how to read, which I am so thankful for. I love music and I still participate in choir, and I play violin for other events around the school so being able to read sheet music and have the knowledge classical music gives has been very helpful. I haven’t reached for it in a while because I’ve been busy with school, but it’s a comfort for me.”

While violin is her primary extracurricular activity, Jaeger earned her second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and was also an instructor before she stopped to focus on academics. The most important skills Taekwondo taught her are determination, respect and mental fortitude.

For the summer, Jaeger will volunteer as a camp counsellor at Camp Shagabec on the Saskatchewan side of Cypress Hills and try to pick up some jobs to earn extra cash. She’s been attending the camp since she was 11 and once she was old enough, she wanted to be a volunteer counsellor because they are the ones who bring the atmosphere to the camp and make it fun.

Joyce Krause teaches calculus to Jaeger. “She’s a wonderful student, she’s probably one of the most hard-working students I’ve ever worked with. She’s very independent, she’s one of those students who likes to do it herself first. If she can puzzle through and solve something on her own, she’ll do it, but when she needs help, she’ll ask. Those are the kinds of students we love to have, she doesn’t want to be spoon-fed, she doesn’t want to be told how to do something, she wants to figure it out for herself and those are the skills that are going to make her really successful in post-secondary. While she’s independent, she is also willing to work with others. She’s helped students in classes, when people need help, she is there. She’s helped younger students and in a team environment, she’s definitely collaborative. You can’t make it through calculus without working with other people, so I’ve seen her partner with other people and work together. I’ve seen other kids who are struggling in class ask her for help and she’s always open to helping other people. She is definitely a perfectionist, but I recognize that in my own place. She’s a friendly person, she’s driven, she’s organized and a good person, it’s not just that she’s academic, she’s also an all-around good person.”

By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer