by Nathan Lampshire ’19

Little did Dr. Minus know that I was practicing excellence before his time here at Sherwood. Before I decided to pursue a military career, I had a schedule that honestly couldn’t have been more beneficial for my success. I’d wake up around 5 am every morning, eat a pop tart and stick my head in the sink to wet my hair. Then I’d sit down and watch the latest and greatest on Netflix until it was time to go to school. Somehow, I still managed to arrive in the parking lot when the first period bell rang every day.
In class, I was a scholar. I managed to discover the best reactions in honors chemistry by combining all of the available chemicals into one beaker–a fun experiment that is not favored by teachers. I had also forgotten to write a couple English papers until the night before the due date, yet managed to pull off some decent grades.

While I still put effort into my grades, it wasn’t until the end of my sophomore year when I sat down and took a good look at what needed to be accomplished. Once I decided the classes and grades necessary for the remainder of my school career, I worked hard to practice my own version of excellence.

My version of excellence includes good grades, respect for others, and all of the other words that are now plastered about the school, but the one thing that I have found paramount to excellence is enjoying yourself. Finding the perfect balance between fun and hard work can be difficult in high school, but is assuredly doable. Sure, I now skip the pop tart for healthy food, look over notes rather than watch Netflix, and no longer try to make the chemistry lab explode, but in retrospect, I have achieved my own take on excellence.