MONTEREY, La. – Four students at Monterey High School took home the highest honors for their class this year.

The school’s three valedictorians and one salutatorian looked upon their achievement as a path to their future.

&uot;It pays off to put a little bit of effort into it,&uot; said Amber Knapp, class valedictorian. &uot;In the end it pays.&uot;

Knapp shared the honor of valedictorian with Desire\u00E9 Frug\u00E9 and Audra Kemp.

Their classmate, Monique Brallier, earned the title of salutatorian.

All four girls will begin college this fall and say they are expecting a different experience from life in Monterey.

&uot;It’s like you’re losing your security blanket I guess,&uot; Kemp said.

As compared to their school in Monterey – about 500 students in preschool to 12th-grade – the girls think they will have less encouragement in their schoolwork when they move to larger campuses.

&uot;In college you have to motivate yourself,&uot; Kemp said.

And unlike larger cities, everyone in Monterey knows everybody else, they said.

&uot;You feel safe here, too,&uot; Knapp said.

All four said good grades were something they knew they needed for college.

&uot;I was keeping my grade point up for college mainly,&uot; Frug\u00E9 said. &uot;I was looking out for the future.&uot;

Brallier said she had strong motivation or &uot;threats&uot; from her parents to do well in school. Once you reach that goal, you realize you must continue to do well, she said. She encourages other students to take part in school activities.

&uot;They need to get involved in things — not just sit around,&uot; Brallier said.

Some of Kemp’s advice to other students comes from her parents. They always said that her friends were not going to get her a job or get her into college. Frug\u00E9 is the daughter of Harry and Jenny Frug\u00E9, Kemp is the daughter of Ryan and Jayne Kemp, Knapp is the daughter of Randy and Lisa Knapp and Brallier is the daughter of Hazel and Ben Brallier.