For Stephan Ervin, learning outweighs labels. Instead of jamming his schedule with Advanced Placement classes for the sake of taking them, Ervin has committed to giving his all to just a few.

This year, half of his four-class schedule consists of AP classes. Among them is AP Economics.

“I’m going to help sessions, paying attention in class and asking questions in order to get the concepts done,” Ervin said. Of the before-school, after-school and lunch review sessions that AP Economics teacher Phil Bressler has offered, Ervin has been to all but a few of them, he said.

Ervin’s persistence is above and behind, Bressler said.

“When he doesn’t understand something in class that day, he’ll say, ‘See you at lunch.’”

Ervin, who will study politics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, credits his scholastic improvement and steadfast determination to his optimistic outlook.

“Just because you get a bad grade, it’s not the end of the world because there’s always another test, and you can always work harder,” he said.

This is another area in which Ervin has stayed true to his words, Bressler said.

“When he has a bad test he always rebounds,” Bressler said. “He doesn’t make excuses.”

What’s more, he embraces mistakes for their value.

“The only way you can learn is by getting things wrong,” Ervin said, noting that only then can teachers help him.