Highest ‘Ranck’-ing: Senior continues family’s valedictorian streak

The five members of the Ranck family have all been valedictorians of their high school classes. They are, top row, from left, Kris and Joe Ranck, and bottom row, from left, Carolyn, Amanda and Helen Ranck. The photo was taken after Amanda’s college graduation at the University of Evansville on May 12. (Submitted photo)

By John Shaughnessy

Helen Ranck already knew that her two older sisters were the valedictorians of their high school classes.

Then she learned that both her mother and father were also the top academic students for their classes when they were in high school.

So, as the youngest member of a family of five, what kind of pressure did Helen feel about becoming the valedictorian of her high school class?

“Not a lot,” says Helen, a senior at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School in Indianapolis.

Pressure or not, Helen continued the amazing family connection by becoming the valedictorian of Cardinal Ritter’s 2007 class of 81 students.

“If I hadn’t done it, I’d be the odd one out,” says Helen, whose family belongs to St. Christopher Parish in Indianapolis. “It’s kind of cool [continuing the streak], but the important thing is taking the classes and hopefully learning something.”

The family tradition started in 1978 when Helen’s mom, Kris, was valedictorian at St. Paul Catholic High School in Norwalk, Ohio. In 1979, Joe Ranck was the top student at Meridian High School in Sanford, Mich.

The oldest of their three daughters, Amanda, was the valedictorian at Cardinal Ritter in 2003. Carolyn, the second of the daughters, earned the distinction in 2006 at Cardinal Ritter.

The family takes the rare five-for-five in stride, preferring to focus on the journey of education rather than the outcome.

“Helen’s drive is not to get the award,” her mother says. “She goes to school and does her thing and if it falls into place, it’s a good thing. Whatever it is, Helen knows that if she gives her best, that is enough.

“Just because we’re all valedictorians, it doesn’t make us any better. It’s just a weird twist. People ask what I’ve done to make them smart, but I don’t know. I used to read them stories a lot.”

Frequent trips to the library were a routine part of childhood for the three girls, whose parents met in college while studying to become mechanical engineers. In elementary school, the girls weren’t allowed to watch television until their homework was finished. Television has never been a main recreational activity in the family’s life.

“When they got to junior high and high school, they just got things done on their own. I didn’t have to do anything,” Kris says. “It was something they took upon themselves. I remember Amanda saying that she wanted to apply herself, and she didn’t care anymore about people making fun of her for being smart.”

Amanda graduated on May 12 from the University of Evansville with a degree in civil engineering. Carolyn recently completed her freshman year at Maryville University in St. Louis, where she is studying to become an actuary.

Helen plans to attend Michigan Technological University to study engineering.

“I want to do something with cars and making them more efficient and environmentally friendly,” Helen says. “I work on cars with my dad. I like working on changing the oil, and we’ve changed the brakes a couple of times. That’s fun, but when you drive, it would be better if you didn’t hurt the environment as much.”

Helen also played soccer at Cardinal Ritter.

She says she will miss the people at school. And like many high school seniors, she’s also excited and nervous about moving on to the next stage of her life after she graduates on June 1.

Is there also a sense of relief about being valedictorian?

“I guess,” she says, “but then there’s that whole speech-writing thing.”

Helen will deliver her speech at graduation—a responsibility and an honor that her parents and her sisters know. Now, it’s Helen’s turn. She’s earned it. †