Great Falls High School is proud of its seven National Merit semi-finalists - the most in 21 years:
Great Falls High School's class of 2006 has seven National Merit semi-finalists this year — more than it has had in one year for at least 21 years, said Counselor Steve Bennetts. This class's kids have more 4.0s, higher standardized test scores and higher GPAs than classes before and after it, according to the counseling office.Bennetts calls them "the brightest class to ever graduate from Great Falls High."
And they're more than eggheads. (One National Merit semifinalist admits to nearly flunking a calculus test.) They practice tae kwon do, write novels, sew their own prom dresses (off-white with a burgundy border), downhill ski and ace national exams.
One little complaint of mine - I wish someone was teaching the kids how to express humility without downgrading the exam:
Every class has its smart kids, Bennetts said, but the class of 2006 has more than its share. They work hard, take hard classes and something inside drives them."It's a desire to learn," Barlow said.
By and large, the National Merit semi-finalists among them downplay that rank.
"You go in, you sit down, you get lucky on a test one day," Hall said.
No, not really, kid. You made your luck that day. It's admirable that they want to be humble about their accomplishments and not flaunt their awards in front of the kids who didn't do as well, but to suggest that the high scores are the result of pure luck is incorrect.
Posted by kswygert at January 3, 2006 12:42 PM