Sunday, July 1, 2012

Nygel's Nerd Nation Shines the Spotlight...

On June 7, 2012 I had the pleasure of attending the promotion of Heritage Middle School here in Ohio and I was so impressed by the maturity and confidence these young men and women exemplified, I had to interview them!

This is a very proud moment for not only us here at Nygel's Nerd Nation, but also the family and friends of Daphney Bonner and Anthony Price. Their outstanding academic achievement deserves to be recognized and we gladly shine the spotlight on them. Congratulations to both Daphney and Anthony! We are extremely proud of you! We wish you the very best on your new journey as you continue to strive to make a difference! 


At this time we would like to interview Daphney Bonner and Anthony Price...


Shanna and the Nerds!!





Nygel's Nerd Nation Interviews Anthony Price


N3: Anthony, you have just completed Middle School and you will now be entering Senior High School. What are your feelings as you leave Heritage and onto Shaw?
AP: Hmm, My feelings are sad and happy. It’s sad because I’m leaving middle school. I’m happy because I have accomplished the second part of my education and will enter the third.


N3: What are some of your fondest memories that you will take with you as you leave Heritage and what will you miss the most? 
AP: One of my fondest memories is when I won the Martin Luther King Jr. Award. What I will miss the most would be the National Junior Honor Society and inducting 8 people into the National Junior Honors Society.


N3: How will you be spending  your summer?
AP: I will be spending my summer doing community service, having Nygel's Nerd Nation meetings, and trying to find a summer job.


N3: We heard that you play several instruments. What are they? What kind of music do you like and what ambitions do you have as far as music is concerned?
AP: I play Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophones. I like jazz music. My ambition on music is that music can change something, it has a feeling, and it can make you sad, happy, or glad.


N3: We also heard that you have a small business of your own, can you tell us a little bit about that and what are your plans?
AP: Yes, I am creating Nygels Jr. Nerd Nation it’s under construction but it will be up before this year is out for updates you can visit www.nygelsjrnerdnation.blogspot.com. The Jr. Nerd Nation will be for children ages 13 and younger. We are tossing ideas around for the direction that we want to focus on for all of our younger nerds. 


N3: What do you do like to do for fun?
AP:I like to spend time with my family 


N3: So, you did very well in your academic career, tell us how well you did. What courses were the most challenging for you and why? 
AP: Well, I was in Honors Classes and I maintained  a 3.8-4.0 GPA average all year. The most challenging courses that I experienced were Algebra 1 Honors and Social Studies Honors. Algebra 1 Honors was the most challenging because it was something that was a privilege in the 8th grade so I had to learn different formulas and signs in algebra that I would learn in High School. Social Studies wasn’t really challenging dealing with the academic aspect just the fast pace moving to different chapters in American History.


N3: What is your definition of a nerd and do you consider yourself one?
AP: My definition of a nerd is a person that is a leader, a person that would never struggle in the end. A nerd is a person that is cool, smart, and corny at the same time. Yes I do consider myself a nerd because it’s something that I talk about in a positive way.


N3: There is so much pressure to be in the “in crowd” how do you feel about peer pressure and fitting in? 
AP: Peer pressure and fitting in isn't pressure or a problem for me. People come to me mostly and talk to me and call me their friend or say "oh that’s the smart guy you should hang around with him" and that’s what really makes me happy about myself- I don’t have to do something to my body or personality just to fit in. Dealing with peer pressure is not a problem either because when I come around, I make people’s lives better or I resolve the problem.


N3: You had the privilege to work with Daphney on the NJHS, tell us how it was working with her and do you plan on keeping in touch?
AP: Working with  Daphney in National Junior Honors Society was something special to me. For one reason I knew it was going to end. Those two years flew by, so for the time we had at Heritage, I wanted it to be something that I could always look back on as one on the best memories in my life. Another reason was that we knew when our advisor needed something; she would always remind me that we had a meeting or did I work on that such and such.  Do I plan on keeping in touch? For sure! We are actually in a jazz band together called “The Progeny” and we will still perform all over Cleveland. Daphney will always be someone I stay in touch with!


