Date: Fri 14-Jun-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

students-Elf-Zimmerman-

Full Text:

with cut: Newtown's Top Students

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Though their speeches at Newtown High School's graduation on Thursday, June 20

will mark a point of departure, Newtown will probably be hearing a lot more in

the future from this year's top two Newtown High School graduates.

The voice of one may someday be heard from outer space, while the music of the

other may one day fill a Broadway theater.

Valedictorian Kate Zimmerman and salutatorian Courtney Elf have completed

their four-year journey through high school and have ended up at the top and

prepare to make the next step toward fulfilling their dreams. Kate, a science

whiz, has her mind set on someday becoming a NASA astronaut, while Courtney

plans a career in music composition.

Both have proven that smarts, hard work and a positive attitude can make all

the difference.

The Value Of Imagination

Kate Zimmerman has always believed that a good imagination is always better

than knowledge. Having both, the sky seems to be the limit for this year's

valedictorian, the daughter of Frank and Carol Zimmerman of Rowledge Pond

Road.

Kate's countdown toward a career in the space field will begin this fall when

she begins her first year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

in Cambridge, Mass. She chose MIT because it has the best engineering program

in the country and plans to study aerospace engineering.

According to her teachers, Kate is a student of rare achievement. In fact, she

was recently pictured in Time, Forbes and Fortune magazines for being

considered one of the top 100 high school students nationwide after winning

the Tandy Corporation scholarship. She was also a 1996 National Merit Award

finalist.

To achieve what she has, Kate admits she's had to make sacrifices, but says

she always makes time for fun.

"I make time for whatever I really want to do. To balance my time, sometimes I

have to give up a little bit of one thing to do another," she said.

While at MIT, Kate plans to join the Air Force ROTC, hoping she will learn how

to fly, an asset NASA looks for in its astronauts. In addition to having the

intelligence to be an astronaut, Kate has the physical qualities as well. Her

athletic build has aided her on both the girls' field hockey and lacrosse

teams. Her lone missing attribute, she says, is her eyesight, which isn't

exactly 20/20.

The walls of Kate's bedroom are adorned with countless posters and photos of

the legendary genius Albert Einstein, the historical figure most admired by

the NHS student. But more recently, she has come to admire the accomplishments

of NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, who last year became the first woman to

pilot the space shuttle on the STS-76 mission.

An accomplished organist, Kate performs regularly at Trinity Church.

Kate said the last book she read was Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

Kate, who has a sister Kendall, 12, and a brother Andrew, 9, said her

graduation speech to her classmates will center on following and achieving

your dreams. Or in Kate's case Á shooting for the stars.

A Passion For Composition

Since she was very young, Courtney Elf has had a passion for both creative

writing and music. This fall, she'll head to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine

to begin her pursuit of a career using both disciplines Á music composition.

"I've been playing the piano since I was nine and the flute since I was 10,

she explained. "I started composing music in middle school. In high school,

I've been composing pieces for small ensembles."

The daughter of Gary and Linda Elf of 160 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Courtney's

dream is to write sound tracks for movies or scores for Broadway productions,

but says she may end up teaching music theory and composing music on the side.

Her favorite composer is Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In addition to her work in he classroom, the salutatorian has also been a

standout performer on the NHS girls' cross country and track & field teams,

something she believes has helped her be a high school success.

"Doing sports helps me balance my time more because when I get home from

practice I know I have only a couple of hours to get my homework done," she

explained. "A tighter schedule enables me to get more done."

Kate was recently awarded a CIAC Scholar Athlete Award.

English is her favorite subject, and Courtney says NHS AP English teacher

Kerry Baldwin has had a strong influence on her, as has English teacher John

Percivalle and elementary school teacher Patricia Ives who helped Courtney

fall in love with writing at a young age.

Courtney said she chose Bates College because of its ability to offer her both

academics and athletics.

"I was looking for a school where I could major in music composition, but also

with a strong liberal arts background. I also decided to go there because it's

small enough where I would be able to run track and cross country," she said.

Courtney, who has two sisters, Shannon, 15, and Caitlyn, 11, said she last

read Portrait of an Artist by James Joyce.

Her speech to her classmates graduation night will touch on how the class has

grown to become the class of 1996. As Courtney points out, the class has made

lots of friends, but now, as its members move off in different directions,

they can take those friendships and learn from them.

Courtney said she lives by the words, "Hard work pays off." The NHS senior

hopes good music does, too.