Schools

Strong Student's Music and Writing Talents Shine

Eighth grader Natalie Charette recently won a state essay contest for her reflective of Paul Revere.

Whiz Kid: Natalie Charette, 8th grader at student at Strong Middle School in Durham

Accomplishment: Natalie recently won the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) essay contest for the state. The essay (see attached), titled "Memoirs of Paul Revere," was written as a reflective from Paul Revere's perspective, as he lay on his death bed.

"Everyone knows about his midnight ride, but there are a lot of things that he did... People might not know that he was a political cartoonist, so I tried to touch upon [his] accomplishments. I wanted to make it more of a creative writing practice," Natalie said about the essay, which she wrote in January.

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Natalie has been invited to receive a silver medal award during the Connecticut DAR Spring State Conference in Rocky Hill, on April 29-30. Her essay has automatically been entered into DAR's National Contest.

Key to awesomeness: In addition to her interest in creative writing and poetry, Natalie is also an accomplished musician. She plays clarinet, piano and guitar and recently auditioned for the Connecticut Music Educators Association's Southern Region, where she was given first chair for clarinet. Her favorite musician is Scott Joplin, a composer and pianist noted for his ragtime compositions.

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Natalie is also involved in cross-country, basketball and Girl Scouts.

"What is refreshing about Natalie is that she is a genuine, caring person in addition to her great musical [talent] and intellect. She is someone that people want to be around. Natalie exhibits our core ethical values of kindness, courage, responsibility, respect and honesty," said Strong School Principal Dr. Scott Nicol.


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