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Callaway High graduate Blair Littlefield always sets her standards high. How else would she be able to be the class of 2024 valedictorian, a volleyball captain and so much more? There was rarely a second of downtime as she piled more and more onto her plate.

Littlefield was president of the Key Club, in National Honors Society, the book club, 16Ways, the academic bowl for two years and the literary team for two years during her time at Callaway. To represent Callaway means everything to the recent graduate.

“When they announced me it was immediately tears,” Littlefield said of when the school announced the valedictorian on a Facebook Live. “I knew that it was between me and one other person, but it was so wild that it panned out that way.”

Littlefield finished out her freshman year near the top of her class and received a passing grade on her AP. She knew she had what it took to be valedictorian. It was a relentless pursuit of perfection from there. 

“So freshman year that was not the goal at all. The goal was to be a distinguished honor grad, but to graduate as a junior and get out and start college early,” she said. “That began to change sophomore year after I passed the AP government exam, but I thought about graduating early through my junior year. I regretted staying at first, but once my senior year got here it made me really glad I stayed. I’m so glad I got the senior year experience.”

At times, Littlefield struggled to meet her own lofty standards. But whenever she needed a push, she had two cornermen who helped pick her up off the canvas. Mike Petite and Shelby Goins were the leading motivators on Littlefield’s climb towards being valedictorian.

“They were my biggest support system through high school,” Littlefield said. “They made sure that I never slipped.”

This pursuit of perfection made its way to the volleyball courts as well. It is what made her such a perfect captain and leader during a turbulent time for the program. Her senior season was anything but normal. The Callaway gym was undergoing renovations and the team had a whopping zero home games. Littlefield helped guide the team through many long road trips just to keep the program active. She was one of the main reasons that Callaway returned to the playoffs despite such a difficult season.

“I was very adamant about staying on the girls and trying to be a leader as well as their friend. There’s a difference between a captain and a coach for sure. But there are times where you do have to step in, especially during games,” Littlefield said. “It was sad to not get an actual home game and a little upsetting, but Callaway volleyball is always going to be apiece of me, so I wanted to give it and the younger girls everything I had my senior year.”

Being able to lead the program meant everything to Littlefield. She sacrificed cheer and softball for volleyball. When she came up to high school she had to make a choice on which fall sport season to pursue. It was a difficult choice, but she just could only envision herself not on the court. 

“I’m so glad I chose volleyball because I did cheer and played softball too. But in high school, they’re all the same season, so I had to pick and I have no doubts that I made the right decision,” Littlefield said. “I cheered longer than anything, so it was a hard decision to make.”

The payoff was worth it as she helped the program reach new heights as a junior. The team made it to the Elite Eight for the first time in history and the feeling of walking off the court after accomplishing such a goal was one she will never forget.

“Junior year was the highlight of it all, going that far for the first time in school history,” Littlefield said, smiling as she remembered that emotional run. “There were a lot of laughs, a lot of smiles, a lot of long bus rides together and good memories with good friends.”

Littlefield takes great pride in her school. Callaway is home and that will never change no matter where she ends up.

“I’m never getting rid of any of my Callaway shirts,” she said. “I know every school says they are like a family but at Callaway they really mean it.”

Saying goodbye to Callaway and Troup County is hard, but Littlefield has been planning her next step for practically her whole life. She will be heading to Mercer University for her freshman year where she plans to major in history and pre-law and eventually become a lawyer.

“It’s been a lawyer since about the fifth grade, which is a little terrifying. Because recently I’ve been like, ‘Man, I don’t know what my backup would be,’” Littlefield said chuckling. I had a fifth-grade project and we had to choose a career and see how it played out. I chose a lawyer and just fell in love with it right there.”