High school in itself is hard enough, but Daniel Moore put in all the work required to get him at the top o his class where he will remain. Not only has Moore put in the academic work, but managed to be a multi sport athlete as well as being a member of several school clubs.

With an accumulative grade point average (GPA) of 4.34, Moore is being honored as a National Merritt Scholar Finalist and as co-valedictorian of his senior class.

Peterson: How does it feel to be valedictorian?

Moore: It?s a pretty strange feeling. I am proud of my academic success to this point, but at the same time I am humbled by being honored like this.

Peterson: Were you working for this position throughout high school?

Moore: Most of high school I was just working to keep up my GPA to get into college rather than to become valedictorian. Still, I was aware that I was always near the top of the class on my transcript, so I had some hopes. It just wasn?t my main academic motivator.

Peterson: How many advanced placement (AP) classes did you take throughout high school?

Moore: Counting the ones in which I am currently enrolled, five, including AP Calculus, AP Stats, AP English Literature, AP English Language, and AP US History.

Peterson: What drove you to work so hard?

Moore: Mainly, I wanted to have good opportunities in college, and that helped motivate me. For my first couple years of high school, I had no idea what career path I wanted to follow. Because of this, I tried to keep as many doors open as possible by keeping up my grades in all of my subjects.

Peterson: Was there a specific person that motivated you or was it strictly self motivation?

Moore: My parents helped motivate me a lot by having high but reasonable expectations. Tyler Laird and I have had a lot of classes together and we work together on a lot of homework during class, so I guess in the way he served as a motivator. I also am self-motivated to some extent; I know that I am capable of academic success and I don?t want to fall short of my potential.

Peterson: What was the hardest class that you took throughout your high school career?

Moore: Conceptually, Calculus was the most difficult. I found AP US to be the most homework-intensive and tiring.

Peterson: What is so rewarding about finishing at the very top of your class? Was all the work worth it?

Moore: Being the valedictorian means that, to some extent; I am representing the Class of 2014 and FC. This is both rewarding and a little intimidating. I would say that the work was definitely worth it.

Peterson: What other activities have you participated in at school?

Moore: I have run cross country and played soccer and tennis. I am involved in the choir and in journalism. I am also Vice-President of the Spanish Club and a member of CSF.

Peterson: How did you keep up your grades with extracurricular activities?

Moore: Probably the hardest part of keeping up my grades was working around extracurricular activities. It is really hard to do homework after a late soccer game in Parlier. Right before vacation is the most difficult time. Between clubs, choir and finals, at the end of any semester my responsibilities are at an all time high and my motivation is usually fairly low. My best tricks to avoid this are doing homework during spare time in class and having a thorough knowledge of the rules regarding excused absences and assignment due dates.

Peterson: Do you think that learning in a small school setting helped you learn more than you would at a public school?

Moore: I learned a lot of things from FC that I would not have encountered at a public school. In particular, my critical thinking skills have developed a lot in my time at FC. Attending FC has given me a chance to participate in activities like sports, which I probably would have been unable to do at a public school. My time at FC has also helped me grow in my faith through classes like Christian Living and Choir.

Peterson: What is one experience you will remember from your high school career?

Moore: The most memorable experience of my high school career was watching Kyle Hudecek flail like a madman during this year?s King Dance.

Peterson: Do you think you are prepared for college?

Moore: I like to think so. College will be a big step up in difficulty, but I feel that the college-prep focus of FC has adequately equipped me.

Peterson: What college will you be attending? Why did you choose that college?

Moore: I will be attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I chose it for a variety of reasons. First, It has a great engineering major, and I plan to study Mechanical Engineering. The nice weather and location also came into consideration. To top it off, I have some family connections there.

Peterson: We are really excited that you earned this National Merrit Scholar finalist. What advice do you have for students as they strive for academic excellence?

Moore: My advice would be to do the easy things. Simple stuff like turning in all your assignments can make a huge difference in your grade. Also, I found that Honors and AP courses are helpful, since students in these classes tend to be more motivated. This also provides a boost to your GPA if you get an A or B, and they aren?t as scary as they seem.

These writers can be reached via Twitter: @_sarapeterson and @gaby_siqueiros. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more features, read the May 21 article, Bittersweet departure brings new superintendent

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