In the News: 2012 NHS valedictorians: Numerous and very bright

For many years, Newberg High School has honored a relatively smaller number of valedictorians than its group of salutatorians, but this year it’s just the opposite.

When graduation ceremonies kick off at the track at 7 p.m. Friday, at total of 15 graduates will share valedictorian accolades after finishing with 4.0 grade-point averages in honors courses, while just Tyler Gilmore will be recognized as salutatorian after finishing with a 4.0 in regular coursework.

One reason for the large number of valedictorians is that NHS does not account for or weight plusses and minuses when it calculates GPAs.

“We’ve never had a discussion campus-wide about the use of plusses and minuses,” Blue School principal Dan Malone said. “Some people feel weighted scales are better, but we just never discussed it.”

While weighting GPAs would certainly result in fewer valedictorians, Malone believes the school’s effort to add more advanced placement courses has swelled the ranks of the valedictorians by making honors courses more accessible.

“It makes it a little easier for them to fit those classes into their schedule,” Malone said. “They don’t have to make those decisions of, ‘Am I going to finish this?’ because there are only two choices.”

But based on their achievements and future plans, Malone said he believes every one of the valedictorians is deserving of the honor and will represent Newberg and NHS well.

Some, like Willamette University-bound Nicole Robertson, who will study psychology, Pacific University pre-pharmacy major Margaret Bachmeier, University of Portland engineering student Taylor Stadeli, and future George Fox University pupils Jordan Paulus (music), Mareesa Fawver (cognitive science) and Joseph Hampton (business), will stay close to home.

As a future student and water polo player at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Kale Rogers will travel the farthest to pursue his education, but he isn’t alone in heading out of state.

Taylor Stadeli’s twin sister, soon-to-be California Lutheran University engineering student Theresa, is one of several in the group that will pursue their higher education in California.

Also heading directly south will be standout runners Kyle Fish and Natalie Koskela, who will major in math and pre-medicine, respectively, at Azuza Pacific, as well as Stanford-bound wrestler Peter Russo.

Rounding out the group are: Evan Taylor, who will study at Boise State University; Madeline Kern, who plans to attend Seattle Pacific University; and Reina Soumokil, who will attend the honors college at Louisiana State University with a double major in art and pre-medicine.

Soumokil, who has many relatives who serve or have served in the military, will also participate in the Air Force ROTC program and plans to become a medical officer.

“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was little,” Soumokil said. “In first grade, we wrote down what we wanted to be and my mom has this paper that says, ‘I want to be a doctor, go to Afghanistan and heal sick people.’

A large majority of the group, including Gilmore, who will play football at Pacific University, played at least one sport at the high school and all were active at the school or in the community, from National Honor Society to student government or drama.

“Again, it goes back to kids that are involved do better,” Malone said. “Look at the way this group of valedictorians has been involved on stage, on the field and in the clubs that we have, then look at the way they’re going.”

The construction at the football stadium will limit seating at the ceremony on Friday as the stage will be set up just off the track surface, where the graduates will be seated, and no one will be allowed to sit in the area formerly occupied by the field. Gates open for the event at 5 p.m.

By: Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic