ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060018
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-46 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JONATHAN HUNLEY STAFF WRITER
Crystal Zerfoss' dream didn't include being third on the tennis team - the boys' team - or winning the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award.
And she didn't dream of being the co-captain of the volleyball team or winning a regional history award.
Although she's done all these things, she didn't dream of any of them.
Her dream was to go to Penn State. Now she'll get the chance to do that, too.
Zerfoss, a senior at Staunton River High School, said she wants to be closer to relatives in Pennsylvania.
"I just always wanted to go back," she said.
Zerfoss said she wants to major in psychology at Penn State. She will also try out for the Nittany Lions volleyball team.
"I'm looking forward to that," she said. "[Volleyball] is my stress reliever."
The 18-year-old, however, seems relatively free from stress now. Her self-starting personality has brought her success in high school.
For example, after only "seriously" playing tennis for two years, she outplayed all but two boys to place third on the team.
Zerfoss said she was never intimidated to play boys because of their gender - only sometimes because of their skill.
"I psych myself up by saying [the gender difference] gives me an advantage," she said.
Also, even with having to complete homework assignments and go to after-school practices, Zerfoss manages to find time to watch over her 13-year-old brother, B.J., when her mother works.
While she said she's glad that college will give her a change from her routine, Zerfoss said she'll miss the community feeling of Staunton River.
Her teachers have been almost like a "family" to her, she said, and the lessons they've taught her inside the classroom and out will stay with her forever.
Zerfoss will give the closing remarks at Staunton River's graduation on June 8 at 7 p.m. in the Vines Center at Liberty University. She seems content with the closing of her high school career as well.
"I think I've done the best I can do in high school and I hope I can leave something to the school," she said.
Zerfoss will graduate third out of a class of 224. Due to a Bedford County regulation, Staunton River does not choose a valedictorian or salutatorian, but rather recognizes the top 10 students in the class, said Brenda Peters, the school's director of guidance.
According to Peters, as of May 22, about 70 percent of this year's graduates will seek some form of higher education next year. Thirty percent will join the work force, some of those will go into the military.
Peters could not give a specific dollar amount for the scholarships that the class has earned because students are still receiving them. Some scholarships will not be awarded until graduation night, she said.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Zerfoss (headshot)by CNB