Youngest Backus carries on family’s Valedictorian tradition

   Having one Valedictorian in the family is a wonderful honor; having two would be twice as much to be proud of. Having all three of your children be the top student in their graduating class would certainly give you bragging rights, but bragging is not something you’ll hear coming from any one in the Backus family.

   All three of this Mumford family’s children have been named Valedictorian of their Caledonia-Mumford High School graduating class. Greg, the oldest, was Valedictorian of the CM Class of 2000, Meghan, the middle child, Valedictorian of the Class of 2002 and this year, the youngest Backus, Sarah, holds the honor of being Valedictorian of the CM Class of 2007.

   The obvious question to the parents then is, "What’s the secret? How did you raise such bright and hardworking students?" There isn’t a secret, say Mike and Sheri Backus.

   "I don’t have a secret to raising kids. Every family is different and what worked for us wouldn’t necessarily work for anyone else," commented Sheri.

   Both parents say it’s important to, first of all, show your children you love them and are interested in what they do. They say loving and caring for children means giving them structure, establishing boundaries and not being afraid to say no.

   "Teach them to treat people the way they would want to be treated," Mike adds. "As far as producing Valedictorians, it sure didn’t hurt them (Greg, Meg and Sarah) to inherit their mother’s study habits."

    Becoming the class Valedictorian was Greg’s goal since the fourth grade. "I always saw it as a way to open up opportunities in life, including college and a career choice, he said.

   His parents rewarded him for a good report card with a new video game or cash, as he got older. A good report card meant straight A’s, he recalled. "I think it taught us the value of hard work."

   A three-sport athlete, Greg also sang in the chorus, played the trombone in band and participated in several academic clubs and competitions. He disliked English but loved math, which turned out to be perfect for his career choice as an actuary. He earned a degree in mathematics from LeMoyne College and is employed by Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield as an actuarial statistician. In other words, he’s the guy who decides how much money the company needs to set aside for its members. As for his little sister, Sarah, Greg recalls helping her on occasion with her math.

   Meghan also set a goal for herself in middle school, to become the Valedictorian of her class, even though she says she felt no pressure to do so just because her brother achieved the top of his class.

   "We were never competitive with each other when it came to school, or anything for that matter," she said.

   Meghan worked hard at her classes, more than Greg had to, and says she doesn’t recall having too much difficulty with any of them. Big brother, Greg, occasionally helped her with calculus, although it’s science that is her least favorite subject, even though her mother is a science teacher.

   Meghan calls herself a "serious minded academic student," one who started her homework as soon as she got home from school while her brother would put it off, preferring to watch television in the evening. She studied for every test, no matter how much she already knew about the subject.

   Like her brother, Meghan was an active student in high school, competing in junior varsity and varsity volleyball, basketball and softball. She also had a talent for the stage, played an instrument and had parts in the school musical. She was a member of the National Honor Society. Meghan earned a bachelors degree in journalism and mass communications from St. Bonaventure University and is employed as a reporter/producer at a CBS affiliate, WHSM, in Springfield, MA.

   Though away at college for most of Sarah’s high school years, Meghan was still able to serve as her younger sister’s proofreader of essays and term papers. "I would imagine she’ll be sending a few for me to check over when she’s in college, too," she added.

   Meghan admits she is much harder on herself than her parents ever were. She says they were very supportive but put no pressure on her to become the Valedictorian or to achieve beyond her capabilities. "I remember hearing the phrase, "Just do the best you can do," she recalled.

   Even though her older brother and sister were gone off to college before she entered high school, Sarah says their achievements as Valedictorians was on her mind.

   "I felt a little pressure to be Valedictorian but that pressure was from myself. Ever since middle school I made it a goal of mine to be Valedictorian. I wanted to make mom and dad proud, even though they would have been, no matter what," Sarah explained.

   Working her hardest in school and getting into the college of her choice is what drove Sarah in high school to do well, even in French, which she says she worked awfully hard at to get good grades. Like her brother and sister, learning comes easy for Sarah, but still, she is not home playing games in the evening.

   "I still have to work at my homework and make sure I understand what I learned in school that day. I always tried to do my homework the best I could."

   Her school day and her evening hours were filled with a variety of extracurricular activities that she participated in throughout high school, including playing soccer, basketball and softball, performing in musicals and participating in academic competitions. She served as president of the student council and the National Honor Society and still found time to do community service.

   Sarah delivered her Valedictory address, "My Wish for You," at the Caledonia-Mumford Commencement on June 22, 2007. Mom, Dad, brother and sister were all there to share in her special day and she did indeed, make her family proud. She will attend the Rochester Institute of Technology this fall, a student in the physician’s assistant program.

   Mike and Sheri Backus say there is no secret to producing good kids and successful students. They are grateful for the memories their children have provided and admit that it’s bittersweet to accept that their years at CMCS are over.

   "On one hand, I’m very thankful and proud of all the wonderful memories our children have provided and on the other hand, I’m so sad that their time at CMCS has come to an end," Mike said. "To sum it up, raising our children to this point has taken a lot of work, love, time, laughter, prayer and a lot of luck. And we would have to thank my parents and Mike’s parents because they were our role models for what we did," Sheri remarked.