Graduation 2014 A News-Review Special Section • May 25, 2014
Finding the right fit Brittany Alvarez, Phoenix School BETSY SWANBACK The News-Review
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rittany Alvarez will be the first of her family to attend college when she enrolls in Umpqua Community College this fall.
“It means a lot to me,” she said. “My mom is proud.” Alvarez, a senior at Phoenix Charter School, was hoping to graduate early and head to college, but decided to finish her senior year after a teacher persuaded her to stay. She took a roundabout route to Phoenix, but said she’s glad she ended at the alternative charter school. The 18-year-old attended Douglas High School for a year. She went to Roseburg High for two years then transferred to Phoenix for her senior year. The Green resident said she felt like she got lost in the shuffle at RHS and suffered anxiety when changing classes in the crowded hallways. Phoenix offers a more personal experience, where she is on a first-name basis with the teachers, she said. “It’s more relaxed,” she said. “Teachers and staff seem to care more about students than just graduating students.” She credits Phoenix, and Dean of Academic Support Kelly Rush, with helping her sculpt her next steps after high school. “I’m really glad I met Kelly. Without her I probably wouldn’t be this far,” Alvarez said. Rush teaches a college success class to seniors, a class that Alvarez says “started it all.” Rush said Alvarez excelled in the class and took on a leadership role.
MICHAEL SULLIVAN/The News-Review
Phoenix Charter School senior Brittany Alvarez plans to attend Umpqua Community College this fall.
“I could always count on her for a comment,” Rush said. “She’s the kind of student we hope for because she takes advantage of all the opportunities we have here.” Rush said Alvarez’s close relationship with her mother, Lisa Wade, shines through in her dedication. “Some of her drive is she wants to make her mom proud,” Rush said. Wade said Phoenix has been an excellent fit for her daughter. “They’re amazing and she’s amazing to just take it and run with it as well as she has,” Wade said. Alvarez said she loves art and aspires to become an art teacher. She’s been involved with art as long as she can remember. She works in the Phoenix day care center and with the Oregon Youth Conservation Corp doing forestry maintenance and maintaining campgrounds. Her free time is rare, but Alvarez paints or draws when she has a chance. In addition to high school classes, Alvarez is currently enrolled in botany and a math class at UCC. She will graduate from Phoenix with at least 10 college credits.
She will work with an OYCC wildlife tech crew this summer, identifying flowers, doing wildlife surveys and collecting data about downed trees. Alvarez said she is pretty excited to go to UCC, but is happy she chose to not graduate early. “I’ve always been the one to get done fast,” she said. She plans to attend a four-year university after community college. Wade said she recommended her daughter go into the legal field because of her quick wit, but knows she will be successful at whatever she tries. “It’s just been pretty much a godsend that she’s gotten as far as she has,” Wade said. “She’s very determined to be successful.” Rush said she is proud of Alvarez for excelling at Phoenix and looks forward to staying in contact as she moves onto college. “I have no question she will be successful when she gets to college,” Rush said. “No doubt.” • You can reach reporter Betsy Swanback at 541-9574208 or bswanback@nrtoday.com.
Giving it his all Tom DeBell, Glide High School BETSY SWANBACK The News-Review
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om DeBell said fellow students see him in several lights. Musician. Jock. Nerd. Serious student. Church attendee.
DeBell, a senior at Glide High School, is involved in many of the activities the school offers. He is active in the band, drama, choir and National Honors Society. He plays basketball and runs track. “Something I wanted to say at the end was I’d done it all,” he said. The 18-year-old moved to Glide from Idleyld Park when he was younger and has grown up in the close-knit community. “It’s going to be hard to be away from friends when we all split up,” he said. He said his parents gave him the option to go to Roseburg High School, but he decided to stay at Glide. He got more playing time at Glide and made varsity athletic teams his junior and senior years, something he may not have gotten at RHS, he said. He plans to study chemical engineering at Oregon State University this fall. An “aha” moment in chemistry sparked his interest in the subject and he has planned to study it in college since. “I fell in love with OSU,” he said. “It was a defining moment walking onto campus.” He hopes to use his degree to emphasize environmental engineering and to research how chemicals affect the environment. He was one of three Glide seniors awarded a $2,000 scholarship at the Glide First Citizens banquet. DeBell started playing bass when his mother suggested taking up an instrument. “I played too much Guitar Hero,” he said. “My mom said I should play a real instrument.”
MICHAEL SULLIVAN/The News-Review
Glide High School senior Tom DeBell plans to study chemical engineering at Oregon State University. DeBell said he was lucky his parents were willing to invest time and money in teaching him music. He now plays electric bass, alto sax, tuba and acoustic bass. He plays electric bass at services Wednesday and Sunday at the Foundation Fellowship Church in Glide. Track coach and history teacher Randy Gould said DeBell is an excellent student who will be successful in college. “He never backs away from challenges,” the teacher said. “He does great whether it’s a group setting or an individual assignment.” Gould said DeBell is active in many student events, including decorating for last year’s junior and senior prom. “He is always ready and willing with a smile on his face to help with whatever needs to be done,” he said. His senior track season came to a disappointing end when he tore his hamstring coming out of the blocks at a meet in Reedsport. He had just set a personal record in the triple jump prior to the injury. “He tried to the very end and always gave his all. Ev-
erybody respected him, I think that’s the most important thing,” Gould said. “It was a good way for him to go out.” DeBell earned a 3.92 high school GPA, and said he was relieved because it meant he wouldn’t have the pressure of earning a 4.0 after getting a B during his freshman year. He plans to participate in intramural sports in college and may try out for the marching band, depending on the time commitment required. DeBell said it was hard to keep his grades up sometimes when he would barely go to school for a week because of all his activities. The time management he learned will serve him well in college, he said. He heads to OSU with 16 college credits. “It’ll be nice to go in with a bit of a cushion,” he said. DeBell said he had always wanted to live in a city, but did not rule out the possibility of returning to Glide someday. • You can reach reporter Betsy Swanback at 541-9574208 or bswanback@nrtoday.com.