WALLINGFORD — When Lyman Hall High School valedictorian Ellery Campbell was in seventh grade, she wrote a letter in health class to her future self.
Campbell, 18, recently read the letter, and discovered that she had hoped she would finish top of her class, do great in the annual powder puff game and be packing her bags for Brown University.
She shared what she wrote Friday, saying she had forgotten about the letter’s reference to Brown, where she plans to attend this fall and study economics.
Brown has an open curriculum which lets students craft their own major, something Campbell finds exciting.
“You really have the opportunity to choose outside of your concentration, which is your major,” she said. “You have the ability to choose any classes you want, from any subjects, so I really get to build my own course load completely.”
In addition to economics, she’s considering classes in environmental science and politics — areas that overlap with her interest in economics.
“I’ve always really felt the need to help people, but I didn’t necessarily know how,” she said. “I think watching people struggle financially is the thing that always made me the most upset, especially in my history courses, when we learned about the Great Depression and economic recessions.”
Jeremy Walz, Lyman Hall social studies teacher, taught Campbell’s economics classes.
He said Friday that Campbell “is the kind of student that every teacher hopes and dreams for on their roster,” describing her as “incredibly intelligent and naturally curious about the world.”
“When most people think about economics as a subject,” he said, “they think about money and investing. But Ellery knows it is much more than that. It is about studying the choices people make.”
He said Campbell has an ability to critically think about the choices people are offered on a daily basis, and her curiosity about what motivates them to choose, sets her up for a bright future in the field.
“She is one of the brightest students I have ever had in my economics class and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her,” he said.
In addition to earning a 4.28 GPA, acceptance to an Ivy League school and the title of valedictorian, Campbell capped off her high school years by leading Lyman Hall to victory over crosstown rival Sheehan High School as quarterback in last month’s powder puff game.
Powder puff, the annual girls flag football game, is a tradition for Wallingford high school seniors but also for Campbell’s family.
Her older sister, McKenzie Campbell, scored a touchdown in 2015, she said. Her mother, Cheryl Campbell, was a Lyman Hall team captain and played center in 1990.
Ed Neilander, Lyman Hall’s head outdoor track and field coach, is also the powder puff coach.
Neilander said Friday that from day one, Campbell was “committed to learning her plays and doing whatever is necessary to lead her team.”
“During the game, she was the general on the field,” he said,” and ran many of her plays to perfection. Being the quarterback, she had the world on her shoulders. Her dedication to learning the offense was always evident.”
For her commitment and her performance, she was named 2021 Offensive MVP.
Campbell was captain of the varsity girls volleyball team and captain of the outdoor track team. Her event was the long jump.
“Sports has been a big part of my life,” she said. “I think it kind of helps me be the valedictorian … A lot of it is working with people. This year especially we’ve been working a lot in groups, and when you get to college, you do so many things in groups, and you have to collaborate so much. I think so much of that I learned from athletics.”
Her volleyball coach, Marion Kish, selected her as a Record-Journal Scholar-Athlete for the 2020 fall season.
On the volleyball court, she was a catalyst in the Trojans’ 7-5 season at outside hitter. At season’s end, she was named All-SCC and earned the volleyball team’s Trojan Award.
Campbell said she has consistently taken AP classes. She also fits community service into her schedule through the Key Club, where she serves as president, and by coaching girls in volleyball through the town Parks and Recreation department.
She was president of DECA, a national marketing and finance club, as a sophomore. She competed at the state level — answering questions in front of judges — in the business law and ethics category with a peer. They placed second and attended the national competition at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it was spring of Campbell’s junior year — an important time for students making college decisions or taking the SAT.
“I think a big part of it was just learning how to adapt to change,” she said. “I think that’s something that I’m not necessarily the best at, but I think COVID really taught me that I don’t have control over everything.”
She said it was difficult having her large, outgoing family in the house while doing schoolwork, but realized it was hard on everyone in general.
“I think it almost brought us together,” she said, “because we kind of have this thing to bond over, even though it’s not the best thing.”
As Campbell departs Lyman Hall, school officials are considering whether to merge Wallingford’s two high schools into a new school on the Lyman Hall campus.
She said that while she’s “not the biggest fan of it,” she understands the financial savings of having one school.
Her biggest concern is opportunity for everyone in sports.
“I just feel like with sports teams, so many kids aren’t going to get to experience that kind of thing,” she said. “So that’s the only thing that worries me.”
Walz, her economics teacher, said that Campbell’s accomplishments during her time at Lyman Hall say a lot about who she is as a person.
“She has attained the title of valedictorian as the competition for class rankings has never been higher,” he said. “She has maintained these high honors during the global pandemic by being dedicated and self-motivated when most students became disconnected and withdrawn.”
“But perhaps more importantly,” he said, “Ellery is a good person who is leaving Lyman Hall determined to make the world a better place.”
LTakores@record-journal.com203-317-2212Twitter: @LCTakores
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