2018 Triple-A Award Winners Reveal How They Became Successful High Schoolers In a Surprising Interview

The Triple-A Award application is nearing its due date. Seniors that apply for this award across the state excel in the academics, arts, and athletics.

Spencer Rolland and Molly Moynihan (class of 2018) won the Triple-A award last year. They also were chosen as the two 3AA region winners, out of every student in the 3AA region that won for their school.

From academics, arts, and athletics, Rolland and Moynihan are full of accomplishments, but some of the life skills they learned through high school are what really made them stand out.

In an interview with Aaron Sesay (Class of 2021), the day before their graduation, they gave advice on how a student can be successful in high school, along with advice on how to receive the award.

Having Good Relationships with Teachers

Relationships, especially with teachers, was one of the main points. Rolland believes every student should really get to know the faculty members at AVHS, “When you can make that relationship, you will know a really quality person that wants to see you succeed and will help you out get where you want to be.”

Intelligent students like Spencer and Molly may have been viewed as teacher’s pets by less mature students in high school. However, they agree that when you have the intention of getting to know your teacher, not for the grade, that’s when it changes from a teacher’s pet to a real-life connection, which people need in life.

Moynihan says that building a personal relationship with a teacher by getting to know them will last longer than getting a decent grade in the class, “It’s definitely a real life skill, that if you just go out in the world and you only focus on yourself and then when you come home you forget about all the people of the connections you made, it’s going to be really hard for you to progress through life and maybe even be successful.”

Rolland adds that humane actions such as thanking your teachers for the time they gave to help you, saying have a good day, or see you tomorrow builds connections. Mrs. Reif-Gregory gave him that advice when he was a freshman.

Time Management Skills

Time management is a skill that most applicants of this award mastered. Rolland and Moynihan both participated in band all four years, were multi-sport captains, and kept 4.0 GPAs. They both believe that all their activities forced them to get homework and studying done in a finite amount of time that kept them organized.

Moynihan says, “I will always be doing something, and I really encourage being involved in something throughout the whole school year to keep you on top of things.”

This great characteristic helped the two students greatly in their successes in high school. However, with all the competition of the award, that trait alone was not enough to allow them to stand out in their Triple-A application.

What Sets a Triple-A Award Recipient Apart?

Every senior who applies for the Triple-A Award obviously has had to have achievements and activities to list in the application, but there is more to the award than a list of accomplishments.

Rolland believes, “They want to choose a person, that when someone walks in the hallway they can say that’s a good approachable person I would like to meet. It’s those type of qualities that you can’t really define what makes a great kind of person, and being someone who other people can communicate with is a great life skill that I think everybody should develop in high school.”

Moynihan adds that it definitely has a lot to do with being very busy at your time here at AVHS, but also a big part of it but it’s also who you are as a person, and demonstrating leadership in the activities you do.

Knowing What You Stand For

Rolland and Moynihan use the morals from their faiths as a foundation to guide their paths to their successes. However, they believe it’s important to know that there’s so many different paths to success, and different faiths that everyone has, so people that do not have the same as they can still have that same success.

Rolland says, “If you follow your plan, and stick to your core beliefs, nobody should be able to stop you to get to where you want to be. By the time you leave high school, those ideas that you want people to think about when they hear your name will stick and your legacy will become what you wanted it to be you when you first start off.”

Maybe not every student can receive the award, or have the same accomplishments as Rolland and Moynihan, but every single student can develop those life traits they talked about and strive to do their best.

Moynihan says, “If that’s a 4.0 that’s great if that’s a 3.0, that’s still great. All you can do is do your best and that’s hard with the high school comparing that happens, but all the teachers want is for you to do your best work.”

Rolland adds on that his parents always say that as long as he’s doing his best and doing all he can, they will be happy with whatever happens.

Spencer Rolland and Molly Moynihan were great examples of Eagles that went above and beyond in their endeavors. Although they have graduated, Moynihan (Concordia) and Rolland (Harvard) have left a great legacy at AVHS.