TJ’s top five seniors discuss where they’ve been, where they are, and where they plan to go.
Clockwise from top left: Marelle Davey, Nicole Brown, Luke DeGregori, Mitch Mankoff, and Sean Gonzalez. Photo by Hanna Kazlouskaya.
As I sat in a dimly-lit classroom after school, surrounded by my school’s top five senior class academic students, wielding a whittled-down pencil and a static-engulfed tape-recorder, I didn’t expect the conversation to end in laughter. After all, these were the top five seniors; school is a serious subject. Nonetheless, there we were, chuckling at confessions and laughing hysterically at the most absurd of stories. After over half an hour of deep conversation, I began to understand what brought the students I was sitting with to the positions they are in.
What would you say is the process you guys have gone through to get to where you are today as the top five seniors GPA wise?
Marelle Davey – Freshman year, I didn’t really know even what a valedictorian was; I really didn’t understand class rank or even think about it. But I just did all the work in my classes and I ended up getting straight As. I then learned I was number one in the class, which meant I was valedictorian. I just didn’t really want to let it go from there. So I did whatever it took to get straight As or just do as well as I could in all of my classes so I wouldn’t drop in that position.
Sean Gonzalez – I think it has to do with a lot of reading, because I know last year for Poole’s government class you had to keep up by reading the textbook. Same with any other class; I make sure to read the textbook and do more outside of class than just inside of class.
Mitch Mankoff – I’d definitely agree with that.
Nicole Brown – I’d have to say you have to be dedicated. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. For instance, if your friends wanted to go do something on the weekend and you had homework to do you had to choose whether you wanted to go do that or get a good grade. So it takes a lot of balance.
Luke DeGregori – I agree with Nicole. Sometimes, it’s hard to miss out on something you really want to do because you have a test the next day, or a large packet due. But, in the end, I really think it pays off. If you get your work done early, then you can really have fun later in the week without an overdue homework assignment hanging over your head like an H-bomb.
How do you feel being in such a high position in our class now that you’re seniors?
Marelle – Basically, when I think of valedictorian, I just picture myself making a speech at graduation. This doesn’t really sound good to me, because I’m not a great public speaker or anything. But I like the idea of being remembered for something.
Sean – I just like the competition, especially with me and Mitch over here. We battled it out for the third spot with Rachael Newman and Nicole Brown. We were all really close. And we’d always go up and down based on certain semesters, so I thought the competition was great.
Mitch – Yeah, the competition factor. I know me and Nicole have been going for it for the last 12 years, we’ve known each other that long. You’ve got that whole “Super Citizen” thing, do you remember that Nicole?
Nicole – In 5th grade? Yeah.
Mitch – I was pretty envious of that. (Nicole laughs) I’m number… what number am I, 4? (Turns to Nicole) Ha, you’re number 5.
Nicole – (Laughs) Yeah, whatever. Marelle and me were tied for first for a while, and then she decided to over achieve. It makes me sad that I dropped, but also, I know you guys have worked hard for it and I know I applaud you on taking so many AP classes.
Luke – Well, while I’m very humbled to be where I am, I’m mainly feeling just nervous about making a graduation speech! It’s certainly very intimidating.
What would you say is your favorite aspect of TJ? Why do you like going here every day?
Marelle – I would definitely say the people and the atmosphere, along with the teachers. We have a lot of great teachers. We have Mr. Vore, who’s an awesome teacher. Although there are fights, drama, feuds, and just the classic high school stuff, TJ just feels closer. If I don’t know a person in my class, I know of them, or I know who they are. It’s just a little feel-good community because of the small student body.
Sean – Besides just talking to these crazy people you meet everyday, or have met in your life, I just personally enjoy school. I enjoy the rigorous class work that you get. And the teachers really do care about your grades, and they make sure you’re doing well and you’re understanding, and that’s always helpful.
Mitch – Going along with Sean, teacher-wise, the whole TJ community cares about how you do in school and they want to see you succeed.
