Reaching for the Stars

Text by Janet Gokay
Photo by Kim Crone

When asked what the secret to her success in school might be, Norfolk student Ellie Crone, who is this year’s Northwestern Regional 7 (NWR7) valedictorian, replied, “I don’t know what my secret is, but I expect a lot of myself and that allowed me to do well in school, I guess.” At Regional, the title of valedictorian is granted to the student with the highest grade point average (GPA), with advanced placement (AP) classes having a higher weight in GPA determination than general level classes. Crone was able to take a total of 10 AP classes during her high school career, with the final result being a 4.7 GPA and valedictorian status.  

This challenging course load did not keep Crone from participating in extracurricular activities. She began playing soccer and softball on the fields at Botelle and Mountain Road. She was a three-sport varsity athlete at NWR7, participating in varsity soccer all four years and in indoor track and softball for three years. Her softball team is currently in the running for the Berkshire League championship and will play in the state tournament. She is president of the NWR7 Student Council, as well as president of the National Honor Society. She has been a trombonist in the Honors Wind Symphony for four years, and this year qualified for the All-State and All-Eastern bands.  

In her sophomore year, Crone joined Envirothon, an environmental club comprised of teams that participate in training workshops in a variety of fields—soils, wildlife, aquatics, forestry—led by scientists in these practice areas. Crone and her team won first place in the statewide Envirothon competition a year ago, which was conducted virtually. She has also been a regular participant in the Kindness in Motion program at Regional, including having organized a socialization program for shelter dogs, a local dog show and a custodian appreciation project this year.

As in every other area, Covid has changed the shape of education. In past years, students at Regional would take seven classes a day. Since the pandemic began, the schedule was changed to four classes over longer periods every other day, for a total of eight classes. Her favorite classes, says Crone, were “AP Environmental Science—I loved finding solutions to different environmental problems—and AP U.S. History.”  

So, what did Crone do in middle school that prepared her for success in high school? At the outset, she was one of six eighth graders chosen to take honors geometry, which made it possible to reach AP calculus and AP statistics in high school. “Basically, our group was two years ahead of the rest of the class,” Crone says.  She also learned early about good study skills and the benefits of staying organized. 

When it came to choosing a college, Crone quickly narrowed it down to one, Vanderbilt University, to which she received early admission. “Vanderbilt is my dream school. It was the perfect fit for me for a few reasons—its rigorous and challenging academics and the fact that there’s a collaborative, rather than a competitive, environment on campus,” she remarked. “It has a reputation of being a happy student body with lots of school spirit.” 

And then there’s Nashville. “Growing up in Norfolk, I wanted to be in a city, and in a warmer place.” She adds, “And the food! Our dining card at Vanderbilt includes this ‘Taste of Nashville’ program. We get to spend a few hundred dollars on local restaurants. I’m sure I’m going to gain a ton of weight.” 

Crone plans to pursue a double major at Vanderbilt, in environmental science and public policy. She hopes to then go on to law school. 

The past year and a half has been challenging for all students. “It’s been really weird being a senior and missing out on senior privileges. The final sports season has been strange. We haven’t been allowed to have many fans at our games. The student council has had to plan socially distanced events. Only about half of the student body was in school at any one time for most of the year. The halls were empty, and the desks were really spread out.” Crone said she appreciates all the hard work the administration has put in to get everyone back to school for the end of the year and to give seniors some special memories.

However, for her valedictorian speech Crone does not want to focus on Covid. “I want to send a more positive message. I’d like to talk about resilience and perseverance, but not necessarily about Covid. I think we need to focus on the next stage of our lives and everything we have to look forward to.”

Ellie’s older sister, Caroline, was valedictorian of the class of 2019 and is now a student at Georgetown University, majoring in the biology of global health, with a minor in science, technology and international affairs at the School of Foreign Service.  How does Ellie think she and her older sister are similar in terms of their approach to school and student life? “Well, we’re really different people, but we both have a strong work ethic, and hold ourselves to high standards,” she commented. “We’re both very curious and eager to learn new things. We were raised to value our education and the opportunities it gives us in life.”