N3: What positive contributions would you like to bring to Shaw High School?
AP: I would like to bring a legacy to Shaw High School. I would like to bring something that people can talk about positively that Shaw High is not a bad school.


N3: Based on your time at Heritage, how would both your teachers and friends describe you?
AP: Both teachers and friends would describe me as a cool person to hang around with. A leader. A person that would never doubt you will always be there for you.


N3: What is you ultimate career path and why have you chosen that path? 
AP: My ultimate career path would be in the field of law, being a Corporate Lawyer because I like debating and helping people in a positive way not negatively and physically...


Way to go Anthony!!




Nygel's Nerd Nation Interviews Daphney Bonner

N3: Daphney, you have just completed Middle School and you will now be entering John Hay
School of Science and Medicine. What are your feelings as you leave Heritage and onto John Hay?
DB: As I move from Heritage to John Hay I feel that I need to succeed as I did at Heritage and strive even higher at John Hay. I also feel that this will be a totally new environment for me. I won’t have the comfort of my old friends to have by my side. It is like a totally new start for me so I know I need to do my best, strive for excellence, and make a good impression on new people so that I can have a great and fun experience at John Hay.

N3: What are some of your fondest memories that you will take with you as you leave Heritage and what will you miss the most?
DB: Some of the best memories that I will take from Heritage are of course my great friends that I had but the things that I will always remember is my group "The Progeny." Our group consisted of two saxophonists, a guitarist, a drummer, and me who plays clarinet and sings. We performed at all the school events. At practices we had so many fun times and being there with Anthony by my side was the absolute best. This is also what I will miss the most. I will miss my band teacher Mr. Woods who helped me find my voice and I will miss all my band mates but I plan on keeping up with this and staying in our band The Progeny.

N3: How will you be spending your summer?
DB: For my summer I hope that I will get a call from my band director to say we got a gig and somewhere to play. I also plan to spend my summer with my family and check up on some of my Aspire friends.

N3: You attended the Aspire program at Hathaway Brown. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?
DB: That experience for me was absolutely great. There I got to be myself without anyone judging me and I got to meet great people who have helped me be who I am today. At Aspire we were in families so I got to be a big sister and help guide my younger sisters. From the Aspire Olympics to Love Your Body day, I love Aspire.

N3: What is your direction of study when you head off to John Hay?
DB:  When I head off to John Hay I plan to steer my direction of study in pediatrics because you have to know how to make kids feel comfortable to be a great Pediatrician.

N3: What do you do like to do for fun?
DB: For fun I like to play my clarinet, sing, read books, and write and arrange songs.

N3: So, you did very well in your academic career at Heritage, tell us, just how well did you do? What courses were the most challenging for you and why? How did you maintain your focus and determination?
DB: Well in my studies at Heritage I made consecutive straight A’s for both years and I maintained a 4.0 GPA. The most challenging course was math because I was not very good at it and sometimes it would be hard for me to understand but I made it through. I just kept on moving and I blocked out all of the distractions.

N3: What is your definition of a nerd and do you consider yourself one?
DB: definition of a nerd is someone who is smart and does what they need to do and yes I do consider myself a nerd.

N3: There is so much pressure to be in the “in crowd” how do you feel about peer pressure, how do you handle it and is fitting in important?
DB:  I feel that you just don’t give into peer pressure and I handle it by just staying with the people I know that will support me. Fitting in is not important because if you just be yourself people will except you for you.

N3: You had the privilege to work with Anthony in the NJHS, tell us how it was working with him and do you plan on keeping in touch?
DB:  It is an honor to work with Anthony. He is such a great person and he keeps you smiling and laughing all the time. I do plan to stay in touch with Anthony. He is such a great person.

N3: What positive contributions would you like to bring to John Hay?
DB:    I would like to bring my joy and happiness to John Hay.

N3: Based on your time at Heritage, how would both your teachers and friends describe you?
DB: My teachers and friends would describe me as a wonderful, energetic person that does what she needs to do to succeed.

N3: What is your ultimate career and why did you select that career?
DB: My ultimate career is to be a Pediatrician. I selected this because I want to help those who need help.



Way to go Daphney!