May 2017 Edconnect
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Connecting Brevard Public Schools to its Community      • Volume V, Issue 6, May 2017
Top Scholar Is Well-Rounded, Sociable, Lives Life to the Fullest
River Grace appears on the outside to be a regular teenager...t-shirt, cargo shorts, backpack slung over one shoulder. Ask him about his high school experiences and he talks about sporting events, dances, and hanging out with his friends. He recalls this year’s spring musical at his high school, Thoroughly Modern Millie at West Shore Jr/Sr High in Melbourne, when the school’s music teacher and conductor of the pit orchestra was running late for opening night because another one of his musical groups was performing elsewhere. Grace stepped in, conducted the pit band, played his keyboard parts, and the audience was none the wiser.
win in 30 years) at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists presented last fall in Brussels, Belgium; best in category and  rst place in animal sciences, Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix; best in show Florida State Science and Engineering Fair 2015; and winning the top award of $25,000 at Broadcom MASTERS national science fair while still in middle school. Thinking back to his three trips to the Intel awards, Grace fondly recalls how great it was to meet other kids like him from all around the world.
The picture of Grace, 17, is starting to take on the air of high achievement, lots of con dence, and, of course, smarts. West Shore principal, Rick Fleming, calls Grace the “perfect kid.” “The exceptional nature with which he conducts himself is so inspiring and impressive,” Fleming said of Grace. “He has amazing talent. He plays gigs with one of our guidance counselors in a local band called, Unit 5. He’s a able and the most grounded kid I know. He’s the total package.”
That total package is heading to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall to study neurosciences. In fact, he’ll be there this summer for six weeks as a counselor in MIT’s summer science program for high school students. Many of Grace’s summers have been spent in pursuit of knowledge of his favorite topic, brain and cognitive science. Grace did a  eld experience in the Galapagos Islands and another in the Amazon rainforest in Peru. “Humans are destroying the jungle,” Grace said. “It is really sad to see.”
River Grace’s father, Michael Grace, is senior associate dean in Florida Tech’s College of Science and a professor of biological science. This
West Shore Jr/Sr High senior, River Grace, traveled for a  eld experience to Peru.
The Melbourne resident has other fond memories as well. While many high school students participate in science fairs, only a handful can claim all the top awards that juggle for space on Grace’s walls. He has many, but is most proud of his  rst place overall win (and  rst American to
Grace, in the Amazon rainforest, is saddened to see the destruction of the jungle in Peru.
connection has provided River Grace with real, hands-on work in actual laboratories. His work understanding the brains of the brahminy blindsnake and how this species lives and responds to stimuli and situations will help him “discover the fundamentals of the vertebrate brain by examining the smallest one that exists,” he said.
While River Grace may have several legs up in the neuroscience world as he appears to be following in his father’s footsteps, his current outlook about the world is pure teenager. “I’m really passionate about getting out there, trying new things, meeting new people, and giving it my all,” River Grace said. “Do what you love and it will take you where you want to go.”
For more about BPS’ top scholars, see pages 6 -7.
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