Shauna Milne-Price strives to do the best she can academically without taking herself too seriously.

Mature beyond her years, Milne-Price is a bright-eyed blonde who carries a 4.0 GPA and has a drive that is undeterred. She’s taken advanced-placement and honors classes and courses at Carroll College.

Milne-Price, a senior at Helena High School, was recently named a 2008 Presidential Scholar and will travel with her chemistry teacher, Doug Shenkle, to Washington, D.C. in June to receive the award.

She is one of 139 high-school seniors nationwide who have been chosen for the award. To be selected, students must demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship and service at school and in their communities.

For more than two decades, the program has asked each scholar to invite their most inspiring and challenging teacher to travel with them to receive a Teacher Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Education and to participate in the recognition events.

Milne-Price — or “MP,” as Shenkle calls her — chose Shenkle. She has been interested in science since she was a little girl.

“I felt like he cared a lot about his students being successful,” she said. “I enjoyed coming to his class every day. He was always watching out for me and challenged me to do my best.”

Shenkle says he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to see Milne-Price get such recognition.

“She’s very deserving of the award,” he said.

Shenkle described Milne-Price as “responsible, courteous, polite, hard-working and always exceeding expectations.”

He said it’s rare to have a student completely understand tough topics in his class, but Milne-Price easily got them all.

This is the second time Shenkle will earn recognition from the U.S. Department of Education; he went with another student in 1989.

“I’m double-fortunate,” he said. “To me, being selected by students for recognition is far beyond peer awards because that’s who counts.”

Students are selected for the award by a 29-member commission appointed by the president. Over the past 44 years, the program has honored more than 5,000 students.

Milne-Price is so well-rounded, it’s hard to know for sure what earned her the award. It could have been her GPA or her high ACT and SAT scores. It could be her leadership roles — she served as leader of her cross-country team, in her 4-H club and as a peer mentor. Or it could be her accomplishment as a violinist, pianist and vocalist.

She said there are similarities she sees in science and the arts: “Both are creative. You have to think creatively.”

In science, she said, you have to think outside the box to find new solutions, and with music you have to find creative ways to deliver the sound.

Playing the violin since she was very young armed Milne-Price with a good time-management skills.

“Now my mom doesn’t have to bribe me to practice anymore,” she said with a giggle.

She doesn’t take life too seriously and is happy her parents don’t expect perfection of her.

“You just have to put effort into life,” she said. “I have goals and that’s why I achieve them.”

“I wouldn’t consider myself serious about school; it’s not what I’m defined by,” Milne-Price said. “Being successful in school doesn’t make you successful as a person.”

Milne-Price, one of this year’s valedictorians at HHS, plans to attend Middlebury College in Vermont to study marine biology. She’d love to become a marine veterinarian, though she knows those jobs are hard to come by.

But Shenkle said if anyone could land a job only a handful of people in America get, Milne-Price is just the girl to do it.

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com