Nicole – TJ’s a small school, and so, in that sense, we get more in-depth, one-on-one tutoring and stuff. We’re all a family, and we all help each other out, and it’s not going to school one day and seeing a new person. Everybody knows everybody, so it’s nice to have that family atmosphere.
Luke – I’d have to follow-up everyone else. The atmosphere here is incredible. Not only are the teachers some of the best I’ve ever had, but I really feel as though TJ is a very family-like community. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else; I just wouldn’t be the same. It’s really outstanding how accepting everyone here is.
Do you think the school’s tight-knit community comes from its size, or is there something else to it?
Marelle – I do think the size is definitely a big factor. I think because of the size, everyone gets to know each other much more easily, and everyone gets bigger groups of friends. You just know the people in the halls, and that makes everything more comfortable. I feel like there’s less pressure here too, and I would compare it to East. I feel like East is pressured to party and stuff, and TJ just isn’t the same.
Sean – I think a lot of it comes from many of us going to the same middle school together. Or knowing each other from just before high school…
Nicole – We’re all from Hamilton aren’t we?
Sean – Yeah, this group of five is all from Hamilton, so we’ve all known each other for a while.
Mitch – We’ve all grown up with each other.
Luke – True. I’m really glad I’ve known so many people here for so long. I think that makes the school just a really comfortable place to be yourself. And, again, I think the people here are incredible, not only as a community, but as individuals.
Nicole – It’s definitely a community. It helps that we all live near here too, so if we need to have a study group, we can all go and help out each other. And going along with that, I love how our community is in a nice neighborhood.
Have there been any specific students or teachers that have really stood out in your years in high school and helping you get to where you are?
Sean – Mr. Poole. Because last year, the first thing he said was, “There’s no way you’re getting an A in my class,” and so I was like, “You know what, now I will.” And I ended up doing that, so I think that was a huge motivator.
Marelle – Mr. Vore for sure. I didn’t really even know what physics was before him. Sophomore year I was in Chemistry and I really enjoyed chemistry, and I was really good at it, and I was planning on doing AP Chemistry Senior year. But I had to take Physics, that was the track they put me on. So I went into physics, not really knowing what it was. And Mr. Vore just got me super excited about physics. He always talked so much about engineering too, and I just liked physics so much I didn’t want to leave it. So I stayed in AP Physics. And, well, Mr. Vore is a phenomenal teacher, but I’d say the teacher who’s inspired me the most is Mr. Poole. I didn’t really become close with him until last year, when I had AP Government with him and played soccer for him. But he just has a way of setting unknown or subtle expectations. He doesn’t flat out say, “I expect this from you,” he just sets precedents that you should impress him or make him proud. He’s been a big mentor for me during my junior and senior year.
Mitch – For me it’s Coach Nicolo. He’s really gotten me where I am today, as far as being president of DECA and the whole marketing scheme.
Nicole – As much as I would hate to say it, Poole has helped me a lot throughout my high school career. He’s given me pep talks, and he wants to see you succeed. And he doesn’t come out and tell you, “You need to do this,” he makes you have to work for it, which makes you work harder, because he wants you to respect him. I’d also like to thank Ms. Rocha, because this year she’s helped a lot with college stuff. I wouldn’t be accepted to all my universities without her.
Luke – For me, it’d have to be Mr. Vore and Mr. Spampinato, both for very different reasons. Mr. Vore is simply a flawless teacher. He has so much passion for what he does, and he’s one of the few teachers I’ve had who can get me as excited about schoolwork as he is. That’s what really got me into astrophysics; a remarkable teacher. With Mr. Spampinato, I think it’s really his experience that makes him stand out as an incredible teacher. Not only is he an amazing motivator, editor, and speaker, but he’s also very easy to talk to one-on-one. He’s the type of guy that you could go to for anything, about anything, and he’d never look down at you afterward. He’s kind of like the school’s resident wise-man; it’s kind of creepy how much he knows. He’s been a huge factor in my high school career, and there’s no way I would be as successful or as confident as I am now without him. The past two years have been a breeze with Vore and Spamp helping out.
