If the race for valedictorian at Jefferson City High School was a sporting event, yawning fans might ask for their money back. And the seniors competing for the honor are just fine with that.
Not that the competition isn't close - the top pack of seniors all have GPAs higher than 4.0 on a weighted scale. Only .05 points separate the top-ranked senior from the one in third place.
What makes the competition less than enthralling is that - despite nearly half the school year remaining, and despite the fat lady's lack of singing - the competition is all but over.
For many of the 630 seniors, their final term could easily move them up or down in the class rankings. Not so with the students who have the top three GPAs: Meredith Manda, 4.145; Sidney McMillan, 4.107; and David Steinmeyer, 4.095.
Unless one of them earns significantly less than their typical straight As, their rankings likely won't change. "They probably wouldn't change unless someone failed," Manda said.
Besides that, it's not like the trio is trash talking each other like certain Super Bowl teams. They consider each other more friends than rivals, and they look at the rankings as a way to push themselves more than to compete with their classmates.
"I never really saw it as a competition. Just a friendly competition, I guess," Manda said, adding that most of her classmates probably don't care much who's in the running for valedictorian.
"My end goal was a well-rounded education, and I got that," McMillan said. "I've never really gotten hung up on my rank, but my parents have just said "strive for your best,' and I guess I do. And I guess it's gotten me where I have been, so it's been pretty successful. But by no means does my rank define me or what I have done."
All three stressed the importance of education, while downplaying class rankings.
"It's kind of hard to follow (the rankings) because we only know our own GPA, not others," Manda said. "I'm not about beating other people. I want to take hard classes."
They also have other things in common: They all are involved in sports and their churches, in addition to other extracurricular activities. And they've all had parents who have helped and encouraged them with their education.
EARLY INFLUENCES
"Since I was little, academics have been very important in my life," McMillan said.
Her father, a Missouri Department of Transportation engineer, focused on teaching her math and science, while her mother, an assistant Cole County prosecutor, helped with English and history.
"My values have been instilled through my parents," McMillan said. "They have been very influential in my life, and I am very thankful for them."
McMillan attended Moreau Heights Elementary School and Lewis and Clark Middle School, where she truly started realizing the importance of academics. But even in kindergarten, her ambition stood out.
When a teacher asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, her classmates piped up with the typical answers of princesses and firefighters. "I said I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon."
"I realized that being a princess was not going to pay well," she said. "Disney World needs their princesses, but I'm not going to be one."
Steinmeyer said he's always been self-driven, but he also cites parental influences. "They've always kind of challenged me to be the best," he said.
He also listed his elementary school, Trinity Lutheran, as a contributing factor to his success.
"Trinity's always had a high standard. They expect the best out of their students," he said.
Last year, the valedictorians at JCHS, Helias Catholic High School and Calvary Lutheran High School all graduated from the same class at Trinity.
Manda said that at a young age, her parents made sure she liked school and had teachers who made learning enjoyable.
"I don't see it as a chore, but this is a free education that we don't have to pay for. That's really why I think I have such a high GPA," Manda said. "But definitely a love of learning - not seeing it as a chore, but a privilege - is what makes it so special for me."
VALEDICTORIAN STRATEGY
Generally, the strategy to achieve the highest GPA is to take as many Advanced Placement (AP) classes - and as few regular classes - as possible. An "A" in an AP class is weighted to 4.333, while an "A" in a non-weighted class is a 4.0.
Manda said that strategy includes skipping zero-hour classes (optional classes held before first-hour classes) and summer classes, which are not weighted.
"I definitely strategically looked at it, because of the way weighting works," she said.
JCHS counselor Diane Clayton said that although the top students have very close GPAs, the high number of AP courses offered separates even the top students.
"In all my years of education, I've never seen anybody tied for valedictorian," she said.
Of the top three JCHS seniors, only the top-ranked one, Manda, strategized from the beginning of her high school career to try to be at the top of her class.
