Discus Award Winner
Nicholas Bailey
12th Grade, CA
ATTRIBUTES
Academics
Throughout high school I have pushed myself to enroll in as many AP and honors classes as possible. I have received all As since 9th Grade, was named an AP Scholar with Honor for the four AP classes I took in junior year, and am currently a Cardinal Newman Oxford Scholar, a title given to the top ranked students at my school. My composite score on the ACT is 33, and I am taking four more AP classes this year. I went beyond my school's curriculum by receiving college credit from Berklee College of Music for Music Theory and from American University for an Engineering and Environmental Sustainability course taught over the summer.
Arts
I have been playing piano for over a decade, and throughout high school I have furthered my musical career by performing in the school Ensemble for several years. As I decided to expand my knowledge of theory by taking college music classes, I also was paid to accompany the Cardinal Newman Choir for several concerts. I was named Outstanding Accompanist 2012 for the Music in the Parks choir competition at Vallejo, California. I have now come full circle as I work with the organization Move Over Mozart, teaching group piano lessons after school as a community service project throughout the year. This commitment is about five hours per week, but is worth the effort because of the connection and love I have for music and piano.
Athletics
Athletics have always been a major component of my lifestyle. In high school, I played basketball for two years, but discovered that I enjoy being in the water. This is my fourth year swimming and third year playing water polo, my new favorite sport. Water polo is extremely demanding physically, mentally, and takes about three to four hours out of every school day in the fall because of morning and afternoon practices. This year, the Cardinal Newman team made it to the North Coast Section tournament, and broke a school record by winning their first game ever at this championship tournament. Additionally, I was part of the Marin Water Polo Club, which qualified to play at the National Junior Olympics in Palo Alto, California.
