DANBURY, North Carolina — Angela Bonds is typically not a bomb thrower.
But right is right, and because she felt her only son had been shafted out of being named the valedictorian of his high school class, Bonds strode to the mic Monday at a meeting of the Stokes County Board of Education to give members an earful.
Human error led to spring semester grades not being factored into the rankings, and so Matt Grubb was denied an honor he’d earned.
“All of the hard work, all the AP classes, all the college classes, all the nights he was up at 2 a.m. finishing projects after getting home from football, all the mornings he got up at 5 a.m. because he had baseball (that afternoon) … all of it finally paid off,” she said. “Out of all his fellow classmates, he was graduating No. 1 in his class.
“He will never know what that feels like. West Stokes took that away from him.”
A mama bear had been roused.
Shocking news
West Stokes graduate Matthew Grubb sits for a portrait with his National Honor Society stole and academic honor cord on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at West Stokes High School in King. Due to spring grades not being factored in, Grubb was not honored as valedictorian at his graduation.
School board policy in Stokes County, indeed at nearly every meeting of elected boards, councils and commissions you can think of, limits public comments to three minutes.
Officials, speakers are warned, will not respond directly to speakers except to ask for clarification.
Duly warned, Bonds started reading from prepared remarks.
Matt’s girlfriend of three years had been named valedictorian at South Stokes, she said.
“I had tears of joy in my eyes as she was giving her speech, and I could only imagine the pride her mom must be feeling right now. I learned (last week) that I was supposed to be that mom at West Stokes when I was informed that West Stokes had dropped the ball.”
And they found out by accident.
Grubb had gone to school before graduation to get help with his transcripts. Office staff, the 18-year-old said, offered congratulations. “I originally thought it was because I’d gotten into Carolina,” he said, referring to UNC Chapel Hill.
A counselor, though, told him he’d finished first in his class. And as valedictorian, he would speak at graduation and receive a medal for his achievement.
Going into the spring semester, Grubb said he ranked fifth. He figured he’d move up a place or two but not all the way to the top. “I was kind of in shock,” he said. “I didn’t believe him.”
Trouble was, another student had already been named valedictorian and that kid received the honors that came with it.
Superintendent Brad Rice, who listened intently to Bonds speaking up for her son, said Thursday that it had been a mix-up. Human error.
Previously, Stokes County high schools had named their valedictorians (and salutatorians) after the fall semester because graduations come within days of the end of the school year. GPAs and class rankings had to be calculated by hand, creating a time crunch.
“We changed the practice to make sure all eight semesters were included to make sure that the students earned it,” he said.
But this year, school staff used the old way and based the honors on the mid-year ranking.
“A mistake was made,” he said.
West Stokes graduate Matthew Grubb sits for a portrait with his National Honor Society stole and academic honor cord on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at West Stokes High School in King, N.C. Due to spring grades not being factored in, Grubb was not honored as valedictorian at his graduation.
Can't go back in time
Once school administrators realized what had happened — and heard from a mom determined to right a wrong — they moved quickly to do what they could.
Rice and the board chairman contacted Grubb and his parents, the school system ordered new medals and made plans to honor him at a meeting in July at West Stokes.
“We are extremely regretful and our focus right now is to make sure Matthew Grubb is recognized for his hard work,” Rice said.
That counts; accountability softened the blow. Still, missing out on being honored in front of his peers, families and friends at graduation smarts.
“I mean, I’m glad they’re trying to make it right, and you can’t go back in time,” Grubb said.
Bonds agreed that trying to fix it helps, but it doesn't completely make up for the trouble. "I still don't understand why they didn't fix it before graduation," she said.
One good thing, though, resulted from it all.
A son who already knew how much his mother loved him saw it in action when she rose in a very public setting to speak her mind.
“I was very proud of her for standing up for me like that,” he said.
West Stokes graduate Matthew Grubb sits for a portrait with his National Honor Society stole and academic honor cord on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at West Stokes High School in King, N.C. Due to spring grades not being factored in, Grubb was not honored as valedictorian at his graduation.
