Search for a challenge led them to the top

It wasn’t class rank that motivated Avery Johnson and Jessica Robertson.

It was a desire to take — and ace — the most challenging courses Port Washington High School has to offer that earned Johnson the title of valedictorian of the school’s Class of 2026 and Robertson the title of salutatorian.

“Honestly, being valedictorian was a byproduct of being more interested in taking challenging courses than being No. 1 in my class,” Johnson said. “I wanted to do as much as I possibly could in high school to get myself college and career ready.”

Johnson, who finished her high school career with a weighted cumulative grade-point average of 4.392, was No. 1 in her class from freshman year on and earned only A’s.

“Maybe a few of those were A-minuses,” she said.

Robertson, who earned a weighted cumulative grade-point average of 4.354, knew she was among the top five students in her class her freshman and sophomore years but didn’t pay much attention to her class rank until junior year, when she climbed into the No. 2 spot.

“That gave me a little motivation because I knew No. 3 wasn’t far behind,” she said.

But what truly motivated Robertson was earning top grades in the most challenging courses.

“Academic validation is what motivates me,” she said.

She achieved that, earning all A’s at Port High with a few A-minuses in the mix. And because the A-minuses were so rare, she remembers exactly what classes she received them in — honors geometry and honors biology the first semester of her freshman year.

Robertson and Johnson wasted no time challenging themselves. Starting freshman year and continuing through the end of their high school careers, they checked off a long list of Advanced Placement, Project Lead the Way and dual enrollment college courses.

Johnson ran out of math classes to take at Port High and completed a Calculus 3 course at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, as well as an online college-level Spanish course, her senior year.

“Calc. 3 was definitely the most challenging course I took, but I really enjoyed it because it exposed me to that college experience,” Johnson said.

In fact, Johnson earned enough credits to graduate after her junior year but wanted to accomplish more at Port High.

“My goal was to make the most of my senior year academically,” she said.

Robertson took three courses through the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh her senior year.

Both Johnson and Robertson said that although there were subjects that came easily to them, they worked hard to live up to their expectations.

“School is where I invested my time and attention because I enjoyed it,” Johnson said. “But to do consistently well in every class, I did have to work hard.” 

Robertson said, “There were certain subjects that I picked up pretty easily, but there were others that required more time. I put a lot of work into studying.”

Their high school experiences, however, were about more than just academics.

Johnson was a member of the Port High  forensics and track and field teams, as well as the REDgen club, which promotes mental well-being and resilience among peers, participated in musicals and plays and volunteered at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton.

She also sang in the choir and was a member of Limited Edition, the Port High a cappella group that competed in the Varsity Vocals National Championship of High School A Cappella finals in New York City earlier this year.

“That was sort of my outlet class,” she said of Limited Edition. “Performing in New York was such an exciting part of this year.”

Robertson was a member of student council and Spanish Club, participated in the DECA business and marketing club, was the varsity tennis team captain and a member of the student leadership team at Friedens Church in Port Washington.

She also found time to work at Allure Salon and Spa in Grafton and at Ozaukee County’s two golf courses, as well as indulge one of her passions — drag racing.

“My dad raced when I was super little, then started doing small-scale local events,” Robertson said. “I begged my mom forever to let me race, then when I was 16 she gave in.”

Needless to say, the schedules of Johnson and Robertson put a premium on organization.

“My calendar was definitely well used,” Johnson said. “It took a lot of planning and prioritization, knowing that when I did have free time school work had to come first.”

Robertson said, “I think the hardest thing was trying to find time to study after work or a tennis meet or whatever I had going on. I have a very organized calendar on my phone.”

Both students said they pushed themselves to make the most of their high school careers.

“I’m definitely self-motivated,” Robertson, the daughter of Kevin and Lori Robertson, said. “I don’t think my parents even knew I was at the top of my class until I started applying to colleges.”

Johnson, the daughter of Christin and Ryan Johnson, said, “I pushed myself. My parents were like, ‘It’s OK to slow down a little bit.’”

Johnson has chosen to attend Boston College, where she will study biomedical engineering and Spanish. The University of Wisconsin-Madison was the runner up.

“In the end, Boston College just felt right, but it definitely wasn’t an easy choice because UW-Madison is also an excellent school,” she said. “I decided, I put a lot of work into getting my shot, and I’m going to take advantage of it. “

Biomedical engineering, Johnson said, will give her options.

“I can go into biomedical engineering — I really like tissue engineering — or I can use it as pre-med if I decide I want to go to medical school, “ she said.

Robertson amazed even herself by choosing to attend UW-Madison over her initial choice — the University of Michigan.

“I swore I would never go to Madison. I toured the campus and hated it,” she said. “Then I got a really big scholarship to Madison, so I toured it again and loved it.”

Robertson also changed her mind when it came to a field of study. Initially planning on a pre-med track ahead of medical school, she now intends to study financial investment and banking.

“I started taking DECA more seriously and found that I was really interested in banking and finance,” she said.

And there’s a lesson in that. Both Robertson and Johnson said the key to a successful high school career is being involved in as many activities as possible and seeking out new experiences.

“Get involved,” Robertson said. “Even though it may mean more work, it will teach you perseverance and expose you to new things.”

Johnson said, “As much as possible, don’t be afraid to try new things. Take a chance, and whatever comes of it, at least you gave it a try.

“There is just so much to take advantage of in school.”