I was smart and lucky enough to be my high school valedictorian!
I was my school's valedictorian, as well.  The term is Anglicised from the Latin term for saying farewell.
Interesting!  What exactly does "angelicised" mean?  Have schools always had valedictorians?
Anglicization refers to making foreign words more palatable to English speakers, or those trying to understand a term from an English speaking perspective.
I get it!  Can there be multiple valedictorians, or is just for the student with the best grades?
I have heard of schools with co-valedictorians, and in those schools I assume that the honorary is chosen based solely on GPA.  In my school it was GPA as well as extra-curriculars.
I didn't know that extracurricular activities were a factor.  So, just because you have the best grades, does not necessarily mean you will be valedictorian?
Extracurricular activity
An extracurricular activity or extra academic activity (EAA) is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education.
Such activities are generally voluntary (as opposed to mandatory), social, philanthropic, and often involve others of the same age. Students and staff direct these activities under faculty sponsorship, although student-led initiatives, such as independent newspapers, are very common.
Benefits of participation.
A study conducted by surveying
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title of success used in the United States, Canada, Philippines, and Armenia (and elsewhere in limited number of schools) for the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony (called a valediction). The chosen valedictorian is traditionally the student with the highest ranking (highest Grade Point Average, or GPA) among their graduating class. The term is an Anglicised derivation of the Latin "vale dicere" ("to say farewell"), historically rooted in the