Plymouth's Prep Elite 2011

Q&As with a handful of Plymouth’s high school students extraordinaire.

By: Maureen Kroening | By: Laura Haraldson | From the issue: August 2011

Photo: Marshall Franklin Long

If excelling in high school were a job for which students applied and interviewed, then Plymouth would have a very deep candidate pool to choose from. There are so many students whose work reads as a what’s-what of accolades. 4.0? Check. State champions? Check. So we separated a few of these attributes into four main categories, and we “interviewed” the candidates. For your reading pleasure, the resumes of the future of Plymouth.

Arts: Matt Dole

School: Robbinsdale Armstrong

Grade: Senior

Age: 17

GPA: 4.0

Activities (past and present): Cross country, Nordic ski, track, Ultimate Frisbee, concert choir, National Honor Society, Link Crew, Madrigals

What people say about me: “Matt is highly respected by his peers and teachers: Not only is he very active and excels on the athletic field, but also in the classroom. Matt is known not only for his intelligence, but also his caring attitude toward his peers; he treats them with dignity, kindness and humor.” —Patti Weldon, athletics and activities administrator, Robbinsdale-Armstrong

Artistically, how do you amp up for a performance? Mostly by warming up with the rest of the choir, and also by goofing off with my choir friends to let off a little of the nervous energy.

What was your favorite aspect of Madrigal Singers? The community. We’re really tight-knit and that helps us make great music.

For all your musical endeavors, do you have any preparation tips/secrets to curbing the nerves? Usually I sit backstage, try to relax and run through whatever I’m performing in my head.

Do you have a pre-game ritual for your favorite sport, Nordic skiing? Wax my skis the night before and eat a ridiculous amount of food.

Outside of school, what are you passionate about? Singing and rapping.

What is your secret to balancing it all? Hard work, time management and a certain willingness to lose sleep.

Do you have any goals for the upcoming school year, musically? I want to get to the regional contest for choir.

What’s something people don’t know about you or would be surprised to know? I’m a rapper. People really don’t see it coming because I’m a 6-foot 3-inch white guy who lives in the suburbs, and they’re usually pretty skeptical at first. But after they hear me perform, their reaction is something along the lines of, “Whoa! I had no idea you could do that!”

When you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? A construction worker.

What are your greatest memories from high school (thus far)? Our concert choir tour in 2011 is definitely up there. I had a blast and got to sing in some amazing places, like the Capitol building of Colorado and the Air Force Chapel. The ski trip to Giant’s Ridge that I took the past two years with the ski team was also a ton of fun; we got to do a lot of skiing as well as goofing off and getting to know each other better.

What class are you looking forward to next year? Ceramics. I’ve always loved working with clay, and I’m looking forward to getting better at it.

Do you have a favorite school subject? Probably history or English. I like history because I feel like there’s a lot I can learn from the great men and women of the past, and English appeals because I get to express myself and learn how to write and speak better.

What’s your hidden talent? I speak pretty good Spanish. I love the language; it’s so much more beautiful than English.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Sugary food. I’m always eating, and even though I know it’s terrible for me, I can’t help but scarf down everything and anything sweet in my house.

What are two things you couldn’t live without? Music and my mom’s baked goods. You have not lived until you’ve had her cookies.

Do you have any phobias? Debilitating injury. I know it’s kind of a strange one, but my mental health is very much connected to my physical wellbeing, and I’m not sure how well I could cope with life if I was paralyzed or otherwise grievously injured.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? Fish eggs. They were in some sushi I ordered and I didn’t realize what they were until my sister pointed it out to me. Oops.

What’s your favorite:

Book: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

Food: A really good burger (preferably with cheese, bacon, lettuce, onion and barbecue sauce)

Color: Blue

Band/Musician: Lupe Fiasco

TV show: 30 Rock

Plymouth-area hangout? Caribou Coffee on 36th and Hwy. 169

Vacation destination? Chi-Town (Chicago, if you’d prefer)