After eight semesters of long days and late nights, the Top 10 seniors holding the highest GPAs were finally recognized for their academic achievement. Ranging from the 4.4 to 4.7 cumulative grade point average marks, these seniors endured the most rigorous courses at Pattonville over all four years and have distinguished themselves as the best of 2014. Below are profiles of each of the Top 10 seniors, who share details of their last four years of high school as well as a glimpse into what their futures hold.
10. Sadie Friedrich
GPA: 4.43
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP Chemistry. The workload and the content in general were difficult; it just wasn’t my thing.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mr. Dornhoefer. His character and personality made him stand out from the rest. I still visit his classroom and maintain a relationship with him.”
College Plans: University of Tampa (Tampa, Fla)
Major: Biology
9. Jennifer Baker
GPA: 4.44
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP Statistics. The material is really difficult, and senioritis didn’t help either.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mr. Brueckmann. He and I are best friends.”
College Plans: Maryville University (St. Louis, MO)
Major: Actuarial Science
GPA: 4.45
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “Honors English 3. I had Moritz, no other explanation needed.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mrs. Weingart. We have a lot of fun telling stories to each other and she’s very involved in my life.”
College Plans: Baptist Bible College (Springfield, MO)
Major: Double major in Intercultural Studies and Elementary Education
GPA: 4.48
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP United States History. History is not my strong suit, plus there’s a lot of homework.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mr. Broyles. He helped me a lot with the questions I had in both Calculus 1 and 2.”
College Plans: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN)
Major: Chemical Engineering
GPA: 4.51
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP United States History. There’s lots of homework to keep track of.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mr. Broyles. He made calculus entertaining.”
College Plans: University of Minnesota (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN)
Major: Chemical Engineering
GPA: 4.53
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP United States History. There was a lot of material to cover and [Mrs. Scoopmire] gives you so many resources that are all helpful, but completing your work is very time consuming.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mrs. Shearrer. She’s great at explaining concepts while not babying you and repeating herself.”
College Plans: Westminster College (Fulton, MO)
Major: Secondary Education, with an emphasis on General Sciences
GPA: 4.60
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP Chemistry. It’s such a different subject than most: you have to get used to learning the material in a different way. The AP class I had taken up to that point [AP European History] involved listening to stories, whereas AP Chemistry is more math based.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “I’ve had a lot of great teachers, but Mrs. Shearrer is so sweet and nice even though I was taking an awful subject [AP Chemistry]. She was always willing to help.”
College Plans: Drury University (Springfield, MO)
Major: Biology, with an emphasis on Pre-Med
GPA: 4.63
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP Chemistry. Mrs. Shearrer is great, but the curriculum is fast-paced with a lot of information.
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mr. Frazier. I’ve only had him for two years as a debate coach (and never as an actual teacher), but he’s taught me a lot about things I’d never learned in traditional high school classes. He’s a genuinely smart person interested in teaching students.”
College Plans: St. Louis University (St. Louis, MO)
Major: Double major in Biology and French and a minor in Philosophy with a
Pre-Med emphasis
GPA: 4.67
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP United States History. It was difficult mostly because I wasn’t huge on US history, and it was hard to learn a subject I didn’t like.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “Mrs. Fisher. She and I are just alike: sarcastic and kind of obnoxious at times.”
College Plans: St. Mary’s College (Notre Dame, IN)
Major: Chemical Engineering
GPA: 4.75
Hardest Class at Pattonville: “AP United States History. You have to really be self-disciplined to take it. None of it was trivial work, it was all significant information you had to retain.”
Favorite Teacher at Pattonville: “I’ve had lots of influential teachers, but Mrs. Lacy has pushed me to grow the most as a student.”
College Plans: American University (Washington, DC)
Major: International Relations