valedictorian
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRelated topics: Schoolvaledictorianval‧e‧dic‧to‧ri‧an /ˌvælədɪkˈtɔːriən/ noun [countable] American English SESthe student who has received the best marks all the way through school, and who usually makes a speech at the graduation ceremonyExamples from the Corpusvaledictorian• Eventually, however, she worked it out, as children usually do, and graduated from high school as class valedictorian.• That was the year Charlene Holm made valedictorian.• My archrival, who was valedictorian after our neck-and-neck race for the top, taught me a lot of lessons.