McMillan said she didn't realize that she had a shot at the top spot until last year, but that a class-scheduling decision as a freshman may have knocked her out of the running.
Trying to balance her role on the basketball team with her academics, she opted for a non-AP history class as a freshman. "One thing I would change would be to take AP European History, because that would put me about tied with" Manda, she said. "But I guess that's the sacrifice you make for sports."
Steinmeyer's only regret is not in academics, but sports. It was giving up basketball, a sport he loves. He said he let politics and worries about his standing on the team lead him to "lose sight of my love of the game," he said.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
One sport Steinmeyer hasn't given up is tennis, a sport he started at the age of 5. His grandfather was a JCHS tennis coach and still coaches at the local YMCA. His father played tennis in college.
Steinmeyer's faith is also important to him. When he's not involved in school or tennis, he's active in his church, Faith Lutheran. In some of the little free time that he has, he reads scripture at home.
Manda also is well-rounded. She's a deacon at First Presbyterian Church, co-president of the JCHS Speech and Debate Club, where she and her partner were ranked in the top 30 nationally in an event last year. She's also a competitive figure skater and performs community service with the JC Key Club, which is involved in projects ranging from 5K runs to the Halo Foundation.
McMillan has lettered on the basketball team for the past three years. But she's now out for the season, after her head landed hard on the hardwood floor during a December game, giving her a concussion.
She has volunteered at various departments in Capital Region Medical Center for the past two years. She's also volunteered at food pantries, helped put on basketball clinics, and attended Girls State.
STUDY HABITS
All of the three students interviewed said they generally spend around 10 hours a week on homework.
McMillan said an hour or two a night is typical, between homework and studying. For her, the toughest thing has been balancing academics with basketball.
She recalls getting back from basketball games at midnight, then studying for two hours before heading to bed. "You kind of hope it all works out and your sleep deprivation doesn't hit you in the middle of a test," she said.
It's worked for her so far. The last time she got less than a straight A was in middle school, when she got an A- in art class. "I tried so hard, but my stick figures aren't Picasso, I guess," she said.
When it comes to studying, Manda focuses on quality more than quantity. She typically spends six to seven hours a week hitting the books.
"I spend much more time on debate than studying," she said. "I don't consider myself to be a huge studier, to be honest."
She uses techniques such as mnemonic devices to study more efficiently, so she has time for other activities, including hanging out with her friends.
Steinmeyer said he might spend 10 to 15 hours a week studying, but that "some nights you don't really have to do anything."
COLLEGE/CAREER PLANS
Manda wants to follow in the footsteps of her parents, who are both lawyers.
She plans to attend Stanford University, hopefully majoring in a combination of human biology and international relations. "I'd love to do human rights law or some sort of other international health policy law" that could help spread health care around the world, she said.
Steinmeyer wants to be a Lutheran pastor. After studying business administration/philosophy at the University of Missouri-Columbia, he plans to enter a Lutheran seminary.
He said he's known his calling ever since attending a Missouri Synod Lutheran national convention when he was 16. A band on stage stopped playing, leaving the gathering to sing a capella together.
"I remember being encapsulated with this aura; there was this overwhelming presence of God in the building," he said. "I kind of knew at the moment that if one song could encapsulate that many people, that's what I wanted to do."
McMillan plans to major in chemical engineering and pre-med at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "I eventually hope to cross the two over ... to solve our problems in a different way," she said.
ADVICE
What advice do the three offer incoming younger students - whether they want to compete for valedictorian or just excel in high school?
"Never sell yourself short," Steinmeyer said. "I think high school is a time you don't want to look back on your life and have regrets. So being involved in things you enjoy and just being a very good student is very important."
That means being involved with different activities that you enjoy. Be true to yourself, without letting other people push you into a certain mold, Steinmeyer said.
Manda said students should work hard, believe in themselves and not be discouraged.
The other advice she offers is to seek advice. "Make connections with adults who care about you, and ask for lots of advice," she said. "It's a valuable lesson: You don't know everything. It's good to ask advice from other people."