Early last month, STA calculated the academic standings of the graduating class of 2011. Senior Sarah Moran was named valedictorian and senior Libby O’Neil the salutatorian of the class of 2011. The girls’ cumulative percentages were 101.09% and 100.39%, respectively.

According to college counselor Debi Hudson, O’Neil and Moran’s grades were taken after seven semesters of work, including the weight from Advanced Placement and honors classes. The weight added to students’ final grades had changed this year from one higher letter grade to five extra percentage points.

“It makes no difference what scale we use in determining who is valedictorian and who is salutatorian,” Hudson said. “It is still an acknowledgment of who has earned the highest GPA in the class.”

Despite consolations from various teachers and administrators, the switch from letter grades to percentages in the 2010-2011 school year concerned some students about how it would affect their final GPAs, according to Moran.

“In the beginning, I was worried it was going to be a difference with percentages [versus the old grade scale],” Moran said. “But because it applied to everyone, it’s not that much of a difference because you are still being compared on the same scale. If your grades are higher on the old scale you’re still going to have the higher grades no matter what.”

Sarah’s classes:

Accelerated: 3

AP: 7

Honors: 6

Libby’s classes:

Accelerated: 4

AP: 7

Honors: 7

Though the percentage grading may not affect how students’ grades are actually compared against each other, it may affect how hard students work to attain certain academic goals.

‘[The new percentage system] may remove the incentive from some students who strive to achieve a certain letter grade,’ O’Neil said. “Grades are now in a vacuum, with no standard against which to compare the raw percentage grades.”

However, both Moran and O’Neil expected to be named top in their class, despite the switch in grading scales.

‘Quite frankly, Sarah and I have been expecting that it would be between the two of us for valedictorian since sophomore year,’ O’Neil said. ‘I was not surprised that we won the top two spots, nor was I surprised that she got first over me.’

Along with their close academic standings, Moran and O’Neil have remained close friends over the years.

“Libby is one of my best friends,” Moran said. “We’ve have a friendly competition in school. We’ll tease each other playfully, but it’s also kind of seriously, and ask, ‘What’s your GPA?’ or, ‘Oh, I have a higher grade in this class,’ and stuff like that.”

According to Moran, their competition was one of the motivations to do well in their classes. However, it was not the only motivation.

‘I always took the hardest classes I could,’ Moran said. ‘I didn’t take classes just because they are weighted. I wanted to challenge myself to work as hard as possible.’

The hard work doesn’t stop with high school. Moran has applied to many selective schools, her first choice being Columbia. However, she will not hear back from these schools until the middle of March. O’Neil has applied to selective schools as well, however she says her final choice will probably come down to the amount of scholarship money she receives.

Both Moran and O’Neil said they have worked hard to get where they are now and are proud of all of their high school accomplishments.

“I am incredibly honored to be first,” Moran said. “There are many truly intelligent and hard-working girls in my class.”