NASHUA – Tierney McGonegal said what stands out most from her time at the Academy for Science and Design is the school’s strong sense of community and a tenaciously helpful student body.

“Everyone wanted to help each other. Everyone wanted to be here,” McGonegal said.

“Everybody was looking for that extra work, and they wanted to work harder. So there was that different community feel that you wouldn’t get at a public school, because people were invested in their work in their grades and how they did.”

The 18-year-old senior spent her earlier years in Wilton public schools before signing up for the science, technology, engineering and math charter school in the seventh grade. Of all places, her family learned about the school at the Milford Pumpkin Festival.

“They had a booth set up when I was in sixth grade, and my parents saw the booth and I had needed to be challenged throughout elementary school,” McGonegal said. “I was looking for extra work, so my parents were like, ‘OK, you’re
going to go here now.’?”

She said as a 12-year-old in Wilton, she wanted to stay with friends, but the school grew on her quickly.

“I really like it, and I’ve been here since then,” she said.

Teacher Andrew Myers, who recently left the school, helped foster her passion in science.

“He was a huge role model and huge mentor because he taught earth science and marine biology and chemistry, and I had him again for marine biology junior year,” McGonegal said. “Since I really wanted to do the environmental side, which evolved into biology, he was a huge mentor.”

She picked Johnson & Wales University on national decision day, May 1. Deciding the exact science to major in was another tough choice.

“It’s been a journey,” she said. “I was into genetics, pathology, immunology, that sort of stuff. And the first half of this year, I really wanted to do environmental science. And in this last semester, it’s changed back to biology.”

McGonegal’s tour of the sciences was augmented by taking a semester in an environmental stewardship program in Wisconsin during her junior year.

Senior year has been the most challenging, between her senior project, college admissions work and normal classwork, she said.

“The senior project is so big here,” McGonegal said. “It really does prepare you for college and beyond, but it’s a lot to handle.”

Students begin the project as early as junior year and finish at the end of senior year.

“It’s like a research project,” she said. “You propose an idea to the dean of academics, and you create this project. There’s usually a research component, and you have to present it to a panel of judges and the school, and it’s a pass or fail.”

McGonegal began her work on environmental science, which evolved into a project about environmental education.

“Finding a link between early childhood education and later on, adolescent awareness and activism for the environment, to see if those were connected,” she said. “But because I can’t do a 20-year-long project, it evolved into creating a lesson plan for elementary schoolers that meet (state) requirements.”

McGonegal presented her project to a panel of judges on Tuesday, just days before graduation.

“It’s intense,” she said. “They have you present to people in your field. I’m presenting in front of people who either have a career in the environmental education field or business field. It’s actually people with that as their career, and they’re going to ask career-related questions, so it’s kind of intimidating.”

McGonegal’s advice to help ASD freshmen find success is simple: Listen to teachers.

“Pay attention in class,” she said. “Do your work, and listen to what the teachers have to say because in most cases, they do know best. Take their advice and listen to it and be open to it.”

Leaving the academy isn’t easy, she said.

“I think it’s starting to hit me and all the other seniors that we’re leaving,” she said. “So we’re excited to graduate, but we’re not excited to leave.”

But like other academy alumni, McGonegal won’t have to say a final goodbye forever.

“A lot of students,” she said, “when they come back for break from college, they come back for at least one of their days.”

Tina Forbes can be reached at 594-6402, tforbes@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_TinaF.