Seniors Demitrios Dresios and Marianthe Dresios have excelled academically throughout their high school careers. Tied for CHS class of 2025 Salutatorians, with weighted GPAs of 4.85, the Dresios’s have put time, hard work and outstanding effort into their high school careers.
M. Dresios has dedicated countless hours to pursuing her education, and it has paid off by being recognized as a salutatorian. With many academic achievements and committing to Johns Hopkins University, she leads as an example for many other students.
“I’ve had a very busy schedule throughout high school,” M. Dresios said. “It’s really fast paced, but because I’ve done so many of my academic endeavors with friends, it feels less like work and more like I’m just spending time with my friends.”
Although she is faced with a very heavy workload, M. Dresios has strategies to mitigate stress. She has developed habits like studying with peers and keeping her work manageable, which have made her high school journey more enjoyable.
“I’m very fortunate to have friends in similar subjects as me and who motivate me to work harder and to work with them and to learn with them,” M. Dresios said.
With a strong support system from friends, studying and schoolwork has become more manageable and fun. However, this is not the only factor that has led M. Dresios through her high school courses.
“I’m really interested in what I’ve been learning and I have a good support system of people to learn with me,” M. Dresios said.
The support that M. Dresios has had throughout high school from friends and teachers has contributed to her passion and dedication to learning. Many of the classes she has taken have helped her excel throughout high school and will prepare her for her college career.
“All of my teachers have shown a lot of passion for their subjects that they’ve taught,” M. Dresios said. “I think it really helps to have teachers that both know their subject very well and care enough to support each individual student.”
With support from many CHS teachers, M. Dresios has continued to remain focused and passionate throughout high school. Taking inspiration from her peers, she has developed her own study habits in order to help her succeed.
“I like to keep organized with my notes and with my schedule to make sure I don’t fall behind on deadlines because I think procrastination is the biggest killer when it comes to keeping your grades up,” M. Dresios said.
Through effort and dedication, Senior D. Dresios has also received the title of salutatorian. Remaining focused and determined throughout high school with support from friends and family has made this possible.
“I’ve had so many amazing role models with my teachers and peers,” D. Dresios said. “Throughout it all, I think my interest in what I’m studying has been a major motivating factor for me.”
Regardless of passion and dedication, D. Dresios has experienced some difficult courses, and has had support and motivation from his peers to work through them. Focused study habits and collaborating with friends however, mitigated the difficult process.
“Self-studying for the AP Physics C: Mechanics test was challenging,” D. Demetrios said. “Learning calculus-based physics without a formal class was tough, but I had some great friends and teachers to help along the way.”
D. Dresios also finds time to balance his social life with his academic life. Dedicating time to his hobbies and interests helps D. Dresios maintain an equal balance between school and extracurriculars.
“If I have free time, I choose to dedicate it towards the things I love, like Speech and Debate, Robotics and other hobbies,” D. Dresios said.
Separating time from schoolwork to do personal activities is also a beneficial way to manage his workload. Studying and completing homework on time is a crucial part of becoming a successful student, and D. Dresios has strategies he employs daily to make studying easier.
“I make sure to do homework as soon as I get home rather than putting it off, maximize the sleep I get and study with friends whenever possible,” D. Dresios said.
This approach has paid off for D. Dresios, in managing assignments and also building an academic schedule with those taking similar classes. While homework assignments may not be a challenge, that is due to peer support.
“Homework load by itself has never been a problem for me,” D. Dresios said. “Which I can also attribute to the amazing support network I’ve found in the friends that take a lot of classes with me.”
D. Dresios’s academic performance has been driven by a curiosity and passion for learning. With a full class schedule, there is little room to fall behind, which has helped motivate D. Dresios.
“I’ve taken all the classes I wanted to take, and those classes happened to all be weighted,” D. Dresios said. “Salutatorian is a side-product of a really fun high school academic experience,”
Reflecting on his high school experience, D. Dresios’s sense of fulfillment has stemmed from not only his academic achievements, but also from exploring all possibilities. Taking all classes he was interested in and exploring multiple extracurriculars has made his experience more fulfilling.
“I managed to make it through high school without regretting that I didn’t take any classes,” D. Dresios said. “I feel like I’ve made the most out of it, which has been pretty lucky and also a lot of work that has paid off with amazing experiences.”
D. Dresios credits his abilities to maximize his opportunities to support from friends and family and a lot of time and dedication put in. After years of dedication and commitment, D. Dresios’s greatest challenge was procrastination.
“Study with friends that are smarter than you. It makes studying fun and also aids your comprehension vastly,” D. Dresios said. “Also, put your homework first and don’t let yourself fall behind — procrastination is really hard to overcome once you let it get the best of you.”
