Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The Banner News
Page 1B
South Point High School
Class of 2013
Clayton says “Take it one day at a time.” By Alan Hodge Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
If there are Renaissance men who have a wide range of interests and accomplishments, then South Point High graduating senior Natalee Clayton qualifies as a Renaissance woman. The daughter of Lee and Donna Clayton, Natalee leaves South Point with a 4.95 grade point average and a heaping helping of accolades and accomplishments ranging from the classroom, to the pool, to field music. However, just because she’s got a four-page resumé doesn’t mean Natalee is all about “me”, she’s also been involved in a variety of charitable causes that give back to the community. Much of Natalee’s life, on and off the campus at South Point, has revolved around music. “Ever since I was little I’ve loved all types of music,” she said. “I don’t have any favorite genre, I just soak it all up.” That fondness for music led her to a post in the South Point marching band where she was drum major this year. Not only that, but she also organized, and carried out a personal project with the Gaston County Junior League and Belmont Middle School that saw funds raised and donated to the BMS band program. Natalee credits her BMS music teacher Carrie Lineberger with helping guide her through the world of notes. “When I was a student there, Mrs. Lineberger helped me grow musically,” she said. Overall, she thinks being in the school band has been a lot more than leading the group or playing the flute– her instrument of choice. “Band has been a lot of hard work,” Natalee said. “But it taught me the importance of persevering which helped me in my classroom work.” Natalee also excels at sports, espe-
South Point High School Graduation will take place June 8, at 9am in Lineberger Stadium.
Graduates are to report to the stadium by 7:45 am.
Contributed Photo
South Point High’s Natalee Clayton is a multi-talented student who is at home in the marching band, the classroom, or the swimming pool. She plans to study nuclear pharmacy at Wingate University. cially swimming. She was a member of the Big South All Conference swim team, took part in several NCHSAA Regional swim meets, was named to the NCHSAA Academic Scholar-Athlete team, and took the first place medal for the 400 Free relay at the Big South Conference meet.
“I started swimming when I was six years old,” Natalee said. “The pool is where I go to relax.” In addition to the pool, she also hits the golf links and played on the South Point team in contests that included the NCHSAA Ladies’ State Tournament and the Big South Conference Ladies’ Tour-
nament. Academically, Natalee is a powerhouse with many awards honors to her name including being nominated for the NC Governor’s School several times, being selected for the Summer Ventures in Science and Math Program at ASU, selection for Clemson University’s Challenge for Academically Talented Students, being named South Point’s Top Scholar for two years, and being a Duke University TIP program participant, being a member of the NC Student Academy of Science, to name a few. As her work with the BMS band project proved, Natalee is a giving soul who takes time out of her busy schedule to help others. Performance in this parameter includes volunteering for a variety of causes including the Feed the Children program, raising money for Christmas gifts for kids at Catawba Heights Elementary, collecting funds for the Super Bowl of Caring, painting and repairing music stands at BMS, volunteering at Holy Angels, and making Build-A-Bears for hospital pediatric patients. So, what would a young lady with Natalee’s background choose for a career after graduating from South Point? The answer might sound surprising, but given her wide range of interests, isn’t. “I am going to attend Wingate University and get a degree in nuclear pharmacy,” Natalee said. “I think it’s an important field and involves work with radioactive medicine for cancer patients.” There will be many kids fill the halls of South Point in the coming years, and not all of them can achieve what Natalee has, but for one and all she has some sound advice to help them reach their maximum potential–words that have been her credo. “Take it one day at a time,” she said. “Do what you want to do, and put your all into it.”
Graduates, take time for the ‘little’ things A list of advice to graduates: Eat less. Taste more. Climb more mountains. Drive a red sports car. Appreciate kudzu. Start a fire in someone's soul. Learn how to choose a good melon. Change your own flat tire. Create something. Anything. Learn a foreign language. Sail a boat. Take pictures. Lots of them. Dance. Watch a sunset. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat...... Taste raindrops. Eat a brussels sprout. One is enough. Vote. Go fishing without bait. Spend more time. Less money. Get lost.
Sleep in a tent. Write a poem. Hold a newborn child. Cry, but just a little. See a Broadway play, even if it's off-Broadway. Smell a mum. Everybody smells roses. Learn to play golf. Then actually play only if you enjoy it. Swim in an ocean and walk in a desert in the same year. Make friends everywhere you go. Go everywhere with friends. Don't work at a job you don't like. Work hard at a job you do. Love your parents for who they are. Appreciate them for who you are. Hear music when there isn't any. Love someone more than yourself. Know the virtue of being alone. Never know the pain of being lonely. Know the difference.
Appreciate art for what it is. Don't try to make it something else. Start saving for retirement before you get your first job. Just like your funeral, it's inevitable. Avoid the seven deadly sins. They're aptly named. Paddle in a lake. Make a friend in someone of a different culture. Read Huck Finn. Spend a St. Patrick's Day evening in a real Irish pub. Be a part of a revolution, but do it peacefully. Find a way for others to be right when they disagree with you. Learn the difference between flowers and weeds before you tend a garden. Milk a cow. Visit New York City. Like brussels sprouts, once is probably enough. Read enough to have a favorite author. Make a list like this, then share it.