Deeds, Thompson BCHS top grads By CHARLES GARRATT • Staff writer
WARM SPRINGS - Bath County High School awarded top academic honors to two young men from Millboro last week.
For the class of 2007, Austin Creigh "Gus" Deeds, son of Creigh and Pam Deeds, has been named valedictorian, and Jordon Thompson, son of Wade and Cheryl Thompson, is salutatorian.
In addition to high academic achievements, both young men have been active in school and community activities.
 | | Bath baseball player Cory Plecker beats the throw to first in Tuesday's game against Buffalo Gap. The Bison beat the Chargers, ending the momentum gained from last Thursday's big victory over Alleghany High School in Warm Springs.(Recorder photo by Zach Madison) |
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BCHS principal Pete Pitard considers both "pretty well balanced," with a good mixture of academic, sports, band and community interest.
Pitard called Deeds and Thompson "true gentlemen. They have a sense of values, sense of who they are. They are downright good kids."
Deeds' academic achievements extend beyond his near perfect 3.96 GPA. He holds the highest class average award in 10 different subjects from pre-calculus to Spanish III. In addition he holds the school record for the most perfect scores on SOLs with six 600s.
Deeds has been a member of the band since eighth grade, participating in the marching, concert and jazz programs. He plays first trombone and is the bass section leader.
In 2006, Deeds was selected from a field of eight as second chair All-Area trombone. His freshman year he was recognized as "Most Improved Marcher." In his sophomore and junior years Deeds won the "Most Spirited Award" in the band.
In 2006 he was selected to attend Boys' State but was unable to attend because of time conflicts with Nature Camp.
For the past six summers, Deeds has attended Nature Camp in Rockbridge County on the George Washington National Forest, one of the oldest camps of its type in the country. The camp is a selective academic conservation camp which strives to teach young people to conserve and protect the environment.
In 2006, Deeds was selected "Nature Camp Best All-Around Male Camper" by his fellow campers.
Deeds was Academic Bowl Team captain for three years and played varsity soccer for two years.
He is active in the Millboro Presbyterian Church youth group and was member of a mission trip to Baja, Mexico, after his junior year.
After graduation, Deeds plans to attend William and Mary. He is currently undecided about a major but is considering environmental science and pre-law. As for being in Williamsburg, Deeds says he will "miss the mountains."
Thompson finishes his years at BCHS with a 3.78 grade point average.
Thompson was in the gifted program and has taken English A.S. in grades 8-12, AP calculus, and was a dual enrollment student in world history.
He had the highest class average in physical science, Earth science, biology, chemistry and algebra II. In addition he scored perfect 600s on three SOL subjects and above 500 on all others.
Other academic activities include two years in the BETA club, Academic Bowl member his senior year, and Regional Governor's school in the summer of 2004.
Thompson has been a member of the band since fifth grade. He plays the trombone in jazz band and the electric bass and drums. Outside of school he plays bass guitar in his uncle's bluegrass band.
His favorite instrument is the trombone and he plans to try out for the college band at Virginia Tech.
An original member of the music club, Thompson also made All-Area Band for three years and All-District Band for one year.
He played soccer for one year and went to Nature Camp for four years. In coming summers, he said he'd like to try being a counselor at Nature Camp.
Thompson's summer job is technology assistant for Bath County Public Schools.
He participates in the youth croup at Millboro Christian Church.
In the fall, Thompson will be attending Virginia Tech to study engineering. Of BCHS he says what he will miss the most is "seeing all my friends."
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