2025 EBHS Valedictorian Deacon Martin

There were a few students at Eagle Butte High School vying for the position of valedictorian, but in the end, Deacon Martin came out as the clear winner. “That was good because it pushed me to be better,” stated Martin. “A lot of the times, I get one wrong or 0.5 off and I think I should have got that. I feel good and proud of myself. There isn’t a whole lot else to say. The hard work paid off for sure.” 

Martin joined the South Alberta Baseball Academy this year in lieu of taking any other options, which allows him to play baseball each day at school. “I’ve been playing since I was about nine or ten in house league and little league. I’m not the best, I play it for fun and just to get out there,” said Martin.  

Glad for the warmer weather and to be able to play outside, Martin said he didn’t enjoy having to be at the South Alberta Collegiate complex at 7 a.m. during the colder months. He does acknowledge it was good to have a jump on the season and the early mornings paid off. He has mostly played first base but has moved into pitching this year. Playing baseball is fun for him and he said there is just something about the game that appeals to him. Martin likes to stay active and enjoys playing golf and working out when not playing baseball.  

Next year, Martin will enter the engineering program at the University of Calgary. His academic strengths are math and the sciences, and he refers to himself as being a fan of physics. “It’s a natural next step,” said Martin. “I don’t have a particular passion. I don’t really know what I want to do but I know I would be good at engineering because I can problem solve.” 

His family lives on an acreage near Golden Sheaf Park and Martin knows it will be a significant change moving into dorms at the university and living in a city where he doesn’t have any family connections. “My younger brother and I have a kind of co-joined room at home, so we are almost like roommates. It will be a big jump with all strangers and a shared bathroom on one floor,” stated Martin. “The University of Calgary engineering had a high dropout rate, so now they’ve put in new programs to help first year students through it, so I’m looking forward to that. All the first-year students will be taking the same classes together, so it will be more like high school.” 

By Samantha Johnson, Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer