Sydney Harden (12) earned the salutatorian title for the class of 2020.

Q: How did you feel when you were told that you were the salutatorian?

A: I was really happy when I was told that I was salutatorian; it made me feel pretty accomplished.

Q: Had you been working towards being the salutatorian? Why or why not?

A: I wasn’t working specifically towards this title, I just wanted to make my GPA as high as I could make it.

Q: What kinds of classes did you take throughout high school? Which ones did you enjoy the most or think were most valuable?

A: I took a lot of AP and CCP classes. Sinclair has a lot of online courses so I took those on top of my regular classes. I liked all of the classes to some extent, but the in person ones were a lot more enjoyable. I definitely learned the most in hard AP classes, like AP Euro and AP Chem.

Q: What extracurriculars are you involved in?

A: I did field hockey, debate, academic quiz team, OMUN, and theater year round, to name a few.

Q: How do you feel that these extracurriculars had an impact on your success? Which activities do you feel had the most impact on you and why?

A: The extracurriculars I was involved in definitely made it harder to succeed. I was a lot busier and I didn’t have as much time for homework or studying. It was a struggle to get everything done. Debate was especially demanding, and while it gave me a lot of intellectual tools that I used in school, it added a lot of stress to my life.

Q: Do you plan to celebrate being chosen salutatorian? If so, how?

A: I don’t really plan on celebrating. The clout is good enough.

Q: What would you recommend to younger students who want to work towards being future salutatorians themselves?

A: Don’t. Especially if working towards this title is going to take a toll on your mental health or overwhelm your schedule, don’t waste your time and energy on it. But, if you really want to be valedictorian or salutatorian, CCP classes will boost your GPA more than AP classes, so take more of those.