The National Alumni Association of Hillside High School is proud to present the February 2007 recipients of the Best of the Nest, John Lyon III and Camille McGirt. The Best of the Nest are Hillside High School students selected by the Guidance Department who best demonstrate the tradition of Hillside Excellence.
John Lyon, III is a junior at Hillside High School currently holding a 4.689 GPA at the top of the Class of 2008. In school, he participates in many activities ranging from the gospel choir, band, chorus, Mu Alpha Theta, The Foreign Language Club and the Brain Game team. He is also the Vice President of the National Achievers Society. In his freshman year at Hillside he served as the ’08 class President.
He is currently enrolled in the IB program and plans to earn his IB diploma. John wishes to pursue a career in the area of the sciences with his major career goal to major in Biochemistry in college and become a doctor/medical researcher. He also has interest in being a financial advisor, neurologist, forensic pathologist or a music major.
John has played football for 3 years at Hillside, 2 of those years at the varsity level. He is on the wrestling team for which he has served as captain of the team.
Outside of school, John is the president of the F.U.T.U.R.E.S. program and is very active in his church, serving as a musician on the praise team. He has been nominated to attend The Governor’s School and numerous other prestigious summer programs.
Following graduation from Hillside, John hopes to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, Columbia University or the The University of Miami.
Camille McGirt is the daughter of Emanuel and Dorothy McGirt. She too is a junior at Hillside High School where she is an outstanding student in the International Baccalaureate program. At Hillside, Camille is an active member of the National Achievers Society, the Math and Science Enrichment network and also participates in the Future Business Leaders of America club. She holds the office of President-Elect for the North Carolina Student Academy of Sciences.
This past summer Camille completed a paid internship through Project Suc-SEED at UNC, where she synthesized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to quinones and catechols of pyrene and fluoranthene.
Camille was selected to become honored by the Who’s Who American High School Students for her outstanding work in the classroom. She was the Government Affairs officer for the Durham Youth Council in 2006, where she served her community and helped direct youth meetings. She is also a lettered varsity volleyball and basketball player.
The National Alumni Association of Hillside High School congratulates John Lyon, III and Camille McGirt