Katherine Cooke, 18, is valedictorian for the Bellingham High School Class of 2012. She is the daughter of Nancy McMaster and Tom Cooke and plans to attend Yale University. "Academic success comes to those who truly love learning - learning not for the sake of grades and tests, but to satisfy their inherent curiosity," she said. Her most influential teachers: Drew Shilhanek, Quest Academy, middle school English; Nate Stoffregen, Quest Academy, middle school science; Chris Michel, Bellingham High, 10th-grade AP U.S. history; and Laurie Mullarky, Bellingham High, 12th-grade AP literature. COURTESY TO THE HERALD