There was a lot of brainpower on display at this week's meeting of the Rocky View School (RVS) Board.  

Eight RVS students were acknowledged for obtaining a perfect mark of 100 percent on one of their provincial diploma exams.  Two of those students are now in grade 12 at Bert Church High School in Airdrie.

J.T. Luterbach received his perfect mark in Chemistry 30 while Kyle Middleditch got his in Biology 30.  MIddleditch was asked what his secret was for making that perfect mark. 

"I tried to keep as good notes as I could throughout the year so that when it came time to study for the exam it was easier to recall the material 'cause I already felt like I had a good understanding of it going in.  I just tried to do that as best as I could,"

Middleditch's outstanding study habits led to his scoring the perfect mark in Bio 30 and very nearly doing the same in Chemistry 30.  In notes provided to the Board of Trustees about the students on Thursday, it said he is never satisfied with a cursory explanation and is genuinely interested in always learning more.

Once he's finished high school, Middleditch plans to attend the University of Calgary where he'll pursue a degree in science with a focus on astrophysics.  What is it about astrophysics that he finds so fascinating?  "I 've always been interested in space and the planets of our solar system and various celestial objects like black holes and that kind of thing," explains Middleditch.  "I thought it would be interesting to learn more about them so that's ultimately why I chose astrophysics."

Not only is Luterbach a gifted student, but he's also a competitive hockey player, suiting up this season with the Airdrie CFR Bisons AAA Midget team and is also an active member of the Global Sport Academy. 

"Ì think it`s important to find time to just focus on one,"  Luterbach says of his ability to juggle sports and academics.  "Just make sure that you set hours after school to just put in school work and then you'll have time to do your extracurriculars if you put in good, focused effort.  I think the key is just good preparation and good scheduling."

Luterbach hasn't made up his mind where he'll go for post-secondary education after high school.  He credits the staff at Bert Church with helping him to achieve his perfect score, calling it a great school. 

"I think the teachers there are all there to help you.  They'll give you the support you need, whether it's after school or before or if it's just asking questions I think they're always there for you.  I think they really focus on each student individually and making sure that you get the help that you need."  

The other six RVS students and the subjects they achieved 100 percent marks in are:

Brady Church in Math 30-1 and Chloe Heck and Makenna Kuzyk, both in Biology 30.  All three are students at Cochrane High School. 

Minghao Li in and Liam Squires both achieved their perfect marks in Math 30-1 at Springbank Community High School. 

Emily Trew received 100 percent in Chemistry 30 at Chestermere High School.  

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