THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 13, 1994 TAG: 9406130184
SECTION: SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT PAGE: S1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By TRACIE LIGUID, Staff writer
DATELINE: 940613 LENGTH: Medium
Lewis is graduating as valedictorian at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth and as winner of the $4,000 top scholarship in the 34th annual Scholastic Achievement program sponsored by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.
{REST} But his academic schedule has been so rigorous that he'll be heading for Princeton University without having taken driver's education; he couldn't fit it in.
Lewis, 16, already juggles a schedule similar to a college student's: advanced placement classes in English, government and chemistry and honors physics. He dedicates the rest of his afternoon to to the Governor's Magnet School for the Performing Arts.
And for the last month of school, he increased his work schedule at WAVY-TV from Sunday-only to three hours each day after magnet school.
Lewis power naps during his carpool to work as a cleaner at the television station.
``Instead of just dusting or mopping, I do the lifting and the moving. She thinks that I never tire,'' Lewis joked, referring to his grandmother, who also is his work supervisor.
Lewis' other complaints fall short of a joke. ``People hold me up as an example but I don't think much of what I do. I never really take the time to look back. I just think `oh that's great' and go on.''
Lewis shies away from another badge of merit: Early graduation. ``I'm actually only graduating a year early,'' Lewis said. ``Most graduates are just turning 18. And I'll be turning 17 right after graduation.''
He skipped the first grade and has been taking accelerated courses since early high school.
In seventh grade, at age 11, Lewis scored 940 on the SATs. The following year, he improved the score to 1080. He earned a Johns Hopkins University scholarship to take a calculus course during the summer after ninth grade.
He earned a ``C'' average for the course at Old Dominion University. Dissatisfied, Lewis prompted his high school guidance counselor bend the rules in order to repeat the class at Churchland High School. The course was not being offered at his base school, Norcom.
And the rest is commuter and academic history.
Lewis' hard work both in and out of the classroom will fund his efforts at college. Lewis also won the Catherine B. Woodward scholarship for foreign languages and the Robert C. Byrd scholarship from the state board of education.
Lewis becomes more animated when talking about being a violinist. He plans to join to college orchestra in the fall, if the newspaper staff doesn't take too much time.
Lewis has been playing the violin since age nine after seeing a school performance. In the spring, Lewis played first-chair violin for Tidewater Area Musicians.
``I've been performing at least once a week,'' Lewis said. ``Sometimes three of four times a week during some months.''
Lewis' family takes a seat in the audience for most performances.
``It came to the point where my little sisters would say `I have to go to one of Laurence's concerts again!' he said while lightly stomping his feet and imitating 8-year-old Janelle and 5-year-old Tamara.
During his first auditions for All-Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Lewis' goal was a seat among the top 15.
The select orchestra's auditions requires the performance of scales, a prepared etude and a sight-reading section, where an original piece is composed for the try-outs
``I missed a whole note completely,'' said Lewis. ``And I remember thinking afterwards, `All I want to do is make it.' ''
Lewis fared better than he expected and took the tenth chair in the first section.
But he suffered a blow to his ego when he auditioned for a second year. He landed in the 11th chair in the second section of violins.
``I guess I was a bit more confident,'' Lewis laughed thinking about his uneasiness at the first rehearsal, recognizing and being seated after students who did not make the symphony the previous year.
The quick-thinker also passed on a valuable lesson learned. ``I got to play from a difference perspective and I got over one of the things I just assumed. Beating someone once isn't a true measure; it doesn't make you better than someone else.''
Amy Joslin of First Colonial High School and Nicole Emmons of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy each received $1,000 Scholastic Achievement scholarships.
Joslin (see page S15) is one of the four valedictorians of her school. She will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she plans to pursue medical education.
Emmons (see page S23) will attend Yale University. She is planning to become an architect.
{KEYWORDS} SPECIAL SECTION SUPPLEMENT SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT TEAM 1994
by CNB