Corbin Danos is following in the footsteps of his older sister as valedictorian of the senior class at Eureka Springs High School.

But it was close. Razor- thin close.

A total of 0.018 points separated Danos’ 4.12 weighted grade-point average from classmate Kalah Edwards’ 4.102 GPA.

“It was extremely close,” Danos said.

ESHS counselor Rachal Hyatt recently informed Danos and Edwards of their honors, capping a friendly academic rivalry for the two seniors.

“We were always kind of like flipping back and forth between who was first spot and who was the second spot,” Danos said of himself and Edwards. “And … whenever [Hyatt] called me into the office and let me know, it was just, it was kind of crazy. I was like, ‘well, I actually did it.’

“It was a little suspenseful, but after it all we congratulated each other on the roles we ended up getting.”

Both Danos and Edwards knew their GPAs were very close and both said they were motivated by the mystery of the unknown.

“It’s definitely been a struggle because we really didn’t know where we were all year,” Edwards said. “It pushed me harder and definitely gave me a little drive. I’m still really happy and happy for [Danos] also.”

VALEDICTORIAN

When Danos gives the valedictorian speech to his classmates on Saturday it will be a deja vu moment for his family.

Danos’ older sister, Clover, was the ESHS valedictorian in 2019.

“My parents are proud they raised two students who are very academically driven,” Danos said.

That push to make good grades, however, was something Danos chose to focus on on his own, he said.

“I feel like my family really, from a young age, they weren’t like the typical a lot of the time, to be like, ‘oh, you have to get good grades and you have to do this.’ My parents really let it be self-driven. Like they told me and my sister both when we were young, ‘what you do in school is your choice to how challenging you make it and the path you decide to take.’

“They wanted us to know that each thing that we did will affect our future. So if you decide to slack off in school you may not do as well and you may not get more options in the future … and if you did good in school you’ll reap the benefits later. So, from a young age, I was like, ‘you know what? I might as well try in school because it’s going to be worth it in the long run.’ I’ve kind of just kept that mentality as I’ve gone through.”

Danos, who has been attending school in Eureka Springs since pre-kindergarten, said he will attend the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville this fall and major in biomedical engineering.

“I’m hoping that while I’m in college, I’ll decide more specifically what I want to go into,” he said. “Because with biomedical engineering, there’s a lot of different possible paths that you can go down, like medicine or prosthetics or technology devices.”

At ESHS, Danos has been involved in soccer, e-sports, mountain biking and the school’s Philosophy Club.

“This year, I didn’t do too much but had a really challenging coursework,” he said. “I had a lot of AP classes and had a full schedule.”

Danos said his family has been his main inspiration while focusing on his education. His dad, Jeff, is the director of the Eureka Springs Historical Museum and his mom, Christina, is the director of Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library. Clover Danos is studying creative writing at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

“I would definitely say she inspires me,” Corbin Danos said of his sister. “She encouraged me at times when I was struggling in class and gave me tips on things and helped me form my path in high school.

“She and my parents have all really inspired me.”

SALUTATORIAN

Even though she was barely edged out of the top spot in her class, Edwards knows landing as salutatorian is still a huge accomplishment.

“Both of my parents are just really proud of me,” she said. “My dad and I talked throughout the year about how I was going back and forth in the first and second spot [of the class] and he would tell me that as long as I was trying my hardest … and he told me in the end that it was still really, really good and how proud they were of me.

“I’ve been a pretty good student and a lot of that comes from the support I get from them. It definitely helped me.”

Edwards’ time at ESHS included playing volleyball all four years of high school while also playing basketball and being involved in clubs such as FBLA, student council, class council, Rotary and National Honor Society.

She will attend Missouri Southern State University in Joplin this fall and major in exercise science and kinesiology, she said.

“I want to go into athletic training and being involved in sports in high school was a big part of what made we want to do all of that,” Edwards said.

While there was a time when Edwards thought she would rather attend a larger high school, she feels the support she gained from the staff and classmates at ESHS helped shape her success.

“When I was younger I used to always think that going to a big school would be neat, but I don’t think I would have had anywhere near the experiences I have had the last four years if I wasn’t going to a small school,” said Edwards, who has attended Eureka Springs schools since moving from Yellville-Summit schools before her freshman year.

“You see everyone you know, have the same classes every year and it just makes us a lot closer. I think graduating with a smaller class has really just given us something to bond with and I like it a lot.”

Edwards also credits teachers Kevin Campbell and James McVay for helping in her success.

“Mr. Campbell, my old teacher, I’ve had him for the past three years,” she said. “Math has always been a struggle for me and I think if I hadn’t had classes with him I probably wouldn’t have gone as far in math as I have.

“And my old math teacher, James McVay, was also my coach in volleyball and has also been a big influence for me.”

But in the end, Edwards said it was the influence she got from her older sister, Justina, and parents John and Charissa that helped her with her educational path.

“My sister was a big, big influence on me and my dad has been one of the major people in my life,” she said. “My parents have just been such a support.”

Eureka Springs High School’s 2023 graduation ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 13, at Highlander Arena.