The top high school students in Lawrence and the surrounding area did a lot more than earn straight A’s in class.

Students selected to the Journal-World’s 2013 Academic All-Star team were also star athletes, musicians, student council leaders and active volunteers in their churches’ communities.

Nine seniors and one junior who is graduating early were designated by judges as Academic All-Stars from a group of 28 students who were nominated by their principals or guidance counselors.

The 10 All-Star team members this year came from a variety of backgrounds. They included students from large and small classes in both public and parochial schools. Their career plans range from medicine and law to engineering and humanitarian work.

The Journal-World has sponsored the Academic All-Star competition annually since 1997. Students are chosen based on their academic records, extracurricular activities and an essay contest.

This year, students were asked to write about how they predict technology will affect the way students learn in the future.

Last week, the 10 students and their families were honored at a luncheon in downtown Lawrence where the overall winner was announced and presented with a scholarship.

“It was hard to distinguish the best since they all are very good,” said Robert Harrington, a professor of psychology and research in education at Kansas University and one of the judges in the contest. “The essays on the uses of computers in the classroom this year were very good. There were some very good writers with lots of original ideas.”