Head of the class

Pressure isn't the right word. But as the youngest of seven siblings close in age, Mara Berry found herself becoming a perfectionist. "I push myself to do my best in anything I do, but I don't feel like I have to be better than my siblings or accomplish the same things," said Mara, who will graduate Saturday night as the Class of 2020 valedictorian for Norwalk High School. Earning her way to the head of the class of 188 kids wasn't just about being the last of seven NHS graduates in her family. It wasn't about becoming the only one in the family to reach that accomplishment — in a year where no traditional graduation ceremony will take place. It was more about what it took to get there. "At the beginning of the school year, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do for a job," Berry said. "I decided on baking for Sheri's (Coffee House)." But that particular job meant extra long days for Berry. She woke up at 4:30 a.m. each day and arrived to bake at 5 a.m. before school. In the fall, there was tennis practice — where she was also a standout on the court for head coach Chris Higgins and the Truckers. In the winter there was swim practice — a sport where she teamed with sister, Sela, and two others for a school relay record. There was also student council and Teen Leadership Corps among her other activities. "Looking back with all this time we've had the last few months, I don't know how I did it — but I knew I had to," Berry said. "If you know you have to do something, you'll get it done." Big family The oldest daughter of Amy and Sean Berry, Larissa, graduated from Norwalk in 2009. Behind her was Alaina (2011 grad), Ian (2013), Brenna (2014), Anessa (2017), Sela (2019) and then Mara. "I love having a big family close in age, it's like having built-in friends," Mara said. "It's really nice that we can all support each other. It's a lot like a constant party at home." On top of having Mara as a student in the classroom and a coach in tennis, Higgins also had every Berry sibling in class except Larissa — and coached Brenna, Anessa and Sela as well in tennis. "I cannot say enough about the incredible job that Sean and Amy have done raising an awesome family that I absolutely adore," Higgins said. "As you would expect from any large family, each of the kids has their own individual qualities, but it is clear that their parents emphasized manners, hard work, and the importance of family. I'm sure behind the scenes they have tense moments, but there is no doubting that they are a super strong family unit." In a sense, Higgins said Mara's graduation tonight feels a little bittersweet. "As someone that has spent countless hours with the family over time as a teacher and coach, I feel like a little piece of Norwalk High School and Norwalk tennis is being retired," he said. "I know that many educators in the Norwalk City Schools system look forward to seeing the many great accomplishments that this family has left to complete." Anessa, Sela and Mara are all among the top 20 in career wins at Norwalk. While Mara is seventh on the career wins list (85-21), her 34-4 record last fall is the program mark for wins in a season. "She went from a quiet junior varsity player to a legend of the program in a four year period," Higgins said. "Our team has relied on her dearly the last three seasons at second doubles, as she played with three different partners. She was the anchor of our lineups that culminated in two team championships." More than academics The label of being "book smart" is often thrown around at students who finish ranked first in a class. But on top of her athletics career, Berry showed characteristics beyond the classroom. NHS teacher Nick Lee had Berry in the classroom as a student, but also in more of a social setting through the TLC program. "She excels equally in both environments," Lee said. "She's not just a brain. She cares about her community and helping others. Mara is as good of a person as she is a student. "I had five of the seven siblings in class, and they are all that way. Hard workers and fun to be around." Berry, who is attending Kent State University in the fall to major in biology, was actually surprised to learn she finished No. 1 in her class. "I really didn't expect it to happen, mostly because I knew our class was very competitive academically," she said. "We had a strong overall class in that sense, and it was very shocking. "I knew I always worked hard, but … it was very surprising," Berry added. "It's also surreal in a sense. But it's definitely exciting to know all this hard work did lead to something pretty significant." Sudden end On March 13, Berry and the rest of her senior class knew things had taken a drastic turn. Though speculation was rampant, it was hard to process that Friday afternoon that every student and teacher was walking out of the building for the final time as far as in-person learning. First, schools in Ohio were to be shutdown for three weeks in an attempt to slow the coronavirus outbreak. But eventually, on April 20, schools were closed for the remainder of the year. That meant finishing the remaining academic year virtually. "I tried to balance school and focus on that first," Berry said. "But I also tried to work as much as I could to get ready for the future and those expenses that will be coming. "At first, it seemed like more work because it was overwhelming to make the adjustment to online learning," she added. "Eventually I found the routine wasn't as bad as I was expecting, and time has gone by a lot faster. In some ways, I can't believe it's been over two months already." At the beginning of the shutdown, Berry didn't realize how much it had affected her. But as graduation neared, it hit her how much she and her classmates missed out on. "We missed out on really building up the closeness of our relationships," Berry said. "Those last few months are when you become really close with your peers, classmates, teachers and administrators. It's your last moments of high school. Those are the most significant with graduation and prom, and just getting ready for the future and what's to come next. "I did feel we missed out on that, but with my time there (at NHS), I was still able to make the relationships the best I could." Untraditional finish The Class of 2020 certainly has a unique viewpoint of world events. Many of the graduating seniors were born just before or after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Now, they lost the end of their high school days and traditional graduation ceremonies to a global pandemic. Berry was born six months after the events of 9/11. Having been to six other NHS graduation ceremonies over the past 11 years, she will have a completely different ceremony now that it's her turn. Graduation will be held at Summit Motorsports Park on Ohio 18 at the east end of Norwalk. The ceremony will get underway at 7:15 p.m. Saturday with a parade of cars of graduates that will travel from the high school to the dragstrip. Each graduate will remain in their vehicles as diplomas are distributed. "I haven't thought about it being so much different from my siblings when they graduated," Mara said. "But I don't know any different because I've been to them all. They were all pretty traditional and kind of long, but as I grew older I began to appreciate them more. "The work that goes into all of that takes a lot of dedication," she added. "But this whole thing is very interesting. I feel lucky enough to still have a graduation and finish my high school career on a good note — even though we had the virus. We're very fortunate to still be able to have a ceremony." As for her speech, it will also be untraditional. She's teaming with salutatorian Megan Berry (no relation), and they will deliver the speeches together. Megan Berry was a longtime tennis teammate with Mara and two of her sisters, and is the program's career wins leader. "It will definitely be focused on the accomplishments our class has made and overcoming everything that is going on right now," Mara said. "And mostly how our class has been so motivated and dedicated, and what we were all about as far as our accomplishments."