Publish Date: Thursday May 21, 2009
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View photo/Kristen M. WhitePueblo West valedictorian B.J. Ebersole works with students at Pueblo West Elementary School where he started a chess club.
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If there is only one word to describe 2009 Pueblo West High School Valedictorian B.J. Ebersole, the word is most definitely “humble.”
Ebersole is a down to earth, easy to talk to and, of course, smart - finishing high school with a 4.0 grade point average among a talented pool of seniors. Get to know Ebersole and you’ll discover that he has a lot of talents in addition to his book smarts, including those in athletics and music.
Being valedictorian is a nice cap to Ebersole’s high school career, one he began aiming for a few years back.
“My brother (Ian) was valedictorian (in 2006), so I set my sights on wanting to do that too,” Ebersole said. “I’ve been keeping track of who was in the running and everything . . . because I tried to take a lot of advanced classes throughout high school, I knew those classes would add up to a lot of quality points.”
From the moment he started high school, Ebersole treated it as a serious task. He said he does his best to “really learn” in class while teachers are lecturing and soaks up as much as he can then, which limits the amount of time he has to spend on schoolwork outside the classroom.
“I just really tried not to take any fluff classes,” he said. “I really tried to learn it when the teacher taught it, rather than not paying attention and having to study later. I don’t study that much, really.”
Perhaps Ebersole is one of those lucky students for whom learning comes naturally. Through the years he’s taken a wide variety of advanced courses, like college statistics, advanced placement physics and advanced placement U.S. History - courses that, for the average student, require a lot of extra time.
It’s the details about school and intelligence that Ebersole doesn’t go into, that humble aspect, that makes him so impressive.
He is the first student from PWHS to ever achieve a perfect 36 on the ACT, and scored a near-perfect 2,350 out of 2,400 on the SAT. Those are distinctions PWHS Principal Martha Nogare noted as “such an accomplishment” for Ebersole.
“Without fail, everything that Benjamin has done has been achieved with a diligent and conscientious nature, an unbelievable work ethic and desire for perfection,” she said. “Benjamin will not withdraw from a challenging situation but will accept it head on and will truly give it his best effort.”
Competing with a tough group of classmates for the valedictorian spot only pushed Ebersole further. He talked about just how smart his class is, evidenced by the fact that collectively the students have been awarded more than $3 million in college scholarships.
“It shows the hard work that we as a class has put in,” he said. “It creates an emphasis on the competition there is in our class. In the past there have been multiple valedictorians and salutatorians, and this year there’s just one of each, so it’s maybe not as obvious that there are all those people at the top (of the class).”
Ebersole said he did his best while at PWHS to experience a lot of different things. He was a member of Key Club his sophomore year, was the junior class treasurer in student council his junior year and served as vice president of National Honor Society this year.
He was a member of the high school’s chess club, and even took that a step further by creating a chess club at Pueblo West Elementary School. Ebersole raised funds to purchase chess boards and materials and then volunteered his time each week to teach interested students how to play the game.
Ebersole found enjoyment in playing on the school’s tennis team for four years. He quietly noted that he “could work really hard at it and I still wasn’t very good at it,” although that’s far from the truth, since he was a state qualifier two of his four years in the sport.
“Throughout his time in high school, he has managed to find a balance with his time and priorities, as his commitment to academic excellence was never questioned,” Nogare said. “One should peruse his resume to see what a well-rounded young adult he is. Quite truthfully, he puts most adults to shame with his unselfish nature and desire to give back to his community.”
Indeed, in addition to his academic studies, involvement in school groups, sports and more, Ebersole spent much of his free time involved with his church youth group and volunteering in his community.
He received the Gold Medal of Achievement Award from the National Royal Rangers, a national award equivalent to an Eagle Scout honor. To receive the award, he completed a community service project, renovating a reading room in a local homeless shelter.
“He was able to procure new furniture, a carpet, over 500 new books and general maintenance of the building through his independent efforts,” Nogare said. “He amassed many hours of community service in striving for this award, and did so because of his compassionate and serving nature.”
Ebersole will continue to be an impressive student and caring community member when he goes to Colorado State University in Fort Collins this fall. Thanks to a Boettcher Foundation scholarship and some other scholarships as well, his college career is covered, something he said he’s very thankful for.
He plans to major in engineering and because of all the advanced placement and college courses he’s already taken, he’ll start college with sophomore status. He’s looking forward to the new challenges ahead.
“The level of rigor that (some of our advanced classes) has given us, that really prepared me to not be shocked into entering college,” he said.
No doubt, he’s ready for the next step.
GRADUATION