Bailey Barnes says he was already thinking about what he would say to Bella Smith in a congratulatory text message when she was named Warren County High School valedictorian.
“It was so stressful waiting for the announcement,” said Bailey. “I was trying not to let myself get too excited because I figured she would get it and not me. I was already thinking about what to say to her in a text.”
It turns out congratulations are in order not just for Smith, but also for Barnes after they were announced as WCHS co-valedictorians last week. They finished tied atop the class of 2015 with identical 4.375 GPAs.
“I’m glad we tied,” said Bella. “The way we both worked so hard for it, I think this is much better.”
Added Bailey, “I think it would have taken something away from the moment if one of us was valedictorian and the other one wasn’t. I would have much rather us tied than one of us be devastated.”
Smith, the daughter of Mark and Jackie Smith, comes from a family of valedictorians. Her brother, Nathan, and sister, Victoria, were both valedictorians when they graduated from WCHS.
“Everybody in my family has been asking me if I was going to be valedictorian too,” said Bella. “It’s like a weight has been lifted.”
The two finished with identical GPAs, but took two entirely different paths to get there. In fact, they’ve only had one class together in high school.
Barnes, the son of Tim and Kandi Barnes, took advantage of dual enrollment and has been working toward an associate’s degree at Motlow while still in high school. He will graduate with a college degree in early May before he is scheduled to receive his high school diploma in late May.
“I originally thought I was going to be a doctor which requires 12 years of school so I thought I would get two years out of the way in high school and be left with just 10,” said Bailey. “But now I’ve changed my mind and I want to be a politician. I’ll be going to Tech and working on a major in political science with a concentration in legal studies.”
Barnes will enter Tennessee Tech as a junior and only need two years to graduate. He then hopes to attend a school like Georgetown so he can be close to Congress and learn the ropes. He says he hopes to be elected to Congress or the Tennessee General Assembly.
Smith didn’t take as many dual enrollment classes at Motlow, but she has taken five AP courses, which are considered college level, at WCHS. She also earned college credit over the summer by attending the Governor’s School at Austin Peay where she took computational physics.
“I’m having a fun summer this year,” said Bella, who plans to attend Bonnaroo, spend time on the beach in Daytona, and travel to the Comic Con festival in San Diego, Calif. “I’ve already started making some of my costumes,” she said as people are known to dress in crazy attire for Comic Con.
Smith hasn’t hammered down a career path as she’s considering computer science or engineering. She said she’s still waiting for acceptance letters to determine if she will attend the University of Washington in Seattle or Georgia Tech.
As for their valedictorian speeches, they have already started work with neither giving too much away at this point. They will give two separate speeches.
“It’s just a bunch of ideas in a Word document right now,” said Bella. “I’ll probably focus on my friends and family members, the people who know me.”
Added Bailey, “It’s a balancing act because everybody wants to get out of there and after you’re through talking they’re going to have to hear 366 names.”