The
By Noah Chidester PCHS recently named their valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2014 - Payton Sturm and Rachel Tennant, respectively. Both of these students worked diligently throughout their years at Catholic to finish at the top of what is one of the most competitive classes in the school.
Sturm is one of the most accomplished individuals in the school. He earned several awards in the fields of academics, athletics and service. “It’s exciting and humbling,” he said. “There are a lot of great kids in our class that worked really hard over the past few years.”
Sturm said he plans to build on the study skills he learned while here. “I need to continue my work habits I’ve developed over the past few years,“ he said, “ and focus on grades before anything else.”
Sturm, who will attend West Virginia University this fall, gave advice to underclassmen. “It’s always fun to hang out with your friends and be involved in sports, but you have to learn to always put your studies before any of that.”
Tennant said she is proud of her position in her class. “I worked super hard at it. It’s a good feeling,” she said. “This shows that academically, I excel. I hope to keep that going through college.”
Tennant said she encourages the underclassmen to work especially hard for grades. “You fill [class rank] on a lot of applications. While it doesn’t always matter, sometimes it could make the difference.”
Trina Ross, the school's guidance counselor acknowledged the work that went into receiving this recognition. “These students worked extremely hard to accomplish what they did,” Ross said.
Both scholars earned the Tippens Scholarship, a full ride to any college in West Virginia. “Four seniors in Wood County earned the award, and two were from Parkersburg Catholic, so it is an honor,” Ross said. “[Rachel] was selected primarily because of the way she interviewed. She had great confidence, is an exceptional academic student, is a strong leader and is very involved in her community service.”
Sturm also received high praise from Ross. “Payton is a strong leader, both in the classroom and on the field,” she said. “He has strong academic standards.”
At the Senior Awards Day, both Rachel and Payton were highly decorated, earning accolades ranging from renowned scholarships to highest subject grade averages to sports honors.
Students of the Month
Sturm and Tennant earn top honors
Payton Sturm (left) and Rachel Tennant (right) were selected as the 2014 Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively. Sturm will attend WVU this fall while Tennant will be heading to MU. We wish them all the best! (Photo by Abby Winnans)
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Parkersburg Catholic High School
From the Bookshelf
"This is a great book. It is considered young adult literature. The school where my sister teaches in Philly uses it in their English program. I read it over Christmas break this year. A great book, especially to expand multicultural awareness (the author writes from his own experience growing up on an impoverished Indian reservation) and for kids who feel like they don't 'fit in.' BookList says of the book that, 'Younger teens looking for the strength to lift themselves out of rough situations would do well to start here.' I don't even think they need to be 'younger.' I am a 35-year-old woman who enjoyed reading it!"
Thank you to Senorita Iafrate for her suggestion of a possible summer read. This is what she has to say about the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
