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RISING STARS
May 12, 2014
CAPE COD TIMES
Meet the Cape and Islands high school seniors
who have already gotten a start on leadership.
2
R i s i n g s ta R s
About Rising Stars
By GWENN FRISS
R
[email protected]
est assured, the future
is in good hands, and
we have proof.
Leadership and
academic excellence are the
words that come to mind for
the 104 high school seniors
nominated as Rising Stars
this year.
But it’s more than that.
Members of the class of 2014
are saavy. They are decisive
about what they want and
willing to take risks. (Rising
Star Joe Bergeron applied
only to MIT, figuring he’d
have to scramble getting
other applications in if he
didn’t get early admission.
But MIT agreed it was the
place for him.)
Although national surveys
find most don’t work parttime in high school, Rising
Stars buck that trend. Nauset
Regional High’s Stephanie
Nicole Bassett not only volunteers and works two jobs,
she’s also gotten a financial
planner and has an investment plan.
Many of the good works
done by those nominated as
Rising Stars have already
been written about in the
pages of the Cape Cod Times.
Falmoth High’s Jake Barry
raised $50,000 over three
years to rehabilitate his
neighborhood playground.
Sandwich High’s Michael
Kristy has created videos of
his school and community
posting them on his own
YouTube channel.
From the volunteer judges,
I consistently hear two
things: “This is so hard!” and
“Thank you for asking me.”
I understand both of those
feelings.
I’m glad I’m not a judge.
But it’s kind of nice that
it’s difficult because it shows
what a great group of teens
you – parents, teachers,
employers, siblings – nominate.
Our thanks to this year’s
judges:
Jennifer Eames of Marion
Family Chiropractic, earned
her Doctor of Chiropractic
degree as the top clinician
in her class from Sherman
College of Chiropractic in
South Carolina. Before that,
the Marion native attended
the University of North
Carolina where she was
a member of four NCAA
championship teams in
women’s soccer and became
involved in team handball,
eventually competing on the
U.S. national team in that
sport. She’s played flag football on a team in the Cape’s
Barnstable League for six or
seven years. She splits her
time between the SouthCoast
and the Cape, where she
and her young son, Grayson,
enjoy many activities.
Thomas G. Kerr, PhD, is a
lifelong educator and school
administrator who served
suburban Philadelphia
schools for 40 years before
retiring to the Cape with
his wife, Gayle. He received
advanced degrees from
Temple and Penn and was
appointed as a Visiting
Practitioner at Harvard. Kerr
founded the Leadership
Institute to train aspiring
school leaders and created
the first computer magnet
school in the nation to assist
with desegregation efforts.
Today he serves as a consultant on reform issues.
William Mills is the editorial page editor of the Cape
Cod Times, where he has
worked as a reporter and editor for nearly 25 years. His
editorials have won the Allan
B. Rogers Editorial Award
three times in eight years.
As bureau chief and special
projects team leader from
1992 to 1998, he won several
national awards, including
the Edward J. Meeman
Trophy for environmental
reporting, the Benjamin Fine
Award for education reporting, and the Investigative
Reporters and Editors Award.
Prior to joining the Times,
Mills was a correspondent
for The Boston Globe, an editor at the Charlotte Observer,
and communications director
for an international refugee
relief organization based in
Geneva.
Rising
staRs
oN thE covER
Hannah Depin
EdItoR
gwenn Friss
dESIGN
nora DeVita
Photo by
Christine Hochkeppel
www.capecodonline.com
/risingstars
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May 12, 2014
n Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School n
Christine Hochkeppel/Cape Cod Times
Joe Martin of Sandwich, in the Health Technology classroom at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, had planned to be a baker but found he enjoyed the
health field. He now works as a certified nursing assistant and will pursue a nursing degree this fall.
Joe Martin
Philosophy: “It’s important to take
yourself outside of your comfort zone
and take chances.”
T
By DICK TRUST
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
his has been quite the year for Joe Martin.
Not only was he selected by the staff
of Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical
School as its “Outstanding Vocational
Student of the Year,” he is also this year’s
president of his school’s chapter of the National
Honor Society.
This past summer, he attended the
Washington Leadership Training Institute
through SkillsUSA where he received the
Statesman Award for leadership.
“Joe is extremely down to earth,” writes
guidance counselor Jennifer McGuire. “He is
funny, friendly, approachable and outgoing,
and seems to be able to get along with everybody, including peers and instructors. I would
imagine these traits are why he is selected and
elected for so many things.
“He’s able to manage multiple activities and
do well in school at the same time. The balance
that he achieves seems to come naturally to
him. I’m not sure he realizes what an accomplishment it is to be able to do so well at so
many things.”
Susan White, director of curriculum, writes
that Joe “is a hard-working young man who
is kind to others and dependable, qualities
he exhibits with a maturity beyond his years.
He is polite and friendly, and he usually has
a smile on his face as he comes through the
school door at 7:15 every morning.”
A student in the Health Technology program
at Upper Cape Tech, Joe works part-time as
a certified nursing assistant at Forestview
Nursing Center in Wareham. This fall, he will
pursue his bachelor’s degree in nursing at
Fitchburg State University.
“Going to go to Upper Cape, I initially
wanted to be a baker,” Joe says, “But getting
into health services, I thought I could go somewhere with this and I love (nursing).
“So it’s important to take yourself outside
of your comfort zone and take chances. If you
put yourself out there, it allows you to try new
experiences and exposes you to more opportunities.”
Such was the case when the Sandwich
resident went on a mission to El Salvador
in Central America for 10 summer days in
2012 through the Episcopal Youth Leadership
Academy.
“It was the most eye-opening, interesting,
crazy experience I ever had,” Joe says. “It was
a mission not to build houses but to build relationships with El Salvadoran teens and see
what their lives are like and how much we take
for granted.”
The greatest lesson he learned?
“(It) probably was that Salvadoran teens are
not so different from American teens.”
4
R i s i n g S ta r s
n DENNIS-YARMOUTH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL n
Hannah
Depin
Advice: “Work hard for what you believe in.
You want to be successful but also
follow your interests.”
By SARAH BRENTYN
H
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Christine Hochkeppel/CAPE COD TIMES
Hannah Depin is in her fourth year as an assistant dance teacher. She has also worked with Homeless
Not Helpless, writing a speech and an article drawing attention to the needs of people who do not
have housing.
annah Depin hasn’t
graduated from high
school yet, has but
has already been
published and spoken out for
homeless people in her community. She plans to combine
her love of writing and interest
in social issues to become a
journalist. Hannah says, “I see
journalism as a way to reach
out and make a difference.”
Hannah’s desire to help
others and learn about current events inspired her to
join her high school’s Human
Rights Club in her freshman
year.
“I have always been interested in social issues,” she
says. She likes studying
world politics, but says that
“with local issues, you can
make a difference.”
She has worked to raise
awareness about homelessness on Cape Cod by teaming up with the nonprofit
organization, Homeless Not
Hopeless.
When Hannah was a
junior, she wrote an insightful and inspiring speech in
which she noted that “it’s
interesting to look at the kind
of issues people pay attention
to, and the issues they overlook.” She discussed some
headlines about Halloween
costumes and breakfast
cereal and pointed out that
15 homeless people died that
year. The Cape Cod Bear, she
wrote, was much bigger news
than these deaths. Hannah
read her speech at an event
for Homeless Not Hopeless,
and Cape Women Online
published the speech in
their Holiday 2012 issue. The
magazine then approached
Hannah to write a follow-up
piece, “Offering Hope to Cape
Cod’s Homeless,” which they
published in 2013.
Guidance counselor
Annette C. Bowes says
Hannah’s writing is “phenomenal.” Bowes says, Hannah is
“never speaking just to hear
herself but to make constructive, intelligent contributions.”
In addition to receiving top marks on her AP
exams, Hannah excelled at
what Bowes calls “the most
demanding academic program available in our school.”
