Glacier wins top academic honor

The Daily Inter Lake

Glacier High School students have some of the best grades in the state.

The school's activity programs recently received the Class AA Montana High School Association/Northwestern Energy Academic Excellence Award.

The 306 students who participated in a sport or activity during the 2008-09 school year had an average grade point average of 3.355.

Billings Senior and Missoula Big Sky high schools tied for second place with a 3.299 GPA.

The awards, which began in 1988-89, are based on a 4.0 GPA system.

Students' grades for both fall and spring semesters are taken into account, even if a student only participates in an activity during one semester.

Schools don't have to apply for the award, which takes into consideration all varsity letter winners, state speech and debate contestants, and district music festival participants.

Glacier was the only Flathead Valley high school to apply for the award, according to Scott McDonald, assistant director of the Montana High School Association.

Butte Central was named the Class A winner, with a 3.511 grade point average for its 106 participants.

Colstrip, with 125 students in activities, had the top Class B GPA at 3.331.

Chester-Joplin-Inverness won in Class C for the second straight year; the 46 students who participated in activities had a 3.683 GPA.