Great grad: Oxford Hills high school's Madelaine Miller has learned the value of working hard
Jun. 5—SOUTH PARIS — Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School senior Madelaine Miller, 18, has made a profoundly positive impact on her school and community, Principal Paul Bickford said.
Her work ethic helped propel her to become the class valedictorian, president of the National Honor Society and participant of three varsity sports, he said. She also found time to dedicate to public service.
"Miss Miller exemplifies kindness, caring and empathy combined with being articulate and inquisitive," Bickford said.
Miller said the Oxford Hills community has provided her with academic and athletic support and taught her to take advantage of all the opportunities that come her way. The value of working hard will take her toward reaching goals and creating meaningful relationships, she said.
The best part of my day is usually lunchtime because I really enjoy talking with my friends and the food is really good too.
The worst part of each day is the beginning of the first block because I am not awake enough for school at 7:30 a.m.
My favorite class has always been math throughout the entirety of high school. I really enjoy having to problem solve and apply concepts I already know to new learning. I also enjoy chemistry and anatomy because there is a lot of hands-on learning through different labs and dissections.
I have had so many amazing teachers at Oxford Hills but I would really like to highlight the math department. Mr. Pelletier and Mrs. Bristol have pushed me to be my best and have always gone above and beyond to make sure I succeed. They even allowed me to do independent studies in their classes this year so that I could take both Advanced Placement statistics and AP calculus BC.
The hardest part of high school has been balancing a full schedule, as well as playing sports year-round. Sometimes it can feel like I am being pulled in 100 directions at once, but I have overcome this by using my time wisely. I am not sure where I would be without a planner.
I hope that my classmates remember me as someone who is really kind, and easy to reach out to if they are having a problem.
I wish that adults understood how overwhelming the transition from high school to college or the workforce can be for kids. The truth is that it is almost impossible to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at such a young age. I would tell the teachers and administrators not to worry about us too much because we all will eventually figure out our own paths.
If I could give advice to eighth graders, I would tell them to enjoy every minute of high school. It seriously does go by so fast and there are so many memories to look forward to. Sometimes I find myself looking to the future too much when really the best moments happen when you least expect them.
Next year I will be attending Bates College. I am undecided about my major but I will be playing softball.
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