FREDERICKTOWN — One thing that Fredericktown High School has been known for for decades is its pride. The slogan “You Can’t Hide Freddie Pride” has been repeated for almost as long as the school has been in existence.
The feeling is everywhere in the building, from plaques and trophies to names and lists of valedictorians, lists of athletic achievements and displays of Hall of Fames in the halls of the school.
Fredericktown’s sense of pride was not hiding Friday — in fact it was on full display — when the Class of 2019 graduated 94 students in the gym in front of parents and friends along with teachers, staff and administrators, many of whom are Freddies themselves.
After 10 choral students sang the school’s Alma Mater of Carmen, Ohio, Valedictorian Chance Campbell talked of his pride at being at Fredericktown, as well as his experiences in athletics, specifically cross country and track.
Campbell thanked his teachers and coaches and spoke of the future that he and other graduates will be facing after leaving Fredericktown.
Superintendent Matthew Chrispin spoke after Campbell and immediately pointed out several students who had achieved high levels of academic success.
Chrispin told a story that in September of 2017, 1.6 million high school juniors had taken the PSAT and then singled out graduate Quinn Bartsch, who finished with one of the top 15,000 highest scores and was in the highest 1 percent of seniors graduating in 2019. Chrispin said that Bartsch became the third Fredericktown student in the last 20 years to achieve National Merit Finalist with that performance.
The outgoing superintendent then pointed out that the class had five salutatorians — Blake Dowalter, Joshua Gaddis, Maureen Roddy, Fiona Smith and David Van Dyke — and they all had scored a 31 or higher on their ACTs.
Fredericktown School Board President Jim Blanchard, himself a Fredericktown graduate, accepted the class of graduates and then talked of Freddie Pride also.
“I sincerely hope that each and every one of you will be able to look back on your time at Fredericktown schools and have fond memories,” Blanchard said in his speech. “Well over half of you completed your entire education here. Fredericktown as a school and as a community have provided you with small town pride and values.”
Three-year class president Jack Fitzpatrick had some of the same sentiments when he talked about his experiences and what the school and its students had accomplished in his time as a student.
“Over the course of four years, I’ll give you an idea of the lasting footprint of the school,” Fitzpatrick said. “We have taken this place to new heights like with mentorships, leadership and friendship. During our time here at Fredericktown, our sports teams have collectively won eight conference championships, five district titles, and a regional title.”
He ended his speech by talking fondly about the band and about the rich tradition of the school as well as what his classmates meant to him.
