Lavrouk and Stokes named NHS valedictorians

Besides having the best grades in Niwot High's Class of 2020, co-valedictorians Anton Lavrouk (IB) and Tim Stokes (traditional) have at least one other thing in common: their modest reactions to earning the honor.

"I was just trying to get good grades in my classes, so I could get into a good college," Stokes said of his sustained academic success. "So I took AP classes, and it just kind of happened."

Of course, there was a little more to it than that, Stokes acknowledged, and he was surprised to learn of his top-of-the class status when it was revealed by his counselor earlier this school year.

"There are a lot of other good students that work very hard, but I was pretty excited to see that my hard work had paid off."

A fair share of Stokes' hard work went towards earning an A in Mrs. Schlagel's Advanced Placement calculus class, where the lessons were about more than functions and derivatives.

"I had to work the hardest in that class," he said. "But it gave me a strong work ethic and taught me that you have to keep trying if you want a good grade and to achieve success."

That straightforward approach and "trying not to procrastinate" formed the basis of Stokes' approach to balancing his academic demands with extracurricular activities, notably varsity sports. Stokes was a two-sport athlete juggling basketball and baseball until junior year, when he decided to focus on baseball year-round. It was a decision that paid off on the field, when the infielder was named Second Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-Region for the Cougars in 2019. However, he often found his study time running short during crucial weeks of the school year.

"I think the hardest thing is when teachers just overload you with homework and big projects," he said. "So you just have to take it one class at a time, look at deadlines, get done what you can."

Those habits should serve Stokes well at University of Notre Dame, where he will enroll in the fall to study business. He also considered UCLA, but ultimately went with the Fighting Irish in South Bend due to its legendary sports program and robust business program. To sweeten the deal, Stokes was offered a Notre Dame University Scholarship, as well as a NDCD Bishop Evans Scholarship.

Stokes' counterpart in Niwot's International Baccalaureate diploma programme had a more philosophical outlook about being named 2020 valedictorian, but he was similarly reticent about the accomplishment.

"I guess I'm happy that all the work I put in added up to something, but I don't look at it as something super, super crazy," Lavrouk said. "Nowadays, GPA is one of the last things you should look at to measure student performance. I feel like it's there, and it's something you can look at, but there are a lot of other things that I feel are equally important, like extracurriculars."

Whatever the merits of that view, Lavrouk's achievement is undeniably impressive. A self-described "STEM kid," he took on Niwot's full complement of high-level math and science classes, earning top marks in both the IB and AP offerings. But he was also successful in the classes he found less to his liking, and credited Niwot's teachers with helping him get the most out of his academic experience at the school, no matter the subject.

"First of all, Mrs. Broestl in chemistry-that completely shaped how I learn and how I study. It was a completely new experience; it was super difficult, and I feel like the commitment I put into that class taught me a whole lot. And then Mr. Rice in physics, I've got to shout him out.

"In English, Mrs. Feiran and Mrs. Pomranka both taught me how to write good essays," he continued, "and I'm really grateful for that."

When he wasn't in the classroom for Niwot, Lavrouk was probably on the tennis court, as a three-year member of the Cougars' varsity doubles lineup. He also led the school's Science Bowl and Chemistry Olympiad teams.

In the fall, Lavrouk is taking his talents to Georgia Tech, which boasts one of the top ten engineering programs in the country. He plans to study computer science, after discovering a passion for software engineering during an internship at Lockheed Martin.

"My dad's a software engineer, so I've been around that stuff my whole life, but I never really got into it," he said. "Then, I did software engineering for the summer, and I really, really, really liked it. There were a bunch of super interesting projects that I could work on."

As of now, Lavrouk is contemplating a future in software engineering and data analytics, but hasn't committed to anything specifically. He plans to minor in chemistry, and would like to keep his options open.

Overall, Lavrouk feels that Niwot's IB program delivered on its promises and its demanding curriculum prepared him well for the next phase of his life

"What I think IB is about is learning how to learn," he said. "It's a super important skill, and you have to keep pushing yourself to learn faster and learn better. I think I've gotten better at problem solving. I'm definitely at a good point for college."

Both Stokes and Lavrouk are hard at work on their speeches, which they will deliver to fellow graduates at Niwot's rescheduled graduation ceremony on July 25