Best of the best

By DONNA WINCHESTER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 20, 2001

EDITOR'S NOTE: They have the highest grade point averages in their classes, but it doesn't stop there. The Class of 2001 valedictorians and salutatorians also have found time to participate in school clubs, sports and community activities. Over the next several weeks, Top of the Class will pay tribute to these outstanding individuals.

ST. PETERSBURG HIGH SCHOOL

CO-VALEDICTORIAN: David Joseph Stonecipher

PLANS: University of South Florida

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Civitan service club, Fellowship of Christian Students, varsity track team, student body president, powder puff football coach

HONORS AND AWARDS: Mr. St. Petersburg High School, homecoming court, Rojan Hero, Princeton University Book Award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute awards for excellence in math and science, Florida Bright Futures scholarship

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Ronald McDonald House, Christmas Toy Shop, mission trips with Northeast Presbyterian Church youth group

BEST CLASS AND WHY: American Government Honors, because the course introduced me to the political workings of our nation through lectures and government simulations

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Running

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: Winning first place in the individual category at the fourth-grade gifted math meet at Bay Vista Elementary

FAVORITE BOOK: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

PARENTS: Sharon and Paul Stonecipher

David Stonecipher, 18, followed one simple rule in high school: He always turned in his assignments.

"There was never a doubt in my mind whether I should do my homework or skip it," he said. "I put things off until the last minute, but I always got the work done."

His heavy course load often kept him working until morning and got in the way of his pleasure reading.

"I've already read two or three books since school has been out," he said. "It's the way I relax."

He also enjoys going to the movies with his friends and playing basketball when the pressure is off.

"I've never played school ball, but I consider myself better than average," he said. "I've played enough that some skill has come through the years."

David hasn't decided what he'll major in at the University of South Florida, but it will probably be math-related. Math has always been his best subject, he said.

He also is toying with the idea of getting involved in city politics.

"I'll read something in the paper and I won't agree with what a certain council person said or with a decision that was made," he said. "Sometimes I think to myself, "If I was involved with that, I could make it fair for everyone.' "

Serving as student body president in his senior year helped whet his appetite for public service. He figures it taught him the most important thing he'll need to know: "I learned you can't please everyone."

CO-VALEDICTORIAN: Gretchen E. Williams

PLANS: Florida State University

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: National Honor Society, Rojan service club, Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish Honor Society, Goldfever Dancers captain, 2001 Pinellas County PRIDE awards master of ceremonies, St. Petersburg High School talent show dancer

HONORS AND AWARDS: Freshman math award, Dartmouth Book Award, Civitan scholarship finalist, voted "Miss Intellectual" by classmates, Who's Who Among American High School Students, Exchange Club student of the month, Exchange Club student of the year runner-up, two academic letters and six gold bars for academic achievement, University of Florida Presidential Scholar, Bright Futures scholarship, Junior Sungoddess Court

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Ronald McDonald House, Christmas Toy Shop, Christmas in the Park, National Honor Society tutor, scripture reader and acolyte at First United Methodist Church

BEST CLASS AND WHY: Math, because I enjoy working out problems and it comes very naturally to me

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Ballet and jazz dance

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: Winning first place at the state science and engineering fair in the medicine and health category in eighth grade

FAVORITE BOOK: Dracula by Bram Stoker

PARENTS: Drs. Sarah and Larry Williams

Gretchen Williams, 18, believes in business before pleasure.

"I like to get the work over with before I start relaxing," she said. "I'm very diligent."

She also is goal-oriented. She decided she would be class valedictorian when she was a freshman. She divided her time among school clubs and church activities but still managed to finish at the top of her class.

Gretchen thinks her single-mindedness may come from her lifelong training as a dancer. She was 2 years old when she took her first lesson, and dancing has become her passion.

"I dance an hour and a half every night and three hours on Mondays," she said. "It takes a lot of discipline."

The hard work paid off last summer when she was chosen from 40 dancers nationwide to attend the Juilliard School. The four weeks she spent in New York convinced her that dancing will always be part of her life.

Her career interests are more down to earth.

"I want to do something in the medical field," she said. "You have to be really determined, really focused to go into that field. People say the classes are hard, but I want to show them I can do it."

