If there's an interest, it would be a great feeder program for them and for us. As far as I'm concerned, as long as they're playing something, it's a great idea.

First, have a conference with the teacher and from there the parent or the teacher can determine the next step.

It has been hard just getting back in the groove. I think we got in the groove.

We decided let's put the challenge to them, ... These kids know what's going on at parties, and probably have much better ideas as to how they can get the message to their peers in a way that will make them think.

One of the problems with having time to read all that you want is that your interests become so eclectic it's hard to focus.

From kindergarten to the valedictory address, schools grade, rank, and label their best performers. The top high school student wins the first major life contest, a competition in which most members of society participate. Following high school, victors enter subsequent contests at an advantage. The race is never restarted.

To be number one is to be publicly labeled a winner in the system that counts – a system of advancement through personal merit and effort in rugged competition. Labels of success – Rhodes scholar, Nobel laureate, Heisman Trophy winner – follow a person through life and define him or her to the public. One such label, valedictorian, marks academic winners. Schools in the United States have at least one common belief: high academic achievement is a good thing.

That is, ability, values, opportunities, gender, culture, and social class all affect the aspirations and achievements of academically talented students. So does chance.

For all students, a network of career exploration opportunities, sponsors, and mentors is a critical accompaniment to coursework.

Valedictorians were highly motivated to excel academically because of early family and school experiences.