Boothbay Region High School Top 1o senior Nicole Clarke’s future is about improving the body’s mobility through physical therapy.  Clarke will attend the University of Vermont at Burlington next fall, pursuing a degree in physiotherapy.

Clarke chose the profession last year after job shadowing a local physical therapist. Clarke believes physiotherapy provides her with a variety of job options once she finishes college.

“I didn’t really know much about it until a year ago,’ Clarke said. “Physical therapy is a good fit for me. I can work in several different settings such as a school, rehab facility, or hospital all rehabbing peoples’ muscles.”

The Vermont school’s academic record and Burlington’s downtown area were key factors in Clarke’s college choice. During a  visit, she liked the campus atmosphere and enjoyed the city’s selection of shops and restaurants. “There is so much going on in a college town. It had a positive energy and vibe that other places I visited didn’t have,” she said.

As a high school student, Clarke excelled in the classroom, on the athletic fields and as a student government representative. Clarke was a National Honor Society member for the past two years. She served on the student council for three years, and was class secretary her sophomore year. As an athlete, she played field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She was a starter on the 2016 basketball team which won the Class C Western Regional championship.

For Clarke, the key to balancing success in school and athletics was managing her time wisely. Boothbay Region plays in the Mountain Valley Conference which often means two- to three-hour bus trips for a road game. This results in top student-athletes, like Clarke, studying on the bus.

“It’s not as hard as you might think. On a long bus ride, you can get a lot of homework done,” she said.

Clarke also credits her parents, Lisa Clarke and James Clarke, for setting high standards for her school work. “It’s always been expected that I would get good grades. From the beginning, that was an expectation my parents set,” Clarke said.

As a BRHS student, Clarke said she appreciated all the community support the school receives. “My friends from other schools are amazed that we get a parade through town after winning a big game,” she said.