Scholar of the Month

Hermon High School senior Deanna Partridge, 18, has always kept four words in mind: scholarship, leadership, service and character.

Those are the principles of the National Honor Society. Partridge is the president of her high school’s chapter. Whether in academics, athletics, or her work outside of the school, those are the ideals that have motivated the young woman who is Midweek’s Scholar of the Month for May.

“These are four things I try to live by,” said Partridge, who will graduate this spring as valedictorian of her class. She is the daughter of Joseph and Marcia Partridge of Carmel.

Interwoven with those principles are other ideals such as perseverance, caring, commitment and independence.

The list of her 57 activities is too long to fit in her yearbook profile. For Partridge, there is no experimenting or dabbling. Once she sets her mind to do something, she puts all of her energy into it.

“I take up something to excel at it,” she said. “The only way I can enjoy some things is by becoming really good at them.”

Throughout her four years at Hermon, Partridge has balanced academics with athletics, activities and work. Partridge plays the piano and flute. She has played with the school’s band, the stage band, and has sung with the chorus.

She has managed the girls basketball, softball and field hockey teams. Other activities have included the Key Club, the honor society, the Model State Legislature program, and the yearbook.

She has tutored some of her peers in mathematics and she now is tutoring a junior high school pupil.

Through all of this activity, Partridge has maintained a 95.5 average and will graduate first in a class of 120 students.

While she has strengths in many fields, her strongest interest is in writing, where her abilities are also diverse.

She was on the staff of The Hawk, the school’s newspaper, and last year she was its editor. Next fall she plans to attend the University of Maine to major in journalism. She is also a poet, and one of her untitled poems will be published in an anthology by the National Library of Poetry.

Partridge’s accomplishments and contributions have not gone unnoticed. She is one of 25 students in the state to receive the University of Maine’s Presidential Scholarship, amounting to $12,000 over the next four years. She also is the recipient of a $2,000 a year scholarship as part of the Maine Scholars Day.

Teachers and school officials speak highly of her.

“She’s a free-thinking person and strong-willed,” said Ralph Carr, Hermon High School guidance counselor, who added that she had a strong inner drive. “She goes for everything … she just goes for it.”

English teacher Clayton Blood said Partridge showed sensitivity in her writing and that she was able to express those sentiments well. Blood also described her impact on the school.

“She’s definitely made Hermon a better place.”