Top Ten Students At NHS Reflect On Present, Future

By Larissa Lytwyn

On June 7, 12 days before graduation, the 2004 Newtown High School yearbooks arrived. While the high school scene has long inspired scores of Hollywood satires, from Clueless to Mean Girls, it can also be an impetus for the less glamorous but just as characteristic times of accord.

This sense of unity was on full display June 7, as hundreds of students, from freshmen to seniors, converged in the lobby. Students who had purchased a yearbook pressed forward to acquire theirs. Within minutes, clusters of students were united across peer groups and grade levels, a yearbook open at the center.

Like many soon-to-be-graduates, this is a bittersweet time for the Class of 2004. While many admit they won’t miss the early start times or the “cliquiness” of the high school social scene, all agreed they would miss their friends, classes, and teachers.

The cover of the 2004 yearbook is adorned with four signs pointing students in various directions, from college and career to traveling around the world. The fourth sign is inscribed with the word “excellence,” assuring students, and graduates in particular, that there can be myriad paths to success.

Recently, the Class of 2004’s top ten students — Valedictorian Carolyn Brennan, Salutatorian Tyler Hull, Alana Jacoby, Caitlin Weber, Matthew Abrams, Diana Bowen, Eric Fisher, Kathleen Mayer, Bethany Ober, and Brett Eastman — reflected on their favorite high school memories and postgraduate plans.

Valedictorian Carolyn Brennan said that as her years passed at Newtown High School, she became increasingly “confident,” a sentiment shared by each of her fellow top-ten achievers. “I really found [my niche] in running,” she said, noting her involvement in girls’ cross-country. This year she served as senior captain with fellow top-ten student, Bethany Ober.

Involvement in extracurricular activities, she said, helped her form strong bonds with her peers. Not surprisingly, she said that she would miss her friends most after leaving Newtown High School. “After high school, everyone goes in different directions,” she said.

“One thing I won’t miss, though,” she added, with a laugh, “is the early rising time! I like how at college you can [largely] arrange your schedule.”

While she enjoyed all her subjects, she especially liked math and the sciences.

She recently began writing her graduation commencement speech. “I enjoy public speaking,” she said, “so I don’t mind doing it. However, I am not precisely sure what I want to include in it yet!”

Carolyn will be attending Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., this fall.

Salutatorian Tyler Hull said that he has definitely grown and matured since first entering the halls of Newtown High School. Among his high school highlights, he said, was serving in student government as well as being a captain of the boys’ cross-country team this year.

He said he is “leaning toward science” when he decides to formally declare a major at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. “I really liked Williams because its small and in a rural environment,” he said. “You can have a great one-on-one rapport with your professors.”

He appreciated, he said, the “security” and “routine” Newtown High School offered. One thing he will not miss, however, will be “all the work!”

One of his last assignments at Newtown High School will be writing his graduation speech. “I am aiming to create something lighthearted,” he said.

As for what he will miss most, Tyler admitted that he would miss his friends.

“Some say that high school is the best time of your life,” he said. “But you’re 18 — you’re right at the beginning of [your] life.”

Perhaps his senior quote from Winston Churchill sums it best: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Alana Michele Jacoby fondly recalls her experiences on the Debate Team. One memory that particularly sticks out is the day the Newtown High School team beat Xavier High School, a private boys’ Catholic high school in Middletown. Xavier’s team was very polished, down to their coordinated outfits.

She described her team’s success as “empowering.”

Alana said becoming involved in extracurricular activities helped her become more outgoing. Her achievements at Newtown High School include her involvement with the French Club. This year, she served as one of the club’s presidents.

She said she would miss her friends most, as well as her teachers and classes.

Alana will be attending Brown University in Providence, R.I., this fall.

Caitlin Elizabeth Weber said she cherishes the time she had on the girls’ cross-country team. This year, she served as co-captain with one of her closest friends, Valedictorian Carolyn Brennan.

“I loved being on the team,” she said. “There were a lot of wonderful people involved and I have a lot of great memories from that time.”

Caitlin will be attending the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., this fall.

“I love so many things and have so many interests I’m not exactly sure what I want to major in yet,” she said with a laugh.

While she said she would miss her friends at Newtown High, she added that she would definitely not miss the “cliquiness” often so prevalent in high school.

