For best friends Amy Dixon and Grace Bufkin, academics have been a close, friendly competition at Vicksburg High School.

Four years later, the competition is over: Dixon is valedictorian and Bufkin is salutatorian.

Dixon, the daughter of Chris and Glenda Dixon, said she and Bufkin have known since middle school they would probably be near the top of their class.

“We learned in eighth grade who the top three were, and after that everyone kind of knew I would be one of the top,” she said. “In eighth grade there were three of us tied for the top.”

Bufkin, the daughter of Perian and James Bufkin, said the competition was close and the two girls often swapped rankings.

“Amy Dixon is one of my best friends, and we’ve always had a friendly competition,” she said. “We always knew we were one and two because the counselors kept us up to date on that.”

Dixon will graduate with an unweighted GPA of 3.98, and Bufkin will graduate with an unweighted GPA of 3.97.

Dixon played soccer, tennis, golf and ran cross country, and she was in the winter guard, band and color guard.

Dixon also was a member of Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, Key Club and Chess Club.

A lifelong Vicksburg resident, Dixon is a member of First Presbyterian Church.

In the fall Dixon plans to attend Mississippi State University where she will major in aerospace engineering.

Dixon said her favorite class was Mississippi River Studies with Ed Wong

Bufkin played slow-pitch softball, fast-pitch softball and soccer, and she was a member of Key Club, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society and French Club.

Bufkin, a lifelong resident of Vicksburg, is a member of Emanuel Baptist Church, and she works for Porters Chapel Daycare

Bufkin plans to attend Mississippi College in the fall where she will major in biology. She plans to eventually become a physician’s assistant.

Bufkin said she loved her math class and Donna Carpenter was her favorite teacher.