Allison Domingues might very well be one of the quietest students in her class. But when she picked an instrument to play in the band, she wanted to be loud.
"I almost started playing flute when I was younger, but trumpet is louder and I like the sound," said Domingues.
She's played in the band since fifth grade and now she plays trumpet in the Robbinsdale Armstrong Marching Band.
The 17-year-old's accomplishments really speak for themselves. Not only is she in the marching band, she is captain of the cross country team and ranked first out of 498 students in the senior class at Armstrong.
"Since I've managed to keep my grade up, so far I've been aiming to keep it there," said Domingues. "I was probably one of the only people who was looking forward to school at the end of the summer."
With a courseload that includes calculus, physics, advanced English and advanced economics, Allison Domingues knows it will be work to keep her grades high.
"A lot of these classes just interest me so I'm not worried about how much homework it's going to be," said Domingues. "I've generally been pretty good at time management over the years, and since I am every busy, I don't have time to slack off ever."
Teacher Jeff Schreifels taught Allison in chemistry classes and says she is exceptionally bright.
"She soaks it all in," said Schreifels. "Allison is a student that comes here ready to learn and is extremely thirsty for knowledge at all times."
Then, Schreifels says Allison is ready to pass that knowledge to her classmates and help if it's needed.
"She's somebody who will take that knowledge, use it, and help others use it as well," said Schreifels. "It's a wonderful thing to see her interacting in my classroom."
So while she might not be the loudest student in the room, Allison makes her presence known at Armstrong in a simple but powerful way.
"When she's at school, she's looking to be a part of things and excel," said Schreifels.
It’s still early, but Allison is hoping to attend Carleton College next year. She wants to major in biology and eventually, be a researcher.
Shannon Slatton, reporting
sslatton@twelve.tv
Thursday, September 13, 2012