2020 has been a hectic year marked by countless ups and downs, twisting the DHS seniors every which way with uncertainty yet undying hope. At the head of the class, Valedictorian Megan Bondar portrays every characteristic true to a student of the resilient Class of 2020. Megan’s incredible achievement was made possible through boundless dedication to her studies, yet she made sure to enjoy the ride to sweet, academic success.

This brilliant student is headed off to the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she will study communication sciences and disorders. She will be entering the Honors College, a renowned program complete with a rigorous track of immersive and thought-provoking courses. Besides the size and variety of classes, Megan is also attracted to the school’s location, as she describes Amherst, MA as a “typical college town” where she can enjoy community events and downtown eating and shopping. I’m sure the college’s #1 ranked food in the country also caught her eye!

In order to attain this higher education, Megan sought success in high school through the help of many teachers along the way. “Mr. Medeiros,” she says, “helped me the most to get over my fear of public speaking, and he helped me really develop my writing.”

He also taught her an important principle to carry over into her future career as a speech pathologist. Through his supportive teaching style, he expressed how to “become an advocate for people and how to support kids and their individual needs.”

Similarly, Mrs. Tucci “always checks in with her students… [and is] truly invested in her students’ lives,” which Megan admires and will emulate as a speech pathologist who lets her clients know that she is “going to be there to support them and help them achieve their personal best.” These are terrific qualities that Megan will showcase as she works with children in her career.

With a strong backing from her teachers, Megan has leapt great heights. This is apparent in the awards and achievements she has received for both academics and athletics.

For academics, she earned the Highest Achieving Spanish award, Highest Achieving English award, Coach’s Scholar Athlete award, Superintendent’s Award of Service, US Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete, US Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award, Certificate of Academic Achievement for Science, Harvard Book Award, Society of Women Engineers Award, and various National Spanish Exam medals. She has also been on the Superior Honor Roll every term since freshman year.

For athletics, she received the Unsung Hero Award for volleyball in 2019, as well as the Most Overtime Matches and Most Creative Doubles Setup for tennis.

However, prizes and titles barely scrape the surface of the incredible depth this well-rounded student possesses.

Outside of amassing an outstanding academic reputation, Megan equally prioritizes time in extra-curriculars, such as Student Council, Peer Leaders, Happy Hands ASL Club, and the Global Citizenship Club. She tutors students as part of her National Honor Society duties, and devotes significant time to selfless volunteering at Newbridge on the Charles, which she has done since seventh grade- and at the summer TREK program. She also participated in varsity volleyball and tennis at DHS.

Highlighting the importance of these outside-of-class activities, Megan relayed that “they allowed [her] to acquire more skills and be in a creative atmosphere where the students have autonomy in direction.” Sports specifically allowed her to “feel camaraderie and [have] a team to rely on.”

This valedictorian also has a varied presence in the workforce. Along with working at a pizza parlor, Megan has been an annual camp counselor at the Plymouth County D.A.R.E. day camp. Here she shows great commitment as she has been either a camper or counselor there for many years. She also has been building up her stamina in working with kids as a counselor at the YMCA Afterschool program at Oakdale Elementary School. Here, she has learned that “you have to learn how to balance being a friend to the kids as well as being a mentor to them because while you want to be the fun and favorite counselor, you also have to be the safe and secure watchful eye over them.”

It is impossible to have the motivation and ability to achieve extraordinary success like Megan’s without the help or encouragement of others. She credits her family, especially her sister Katie, this role. Being the valedictorian and receiving many of the same awards just two years prior to Megan, Katie inspires Megan every day to be the best version of herself as a student and person, teaching her many important lessons throughout her life thus far.

“Katie was a really smart student who always tried her best. At the same time, she managed to have fun with her friends.” She describes her big sister as “driven, talkative, very friendly to everybody, and really well-rounded.” It seems that this sister-sister relationship truly portrays the heights you can reach by standing on the shoulders of others.

When asked to reminisce on her experience at DHS, Megan admits that she will miss seeing her teachers and classmates every day, but also sentimental moments like school dances. Ironically, she specifically will lament getting ready for these events in my (yes, the writer) bathroom, as the hype and buildup of excitement over the event is riveting.

She enthusiastically continues that the little, ostensibly insignificant moments are the best times she had at DHS. These include walking to class with friends, being goofy during lunch, and occasional classroom chaos like the physics boat race where our group “literally became Beowulf” and frantically paddled across JuJu’s Place in a miserably skinny cardboard boat covered in 1D posters.

Megan cherishes these snapshots of time as they occur, and wishes that current DHS students do the same. “Don’t always be so stressed about school,” she advises. “However, school is what you make of it: if you don’t put in any effort, you’re not going to have a good experience. Keep up on your work, but leave time for fun. Find a balance where you are not entirely focused on one or the other.”

Megan is no one-trick pony. Her academic success only represents a sliver of her wholesome, unwaveringly determined character. She is clearly an academic weapon, but she is an even better friend and citizen of today’s society.

Hanna Littmarck, class of 2020, is the Features Editor of the Dedham Mirror. She plays hockey all year-round (literally doesn’t go more than a week in the year without playing), as well as tennis, soccer, and competitive dancing. She loves to travel, go on adventures with friends, try new things, and hang out with family. When it comes to her writing, Hanna strives to make people laugh or become fascinated with a new subject. She will be attending UCLA in the fall.