Cooper Thompson has been named Valedictorian for the Chester County High School Class of 2026, with a 99.836 GPA. Salutatorian is Rushil Patel, with a GPA of 99.319. The students were recognized for the honors Thursday.
Thompson, the son of Chad and Sandy Thompson, plans to attend Freed-Hardeman University in the fall. While his major is undecided, he plans to study science with a goal of working in research. His focus in life, Thompson said, is Christianity. “I’m a Christian and try to stay faith centered,” he said. “I love sports, and I play soccer and run cross country for the high school as well as playing basketball in my free time. I like to read and drink coffee and tea. I also like playing guitar.” This summer, Thompson plans to spend a week at summer camp, go on a 10-day mission trip to Costa Rica and visit Canada with his family, including older brothers Cade and Chance, to watch an F1 race.
Patel is the son of Jignesh and Tejal and has a brother, Dhanin.
“We are incredibly proud of Rushil’s achievement as Salutatorian,” said Patel’s parents. “This achievement reflects upon his years of discipline and dedication. We couldn’t be prouder.”
Patel plans to major in Biology Pre-Med at University of North Alabama. He attributes his success to his parents pushing him to succeed and his own desires to succeed and compete with his friends. He enjoys playing baseball and going to the gym in his spare time. His plans for the summer include working with his parents and taking some college classes.
