19 Yosemite scholars honored by Pitman awards

— Sherry Colgate

Yosemite High School seniors honored at Pitman Awards are: FRONT ROW:  Kristen Lee Lownsbury, Saranya Srinivasan, Brie Solaegui, Matt Wilkinson, Hilary Lucas, McKenzie Cox, Deanna Hendrickson, Andrea Starkey, Joy Barney, Bethany Nelson and Sarah Scott. BACK ROW: Justen Peek, Emily Branch, Melissa Skulley, Candace Muller, Ryan O’Hanlon, Adriana Aguilar, Leah Larson and Amy Rose Mecchi.

 

Yosemite High School

The 19 top Yosemite High School graduates, who are all class valedictorians, were honored last week as Pitman Scholars at a dinner for their family and friends. All of the students have at least a 4.0 grade point average (straight A’s). Some have higher than a 4.0 because they receive additional points for International Baccalaureate, Honors and Advanced Placement classes.

The Pitman Awards are given in memory of Paul and Martha Pitman who were instrumental in the formation of Yosemite High School in the early 1970s. Dr. Paul Pitman served as the first interim superintendent of the new high school district after it was formed in 1973.

Jack Hannah of the Sons of the San Joaquin served as master of ceremonies. A former teacher, coach and counselor, Mr. Hannah encouraged the students to continue to work hard and to be grateful to their parents or guardians for the foundation they gave them. “They've raised you right or you wouldn't be here,” he told the seniors.

YHS Principal Steve Raupp congratulated the students and their families on their outstanding achievements. He said he is extremely proud of this group of well-rounded students who excel not only in academics but in athletics, extra-curricular activities, the fine arts and community service.

Mr. Hannah reminded the students that much will be expected of them in the future because of their outstanding high school careers. He quoted Jesus who said, “To whom much is given, much is required.”

Bill Atwood, who represented the Elks Lodge, said this group of students did not believe “good enough was good enough; they have a standard of excellence.”

Mr. Hannah recalled that he had not been a good student until a professor told him he was gifted. He said he really didn't know what that meant, but when he found out, “It fanned a flame in my soul.” That remark from one professor set a new course for his life.

He told the students he firmly believes that extra curricular activities and community service should be required of all students. He also expressed his belief that communication is important in everything people do in their lives.

“It’s more important to be significant than to be successful,” Mr. Hannah said.

The Pitman Scholars themselves had something to say.

Adriana Aguilar says the most valuable thing she has learned is “that your family is the most important thing; they are the ones that are always there no matter what.” She says one of the most beneficial things she has done during school is working. “You really mature when there are no parents or teachers around to baby you and cut you slack. I gained a lot of maturity and became a lot more responsible.”

She volunteers at Children's Hospital Central California and says that experience has made her more compassionate and less selfish. “It is a great feeling to know that you can make such a big impact in the life of another person,” she says.

Joy Barney says she has learned that “you can never label people justly until you get to know them and that first impressions can't always be trusted.” She says she has also learned that every person she meets has something about them worth getting to know. Most importantly, she says, she has learned that “any struggle or situation that I faced in high school has shown me my need for Jesus Christ and confirmed my belief that faith can get a person through any and everything that must be faced.”

Emily Branch calls her four years of Spanish with teacher Steve Browning the highlight of her high school experience. “The passion he exudes when he teaches his Spanish classes gives his students a confidence and excitement about the subject,” she says. “I hope that no matter what field I enter, I will project as much passion and energy into my own work as he does in his teaching.”

McKenzie Cox has learned throughout high school that “trust in others is a key factor in being completely successful.” Her most memorable experiences have been trips to Australia and France which, she says, have had such a great contribution in molding her into who she is. She will enroll in the University of California with an undeclared major “so as not to limit my life's possibilities, and myself.”

She says her parents have had the most influence in her life, and “they are the last people in the world that I want to disappoint and I try my best not to.” She has learned what’s right and what's wrong from her parents through love and caring, “but when I need it they are strict and stern.”

Deanna Hendrickson says her interest in Spanish classes at YHS led her to become a foreign exchange student and live in Chile during the summer between her junior and senior years. Her family also hosted an exchange student from Brazil during Deanna's junior year.

She says her time in Chile gave her a broader view of the world as well as a taste of culture. “I had to be open-minded because everything I encountered, from clothing to world views, was new to me,” she says. She hopes to continue studying Spanish in college and to also study abroad. Her dream is to become fluent in Spanish and to be able to use it in the profession she chooses.

Leah Larson says there have been so many events and experiences in her high school years that it would be impossible to choose one or two special memories. However, some of her most memorable times were during Future Farmers of America [FFA] road trips. Other FFA activities were important to her as well, and she says Steve Ecklund, the FFA advisor “taught me how to emerge from my shell to explore the options around me.”

The most influential person in her life is her father. “No matter what was going on in my life, he has been there to help me deal with it in a respectable manner,” she says. “He has shown me how to be patient, work with other people, no matter how different their views and opinions are, and to stand up for what I believe in, even if the odds are against me.”

She says high school has been the highlight of her life and she would not have missed it for the world.

Kristen Lee Lownsbury says high school has been “an incredible time of growth and learning for me.” The people she has met with a wide variety of personalities has been helpful to her. “High school is not something I experienced on my own," she says. “I could not have accomplished half of what I did without the love and support of my family. My mom and dad are my biggest fans and never let me forget it.”

She is grateful to many teachers and staff members at YHS for helping to make her high school years so memorable. Some of her best memories are of volleyball and one of the biggest accomplishments of her life was making the varsity team as a freshman.

