Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 8, 1990 TAG: 9005050208
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Roberta Green Special to the Roanoke Times & World-News
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
This year, four students from Blacksburg High School have been selected as Virginia Scholars: Karen R. Plaut, Eric A. Shumsky, Jeremy T. Tyson and Mark B. Vaughn.
"We're very proud of them. We have a whole school full of exceptional students, and this just proves the point. These students are versatile and work hard. Besides having good grades, they're also involved in a wide variety of activities. . . . It's pretty remarkable to have four winners this year," said Principal Clinton LeGette.
Those Virginia Scholars selecting Virginia schools receive $3,000 awards, with up to three renewal years available for students who maintain a B average or better.
By the time they are selected, the students have gone through several screenings. Students are nominated by their high school and then entered in a pool of applicants reviewed by a committee of deans and directors of admission at Virginia colleges.
More than 1,000 high school nominations were received, and students were evaluated on test scores, grades, class rank, activities, honors, counselor recommendations and essays. Final selections were made by the 10-member Award Selection Committee.
Karen Plaut is studying this year in Germany with Experiment in International Living. Her father, Raymond Plaut, a Virginia Tech civil engineering professor, said his daughter will attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., in the fall to study engineering.
Eric Shumsky has declined the award and will attend Yale to study political science. A participant on the forensics team (and a three-time state champion), Shumsky has begun to hone skills that will help him reach his goal: the judiciary. "I considered UVa, and they do have a good reputation," he said. "It was a hard decision."
As for the distance involved in the change from Blacksburg to New Haven, Conn., Shumsky isn't concerned. He's done a great deal of traveling.
"After seventh grade, my family and I went to Europe for a year, and I spent my freshman year in France. Next year I'll be in Graz, Austria, because my father has a Fulbright [Scholarship] to go there. He's a history professor at Tech," he said.
In addition to his studies and forensics activities, Shumsky plays the clarinet, has been in state band for two years, and participated in the Governor's School last summer.
He will miss his circle of close friends, but Shumsky is excited about the programs at Yale, especially the guest speaker series, which he finds "fun, fascinating."
However, Shumsky does have at least one regret as he leaves Blacksburg High School. "I wish I'd run track, but I just never had time."
Jeremy Tyson came to Blacksburg a decade ago after having lived in Chicago, New York and Austria. Tyson also has decided to turn down the Virginia Scholar award, but it was a close decision.
"I've decided to go to Washington University in St. Louis, where I've won the Compton Scholarship that pays full tuition for a student in math or science," he said. "It was down to that or UVa."
For Tyson, the high school experience has been different from that of many students. Since ninth grade he has been taking his math at Tech; he now is enrolled in a graduate course in algebraic geometry.
"It's a challenge, and going to Tech has been really an experience," he said. "The professors have been helpful, and I've gotten to know some of them really well."
In addition to math classes this term, Tyson is taking his father's biology class at Tech. "He's a good teacher, and I think I'm doing pretty well in the class," he said. "His final was certainly thorough."
"I also spend a lot of my time on my music, even for recreation." Tyson plays percussion and piano.
"I'm sure I'm going to miss the atmosphere of a small town, and I'll probably be homesick at first, but I'm really looking forward to the experience."
Tyson hopes to continue his education through his Ph.D. and then teach at a university.
Mark Vaughan has decided to accept the Virginia Scholar award and to attend Tech to study engineering. Although his father is in agricultural engineering there, Vaughn is unsure of what kind of engineering he'll pursue. Also, his brother is at Tech studying soil and environmental science.
Vaughn has also played sports. "This year I was captain of the basketball team. It was fun, but it was also challenging. You couldn't be lazy because you're setting an example for the juniors and sophomores. They have to be able to look at you and say, `He doesn't quit.' "
Although he enjoys basketball, Vaughn hasn't been planning a career in that direction.
"I've always been pretty realistic about that. I've always known that I'm not going to be any superstar in basketball, although I've worked hard to be the best I could be. I was recruited by Cornell, but that's just too far north - I'm a Southerner at heart - and a few other places, but that's not what I want to do."
As he accepts the award, Vaughn looks forward to a summer job as a lifeguard and a college career that will offer him academic and "time" freedom.
"None of this would have been possible without the Lord's guidance and the support of family, friends and faculty."
by CNB