Shaw, Van Andel Earn Top Bruin Scholar Honors

For the first time in the last four years, Broadneck High School’s (BHS) valedictorian Wyatt Shaw and salutatorian Mattias van Andel find themselves going in opposite directions. The two friends didn’t meet until high school, but after sharing most of their classes together, they earned top spots in their graduating class, not by competing against each other, but because they’ve supported each other.

After sharing the journey to graduation, they will find themselves at opposite ends of the country this fall. Shaw will depart for Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend Harvard University and play lacrosse, while van Andel will head west to Walla Walla, Washington, to attend Whitman College and continue his music career.

Shaw hadn’t thought a lot about where he wanted to go to college until his sophomore year when he realized his academic accomplishments, paired with his success on the lacrosse field, might just give him a shot at one of the most prestigious institutions in the country. He was taking numerous advanced placement (AP) classes and excelling academically, while also attracting the attention of Harvard coaches for his tenacious play on the lacrosse field. Shaw will study economics.

Salutatorian van Andel also excelled in the classroom while balancing his time playing cello with the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra, and earning all-county orchestra awards and recognitions in both solo and ensemble. A competitive swimmer for more than eight years, van Andel will continue his musical career at Whitman College, while exploring courses in his areas of interest.

“I think it was about our junior year when we started thinking together that we both have a shot at the top five of our class,” Shaw said. “There were amazing students doing remarkable things. It wasn’t ever a thought of who was going to ‘beat’ whom, but rather, where we are going to land with all these awesome peers.”

The application process for valedictorian and salutatorian takes a holistic look at the entire student, which includes not simply grade point average but also diversity in learning, leadership, service, extracurriculars and club involvement. Shaw and van Andel were strong in all areas.

Shaw was a National Honor Society member, co-president of the investment club, member of the Broadneck Athletic Leadership Council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and numerous social awareness groups including One Love, Morgan’s Message, and the Travis Manion Club, among others. His extensive community service included volunteering at Paul’s Place, Downs Park, Habitat for Humanity, Orphan Grain Train, and serving in many capacities as a peer minister in his church, St. Andrew by the Bay Parish.

Van Andel was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars, including earning the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. He was a member of the high school chamber orchestra, physics club treasurer, Model UN president, the National Honor Society’s Rho Kappa history fraternity member, and participated in the Student Government Association.

He also served as a peer minister at St. Andrew by the Bay Parish and was heavily involved in Scouting America. He will add the rank of Eagle Scout to his resume this month following his Court of Honor. Because of his love of the outdoors and hiking with his brother, he chose to build an information kiosk along the trail between Bacon Ridge Natural Area and Crownsville Memorial Hospital Park for his Eagle Scout project. The elaborate display board with a roof provides maps and information for hikers.

Both students started taking AP courses in ninth grade, compiling an impressive list of achievements in a wide range of academic disciplines. Neither Shaw nor van Andel felt undue stress in either the classroom or in their athletic or musical extracurricular activities because of the support they received from Broadneck staff, their families, their friends and each other.

“I feel music compliments academics,” van Andel said. “Both take a lot of discipline and hard work while also being an outlet for the other.”

Shaw concurred, saying, “A lot of the lessons I’ve learned on the field helped me in the classroom, and vice versa. Resilience, flexibility, discipline are needed in order to do anything well.”

The sound of the final buzzer and throwing sticks into the air will be Shaw’s fondest high school memories along with playing in county and state championships with Broadneck lacrosse. Van Andel will remember the experiences in his music circles, including traveling to perform in Spain, Portugal and at Universal Studios.

The friends insist they will keep in touch despite the soon-to-be 2,900 miles between them, even joking that they just might keep their Friday literature discussion group going cross-country.