Call it a pumped up pep talk.
A total of 947 eighth and seventh graders at Shelton Intermediate School got prepped for the Connecticut Mastery Tests Monday when they received a visit from Pat Gillen, Shelton High School’s champion wrestler, and Kelli Freer, captain of the Shelton High School swim team and the high school’s robotics team.
Both seniors, Gillen and Freer excel in academics, as well as their sports.
Freer told the students to do their best. Her grade point average is 4.0.
“It helps you work hard on the field and in school, and helps you do well in your extra curriculars, to get into good colleges and get money for colleges,” Freer said.
Freer is a CAPT scholar, a member the Spanish National Honor Society, the editor-in-chief of the Gael Winds student newspaper and a member of the National Honor Society.
She told the kids the future is closer than they think — having the right attitude now can help them land a good job when they get older, she said.
Gillen was just won the wrestling title at the New England Championships — for the second year in a row. He has a 3.45 grade point average. http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/play/2272994
Freer, called the hardest working student athlete by Shelton High School diving coach Sarah Collimore, has a 4.0.
The lesson they imparted to the young crows was a simple one, said Kenneth Saranich, headmaster at the intermediate school.
“You always want to put your best foot forward,” Saranich said, explaining how students need to see the connection between their mastery scores and the future that lies ahead.
Gillen told them to listen to their teachers and do their best.
“You may not think the Connecticut Mastery Test is of severe importance to you right now, but you want to do your best in everything you do, whether it’s on the field or in the classroom,” Gillen said.
Gillen told the students that when they get in the habit of doing their best, the best comes easier.
“It’s easy to get the grades, because you do your best at everything, and you’ll improve in every facet of your life that you put your mind to,” Gillen said.
The wrestler will be attending the University of Virginia next year on an athletic scholarship.
Now the students at Shelton Intermediate get down to business. They will take two one-hour tests per day Tuesday through Friday.
