Over the last four years, the Granite Bay High School class of 2010 has had a large number of students consistently take rigorous courses such as Advanced Placement, Honors and College Preparatory classes to prepare themselves for college level courses.�
   Out of the 487 students in this year’s senior class, four have been chosen to receive honors at graduation for theirthis year’s senior class, four have been chosen to receive honors at graduation for their academic standing.
   The two valedictorians and two salutatorians were chosen by a committee of a “counseling and guidance administrator, one counselor and three teachers.”

   The Valedictorian and Salutatorian Selection Guidelines of the Roseville Joint High Unified School District states that “the valedictorian(s) shall be the student(s) with the highest cumulative weighted grade point average at the end of the third quarter of the year in which the student(s) graduate.”
   This year, two students, Kurt Chirbas, who earned a cumulative GPA of 4.59, and Ty Moeller, who earned a cumulative GPA of 4.57, are the valedictorians representing their senior class.
   Not too far below them,  are Billy Marsden and Kevin Carlson, who will be the salutatorians for the class of 2010.
   All four students have worked hard to deserve their honors and will be attending four-year universities in the fall.

Kurt Chirbas
   Chirbas may have the highest GPA in his class, but becoming valedictorian was not the primary motivation behind his heavy academic course load.
   “In one sense, it is really easy to get consumed with getting the highest GPA and the title, but it was never about that for me,” Chirbas said. “It was always about trying to learn as much as I can and getting the most out of my experience. I really think (GBHS) has provided me (with) an experience that I would not have gotten anywhere else. The title is not very important, but it is an acknowledgment for all of the work that I put in.” �
   As co-editor-in-chief of The Gazette, president of the Academic Decathlon team, member of Future Business Leaders of America and religious teacher for his church. Chirbas has kept himself busy with several extracurriculars and a rigorous schedule.
   “I am the opposite of most people,” Chirbas said. “I enjoy filling up my time with activities. It is so rewarding when you don’t think that you can accomplish something, and then you do.”
   Outside of his daily activities, Chirbas enjoys reading, watching TV, going to movies and most importantly, preparing himself for his freshman year at Stanford University in the fall.
   Chirbas will begin his Stanford experience as an undeclared major.
   Chirbas hopes to double major in two unrelated subjects during his undergraduate education because he has a passion for learning. He is thinking about majoring in English and Chemistry.
   While he doesn’t know exactly what career path he will pursue, Chirbas has loved his high school experience and hopes that other students will take advantage of the opportunities that GBHS has to offer.  �
   “Find your niche,” Chirbas said. “It can be intimidating here with all of these students, but once you find the place that you belong to, you get a greater sense of who you are and what you like. Try as many things as possible.”

Ty Moeller
   During high school, Moeller has played rugby, become an Eagle Scout and remained an active member in the Key Club. But, in his free time, Moeller likes camping, boating and watching his favorite football team, the Miami Dolphins.
   Accepted to a number of prestigious schools, including Duke University and the Universities of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles, Moeller chose the University of Pennsylvania. Moeller fell in love with the university because of its nationally renowned engineering program.
   A chemical and bio-molecular engineer major, Moeller wants to go into a career in engineering.
   “I don’t know exactly what type of job I want to have yet, but I want to be able to go out into the world and help people, rather than sit at a desk all day,” Moeller said.

Billy Marsden
   “I feel pretty pumped,” Marsden said. “(Being salutatorian) is a great honor, and I have been working for it for four years.”
   Marsden is a GBHS varsity soccer player, a tutor and a teacher for kids who want to learn more about business. He is also the president of An Inconvenient Youth club, an organization for students who mobilize the fight against global warming.
   He will be attending Duke University as an economics major and hopes to pursue a career in business.
   “I’m looking forward to pursuing my interests, achieving my goals, expanding my comfort zone and finding out what I really want to do with the rest of my life,” Marsden said.

Kevin Carlson
   A GBHS varsity tennis player, an Eagle Scout and a member of both the Placer County Youth commission and Grant Advisory Board of Youth, Carlson has been involved in many different extra-curricular activities in the last four years.
   Next year, Carlson will be heading off to Southern California to attend UCLA. He will major in aerospace engineering because he would like to become an engineer in the future.
   “I definitely challenged myself from the beginning,” Carlson said. “I pushed myself to complete all of the goals that I set, and stay focused. Now, I am ready to move on to college and learn a lot.”