Highland County Public Schools

MONTEREY — Zalea Good has been named valedictorian of Highland High School’s Class of 2024, and Greg Meehan has been named salutatorian. But it was a back-and-forth battle of numbers to see who would come out on top.

Both 18-year-olds said getting good grades was always important, but neither was thinking about being top of their class.

“I always tried to have all A’s,” Good said. “It’s always been a goal.”

“I just took the classes the teachers in my old school told me to take and did my best,” said Meehan, who transferred to Highland in September. Before that, he attended Broad Run High School in Loudon County.

“The competition there was intense,” Meehan said, noting he would not have had a chance to be salutatorian in his former class of about 400 students. Highland’s 2024 graduating class consists of 10 students.

“I didn’t know until this year that it was a possibility,” Good said of becoming valedictorian.

When seniors began applying for college earlier this year, Good was ranked second in the class, and Meehan was ranked first. Good credits a final semester heavy on Advanced Placement classes for bumping her score to the top.

It was very close. Good’s final GPA is 4.25, and Meehan’s final GPA is 4.23.

“It was all friendly,” Good said. “We were all just trying to do our best.”

Good has attended Highland County Public Schools since her family moved here when she was in the fourth grade. Prior to that, she was homeschooled.

“I’ve really enjoyed it here,” she said. “I think it’s been good to grow up in a small community with only nine classmates.”

Good played basketball, volleyball, softball, and track and field. She served as president of the Student Council Association and the National Honor Society and was a member of the Out of Time environmental club. “I think it’s easier to obtain those leadership opportunities in a small school,” she said.

Changing schools in his senior year had challenges, but Meehan said he enjoyed it. “It’s the small community and how everybody knows everyone and mostly gets along,” he said. “It was a lot more refreshing to have a much smaller environment and not so much pressure. I think I fit into this environment pretty well.”

Meehan played basketball and baseball for Highland after playing JV basketball in Loudon. Sports were the setting for his favorite Highland High School memory. “It was a basketball win against Craig County at Craig County,” he said. “It was a game I didn’t expect to play that much, but due to an injury, I had to step up.”

“My favorite memory is also a sports memory, where we beat Bath County,” Good said. The celebration after stays with her. “We went to the locker room, and we were all super excited. It was a great team moment.”

Another of Good’s favorite memories involved the SCA. “I get to lead the pep rallies,” she said. “Those have been really good memories of school spirit.”

Meehan said his favorite class at Highland was physics, taught by Michael Warf. “I was just always fascinated with physics and how everything works,” he said.

“My favorite class that I’ve ever taken was anatomy and physiology with Mrs. (Amanda) Newcomb,” Good said. “We got to do a lot of hands-on dissection. It was a lot of hands-on exploring science, which I found really cool.”

When it came time to name a teacher who most influenced or mentored the students, Good had a hard time picking. “There’s so many teachers coming to my mind,” she said, before settling on Megan Botkin. “She was my PE teacher and my coach. She’s really been an inspiration for me. She’s always really positive.”

Meehan reached back to a teacher at Broad Run High School. “It was Mr. Jacob Krough,” he said. Krough was his English teacher and basketball coach. “He taught me what it means to be accountable,” Meehan said. “He taught me a lot of lessons about turning from a boy to a young man.”

Both Good and Meehan are planning to study business. Good will head to the University of Virginia in the fall, while Meehan will take a gap year before studying at James Madison University. For the next year, he will work in his family’s businesses. “I’m going to work in the Visa business and over at The Highlander,” Meehan said. “In the future, I hope to take over my mom’s Visa business when she retires. I’ll work for a while and prove myself first.”

Good plans to be a lifeguard at the pool this summer. She is not sure what she wants to do with a business degree yet. “I’m hoping to explore and see what they have to offer and what would be best for me,” she said. “I just feel like I have a very business-oriented mind.

“I really want to do something that would make the world a better place. I feel like a business degree would help me work at a nonprofit or start a nonprofit,” she said.

For students in lower grades, Good and Meehan have some words of advice.

“Work hard. Don’t give up,” Good said.

“Never give up,” Meehan echoed. “Sometimes it does get difficult, but it’s about not giving up. That gets you through.”

“It’s about perseverance,” Good stressed.

Both also said it is important to participate in school fully. “Don’t miss out,” Good said. “Enjoy your high school years. Join the team. Participate in the club. Do what you can to make the best out of it.”

For any students transferring as Meehan did, he recommends, “Give it a little bit of time. There’s good people around here. You’ll find your people.”

Overall, the pair have taken advantage of what Highland High School has to offer and are looking forward to their futures.

“It’s been a blast,” Meehan said.

Highland High School graduation is set for 10 a.m., Saturday, June 8.