We are the champions.

Those four immortalized words transcend the boundaries of logical use: victorious teams have sung in unison and civil rights groups have chanted in harmony.

And of course, 50 high schools across the nation sing it once laying claim to the title of “Best High School in the State”.

According to U.S. News and World Report, Clayton claims Missouri. Why?

Plain and simple, our claim to fame lies in our school’s success in Advancement Placement tests. The average AP student at CHS takes 3.3 AP tests over his or her high school career.

With college admissions reaching an all-time high in terms of difficulty for the class of 2010 CHS students are well known for distinguishing themselves by taking a lot of rigorous courses.

However, the question arises: when does “taking a lot of rigorous courses” become “taking too many rigorous courses” become “there is no way you were thinking when you registered”? There is no question about it: the line is very fine.

“There are some students, especially those who are high achievers, that have a tendency to over do it,” social studies teacher David Aiello said. “There is no balance in their lives, and they are running themselves ragged.”

Sonja Petermann

Some students that take more than seven or eight AP classes agree with Aiello’s views.

“The workload really limits out of school activities,” said senior Gus Heil, who will have taken seven AP courses by the time he graduates. “[I] find many activities being displaced due to the combination of a large AP workload and college applications.”

Senior Eve Root, who will finish with six AP classes, believes a rigorous course load to be beneficial.

“I think that taking so many APs will definitely help prepare me for college life,” Root said.

However, many choose to take such a difficult schedule because of external pressures.

“One of the key players in that is the heavy emphasis on – whether it be by the teachers, counselors, or colleges – having kids think ‘I need to do more, I need to do more,’” Aiello said.

Exchange student Lucas Power was taken aback when he arrived for the fall semester in CHS.

“In my opinion school is much more intense here [than in Germany],” Power said. “You never get to rest here… Students definitely compete over getting the higher grade.”

Aiello believes this year-round competition is very detrimental to the students.

“I definitely see signs of students that are way over extended,” Aiello said. “I see them losing sleep. I see them doing homework for other classes in my class. I see them totally stressed out. To me those are all signs that this is too much.”

Of course, high school students start feeling the college pressure as of junior year.

“I definitely think that Clayton students have gotten in the mentality that the only way to be successful [in the college process] is to take the most difficult classes,” Root said. “But I don’t think that holds true to everyone.”

Clayton sent over 98 percent of its students to four-year colleges for the class of 2009, a clear sign that high pressure is placed on academic success. Because of this, students feel as though the grade is more important than the test itself – the reason for the creation of the Advanced Placement curriculum.

“I care more about my grade,” Root said. “A grade from a semester or a full year’s work is a better reflection of your hard work than just one test.”

Aiello believes the test and the grade go hand in hand, though.

“Working for the grade will have the long term benefit of doing well on the test,” Aiello said.

However, the stress of many of his students has led Aiello to supporting a reform of students’ schedules.

“Generally speaking, all but the occasional one or two students per class should not be taking more than some magic number [of AP classes],” Aiello said. “If [CHS says] a student can take no more than three AP classes then students will not be as stressed and also will not have to compete so much against one another for a spot in those top colleges.”

Many students, however, feel that students can differentiate themselves as one of the top in the school by taking a lot of classes.

“I think that limiting students on how many hard classes they can take would suppress their desires to challenge themselves,” Heil said.

Additionally, nearly all students refute the belief that one must take all the rigorous courses to be successful in the eyes of colleges.

“I can confidently say that, through talking to graduated students, that non-AP courses as well as AP courses prepare students for college classes,” Root said.

While it is not always easy, the stressed out high school student is nearly always happy with his or her decision to put himself or herself in the most difficult classes with difficult reputations.

In the end, it is the student’s decision. One may choose to take an Ivy League-level course load, and the fact is that many do.

“The subject matter is difficult, and there is a lot of outside work and reading required in some cases,” Heil said. “I, however, enjoy this challenge, and only at times do I think that it is over the top.”

High school isn’t easy, and we’ll keep on fighting till the end.