HAMILTON — High school for some students consists of sports, a part-time job, and keeping up with classes, but for one senior at Hamilton High School there’s excitement around being named as a semi-finalist for a national scholarship.
“The National Merit Scholarship for me is a really big opportunity for colleges and everything because with it, I can hopefully get out-of-state merit-based scholarships that will help me afford to be able to go out of state. So that's awesome. I'm really excited to be a semifinalist. And part of the path to get here has just been due to the Hamilton school system. It's really awesome,” Chloe Greek told MTN.
The National Merit Scholarship is an annual competition among high school students for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships.
It began in 1955 and screens over 1.3 million students every year and one of those 1.3 million students in Hamilton was named to the semifinalist list for the award.
Hamilton is home to two programs that have won state championships several years in a row, the Science Olympiad and Envirothon.
Envirothon is where Chloe has spent her high school years, leaving as a three-time state champ and also a national champion in oral presentations.
“I've had a lot of amazing teachers throughout the years that have helped me get here, and then I've just always been good at taking tests and so kind of just a combination of all of that. But my teachers really helped me get to this point," Greek said.
"So Envirothon has been amazing. It's coached by Maria Antonoil, who's the health teacher here, and I've just had a great time all four years learning about the environment, and all the mentors are super cool," she continued. "There's ones from the forest service or who work in the field that they're teaching us,” Greek said.
“Envirothon has also been a huge part of my extracurricular activities, as well as some jobs I've had. I interned on this farm, and we worked with kids with autism, as well as made food for homebound seniors in the community. And so just a lot of community stuff, and learning the importance of connecting with people,” Greek told MTN.
Not only has the support from Hamilton High School been a large part of Greek’s journey, but so has her family.
“My mom, my family have definitely been huge supporters. My sister, Sydney...she was this huge overachiever, and she had a 4.0 and she got fives on all her AP tests and everything. So just having that to look up to and kind of motivate me has been a huge thing. As well as my mom. [She's] always supported me and everything and helped me with everything. So, as well as my grandma, she was a scientist, and she just has this curiosity, curiosity about everything," Greek said.
"And so she kind of passed that on to me, and she's made me she also has this garden and all these snakes on her property. So as a kid, I'd go work in her garden and just eat veggies right out of the ground and catch snakes. So she's definitely helped foster some of my outdoor love,” Greek continued.
Greek also explained what the support of the faculty and staff of Hamilton High School has been for her while she has been on the road to the semifinalist award.
“I've always just felt supported and celebrated at Hamilton my teachers whenever I do well on tests or things in classes or get awards, they'd always be really happy for me and encourage that, and then they've just really contributed to my academic development and everything,” Greek said.
Greek talked about the support she's seen from her teachers as she continued her athletic and academic journey.
“As soon as I was awarded it I got called down to the counselor's office and congratulated, and all the teachers in the halls were telling me how amazing it was. And then these interviews got set up, so they just really support academic achievement, and especially with sports too," Greek noted.
"My teachers have always been great about when I'm gone for sports helping me make things up, or being lenient on Oh, you were gone, you can have some time to turn this in, or things that, and I just feel everyone's so supportive and kind, and that's really something that's been amazing and helped my success,” Greek said.
So as fall turns into winter and winter turns into Spring, and the countdown to decision day, Greek explained what’s next for her and her academic journey.
“I'm looking at colleges in Oregon and Washington for the most part right now, but I've also looked at a college in California or Montana State University, and I want to get my undergraduate degree in something with biology or environmental science, and then use that and travel the world and do cool stuff outside with my job and just get new experiences,” Greek said.
