During the last 35 years, St. Augustine's College has had 10 male valedictorians. Donovan Butler is among that number, being SAC's 2020 valedictorian. He entered SAC's campus in September 2014 at 11 years old and left in June 2020 as one of SAC's "finest sons" a term commonly used by Assistant Principal, Mr. Benedict Dorsett.
Butler was among the 111 2020 SAC graduates whose senior years were cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They missed out on many of the exciting aspects that make senior year special. Instead of having a traditional graduation ceremony, a drive-thru graduation was held on the school grounds.
Although disappointed that The Bahamas government did not award any external scholarships such as the All-Merit Award this year, Donovan is still hopeful.
In his virtual grudation speech, he tells his peers, "...we are the ones who must take the reins and steer our country towards a brighter future. We are the ones who must fight the terror of poverty, which has so many of our citizens gripped in its deadly embrace. We are the ones who must speak up for the marginalized. We are the ones who must champion the conservation of our environment.
We are the ones who must diversify our economy, and ensure that The Bahamas remains current with cutting-edge technology. We are the ones who must ensure that in The Bahamas there is a level playing field, where all of her citizens can be prosperous and free. In the words of our school song, we must strive for justice, peace and love for everyone."
Here are 10 facts about Butler.
- He graduated with a 4.0 GPA.
- He won the Deacon Lou Adderley Most Outstanding Male Student Award at graduation.
- He received subject awards in biology, English language, chemistry and Spanish.
- He scored 1430 on his SAT. The average 1059 [+].
- He won the Bahamas National Spelling Bee in 2016 and represented The Bahamas at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
- He received the Bahamas National Youth Award - Rising Star in Education in 2016.
- He won the Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year in 2014.
- He was the 2014 valedictorian at Xavier's Lower School.
- He played softball, soccer, and competed on the track and field team while at SAC.
- He was lead debater in the school's debate team for two consecutive years.
