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Calvert valedictorians share future plans, reactions and (lack of) distinct study habits
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by LAURA BUCK
Calvert County's valedictorians from the class of 2009 include, in the front row from left, Katie Seymour, Julian Hassinger and Sandy Carter. In the back row from left are Robert Jenkens and Josh Olexa.
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There were no high fives, no excessive praise, but the bond was there.
When Sandy Carter, 17, Julian Hassinger, 17, Robert Jenkens, 17, Josh Olexa, 17, and Katie Seymour, 18, met on Monday they already knew why they were there; all five are this year's valedictorians for Patuxent, Calvert, Northern, Huntingtown high schools and The Calverton School respectively.
There reactions to their victories, however, were mixed.
"I was really surprised and shocked … I had been salutatorian for the last two years and I finally reached the No. 1 spot in the last quarter," said Olexa of Prince Frederick. He will be attending St. Mary's College of Maryland in the fall to play tennis and be a pre-med student.
St. Leonard resident Seymour was a little less taken aback.
"I sort of knew because there are 44 of us and we tell each other pretty much everything so nothing can stay secret long in our class," she said. Seymour explained she chose Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., because of its strong programs in international relations and foreign languages. She has already learned French and Latin and is looking forward to studying Chinese.
Despite having different reactions to being first in their classes, the five soon-to-be graduates can agree on one thing: they do not want to be "that valedictorian" whose speech goes on and on.
"I'm trying to be humorous and brief. I've had about 20 people come up to me and say ‘be short,'" said Carter of Lusby, who said that she was still working on her speech as of Monday.
"And I thought I was a slacker," joked Hassinger. "I finished mine this morning."
He will be attending Stony Brook University in New York where he received a full scholarship and will be majoring in physics.
"It came down to them and Maryland and I wanted to be away from Maryland for a little bit," Hassinger, a St. Leonard resident, said.
Carter said that she chose The University of Chicago for both practical and instinctual reasons.
"Chicago was the only one [of the colleges I was accepted to] that offered all the things I wanted to study … and I just had a gut feeling that's where I should be," Carter said, adding that she is planning to major in political science.
Despite having exceptionally high grades, the fives students are not "all work and no play."
Jenkens explained that out of numerous extra-curricular activities, including serving as treasurer for the Calvert Association of Student Councils, what he particularly enjoys is singing in Northern High School's chamber choir.
"I enjoy chamber choir the best because it allows me to express myself and connect with the other members in the group," said Jenkens, who will be a double major in physics and computer science at Loyola College in Baltimore in the fall.
"I chose Loyola because I was looking for a small liberal arts school where I would be able to get to know my professors and I was very impressed by its welcoming Jesuit atmosphere," he said.
Both Hassinger and Seymour said they unwind from numerous academic pressures with athletics. Hassinger is captain of Calvert High School's hockey team as well as a member of his school's lacrosse team, while Seymour is the captain of The Calverton School's field hockey team.
"And I'm the accompanist for the theater and choral department so I enjoy that a lot, too," Seymour said.
Suprisingly, when asked if they had any study tips to offer, all five valedictorians drew a blank. Hassinger, in fact, said he considers his study skills, or lack thereof, to be a weakness.
"I'm not really an effective studier; I tend to waste time a lot … I think I've worked hard, but not as hard as I could have," he said.
Olexa explained that he attributes his success to some natural ability but also hard work, saying "It's a little bit of both, not all of us are naturally intelligent."
His hard work, however, is being rewarded by his family members, who are giving him a party.
"My mom flipped out when she found out," he said.
Carter said the key to her success is not judging her work against that of her peers.
"[Getting high grades is due to] self motivation and being the best you can be for yourself, not just to get recognized," she said.
Graduations for Calvert and Northern high schools will be today at 2:30 and 7:30 respectively at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro and graduations for Huntingtown and Patuxent high schools will be at the same respective times, also at the Showplace Arena on Thursday. The Calverton School's graduation will be at 10 a.m. at the school's Huntingtown campus on Saturday.
