The student who graduates with the highest grades in their class and usually gives a farewell speech called the valedictory.
From Latin 'vale dicere' meaning 'to say farewell.' The '-arian' suffix was added to create a noun for the person giving the farewell address.
The tradition of having a valedictorian give a speech goes back to ancient Rome, where it was literally a military ritual—soldiers would say formal goodbyes before marching to battle, which often meant they wouldn't return!
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