In her spare time, Gretchen plays flute and piano. She enjoys inline skating, swimming and playing tennis. She admits she rarely sits still.

Eager to get a jump on college, she found a place to live in Tallahassee before school was out and plans to leave St. Petersburg shortly.

"I'll spend the summer getting to know my way around," she said. "It will be a big head start."

SALUTATORIAN: LILLY HELM

PLANS: University of Central Florida

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: Bang, Bang You're Dead director, Sweet Charity stage manager, Bay Area Renaissance Festival resident cast member, Webb's City: The Musical crew member, The Odd Couple lighting designer, International Thespian Society, State Thespian Festival attendee, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, French Honor Society

HONORS AND AWARDS: Smith College Book Award, $6,000 University of Central Florida merit scholarship, superior rating in set design at State Thespian Conference, International Honors Thespian, 1999-2000 St. Petersburg High School "Best Techie" award

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Being me!

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: Being with my one-act cast the night of our first performance

FAVORITE BOOK: The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

PARENTS: Linda and Bill Helm

"I'm not one of those people who goes with the flow," said Lilly Helm, 18. "I've done a lot of things most people don't do."

One of her unusual hobbies is making medieval chain mail. She learned about it at a Renaissance fair.

"When I first saw it, I thought, "That looks really cool.' "

She found all the materials she needed to make a chain mail shirt at Home Depot. She said she'll be able to find buyers on e-bay.

"There are people who are interested in eclectic stuff like that," she said. "I don't think my work is good enough to sell yet, but I'm getting better."

Lilly also is a fencing enthusiast and she loves to read fantasy and science fiction.

She tried out last year for the Bay Area Renaissance Festival and landed a part as Beatrice Pending, a midwife. Her previous theater experience was behind the scenes, so being in front of an audience was new to her, she said.

"This was one on one, human-related and very interactive," she said. "It was a lot different from stage stuff."

She hopes to get a part in next year's festival, even though she will have to commute from school in Orlando.

In the meantime, she is putting together a jester act.

"I don't usually pay attention to the normal stuff," she said. "I do my own thing."

ST. PETERSBURG INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

VALEDICTORIAN: Elana Gershuny

PLANS: University of Central Florida

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: French Club president, Academic Team captain, French Honor Society historian, Mu Alpha Theta sergeant at arms, Mu Alpha Theta competition team, French state competition, National Honor Society, Juggling Club, Science Club, Civinettes

HONORS AND AWARDS: National Merit finalist, Who's Who Among American High School Students, University of Chicago Club of Tampa Bay Book Award, AP Scholar with honors, French State Competition (le Congres) awards, St. Petersburg Junior College Trustees scholarship

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Claymation production for St. Petersburg Public Library, National Honor Society tutor

BEST CLASS AND WHY: Theory of Knowledge, because it was fun and allowed me to think and learn about things other than general curriculum

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Taking long naps

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: When, as a ghost in an elementary school play, I couldn't see where I was going and knocked over a table with tea cups on it

FAVORITE BOOK: Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart

PARENTS: Sharon and Moshe Gershuny

In one breath, Elana Gershuny, 18, says she is not unique. In the next, she says she was a founding member of a juggling club at her school.

"It wasn't very large," she said. "There were only about six of us. We practiced juggling rings and pins and clubs."

They met every other Monday afternoon. They got the club chartered and found a teacher to sponsor it.

"We met just to have fun, to get better at juggling," Elana said.

They did get better. They learned to juggle in pairs. One member went to a juggling convention in Canada.

Elana will turn her mind to another challenge this summer as she prepares for a Mu Alpha Theta national math convention in Denver. While other teenagers enjoy downtime, she will be practicing equations and learning new material with math club members.

She hasn't decided what she will major in at the University of Central Florida. It was difficult enough to decide which college to attend.

"I was accepted at a lot of different schools," she said, adding that a $32,000 National Merit scholarship to UCF made her decision easier.

"I will miss my friends and some of my teachers," she said, "but I'm looking forward to learning new things, making new friends and being in a different environment."

