Director John Hughes captured what the 80’s teenager is supposedly like and experiences in the movie “The Breakfast Club” so well, that the Nerd, Teen, Princess, Jock and Freak archetypes used in the movie are still used to described young people today.

If asked, I’m sure teens would describe themselves and their lives in different terms. So we did.

For the three part radio series, “Top of Their Class”, GPB Macon’s Grant Blankenship tracked down three different students attending Macon high schools during their senior year. We asked them to share their stories in their own words.

(You can hear the stories on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week on GPB Macon radio during Morning Edition starting at 6 a.m. and All Things Considered starting at 4 p.m. You can also listen to the broadcast online. Also check this blog each day as we provide links to the audio stories featured on-air.)

As the title of the series indicates, the students are rising stars in their grades. But their journeys to achievement are unique. Plus they would be hard to plop into the neat categories that John Hughes’ movie created.

The students are:

Ashanti Jones who Southwest High School, which has one of the lowest graduation rates in the city, but may rebound under new leadership. Listen to here story here.

Ansley Edwards who attends Stratford Academy, the top flight private school on Macon's north side.

Tristan Benns who attends Central High School in the academically demanding International Baccalaureate, or IB, program.

We encourage you to share the stories of these students with your students to inspire them to achieve whatever their situation. Is there a standout student in your class or a standout senior class overall, you'd like to sing the praises of? Share their story - or let them share their own story in the comments below.