Thomas Brewitt

Favorite subject at CRLS
History

Why is it your favorite subject?
Although my career aspiration and intended major would suggest a more STEM-oriented favorite subject, history has always been one of my favorite subjects. Well before high school, I would spend much of my free time watching short videos and documentaries about different periods of history, going down Wikipedia rabbit holes about odd historical occurrences, and would eventually develop a love for history-based strategy games (both in online and board game format). This has ultimately made studying history almost a recreational pastime for me, while I view my STEM classes as the means to achieve my ambitions. I have also been lucky enough to have several exceptional history teachers at CRLS, such as the incredible Mr. Flaherty and the glorious leader Dr. Lam.

Favorite CRLS Staff Person
I cannot choose just one favorite staff person, see below.

What makes that staff person so special?
I have had so many exceptional teachers that I find it impossible to name just one as the best of them all or even limit my selection to a small handful. Instead, I must commend Mr. Kreuser, Mr. Porreca, Mr. Flaherty, Dr. Wu, Mr. Martinez, and Dr. Lam.

Mr. Kreuser and Mr. Porreca were my Freshman year English teachers, and they did an excellent job during that time. Where they really shined, however, was every year after that, when they would send me emails every Tuesday to celebrate Tommy Tuesdays, in which we fluctuated between exchanging snarky comments, Latin phrases, and humorous tasks to complete.

Mr. Flaherty was my introduction to the history curriculum at CRLS and I could hardly ask for a better one. In his class, we covered a wide range of topics outside of that standard in history classrooms, with him bringing evident passion for his work to every lecture. That combined with his entertaining threats of defenestration and his occasional (good-natured) pelting of students with spare change made him extremely memorable.

I have had a class with Dr. Wu for each year of my high school career, each of which has helped me grow in immeasurable ways, both professionally and personally. Through his classes, I have had the opportunity to explore the field of computer science myself and develop my skills in ways specifically tailored to me, and, on the rare occasion that I needed it, he would offer his full support in difficult times.

Mr. Martinez was the mentor of our school's FIRST Robotics Team during my time there, both as a new recruit during my Freshman year and as the team captain in my Senior year. In the beginning, he made sure that I had a clear vision of what I could do to help the team and gave me every resource to achieve it, ensuring that I would develop a deep connection to the team that would last me my entire high school career. Over this past year, he provided the support and independence that the team needed to achieve one of its best years in recent history.

Finally, Dr. Lam. Dr. Lam has the honor of being the only teacher so far to have encouraged me to take a class simply because she was the one teaching it. After taking AP World History with her in my Junior year, in which she brought her in-depth knowledge, excellent sense of humor, and passion for her subject to the forefront of every lecture, I decided that I would be greatly missing out if I did not then take AP Comp Gov with her the following year. Her classes have been some of my favorites and I could not recommend either of them enough to do them justice.

Extracurricular activities, clubs, school-related activities
CRLS FIRST Robotics Team (Team 97, Bionic Beef), CRLS String Orchestra, Internship at MIT Center for Bits and Atoms

What were some of the out-of-school time (O.S.T) programs that you participated in anytime between grades 6-12?
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How did being enrolled in any O.S.T. program(s) contribute to your success both in and out of high school? 
N/A

What did you like most about CRLS? Why?
As you may be able to tell from just how many teachers I have in the running for favorite, I think that the teachers are the best part of CRLS. I cannot think of a single teacher with whom I've had a remotely negative experience, let alone a teacher that I would describe as anything less than great. Every teacher here brings not only an exceptional level of competence but also a clear passion for their subjects that is contagious. Each one makes a clear effort to form connections with their students and uses their unique personalities to bring a level of fun to even the least interesting of lectures.

What is something people unfamiliar with CRLS should know about the school? Why?
More people should definitely know about the RSTA programs before coming to the school. It was through the RSTA program that I developed a lot of my professional skills and got my internship at MIT. While they do take up a good portion of your schedule, the opportunities that you get from RSTA classes are far more than you would get from other classes.

What advice would you give incoming freshmen about CRLS?
I would strongly advise incoming freshmen to try a wide range of clubs at the beginning, but pick one or two to really focus on once you've found some that you really enjoy. My time at CRLS would not have been the same if it were not for the FIRST Robotics Team. By the time I had become a senior, I was spending almost as much, if not more time, with the robotics team working on the bot or planning for our next meetings as I was spending on the rest of school (classes included). While this certainly led to the growth of my engineering and computer science skills, I believe spending so much time as part of and eventually leading a team led to far more growth in terms of my interpersonal and leadership skills, as well as the development of several long-lasting friendships. Whether you find this sort of growth in the Robotics Team (which I hope you do), or with one of the other groups at the school, you will only find it if you are truly dedicated to that group. While it may be tempting to bounce around a lot of different clubs to "diversify your applications," I believe that the skills you acquire from a long-term commitment to a single pursuit would prove far more valuable.

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