"As soon as somebody or something stands out as excellent, the other shout goes up: 'Elitism!'... 'Standing out' is undemocratic."

So said philosopher/educator Jacques Barzun. It's a notion that Desert Academy senior Haley Hajic understands.

"I don't like to tell anybody what my grades are or what I got on a test because others tend to make you feel bad that you want to do well," she said. "It may be one reason academic achievement is underrated. With sports, everybody wants to say how well they did, but that's not necessarily the case with academics."

Hajic is one of 57 Super Scholars honored this year by Century Bank of Santa Fe for academic achievement. Earlier this month Century Bank sponsored the 28th annual Super Scholars Awards Ceremony at Bishop's Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa where these scholars — among the top 10 percent in their class — received a star-shaped paperweight and were, in turn, allowed to recognize a teacher who inspired them.

"It is important to honor these students because they have made the choice to achieve excellence in their studies," said Floyd Morelos, vice president/marketing director for Century. "To do so is not easy as it means that they have probably put aside other activities to concentrate on what will bring the greater reward."

Super Scholar Emma Sletteland, a senior at the Academy for Technology and the Classics, said the celebration means "being dedicated to school and having a love of learning. We don't honor academic achievement that much in schools — except in the honor rolls."

Santa Fe High senior (and scholar) Petra Kelly Linkletter echoed those thoughts when she said, "I felt really proud. My family felt really proud. People don't make a big deal out of doing well in school. I don't think education is valued as it should be, so something like this puts value on it."

All three of these students are grade-A achievers who plan to head off to college in the autumn.

The awards also mean something to the teachers whom the students honor, as visual-arts instructor Nancy Sue Michels of Monte Del Sol Charter School acknowledged. One of her students, Clark Frauenglass, chose her as a teacher who inspired him.

"I love it," she said. "I'm thrilled because I'm not an 'academic' teacher and this is an academic award, so it's like a double thrill for me. It's an honor when you get acknowledged by a student. They don't often have an opportunity to do that."

According to Morelos, individual schools give Century Bank the scholastic information regarding these students, who must score a 26 or above on their ACT (or SAT equivalent) test.

And while we're at it...

At last Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, Santa Fe Public Schools honored Santa Fe High School MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) students for their participation and success in the North Central Region Competition earlier this semester.

The students are Steven Alarid, Adrian Salazar, Jose Byrne, Noah Wingren, Brandon Baldonado, Nico Cruz, Anthony Garcia, Scott Herring, Daniel Johnson, Alejandra-Mayorga Del Valle, Zach Mondragon, Toby Raymer, Claude Reta, Mark Reta, Darius Rios, Victor Trujillo, and Jeremy Zeilik.

Nice work all around, ladies and gentlemen.

Contact Robert Nott at 986-3021 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com