Valedictorian with perfect attendance since kindergarten promised grandmother he’d do well in school

WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) - One North Carolina student will soon be graduating from high school, and he will do so as the class valedictorian.

If that wasn’t enough to be proud of, his family says he will be graduating after never missing a day of school since kindergarten.

The stage was set for graduation inside the gymnasium of Wilson Preparatory Academy.

Eighteen-year-old James Brown III was fresh from rehearsal.

“Feeling absolutely relieved and I feel blessed to be here,” James Brown remarked.

He was a little nervous at rehearsal, but it’s clear how serious he’s taken graduating at the top of his class with a 4.2 GPA.

“Working every day, studying, getting every single thing right to a ‘T’ to where I could be able to all my classes,” James Brown described.

In the fall, he’ll be entering into the next chapter of his life, majoring in engineering.

“I’ll be attending Fayetteville State University,” James Brown stated.

He was reading some of the valedictorian speech that he will deliver to his 32 classmates.

“Class of 2025, the world we are stepping into is big, messy, beautiful and full of possibilities,” James Brown previewed.

What’s not in his speech is how he has operated in a spirit of excellence since kindergarten.

His parents say he’s never missed a day of school, with perfect attendance from that day to his last.

James Brown’s father said his son likely gets that dedication from him.

“I started working at 4 years old in tobacco with my family and I’ve just always worked,” James Brown Jr. said. “It’s always been in me to work. If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

The high schooler’s mother shared that her mom, Annie S. Pitt, died unexpectedly in a house fire last year.

“Even the day that she ed away, he still came to school,” Annetta Brown said.

James Brown was one of Pitt’s youngest grandchildren and she was looking forward to seeing him walk across the stage.

“He said, ‘I promised my grandmother that I would do well in school and that’s what I’m going to do,’” Annetta Brown said.

The head of the school, Daryl Woodard, awarded James Brown the valedictorian medal that he will wear on graduation day.

As he prepares to turn his tassel, James Brown’s parents hope that dedication remains.

Even as he continues to college, he said he’s committed to never missing a day of class in college without help from his mother and father.

“I’m having an alarm ready,” James Brown joked. “Just being dedicated every day.”

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