Making The Grade How Do Some Students Maintain That 4.0 Grade Average?

Senior year - the light at the end of the tunnel, which three years ago was a faint glow seemingly emitted from a dim flashlight, has finally materialized.

College applications are being sent out and ears begin to perk up at the word “scholarship.” Seniors have finally taken their rightful place among the student body. They reign supreme. There are football games to attend and senior proms to prepare for. This is the year.

And it’s with this in mind that seniors embark on their last year in high school - becoming a bit lax. Homework takes second (or third or fourth) priority as seniors unwind a bit and bask in senioritis.

But not everybody.

For one group of seniors, this year is very much like the other three; a constant struggle to keep their perfect 4.0 grade point average.

“I’ve always been very competitive,” says Julie Weiskopf, a valedictorian hopeful from Gonzaga Prep. “(Earning a 4.0) is kind of like being competitive against yourself.”

But she admits that this year is especially difficult.

“This year is the most demanding,” she said. “Sometimes I am able to step back and see the big picture, but it isn’t easy.”

Straight-A students have a completely different attitude about their last year of high school than most of their peers. Sure, there’s the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a long, long tunnel with lots of obstacles. And tripping up now, with college applications on the line, would be devastating.

The pressure is intense.

So what about the football games and the senior proms? What about enjoying your senior year?

Joe Le, a 4.0 senior from Rogers, makes time.

“I’m smart, I get a 4.0, but I like to have fun,” said Le, who tries to finish all his homework at school in order to leave time for himself.

“The weekends are mine,” he said.

But what about stress? After all, while some of their classmates are content with simply passing, 4.0 students are striving for the perfect score. While many seniors are heaving a sigh of relief for their D minuses, some 4.0 students agonize over the thought of a B.

“I would be very depressed (if I got a B),” said Jamie Moshin, a 4.0 senior from Mead. “But I’m kind of thinking that it’s inevitable,” he added with a laugh.

Beth Pierce from Lewis and Clark tries to have a positive outlook.

“I try not to let it be really really important. I can get a B,” she said. “I just want to do my best.”

Weiskopf agreed and added, “It’s not that I stress over grades. I just try to understand (what’s going on in class).”

Which isn’t as easy for these students as some think. Contrary to popular belief, these 4.0 students do not always know everything. And they are quick to admit it.

“I don’t know more than other people,” said Pierce. “I just work harder.”

Le laughed when he added: “People say ‘yeah, you can ask Joe (to help with a question). But you probably won’t get an answer.”’

Moshin agreed that straight-A students don’t always have the answer to everything. And when he’s stumped? “I’ll go over to a friend and ask him,” Moshin admitted.

So is it all worth it? When all has been said and done, when the mortar board and tassel are stashed away and the yearbooks are all signed, will the work have paid off? These scholars seem to think so.

“I think it’s a power thing,” said Moshin. “It’s something to be proud of.”