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LOGAN NEILLNature Coast Technical High School's valedictorian believes students should apply their brain power, challenge themselves and have fun.
As valedictorians go, Kyle Lott is probably the most laid back one you will ever meet. So much so that, that the Nature Coast Technical High School senior is contemplating writing his graduation speech around the theme, "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
"I've never really figured out why so many kids get wound up about things like SAT scores," says the softspoken 18-year-old. "Education shouldn't be that stressful."
Okay, Kyle concedes he's got a natural talent for academia. He's a whiz at science and math, loves English and excels in using a computer. But so do other kids, he says. More often than not, a stellar grade-point average - like his 4.2 cumulative - has more to do with applying one's brain than how big it is.
"You have to be willing to do the work; there's no getting around that," said Kyle. "And you have to realize, too, that you need to keep challenging yourself in order to get more out of school."
Kyle, who moved from Hope Mills, N.C., last fall to Spring Hill, felt the new technical high school would provide him more of what he wanted in his final year of high school. In fact, with 24 credits already earned at his old school, the only requirement he lacked for college entrance was English composition.
"Everything I took was an elective, so it was fun for me," he said. The majority of Kyle's schedule consisted of science and computer classes that were part of the school's law enforcement cluster.
In fact, computers are a big interest in Kyle's life. He's learned the art of web page design, and even set up a game and joke page devoted to Hernando high schoolers that proved to be quite popular with his peers.
Though he does plan to study computer sciences at the University of Central Florida, Kyle has decided first to do some traveling and exploring. He has set his sights on the Vatican, a city he has wanted to visit since he was a little boy.
"I'd love to go and spend six months and just take in the architecture and the art," he says. "After that I'll probably be ready to come back to the real world."