Valedictorians

The big news has been dark news lately in Southeast Missouri. With shootings and discovered bodies grabbing the big headlines, we'd like to pause today and look at some of the good things going on in our communities.

Every Thursday during the summer season we profile our area valedictorians. Already we have introduced our readers to the top scholars at Notre Dame and Saxony Lutheran high schools. We will continue the series until we've profiled all willing participants in schools within our coverage area.

These students represent the academic best of the best, of course, but they also represent a culture of students who place a high priority on their studies. They are likely to have similar interests and habits as most of those in the top tiers; they were just able to do a bit better in school than everyone else in their class.

We enjoy meeting these bright students. If you take time to look at their photos and read their stories, almost all of them seem genuinely happy. While some students loathe school by the time they reach the latter years in high school, these students seem to embrace learning and are looking forward to expanding their knowledge at fine institutions.

School is as difficult today as it's ever been in some ways. Society continues to pressure schools to improve. Students are doing things at younger ages than they've ever done before. It can be a grueling process, particularly for those who take the toughest courses. The valedictorians we feature in most cases do not take the easiest path to the top.

In other words, we are just as impressed with their initiative and hard work as we are of their GPAs.

We hear complaints from time to time that all the newspaper does is report negative news. This is simply not true. We encourage you to look through the newspaper every day to find stories on such good things going on in the community. On Thursdays for the next several weeks you'll find out about our valedictorians. On Fridays, you'll find out about all the events going on in the community. On Sundays, we dedicate an entire section to community news, including faith-based stories, generous giving and those doing good deeds. And we'll have front-page coverage of some big events such as the air show and the Great Race.

It's not all doom and gloom, folks. There are many things worth celebrating, starting with our valedictorians.