July 5, 2022 - Comal ISD’s Canyon Lake High School class of 2022 has a new Salutatorian, Macie Goodson.
District administrators have apologized to Macie for a miscalculation which initially placed her as third in the class of 225 graduates.
“The calculation of rank for Canyon Lake High School has been corrected to show that Macie is the salutatorian of the graduating class of 2022,” says Mandy Epley, acting superintendent of schools for Comal ISD.
“Macie has proven herself as a leader in the classroom, on the court and in the community. She has honed her leadership skills through countless hours of volleyball practice and games, showing steers and participating in clubs and organizations while pursuing a rigorously challenging academic schedule.”
A Comal ISD ‘lifer,’ Macie attended Hoffmann Lane Elementary and Church Hill Middle School before choosing to attend CLHS because of its smaller class size. She has taken advantage of every opportunity that has come her way, serving in leadership roles as a team captain for the volleyball team, treasurer for the Canyon Lake FFA and president of the National Honor Society and the senior class.
“Macie is the definition of the all-around student,” says Mark Oberholtzer, the principal of CLHS. “She is a leader who sets the standard for others to follow. I know she will be successful in whatever she chooses to do in life.”
This sentiment is shared by CLHS teachers including Charles Van Houten, the advanced academic dean and AP history teacher.
“Macie made those around her better,” Van Houten says. “Whether keeping them on task, teaching them or giving them confidence. When adversity did strike, she handled it well, and it was over briefly. The world is a better place with people like Macie in it.”
Agriculture science teacher at CLHS Morgan Webel agrees adding, “I have learned that I can never underestimate her. She is one that can do practically anything.”
In fact, two of Macie’s biggest passions are the agriculture industry and sports. Introduced to agriculture at a young age Macie began showing steers at the age of 9, competing in events as a junior member of the FFA and continuing throughout her middle and high school years.
“Showing animals teaches you responsibility and time management skills,” Macie says. “You have the responsibility of taking care of another living thing that is depending on you for everything it needs from food and water to grooming and health.”
She really began to understand the importance of time management, however, when her second passion, sports, started demanding more of her time. In high school, she decided to focus on the one sport that brought her the most joy, volleyball, and she played on the volleyball team for CLHS for four years.
“In high school, I had to learn to manage my time more wisely,” Macie says, “because I began to be more involved in sports and other extracurricular activities as well as taking AP, Dual Credit and UT On-Ramps courses. It took effective planning and prioritization to balance everything.”
Her two passions just happen to be year-round activities which has kept her balancing 365 days a year. For example, a typical summer day would start at 3:30 or 4:30 a.m. to feed, bathe and check on her animals, followed by athletic camps and ending with her animals.
During school, she would have the same schedule with volleyball practice starting around 6 a.m., adding homework and extracurricular clubs somewhere in between. Her animals, however, were always a priority both morning and night.
“I think back now and wonder how I did it,” she says, “but I also know that it was all worth it. I’ve spent 75 percent of my life with my steers.”
Her dedication and passion have resulted in many accomplishments on the volleyball court and in the livestock arena. For two years in a row, 2014 and 2015, Macie received the Reserve Breed Champion honor at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo - in 2014 for the Hereford breed and in 2015 for the Charolais breed. She was also a two-time Grand Champion Steer winner at the Comal County Junior Livestock Show in 2019 and 2021.
“I have always liked pushing myself,” she says. “I have always wanted to make my parents proud of me and to show that I can do anything that I put my mind to doing.”
Macie will attend Texas Tech University in the fall to study agricultural economics. She plans to then enter Texas Tech law school to become an attorney specializing in agricultural issues such as a natural resources and land management.
-Recent Canyon Lake High School graduate, Macie Goodson, is the new salutatorian of the 2022 graduating class. Photo courtesy of Sam Roberts Photography.