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TOP GRADS Kristen Nethercott, CHS salutatorian

DEVIN WEEKS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 6 months AGO
by DEVIN WEEKS
Devin Weeks is a third-generation North Idaho resident. She holds an associate degree in journalism from North Idaho College and a bachelor's in communication arts from Lewis-Clark State College Coeur d'Alene. Devin embarked on her journalism career at the Coeur d'Alene Press in 2013. She worked weekends for several years, covering a wide variety of events and issues throughout Kootenai County. Devin now mainly covers K-12 education and the city of Post Falls. She enjoys delivering daily chuckles through the Ghastly Groaner and loves highlighting local people in the Fast Five segment that runs in CoeurVoice. Devin lives in Post Falls with her husband and their three eccentric and very needy cats. | May 14, 2020 1:12 AM

I am 17 years old. I have lived in Coeur d'Alene my entire life, and I am excited to graduate and experience the world outside of North Idaho!

Activities/clubs/sports: I participated in Key Club (community service), National Honor Society, scholastics, Mathletes and the Math and Science Bowl in high school; I also played volleyball for four years through middle school and my freshman year.

Hobbies: Reading, listening to music, watching Netflix, hanging out with my friends.

Favorite books/movies/music: Books: "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Harry Potter;" movies — "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Legally Blonde;" music: anything by Billie Eilish or Rex Orange County.

Favorite school subject: Chemistry, but an honorable mention goes to calculus.

Senior quote: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky -Michael Scott (This is a reference to the show "The Office.")

Proudest moment in high school: Getting a 36 on my ACT (along with being salutatorian, of course).

Biggest challenge overcome: Learning to balance my school and social life so that I didn't become too overwhelmed. Another big challenge was getting an A in AP physics!

Favorite school memory: Senior Start from the beginning of this year. It was so great to spend a school day outside having fun with my friends in our last year of high school.

Plans after high school: My plan is to attend the University of Florida, receive a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, and then attend medical school in the hopes of becoming a surgeon.

Biggest cheerleaders: My parents — they have supported me every step of the way through numerous successes and disappointments.

What will you miss most about high school?: I have had teachers at CHS that truly cared about their students and I will miss the connection I had with those specific teachers, especially because those connections are often much harder to create in college. I am also really going to miss my friends when we all graduate.

Advice for younger students: Know where your limit is. Push yourself, but don't push yourself so hard that you burn out!

Legacy to CHS: I don't believe I left what could be considered a "legacy," but I do hope that I left my peers and teachers with positive opinions of me and that I made an impact on some of them in some way.

Lasting thoughts: I spent much of my time in school wishing I was home, but I'm truly going to miss CHS. Go Viks!

• • •

The Class of 2020 is filled with stars so bright, even a worldwide pandemic can't overshadow their accomplishments.

This series will highlight the top graduates of North Idaho's high schools. Valedictorians and salutatorians, we salute you!

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