She admires Hannah’s ability to handle academics and
extracurricular activities
with grace, being dedicated
to each endeavor without
becoming overwhelmed or
trying to draw attention to
herself. “She is involved in
everything,” Bowes says, “but
never looking to show off in
any way.”
Hannah’s leadership abilities are evident in the activities she chooses to pursue.
Supervisors praise her maturity and reliability.
At her dance school,
Hannah is in her fourth year
as an assistant teacher. She
enjoys instructing others
and was recently stage manager for a production by the
Mattacheese Middle School’s
drama program. Hannah is
also a counselor for Kids
Klub at Red Jacket Beach
Resorts. As far as keeping up
with academics while being
involved in her many activities, Hannah says you have to
“work hard and have a balance.”
5
May 12, 2014
n Falmouth High School n
Christine Hochkeppel/
Cape Cod Times
Oliver Newman
was a leader on
Falmouth High
School’s cross country team and will
run on the Swarthmore College team
in the fall.
Oliver Newman
Future goal: “Education should be a priority all across this country and around the world.”
F
By DICK TRUST
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
or Oliver Newman, halfway is no
way.
The Swarthmore Collegebound student is passionate
about his studies (he’s in the top 7
percent of his graduating class), about
his music (he plays piano, viola
and violin at the orchestra level),
about his internship at Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institute (WHOI),
his work for the U.S. Geographical
Survey and, well, you get the picture.
His passion academically is to
understand the world around him,
and then some.
“I’m very curious about things and
I like physics because you learn how
the scientific world works and how
you can make the world a better
place,” says Oliver, who takes numerous AP classes and tutors younger
students.
Guidance counselor Guy LoConte
has enjoyed his association with
Newman, commenting, “Oliver is
always a complete gentleman with
(everyone) he encounters.”
Oliver is president of his school’s
Science National Honor Society,
treasurer of Falmouth High’s Model
United Nations, and a member of
the National, Music, and Math honor
societies. He has been awarded grants
for further study through WHOI,
based on the projects he is completing during his internship and with
Mass. Science Fairs.
He ran track and cross country for
Falmouth High, but, as he puts it, “It’s
more than just a sport for me. You can
almost call it an addiction. I run a lot.
They say there’s an adrenaline rush
in running. It’s true. I have so many
things going on in my life and keeping track of them is a stressful factor.
Running helps me get away from
that.”
Running also sparked Oliver’s
proudest accomplishment: qualifying
for the state cross country meet last
fall. With exemplary dedication, he
dropped his 5-kilometer time from 18
minutes to 16:30.
Academically, LoConte says, “Oliver
has excelled as very few others have
at Falmouth High School. He has an
inner confidence and modesty that
allow him to excel and achieve in
all that he pursues. His motivation is
simply for the love of learning and
self-improvement.”
Oliver’s cumulative grade point
average of 3.94 of a possible 4.00 is
just one measure of his scholastic
achievements.
Oliver has not yet chosen a major
at Philadelphia-based Swarthmore,
but says he’s leaning toward a career
in education.
“I enjoyed my education and I’d like
to replicate that in other people. I can
touch those in other places here and
around the world. That’s my ultimate
goal. My family has done cultural
trips; I want to do more traveling and
spread the word of more quality education.
“Teaching would be a first step, but
eventually I’d want to go into education administration, or reform.”
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R i s i n g S ta r s
n Barnstable High School n
STEVE HEASLIP
/Cape COD TIMES
Nicole Neville
was named most
valuable player on
Barnstable High’s
cross country team
in 2013, and as
a team captain,
mentored younger
runners.
Nicole Neville
Philosophy: “You can have all these great qualities, but if you’re not helping others, it’s really not much of anything.”
By SUSANNA GRAHAM-PYE
R
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
unning on the beach clears her
mind and keeps her grounded,
says Nicole Neville. She also
loves those runs because, for
her, the beach is a big part of home.
She has always lived here on the Cape,
in Hyannisport, and the thought of
leaving for college is a bittersweet one.
“I’m really close to my mom,” she
says. “And my little sister too. It’s a
bit hard to think about not being here
all the time.”
Not only is leaving family difficult,
but also leaving Barnstable High
School where, she points out, students have spent the past five years
together in the “’stable,” the affectionate name students use for their
school.
However, sitting in a coffee shop
in Hyannis, describing the new students’ weekend at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology from which
she has just returned, Neville’s very
blue eyes sparkle with excitement at
the prospect of the future.
“(The MIT event) was reallycool,”
she says. “There were over 600 activities and events to choose from.”
At the time of the interview,
Nicole’s first choice was MIT. But
a visit late last month to Princeton
University in New Jersey changed
her mind.
“I really felt at home on the campus
at Princeton,” she says, explaining
that the more traditional setting with
a green at its center appealed to her
more than MIT’s city campus, which
is sprawled along the Cambridge side
of the Charles River.
“It was in the city and more spread
out,” Nicole says. “There didn’t seem
to be as much student interaction.”
Interested in math and science and
looking for a way to use both, she
plans to study engineering. She’s not
yet sure where that route will lead.
“There are a lot of different kinds
of engineering,” she says. “Maybe
chemical engineering.”
She may try to add a minor in
finance, another area that interests
her. Although she doesn’t plan to
run track, she thinks she may join
Princeton’s running club as an extracurricular activity and possibly do
some community service work.
Those who know Nicole describe
her as a determined student with an
admirable work ethic. In addition to
being co-captain of the cross country
team and an active member of the
math team, Neville has volunteered
at Cape Cod Hospital, tutors younger
students and has worked for the past
several years at Green Harbor Resort
in West Yarmouth.
But school has been an important
constant in Neville’s life, one that has
helped her get through various challenges.
“I think I’ve always been pretty
self-motivated,” she says. “After my
parents divorced, though, things were
kind of difficult and the one thing
that didn’t change a lot was school
and my activities there. I think I really focused on that and it helped me.”
Neville says she really loves Cape
Cod. She believes there is an unspoken understanding between the people here, who understand what is to
live in a close-knit community. There
is a rhythm here tied to the natural
beauty of the place that unites the
Cape’s residents. And, Nicole says,
she likes the way people in the Cape’s
small communities help one another.
She says she likes to think of herself
as someone who is willing to help
others.
Asked to choose one word to
describe herself, Neville said: “perseverance. I think I kind of relate it
to running and endurance. It’s easy
to do well if everything is going well.
But it’s when things get hard and
you’re still able to succeed, I think
that is important. I think that’s something I’m able to do.”
May 12, 2014
7
n Barnstable High School n
STEVE HEASLIP/CAPE
COD TIMES
Colby Blaze,
photographed
with Plato
along Barnstable High’s
walkway of
great thinkers, says being
class president
has allowed
him to have an
impact at Barnstable High.
Colby Blaze
Philosophy: “Pay your rent to the world.”
By DEBI BOUCHER STETSON
F
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
or as long as he can remember,
Colby Blaze has wanted to make
an impact on the world. He sees
his life through that filter, which is
one reason he has been class president
for all four years of his high school career. Holding that office, he said, “put me
in the best position to make an impact.”
To that end, he has worked to raise
money to help the class “maximize
our senior year,” from a lunchtime
bowling trip to a local bowling alley
to subsidizing prom costs, and he
promises the class gift to the school
will “immortalize the Class of 2014.”
Guidance counselor James F.
Buckman writes, “Colby also sets a
leadership tone by showing classmates and teachers manners, values,
commitment and respect – values
that are often overlooked by students
today in a public school setting.”
Colby, who is on the football team,
is captain of both the tennis team and
basketball team, and is known for
mentoring younger players. He is at
the top of his class academically and
doesn’t mind admitting he worked
hard to accomplish that. “I’m so competitive, even with just myself, in the
classroom I found I wanted to meet
my expectations or beat my expectations,” he explains. “I wanted to outdo
myself.”
