I read this interesting (but not well written) story the other day and thought was worth putting in the bulletin - now don't stop reading until the end, it's the byline that makes you think.

It happened in Freemont California in 1996. A straight-A student all through high school, Karen scored a perfect 1,600 on the Scholastic Achievement Tests. Then she scored a perfect 8,000 on the University of California acceptance index. See, nobody's ever scored perfect on both, according to prep. The College Board people back in Princeton, N.J. say to them, she's one in a million.

Karen, however, describes herself as a "typical teen-ager," munching junk food junk food or any of various prepackaged snack foods high in calories but low in nutritional value and chatting way too much with her pals. "I talk on the phone a lot. I'm kind of lazy," she confessed. "I try to study, but I fall asleep a lot." For example, she said she might talk on the telephone until 10 p.m., before she cracks the books for a couple of hours. But Karen's academic accomplishments - fueled by her unquenchable desire to read - have the folks at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont abuzz with wonder. "We call her Wonder Woman," said Tony Gelfuso, the Fremont school's coordinator for the Gifted and Talented Education program. In order to reach 8,000, Karen had to score perfectly in tests on English composition, math and science.

Gelfuso said it is not uncommon for students to get perfect scores on math and science but a lower score on composition, or get a perfect score on English composition and lower scores on math and science. But it is very rare to score perfectly on all three. In fact, said Principal Marcia Mathog, scoring the dual perfect scores is "so rare they don't track it."

"I'm an idealist," Karen explained. "I'm going to go into law and save the profession. Not really, but I hope I can make it better." Karen said she doesn't watch much television and enjoys playing the piano. She reads the daily newspaper, the classics and books on science. Although she cannot possibly score any higher, Karen said her parents continue to urge her to work harder.

Byline: Dennis Rockstroh Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

Karen Cheng, a shy, unassuming 17-year-old, is probably the brightest high school student in America. I couldn't wait to test her. "What is the meaning of life?" I demanded. "I have no idea," answered the senior at Fremont's Misson High School, "I would like to know myself"

Can you believe that!!! "I have no idea." I thought about how common that answer might be if we did a survey just of people we know. Probably more than we think. There are a lot of Karen Cheng's in this world. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon reached the conclusion that we would like Karen to reach, "When all has been heard, hear is the conclusion, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the end of every man" (Eccl. 12:13). Solomon learned the meaning of life through the school of hard knocks.

You may never meet Karen Cheng and be able to share with her what we learned from Solomon. But you do know a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or relative that would like someone to tell them. Don't you think you should share it with them?

Mike