Amanda Moore, Nicole Smith top Neelyville's Class of 2019

Hard work, determination and goal setting are what two Neelyville High School seniors credit for earning the top spots among their graduating peers.

Amanda Lynn Moore and Robin Nicole Smith were named the valedictorian and salutatorian of the NHS class of 2019. They will speak Saturday during the graduation ceremony at the High School gym.

Moore

“It’s an honor,” Moore said of being named valedictorian. “Ever since I was in the sixth grade it has been a goal and I have been fighting for this position. It means a lot knowing I am able to reach my goals.”

Being top of the senior class with a 4.1 GPA was not just through Moore’s capabilities alone.

“God put people in my life to push me,” she said. “God has given me this opportunity, so it’s definitely something that is an honor.”

Moore

Referencing the scripture, 1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God,” Moore said she has held the verse close throughout her school years.

“Whatever you do, you are suppose to do it for the glory of God and I wouldn’t want to half-do something,” she said. “Do it all the way and give it your 110%.”

The daughter of Jason and LaMonica Moore grew up on a farm and is no stranger to hard work.

Smith

“My parents have always pushed me and helped keep me on track with what I’m doing,” she said. “I’m also very competitive.”

When younger, Moore’s father told her, “expectation plus determination equals destination.”

This has also stuck with Moore through the years and has become a motto of hers.

The helpful teachers at Neelyville are also credited by Moore for helping achieve her goal of being named valedictorian.

In addition to teachers, Moore said, Counselor Julie Cloud has been amazing by always being available to talk and go over future plans.

Being at the top of the 2019 class has not come without some sacrifice for Moore.

Sleep and lack of free time are the two biggest sacrifices she said she has made.

“There have been multiple times where my friends have asked me to go do something and I said I can’t because I have to do work,” Moore said.

Other activities, such as playing the fiddle, have also had to take a backseat at times when focusing on academics.

“You just have to commit and be dedicated to what you are doing,” she said.

Though her time at Neelyville High School has come to an end, Moore said “it was a ball, but nothing beats good, honest hard work,” and that is what she will remember from her high school experience.

History has been a favorite course for Moore who could not choose if American History I with Mr. Hurt or government with Ms. Lumby was her favorite class.

Moore now plans to attend Three Rivers College for two years before transferring to Arkansas State University to major in political science and minor in history.

After obtaining a Bachelors Degree, Moore anticipates attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee to earn a law degree to become a music lawyer.

“I love to succeed,” she said, “Whenever I set goals I expect I will succeed and reach those goals because I put in the hard work.”

Smith, the daughter of Steve and Crystal McNew, said being named salutatorian means a lot and is something she has worked toward since elementary school.

“This is something I have strived for and put time and dedication into,” she said.

Striving for success is something that has been a part of Smith since she was young in addition to not being a fan of failure.

“I looked at my mom who always worked hard and knew it was up to me to want it,” she said. “I knew it was not going to come easy and I had to work for it,” she said.

Coaches Becky Hale and Aaron Burton also instilled in Smith that nothing would come easy, but “it would be worth it in the end.”

“If you want something you have to fight for it,” she said. “That is true in sports and the classroom.”

By maintaining a GPA of 4.085, Smith said it was sometimes difficult to find a balance between academics and sports.

“They both meant a lot and I had to find ways to get it done,” she said. “Academics had to be good to do sports and both were at the top of my priority list.”

Keeping busy in and out of the classroom, Smith said she sacrificed free time and time with family.

Being one of the top students in the graduating class was “easy for the most part,” Smith said, but took encouragement from those around her.

“Everyone was there in the hard times to push me through and tell me it would be OK and I was going to do it,” she said. “It paid off in the end.”

Now that Smith is at the end of her high school career, she plans to attend Three Rivers College to obtain an Associates Degree in health science. She will then transfer to Southeast Missouri State University to work toward a degree in radiology.