13 hours ago
SLO County school sets record with 20 valedictorians. Here's how
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Many hard-working high-schoolers dream of the chance to stand on stage at graduation as the valedictorian — a title typically given to the one, maybe two students at the top of their class.
But this year, the honor went to 20 graduating seniors at Arroyo Grande High School.
While Arroyo Grande has had a high number of valedictorians in the past, district spokesperson Amy Jacobs told The Tribune she believes that number is the highest in school history.
'We usually have a lot ... but we think this is a record,' Jacobs wrote to The Tribune in an email.
The group of 20 valedictorians is well above those from other schools in the district. Nipomo High School named five valedictorians, while Central Coast New Tech High School named three.
Districts like Atascadero named only one valedictorian and one salutatorian.
Arroyo Grande High's list included:
Spencer Joichi Arrivee
Karis Noelle Brokaw
Kinsie Leanne Colbourn
Jack Judah Folkrod
Marissa Kathleen Fugitt
Giana Grace Gunasayan
Tiffany Susan Hyun
Dylan Vaughn Junghandel
Sofia Jorgen Kardel
Emme Mary Faye Landers
Lucas Lehman
Symphony Hallel Lozano
Jocelyn Martinez Luiz
Molly Catherine McLaughlin
Amelie Eleonore Moustirats
Benjamin Yoshio Pedrotti
Tessa Lauren Pettit
Scarlett Ann Salter
Julia Reese Sidun
Ella Quinn Snyder
Why does Arroyo Grande have so many? It's because the school has the largest graduating class in the county, and Lucia Mar uses a unique formula to determine who qualifies as a valedictorian.
According to district policy, valedictorian status is based on both weighted and unweighted GPAs.
The formula takes 48 classes total into account for valedictorianship. That includes a maximum of 10 weighted classes — typically AP or college-level courses. Any additional weighted classes beyond 10 aren't given extra value.
If a student took more than 48 classes, then the district uses the student's lowest 48 letter grades, the policy says. Pass-fail classes or classes without a letter grade are not used in the calculation.
Students must maintain average or above average attendance and must have attended the same campus for their last two years of high school. Students who were found to have violated academic honesty or had an expulsion on their record are not eligible for the honor.
The valedictorians are determined by June 1 of each year, the policy states.
In the graduation program, the district also provided a list of the top 10 students, which included many of the valedictorians' names — but also some who weren't part of the valedictorian list.
Jacobs said that was the case because the formulas used to calculate the top 10 and valedictorians are different. The list of top 10 students is calculated using all AP classes at their weighted GPA levels, while the valedictorian list includes only 10 AP courses. Because of that difference, some in the top 10 were not named valedictorians.
According to Jacobs, all of this year's valedictorians took at least 10 weighted courses and received all A's during their high school careers. The valedictorians did not have the same GPAs, but each had a GPA of 4.35 or above, Jacobs said.
She added: 'We love celebrating the many students who achieved at such high levels.'
