By Scotty Dransfield Parry McCluer High School valedictorian Nathan Lee has no shortage of ambition — or humility. This summer, he’ll begin a two-year mission for his church before attending Brigham Young University in Utah, where he plans to major in Physics and pursue a doctorate in earth and planetary sciences.
A lover of science and statistics, Lee is also an accomplished musician and performer. He played in the concert, marching, and pep bands, held leadership roles in marching band, acted in theater productions, and even taught genealogy classes through the library.
He’s especially proud of the rigorous dual-enrollment courses he completed during high school. But more than grades or activities, he values the lessons he learned from his band directors, church leaders, and parents. “They’ve all had a huge positive impact on me,” he said.
Lee encourages younger students to be honest with others — and with themselves. “If you accept the truth of your situations,” he said, “you’ll be in a better place to make good choices.”
And while he’s excited for college, he’s also looking forward to every part of what lies ahead: new people, deeper classes, and unexpected moments.
His friends might be surprised to learn he doesn’t think of himself as especially smart. “I like schoolwork,” he said, “but sometimes I struggle to work things like microwaves. Social cues? So much brain power.”
If someone made a playlist of his high school years, it would feature songs by AJR, Lord Huron, Switchfoot, The Beatles, Snow Patrol, and Taylor Swift — a soundtrack of curiosity, chaos, and heart.
-Olive King, Parry McCluer High School’s salutatorian, will also be serving on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but after a first year at Southern Virginia University. She’ll be enrolling there in the fall and will be a member of the women’s swim team.
That she’ll be on a sports team in college should come as no surprise. In high school, King not only swam but also played volleyball, tennis and softball.
Asked to list an achievement of which she is most proud, she said it was earning the title of salutatorian because “I like proving that athletes can be very smart too and care about their education.”
Besides participating in sports, King was a member and the president of National Honor Society and was involved in SCA. She said she also practiced musical instruments at home and has enjoyed other hobbies.
She said her favorite subject in high school was probably math. “I love to solve problems and for the most part enjoyed learning more about equations and algorithms,” she said.
Someone who influenced her throughout her high school career was her teacher and coach Jessica Moala. “She taught me biology and was also my volleyball coach,” she said. “Ms. Moala is truly an inspiration to me as she shows so much compassion to every single one of her students and wants to help everyone grow individually.”
Asked what advice she would give to younger students, she said, “Pay attention in class and understand that middle school/high school isn’t forever.”
“Something I am most excited about for this next chapter of my life is to see how much I grow as a person,” King said. “I hope to see positive change in social, physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects of my life.”
If her high school experience were a movie, she said, she would call it “The Climb.”
“In the words of Hannah Montana, ‘Life’s a climb, but the view is great.’ I think that quote perfectly sums up all the ups and downs I’ve had throughout high school and how it was all worth it.”
VALEDICTORIAN Nathan Lee not only spoke to his classmates Friday night but also performed (at right) in the school’s band.
JACKSON BROCKENBROUGH receives congratulations from Superintendent Tony Francis. With them is School Board chair Teresa Ellison.
PEYTON MONTGOMERY acknowledges some of his supporters.
