by David Flint
Deanna Nash of Grafton has been chosen to be the Valedictorian for Berlin High School’s Class of 2010. Nash is both a scholar and an athlete. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Secretary of the Student Council and currently Class President. She has been a mainstay in varsity soccer, basketball and softball. How does she get everything done and do it so well? The trick, she said, is to “use your time wisely.”
This year in soccer she was named the Mountaineers’ Most Valuable Player, took a spot on the Central Hudson Valley League’s 2d Team All Stars and shared, with Victoria Muller, the designation of Most Improved Player in basketball. Last
year in softball she made the CHVL 2d Team All Stars and was also named Most Improved Player.
Deanna said that she enjoys teamwork. Another team that she worked on was part of the W.J. Cowee Program for International Commerce. With the cooperation of the Caterpillar company, the students developed a business plan involving a number of international business issues, including product mix, pricing, distribution platforms, cultural and political considerations, return on investment, transportation issues, raw materials, labor markets, environmental issues and trade organizations. For that work, Deanna, along with three others, was honored last June with the W.J. Cowee Award.
Last year in Mr. Goodrich’s Alternative Energy class, Deanna was part of a team that surveyed the Middle School/High School building to determine its efficiency in terms of heating, ventilation, electrical, insulation, drainage and other properties. They found a number of cost efficient and sometimes very inexpensive means of improving the drainage around the building, providing hot water to taps more efficiently, preventing heat loss at the doors and adjusting the lighting, temperature and humidity in the classrooms.
This past year Deanna has been attending classes at SUNY-Albany’s East Campus as a student in Questar III’s New Visions Program in Scientific Research and World Health. This advanced University in the High School program gives students a worldwide perspective on health while learning how scientific and mathematical principles are applied to promote health and prevent disease.
Deanna is the daughter of Patrice and John Nash of Grafton. She plans to attend Boston University in the fall and will probably choose one of the physical sciences as a major.