He had an enviable choice of colleges to attend next year: he is decid-
ing between Harvard and Duke.
He chose Harvard, because he can
play football there. While he is still
undecided about a major, he is most
interested in math, economics and
biochemistry.
Colby wrote his college essay about
his experience growing up as the
middle child in a family of five boys,
with two older brothers and two
younger brothers. “It’s an advantage,
if anything,” he said of being in the
middle. “I always had someone challenging me. I had my two older brothers as examples to inspire me, and
then when they went off to college I
sort of took over the role of being a
role model for my younger brothers.”
His parents also inspired him and
gave him opportunities to “find my
own success,” he said. “I felt no pressure – they let me choose my own
direction.”
He has also been inspired by
people he caddies for at his summer
job at Oyster Harbors Golf Club in
Osterville. “It’s always fascinating to
hear their stories.”
Colby believes the most important
thing in life is to be happy, but equally important, he says, is “to leave an
impact, make a difference, do something in your life that is beneficial
to the world. You’ve got to pay your
rent to the world,” he says. “You’ve got
to serve in some way that is greater
than yourself. I’ve always respected
people that have done that.”
8
R i s i n g S ta r s
n Harwich High School n
Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times
Haley Currie, on Nauset Beach in Orleans, plans to study hydrology and hopes to one day teach Cape high school students about the region’s fragile ecosystems.
Haley Currie
Philosophy: “I see the world as part of a system – everything is connected.”
H
By CINDY PAVLOS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
aley Currie realizes the oceans
control the world’s climate,
and she is impatient to learn
more about ocean currents
and how climate change affects water
patterns.
Growing up surrounded by the
fragile ecosystems of the Cape, Haley
showed early concern for the environment.
“I started refusing to have balloons
as a child,” she says, already aware of
the dangers of balloons and plastic
for sea life. “Plastics are my biggest
pet peeve.”
Hayley credits her mother for nurturing this environmental consciousness. “My Mom sewed recyclable
shopping bags before they were
popular.”
Haley will study hydrology at the
University of New Hampshire at
Durham next fall, but as an independent learner, she finds opportunities
to pursue her passion for science outside the traditional classroom. She
attended evening courses for high
school students at Massachusetts
Maritime Academy, visited the
Environmental Protection Agency as
part of a summer science program
at George Mason University, and
traveled to California for a summer
at sea program on Catalina Island
where she took courses and spent 10
days working and studying aboard a
research vessel.
“I want to do research and work in
the scientific community after uni-
versity,” Haley says. But ultimately, “I
want to teach environmental sciences
to high school students. I want to be
able to bring real-life experiences to
my students, give them a world view.”
And, she adds, “I would love to be a
teacher on the Cape.”
There’s little downtime in Haley’s
schedule. In addition to a full load
of Advanced Placement and honors courses, she competes on the
Harwich field hockey team, runs
cross-country track, plays the violin,
works part-time, and never misses a
chance to watch her younger brother
and sister play hockey. Band class
offers her only reprieve. “It’s the one
class in my day where I don’t have to
worry about messing up.”
Haley is also a member of the
school’s human rights club, STAND,
which works to prevent genocide
and other atrocities. With the club,
she attended the “Hear Her Voice”
conference in Washington, D.C. in
February, and was overwhelmed by
the experience.
“We met survivors from Darfur (in)
Sudan and heard their stories,” Haley
says. “I met people from all over the
world. We lobbied Congress to place
restrictions on conflict minerals and
to protect women’s rights.”
After graduation in June, Haley
will travel to the Dominican
Republic with a school group for a
week of building and community
service. “It’s important,” she says, “to
create equal opportunities for everyone.”
May 12, 2014
9
n Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School n
Ron Schloerb/CAPE COD TIMES
Kyle Pina, working with robots in Chris Hansen’s advanced robotics class at Dennis-Yarmouth High, will major in mechanical engineering at MIT and hopes to one
day be an inventor.
Kyle Pina
Most important thing in life: “It’s finding a happy balance between work and school work and social life.”
By DEBI BOUCHER STETSON
G
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
rowing up as the only son of
a single mother, Kyle Pina felt
it was his duty to work hard
and be successful. His father
died before he was born, and he saw
how his mother struggled, especially in
those early years, to provide for him.
“Knowing how hard my mom
worked, I thought it would be unfair
if I didn’t work just as hard, and get
an education and go to college,” he
says. Because his mother has cared
for him, he says, “I want to be able to
take care of her.”
That drive led him to be the
top-ranking student in his class at
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High
School, even while playing on the
football and basketball teams, serving as student representative on the
school’s Curriculum Committee and
maintaining a part-time job that
expands to full-time work in the summertime.
Next year, he will attend MIT, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in Cambridge, majoring in mechanical engineering. Asked what he hopes
to do with his education, Kyle say he
hopes to some day invent things.
For the last two years he has been
taking robotics classes at DennisYarmouth High. While he works
hard and excels in all his classes, he
especially enjoys math and science,
and says it was an AP physics class
he took last year that made him want
to pursue engineering. “It was learning how everything in my everyday
life works,” he says. “I found it really
amazing.”
Asked what he thinks is the most
important thing in life, Kyle says it
is balance. “It’s finding a happy balance between work and school work
and social life,” he says. Despite his
rigorous academic courses and busy
schedule, “I still find time to hang out
with my friends and be with my girlfriend.”
Kyle says he was on the shy side in
middle school, mostly keeping to him-
self, “But in high school I got more
comfortable,” he says, and became
more outgoing. “I guess I’m fairly
quiet, I don’t say much but I say what
I need to say,” he reflects. “I’m kind of
friends with everybody.”
He serves as public relations officer for the school’s chapter of the
National Honor Society. He was honored with the Atlantic Coast League
Sportsmanship Award in basketball,
and participates in football clinics
to help mentor and inspire younger
players.
Kyle says he has gotten a lot out of
his high school experience, from academics to sports. “I wouldn’t want to
be anywhere else.”
10
R i s i n g S ta r s
n Sturgis East Charter Public School n
Steve Heaslip/ Cape Cod Times
Molly Brennan, in the math room at Sturgis East Charter School, will study biological engineering, a field that’s changing so quickly she’s not sure what real-world
problems she’ll tackle after attending MIT.
Molly Brennan
Advice: “Don’t be afraid to try things out and take risks. Use whatever talents you have to connect with and help others.”
T
By EMMA GAUTHIER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
he conversation with Molly
Brennan requires some explaining.
Biological engineering,
simply put, is when “you take pieces
of biology and engineer them to do
something,” she explains, pointing to
tissue engineering or working with
viruses as examples.
Molly says it was through the work
of Angela Belcher, PhD, who specializes in viruses and how their genetic
codes can create different things in
the fields of renewable energy and
medicine, that she was first exposed
to biological engineering.
“I like biological engineering
because you can look at nature and
biological structures that already
exist, learn how they work and apply
that knowledge to solve today’s prob-
lems,” she adds.
Since this is such a rapidly evolving
field, Molly says she’s unsure where
her studies will take her in terms of a
career.
“This is one of the things that
excites me about it. I may not even be
able to predict the type of research
and the types of problems that will
exist when I am skilled enough to
tackle them, but I hope to make significant contributions to the field,”
Molly says, noting that she is interested in cancer detection and treatment.
While Molly is eager to begin
studying in her field at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, or MIT, this
fall, biological engineering is only one
of her many interests. At Sturgis East
Charter Public School, she is involved
in a multitude of academic and extracurricular programs, all of which she
is confident will help her in future
endeavors.
“There are many indirect benefits
of different activities,” Molly says.
“Whether in the strings group at
school or in the drama club, STAGE,
I have learned to work with others.
