Class of 2009 Graduation Stories

Andrews High

Kaciem Lynch and his five siblings were adopted by his grandparents when he was a year old.  Kaciem says his mother, who passed away last June after a lengthy illness, was addicted to drugs and did not want the responsibilities of parenting, which was why she handed off her parental rights to her parents.  Kaciem will be the first of his mother’s children to graduate from high school.  His oldest two siblings did not finish school and he has two younger brothers.  Kaciem is a member of the football team, track team and baseball team. 

Timdarius Thurston was six months old when he and his four siblings were placed in foster care.  While Timdarius and two of his brothers were placed in the same home, his younger twin brothers went to another home.  At the age of five his foster parent placement changed and he went to live with Ms. Doris Thurston, who later adopted Timdarius and his two older brothers.  Ms. Thurston, passed away in the summer of 2008, after which two families, the Bynums and the Hendersons took custody of Timdaruis. Timdarius lives with the Bynums in High Point during the week. On weekends he lives in Winston-Salem with the Hendersons.  Timdaruis met the Bynums when he was in the ninth grade.  Mr. Bynum noticed his wrestling abilities and that of his brother and became their mentor and coach.  Mrs. Henderson was Ms. Thurston’s boss for 21 years.  Over the years she and her husband developed a relationship with Timdaruis and his brothers. The Hendersons have been there for them throughout their high school and college careers.  During the 2008/2009 school year, Timdaruis was the regional and state wrestling champion for the 112-pound weight class.

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Eastern High

Amelia Sanchez-Garnica came to this country six years ago from Mexico.  She will be the first person in her family to graduate from high school. Even more remarkable is that Amelia does not live with her parents and has not all school year. She lives with friends and has continued to come to school on her own. She maintains a 3.4 GPA and plans to go to college in the fall.

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Grimsley High

Seth Stewart, a Grimsley High School honor student and soccer player, has received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

He plans to study aeronautical engineering and hopes to become a Navy pilot upon graduation from the academy.

Seth is the second of three children of Aaron and Beth Stewart.  He has completed eight AP/IB classes and has a 4.9 GPA. A devout Christian, he is an active member of Young Life, an organization of teen Christians. He also enjoys playing the guitar and a few rounds of golf in his spare time.

“The competition here at Grimsley and the different classes I have taken in my four years here,” have been very helpful, he said in an interview in his counselor’s office recently. “There are lots of teachers here that have been a strong influence on me.”

Michael Harrington, senior Seth’s counselor, who also knows Seth’s family well, described him as a well-rounded student: “Seth’s unique. With all that talent he doesn’t get arrogant.

Appointments to U.S. military academies are reserved for outstanding students who have been nominated by their congressional representatives. Seth was nominated by U.S. Representative Howard Coble.

Seth comes from a family of great athletes. His father, a psychologist, played quarterback for Duke’s football team. His older brother, Josh, was Grimsley’s quarterback and now plays on the football team at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Yuri Johnston was born in Russia. He was, someone informed him when he got older, the last of ten children. Yuri was the lucky one. None of the other nine survived because of his parents’ alcoholism. Yuri was born deaf.  He lived with his parents for a year before the authorities put him in an orphanage.  He was adopted by Summerfield residents Eric Johnston and Denise Spivey-Johnston when he was six years old and has lived here ever since. He is their only child.

Yuri hasn’t let his disability get in the way of living his life to the fullest.  He holds a second-degree black belt in karate. He is an avid weightlifter, plays centerfield for Grimsley’s baseball team and has been active with the school’s Army ROTC program, where he has won lots of medals. He also plays on a summer travelling baseball team.

Yuri, who will be graduating with a 3.3 GPA, will be attending Gallaudet University in the fall, where he has received a partial scholarship to play baseball. He plans to major in sports medicine.  Yuri has a passion for the deaf and hopes to devote his life to working with deaf people.

“I just want to influence other people and let them know that deaf people are ok,” he said. “We just can’t hear. We are just like other people.”

Suzanne Weaver, his counselor at Grimsley, added:  “Yuri is a remarkable young man who has made the most of his high school career. He has contributed to our Grimsley community through his involvement in baseball and our Army ROTC program. He will be an asset to the Gallaudet collegiate community too.”

Shaquille Jacobs battled leukemia for most of sophomore year.  For much of that year he was homebound. He spent his 16th birthday in the hospital. Shaquille fought hard. When he was cleared to go back to school, he continued to work out in the morning with his baseball team at Grimsley, often showing up before 6 a.m. even when he was sick and exhausted from chemotherapy. His battle with the illness attracted the attention of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ESPN, which featured him on the network and then flew him to Tampa, where he got to met several Major League Baseball players, including his idol Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies. He has completed six AP/IB classes and will be graduating with a 3.22 GPA. He will attend North Carolina State A & T University in the fall, where he will major in chemical engineering.

