Two area high school valedictorians had extra competition to finish at the top of their graduating class: their siblings.
Sure they worked to get better grades than their classmates to claim that top spot, but Andrew Courtney and Ericka Bilby also were driven by the shadows of their brothers and sisters to carry on family traditions that make each of them the third child to be a valedictorian.
"I don't know if we were ever like, 'I got an A, ha ha, you didn't,'•" Andrew said. "But it's a relief to say I did it. They would have given me a hard time if I didn't."
Andrew, 17, finished first in his class of 297 seniors at Springfield High School, following in the footsteps of his brother Nick, valedictorian of the class of 2004, and his sister Abbey, who achieved the feat last school year.
Ericka, 18, is this year's valedictorian of the 24-member senior class at Toledo Technology Academy. Her older sisters are past valedictorians - Christine Bilby in 2001 and Melissa Bilby in 2006.
"If I hadn't got it, I never would have lived it down," Ericka said.
As Andrew and Ericka perfect their graduation speeches, seniors across the region are getting ready for commencement this week.
Andrew said he's working on a speech that quotes Jerry Seinfeld, a little different from his brother's friendly chat and his sister's philosophical address.
Ericka admitted sheepishly late last week that she hadn't started her speech, but promised it would be good.
And she has a shorter deadline because she graduates at 4 p.m. today in the Toledo Technology Academy auditorium.
Andrew has another week before his ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Stranahan Theater.
Both seem a little shy about the attention they're receiving for their family legacy.
"They go, 'Oh yeah, no big deal,'•" Andrew's mom, Marybeth Courtney, said. "They're taken aback by all their attention. It's not their personalities."
So what's the secret to raising three valedictorians?
Mrs. Courtney said she and her husband, Doug, stayed involved and encouraged them to do their best. "We're very proud of them," she said. "We would say, 'We don't care where you finish; we just care that you do your best.' But [Andrew] said, 'I care because I won't let them outdo me.'•"
Ericka's mother, Linda Bilby, agreed it's important for students to know their parents are interested in what they're doing and care about their success.
"It's a lot of work, a lot of sleepless nights helping with last-minute projects, but it's all worth it," she said.
Ericka said it's not that she felt pressure to get straight A's, but it helped to know that her sisters did it and her mom believed in her. "It was like if you didn't get it, you're not part of the family," she said with a laugh, quickly adding, "not really."
Ericka graduates with a 4.15 grade-point average, nearly the highest possible at her school that includes a lot of technology labs that are not considered honors courses. She plans to go to the University of Toledo for a year to complete her core education classes.
She is still researching schools to transfer to study architecture and graphic design.
Andrew, who will graduate with a 4.564 GPA, chose the University of Notre Dame to study biomedical engineering. That's where his sister is pursuing a degree in architecture.
While obviously intelligent young people, both appear to be average, everyday teenagers.
Ericka gets excited about the projects she gets to work on at Toledo Technology Academy.
Almost all of them have included food in some way, particularly desserts, and it's kind of assumed her speech might include cake in some way.
When Andrew's not sitting out because of an injury - he is the accident-prone member of the family, his mom points out - he enjoys playing football and tennis.
When it comes to his study habits, he shrugs and admits it sometimes includes sitting in front of the TV.
"A lot of it comes natural to us, I guess," he said. "Genetics has to be something. Kudos to my parents."
Contact Meghan Gilbert at:
mgilbert@theblade.com
or 419-724-6134.
First Published June 2, 2008, 10:43 a.m.