CO-SALUTATORIAN: Elizabeth Cathleen Corder

PLANS: Washington University, St. Louis

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: Spanish Club president, Hospice Club co-president, Mu Alpha Theta, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society, Girl Scouts of America

HONORS AND AWARDS: National Merit finalist, National Merit McDonald's Corp. scholarship, AP Scholar with Honors, Columbia University Book Award, 10th grade mathematics award, Girl Scout Silver Award

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Ronald McDonald House tutor, Hospice of the Florida Suncoast volunteer

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Being with my friends, traveling to the Smokey Mountains and New Smyrna Beach

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: Acting out a scene from The Hobbit with my best friend, Amanda, in front of our fifth-grade class

FAVORITE BOOK: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

PARENTS: Susan M. and Michael L. Corder

Elizabeth Corder, 18, wanted to spend some time with her father, so she signed them up for a pottery class.

"My dad was a better potter, but I was a better painter," she said. "I made a little green bowl with flowers on it. He made a lot of really big heavy bowls."

Her mother is still trying to find places for their handiwork, she said.

She enjoyed math and history in high school, but she is still undecided about her major. She figures she's got plenty of time to figure it out.

"We have until after our second year," she said. "Nobody really pushes you that much. I think they're much more open now to letting you try different areas."

She thinks that sometimes students feel pressured to have to give an answer about their majors, and then they change their minds anyway.

"I'm considering medicine," she said, "but it's a big commitment. I want to be sure I can handle the courses."

Elizabeth is excited but a little apprehensive about going to St. Louis. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, she knows the climate will take some getting used to.

If she could make a change in the world, she would focus on children.

"We take everything for granted," she said. "There are so many children that don't have what we have. They don't have basic things. If I go into medicine, it will probably have something to do with helping children."

CO-SALUTATORIAN: Candice Paolaungthong Holliday

PLANS: Washington University, St. Louis

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: Ambassadors Club, Civinettes service club, St. Petersburg High School Hospice Teen Council, Medical Explorers, Mu Alpha Theta historian, National Honor Society, Science Club co-vice president, Spanish Honor Society treasurer

HONORS AND AWARDS: $12,750 Liselotte Dieckmann Dean's Scholarship, $1,000 Washington University merit scholarship, $1,000 Eliot scholarship, National Merit finalist, AP Scholar with Honors, Dean's List, International Baccalaureate conference representative, Who's Who Among American High School Students, St. Petersburg High School Outstanding Senior, Thomas H. Eliot Scholar, University of Florida's student science training program participant, Best Presentation award, second-place Pinellas County calculus team, St. Petersburg High School physics award

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, Spanish Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta tutor, VA Medical Center at Bay Pines Coastal Cleanup, Christmas Toy Shop

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Getting together with the Ladies Luncheon Society

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: The night a Washington University dean called and told me I had received the Dean's Scholarship

FAVORITE BOOK: Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo

PARENTS: Drs. Chanalarp P. and Craig A. Holliday

Candice Holliday, 18, knows when to be practical.

"I wanted to be a doctor, but I'm really squeamish," she said. "When my sister and I are watching a medical show on television, she tells me when to cover my eyes."

Candice will leave the medical degree to her sister and concentrate instead on medical botany. She wants to work for a pharmaceutical company and formulate drugs based on herbal remedies.

She was impressed with Washington University's research department, but she almost settled for her second choice. She couldn't stand waiting to find out if she had been accepted.

"I didn't want to wait for them to get in touch," she said. "I wanted to know now."

She thinks being a twin is the best thing in the world.

"I wish everyone had a twin. It's so perfect," she said. "We are two halves of a whole. We just kind of mesh. We've had 18 years to grow together. It's definitely the strongest friendship I've ever had."

Candice said she will miss her sister desperately when they go to different colleges in the fall.

"I'm going to cry every night for a month," she said.

What is it like having two parents who are doctors?

"They have contributed 100 percent to my academic success," she said. "Fifty percent was the genes, the rest was the encouragement."

