By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Congratulations Atoka Elementary, one of your school’s first kindergarten students is a valedictorian.
Back in 2008 the Atoka Elementary became the Tipton County School eighth elementary school. One of the young fresh facing among the crowd that August day was Rebekah Callahan.
The daughter of Bryan and Andrea Callahan has transformed from a precocious 5-year-old into the Munford High School Class of 2021 Valedictorian.
“It feels very rewarding,” Callahan said. “I’ve spent my entire education and it feels like years of hard work paying off all at once.”
The Atoka native said it really hasn’t dawn on her that her journey to achieve started in the halls of Atoka Elementary School.
“The year I started kindergarten was the first year it was open,” she noted. “I was just going to school at first and really enjoying it. Then I noticed I was making higher grades than everyone else. All my teachers were really encouraging. The more I got into school I started to really enjoy learning.
Callahan’s love of learning grew at Munford Middle and then at Munford High School. Rebekah also had a good role model in her older sister Charleigh.
“It wasn’t until I got to high school and I was a freshman I realized I could be a valedictorian,” Rebekah said. “My sister was a senior and she was Salutatorian of her class. So people started asking me questions, ‘So are you going to be as high up as your sister?’”
Rebekah’s answer to that question eventually became — yes.
“I am not holding it over her head,” Rebekah said. “She is more like a role model. I saw her work so hard in high school and it showed me that it was achievable.
“I just saw her take the hardest possible classes she could and work so hard at home from sports to work,” she added. “She would study more just to make higher grades. Just to think it wouldn’t be as easy to get valedictorian like she did salutatorian. But I knew I could if I put in the work like she did.”
Charleigh took the stage in 2018 and now her sister will be the final speech by a student May 21 for the MHS Graduation.
The daughter of Bryan and Andrea Callahan will be leaving Munford with a 4.0 grade point average, 35 on the ACT and preparing to attend the University of North Alabama.
“My parents have always valued my education,” she said. If I wanted to take a dual enrollment class I didn’t have to worry about if they were paying out of pocket because they always saved and prioritize that for me. I knew they knew a lot about the high school experience because I have two other siblings.”
Callahan said her support system extended outside of her home with the staff, faculty and administration at Munford High School.
“I really had all good teachers all four years of high school,” she said. “Mrs. Tyler and Mr. Gardner have always helped me with my classes like if I don’t know which class to take or if I need help in that class. They would tell me which classes would help me in my future.”
The past held Atoka Elementary, Munford middle and high schools. The next chapter will be written at North Alabama. Callahan said all the support she has received through the years was strengthen by being a member of the Class of 2021.
“We’re very resilient,” she said. “Jumping into this year, our class didn’t give up on it. A lot of us tried to stay with in-person school. We tried to attend all sports and clubs.
“We worked through that and wanted to have an Oscar Night or prom even though they would look different,” Callahan concluded. “We tried to stay strong in all of our activities despite the changes.”
