Meet NKHS' 2012 Valedictorian

Her speech is set to go and on Friday Olivia Edwards will finish off her four years at , throwing her cap in the air as the 2012 valedictorian.

Though the 18-year-old Saunderstown resident loves to read, she hasn’t had much time over the past four years as she’s filled her schedule with studying, practicing and volunteering. With an arsenal of Advanced Placement (AP) courses under her belt (ranging from English to Spanish to U.S. History), Edwards was somehow able to squeeze in one of her greatest passions – music.

The skilled cellist has played in the North Kingstown High School Orchestra and plays in the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Recently, she has started to teach herself the ukulele in her spare time. Her passion for the cello spilled over into her senior project this past year, as she presented a thesis on why the multitude of variations for Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello” has made it so popular throughout the centuries. For her presentation, Edwards coordinated with other musically-inclined students for a recital.

Though the cello is her bread and butter, Edwards does have one regret about her musical career at NKHS.

“I wish I had played other instruments and explored other musical styles, like jazz,” said Edwards.

Edwards was also able to add theater to her resume during her tenure at NKHS, performing in last year’s rendition of “West Side Story” and this year’s “Footloose” as well as playing (you guessed it) cello in the “pit” during “The Wiz.”

Edwards passion for playing the cello may be undisputed, but getting her to pin down her favorite class on NKHS proved a bit trickier. According to Edwards, her favorite classes were AP English with Beth Conrad, British Literature with Matthew Blaser and lastly AP Music Theory.

Outside the classroom, Edwards has stayed actively involved in the community – teaching Sunday school at St. John the Divine in Saunderstown. This summer, she’ll serve as a junior counselor at before heading off to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

“It seemed like a place that cares about learning and not just about grades,” said Edwards of her decision to enroll at Swarthmore. “They believe in social justice, activism and community service, which means a lot to me.”

On Friday night, Edwards and the rest of NKHS’ Class of 2012 will bid adieu to their high school careers at graduation at the Ryan Center.

“What I’m going to miss the most is the friends I’ve met and the teachers I’ve had,” said Edwards.