This spring, The Mirror posed 32 written questions to THS seniors that the students then answered anonymously. Of the 117 members of the Class of 2003, a total of 95 responded to the survey.

The questions centered on academic, social, financial, political and home life.

The students gave the Tonganoxie school system generally high marks, which is good news for all residents of our city.

In a question about their overall high school education, nearly one-fifth of the respondents said they would give THS an A. Another 45 percent said they thought the school deserved a B.

Only 35 percent said they thought their education at THS was average and gave the school a C. And just 2 percent of the respondents said the school was below average.

Not one student gave a failing grade.

That’s amazing.

Furthermore, Tonganoxie High School teachers scored even better than the overall school did.

Again, about 20 percent of students gave teachers an A. But nearly 55 percent of students said teachers deserved a B. Only 25 percent said their teachers were average. Again, 2 percent said teachers were below average, and no one marked an F on the survey.

In another survey question, students were asked if THS prepared them adequately for college. A total of 59 percent of survey respondents said yes, while 41 percent said no.

As graduating senior Jon Gripka astutely pointed out in a recent interview, it’s difficult to know whether you’re well-prepared for college if you haven’t attended one yet.

However, Gripka added, “The only thing I can go off of is my four other siblings going to KU. I’m fairly optimistic of what Tonganoxie’s going to do for me.”

And it’s true: Time will be the determining factor in whether the Class of 2003 was accurate in its grading of both Tonganoxie High School and its faculty.

While it’s heartening to see that the students think highly of both the overall education they received and the teachers who taught them, what really is important is how those young adults perform at college or in the jobs they’re now heading for.

And so, the future will answer those survey questions more accurately than the students themselves were able to do.

It is hoped that the future proves the students were correct in their assessment of Tonganoxie High School and its staff. That would be wonderful news for both the high school and the members of the Class of 2003 — and their successors.