Grads making the grade

Torrey AndersonSchoepe

A musician, and scientist and a linguist. They may seem completely

different, but they all have one thing in common -- they have the

highest grade-point average in their school, and they all worked very

hard to get it.

More than 300 Laguna Beach High School seniors donned caps and

gowns Thursday to receive their diplomas.

For GPAs of at least 4.7 each, Will Sherman, Joy Henderson, and

Correy Miller have worked very hard over their high school years and

share the honor of being named valedictorians of Laguna Beach’s Class

of 2005.

Sherman, the scholar of scholars, has the highest GPA -- 4.74. He

accomplished this after having taken all honors classes since he came

to Laguna Beach High School as a sophomore from Salt Lake City, Utah.

“It was stressful, but I managed my time well,” Sherman said.

Sherman’s graduation speech describes how Laguna Beach has

affected his life in a positive way, and he also gives students some

advice for the future.

His speech begins with a self-description: “Clearly I am not what

most people expect a valedictorian to look like.

“When I think of valedictorians, I think of someone who sits in

front of his computer in his parents’ basement and studies himself

blind. I’m sure those of you sitting in the audience that have never

met me are wondering what the hell this guy with long hair who wears

heavy metal shirts is doing pretending to be the valedictorian.”

He continues, “Well, I suppose I’m living proof that there’s no

such thing as a typical valedictorian and that appearances are

superficial.”

Coming from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Laguna Beach was a big,

positive change for him.

“The Laguna Beach teachers not only know their students’ names but

also something about them. The teachers actually care about the

students and love to teach,” he explained, “My teachers [in Utah]

knew me only by my name on a seating chart.”

The rest of his speech focuses mainly on the idea to pursue your

passion. He ends his speech on that same idea, “Take chances, and

follow your passions. Or, as Confucius said, ‘Wheresoever you go, go

with all your heart.’”

He aspires to be a musician, and will attend UCLA next year. He

plays the guitar in his free time. It is his hobby and his passion.

“I want to be a musician, musicology, specifically. I would like

to do composing and theory, and maybe piano,” he said. His musical

style includes heavy metal, rock and jazz.

His favorite memories from school are mainly fun lab projects in

chemistry class.

“In chemistry we got to make fireworks and smoke bombs; that was

fun,” he said. “And the teachers were really good compared to my last

school.”

Joy Henderson, the second of the three valedictorians will be

attending Emory University. Joy loves science. Her two favorite

subjects are physics and chemistry. She played varsity volleyball all

four years, and she plans to continue at the club level in college.

She attained a 4.7 GPA by taking as many honors and

advanced-placement classes as possible.

When asked how she managed it all, she replied, “Well, family has

always been a priority for me, and school was another big priority, I

guess I just set up my priorities and followed them through.”

Her favorite memories from high school are her friendships and

random moments with her friends.

“I am a beach bum. I love going to the beach, swimming and body

surfing,” she said.

Correy Miller, the other valedictorian, is also a beach lover. Her

other interests include tennis, swing dancing, shopping, traveling

and languages.

As an international-languages enthusiast, Miller wants to major in

Spanish at Berkeley, which she will attend this fall.

Her favorite teachers have inspired her.

“Mrs. Dunlop, who teaches English, and Senora Ortiz, they really

know their subject, and they want us to learn, which is very

important,” said Miller. “They care about their students a lot. Some

teachers really couldn’t care less.”

Miller was able to maintain a 4.7 by working hard, and creating a

very rigorous schedule.

“I basically took all the honors classes that I could, and I think

I only got one B in high school. I worked really hard.”