Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, May 25, 2018
(BEDFORD) - From here on out, Seniors Samuel Baker, Logan Grissom, Jasmine Heckard and McKenna Garrison can take it easy the last few days of their high school career.
"Grades were due at 9 a.m. so Seniors are done officially! Nothing can change and we're graduating!" said Jasmine Heckard enthusiastically, Salutatorian on the weighted grade point scale.
BNL will be honoring these four as their two valedictorians and two salutatorians due to their two grade point systems. The first is based off the unweighted GPA scale where the difficulty of the class is not taken account for. The second is a weighted grade point system that included honors classes, AP classes and dual credit classes that give students the opportunity to earn credits towards their college degree.
Samuel Baker will be honored the valedictorian from the weighted grade point system while Jasmine Heckard will be honored as salutatorian.
Samuel is the son of Carl & Nancy Baker. Jasmine is the daughter of Nathan & Kacie Heckard.
Logan Grissom will be honored the valedictorian on the standardized GPA scale and McKenna Garrison will be honored as salutatorian.
Logan is the son of Brian Grissom and Nicole Stanton. McKenna is the daughter of Rusty Garrison and Amy Jeffries.
"...My GPA is 4.26, but that could change because grades were just turned in," said Samuel.
Jasmine's GPA at that time was 4.0.
Logan's GPA was 4.4 and McKenna reported hers to be 4.337.
The four students were thrilled to finally be done with classes and exams. When asked if they were proud of their accomplishment, they all agreed the feeling was more "thankful" than proud.
"I feel thankful. I feel just glad to be where I am, so glad to be in school with so many smart people and to compete with them," said Logan.
"It was nice because they pushed you!" Jasmine agreed.
"Having so many people around you just really pushed you to be the best you could be and I am really thankful for that... that we had that environment," Logan added.
"I just feel like everyone else is just as smart as me or smarter," said Samuel.
"Yes, that's so true! There are people that are not even in the top ten that are very smart and excel... it amazes me how smart our class is," said Jasmine.
These students are the top four out of a class of more than 350. The total number of graduating seniors is still unknown as final grades are being entered.
"We probably won't know the exact number until Friday midday," said Mr. Canada, Assistant Principal at BNL.
Samuel Baker - Valedictorian, Weighted GPA
What are your plans for the future?
"I plan to attend Purdue University to study pharmacy... I wanted to be in the health care field and I didn't want to go [to school] for 12 years. And I like science."
What classes were hardest for you?
"AP Language. I feel I do a lot better in science and math than in English. I never took a hard English class until then and it was a lot of work that I had to put in outside of class that I am not used to."
Describe yourself in three words.
Samuel first said he was lazy, but then followed that statement by saying that he always found time inside of school to complete his school work. It was then agreed that the best word for him was strategic as he was strategic with his time in school.
"You're musical!" said Jasmine.
For his third pick, Samuel said, "I'm smart. I feel like I can get through school a lot easier than other students... I just go with the flow."
In which extracurricular activities do you participate?
"I play the trumpet and I've done marching band, pep band and Jazz band... I plan to continue band into next year. I hope to make the audition for the Purdue marching band."
Sam was also in Beta Club, a member of the National Honors Society and a participant in Science Olympia.
Logan Grissom - Valedictorian, GPA
What are your plans for the future?
"I am going to also attend Purdue University for electrical and computer engineering. After that, I want to go to work in the field for a bit, then come back and get my master's degree in radar technology. And then I want to be a professor."
What classes were hardest for you?
"I think its this year with AP Literature and Composition. I had to read lots of books and I wasn't really accustomed to reading a lot of books outside of class. It was a lot of material that I had never seen before and it was a new way of thinking about things. Like with AP Language last year, I took it with him [Samuel Baker] and it was like English, but it was mechanical English. There were set rules and things that you could do; and in this class, I felt like I wasn't really in control with where I was going in the class. It turned out OK in the end."
Describe yourself in three words.
"I guess, disciplined. Lazy. And easy going. Although I feel like I worked hard, I feel like I didn't do a lot. But I also feel like I have a sense of self control and I know when I should and should not do things... when I should and should not work hard... and when I can get away with things," he said laughing.
In which extracurricular activities do you participate?
"I've never really done one thing for too long. I've always been shifting around. Freshman and sophomore year I was on the swim team. I did band for three years as well. I was a trumpet player. I've done Science Olympia, I've done Brain Games and I also tutored people in calculus because I took it last year."
Logan is also a member of the National Honor Society.
Jasmine Heckard - Salutatorian, Weighted GPA
What are your plans for the future?
"I am going to attend Indiana University in Bloomington and I want to get a degree in mathematics and psychology and be a teacher. I just want to make a different and I feel like teaching is the best way because I love kids and I love helping people."
What classes were hardest for you?
"I was also in AP Language. It started off super hard for me, because I wasn't used to the style and English wasn't a super strong suit of mine. Like Logan said, as long as its mechanical, I can figure it out... and the other one would be Pre-AP Chemistry. I know its not even the AP class of chemistry, but I just don't do science - science and me don't click!"
Describe yourself in three words.
"I'm a christian. I don't know if that counts, but its a big part of who I am and it takes a lot of words, I guess, in just saying that one. Because it means that I am caring, that I am loving and that I want to put those out there in the world.
"I'm positive - I try to find the positive things in every situation," said Jasmine.
She used "childish" as her last adjective to describe herself because she loves Disney movies and playing with her dog - things that she said she didn't ever want to lose.
"I love Disney, because my name is Jasmine and that's what I was named after."
In which extracurricular activities do you participate?
"A lot of stuff, I guess. I did a lot of music stuff. I was in two of the musicals, I did marching band for two years, I did show choir for three years. I was in the highest choir and band programs. I did jazz band, I did community band, pep band - all the bands, I guess. All the bands you can think of I did at least one year."
Jasmine was also in History Club, Beta Club, National Honors Society, Key Club and she was the President of Impact Club. She also said she helped the Special Olympics every year.
McKenna Garrison - Salutatorian, GPA
What are your plans for the future?
"I plan to attend Indiana Wesleyan University to study nursing.... I've done a few mission trips in the past three years and saw the need for medical attention in different counties - I really feel like the Lord is calling me to the mission field and nursing pairs really well with it."
What classes were hardest for you?
"Probably calculus - We just finished it up and I am pretty happy about that! It was just learning how to study for math again, like I've always had to study for math. It hasn't been my best subject, but I was expecting the very formulaic math and I got in there and its very abstract... Man those limits, those will getcha!"
Describe yourself in three words.
"I would say I am compassionate. I'm giggly - If you ask my friends or my teachers, I giggle all the time. They think its a nervous giggle, but I promise I'm just happy! And then, I guess, joyful - those would be my three."
In which extracurricular activities do you participate?
"I cheered for four years at the high school and I was also in National Honors Society, Beta Club, Impact Club. I did Distinguished Young Woman this year."
McKenna won Distinguished Young Women- a Lawrence County Scholarship Program.
1340 AM WBIW welcomes comments and suggestions by calling 812.277.1340 during normal business hours or by email at comments@wbiw.com
© Ad-Venture Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.