Race to the top: Malverne valedictorian debate takes on racial overtones

Malverne High School will have only one valedictorian after all.

In response to demands from Malverne and Lakeview residents, the Board of Education reversed a district decision last week to name the high school’s top two students co-valedictorians and name a third student salutatorian.

Instead, Aalique Grahame, who is black, will be this year’s sole valedictorian, and Sarah St. John, who is white, will be the salutatorian. The third-ranking student, Xavier Bernard, will be honored as such and will also speak at graduation.

The board met in emergency executive session on June 16 after residents complained about the district’s decision a day earlier to name Grahame and St. John co-valedictorians — a decision made by Superintendent Dr. James Hunderfund and high school Principal James Brown in response to a calculation error that ranked the top two students incorrectly. The district had initially identified Grahame as the salutatorian, when in fact his 95.42 grade point average is higher than St. John’s, who had been named valedictorian. Instead of switching their titles, Hunderfund and Brown named them co-valedictorians.

That led to widespread anger and racial tension in the community, with residents demanding that the district name Grahame the top student. District officials stood by their decision at first, but it soon became clear that everyone involved — including St. John — believed Grahame should be named valedictorian.

“In light of a highly regrettable mistake, the district exercised what it believed was a compassionate, understanding decision by naming two valedictorians and a new salutatorian …,” Hunderfund said in a statement last Thursday. “But subsequent reaction from the students and families involved in this matter, along with community sentiment relayed to the Board of Education, has compelled the board to change this decision and identify Aalique Grahame as the sole valedictorian.”