Hilary Lucas says high school has been an amazing experience. She is Associated Student Body president this year, capping four years of involvement at the school. “I am extremely glad that I chose to become involved,” she says. From her work in ASB, she says she learned a lot about leadership and responsibility “and I had a great time doing it.”

She is grateful to the teachers who “always went above and beyond what they were required to do, and helped me achieve my goals.” She shared her best times at YHS with her friends who were with her in good times and bad. “My friends helped be stay on track and not get caught up in the things that take many of my peers down the wrong road,” she believes.

Amy Rose Mecchi has learned “that most people aren't what you believe they are. Most people (even though you wouldn't expect it) care about you and would help you if a need arose.” High school led her back to her first love of teaching and she knows that any career other than teaching would not be for her.

“My parents have influenced me greatly over the years to do well in school and participate in extracurricular activities,” she says. Her most memorable experiences were from playing on the girls' basketball team. This gave her an opportunity to travel around the state, get in shape and form lasting friendships. “It was such a great experience,” she says.

Candace Muller entered high school thinking it was going to be one of the scariest places of her life, “Little did I know it would be filled with some of the most magnificent and memorable experiences and people that I could have ever hoped for.”

She says her friends and teachers were always there to support and encourage her in any way possible. Her friends have had a tremendous influence on her life. “They are so important to me and I do not know what I would have done without them.”

High school has prepared her to face the future. “I have realized how truly ready I am to start my life, and I feel that with everything I have learned, I am more than ready to.”

Bethany Nelson has found that the most valuable thing she possesses is time. “It is a gift from God that we can choose to either give to others or keep for ourselves. A gift that, when invested in the lives of others, can make our lives more rich and meaningful that we could have thought possible.”

The experiences she has had in high school have shaped her life and she would not trade those experiences for anything.

“Life is a gift ... that's the biggest lesson I’ve learned; and high school is a place where everyone has the chance to share it with the people they grow to love.”

Ryan O’Hanlon says high school has not only been about education but about learning to be social, meeting people and experiencing new things. The experiences he shared with friends are things he will never forget, such as going to Mexico or theme parks.

He has learned to be independent through his high school years and he says learning to take responsibility for his destiny and planning for his future has been most important.

His interest in biological sciences has led him to plan for a career as a research scientist. High school helped him realize his goals and taught him how to reach them. “High school has helped me cross the bridge from a child to a young adult with goals,” he says.

Justen Peek says high school has been a great experience for him in every way. “Over the past four years I have learned at least more than twice what I learned the other 14 years of my life,” he comments.

He is grateful for the positive influences he had in high school to help him become the person he is today. “I believe that even more important than getting good grades is learning the skills to become a good human being,” he says. “This is what I have learned to come to believe from the many coaches and teachers over the years.”

Sarah Scott hopes the room she has at the University of California at Berkeley will be as beautiful as the one she has at home. This room has been her retreat for the past six years, the place where memories are found in the stacks of work on the floor and the other items that have so much meaning for her.

“Everywhere I look there is a memory in this room,” she says. She will take some of her items with her to Berkeley, but not all of them.

Melissa Skulley has learned a lot in high school both academically and socially. She has learned how to find the good in people “and I think that is one of the most important things. Throughout my life I am going to have to deal with people and, having the ability to tolerate others no matter how they act, is very important to me.”

She says her teachers and her parents have been very important in her life. “I am so grateful for everyone in my life, and I couldn't be happier,” she comments.

Brie A. Solaegui was home schooled from sixth through eighth grade. “While my student skills were in worthy shape, I was inexperienced with public school and heading towards the unknown high school curriculum. Consequently, the decision was made that I would return to public school.”

She says she meandered from group to group until she found new people with whom she could effectively communicate. Many of these people were in drama and that is where she discovered that participation is the key to a fulfilling high school experience.

The people she met in drama made every day entertaining. She was part of the cast for Our Town and Mere Mortals. “Drama helped me to be a more confident speaker in the classroom setting while allowing for creativity in other areas. This will surely benefit me in the future.”

She also became involved in the Link program which is a student outreach that helps new students feel more comfortable in their new surroundings so high school can be a more rewarding and positive experience.

Saranya Srinivasan recalls a single, powerful moment watching television with her parents when she was 6 years old that ignited her true passion: Uncovering the mysteries of the human body as a doctor.

She has dreamed of being a doctor throughout the years and she has volunteered at several hospitals and medical centers, including Children’s Hospital Central California (formerly called Valley Children’s Hospital). “These experiences have allowed me to experience the world of medicine first-hand and strengthened my desire to become a doctor. To me, it is both amazing and wonderful how the field of medicine creates compassion between strangers.”

She will be enrolling in college to study medicine after graduation.

Andrea Starkey looks upon her four years of high school as the best four years of personal growth. “The events, people, and personal triumphs of my high school career have made me the person I am and the person I want to become,” she comments.

Much of what she learned in high school came from sources other than academics. She learned the importance of having confidence in herself and her personal capabilities. She has learned to be involved in activities in the school and the community and she has learned about dedication and diligence and about loyalty and friendship.

She praises her teachers for teaching her all of the elements she needs to be successful after graduation. “Their greatest accomplishment, as my teachers, was giving me the enthusiasm for learning that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Matthew Wilkinson says basketball has been the most important part of his life during high school and he has learned a lot from playing the sport. “My teammates taught me the importance of staying true to your friends and working together, while my coach taught me to be respectful, honest, obedient, disciplined, and most importantly to work hard and never give up.”