True valedictorian to get award; Wrong student received honor earlier.

Byline: Craig S. Semon

LEICESTER - Despite giving its annual valedictorian award to the wrong student this year, the president of the Educational Association of Leicester said she is all for her association giving out a second award to the true valedictorian.

Before grades officially closed, the school administration named Tyler P. Keenan the valedictorian and Powers C. Brennan the salutatorian, second-highest academic rank, of Leicester High School class of 2012. As a result, the EAL named Tyler the recipient of its valedictorian award. However, after graduation, the grades were recalculated and showed Powers was ranked first.

Kelley Southwick, the president of the EAL as well as foreign language teacher and summer school director at Leicester High School, said the EAL traditionally gives out several scholarships each year, one being the valedictorian award. And, yes, Tyler was given this year's valedictorian award after the school department said he was going to be the top student.

"I've been at Leicester 20 years anyways," Ms. Southwick said. "We never encountered this, really, before where it was so closed and it flip-flopped, flip-flopped, or anything like this. We've got to learn from this."

While she said it's not really possible for her to pull...