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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Dane Thompson
By JoEllen Collins for the Weekly Sun
Dane Thompson, a senior at Wood River High School, carries a GPA of 4.263. He received an AP Scholar of Distinction Award, and is a member of National Honor Society.
“I am taking four AP classes: AP Physics 2, AP Calculus, AP Biology, and AP Psychology, a challenge in work terms but terrific because the teachers are the best, and I like them all,” Thompson said.
Thompson also has a full schedule of extracurricular activities.
“I volunteer for the Flourish Foundation as a Compassionate Leader and last year went on a service trip with them to Mexico,” he said. “We worked with two different nonprofits. Tierra Roja is a place that provides education to kids who work during the day, and Angeles de Amour helps to teach disabled young people over 18. Then, last year, I worked with Higher Ground, teaching skiing to children with special needs. It was an amazing experience.”
Actually, Thompson’s love of the outdoors and skiing is foremost in his appreciation of the Wood River Valley.
“Our family moved here, now in Hailey, because Dad used to ski Baldy in his youth,” Thompson said. “Our whole family loves the outdoors. My parents have always been athletic. They both were runners and skiers in college. My mother preferred cross-country, and I followed her interest in being on the Nordic ski team from third grade to my junior year. My family, including a younger brother now in high school, and my sister, in college in Bellingham, Washington, hiked and camped a lot in the summer, and so we appreciate the actual place in which we live and play.
“We love the attainability in Idaho for the fresh air, clear skies, and the beauty in places like the Sawtooths. Being in these mountains gives you a spectacular outdoor life and also a feeling of serenity and peace—time out from pressures. That is unique.”
Thompson admits that he can over-talk his love of the environment.
“My friends laugh at how much I expound on backpacking, but I can’t help it,” he said. “That’s part of my joy in sports; I want to share my enthusiasm with others.”
Thompson enjoys music, too, and joined the school’s B-Tones men’s singing group last year.
“I have always liked music, but being with this group is special,” he said. “This year the Anaheim Heritage Festival awarded the B-Tones a gold rating—their highest. Then a friend talked me into performing in ‘Across the Universe,’ at The Spot. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.”
Thompson said he has three criteria for his future.
“I want to enjoy the outdoors, deal with people in positive ways, and face new challenges every day,” he said. “Maybe something like emergency medicine or search and rescue will be the way to go.”
Each week, JoEllen Collins will be profiling a local high-school student. If you know someone you'd like to see featured, e-mail joellencollins1@gmail.com.