Saturday, September 7, 2024
Henry Lalonde (Left) and Austin Tong (Right)
Azle High School’s valedictorian and salutatorian speak on their journeys through high school and their plans for the future
On June 3, Azle High School seniors will be saying goodbye to high school and hello to the rest of their lives at a Fort Worth Convention Center graduation ceremony. To usher them into this next stage of their lives are two students who have managed to come out on top through their four years together. Henry Lalonde and Austin Tong will be representing the graduating class of 2023 on-stage as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. Lalonde and Tong are both lifelong Azle AISD students.
Current NHS vice-president, Lalonde plans on attending the University of Texas in Austin to major in electrical engineering. “They have one of the best programs in the country so it’s kind of exciting,” Lalonde said. “My dad was an engineer… I’ve always liked building stuff and he’s always supported that… [My parents, Philippe and Jennifer Lalonde] have always known the value of education. They have allowed me to focus on school.” Lalonde’s interest in building things started early with Lego sets and culminated in him being a part of the Azle High School’s robotics team. Throughout his school career, Lalonde attributes his success to the support of his friends and family. “They really motivated me,” Lalonde said. “I’ve had a lot of good friends. I’ve known the same guys since elementary school, which has been really helpful…I’ve had a good support group.”
Lalonde is particularly proud of his achievements in band where he is a section leader. “I’ve been in band since sixth grade, and I’ve been able to do a lot there. I’ve made the Region Band for the past four years in high school, qualified for Area.” Lalonde described his favorite part of band as, “people coming together to make something beautiful.”
Lalonde has been one of the top two students in his school since the eighth grade. “Our first transcript that we got was in the eighth grade and my rank was number two. I was like ‘Oh man, I didn’t know I’d be that high. So, freshman year I took all advanced classes and woo-hoo I got up there.’” Lalonde’s favorite subjects are math and science, and his favorite class is chemistry with Ms. Reasoner. In math and as a section leader in band, Lalonde is proud to have been able to help his fellow classmates. “I still had to ask some people for help, so I wasn’t completely self-sufficient,” said Lalonde. “Being in an environment where the people around you care as much as you do is definitely helpful with AP classes.” Lalonde described his favorite part of his high school career as getting the clarinet solos and getting to play at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. Lalonde plans on trying out for the bands at UT after he graduates.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Lalonde said. “And don’t be afraid to just do it. The work is hard, but if you just do it, it’s worth it… There are plenty of people that could have been [valedictorian], but it’s kind of cool that it’s me.”
Lalonde said he was grateful to Azle High School for the number of advanced classes that it offers. Inspired by his family’s appreciation for natural beauty, Lalonde hopes to pursue a career in the renewable energy sector. “My parents always took me to national parks over the summers,” Lalonde said. “They wanted me to see like, ‘we live in America, there’s so many beautiful natural things you can see here. It’s just a drive away.’”
The AHS salutatorian, Austin Tong, also plans on majoring in electrical engineering. He plans on attending the Honors College at Texas Christian University. “I’m also planning to be an equipment manager for the football team out there,” Tong said. “My mom went there, and my uncle went there, it’s just been a part of the family tradition.” Tong has inherited a lifelong love of all things TCU and sports from his mother, Azle ISD Technology Specialist Amy Tong.
Tong also attributes his work ethic to his mom. “She always instilled in me the gift of learning and that if you can work hard at something you like, good things will happen…There’s a lot of brilliant minds and hard workers at this school, to even be in that realm is a high honor, but salutatorian, that’s beyond impressive… to represent them as a class, it’s a really high honor.”
You could find Tong supporting Azle teams in the student section of most sporting events. “A lot of fun memories in that student section,” Tong said. “[My favorite thing] is the roar of the crowd when a big play happens or if it’s like in football when a wide receiver breaks a defensive back’s ankles and then the whole student section just erupts then it’s just amazing.”
Tong encourages his peers to work hard at being the greatest version of themselves that they can be. “I think if you measure yourself up to others it kind of creates false expectations of what could happen a lot of times. Personally, I’ve always just sought to improve myself as best as I could.”
While high school is already hard enough, the class of 2023 had additional complications thrown into their freshman and sophomore years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Overall, I think those kinds of hardships strengthened me in a way and from that strength brought success,” Tong said. “Sometimes you’ve got to play a game in a hurricane, but if you’re a football player you still go out there and try to play your best.”
Tong will receive a $100,000 Dean’s Scholarship to TCU along with many others. “[The scholarships] will make it to where going to TCU, out-of-pocket for me and my family, will be around the same as going to a public school.
School spirit and the mentality fostered by Azle ISD and the community has been instrumental in encouraging Tong’s drive and bringing out his best. “Being an Azle Hornet to me means that it brings an ambitious mentality,” Tong said. “A mentality to not sit back and be satisfied and to always try to make yourself and others better.”
Tong named Ms. Reasoner as his favorite AHS teacher. “She’s always been great at teaching hard topics,” Tong said. He also shouts out Coach Overton, Ms. Bevin, his grandad, pawpaw and mee-maw.
