In A Hurry To Start A Career Helping Animals

from Clarke monthly June 2020

As the Crow Flies

By Tiffany Ford

Maeve Davis is graduating from CCHS and Mountain Vista Governor’s School with an Associates degree in science, a certifi cate in general education, and a career studies certifi cate from Allied Health. I had the honor of talking to Maeve about her experiences and what she’s excited about now that she has graduated.

TF: What did you love about high school?

MD: One of the best parts of high school was getting into Governor’s School. It gave me the opportunity to meet people with varied interests all focused on math, technology and science, which was really exciting. My friends who go to CCHS were one of the best parts of my high school experience .We studied together, worked on projects together, laughed together.

TF: How did the Governor’s School/dual enrollment program work for you?

MD: Gov school classes are held at LFCC. I chose to take the AP classes to earn college credits. I’ve already taken a lot of the core classes that fi rst-year college students take, so I can begin with junior-level classes. I’ll still have to stay on campus with other fi rst years, but I can focus more on my fi eld of study

and graduate or transfer into a Master’s program much earlier.

TF: What do students need to know about dual enrollment?

MD: I think there’s a negative connotation about community college that did not refl ect my experience. LFCC is a great school. Campus grounds are amazing and well kept. The professors were always very nice and willing to help. It is an amazing opportunity to expand your education and to lessen the burden of college costs. If you can begin to chip away at it early, you can lessen the burden, whether it be fi nancial, educational, or social later in life. The program is not for everyone; I did have to take a couple of extra classes to get my Associates degree but it was worth it.

TF: So, what happens next for you?

MD: I’ll be attending Virginia Tech this fall — hopefully — they haven’t made an announcement yet. I’m majoring in animal and poultry sciences with a possible dual minor in biology and history. I’m considering veterinary work specializing in marine or livestock. Which seems like a wide fi eld, but I’ve worked with farm animals all my life, and I’m very comfortable with them. And there’s something so exciting about marine life. So I may work at a marine rehabilitation center or study environmental impacts on marine life.

TF: What would you say drives you?

MD: I have always known I wanted to be a vet. When you’re younger, you don’t think about

money or things like that; so, for me, it was always just to get the learning done so I could help people and animals faster. Growing up, that hasn’t changed. But I’m more aware of the cost now. For me, getting into Governor’s School was like getting into college. When I opened that letter, that was my “I got into Tech” moment. For me it is: The sooner I get into school and get my degree, the sooner I can start helping animals and, in turn, helping people.

Scholastic Bowl

The Long Journey To A State Championship

Throughout the Scholastic Bowl season, the team answered many questions covering different academic sections. Led by team captain Mark Viti, the team competed at six regular season competitions, playing two matches in each competition. Each match consisted of two 15 question buzzer rounds and a team round with 10 questions directed to each team.

After fi nishing the regular season undefeated, the team entered the district competition in the top seed. At districts, the team won all three of their matches, securing the district championship and also advancing to the regional competition. At Regionals, the team suffered their only loss of the season, but since they had a higher point total on the tournament they won the tiebreaker and earned a place at states.

At the state competition in Williamsburg, the team went undefeated, beating all three opponents soundly to claim the first Scholastic Bowl state championship in school history. Team captain Mark Viti earned All-State honors by scoring the most points of any player, making him the top performer from Class 1 through Class 6 at the state tournament. The long hours of studying lists of terms and repeatedly working through old questions paid off in the end with a state championship and best finish in school history.