When 16-year-old Fayetteville High School junior Peter Gea tells a joke in class, the teacher is usually the only one laughing.
“I make attempts at joking. People seem to put up with me, so that’s good,” Gea said. “Most of the time, people just don’t get them.”
Gea’s mother, Tamara Snyder, said his teachers call his sense of humor “dry” and insist Gea is “very funny.”
“Teachers get it, and a couple of kids, but everyone else just looks at him and says, ‘Huh?’” Snyder said.
But it was Gea who was at a loss for words when he learned in November that he had earned a perfect composite score of 36 on the ACT college entrance exam.
“I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. I was kind of groggy. I was like ‘Oh, cool.’ It wasn’t until another hour or two that it sank in,” Gea said.
There were only five other students in Arkansas who earned a 36 in 2013. Nationally, only 1,162 of the 1.8 million test-takers in the Class of 2013 earned the top score, according to ACT statistics.
The average national score was 20.9 for 2013, with Arkansas coming in at 20.2.
Gea, who has been in the gifted-and-talented program since second grade, earned a 31 when he took the ACT exam for the first time in the seventh grade. Gea shrugged off questions about exam preparation.
“It was more of a night before kind of thing. I was hit by that wave of last-minute panic, but I didn’t study excessively,” Gea said.
That panic, his mother said, may have been rooted in the spirit of friendly competition he has with his older sister. Kathy Gea, a sophomore chemistry major at Yale University, also earned a 36 when she took the ACT exam three years ago.
“Oh my gosh, she was so happy for him. She’s always been a driving force for him. He knows he’s three years younger, but he’s always wanted to do the things she’s wanted to do. There has always been a little bit of competitiveness,” Snyder said. “I think he had put some pressure on himself that he wanted to match her. I think he was probably relieved some when he did.”
Peter Gea said he does not know whether he will follow his sister’s path to an Ivy League university or complete his education in Arkansas. He plans to major in either science or engineering.
Snyder said she and her husband, Julio Gea-Banacloche - who both teach physics at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville - set a homework structure for their children, but they never had to push either child to succeed academically.
As parents, they have worked to create balance for their children between work and play. Board and card games after a family dinner full of spirited conversation have been the norm.
That attitude came through when Gea was asked whether he told his classmates about his perfect ACT score.
“Test scores don’t define you as a person. It’s nothing really to brag about. I didn’t feel the need to share it with the world,” he said.
Snyder said that answer is typical of her son, who she said is always reaching out to others and has a peaceful spirit.
“He’s not quick to come back to people in a negative way. He’s not one of those people who will say something snippy right back. He’s more patient than that,” Snyder said. “His teachers have always told me that everybody loves Peter, that everybody gets along with Peter. That’s going to serve him well in the future. He just has a way of getting along with everyone.”
Gea said he has a lot of friends from different walks of life; some are classmates while others are fellow members of his Boy Scouts troop. When he’s not working toward his Eagle Scout status at weekly meetings or staying on top of his schoolwork, he hangs out with friends - either going to a movie or “flailing” on the ice-skating rink.
A cello player since first grade, Gea said he practices every day and enjoys being a member of the school’s orchestra.
“Music is neat. It’s really, really rewarding to be able to actually make music instead of just consume it,” he said.
Orchestra teacher Stevie Sandven said Gea’s sense of humor and intelligence have made him one of the “most delightful students I have ever had in orchestra.”
“He is bright-eyed, witty and always willing to share his ideas with the group. He is one of those people that not only has the smarts but also has the intelligence to use them,” Sandven said.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 02/23/2014