What would you guys say is your favorite activity or class at school?
Sean – What do I do? I think I really enjoy – and this is just an overall category – the social studies department at our school. Whether it’s psychology, world history, or government, just whatever I’ve taken that has to do with history, TJ does a pretty good job at teaching and making it – at least for me – enjoyable.
Marelle – AP Physics. I feel like AP Calculus too, because I really like Ms. Witulski, but Physics just has that wow factor. Everything in it is so cool. I’m also in yearbook, so I do a lot of yearbook-related things when I have the time to. And I really do like that kind of stuff; InDesign, Photoshop, and all of those other design things. I’m also involved in web design with Mr. Esparza. So I really like messing around with all those graphic-type programs.
Mitch – I think the CTE department is definitely the best, no offense to the history [department] (Sean laughs). Technology has obviously taken over our future, and what it does is what we are being groomed to do.
Nicole – I agree with Mitch, I love our computer magnet program. Last year, I was in the broadcasting class, and I got to experience it and be an anchor, and I realized that that’s what I want to do. So that’s shaped where I want to be in four years.
Luke – I’m also really big on the Computer Magnet and journalism program. If I had to choose my absolute favorite activities here, it’d be playing in the orchestra, writing for newspaper, and geeking out about physics. It’s just what keeps me happy.
What sorts of leadership roles have you guys taken at TJ? What do these leadership positions do for you?
Sean – I’m an officer in NHS. It makes me want to be a better person within TJ, and not just be the guy putting people down. I try to talk to anyone I can, just to show that we are a good school. Even outside the community, if I’m wearing something that’s TJ related, I want to make the school look good. We are a great school.
Mitch – I’ve got two years as far as being a DECA officer, and I’m president this year. I’ve also been a captain on the baseball team for the past two years. The leadership quality I want to have has really stepped up to those things.
Marelle – I’m the Editor-in-Chief of Yearbook. I think it sets me up with projects for any classes that I do. I can make them look good. And I have some background in video-editing for video projects and things like that. In whatever profession, it’s nice to know technology because our entire world is moving into more and more technology. So knowing how technology works, and how computers work, and how programs work, will help a lot in the future.
Nicole – I have the great honor of being all-school vice president. It’s cool because I want to be involved in TJ. You don’t want to go through your high school years just going through it. You want to know all the administration, you want to be there and get involved, so I think I’ve done that, and helped better TJ as a community, I’d like to think.
Luke – I’m the Editor-in-Chief of the Newspaper. To be honest, when I first got the position, I was terrified. I had never really been in that sort of leadership position before, and I was positive I wouldn’t be assertive or confident enough for the job. I usually just enjoy being the behind-the-scenes kind of worker, and that’s what I was my junior year in the newspaper, just a contributing writer and editor, not really the head of anything. But the job has definitely boosted my confidence beyond belief, and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve had a lot of fun this year in the position, and I’ll be really sad to leave it.
What sorts of obstacles have you guys overcome throughout high school and your teenage years?
Marelle – Stress, I would say, is the biggest obstacle, especially this year. There’s a lot on my plate, especially this semester because the yearbook was due before Spring Break. So we had to get everything put together and finalized. And being the head of that, I kind of have to do everything. So that can be stressful. Basically all my stress comes from time. You have all your classes and then homework for the classes, and then there’s yearbook on top of that, and trying to play soccer to the best of my ability, but I don’t always have time for that. So I’d say time management and stress are huge obstacles.
Sean – I’m not sure if this is really an obstacle, but I found out about a month ago that I suffer from an anxiety disorder. I guess not really knowing that for the past three years and still seeing what I’ve done is pretty cool.
