Written By: Julia Bailey, Editor in Training
ADCOCK: Poly’s class of 2023 best and brightest.
Another year, another stellar graduating class here at Poly High School. Among Poly’s top-ranked students heading off to college this year is the one and only, Dalton Adcock.
Despite his short time here at Poly, only attending for his junior and senior years, Dalton has made quite an impact. As the president of the Spanish Honors Society, his leadership, upbeat personality, and dedication has helped to make this year one to remember.
Not only does Dalton excel in Spanish and Sciences, but English as well. Last year, he went on to the theater round of our SLAM poetry competition. Mrs. Yeyna, his junior-year English teacher, was especially helpful when it came to Dalton’s integration into Poly and his success. He was grateful to have her as a teacher because when he first arrived “she was very welcoming” and created an environment where he could truly grow to his full potential as she “didn’t really give him any leeway”, always pushing him to be his best. Despite being a self-proclaimed introvert, SLAM forced him out of his comfort zone and made him realize that “it was probably the most important experience he had had last year”, learning how to come out of his shell and be heard.
This dynamic and incredibly smart young man had a much more unique beginning to his education than most. While the rest of the elementary-aged children were sent off every day to receive the identical curriculum and teaching styles, enduring hours of learning in a large classroom, Dalton was homeschooled. Instead of being lost behind dozens of other students’ learning needs and being forced to learn subjects that did not spark interest in him, Dalton was able to receive carefully crafted instruction that was personal to his pace and many interests in learning. With this format, Dalton was able to “foster a natural love for learning because he could learn everything at his own pace”, which ultimately led him to discover his passion for science. And as the year comes closer to an end, and our seniors grow closer to graduating, Dalton will be faced with a difficult choice; UC Irvine for computer science or UC San Diego with biology?
Although Poly will be sad to see him go, we are thankful for the mark Dalton left here on our campus and community. As he makes his exit, he advises upcoming seniors that the key to surviving your last year is “finding the balance”. We cannot wait to see what you accomplish!