AREA VALEDICTORIANS' PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF : HIGH ACHIEVERS' HARD WORK SETS STAGE FOR FUTURE SUCCESS.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

Immeasurable determination. Unlimited sacrifice. And infinite dedication.

If there was a recipe for this year's high school valedictorians, these would be the ingredients.

``It has to come from within,'' said Kristen Nakamura, 17, a senior at Thousand Oaks High who has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average throughout her four-year high school career. ``It's inner drive. You have to want it yourself.''

Like most of this year's graduating valedictorians in Ventura County, Nakamura is no stranger to pressure.

For the past four years, the teen has sacrificed her social life - to memorize advanced calculus and physics, for instance. Her high school notebooks are jammed with college-level material. And her spare time is spent brainstorming over measureless facts from economics to science, math to language.

Is it worth it?

``You never get a break and you don't have an easy senior year,'' said Ryan Bart, 18, valedictorian at Simi High. ``But it feels good knowing you did what you set out to do.''

For Bart, that meant knowing as a freshman that he would have to earn straight A's for the next four years. Now Simi High's top-ranking student with a 4.23 grade-point average, Bart looks back on his past with pride.

``I never thought I'd get where I'd hoped to be,'' said Bart. ``But I learned it's not impossible to get here. Anyone can do it.''

Dennis Rast, principal at Simi High, said students this disciplined learn lessons no book can teach.

``What they've already learned and are starting to implement is goal setting,'' said Rast, an educator in Simi Valley for 31 years. ``Students who reach this status are not just academic students. Those who seek out a course of action to be the top academic student in their school have a firm commitment to a goal and to achieving it.''

Marissa Shear, 18, admits her road to academic success was rocky at times.

As Simi High's salutatorian - the second highest in scholastic rank with a 4.21 GPA - Shear has had to juggle studying with other activities like leadership class and the associated student body.

``It causes problems when you have free time,'' Shear said. ``Do you go out with friends, or do you do homework? It's always the same answer.''

But earning valedictorian or salutatorian status isn't just about making the grade, students say.

Many high-achievers are also involved in extracurricular activities. For instance, Bart is on the varsity wrestling team. Shear is vice president of the associated student body. Nakamura is on the soccer team.

And Brian Stevenson, a valedictorian at Thousand Oaks High, has played on the school's soccer, volleyball and cross country teams while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

``There were times when I'd be studying in the bleachers, when everyone else was watching the game,'' said Stevenson, 16.

But relentless studying for four years has paid off.

Many top-notch students have already applied or been accepted to four-year universities. Shear, who hopes to go into the medical field, has applied to UCLA, Pepperdine, USC and Cal Poly. Bart wants to study biology at either UC Davis or UC San Diego. Nakamura will be attending UC Irvine in the fall. Though Stevenson has been accepted to Harvard, he is still waiting to hear from Princeton, Stanford and UC Berkeley before making his final choice.

With graduation day just around the corner, life will go on as usual for these academic achievers - more studying, more memorizing and even more cramming for end-of-semester finals.

And, of course, there's the prom.

``Hopefully, I have time to get a date,'' Bart said.

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Photo: (Color) Marissa Shear and Ryan Bart achieved GPAs above 4.2 at Simi High School.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News