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Seniors
Will Guzick & Virginia Offerle Nominated for Wendy’s Heisman
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The CCES Upper School has nominated seniors Will Guzick and Virginia Offerle to receive the 2007 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. This honor is presented annually to one male and one female high school senior who best exemplify the designation of scholar-citizen-athletes. At a banquet held on November 9 for all Upstate high school nominees, it was announced that Will Guzick was named one of three Upstate finalists for the award. A total of 20 finalists were selected statewide. Since 1994 when the award was created, 136,000 students have been nominated nationwide for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award; only 24 students have actually won it. Guzick: Respected For His Character As Well As His Intellectual and Athletic Abilities
Yet, of all his many attributes and accomplishments, he is held in highest esteem for his gentlemanly behavior and fine character. Calling his level of achievement “astounding,” CCES chemistry teacher Marsha Winston also noted that he is “a personable young man who is well liked, respected, and admired by his peers as well as the faculty.” English teacher Donna Miller offered this appraisal: “His focus is intense; his understanding almost instantaneous. A true leader through example as well as through overt leadership, Will receives respect from his peers, teachers and friends. His moral behavior is without question. Honesty and integrity are Will's greatest attributes. His love of learning and his desire to make the world a better place make him a special and remarkable student. What a joy he is to teach, and what a tremendous asset he has been in the classroom, on the tennis court, and in the halls of Christ Church Episcopal School!” Added History Department Chair Kristi Ferguson, “I will remember Will forever, not just because of his academics, but because of who he is—his confidence, integrity, inquisitive nature, his intelligence. It’s not just his 1600 on the SAT I am going to remember—it’s his presence, his style, and his character too.” Guzick once computed that because of his competitive tennis schedule, he was actually in class at CCES less than 50 percent of the time. He attributes his academic and athletic success to “very efficient time management skills,” a trait remarked on by several of his teachers. English teacher Barbara Carter, who has taught at CCES since 1971, noted that “Will is one of the most intelligent and dedicated young people I have ever known. He is not only extremely bright, but his sense of responsibility is truly incredible. I had him in English III Honors last year, and he always came to me weeks ahead of time to let me know what his tennis schedule was and when he was going to be absent. He always had his work in ahead of time and would take his tests and write his essays before he left as well. He is a talented, pleasant, and intellectual young man who will do well in whatever endeavor he chooses in life.” Graphic arts teacher Dan Harris, with whom Guzick took a Photo I class as a freshman, recalled an incident where his students, complaining of “too much work,” were handing in their assignments late. But their griping ceased, he noted, when he told them that Will had not only handed in all three assignments on time, he was getting ready to hand in the fourth ahead of time, anticipating his absence at an upcoming tennis tournament. Asked what he wants to achieve in life, Guzick’s answer is disarming. “I want to gain the respect of others,” he said. “I view every action as an opportunity for personal growth.” He is hoping to attend and play tennis for Harvard University next year and to fulfill his dream of playing in the U. S. Open next September. However, he is not interested in a pro tennis career. “I’m just not good enough,” he says. Having lived in France for two years as a child, and having kept up his French studies at L’École Française Bilingue in Greenville, he hopes to eventually pursue international studies. As an undergraduate, he is interested at this time in studying economics, a subject he enjoys “because it combines the practical with the purely theoretical.” “CCES,” says Guzick, “has really proved to be a world of opportunities for me. My teachers have gone over and above in helping me to achieve.” He noted that in fourth grade, teacher Robin Yerkes helped him learn rudimentary algebra, and while still in Middle School, his schedule was arranged so that he could take Geometry at the Upper School in seventh grade, and Algebra II in eighth. Clearly, Guzick has been an extraordinary student since he first came to CCES, but the individual attention he has received throughout his 13 years here has allowed him to excel to his fullest potential. Offerle:
“Loves to Do It All” “It takes a lot of time management,” Offerle admitted, “but I enjoy so many things—I have to do it all!” Her senior thesis focuses on the field of sports psychology. “I am investigating what stresses athletes,” she explains, “and the mental techniques they can use to overcome stress. How you train your mind is just as important as how you train your body.” Her senior thesis mentor, College Guidance Director and psychology teacher Ashley Pittman describes Virginia as “one of the most outstanding overall seniors in the class. Her positive attitude and sterling work ethic are above reproach. For example, she balanced her senior thesis, college applications, being captain of the field hockey team, captain of the cheerleading squad, co-leader of the Blue Belles, in addition to her studies, without complaint….What is most impressive to me is how she has managed a high level of achievement in all her activities and academics. She maintains A’s in her coursework while being so involved.” Mrs. Pittman’s expressed her affection for her mentee, saying, “her sparkling personality endears her to all who cross her path. She just has a way about her that puts others at ease. I can’t say enough good things about her!” Offerle’s athleticism has its roots in her study of ballet from age 3 to seventh grade. “I appeared in all the Nutcrackers, in Alice in Wonderland, and Hansel and Gretel,” she recalled. “But when I was in the Middle School, I realized I had to choose between ballet and sports.” However, she kept up her interest in the stage by participating in choir and all the Middle School plays: Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, and The Wizard of Oz. But by the end of eighth grade it was clear she had a gift for athletics, and she won the James B. Conyers Sportsmanship Award, given to one eighth-grade girl and boy each year. In Upper School she became committed to field hockey, where she plays on the forward line. To hone her skills she participated in summer field hockey camps at Wake Forest University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Duke University. A self-described “pretty aggressive player,” she says that she tries to motivate the team to work together. Coach Connie Lanzl praises her leadership of the team: “As a co-captain of this year's field hockey team, Virginia displayed all of the qualities prized by a coach: leadership that is strong and positive; a work ethic that is consistently exemplary and inspires her teammates to follow her example; a sense of teamwork that produces unselfish play and genuine joy in the success of others; and an appreciation in a team sport of the place and time for the kind of individual effort that pushes everyone else to come up to her level. Virginia led the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of each game, and made sure that her teammates maintained perspective and fair play. Add to that a delightful sense of humor, natural athleticism, unflagging stamina, and a deep desire to win, and it is clear that Virginia is a very special young woman, as well as an exceptional athlete.” “I have been blessed at CCES,” Offerle noted, “with so many teachers and coaches who give so much of themselves and give us so many opportunities to learn and to do better.” Offerle hopes to continue playing field hockey in college at the varsity or club level, depending on where she enrolls. With English being her “favorite subject,” she plans to pursue a communications-related major in college, “either advertising or journalism.” We
congratulate both Will Guzick and Virginia Offerle, not only for
being nominated for the Wendy’s Heisman High School Award,
but also for their many academic, athletic, and personal achievements.
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Currently
ranked #25 nationally in boys tennis, 18 and under, Guzick, began
playing at age 5 and playing competitively at age 10 (when he won
his first match, an “unbelievable” 3 ½ hour tiebreaker).
Last year in Palm Springs, California, he won the Singles Easter
Bowl Championship, one of the four national championships in singles
tennis. Of his many tennis awards and honors, this is the one of
which he is most proud. A member of five CCES championship tennis
teams (so far), Guzick was twice named High School All-American
and was presented, along with his coach, Bobby Austell,
with a plaque honoring this achievement before the CCES varsity
football game on October 29. Named “Mr. Tennis for South Carolina”
in both 2005 and 2006, last year he also received the Wilton McKinney
Award, the highest junior tennis honor in South Carolina.
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