CO-SALUTATORIAN: Nicolette Paolaungthong Holliday

PLANS: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: Spanish Honor Society vice president, Science Club co-vice president, Mu Alpha Theta co-historian, National Honor Society, Medical Explorers, Ambassadors Club, Civinettes service club

HONORS AND AWARDS: Florida Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium speaker, second-place award in medicine and health category at Pinellas Regional Science and Engineering Fair, third-place award in medicine and health category at State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida, Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award, University of Florida's student science training program participant, AP Scholar with Honors, National Merit Commended Scholar, National Science Merit Award, Who's Who Among American High School Students, International Baccalaureate student representative at guidance counselor training, Pinellas County calculus team member, University of South Florida's Mathematics Field Day participant, co-author of a published chemistry project, St. Petersburg High School Outstanding Senior, $15,500 Case Western Reserve University President's Scholarship

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Mu Alpha Theta math tutor, Spanish Honor Society tutor, VA Medical Center at Bay Pines Coastal Cleanup, Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and Christmas Toy Shop volunteer

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Talking with friends

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENTS: Eating pistachios with Joanna Kedzierski in chemistry class

FAVORITE BOOK: And Then You Die by Iris Johansen

PARENTS: Drs. Chanalarp P. and Craig A. Holliday

Nicolette Holliday, 18, has always excelled in science.

"It's really helpful having parents who are doctors," she said. "You just ask them and they either explain it or they pull out the textbook they learned it from."

Fascinated by medicine since she was very young, Nicolette's special interest is reconstructive surgery. She suspects her focus might change, but she is committed to becoming a doctor.

She agrees with her sister that being a twin is great. There was some rivalry between them during middle school, she said, but they ultimately dropped all competitiveness and concentrated on supporting each other.

"We were competitive for long enough. We don't have time for that stuff now," she said. "We look out for each other and encourage each other to do our best."

They supported each other during the nerve-wracking process of college applications and nearly drove their guidance counselor crazy, she said.

"We lived in our guidance counselor's office this year. We were always up there asking her about our college applications," she said. "If our first-period teacher didn't see us, she knew we were in the guidance office."

In spite of the stress of senior year, Nicolette said she still found time for fun.

"There are a lot of rumors that you really don't have a social life if you're in the IB program," she said. "But there were such things as Fridays and half-days. There was always time for fun. You need to take the time for it. You need to be well-rounded."

CO-SALUTATORIAN: Emily Elizabeth Young

PLANS: University of Pennsylvania

SENIOR YEAR ACTIVITIES: Varsity swim team captain, state swim team member, Mu Alpha Theta historian, Key Club Sweetheart, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, St. Petersburg Aquatics Club team member, Keyettes

HONORS AND AWARDS: Academic award for maintaining a 4.0 average during swim season, Iron Man award for swimming, athletic varsity letter for swimming, Wellesley College Book Award, Who's Who Among American High School Students, Dean's List, AP Scholar, International Baccalaureate senior speaker, $1,000 Target All-Around scholarship

COMMUNITY SERVICE: All Children's Hospital Visitor's Center and Christmas Toy Shop, AIDS Awareness Week, Habitat for Humanity, Arts Center summer camp assistant, Museum of Fine Arts summer camp assistant, Junior League Care Fair, Ronald McDonald House, Spanish Honor Society food and gift collection and distribution, National Honor Society tutor

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Reading

MOST MEMORABLE SCHOOL MOMENT: Key Club Sweetheart

FAVORITE BOOK: Screwballs by Jay Cronley

PARENTS: Donna and Richard Young

Emily Young, 18, chose the University of Pennsylvania primarily for its medical program. But she has more than academic reasons for wanting to live in Philadelphia.

"I wanted to go to college to a place where I'd have so many opportunities I wouldn't know where to start," she said. "I'm going up there knowing there will never be time to all the things I want to do."

She will miss one thing St. Petersburg has that Philadelphia doesn't: the beach.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without my tan," she said.

Swimming has been a big part of her life since ninth grade. Besides strengthening her physically, it has been a great way to form bonds with people.

"I wouldn't be the same person if I hadn't started swimming," she said. "It made a positive impact on my life and made me more confident."

It wasn't always easy, she said, coming home from a two-hour session at the pool to face five hours of homework. But she doesn't regret enduring the rigors of the I.B. program.

"When you come out of the program you can write a 4,000-word history paper in one night," she said. "It helps your mind become efficient. You can grasp things conceptually you wouldn't have grasped otherwise."

She plans to put her education to good use. Growing up as the daughter of a Ronald McDonald House volunteer, she learned to empathize with sick children.

"I want to use my education to help them," she said.

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