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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Classmates conquer high school side by side

Becky Hickman and Molly Weisbeck Central Valley High School

When two freshman basketball players stepped onto the court, one a tall blond center and the other a red-headed guard, neither had future high school plans on their mind. They were just focusing on the game ahead and, maybe, afterward some pizza together. However, as they would later discover, both had the dream of some day becoming valedictorian. And so their story begins.

Sophomore year, the pair found themselves wandering through the hallways of a brand new high school. Luckily, they weren’t the only ones late for classes; even seniors were struggling to master the layout of the new building. Unfazed, they took full advantage of the programs high school had to offer. Molly entered DECA, while Becky became a member of DECA’s arch-nemesis, FBLA. However, they put their allegiances aside when it came to their friendship.

After a year of high school under their belts, Molly and Becky were ready for the next set of challenges. This came in the shape of Advanced Placement U.S. History and AP U.S. Government. Becky found herself an ocean away in England, where her family was living while her father taught in an English university. Molly struggled through the first trimester without her right-hand man, while Becky ate fish and chips to lessen her yearnings for home. Becky returned to tackle the monstrous beast that was history and civics with her faithful and noble friend, Molly. The pair conquered the test, oblivious to what was to come the following academic year …

Stacking their schedules with even more AP courses, the two were undaunted and continued to pursue what they’d embarked upon. Both competed in varsity track as freshmen and to this day find themselves participating as the team’s captains; one a thrower, the other a distance runner. Molly had remained faithful to DECA and, as a senior, qualified and attended DECA Nationals in California. Becky switched gears from FBLA and decided to flex her brain cells in varsity Knowledge Bowl. Molly discovered that math is actually beneficial in the real world when she became Central Valley’s ASB Treasurer. Recently, the terrible two have faced what they dubbed “intellectual boot camp week,” also known as AP testing. Each wracked their brains to survive four grueling three-hour exams.

What could be more fitting than for both friends to achieve their goal of being valedictorians? Together, they will step onto the podium and deliver a final speech in the fashion they have always known: side by side.