Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506080070
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The class earned a total of $340,000 in scholarships, according to guidance counselor Barbara Houston. She suspects that figure - which includes only scholarships reported to the school - is a record. But it will take checking old files this summer to know for sure.
What the bumper crop of scholarships definitely indicates is determination. "It does take a lot of initiative on the part of the individual to earn a scholarship," Houston said.
That means academic initiative, such as that shown by valedictorian Soon-Il Song, who wants to start toward a medical research career with his four-year scholarship to a small liberal arts college. And it takes in athletes, such as track star Bethany Eigel, now headed to James Madison University on scholarship.
Among the 182-member class graduating at 8 p.m. today, 71 percent will be going on to some type of post-secondary education, either four-year or two-year programs. Two class members are enlisting in the Navy; another two in the Marine Corps.
For those headed to a university, all but 12 will remain in state, and among those, Virginia Tech and Radford University are top choices. "We're all staying local," explained Stacie Swain as she stood with a clutch of friends awaiting Wednesday's graduation rehearsal. She's headed to Tech to study chemistry. Standing beside her, Nathan Stallings said he's going to major in political science at Radford.
Erin McIntyre is heading to Radford, too, armed with a $20,000, four-year "Bright Future" scholarship from her father's employer, Kimberly-Clark Corp., and a $1,000 scholarship from the Radford University bookstore. "I decided last year that I wanted to go to Radford," McIntyre said. She wants to major in elementary education. "They have a good program in that. Also, it's close to home."
McIntyre's also playing a role in graduation: She and two other students will sing the aptly named song "High School Graduation Day" during commencement. "It sounds corny but it's a really good song," she insists.
Most of the singing Matt Lucas does is "in the car with the windows rolled up," the senior concedes. Yet it's a $15,000-a-year music scholarship that will send the lifelong Montgomery County public schools student to the University of Miami this fall. The saxophonist said he's "excited and happy about going on to newer and better things" down south. Lucas is the class salutatorian and doesn't begrudge coming in an academic second to valedictorian Song.
"We're pretty good friends but we sort of pick at each other," Lucas said of their rivalry.
Song, armed with with a full-tuition scholarship, is headed to Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, which has a close connection with Hershey Medical Center. He intends to pursue a pre-medical undergraduate degree, then attend medical school with an eye toward becoming a cancer researcher.
"My purpose in life .. is to help others," Song said. Research "turns out to be one of the best ways for me to help others."
Described by a counselor as a "renaissance man," Song combines math and science skills with a penchant for literature and the humanities. He helped found "Illusions," the high school's new literary magazine, and edited the 173-page collection of poetry and prose. "I tend to have an interest in every subject," Song said.
Ryan Schutt is another senior who has put his academic interests to good use. He's earned a $500 scholarship to help study computer science at Tech. Schutt used his computer skills to help beef up the high school's "home page" on the Internet (address: http://www.bev.net/education/schools/chs/index.html). His additions include a "virtual walk-through" of the school featuring 17 photographs. He also added faculty profiles, some with photographs.
For many of the seniors, graduation tonight will be emotional. "I'll have my box of tissues ready under my chair," said Sherri Blevins, the class president.
For Jessica Shepherd it's a major milestone. Shepherd, 22, has been attending the school for eight years at the forefront of the "inclusion" movement. That's the effort, pioneered in Montgomery, to include mentally and physically disabled students in regular classrooms a majority of the time.
Shepherd said she "liked it fine" at Christiansburg, particularly health and physical education classes. Her mother, Dorothy, said Jessica should be moving into a developmental day program in Radford. "I know she's going to miss being in school," Dorothy Shepherd said. "She cried if she didn't get to come to school."
Number of Graduates: 182
Valedictorian: Soon-Il Song
Salutatorian: Matt Lucas
Time: 8 p.m. today at Christiansburg High School's gymnasium
by CNB