Preparation and hard work are the cornerstones of Libby Rodenbough’s success. Libby credits her parents with for her strong work ethic, which has earned her plaudits from both teachers and peers.

That hard work ethic has also garnered her a couple of prestigious awards for academic excellence. UNC-Chapel Hill, which she will attend in the fall, gave her the Morehead Scholarship. Libby was also named a 2009 Presidential Scholar.  As a Presidential Scholar, she will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. this summer. The trip includes a visit to the White House and the possibility of meeting President Barack Obama.

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High Point Central High

Despite her moderate hearing loss, Sarah Connor has emerged as one of High Point Central’s outstanding graduating seniors.  She was diagnosed with the hearing loss at the age of three and has worked hard to compensate for this disability. Because of the hearing impairment, she often misses the beginning and ending of word sequences, particularly in foreign language classes.  To keep up with her classes, she has to go home and re-read the materials from all her courses because of what she missed in class due to this impairment.  Her hard work has paid off. She will be graduating this year with an IB diploma.

Sarah leads a busy life outside the classroom.  She has a passion for the arts and is involved with the Greensboro Youth Chorus. She plays the flute and was nominated in music for the North Carolina Governor’s School Program.  She volunteers at the Piedmont Saddle Club, the Natural Science Center as well as the pediatric and cardiology department at Moses Cone Hospital. Sarah plans to major in elementary education at Elon University.  She is a 2009 finalist for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship.

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Northeast High

Hannah Black enrolled at Northeast during the summer of 2007.  It was her first time in a public school.  Before coming to Northeast High School, Hannah lived a very restrictive life. She was homeschooled by her parents and allowed few encounters with others. Her parents were very abusive. She was placed in foster care with guardians (whom she now refers to as mom and dad).

After reviewing her grades from her home school, Northeast could only give her credit for four classes. Her parents never submitted the work she completed during her 10th grade year; therefore, she lost those credits. To compensate for the loss, Hannah took two English, math and science courses last year and is currently taking two math and foreign language courses while maintaining a 3.8 GPA. She is also taking an I-School course through UNCG’s online college program.  In effect, Hannah has completed high school in three years – one at home and two at Northeast.  She has been accepted to NC State University in the fall.  Hannah is also active in school activities like the cross country and track teams. She has adjusted well and enjoys attending public school.

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Northwest High

Northwest High has the rare distinction of having two Morehead-Cain Scholarship recipients this year.  Approximately 35 of these prestigious scholarships are given statewide each year, which means most counties in the state have no scholarship recipients.  Those receiving the scholarships are Joel Hage and Rajakshmi De.  Both students have had extraordinary academic, leadership, and extra-curricular success.  In addition to covering full tuition and fees, the scholarship also includes summer programs abroad.  Joel is pursuing international relations and he felt the experience abroad with the Morehead-Cain foundation would be invaluable.  Rajlakshmi De will be attending Duke on a full scholarship.

Rajlakshmi De is also a Duke Trinity Scholarship recipient.  This scholarship is awarded to only one student who resides in one of the following counties: Guilford, Davidson, Montgomery, or Randolph.  This scholarship is estimated at $200,000 and includes a summer study abroad opportunity.

Northwest is one of only two high schools in the state that has seven teaching fellows this year.  The Teaching Fellows scholarship is a $26,000 scholarship to attend a designated school in North Carolina.  In addition to the financial assistance, the students are a part of the Teaching Fellows group at the college and have summer apprenticeships.  When accepting the scholarship the students commit to teaching in North Carolina for four years upon graduating from college.  This year’s recipients from Northwest High are:  Jennifer Ely, Aurora Espinosa, Nicole Langkamp, Brian McKenzie, Katie Nelson, Kim Seufer, and Adam Stork.

Kevin Kane, a student at Northwest whose art specialty is oil painting, has received more than $200,000 in scholarships. His work is so good he has four excellent colleges fighting over him.  He has decided to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, which has offered him $60,000.  He plans to pursue either graphic design or illustration.  Kevin’s extraordinary success in the classroom is another reason why the colleges are after him. His GPA is above a 4.0 (the counselor is trying to nail down this fact).

Northwest has three students with perfect test scores: Emily Ford, Ben Bucior, Cosmas Robless.  On her first try Emily Ford scored an 800 on both the math and verbal portions of the SAT.  In November, Benjamin Bucior scored an 800 on both the math and verbal sections and he has also scored an 800 on the math Level 2 and chemistry subject tests.  Cosmas Robless scored a perfect 36 on the ACT Test and has scored an 800 on the Math Level 2 and Physics SAT subject tests.

