By Edwin Taylor, Staff Writer
The old adage tells us, “Good things come in small packages.”
When it comes to high schools, Roanoke College’s Robert Benne thinks smaller ones like Craig County High School, are as good as they come. Benne, the head of Roanoke College’s religion and philosophy department, wrote an editorial in a local paper touting the benefits of smaller schools.
In the commentary, Benne asked, “Why is it, for instance, that Roanoke College’s valedictorians often come from small Virginia schools in small Virginia towns? Two of the best students I’ve had this past year are from New Castle.”
Though he did not reveal their identity in his editorial, Benne told the New Castle Record his two star pupils are seniors Jonathan Lee and Tina Trenor, from Craig County high School’s class of 1991. “Both are excellent students,” said Benne. “Their strong work ethic separates them from other students. Both are quite bright, disciplined and have an interest in ideas; something that is a rarity among students.”
He attributed their academic success to the personal attention they received in Craig County. Due to the smaller classes, he said their teachers were probably able to identify them as particularly bright students at an early age and give them the extra attention to help them excel.
He said CCHS students had the opportunity to participate in a wider range of activities. With less students, smaller schools often need students to pull double-duty to fill out different sports teams and electives.
“There was more opportunity to do things,” said Lee, who played football and basketball at CCHS in addition to being a member of the forensics team. “You got to try out so much more,” said Trenor. “Even if you were the worst player n te team, they could find a place for you.”
Trenor and Lee agreed that even though CCHS may not have had as many electives as larger high schools, they were well prepared for college-level work.
“Teachers could really nurture us. There wasn’t as much of a chance of slipping through the cracks,” Lee said. “They knew our potential and made sure we lived up to it.”
Trenor, a biology major, cited science as an example of her preparedness.
“Craig County may not have had a lot of equipment, but I learned all the basics,” she said.
As evidence of their strong foundation, Trenor has been named to the dean’s list every semester at Roanoke College, and Lee has received the honor every semester except the very first one. Both students are members of Alpha Chi, a national honor society which requires members to have a grade point average of 3.8 on a 4.0 scale.
In addition to developing their mind, their experiences at a smaller school helped them to develop as people. “We learned values,” Lee said. “At a small school, you can’t just pass people by in the hall without acknowledging the. You consider each other as equals. You learn a responsibility to yourself, others and the community.”
“At large schools, ‘smart’ students get separated,” Trenor said. “At New Castle, everyone was together and we cared for one another.”
When they started Roanoke College as freshmen, they had their doubts as to how well they would do.
“I was a little scared coming here from a small school,” Trenor said, “I figured the bigger schools had the advantage.”
Trenor said one of her first teachers even kidded her about her accent and being from Craig County.
“By the end of the semester, I made a believer out of him,” she said, due to the high marks she received.
On the whole, both said their professors have ben very helpful. The former CCHS students said they try to continue to have the one-to-one relationships with their teachers; the only difference being that it requires more effort when there are more students.
“The biggest thing for me was realizing it was my responsibility to get things done and to budget my time,” Lee said. “I didn’t have my parents or teachers there to make me do it.”
In addition to their studies, both students continue to be involved in the college community. Lee plays on the basketball team, is a resident advisor, and helps tutor other students.
Trenor works on campus at the Learning Center, serves as Tri Beta’s historian (the biology honor society), and is a Fintel scholar.
Both are scheduled to graduate in May.
