The Mt. Hope High School auditorium was alive with enthusiasm and mutual congratulations Wednesday morning as the Class of 2023 was recognized for achieving the highest SAT proficiency for Evidence-based Reading and Writing in the school’s history for the 2021/22 school year.

Although the numbers are not yet technically official, the sentiment of the program was to heap praise upon the kids and the teachers who rose up to principal Dr. Deb DiBiase’s challenge to reach 70 percent proficiency for this school year, despite all the complications that have surrounded the class.

“You have proven that you are a class to be reckoned with,” DiBiase said to the students. “Not only have you exceeded our expectations…but you did so after spending the first two years of your high school career in a global pandemic. Yes, you did it.”

“It was you, Class of 2023, who put Mt. Hope High School back on the map,” said Patrick Jackson, head of the English department. “You’ll be remembered as the class to set a new standard for academic excellence at this school.”

Dozens of students were given certificates of achievement for scoring higher than 700 on either (or both) sections of the test. Others were awarded for exceeding their own PSAT scores by more than 100 points. Then the top 10 students for each portion of the test were called upon.

“When I was in high school, you were considered either smart or not. It was something you were born with. Either you had it or you didn’t. That was a very long time ago,” said DiBiase. “Over the years that has turned out to be very, completely false. What we now know is the key to academic excellence is belief. It’s a mindset. If you believe that you can, then you will. Well you have certainly proven that you believe. You accepted the challenge and you rose to the occasion. I believe in you, and more importantly your teachers believe in you, and most importantly, you believed in yourselves.”

“Don’t underestimate what you have accomplished here,” she continued. “You have accomplished history and have put Mt. Hope back at the top, where we belong.”