While searching for a high school senior project, Nathan Perdue decided to he wanted to do something that would enrich another life. He didn’t have to look far. The father of James Thompson, a teacher at Northwest with whom he had developed a close relationship since arriving at the school in his sophomore year, made his decision easy.  James Thompson’s father, Steven, is disabled and Nathan was determined to make his basement home more comfortable. Nathan  widened the doorway and the hall and made the bathroom accessible.

By the time the project was completed, the previously unfinished basement had become a new home of nearly 900-square-feet of living space.

“I was trying to make the senior project something more than just a project,” said Nathan , who aspires to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Nathan plans to attend East Carolina University this fall. He will play on the football team and plans to major in political science and history.

Sean Mealin’s hard work in his four years at Northwest High School has paid off handsomely.  He has received two scholarships to study computer science at North Carolina State University this fall.  One of the scholarships is from the Rotary Club. The other is from the Division of Services for the Blind, which will pay for him to attend any public college or university in the state.
It is a nice reward for a visually impaired student who spent four years diligently taking notes on his Braille computer and leaving nothing to chance. Mealin said his brother and sister inspired him to go to NC State. His sister recently graduated with a degree in animal science and his brother is a student there. 

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Page High

Der Hoang received a lung transplant during her freshman year and spent the next three years in and out of the hospital, causing her to miss many school days. During her senior year, Der was admitted to the UNC Chapel Hill three times following several health complications.  In February, Der’s medical team and Page school officials decided it would be in her best interests to be placed on homebound status for the rest of the year.  This has proved to be quite a challenge for Der because some of the courses require teacher interaction and classroom participation.  But Der is a determined young woman and her hard work has paid off.

The expression, “There is more than meets the eye,” truly applies to Taylor Starr. This multi-faceted student has developed into a fine, strong young man. His course selection while at Page has been very good, taking courses that challenge him to think and to be prepared for college. His SAT scores indicate his innate ability and his Advanced Placement (AP) test scores have qualified him to be an AP Scholar. Both of these factors are indicators of his potential success at the college level. Taylor has been on the Page basketball team for four years. In addition, he has been active in Young Life and in his church, and he has participated in the AAU N.C. Gaters basketball program for four years.

On a personal note, Taylor has dealt with a variety of issues that have impacted his life. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2007. During his junior year, he missed a lot of school because of his illness and had incomplete grades in three classes. In addition, he developed degenerative disc disease. He worked hard to complete his class work and finally earned the credits. His diabetes is not fully controlled, and he continues to struggle with it daily. However, he has become a stronger person. He has shown perseverance and learned important time management strategies. On a very sad note, Taylor’s mother has a terminal illness. He cares for her on a daily basis.  When other teenagers are spending time playing video games or on “Facebook,” Taylor is caring for his seriously ill mother. This is truly another testament to his strong character and his sense of purpose. 

Taylor will be attending Gardner Webb University and majoring in History. He hopes to be either a teacher or a counselor.

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Ragsdale High

Gina DeNaples will graduate near the top of her class this spring.  She has excelled in academics, taking mostly honors and AP courses and is a wonderful artist.  She is also deaf.  Gina lost her ability to hear when she was two months old.  She has been attending public school since 2nd grade and communicates through sign language.  She is a strong, determined woman.  Gina will be attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall.    

James (Tyler) Van Meter struggled with attendance and academics during his first two years in high school.  He was very intelligent but the drive to succeed just wasn’t there.  However, after being classified as a sophomore in the first quarter of his third year he had an epiphany.  With the support and encouragement of his teachers and other school staff, Tyler began to excel.  He passed all of his classes that year and has continued to achieve this school year.  It has been a long road but his determination will earn him a high school diploma this year.  Tyler plans to attend GTCC in the fall. 

Michael Morrison had a rough start to high school.  He got off track both academically and socially and had a hard time finding his way back.  This year he has really worked to turn things around.  He started the year with a huge list of “must do’s” in order to graduate and he has steadily worked through that list.  Graduation is on his mother’s birthday and all his hard work will allow him the chance to give his mother the greatest gift she could hope for: the opportunity to see her son earn his high school diploma.

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Smith High

Marcus Layer was recently recognized as a Gates Millennium Scholar. He is one of 1,000 selected nationwide. The GMS funds are available for Marcus to attend any US-accredited college or university of his choice. Marcus has chosen to attend the University of NC at Chapel-Hill.

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Southwest High

Andres Ballestero, a Coca-Cola scholar who was offered a $10,000 scholarship, has been accepted at Harvard.

Tariq Haamid has received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He also received a full ROTC scholarship to UNC-CH.