My career will include working with
others on projects where everyone
contributes different skills, and those
activities have helped me experience
that.“
Additionally, she participates in
Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry
recitation contest, where she was a
state finalist in her sophomore and
junior years. In her spare time, she
tutors her peers and is a member
of the Key Club and her school’s
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, a competition where students and adult mentors are given grants to invent techno-
logical solutions to real problems, as
stated on the organization’s website.
During last year’s competition,
Molly and her team “built a vehicle
to help transport stranded dolphins.
At a showcase in April 2013 in
Natick, I gave a presentation on our
device,” she says. Her experiences on
InvenTeam helped “test my leadership
abilities by working with others to
found an engineering club at Sturgis
East.”
Molly is especially thankful for
her parents who always exposed her
to math and science activities at an
early age, and have been “incredibly
supportive” in her exploring various
interests.
“They have always encouraged me
to do my best and take advantage of
the opportunities given to me without
pressuring me,” Molly says.
May 12, 2014
11
n Nauset Regional High School n
Gregory
Scalise
Advice to freshmen:
“No matter how you
spend the time, the
four years are going to
pass. Find something
good to do, something
productive that you
enjoy, rather than just
letting the years go by.”
G
By LAURIE HIGGINS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
regory Scalise has a calm and
thoughtful presence that immediately puts others at ease.
Whether he is participating
in a mock government at Stonehill
College as part of the Massachusetts
Boys State program, volunteering
for mission work at Brewster Baptist
Church or playing his trumpet in the
jazz band at Nauset Regional High
School, he completely immerses himself in everything he does.
A Boy Scout since fifth grade,
Greg’s proudest accomplishment is
his Eagle Scout project that will be
up for review this month. He built the
Eddy Bay Trail in Brewster that goes
from Lower Road to the highest wild
dune in Brewster.
“There were a couple of old deer
paths running through there and a
couple of illicit trails from neighbors running through the Eddy sisters’ old land,” Greg says. “I worked
with volunteers from the Brewster
Conservation Trust and the Boy
Scouts and we cleared a trail around
a grove of holly trees and white pines
and an old stone wall.”
The project was inspired by his love
of nature and years spent hiking the
trails of the Punkhorn and Nickerson
State Park. The Eddy sisters, who generously donated a lot of conservation
land to the town during their lifetime,
were members of Greg’s church. They
attended his baby shower and were
an influence in his life, so the trail
was a way to honor them and to give
Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times
Greg Scalise stands at the Eddy Bay Trail which he built, with the help of volunteers, as part of his Eagle Scout project.
back to his hometown of Brewster.
One of Greg’s other favorite things
to do in his free time is to read,
and his reading list has included
an impressive personal goal. When
his grandfather moved the summer
before he began his freshman year,
he gave Greg’s family a lot of his old
books, including his great-grandfather’s collection of the Harvard
Classics, known as “Dr. Eliot’s Five
Foot Shelf.” In the introduction,
Harvard President William Eliot, who
created the anthology, explained that
if you read from them just 15 minutes
to a half-hour a day, you would have
a liberal arts education at the end.
“I decided to start reading them
August 28 that year and I’m on vol-
ume 38 or 39 now out of 51 volumes,”
Greg says.
That dedication caught the attention of teacher Angelo Mosesso,
Greg’s ninth grade honors English
teacher and his senior AP English
teacher.
“Greg continues to this day to fulfill his goal of mastering both ancient
and modern famous texts,” she says.
“He not only memorized Eliot’s ‘The
Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,’ but
will be teaching it to our class after
having completed his research paper
on it. He is actively involved in class
discussion, often enjoying going
down ‘the road less travelled’ in his
approaches.”
Greg’s love of literature also
extends to poetry and he won a
first prize in The Clarence Althouse
Peace Essay & Poetry Contest. He
has worked on the NRHS Literary
Magazine. His other academic interests are math and music, and he has
won multiple awards in both. His
love of nature led him to be one of
the founding members of the Nauset
High Green Club, which initiated
and implemented single stream recycling at the high school. This kind of
recycling is usually more appealing
because it does not require sorting
recyclables.
Greg’s dedication to a wide range
of interests will serve him well when
he heads to Harvard University in the
fall to study applied math.
12
R i s i n g S ta r s
n Barnstable High School n
Hannah
Andres
Philosophy: “Enjoy what you do and
pour everything you have into it.”
H
Steve Heaslip/CAPE COD TIMES
Hannah Andres says her proudest accomplishment was playing for the Barnstable High Red Raiders, one of the
winningest high school girls volleyball teams in Massachusetts history.
By COLLEEN PRESTON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
annah Andres has a list of accomplishments as
long as your arm. And school counselor Shawn
Kingman reels them off one-by-one, obviously
proud of her successes. He talks about what
an outstanding student she is, her leadership skills, her
commitment to the community and her athletic prowess.
But what really impresses him, Kingman says, is
Hannah’s ability to put all of that aside and immerse
herself in her inner creativity. “She stands out as an
athlete, clearly,” Kingman says, “and academically
she’s high achieving, very career- and goal-oriented.
But she takes the time to step away from the scholarly
stuff” to thoroughly enjoy the painting, sketching and
drawing that she has come to love. “I’ve seen a number of her pieces,” Kingman says, “and they are very
cool.”
A member of both the National Honor Society
and the Spanish Honor Society, Hannah agrees her
art takes her away from it all and says the time she
spends on her creative side is special to her. So special in fact, that when she goes to Springfield College
next year, where she will major in physical therapy,
she plans to make art her minor. Hannah notes that
students encounter a lot of pressure to take all AP
courses “but I always tell people you have to have a
fun class – something you really enjoy.”
Hannah will graduate in June with a near-perfect
record. “I got a couple of Bs this year in AP Calculus,”
she laments about breaking her straight-A streak.
“That was a little tricky for me but I’m okay with it.”
And, says Kingman, “What’s most impressive about
Hannah’s academic achievements is that they have
been accomplished in our most difficult courses.”
Her proudest accomplishment, Hannah says, was
playing for the Barnstable Red Raiders, one of the
winningest high school girls volleyball teams in
Massachusetts history. The team, undefeated this year,
has won the state Division I title for each of the past
four years and Hannah was a part of it every time.
“The girls I played with and the coaches I had were
awesome,” she says, adding, “I was really proud to be
part of a program like that.” She plans to continue
playing volleyball at Springfield. “They have a really
good team,” she says. “I am very excited to play there.”
Outside of school, Hannah continues to lead and
excel. An accomplished ice skater since she was very
young, she has now taken on a leadership role at the
Cape Cod Skating Club to help younger skaters. She
handles choreography, developing routines, planning,
scheduling and even costume-making for each show
of which she is in charge. She looks at skating as a
way to express herself, and she loves being able to
pass that philosophy on to those coming along behind
her.
“It’s a great way to give back.” she says.
May 12, 2014
13
n Nauset Regional High School n
Merrily Cassidy/ Cape Cod Times
Nathan Garran, an intern for the Orleans Firebirds, is photographed in their dugout at Eldredge Park. He has kept up with classwork through many surgeries to
correct birth defects, including seven operations to construct an ear.
Nathan Garran
Advice to freshmen: “Don’t procrastinate. Nauset has so much to offer so definitely take advantage of the APs
and the honors classes, but above all don’t procrastinate.”
N
By LAURIE HIGGINS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
athan Garran inspires everyone he meets.
Born with hemifacial
microsomia with an expanded spectrum of symptoms including
a missing ear and cleft palate, he has
turned adversity into a desire to live
life to the fullest.
He had his first surgery when he
was just six months old. In the winter
of 2010 and 2011, he underwent seven
surgeries to construct an ear. During
that time, he missed a total of about
three months of school and had to
travel from his home in Eastham to
Boston Children’s Hospital two to
three times a week. Despite all the
setbacks, he never let his schoolwork
slide.
“I had a tutor come in every once
in a while, but for the most part I
just looked at my homework online
and worked in my hospital bed or at
home,” he says.
