Morrow became MSHS Salutatorian by challenging himself and others

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

There is a direct correlation between what Nick Morrow did in school and how he did in school.

The Mahomet-Seymour Class of 2019 salutatorian took advantage of opportunities that required him to learn outside of the classroom.

He was a four-year member of the M-S Scholastic Bowl Team, the Math Team, the Chess Team and the WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering) Team.

“The Math and WYSE teams encouraged me to study math outside of the classroom,” Morrow said. “I’d study calculus or algebra ahead of where I was at the moment.”

Participation on the academic teams and his excellence in those endeavors also helped Morrow socially.

In his freshman year, Morrow took Chemistry I, which is a class with predominantly sophomores and juniors.

“Nick was a bit shy with the older students, so he mostly kept to himself in class,” instructor Terry Koker said. “As the year went on, the other students came to respect his talent in the subject and began consulting with him on how to do the labs and math problems associated with the course.

“This began to bring Nick out of his shell and he became less awkward with the older students.”

Dan Ryan was one of Morrow’s teachers as both an eighth-grader and again as a sophomore.

Ryan knew that he had to be sharp and prepared when Morrow was present.

“You obviously had to be at your best with Nick in the classroom,” Ryan said. “He was always lurking, waiting for me to make a small mistake, and then he’d pounce.

“Never vindictive, of course. It was always done in good humor, and both the class and I thoroughly enjoyed those exchanges. I learned to forecast when a correction was coming because Nick would be in his seat, furiously trying to repress a smile. That’s when I’d start wondering, ‘Okay, what did I forget to do?’ “

Morrow’s knack for mathematics helped Ryan cope with the feedback.

“We all knew we were dealing with a rare genius, so there’s no shame in being corrected by Nick,” Ryan said.

From an early age, Morrow was academically inclined.

“My parents emphasized try hard at everything I do,” said Morrow, who finished high school with a 5.4 grade-point average, on a weighted scale.

He found he caught onto the concepts in some subjects easily, but others required a lot more attention.

“I was naturally good at math,” Morrow said, “not so much in English, writing or social studies. I studied a lot more in those subjects.”

Eric Potter either had Morrow in his mathematics classes or coached him on Math Team, Chess Team or WYSE throughout the teen-ager’s four years at M-S.

“It didn’t take long to realize that Nick was a unique, one-of-a-kind individual and most certainly a once-in-a-career type student,” Potter said. “I quickly learned that Nick was a person with amazing intellectual and academic gifts. He is such a wonderful individual and I enjoy so much watching him flourish in these activities.”

During Potter’s tenure in the district, Morrow was the first freshman to earn a spot on the WYSE Team, which is usually reserved for only seniors or the strongest juniors.

Morrow made an immediate impact as a ninth-grader.

“Nick loved the challenge of competing against older and more ‘experienced’ students,” Potter said, “and ended up being an integral part of all of these very successful teams over the past few years.”

In retrospect, Morrow can look back and smile at some of his early encounters with mathematics.

“I remember being frustrated trying to learn math beyond my abilities,” he said. “Rather than encouraging me to quit, it was a motivator.

“I wanted to learn and that made it more of a challenge for me.”

Morrow was a key part of M-S’ 2019 state championship Math Team.

He was one of two M-S students to place first in individual events at state, taking top honors in pre-calculus. He was also a member of two multi-student teams which won state titles.

One was the six-person pre-calculus team and the other was the five-person calculator team.

Potter didn’t have Morrow in class as a senior, but they had regular interactions.

“Nick often still comes into my classroom to discuss very in-depth and complex math problems before or after school,” Potter said. “I enjoy working with Nick on these endeavors, which are completely his choice to explore, and not a part of any requirement for school or otherwise.

“Nick’s intellectual curiosity and enjoyment of math alone motivates him to explore such problems.  It is fun to watch a student have such passion for learning and a tremendous enjoyment of the mathematics content.”

Morrow will enroll at the University of Iowa in the fall. He plans to pursue a dual-major in mathematics and physics.

He sees himself as someone who would “like to do research,” and added, “many years down the road, get a PhD in math.”

Based on how Morrow did on his AP exams, he will start at Iowa with approximately 40 hours of college credit.

