June 2 – BETHEL – Telstar High School senior Makenzie Eliot, 18, is driven to be the best in everything she undertakes: setting and achieving goals, said her father, Principal John Eliot.
What stands out is her “never say never” work ethic, says Melissa Poston, her English teacher for Advanced Placement and Honors.
She takes responsibility for her learning process, asks questions and conducts research. She is not only respectful, but respectable, Poston said.
She really is intrinsically motivated – the definition of a scientist,” Poston said. “I’ve never heard her complain or be negative in any way. … She conducts herself with dignity and treats others with compassion and goodwill.”
In high school, Eliot said she learned many things, from how to manage her time to who to surround herself with. She said she will use those lessons in future efforts.
The best part of every day for me was hanging out with my friends. I was looking forward to the transition to seniors or physical education, where we could all get together and socialize or play games together. These moments really made my day and I couldn’t be more grateful for my friends who made these memories possible.
The worst part of every school day was honestly waking up. I’m not a morning person, so getting up for school at 6:30 every morning wasn’t easy. Don’t get me wrong, school itself wasn’t the bad part. I’m really looking forward to university where I can still enjoy going to school, but also sleep in.
My favorite lesson is a combination of anatomy and physical education. I love anatomy – learning about the parts of the human body and how they work is something I find fascinating and will apply to my future career as a nurse. On the other hand, I love my physical education classes because it allows me to embrace my competitive side while playing sports and games with my friends.
My favorite employee has to be our principal, not only because he is my father, but also because he is so understanding and compassionate with the students. He is always up for fun, but knows when to be strict with children when necessary. There is no one who could fulfill the role of director at Telstar better than Mr. Eliot, or father, as I know him better.
The hardest part of my high school experience was freshman year. This was the year where I completely overloaded myself with Advanced Placement and Honors level classes and generally took on more than I could handle. Yes, I made it through the year and with some of the best grades I’ve ever had, but sacrifices had to be made. When I spent so much time focusing on academics, I lost sight of my relationships and suffered as a result. Working through this year was difficult, it took a lot of to-do lists and developing time management skills, but in the end I learned a lot about myself and how to move forward in my life.
I can’t speak for them, but I think my classmates will remember me as a diligent student-athlete who was always busy, whether it was in the classroom or on the field. I also hope that they will remember me as a caring man who always had their back. Having good grades is something I am proud of, but I hope my personality and caring will be remembered most.
One thing I wish teachers and school leaders would understand about students today is that there are a lot of new and different things going on. Even though some have already experienced certain things, others may need time to learn before they truly understand.
One of the biggest pieces of advice I have for eighth graders heading into high school is to enjoy it. Yes, it’s cliché, but time flies by and you really realize that when you’re in your senior year wondering where all the time went. That doesn’t mean dwelling on the little things and taking life easy, it just means living in the moment and cherishing what’s around you. I wish I had spent more time living in the moment instead of looking at what would happen next, because you don’t get that time back.
After graduation, I will attend the University of Maine Orono where I will study nursing and be part of the Army ROTC program to become an Army nurse. I received the four-year Army National ROTC Scholarship and plan to make great use of it. After graduating from Orono, I will be a second lieutenant and enlist as an active duty Army nurse. While I am at Orono, I also plan to continue with athletics, but I don’t want to completely let go of that side of me yet. While life happens and plans change, these are my post-graduation aspirations; As for what will actually happen, we’ll just have to wait and find out.
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Photo Album: See images from Edward Little High School commencement
