Discus Award Winner
Samuel Hall
12th Grade, ME
ATTRIBUTES
Government
I have always been interested in government, growing up with a mother who is obsessed with politics. So it was only natural for me to become involved in Student Council in my first year of High School. I started out as the Treasurer of the Freshman Class, then the President of the Sophomore Class, then President of the Junior Class, and now I am the President of the Student Body. My plan as Student Body President is to not only make the lives of the students at the boarding school I attend better, but to also spread a message of respect throughout our community. Beyond my school, I have been involved in the Model United Nations at the University of Southern Maine, representing Canada and Afghanistan. I worked on the WHO and the Organization of the Islamic Conference respectively.
Academics
Academics has not always been one of my strengths. When I was in elementary school, I struggled to read due to my having dyslexia. Every day for three years I went to tutoring for an hour to overcome this challenge, but I came out of it stronger. I have been on the Highest Honor role of my school fifteen times since sixth grade with a 4.2 gpa, constantly challenging myself to take harder and harder classes. This current year I am taking four AP classes along with another high level language course. I scored 770 on my Math Level II SAT Subject Test following a 730 on the Math Level I Test. I also took home a 2100 on my SAT's along with being a National Merit Commended Scholar on my tremendous PSAT score. Academics has let me prove that I can beat my learning disability.
Community Service
My foray into community service was in ninth grade, when I started to teach golf to juniors all across my local region. I was involved in Midcoast Junior Golf as a volunteer and a tournament coordinator. The game of golf can be a life sport, and is one of the most healthy activities for your body, unlike some other sports like football. At the same time, I started working at the Maine State Archives, under the State Archivist as a volunteer research intern. While I was working on commemorating the Civil War Sesquicentennial, I was able to actually feel the memories of the men who wrote letters home to their families. It was my job to make sure that these men had their stories heard, and this job was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had in my entire life.
