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One Texas high school crowned the wrong valedictorian after a mistaken hand calculation, reported KSAT. The miscalculation was discovered after the Smithson Valley High School's graduation ceremony.
Ava Roat has been declared the new valedictorian of the 2022 graduating class. Comal County ISD officials apologized to Ava for the miscalculation. According to a press release, Ava was originally chosen as the salutatorian of the 706-student graduating class.
The press release states, "Comal ISD calculates official rank twice a year; in January following the completion of the first semester and in June, following the completion of the second semester."
Acting superintendent of schools for Comal ISD Mandy Epley said, "The calculation of rank has been corrected to reflect that she is indeed Smithson Valley High School's highest-ranking graduate."
Ava's mother, Julie Roat, says that Ava was still able to give a speech at graduation, but she missed out on some scholarships that are awarded to the highest-ranking Texas seniors.
Ava told the Herald-Zeitung, "To find out that your work did come to fruition in a way that is really financially impactful, and that I can no longer use that scholarship because I was forced to forfeit it (is disheartening)."
Ava plans to attend Baylor University in the fall.