Pess-Gazette Academic Team: Preble senior Matthew VandeHei piles up rewarding grades

When he was in fourth grade, Matthew VandeHei came home from school one day incredulous about what he had heard from classmates.
As a straight-A student, VandeHei quickly calculated that his report cards would net a hefty paycheck under such a system. But his parents would hear nothing of it — they would not pay him to do well in school.
"We thought the grade itself was the reward," his mother, Kathy VandeHei, recalled.
VandeHei has been reaping rewards ever since, with one straight-A report card after another in an impeccable school career that has made him the top-ranked student in his graduating class at Green Bay Preble High School.
His achievements in and out of the classroom have earned VandeHei a place on the 2010 Green Bay Press-Gazette Academic Team, a group of high school seniors who excel in academics, extracurricular activities and community involvement.
Even in such challenging courses as advanced chemistry and advanced economics, VandeHei has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
"He comes every day prepared to learn," Preble science teacher Chris Hansel said.
VandeHei's biggest obstacle occurred during an advanced language course. He struggled somewhat with interpreting such classics as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible." But with a little extra effort, he aced that class, too.
Maintaining the perfect grade-point average has been a matter of personal pride for VandeHei.
"I put in all that work," he said. "I'd feel like I cheated myself if I let myself slip."
During his years at Preble, VandeHei has found time to volunteer as a literacy tutor and to coach youth basketball, among other activities.
In the athletic arena, he switched from football to cross-country his junior year and found that he enjoyed competing individually more than as part of a team. He excelled at cross country and qualified for the state tournament two years in a row.
"He's just an unbelievable mix of talent," coach Dave Loritz said. "He's a top-notch individual all the way around."
After graduation, the National Merit Scholar plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in biochemistry. He hopes to become a doctor.
Those close to him are confident that the gifted teen will achieve whatever he sets his sights on.
"I never doubt this guy," his father, Steve VandeHei, said. "Whatever he wants to do, he just goes and does it."