Valedictorian

This year’s valedictorian, Julia Davis, describes Naz as a home away from home, which is very fitting, considering she’s practically involved with everything possible. Julia keeps busy with rocketry, PACE club, chemistry club, Naz-A-Thon, mathletes, and the decorating committee. That list doesn’t even highlight her musical ability; you can also find Julia performing in the orchestra, chamber ensemble, chorus, chorale, Pandamonium, and the play. How does she have time for all of this? I’d sure like to know. Not only does she have a packed schedule in school, but outside too! Julia has been doing ballet since she was four years old, now that’s some serious dedication. When Julia heard she was named Valedictorian, she was ecstatic and proud of her hard work, the first thing she did was spread the news to her family and friends. Julia is grateful for the friends and teachers she has met these past four years. Her favorite memory just happens to be this year’s St. Lucy’s day. That same day, Julia found out that her rocketry team qualified for the Team America Rocketry Challenge near Washington, D.C. That’s amazing! Some other cool things you should know about Julia is that she has met Selena Gomez, not once, but twice! She also has double-jointed fingers and is an unabashed Lady Gaga fan. Aren’t we all Julia? Her favorite teachers throughout the years have been Mr. Severino, Ms. Vollrath, Mrs. Quinn, Mrs. Gallen, and Senora O’Leary. Julia’s advice for anyone looking to be the next valedictorian is very thoughtful. She says, “My advice is for people not to imitate me exactly. Find your own strengths and talents and work hard to develop them because they are innate. Do the things that you enjoy, and that could improve the lives of those around you, either on a micro level or macro level.” She went on to tell me, “Try to retain as much information as possible during class so that you have less studying to do at home. When you have to study, find out what learning style is best for you and try to memorize the information that way. Also, do not cram. Study a little bit every day before the test so that you do not overwhelm yourself. It is easier said than done, but it works.” Finally, some advice that seems doable! Thanks, Julia. On the rare occasion, she has some free time; she likes to unwind with Spotify, video games, YouTube, dancing, and of course… sleeping. As far as motivation goes, Julia explained the way she views the situations she is presented with. To her, it is all about having a positive mindset. Instead of thinking things like failing or negative outcomes, Julia thinks optimistically and hopes there will be a positive outcome. She would like to thank her family for supporting her throughout her time here at Naz. Support is crucial, whether it be from family, friends, or teachers. Next year, Julia will be attending Temple University and majoring in Biology (Pre-Med.) Nazareth wishes you the best, Julia. Your hard work and dedication have been an inspiration. We can’t wait to see what you achieve next. You will be missed by many.

Salutatorian

The Salutatorian of Nazareth Academy is none other than Belle Spinelli! I’m sure you know who she is, whether you’ve met her through athletics or academics. Belle has been on varsity soccer and basketball since freshman year! Now that’s impressive enough, not to mention she is also a part of the Naz-A-Thon committee and mathletes. Belle also holds some pretty high positions at the academy; she’s the corresponding secretary of National Honors Society, vice president of Mu Alpha Theta, and a member of the Spanish Honors Society. That sounds like a busy school day to me. Outside of Naz, Belle plays club soccer and AAU basketball. She loves how welcoming everyone at Naz is, especially her fellow seniors. She also appreciates how the teachers are accommodating and help us to maintain our interests while meeting all the requirements of our school work. Some fun facts that you might not know about this salutatorian are that she has played the piano since she was little, and she has a dog and bunny! Her favorite subject is chemistry, despite the love-hate relationship she had with it Junior year. Her favorite memory from Naz is pretty cool; she recalled the year when the soccer team won its very first district game. They went into penalty kicks, and you guessed it… Belle scored the final goal and won it all. That was the most exciting moment in her high school career. How can one girl manage all those activities and keep up with amazing grades? Belle advises anyone looking to follow in her footsteps to “just make sure you have a healthy balance of time management along with doing the things you love, whether it be extracurricular activities or taking the courses that interest you most.  Otherwise, you’ll overwork yourself, and that doesn’t make for a very fun high school experience.” Very well said, coming from someone who must be a master in time management skills. She was also kind enough to share her strategy for success. Plain and simple… get things done! Belle said she hates procrastinating because it stresses her out, you and me both Belle. However, Belle has the motivation to sit down and get the assignments done in one sitting. Talk about admirable. In the little free time, Belle has to relax, she enjoys spending it with her family, especially after she has a day packed with school, sports, and work. Belle was excited to hear the good news; she was glad that her hard work and time was being recognized in such a big way. She’d like to thank her dad, who was an inspiration to her throughout her high school years. He taught her what it means to be a hard worker from a young age. She described how that lesson has affected different areas of her life, including school, sports, or music. As for her future, Belle definitely has a bright one to look forward to. She will be attending Drexel University’s 5-year co-op program while majoring in biomedical engineering in Drexel’s Pennoni Honors College. Belle has known she wanted to study biomedical engineering since middle school, which had motivated her to take as many math and science courses as possible. I’m sure most of us in middle school had no clue what biomedical engineering was, so I’m impressed. After learning about the mindset of this Salutatorian, it’s safe to say this title is well deserved. Between school, sports, and many other things that fill her time, Belle seems to give 100% towards everything she does. Good luck in your future endeavors, Belle! You’ve impacted many people in positive ways, and Nazareth will miss you dearly.

This article originally appeared in the May 2019 edition of The Nazareth, Volume XCI, No. 5.