Meet Will Prado, C.S. Lewis Academy's 2024 valedictorian

Although he did not set out to achieve the distinction, and got a late start to boot, Will Prado is C.S. Lewis Academy’s 2024 valedictorian.

The 18-year-old graduating senior was born in McMinnville and lived in Beaverton for the first six months of his life, but has lived in Newberg ever since with his mother, grandparents and sister. A handful of cousins complete the family unit in Newberg.

Though he's graduating at the top of his class, Prado did not attend CSLA for his entire K-12 career.

“I went to the Newberg public schools from kindergarten all the way through sophomore year and have attended CSLA for my upperclassmen years,” he said in an email.

He transferred to the small Christian school for a couple of reasons.

“I had a few friends who had left the Newberg public schools during COVID. I already knew how things were here, and it sounded like a lot better time than Newberg High had been, with things such as the smaller class sizes and more sports opportunities,” he said. “My sister was having some issues at NHS my sophomore year and was given the opportunity to come to CSLA, so I was also asked, and naturally I jumped on the opportunity and haven't regretted it since then.”

Earning the title of school valedictorian wasn’t a consideration when Prado began classes at CSLA. That soon changed.

“After joining the school, I learned that I was the leader in becoming valedictorian and since then have achieved very good grades, which kept me as valedictorian,” he said.

The toughest class that endangered his GPA?

“Physics, as it is overall a tough class using trigonometry, algebra and lab experiments that have you doing a lot all at one time,” Prado said. “I have given it a lot of effort, though, and I have been able to average out to an A-minus my first semester and am on pace for an A this semester.”

Vickie Fivecoat, CSLA’s academic dean, explained the hurdles Prado faced in pursuing the title of valedictorian: “Our main criteria is overall GPA. He had the highest (Prado has a 3.8 GPA). If GPAs are tied, we look at difficulty of course work and extracurricular activities; Will has been very involved in sports. We also do not allow a student to be valedictorian or salutatorian if they join our school after the beginning of their junior year. Will joined CSLA at the beginning of his junior year after spending two years at NHS. Our policy on this is that we rationalize that if they are able to prove themselves in two years at CSLA and come out on top, then they deserve the title.”

Prado’s last day of classes is May 23, and he will graduate a few days later. In the fall, he plan to attend Portland Community College to study psychology, with the eventual intent of becoming a police officer once he is old enough to join the academy.

“I want to become a police officer mainly to help people,” he added. “Ever since I was young, I was fascinated by my aunt being a police officer and how cool it sounded. And as I grew older and with my faith, helping people is my newfound love for wanting to become one.”

Sports helped formed the person Prado is today.

“I have participated in a lot of sports. I have played basketball every year since third grade, besides sophomore year. In sophomore year and junior year, I joined the lacrosse team for Newberg High school. In my senior year, I was a part of the first ever football team at CSLA,” he said.

Other than his girlfriend and a classmate, he cites his coaches as his major influences at school.

“They have taught me discipline, with football making me wake up at 6 a.m. in the summer to work out, to conditioning in football and basketball, and the rainy practices in both football and lacrosse,” he said. “They have also been a constant source of help. Whenever I was starting to get injured, needed a little more help in whatever drill we were doing, and whenever I needed a break in a game, they were always very understanding. And this year, when I tore my ACL at the beginning of the basketball season, my basketball coach included me in every way he could think of, which just really shows how much he cared about me and my season.”

Projecting out a decade, Prado says he sees himself as a police officer “helping people whenever I can,” while “still playing whatever sports I am able to and enjoy.”