Nicole – My biggest obstacle has probably been myself. I push myself so hard, and I hold myself up to the highest standards, so sometimes it stresses me out to the point of tears. I always want to be the best and get out there, so sometimes I don’t realize that it’s okay not to be perfect.
Luke – I think this is a common factor between all of us; for me it’s also stress. Up through junior year I had a lot of problems with anxiety. I was constantly worrying about my grades, how I was doing, college, and everything in between. But I’d have to say my number one worry was that everyone in the school hated me. I always had this fear that I was an outcast who no one liked, and it really made me avoid a lot of social opportunities that I wish I had taken throughout most of high school. I didn’t talk to a lot of people I wish I had talked to, and I was never just happy with who I was. It took a while for me to get through that.
What do you guys do to unwind when you get stressed or feel overworked?
Sean – I love playing guitar, whether I’m just noodling around or trying to learn some ridiculously hard song, it’s always been an outlet throughout my life. Another cool thing is going to the basketball games, football games, and all the sports activities in TJ.
Marelle – I think friends, definitely, have been a huge factor. Venting about anything helps me so much. If I freak out about something, once I just talk about it and lay it out in front of me, I can see a way to work through it, or see that it’s not that big of a problem. It just puts everything in perspective. And friends make you happy. Especially comic friends that help you laugh. That’s a big thing; humor.
Mitch – Just playing sports, for me, gets my mind off school. Hanging out with friends and being outdoorsy is also big.
Nicole – I think what helps me relieve stress is being around my friends because I know we’ll always be laughing, and just the other day, my friends Anna Becker, Marelle, and I didn’t have anything to do, so we just turned on music and just danced. It was probably one of the best times I’ve had; we just had fun.
Luke – Man, there are a lot of things. Definitely playing my violin helps me unwind. I also love writing, listening to music, reading comic-books; anything like that. I’d say the biggest thing has been my friends, though. They’ve been huge in helping me get past the obstacles I’ve faced. I don’t think I would have ever gotten through my anxiety at any other school besides TJ. The entire community helped me so much throughout it.
Where do you guys want to take yourself, into college and beyond?
Sean – What I want to do in college is be able to have enough money, from scholarships and grants, to pay for most of college and get out with as little loans as possible. And maybe before I start working, travel or do something with music for two years until I run out of money and then go to work (laughs). I do plan on becoming a history teacher, probably more world related, because I love history, and specializing in the Italian renaissance. I’m planning on going to college in Iowa.
Mitch – I’m going to CU Boulder for business, and obviously business-wise you have to be successful, so that’s really what I want to get out of life.
Nicole – I plan on hopefully someday being an anchor on some kind of news show. As far as college goes, I’m not sure where I want to go at the moment. It’ll probably either be Washington State University or somewhere in state. But I know I want to travel and I want to do study abroad, and then from there just lead a happy and successful life.
Marelle – I’ve been accepted to CU Boulder and Colorado School of Mines. I think between the two, I’m more inclined toward Mines. I like Boulder’s campus a lot more, but Mines I think is a better school in general, and they have a lot of really cool activities. But I’m still waiting to hear back from University of Washington, Seattle, and Berkley. I keep picturing myself in Washington, but I don’t know where that’ll end up.
Luke – CU Boulder! I want to go into astrophysics. I’m not entirely sure where I want to go from there, but I know as long as I get to crank out equations and make insane hypothesizes, I’ll be content.
If you guys would say you’ve learned one lesson from high school that you would take with you to college, what would it be?
Marelle – My senior quote is ,“Regrets are only mistakes not learned from.” So I guess just learning from your mistakes is a huge lesson. Also, looking at things in perspective, and not freaking out over the small things. Another thing that I’ve noticed is things are what you make of them. If you go into something with a positive attitude, there will probably be a positive outcome. I don’t think I really knew that coming into TJ. I think I just grew a lot as a person, and that’s one of the things that I notice.