Nathan jokes that he wears about
five different hats during the year,
and he actually does have a hat that
represents each of his activities. In
the summer, he proudly wears an
Orleans Firebirds cap. For years,
his family hosted a player from the
Cape Cod Baseball League team and
Nathan began working as a bat boy
in 2005. For the last several years, he
has served as an intern for the team,
working on the website and roster in
the off-season, and running the scoreboard and doing field work during
the summer.
A lot of the other hats Nathan
wears are for community service
organizations that he has participated in for years. He became a Leo,
the youth section of the Lion’s Club,
when he was in seventh grade and
continued until he turned 18 and
could become a full Lion. He was
inducted in January of this year. He
has completed two of the three steps
towards becoming a Mason at King
Hiram’s Lodge in Provincetown
and will be inducted this month. He
says service is a family value that he
embraces.
“When I was born, my father especially was so moved by all the community outpouring of support with
all my birth defects,” Nathan says. “So
he joined the Lions and he joined the
Masons later on. He started doing a
lot of community service so I grew
up with it. We also do the (American
Cancer Society’s) Relay for Life every
year.”
Out of all of his activities, the thing
Nathan is proudest of is earning the
rank of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle
Scout project he constructed a handicap ramp for the office building of the
Eastham United Methodist Church,
where he is an active member. It was
a fitting project: his family started
attending the church because his Boy
Scout troop met in the fellowship hall
there.
Nathan’s engaging personality
and hard work have won him many
friends and admirers in the community and at his school. History teacher
Michael McNamara sums it up best.
“Nathan is not a Rising Star,” he
says. “He already is a star.”
Nathan will be going to the
University of Massachusetts,
Dartmouth in the fall to major in
accounting in the hopes of joining
his father’s accounting firm when he
graduates.
14
R i s i n g s ta R s
n CapE COd aCadEmy n
Lydia
Dick
Philosophy: “Try a lot
of things. Stick with
those that make you
happy. Perspective is
everything.”
By COLLEEN PRESTON
I
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
f Lydia Dick wants to view
the world through a global
lens, all she usually has
to do is look across the
dining room table. There she
is likely to find Xue, a Chinese
exchange student, or Gian
Marco, another exchange
student, from Rome. Both are
seniors this year at Sacred
Heart High School and Lydia’s
family is hosting them as part
of the School Year Abroad
program.
And if they are not around,
she can check in with her
father, Henry, who is a senior
scientist at Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institute and
who often brings visiting scientists from around the world
to the Dick home for some
Falmouth hospitality. It is,
says Cape Cod Academy college counselor Mary Bellamy,
“an intellectually rich environment in which Lydia
swims.”
“From a young age,” Lydia
says, “foreign countries were
not an abstraction to me. I’ve
always had the world at my
doorstep.”
So it was natural when
junior year rolled around for
Lydia to also sign up for the
exchange program and travel
to Viterbo, Italy.
“She just embraced the
experience,” says Bellamy,
adding that Lydia formed a
very strong bond with her
host family there and came
home with a pretty good handle on conversational Italian
to add to her language skills
in Latin and French.
Ron SchloeRb/CAPE COD TIMES
Lydia C. Dick of East Falmouth has played the violin for 13 years. Her diverse interests also include biology, foreign relations and musical theater.
Bellamy says Lydia is a
“true Renaissance woman.”
She is accomplished in so
many areas. Her “Careers
I am Considering” college
questionnaire bears that
out. Lydia lists “cell biology/
anatomy, foreign relations,
classics and musical theater”
as possible career choices.
Right now, she says she is
leaning towards something in
the biology field but that may
change.
“Lydia,” says Bellamy, “has
a thirst for knowledge that
is matched by few students
I have known in a career of
almost 30 years.” Following
in her sister’s footsteps,
Lydia will be entering Rice
University in the fall.
“I can’t wait,” she says, and
she jokes about how living in
Texas will give her the chance
“to get to know an entirely
different culture” without
leaving the United States.
But what brings her the
most joy, Lydia says, are the
intangible rewards she finds
in drama, ballet and musi-
cal theater. “The bonds that
you build through things like
performance are the most
positive aspect,” she says, and
she thinks those bonds and
friendships are what she will
most remember.
Lydia has long been
involved in the Cape Cod
Dance Center and has played
major roles over the years,
both there and in school productions. She acts, dances,
sings and is an accomplished
violinist, now serving as
concert master for strings in
the school’s orchestra. She
also performs regularly in
fundraisers, most recently in
a coffeehouse benefit to raise
emergency funds for displaced Syrian children.
Bellamy marvels at Lydia’s
energy and ability to juggle
so many things at once. She
attributes it to good time
management, a great sense
of humor and an upbeat attitude. “Lydia is one of the most
positive and cheerful students
that I’ve ever worked with,”
she says.
May 12, 2014
15
n Chatham High School n
Christine Hochkeppel/Cape Cod Times
Elijah Eldredge is the last class president at Chatham High School, which becomes Monomoy Regional High next year. An Eagle Scout, he built a historical trail at
Chatham Marconi Maritime Center.
Elijah Eldredge
On life: “If you know who you are and you’re happy with yourself,
then you feel like you’re worth something, and you can accomplish things.”
By DEBI BOUCHER STETSON
E
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
lijah Eldredge places a high
value on self-knowledge and
being true to one’s self. That
explains why he stuck with Boy
Scouts, when most of his friends had
dropped out, and went on to attain the
prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.
“If you know who you are and
you’re happy with yourself, then you
feel like you’re worth something, and
you can accomplish things,” he says.
For his Eagle Scout project, he created a 640-foot historical trail at the
Chatham Marconi Maritime Center,
a project that often seemed daunting.
“For me, making Eagle Scout was an
‘I made it!’ feeling, because I didn’t
think I’d make it,” he says.
Elijah serves as patrol leader for
his Boy Scout troop, a role he says
has expanded his leadership skills –
as has being president of his class.
He takes pride in being president of
the last class that will graduate from
Chatham High School, as the new
Monomoy Regional High School, for
Chatham and Harwich students, will
open next year.
He is also president of the school’s
Young Gentlemen’s Club, which
does charitable work and also gets
together with its counterpart, the
Young Women’s Club. He is an active
member of the Interact Club, which is
focused on community service.
“Elijah is a quiet, respectful, unassuming powerhouse . He ... interacts
well with all in a positive, inclusive
manner,” writes Elaine M. Aschettino,
instructional leader in Chatham
High’s humanities division.
He is production editor of the
school newspaper, a role he took
on in his sophomore year, when
the newspaper unexpectedly lost
its production editor. Without any
experience, Elijah learned to use the
desktop program InDesign and began
creating eye-catching page designs
that helped “The Devil’s Advocate”
win numerous awards.
Elijah says he enjoys his work as
production editor, which builds on
his interest in computer programming and design. He is an intern with
clickcapecod.com, where he worked
last summer, and loves his work there
helping design and develop websites.
“It’s kind of a hobby – I like designing
things,” he says.
Although he is technically oriented, he excels in all subjects, and
participated in a team video project
that linked Henry David Thoreau and
other Transcendentalists to places on
Cape Cod.
“The DVD was so good that I sent
it to the Walden Woods Project in
Concord for use as an exemplar
project at the annual Approaching
Walden summer institute for teachers,” Aschettino writes.
A member of the National Honor
Society, Elijah has earned Academic
Excellence and Outstanding
Performance awards in eight subjects, and was named a John and
Abigail Adams State Scholar for his
high scores on the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System
or MCAS exams.
Still deciding among colleges, he
has narrowed the field to Worcester
Polytechnic Institute, Northeastern
University and UMass Amherst. He is
leaning toward Worcester Polytechnic
because of its robotics program.
Elijah attributes his success to his
parents, John and Susan, for being
unfailingly supportive. “They’ve
always encouraged me,” he says.