Matthew Jason Abrams cherishes friendship. “I will definitely miss my friends here,” he said. “I have had a lot of good times!” In friendship, he values loyalty most.

His senior quote seems to sum it up best: “Real integrity is doing the right thing knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”

He said he enjoyed math and the sciences most in school.

A member of the Chess Club, Matthew was part of the club’s efforts last fall to introduce chess to students at Reed Intermediate School. He also enjoyed playing Frisbee as past part of the Frisbee Club

He plans to attend Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., this fall.

Diana Maria Bowen said that her experiences at Newtown High School have helped make her more forthright and expressive. “I’m definitely more confident,” she said.

Her extracurricular activities included her participation on the girls’ swim team.

“I have a lot of good memories from that time,” she said.

The many lessons she’s learned while at NHS are reflected in her senior quote: “I’ve learned that goodbyes hurt, pictures never replace having been there, memories bring tears, and words never replace feelings.”

She said that she would miss her friends most after leaving Newtown High School.

Diana will be attending the University of Pennsylvania this fall.

Eric Ethan Fisher, editor of Newtown High School’s student-run newspaper, The Hawkeye, will continue to pursue his passion for graphic design at the University of Pennsylvania this fall. “I started out on The Hawkeye as a staff writer my freshman year,” Eric explained. “I also really loved graphic design, really got into it. I became The Hawkeye’s graphic designer, and now, their editor.”

Eric, his warm brown eyes flashing mischievously, said his most outstanding memory at Newtown High School was the time he got detention for becoming stuck in a giant protractor.

“There was this giant protractor in one of my math classes,” he explained. “The kids were daring me to see if I could fit inside it. I could — but I got stuck!”

To free himself, the oversized plastic tool had to be broken. While he didn’t have to reimburse the financial damages, he did have detention.

“It happened my junior year,” Eric reflected, shaking his head with a weary smile. “And I will never forget it!”

He said he would miss “the people” most at Newtown High School. “Especially the newspaper staff,” he added.

In addition to graphic design, Eric has an interest in architecture. “When I was younger, I drew pictures of Newtown, of my house,” he said. “It just came naturally. Then I learned how to actually make the blueprints. It’s just kind of grown from there.”

Kathleen Halley Mayer drew a giant pro and con list of her top two choices, the University of Connecticut and Cornell University.

“In the end, I decided UConn was best for me,” she said. “It wasn’t too far from home and it didn’t break the bank, either.”

She laughed.

“I definitely wouldn’t want to graduate in debt!” she added.

Kathleen credits her years at Newtown High School for opening her up more socially.

She also became engaged in many of the different types of class the school offers, including psychology.

“I found psychology really fascinating,” she said. “It really helps you understand who you are as a person.”

Her fondest memories, she continued, can be traced to her involvement in the Drama Club. “My freshman year, the fall play was [Shakespeare’s] The Taming Of the Shrew. I really love that play. I became involved in the technical aspect of it and really fell in love with it, particularly with set design.

“It was always just a fantastic feeling to see the set you helped make on stage,” she reflected. “It just gives you a wonderful sense of accomplishment!”

Bethany Gorham Ober said that her years at Newtown High School have made her markedly less shy. “I’ve definitely grown more outgoing, more confident,” she said.

She credits her friendships and relationships with peers in extracurricular activities including marching band with increasing her self-assurance.

“This year, I was a drum major [in Marching Band],” she said proudly.

Bethany was also a recipient of this year’s prestigious National Merit Scholarship. Candidacy is based on PSAT performance.

Bethany is looking forward to attending the University of Connecticut this fall.

“I would like to major in English, political science, and Spanish,” she said. “I’d like to someday be fluent in Spanish.”

Brett Eastman, a Newtown High School football player, said he would miss his time on the field. “I have a lot of good memories from that experience,” he said. Through his years at Newtown High School, he said he had grown “both emotionally and intellectually.”

“I think I have grown more respectful,” he said, “and more appreciative of the things I have. I feel very grateful.”

One thing he would not miss would be Newtown High School’s “ridiculous rules.”

 “I don’t like how there is a fee to park,” he said. “I also don’t like how you can’t leave school grounds even if you have a free period.”

But all in all, he described his experience at Newtown High School as a positive one.

“I’ll miss my friends and teachers a lot,” he said.