Josie Krueger
Entertainment Columnist
Madeline Allen is “perpetually smiling,” says AP Physics teacher David Schuster. Allen, one of seven nominees for the 2017 Eagle Award, wants to pursue a PH.D. in physics or biology. Photo by Josie Krueger
Senior Madeline Allen is widely respected by students and teachers alike. She is one of seven Eagle Award nominees.
According to her friend and fellow nominee Elizabeth Ochoa, whom she’s known since fifth grade, Allen is “one of the most hardworking people I know. We’re both up in [Dr. David] Schuster’s room before and after school every day. I almost never see her not working on something.”
Dr. Schuster, who teaches AP Physics, her favorite class, is spoken of in high favor by Allen.
“My favorite teacher would probably be Dr. Schuster. I’ve had him for two years, and he’s very encouraging,” Allen said.
Schuster speaks highly of her also, saying, “Madeline’s work ethic and forbearance in the face of struggles will embarrass anyone who doesn’t need to try very hard.”
She is involved with school activities including physics club and orchestra, and a knitting club which donates to charities around St. Louis. She is part of a quartet, first chair among the school’s cellists, and was nominated this year for the Eagle Award by Jeanette Hencken, forensic science teacher.
Allen said, “I would rate my four years at high school at an eight (out of 10), because of both the amazing opportunities and challenges involved in my classes.”
The biggest things she has learned from her four high school years is “how to persevere when things get hard and how to manage time well.”
Despite Allen’s challenging classes, Ochoa said, “[Allen] is really bubbly and fun to be around. She’s really tenacious and hardworking; if everybody’s in a bad mood, she’s the light in the room. When everybody’s pulled an all-nighter for physics or something, she’s the one who said ‘I got enough sleep!’”
Allen said, “Someone that stands out to me (in the high school) is my calculus teacher Eric Dunn because of his never ending optimism. He also teaches calculus in a way that’s fun and interesting.”
Allen wants to major in biology or physics in college and hopes to get a PH.D. in engineering. She is unsure about colleges, deciding between Rhodes, Washington University and Drury.
Over her four years at Webster Groves High School, Allen has had her struggles and triumphs, but the most important thing is the impact she had on her teachers and peers. Her friends admire her, and her teachers could not ask for a more hardworking and determined student.
Schuster said, “(Allen’s) perpetually smiling and perpetually engaged. She asks the most important questions and is so comfortable being herself. She inspires me to excellence.”
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