16
R i s i n g S ta r s
n Nauset Regional High School n
Saskia
Keller
Advice to freshmen:
“Just try everything. You rarely
regret saying yes.”
S
By LAURIE HIGGINS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
askia Keller grew up in Truro, and she says
the surrounding arts community really
had a positive influence on her life. She
is a cellist who has thrived living so close
to Provincetown, with its influx of artists and
musicians every summer. She takes lessons with
accomplished cellist Arthur Cook when he is on
the Cape in the warmer months, and during the
school year she travels to New York City to continue her lessons with him.
“Most people take lessons once a week but
because I only have it once a month I have to
really work by myself,” Saskia says. “But I like
that. I like working independently. And you get
more time to practice for every lesson.”
Not only does she take lessons herself, but she
returns the favor by teaching younger kids in
her hometown, trying to share her love of music
with them. She has taught 10 students so far.
Saskia finds teaching to be rewarding and a possibility for a career, along with writing.
“I want to be a cellist, but I don’t want to only
do that,” she says. “I’m really interested in some
of the other aspects of music, like I’m really into
the physics of music and it becomes intertwined
with psychology because it’s all about how you
perceive sound.
“I’m taking a physics class this year and we
learned about how sound is created and how
sound waves work and I find it almost philosophical how sounds needs a medium to be
transmitted. There’s no sound in a vacuum. You
need air or water and I find that really profound
in relation to how music can need an audience.
I’m also interested in the way the ear works,
the physiology of it because it’s an instrument
almost.”
In addition to music, Saskia loves math, especially the more theoretical aspects of it. She has
combined both passions into a study of writing
music using mathematical patterns.
Her academic strengths are many, and it is no
surprise to her teachers that she is the valedictorian of a senior class that has truly pushed GPA
thresholds.
“Saskia is a student of life, from the academic
to the artistic, the intellectual to the emotional,”
says guidance counselor Katie Cameron. “While
we have presented Saskia with challenges during her time at Nauset, I am confident we have
Merrily Cassidy/CAPE COD TIMES
Saskia Keller takes monthly cello lessons, travelling to New York City to see her teacher during the school year,
while she also gives free lessons to younger students in Truro.
yet to scratch the surface of her potential.”
That potential will be further developed at
Harvard University during the next four years.
She’s really excited about the opportunities that
await her.
“Boston has a great music community,” she
says. “You can’t major in music performance at
Harvard, but it’s such a good location because
there are so many opportunities for teachers and
going to see concerts and performance opportunities.”
May 12, 2014
17
n Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School n
Michael
Morlock
How would your friends
describe you? “Well, I
guess I can say how I hope
they would describe me.
Hardworking, funny, pretty
smart. Good at balancing
and making time for fun.
Tries to make other
people happy.”
G
By SARAH BRENTYN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
uidance couselor Nicole
D’Errico says Michael Morlock is confident yet unassuming – with a great sense
of humor – which makes other students comfortable approaching him
for help in anything from basketball
to math.
Michael says he’s glad.
“I like to be able to express ideas
to other people,” he says. “It’s nice
to be able to share my knowledge
and experience.”
Michael tutored an eighth grade
math class. He coached basketball
for seventh and eighth graders.
When he works at Sundae School
Ice Cream Parlor, Michael oversees
and assists the younger employees.
This is all in addition to managing a demanding course load and
busy sports schedule while rankng
third in his class.
He has taken nine AP courses
during his junior and senior
years and received the National
Merit Scholarship Letter of
Commendation and AP Scholar
Award.
Michael has had a successful
high school baseball career as
well, playing varsity baseball all
four years at Dennis-Yarmouth
High and becoming captain in his
senior year. He also pitched for
Team Cape Cod. In 2013, his team
won the New England Regionals
and went to the Senior Babe Ruth
World Series in Alabama.
D’Errico describes Michael as
humble and says she’s not sure
he thinks of himself in this way
but “he is a leader. A definite role
Ron Schloerb/cape cod times
Michael Morlock played varsity baseball all four years at Dennis-Yarmouth High, becoming captain in his senior year. He also
pitched for Team Cape Cod. In 2013, his team went to the Senior Babe Ruth World Series in Alabama.
model. The younger kids look up
to him, both in classes and on the
field.”
For the past four years, Michael
has served as a religious education teacher’s aide at Saint Pius X
parish as well as being involved in
youth ministry.
Jean Kelly, director of religious
education and youth ministry, has
worked with Michael in what she
calls “social, spiritual, and servicerelated” activities and says “he’s a
fantastic kid.” She also notes that
Michael has worked hard to excel
in both academics and sports.
Michael has been involved in
numerous other activities including Key Club, prom committee, and
Relay for Life. He admits that “it’s
not always easy. It’s a balancing
act.” He explains his full schedule
by saying, “I try not to waste time.
I’m always doing something productive.”
Interested in engineering,
Michael currently interns four
days a week at SencorpWhite
in Hyannis. He plans to study
mechanical or electrical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute.
18
R i s i n g S ta r s
n Barnstable High School n
Steve Heaslip/
Cape Cod Times
Cameron
Curtin, at
his Marstons
Mills home,
says he is
close to
his family,
who share a
faith that’s
important
to them, and
who always
taught him to
see the best
in people.
Cameron Curtin
Outlook: “I’d like people to say they can rely on me, that I’m there to give the assistance if they need it.
That I’m kindhearted and the kind of guy who sees the best in everyone.”
By SUSANNA GRAHAM-PYE
C
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ameron Curtin is planning to
attend Bentley College, where
he hopes to study actuarial
science, the discipline of using
mathematical and statistical methods
to assess risk. This school, he says, is
known for its program. And though he
thinks it more likely he will wind up
crunching numbers for risk management for an insurance company, he
notes that sports teams use actuaries
as well and, he adds with a grin, “that
would be kind of a cool job.”
He has also been accepted to
Cornell, Tufts and Johns Hopkins. He
hasn’t ruled any of them out. He has
been waitlisted at Dartmouth, which
was his first choice.
Cameron loves numbers and has
since he was child. For that, he thanks
his mother. He said he got so excited
in first grade with his first arithmatic
class that his mother would give him
trickier work at home to enrich his
school experience. Everywhere he
goes, he says, he notices numbers. He
dreams, sometimes, “weird dreams
that have all these number patterns
in them.”
Tied for number one in academic
rank, Cameron has also immersed
himself in the the culture of his
graduating class. Although he could
call himself a leader – class treasurer
and liason to the school committee
– Cameron says he prefers to see his
role as a partner, a trustworthy friend,
but most of all, someone everyone
can count on.
Guidance counselor James F.
Buckman writes, “Cam is the super
achiever, but he’s also the guy who
makes you laugh with witty one liners. He can lighten up the mood in an
instant, help you with your Hamlet
essay, and tell you what the answer to
the question of what the s of x is. He’s
exceptional, more accurately brilliant,
yet a regular, truly all around ‘good
guy.”
Cameron credits this to his family.
“I am very, very close to my family,” he says. “We have family meals
together. We like spending time
together. My parents have always just
taught me to work hard and look for
the best in people. That’s how they
are.”
And why does his think his parents
are this way?
“It could be their faith. Our faith is
important to us,” he says, describing
how his dad’s father had wanted to
be a priest, but met his spouse. His
mom’s mother had wanted to be a
nun, but met her spouse. Although
love got in the way of his grandparents’ callings, he says, it never shook
their faith.
When asked how he hoped people
might describe him, Cameron says,
“I like to think I’m a little bit witty. I
hope they would say that I made kids’
days better. That I was helpful. That if
someone needed someone to talk to,
they would think of me. That I not just
listened to them, I really helped them
out.”
May 12, 2014
19
n CAPE COD ACADEMY n
Ron Schloerb
/ Cape Cod Times
James Schofield
rehearses for the
Cape Cod Academy production
of “Kiss Me Kate.”