Anne Johnson was awarded a Trinity Scholarship to Duke University.

Southwest has four teaching fellows this year: Cody Weavil, Ashley Waldroup, Michelle Bruno and Chelsea Brewer.  All four will go to college on full-scholarships and must commit to teaching in North Carolina for four years upon graduating from college.  Weavil will attend Appalachian State. Both Waldroup and Bruno are bound for UNC-Wilmington. Brewer will attend UNC-Chapel Hill.

Mollie Brewer received the SECU People Helping People Scholarship. The scholarship is valued at $10,000.

Justin Outlaw was awarded a full scholarship to North Carolina State University.

Caroline Hill is graduating magna cum laude from Southwest High. This is an outstanding achievement due to the learning disability she has dealt with all of her life. In the second grade, she was diagnosed with Central Auditory Processing Disorder. The speech processing centers of her brain cannot distinguish one sound from another, so speech is heard as muddled sounds without filtering of background noise. She does not have an actual loss of hearing, but her brain does not easily process verbal instructions. Many teachers in Guilford County Schools and at Sylvan Learning Center helped her throughout the years. In high school, Caroline was honored with Beta Club and National Honor Society memberships. She also became secretary of the French Club and took five levels of French. She earned nine hours of college credit by taking online iSchool classes from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro during her senior year. Caroline will be a freshman at UNC-Greensboro this fall and is interested in pursuing a sociology or social work degree.

Mohsin Shafi’s quiet nature belies his list of accomplishments and student activities. In his four years at Southwest High School, he distinguished himself inside the classroom – and out.  At Southwest, he was involved with the student council, Beta Club and National Honor Society. He also volunteers with Special Olympics.  Mohsin has big dreams. He will attend Wake Forest University this fall. He plans to major in pre-med. Moshin hopes to become either a neuro-surgeon or a cardiac surgeon.

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The Academy at Central

Eddie Pritchett is this year’s class Valedictorian.  He has earned 8 college credits this year at GTCC Jamestown.  Eddie is a first-generation college student who will continue his studies in Medical Careers next year at GTCC on the College Tech Prep Tuition Scholarship.

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The Middle College at GTCC - Greensboro

MacKenzie Ruickoldt struggled academically and with attendance before coming to the Middle College @ GTCC Greensboro.  At the Middle College, MacKenzie has achieved considerable academic success. She consistently makes As and Bs in her honors level high school courses and in her college courses.  She says the small class sizes at the Middle College helped to contribute to her success.  She will graduate high school with more than 30 college credit hours and has made GTCC's dean’s list.  MacKenzie has accomplished this while working an average of 25 hours per week since her sophomore year in high school. She plans to attend Western Carolina University in the fall.

Brittany Black, a single parent, is this year’s valedictorian.  She will graduate high school with more than 40 college credit hours.  She has also made GTCC's dean’s list.  She has been involved with the Greensboro Youth Council for the last four years.  Brittany is the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, Camara.  She credits the flexible schedule at the Middle College with her success. She said the school made it easy to succeed academically while caring for her child.  She plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the fall.

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Western High

Cody Coffer has battled tremendous obstacles throughout most of his young life. He lost his mother when he was four and was raised by his father. In November 2007, he developed a flesh-eating disease. He was hospitalized for months. He lost half of one arm and some fingers on the other hand.  Cody has a positive attitude and a spirit of determination   He has been accepted at Appalachian State.  He plans to study psychology.

Bryan Daniel is a well-rounded student. He has volunteered at Camp Carefree.  He worked there as a counselor for one week in the summer of 2007 and for three weeks in the summer of 2008. He got a team of 10 people together for a workday to clean up, pick up trash, weed gardens, and clean windows at the camp. Bryan built a porch on one of the camp buildings and replaced damaged boards on benches. He also volunteers with Kids Vote, Special Olympics, and Saint Paul’s Roman Catholic Church. He is captain of the soccer team and is an all-conference and all-region. He is also an all-Conference in track. Bryan is graduating summa cum laude.

Augustine Owusu had to overcome language and cultural differences when he moved to the US from Ghana in 2006. Although he had learned some English in school, he mostly spoke Twi and French. He wanted to study science, but was not accepted into the high school of his because he didn’t have the grades. The rejection took a toll on him emotionally and his grades suffered. But he overcame and now he is graduating with honors (magna cum laude).  He plans to study medicine and will enroll at either UNCG or NCSU this fall.

Danielle Simpson has come a long way. She overcame autism. While she still has difficulty in social situations and struggles with being anxious, she has made tremendous progress in her four years at Western. This year she is taking electronics at Weaver, participated in a program at NC A&T, and attended prom. Danielle is graduating with honors and plans to attend GTCC.

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