Sean – I think communication. Communication skills are quite the necessity just to live overall, and I think one thing I didn’t especially think of when I first entered high school was that I’m going to be stuck around with these kids for four years. It took me a while to realize that and just talk to everyone and try to be more out there. I think that’s something I’ll take anywhere I go.
Mitch – Wow, that was a heck of a good answer. I have no idea what I want to say for that question (everyone laughs). Nicole, do you have anything?
Nicole – My biggest lesson is probably to try to make myself happy. I think for a lot of my high school career I’ve tried to excel, and do all these things, and conform to what everyone else wanted me to do, so for the rest of my life I want to not care what others thing about me and just focus on what makes me happy.
Mitch – For me I think it’d be time management, and how to get things done when you need to get it done. Obviously people are going to procrastinate, but being able to set up a time schedule to succeed in life is big.
Luke – It’s kind of a cliché lesson, but just “be yourself.” I think especially once you get older, it’s very important. It’s not always easy to do, and I certainly don’t always pull it off, but it’s something I’m going to try to remember come college.
Do you guys have a favorite moment or craziest memory at TJ?
Marelle – (laughs) I have no idea! I’d have to think way back for that one.
Mitch – Freshman year, when the football team beat Grandview.
Nicole – I don’t remember that.
Mitch – You don’t remember that? It was insane, everyone rushed the field. That was sweet.
Nicole – (laughs) one thing from my whole high school career! I think it’d probably be sophomore year when a group of us got to go to Italy, because that was the biggest experience ever. It was the first time I was ever out-of-state, out of the country, by myself, and we got a lot closer as a class, for those who went. That was a memorable.
Sean – I would love to say what she said, but just in the world of closeness I would say Challenge Day was pretty cool. Especially at the time we did it, our class was kind of disunited. And we came out more understanding of everyone else.
Luke – Going along with Sean, I also thought Challenge Day was awesome. And just in general, all the crazy things I’ve done with my friends during lunch and in the parking lot have been great.
Career-wise, where do you guys want to be in ten years?
Sean – In ten years – I’ve specifically thought this through, many times (everyone laughs) – if I’m going to be a teacher, during the summer I want to be out in the wilderness, hiking and doing the things teachers can’t do every day. As a teacher I just want to be a good teacher.
Mitch – Probably be managing a business somewhere. I don’t know exactly what type. Just keeping my options open.
Nicole – Ten years I’ll be 27, oh man, probably just being an anchor and being myself on TV, or just being part of that.
Sean – You can be my weather reporter (Nicole laughs).
Luke – I have no idea! I really don’t think that far ahead. I really just want to get into physics, and wing it from there. I’ve been considering going into teaching for a while though.
Marelle – I want to save the world! I want to go into engineering. I don’t know exactly what path I want to take, but I want to end up somewhere where I’m doing something to better the environment in some way. I want the world to have a future, and all the animals, and trees, and everything hippie related. I really am passionate about that.
How would you guys say you’ve changed the most in high school?
Marelle – I think the biggest change – I’ve actually been thinking about this recently – is that I’ve become a lot more outgoing. Freshman year I was super shy and nervous around everyone. And the people I knew who I went to middle school with I was comfortable around, but the upperclassmen and sophomores – or just anyone I didn’t know – I was afraid they’d judge me. But I’ve moved past that, and TJ itself has helped me with that a lot.
Luke – I’ve changed a ton. Like everyone else, I’ve gained a huge amount of confidence. I don’t think it really kicked in until a little bit into Senior year, but I am unbelievably more confident now than I was when I first came in here.
Sean – Well I’ve definitely become more loud and obnoxious over the years (everyone laughs). I think that’s one of the ways I’ve changed. I think also trying to be more open to everyone’s opinions. In the beginning of high school, I just wanted to argue for the sake of arguing, and I think overall I’ve gotten better at having my own opinions while not trying to change everyone else’s mind.