He loves theater
in addition to
wanting to study
philosophy and
eventually be a
diplomat or ambassador.
James Schofield
On life goals: “I want to have a positive impact on society, I want to help people. It’s what a person should strive for. If
we’re here, we might as well do the most good for society and the people around us.”
G
By EMMA GAUTHIER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
enerally, teens groan at the
prospect of reading classic literature and philosophy in their
English classes. But James
Schofield would actually prefer to
reading the likes of Camus, Nietzsche,
and Dostoyevsky – he hopes to channel these world renowned minds as a
foreign diplomat or ambassador.
“Knowing literature is very important. Foreign affairs often reference
ideas in society, and one should see
the broadest branch of ideas possible,” James says.
Named an “intellectually curious” student by his teachers, James
reads and studies philosophy, and
sometimes even writes his own; he
expresses these ideas through poetry
and prose pieces. They enable him to
work with an idea and try to figure
out more about himself, specifically
what he thinks and believes, he says.
While he aims to explore ideas
and theories with people internationally, James also sees an end goal to
those discussions: he wants to help
people.
“I’d like to have a positive impact
on society as a whole, (and do)
something worth doing. It’s partly
my own interest, but I would really
like to have an effect on someone,”
James says.
How exactly he wants to help
society is uncertain, but he hopes to
gain a better perspective on that at
Columbia University this fall, where
he plans to study international relations.
By no means however, are politics
and philosophy his only interests. In
high school, James has dabbled in
Cape Cod Academy’s drama, chorale and musical theater programs,
where he played the lead role in this
year’s musical, “Kiss Me Kate.”
He started acting and singing in
middle school, and has participated
in various theater shows throughout his school career, performing
everything from Shakespearean
monologues to the role of Cogsworth
in “Beauty and the Beast.” He also
plays multifarious roles backstage as
well as onstage, and mentions that
the people he encounters make the
experience worthwhile.
“There are so many different and
great personalities. It’s a fascinating
experience with people you normally
wouldn’t get to know well,” James
says.
He also attributes some of his successes in high school to his parents
and teachers. James’ Latin teacher
introduced him to philosophy and
history though classical civilizations,
while his drama and English teacher
interested him in his AP Literature
class.
James says he’s especially grateful
for his parents.
“They’ve always been there for me,
and encouraged me to pursue my
curiosities,” he says. “I’m very happy
to have the luxury of doing that.”
20
R i s i n g S ta r s
Amanda
Pomeroy
n Bourne High School n
Philosophy: “I wanted to stress that life is what
you make it. You can go to college for your
parents, get good grades for your parents, but at
the end of the day, you have to do what you love
because it is your life.”
P
By GWENN FRISS
[email protected]
eople often praise Amanda
Pomeroy for her work
ethic in both academics
and athletics, but she says,
it wasn’t always that way.
Amanda was a passenger in
her mother’s car four years ago
when it was hit by another car.
Amanda broke her wrist, and
with it, her ability to be one of
the few freshmen playing as a
hitter (“Yep, the spike people,”
she confirms.) for the Bourne
High volleyball team.
“At Thanksgiving break, I
was really upset. I was saying,
‘Why did this happen to me?
I wasn’t doing anything.’Then
I realized anything can happen to anyone and everything
can change in a moment. Ever
since then, I’ve tried to make
every moment count.
“That was the turning
moment for me. Not a lot of
people know that.”
At 5-foot-8 inches, Amanda
was a natural for the basketball
she started playing at age 4 and
the Pilgrim Volleyball team she
joined in eighth grade, at the
suggestion of a family friend
who coached. When coach
Tim Acton was away recently,
Amanda, hired as assistant
coach, was in charge of running practices for a dozen girls
in grades seven through nine.
“It’s really been an eyeopener. As a player, you do one
thing, focus on one position,”
she says. “But as a coach, you
need to be able to demonstrate
all the plays.”
At Bourne High, Amanda is
a three-sport athlete, on varsity
volleyball, basketball and track
teams. She also works with her
school’s chapter of Students
Against Destructive Decisions
and volunteers with the local
food pantry.
“What impresses our staff
and I above all with Amanda
is her consistent ability to
work hard, produce superb
work, calmly lead by example,
while also involving herself in
a variety of groups and activities,” writes guidance counselor
Sean C. Burke.
Amanda says she’s chosen
activities that are different
from those of her sister, Abby,
who is only one year younger,
so they each have their areas in
which to shine.
This fall, Amanda heads
to the University of Vermont,
UVM, in Burlington to study
biology because it was the only
one of her three top choices
that had a hospital on campus.
“I hope to one day work in a
hospital as a lab technician or
pathologist,” she says.
Amanda credits her uncle,
Dr. Greg Pomeroy, with sparking her interest in the field, but
says she never wants to be a
doctor because of the bedside
manner needed. “I couldn’t
imagine myself telling someone
that their child was going to
die,” she says.
AP biology class fed her
passion for the field, says
Amanda, who took several AP
and Honors courses and, with a
weighted GPA of 4.6, is first in
her class of 125.
With her valedictorian’s
address looming, Amanda figures she has some interviewing
to do.
“I’m very nervous. I’ve never
done a speech in front of that
many people,” she says. “I plan
to talk to people about what
graduation means to them.
Then, I’ll write the speech.”
CHRISTINE HOCHKEPPEL/CAPE COD TIMES
Amanda Pomeroy enjoyed playing volleyball through high school, and was a key player on Bourne
High’s team, but imagines college will bring new challenges.
May 12, 2014
21
n Falmouth High School n
Joe Bergeron
On learning: “I think one of the trickiest
things to learn is to think abstractly and
think intuitively. Take math. High school
teaches you to use the formula and plug in
the numbers. But with college math, you think
about why things work.”
J
By GWENN FRISS
[email protected]
oe Bergeron’s interest in
composing on the computer started in sixth grade
when he and his friends
remixed electronic music and
sounds from video games.
From there, Joe – who studied violin at age four, later
adding jazz trumpet, guitar,
bass and viola – found a
whole new world, literally, of
listeners when he expanded
his interest and started writing songs regularly at https://
soundcloud.com/morningsounds.
The site has nearly 4,000
followers from around the
world, who listen, and comment on, compositions with
names including “Tree,”
“Tithe” and “Always.”
As you listen to the music
and vocals, you can see the
comments people have made
at various points in the song.
After one particularly haunting vocal passage, a listener
wrote, “Are you even human?”
Indeed, he is. And working
on putting out an album to
sell (songs on his website are
free now.)
Falmouth High guidance
counselor Joanne Holcomb
writes, “Joe is a remarkable
person and a talented person,
but most important, he is a
love! There may be people
world-wide listening to his
music online, but we have
him here at FHS, at least till
June 7!”
In the fall, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT)
will have him, an early
admission Joe says he was
relieved to get since the
Cambridge college was his
first and only choice.
“It’s been my dream to go
to MIT for as long as I can
remember,” says Joe. “I really
fell in love with the culture
there. Every person is passionate about what they’re
interested in.”
Joe says for him that will
be electrical engineering and
computer science or mathematics.
“I don’t really know what
I want to do after college. I
love building stuff so electrical engineering is pretty
amazing to me. But mathematics is pretty beautiful and
abstract.”
Joe says his dad, a maritime engineer, had a lot of
influence on his interests.
“He has a huge shop in the
basement,” Joe says. “He’s
always had stuff in the basement so I could take things
apart and put them back
together.”
Laura Bergeron calls her
son a self-made man: “He’s
pursued all these things
purely because he wanted to.
He took it to places we would
never even dream.”
Falmouth High guidance
counselor Susannah E.
Cronin writes, “Joe is one of
a kind. An old soul who has
sought out anything interesting and new, he has been able
to cultivate a world around
him filled with culture and an
awareness of all that has yet
to be learned.”