Morrow’s future area of study is not surprising to Koker.

“He seemed to intuitively understand even the most abstract topics and excelled at the math problem-solving portion of the course,” Koker said. “One of the jokes in his class was if I as teacher asked a math question related to one of the problems we were doing in class, we’d all look at Nick.

“One of Nick’s greatest strengths is his ability to do math problems in his head.  He was an excellent listener in class, so he rarely had understanding questions, but sometimes would ask more advanced questions about some topic related to chemistry that he’d read about or had been thinking about.”

The questions enhanced the learning opportunities for all students, Koker said.

“These extension questions would always lead to good class discussions relating what we were learning in class to some relevant topic in the real world,” he said.

Morrow’s reputation for all things math is well-deserved, according to Koker. He saw example after example during Morrow’s four years on the Scholastic Bowl Team.

“Nick is, by far, one of the best math computation scholastic bowlers in the country,” Koker said. “The questions usually begin with something like, ‘This is a math computation question, you have 30 seconds, pencil and paper ready.’

“Nick doesn’t pick up his pencil, but instead always does the problem in his head.  Typically, he’ll have the answer before the moderator is finished with the question.  That’s not an exaggeration.”

While enrolled at M-S, Morrow took seven Advanced Placement (AP) courses and two other mathematics classes through Parkland College.

Several teachers made a profound impact on Morrow during his high school career, including Koker, Potter and Angela Masters.

“They had the greatest effect on me because they were my coaches for four years,” Morrow said. “Mr. Koker and Dr. Masters coached me in Scholastic Bowl when we went to national tournaments in New Orleans and Washington D.C., and they also taught me AP Chem and AP Econ, respectively.

“Mr. Potter was my coach for Math Team, Chess Team and WYSE Team, and he also taught me calculus and physics. It was really when I was in Potter’s math and physics classes that I realized I wanted to major in those fields when I went to college.

“Those three amazing teachers helped me succeed in my extracurriculars all four years.”

In chess, Morrow was M-S’ first-board player as a junior and as a senior. He lost just one match as a senior and was ranked 13^th at state in a field of 128 competitors.

Potter said that Morrow should be recognized for more than his academic achievements.

“Another area that truly makes Nick stand out to me is his personal character,” Potter said. “First and foremost, Nick is a very friendly, courteous, kind and cheerful student.

“Due to the almost daily practices I have for Math, WYSE, and Chess Team, Nick is often one of the first people I see each morning at school … and without fail he is smiling and quick to brighten everyone’s morning.

“Nick’s energy, positive attitude and humble, yet strong leadership characteristics are apparent in all his interactions with his peers.  In an adolescent world that often exudes negativism, entitlement, bullying and selfishness, it is so refreshing to see someone who truly cares about others, is sincere and always looking for ways to help others.  Nick is also a loyal, trustworthy, helpful and obedient individual. Nick is honest and steady – a person one can count on and someone who is genuine.”

Koker, who has been a teacher for 32 years, said Morrow exemplifies traits that will help him be successful throughout life, saying he demonstrates “the rare combination of an extremely gifted person combined with an extraordinary work ethic and willingness to commit to whatever it takes to be successful and accomplish his goals.”

Added Potter: “It is rare to find an individual so successful and with such potential to be as modest as Nick is … yet in the end, it is so consistent with who he is as a person and why he has indeed accomplished so much.

“Nick is truly an inspiration to me and one of the best all-around students I have ever worked with.”

Morrow enjoys time away from the classroom as well.

“I love the outdoors, climbing and caving,” he said.

At a high school which has produced myriad outstanding students for decades, Ryan said Morrow has helped create a legacy that won’t soon be forgotten.

“I don’t know if Nick is the most accomplished student we’ve had come through Mahomet-Seymour. I couldn’t make that call,” Ryan said. “But he’s definitely in the team photo, and that’s a lofty compliment in itself.

“He, Jessica (Berkman, valedictorian) and their classmates helped to spearhead a new era of academic achievement over the past four years. They took us to new heights and very much redefined what could be.”

Morrow said competing with Berkman for top academic honors was beneficial.

“We’ve had a friendly rivalry,” Morrow said. “We like to point out each other’s mistakes.

“It made me better. I make sure not to make that mistake the next time.”