Mitch – You come in as a freshman, and you’re probably shy, especially around all the seniors who are bigger than you. And, so I guess just opening myself up to everyone in terms of communication. That’s how I’ve changed the most, just being friendly to everyone. What’s the saying? “Treat others how you want to be treated.”
Nicole – I guess I came into high school how Mitch said; small, timid, I only knew about two good friends (Sean points angrily at himself, everyone laughs). Well I mean people I talked to a lot! You were my friend.
Mitch – You’re so mean.
Nicole – Shut up! And so you just learn how to get confidence.
Where do you think that confidence has taken you now that you’re a senior?
Nicole – Well, you’re a senior so you obviously feel that authority. You can just walk through the halls without caring, because you’re just like, “Whatever, you’re smaller,” (everyone laughs). But at the same time you have to make sure your confidence doesn’t come off as arrogance, and you still have to be compassionate to every other person around you.
Sean – I think I’m more confident in the abilities I have, instead of trying to be the all time hit leader in baseball, I’m just going to try to be good at what I’m good at. That’s about it, just focusing on the core abilities that I have is where my confidence has taken me.
Mitch – I feel the same way as Nicole, confidence is really important when you’re a senior.
Luke – Well, I’m kind of in the process of building an army of freshmen. So that’s probably the biggest feat that’s come from my confidence. But we’ll see how that goes.
What is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you during your high school career?
Sean – Freshman year for sure. We had Mr. Jackson, and just the way he would pick on Ian and Austin – he put Kyle in the trash can! – are things we still laugh about to this day. It was our first year, and it was just a teacher putting us in our place. I think those are some funny memories. Also, in chemistry, people would try to copy me all the time, but my handwriting isn’t very legible, so people would just copy down scribbles and lines (laughs). They wouldn’t even write actual numbers. It was really comical to see what they came up with. “Is that a six or a squiggle? We’ll go with a squiggle?” It was great.
Marelle – Study sessions with friends are always really funny. We don’t usually study, but just being able to goof off with friends is hilarious. I’ve had some awesome memories.
Luke – There’s a lot of moments! If I had to choose one, though, I’d have to say the time when I started dancing to Journey at my job, and my boss walked in on me mid-dance. It was embarrassing, sure, but I still got paid!
Nicole – It wasn’t funny at the time for me, but looking back it’s pretty funny, but there’s this group of senior boys and they’re always goofing around and all, and it happened with them. I was driving back from lunch, and of course it had been snowing. It was still sunny, though, so I had my windows down. A bunch of guys started pelting my car with snowballs. I was so mad! So I started rolling up my window, and Ian Melnicoe throws a snowball in the window, and it hits me right in the head. Sand, ice, and mud was all over my car, and I was so mad at them! But they just laughed at me. Okay, I guess I was a little impressed that Ian aimed that well, but at the time I was furious.
When you first entered high school, what were your expectations, and how have they changed now that you’ve been here for four years?
Marelle – I can’t even remember… I don’t even know if I had expectations. It was just doing the transition from middle school to high school. I remember being happy to see people who I knew on the first day of school. I kind of just made my way through everything. I remember liking all my classes, especially computer magnet a lot, with Mr. Laman and Ms. Adair. I didn’t really have any expectations, I just threw myself into it and ended up succeeding I guess. Now it seems to be the norm. I feel comfortable at TJ, I like all the people here, and I’m going to be sad to leave it.
Nicole – It’s awesome that we all can talk about this stuff openly, and that seven years ago, we wouldn’t have known we’d be sitting here right now and sharing these stories. It’s really amazing.
Numbers can say a lot of things. They can depict a situation with stunning accuracy, they can manage finances; they can even secure governments. But can they define the essence of a group of people? In the case of the five seniors sitting in room 231, sharing grins, laughs, and insane stories, absolutely not.
What propels these students to where they are today isn’t an ACT score. Nor is it a stunning math grade. It isn’t even an outstanding GPA. It’s the moments that moved them, the friends that inspired them, and the stories that defined them. And that, without doubt, is worth remembering.