One of those things is an
elaborate form of origami.
Joe says, “I design crease
patterns. ... I use tessalations, geometric patterns that
repeat themselves.”
Joe wanted to be able to
create more natural shapes,
which he accomplished by
christine hochkepppel/cape cod times
Joe Bergeron in his home music studio. MIT sent the tube pictured with his acceptance letter, asking
each freshman to each make something. Joe is working on a motion-activated rain stick with lights
that cascade and spell MIT.
creasing the paper and then
straightening the edge while
leaving the inside pliable and
able to form various curves.
“I started doing origami in
fifth grade, but I started doing
this organic origami freshman year in high school,”
Joe says. “It took me a long
time to find the algorithms
and mathematical formulas
to make this work. It’s really
a great way for little kids to
learn math.”
But organic origami also
took Joe outside the rules
when he applied to MIT.
Although the application said
not to include any enclosures,
Joe sent along a three-dimensional model of the school’s
logo he created with origami.
“I think it was OK because
they had it on display at orientation weekend,” he says.
22
R i s i n g S ta r s
n Harwich High School n
Ron Schloerb/
cape cod times
Troy Sherman
follows his
interests, be
it studying
skiing part of
the year at
Okemo Mountain School
or interning
with an Italian
music critic.
Troy Sherman
Philosophy on life: “If you’re not having fun, there’s no point.”
T
By CINDY PAVLOS
CONTRIBUTiNG WRITER
roy Sherman is tied for first
in his class at Harwich High
School and may soon have a
major speech to write – for
his second graduation this year. Last
month, he composed a poem for his
graduation from Okemo Mountain
School (OMS). Since 8th grade, Troy
has spent almost five months each
winter at Okemo in Ludlow, Vt. While
there, he skis and competes at a national level, and excels in his rigorous
academic courses, overseen by his
Harwich teachers.
“Learning can be fun,”Troy says.
“A sound mind without a sound body
– it’s not good,” he says. “My athletic
side rounded me – I’ve reached my
own goals.”
Troy has staunch support from his
family. His parents, Lisa and Glen,
and younger brother, Garrett, drive
up to Vermont almost every weekend.
Glen works part-time as a handyman
at Okemo Mountain School to help
with Troy’s tuition there.
As a scholar commuting between
schools and as a competitive athlete,
Troy seems to have integrated these
diverse elements – and more – into
the fabric of his life. In addition to
skiing, he is a runner and leader of
the Harwich cross-country team. As
a scholar, he maintains a full load
of Advanced Placement and Honors
courses and has prepared himself to
apply to highly competitive universities.
Troy plans to attend Cornell
University in Ithaca, N.Y., where he
will combine his love of writing with,
possibly music or art history in a dual
major, and continue skiing.
Music occupies another important
part of Troy’s life. He has built an
album collection of more than 1,200
records.
“I have everything from Medieval
church music to Biggie Smalls,” he
says with pride, describing the pleasure of handling records and reading
album liners.
“It’s a different sound on vinyl;
sometimes it sounds dusty or crackly
– a CD is just not as connected to the
music.”
In spring and summer of 11th
grade, Troy landed an internship with
Piero Scaruffi, an Italian music critic
and historian who lives in California
and runs a multilingual music website.
Although Troy studies both Latin
and Spanish, he does not speak
Italian.
“Scaruffi writes in English now,”
Troy explains, “but his early reviews
were all in Italian. So I translated
them, using Google Translate.”
Inspired by Scaruffi, Troy is about
to launch his own music review website.
He is confident about his future
goals.
“I want to move to the woods and
write a book. I hope to still be skiing
and running, but I also want to stimulate myself intellectually. I have to
take charge of my own education.”
May 12, 2014
23
Rising Stars nominees
Lea Adams
Sandwich High School
Tessia Dvorsack
Cape Cod Academy
Josephina Leveroni
Barnstable High School
Caroline Rugo
Barnstable High School
Wilson Amezquita
Chatham High School
Joseph Egan
Barnstable High School
Lucas Martelli
Harwich High School
Melanie Sanders
Mashpee High School
John Andres
Barnstable High School
Elizabeth Ells
Barnstable High School
Kathleen Mason
Pope John Paul II High School, Hyannis
Kevin Schofield
Barnstable High School
Molly Bagg
Falmouth High School
Catherine Etienne
Sturgis Charter Public School
Hyannis
Ian McCartney
Sandwich High School
Holly Shanahan
Falmouth High School
Marissa Milkey
Pope John Paul II High School, Hyannis
Cole Silva
Sturgis Charter Public School
Hyannis
Jake Barry
Falmouth High School
Samantha Bartlett
Barnstable High School
Stephanie Nicole Bassett
Nauset Regional High School
Stelliana Rose Benson
Bourne High School
Mia Berger
Sturgis West Charter Public School
Hyannis
Michael Fenuccio
Pope John Paul II High School, Hyannis
Joshua Ford
Harwich High School
Ross Frankel
Harwich High School
Claire Gauthier
Sandwich High School
Benjamin Gibson
Pope John Paul II High School, Hyannis
Jackie Beynor
Barnstable High School
Brianna Girouard
Bourne High School
Jessie Beynor
Barnstable High School
Elizabeth Gorrill
Barnstable High School
Colleen Brady
Bourne High School
Kallie Hannon
Nauset Regional High School
Carolyn Brooks
Nauset Regional High School
Lucas Bernard Clatanoff Brown
Sturgis Charter Public School, Hyannis
Chloe Brumfield
Barnstable High School
Kristan Buotte
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School
Marie Chamberlain
Nauset Regional High School
Maddy Childs
Barnstable High School
Matt Cook
Harwich High School
Quinn Coughlin
Sturgis Charter Public School
Kyra Crossman
Sandwich High School
Anthony Diana
Cape Cod Academy
Adrian D’Orlando
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School
Patrick Hawe
Harwich High School
Gabrielle Healy
Sturgis Charter Public School
Hyannis
Angela Hu
Falmouth High School
Tyler Johnson
Nauset Regional High School
Lindsey Kelley
Harwich High School
Chris Kennedy
Barnstable High School
Caroline Kent
Bourne High School
Michael Kristy
Sandwich High School
Juliette Lacoste
Pope John Paul II High School, Hyannis
Jarek Lenda
Nauset Regional High School
Colleen Morin
Barnstable High School
Christa Mullaly
Barnstable High School
Matthew Mullin
Sandwich High School
Hayden Murphy
Barnstable High School
Katelin Oberlander
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School
Nicole O’Leary
Nauset Regional High School
Dereck Pacheco
Barnstable High School
Keturah Peters
Mashpee High School
Alicia Pierozzi
Barnstable High School
April Poole
Nauset Regional High School
Maggie McLean Quick
Harwich High School
Kayla Ralston
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School
Caroline Rennie
Falmouth High School
Lucas Repeta
Falmouth High School
Sierra Roberge
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Meghan Ruby
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
Ryan Rudewicz
Nauset Regional High School
Alexandra Rudyakov
Sandwich High School
Gabrielle Siroonian
Bourne High School
Alison Smith
Harwich High School
Johnny Stanton
Sandwich High School
Courcelle Stark
Falmouth High School
Madeleine Stidham
Cape Cod Academy
Meredith Sullivan
Sturgis Charter Public School
Hyannis
Hannah Taylor
Sturgis Charter Public School
Matthew Trzcinski
Trinity Christian Academy
Emily Turner
Falmouth High School
Daphne Vantine
Cape Cod Academy
Alexandra Wall
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School
Brittany Marie Wallace
Chatham High School
Robyn Whaples
Sandwich High School
Christopher Wingard
Nauset Regional High School
Jennifer Witzgall
Harwich High School
Caylee Wood
Mashpee High School
Zheng Wu
Cape Cod Academy
Ongie Wurfbain
Barnstable High School

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