On his way out of the school library on a January afternoon, Jake Lovell stopped to help a fellow student with her geometry homework.
“Of course I’m going to ask him for help,” said Alisa Vargas, a sophomore. “He’s the smart guy.”
Jake, who recently received a
National Merit Letter of Commendation, just smiled and shook his head.
Q: So, Jake, where have you applied to college?
A: Cornell, Whitman, Reed and Western Washington. I won’t know for a while where I will be going.
Q: What will you study?
A: Art history. I want to travel abroad and maybe work in an art museum in Europe. Maybe in Denmark. But maybe in Brazil. I definitely want to go to South America, too.
Q: You want to be an art museum curator?
A: No, I want to get a broad, liberal arts education. Eventually I might follow in my dad’s footsteps and be a business consultant.
Q: But you have a great interest in fine art and history?
A: And food. Whenever our family travels we’re into art museums and food.
Q: Are there some traveling highlights?
A: I’ve been to France, New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
Q: And the food?
A: I remember eating pigs feet in France. It grossed me out, but at least I can say that I tried it. I’m a vegetarian now, and my favorite is Thai food.
Q: What other sorts of arts do you like?
A: I play the guitar. I like Minus the Bear, Death Cab for Cutie and the Decemberists. Some of my favorite books are “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez, “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck and “Another Roadside Attraction” by Tom Robbins. I previously was active in drama, too. Doing plays is good for developing public speaking skills, confidence and expression. Plus it’s fun.
Q: What else keeps you busy at school?
A: I’m on the Knowledge Bowl and Hi-Q teams. I’m president of the Key Club and of the Honor Society. Honor Society runs a tutoring program every Wednesday after school for students of all ages. The coaches sometimes let students miss the first 15 minutes of practice for tutoring.
Q: Do you play sports?
A: No, but I enjoy hiking. One of my favorite hikes is to Jordan Lake northeast of Darrington. I like being outside in the summer. After I graduate, I won’t move back to Darrington, but I will certainly visit. It’s a beautiful place.
Q: Will you miss the school?
A: My class has about 44 people in it, and I will miss them and my teachers. Darrington has a good student-teacher ratio. You get lots of attention. Right now I have advanced placement physics and calculus, as well as current world problems, Spanish, college-prep English and an online economics class.
Q: So, you are the student body’s representative to the School Board?
A: Yeah, it’s worth the time. A few years ago, the student rep helped convince the School Board that students could handle an open campus. I don’t attend the School Board’s executive sessions, though. So I know nothing about personnel and legal issues.
Q: What else keeps you busy away from school?
A: I visit my girlfriend in Mount Vernon. Someday I want to be a dad, but not for a long while. I can see that raising a kid takes lots of encouragement. I hope my folks thought it was worth it.
Gale Fiege: gfiege@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3427.
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