JEFFERSON COUNTY — Starting off a new school year is exciting for most students, and getting involved with school tradition is part of the adventure.
“I’m going to try and get good grades, and I’d like to do some sports and be in as many clubs as I can,” said D’Evelyn Jr. /Sr. High School freshman Olivia Rehring.
Rehring said she came to school for the academics and wants to be part of a legacy.
It's about “leaving something behind that you worked hard on or something that you’re proud of that other people can notice,” Rehring said.
D’Evelyn is part of the Jefferson County School District and grabbed recent national attention after U.S. News and World Report named it one of the top public schools in the state.
“To me, it demonstrates a timeless nature of this program and the hard work of our teachers and students to achieve that great success," said Principal Josh Griffin.
This year marks 25 years for the school, and they are continuing a long tradition.
“We recently learned that our students [for] the 18th consecutive year as juniors have earned the highest SAT or ACT scores for public non-charters schools,” Griffin said.
This past year, their SAT score average was 1,297 versus the state average of 1,014.
“Our curriculum lends itself to them just doing well on the tests,” said math teacher Alise Weber. “They see the same material throughout the year, so they remember a lot of material.”
It's a plan that Griffin said he believes is an effective model.
“I believe that studying the academics subjects that we lay out for all of our students prepares them to do well on those tests and probably whatever test comes next,” Griffin said.
Rehring said the students before are a source of inspiration.
“I want to score well on tests and having the influence of others before me and having good test grades will help me,” Rehring said.
Students are admitted to the school for the start of grades 7th, 8th and 9th based on the results of an annual lottery.
