Did you know....you can read about the district's successful Black male high school students?

SECME senior Brian Bartles
Did you know that you can now read about the district’s high school-nominated Successful Black High School Males, like Seminole Ridge's Brian Bartles? The Council of the Great City Schools, a national education organization, asked the nation’s sixty largest school systems to send information about successful Black males in our schools. We asked the high schools, they responded and we decided to make it a Palm Beach County School District project to recognize our own students. Learn about these remarkable student role models, their outstanding high school accomplishments and their expectations for college and careers. Go to the district’s Web page, www.palmbeachschools.org and click on the Black History Month Banner that will take you to the African and African American Studies Web page and then click on Successful Black Males located on the right side of the Web page.


SECME SPOTLIGHT: BRIAN BARTLES

Learning about the natural world around me has always been a passion of mine. From a young age my mind was focused on the natural phenomena in my own backyard, particularly biology and chemistry. Iconic scientific figures such as Bill Nye and Jeff Corwin inspired me to continue my dreams of one day becoming a scientist so I could build a better tomorrow. As my grade level grew so did my interest in the sciences, classes in high school such as earth/space science, biology, and chemistry broadened my horizons on the intricacies and potential a scientific mind could provide. Programs such as the Biotechnology Academy made spectacular connections between science and technology while clubs like SECME blew my mind away with up-close and tangible experiments that not only provided a scientific lesson but a way to interact and have fun with my peers who share the same interests. There is nothing quite like the rush of seeing your own, handmade water bottle rocket shoot up into the blue sky and letting the beauty of science take its course.

As a black male student at Seminole Ridge High School, I feel that it is important for members of each ethnic race to be represented so that they may be a model to others of their race, and provide hope and encouragement to those with limited options. I try always to be the best that I can be, and academic are where I always put my focus in. I am particularly interested in the sciences, seeing that it is all around us and is very broad. I am currently in my fourth and final year of the Biotechnology Academy at Seminole Ridge. Here I enjoy using state-of-the-art technology to manipulate and understand biologically substances. Due to the wide variety and level of science course Seminole Ridge has to offer I have been able to courses such as zoology honors, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and Earth/Space Science.

Outside of the classroom however, I participate in many extracurricular activities. I am a member of the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Science, and the engineering club SECME, holding an officer position in each club. While in these societies and clubs I am able to fully use my potential to help the community. Through NHS, I have worked with sick children and their families at Quantum House and St. Mary’s Hospital, and even teaching elementary school children the fundamentals and construction of rocketry through SECME’s educational design seminars.

I am currently in the top 10% with a rank of 44 according to junior year. However I expect my rank to rise due to my academically rigorous schedule this year. My cumulative GPA is an HPA of 4.5. I plan on graduating from Seminole Ridge and going on to attend the University of Florida. While there I want to earn my B.S. in zoology and minor in Chemistry. After that I wish to go to UF’s Veterinary Medicine College where I would earn my D.M.V. (Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine) and open my own practice here in the state of Florida. I hope my actions truly do speak louder than words and that the steps I have taken to become a successful black male high school students will inspire others to build a better tomorrow for themselves and society.