(Editor's note: Following is the first in a four-part series highlighting exemplary military youths at Fort Drum.)
FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- One Fort Drum teen is making tracks and splashes, while academically climbing to glory.
Sarah Simon's secret to achievement -- and dealing with Army life -- is to pile on as much as she can and perform a balancing act while diving in or hitting the ground running.
And, she has been running circles and swimming laps around her peers for as long as she can remember.
As a junior at Pulaski High School, Sarah is involved in a myriad of activities, from sports and extracurricular clubs to demanding academic classes. Although she boasts a 99.3 GPA and has qualified for the National Honor Society, Sarah -- who has aspirations of becoming a pediatrician or obstetrician -- said she finds solace on the track and in the water.
What makes Sarah unique is her ability to excel in so many different areas, while being part of military Family, according to her mother, Kathy Simons.
"Sarah is just an average kid, but when you factor in that she has less-than-average circumstances surrounding her, it makes her even more impressive to me," Simons noted.
Sarah was born in Washington while her father, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Simons, ammunition technical with 10th Sustainment Brigade, was stationed at Fort Lewis.
Before she had entered fifth grade, her Family had moved five times.
Sarah began treading water in 4th grade, and even though her Family has moved many times during her 16 years, she has managed to keep swimming. Currently, she is a member of the Mexico Tiger Sharks swim team and co-captain of her school swim team. When she has time, Sarah helps the Tiger Sharks by preparing for home meets, lifeguarding and teaching younger children how to swim.
Although her original sport is swimming, Sarah, a two-time half-marathoner, said she loves running more than any other activity. Running competitively since 7th grade, Sarah's average mile clocks in around 7 minutes, 45 seconds. She runs with Pulaski's varsity cross country and track teams.
Sarah loves running so much that she headed to Washington, D.C., last month to run a half-marathon with a friend. She said she enjoys running because it gives her an opportunity to meet different people.
Last October, only a week after her father had deployed, Sarah and her mother drove to Washington, D.C., so Sarah could participate in the Army Ten-Miler.
"There were a lot of different people (running)," she explained. "One guy was singing behind me the whole time and there were Soldiers with (ruck sacks) on. It was really crowded, but I thought it was fun. It was a good experience."
Sarah said her goal is to run a half-marathon in every state.
Although she enjoys her sports, Sarah wants to focus on academics when she heads to college next year. Currently, she is looking at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Elizabethtown College, Pa., and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
"(Sarah) is our 'lonely only,'" Simons explained. "She is our only child, and we have always maintained the attitude that Sarah didn't pick the life that (her father) picked. Our job as parents is to make sure that she gets the same upbringing that any non-Army kid would get."
Once the Simons Family moved to Fort Drum, they were able to put down roots. Seven years later, the Family is still here. Simons has deployed four times since Sarah was born. He is currently serving one of those deployments in Afghanistan.
Although Simons has missed some pivotal moments in his daughter's life, Sarah's mother believes her daughter has a good way of dealing with her father's absence.
Simons noted that she believes the way she handles a situation influences the way those surrounding her handle a situation.
"I don't sit and cry in my cornflakes about life, because (Sarah) will take cues from (me)," Simons noted. "It's our job to raise productive human beings, not kids who want to climb in the pity pool."
Sarah agrees with her mom, noting it makes time away from her dad easier if she keeps busy.
During the summer, she stays active by volunteering. As a sophomore, she was awarded the Ben Snow Community Service scholarship, which requires her to perform a certain number of community service hours.
As she did last summer, Sarah will spend the next two summers doing community service at places in Pulaski such as the library, fine arts center, historical society and health center.
Sarah will receive $10,000 in scholarship funds, which she plans on using to help pay for college.
In addition to athletics and academics, Sarah also is involved in her school's yearbook committee. Appropriately, she has worked on the sports section and is now tackling the faculty portion of the book.
"I just wanted to try something new this year," she said, noting last year's yearbook inspired her to help out.
She also serves as the student council junior class representative. This year, she has helped tackle a bullying issue at Pulaski Middle School.
"I think we should talk about (bullying), because it is a big issue," Sarah explained. "I think (middle school students) need leadership and examples, so teaching high schoolers how to be a better example will help."
Sarah also has taken college classes through the State University of New York. By the time she graduates, she will have earned about 18 credits.
Her academic aspirations continue to grow as she hopes to participate in the Oswego County BOCES New Vision program during her senior year. Programs are designed for college-bound seniors who have an interest in law and government, health care or education fields. They prepare students for college by helping them decide what area of study they might be interested in.
Although Sarah continues adding to her already busy schedule, she said she stays on top of things with the help of her sidekick: a daily planner.
"I write everything down. I have all sorts of to-do lists," she said, joking that her friends give her a hard time for being so organized.
"I do more than most of my friends, so I have to be more organized," she explained.
Not only does she seem to rise above her friends academically, her mother also said Sarah is a very independent, mature teenager.
"You're like a 25-year-old, trapped in a 16-year-old body," Simons often tells her daughter.
While most teens look forward to learning to drive, Sarah was anticipating her sweet 16 because she would finally be able to give blood.
Simon said she was looking forward to her daughter getting her permit, joking that she cannot wait until Sarah gets her driver's license.
"The biggest struggle in a woman's life is teaching her teenage daughter how to drive," Simons said, noting she truly appreciates and misses her husband during Sarah's driving lessons.
Although her adult-like persona may fool those around her, Sarah describes herself as normal teen.
She enjoys reading, especially books from the teen fiction genre. And, in her very limited downtime -- usually Saturday afternoons -- she watches a movie and hangs out with her friends.
Simons said she is unsure of where her daughter's mature attitude and ambition originate.
"When you're a shy, quiet kid, you have to gravitate toward something," she said. "We, as parents, tried to raise her to set her standard and force her to work a little bit to get (to that standard)."
"As a child, (Sarah) was often stubborn, which I believe is where her determination to accomplish things on her own is from," Sarah's father explained. "This determination is what drives (her) to do well in school and also in sports."
Simons said she and her husband tend to gravitate to small, rural communities because they have seen her environment has an effect on how well Sarah has thrived.
"The bigger the environment, the more of a struggle (Sarah) had. The smaller the environment, the more she could come out of that shell. This has been an ideal community," Simons said. "We owe it to (Sarah) to give her the best and most stable upbringing that we can give her."
Once Sarah began high school, the Simonses committed to staying in the North Country until she graduated.
"By staying (in the North Country), Sarah is able to maintain some consistencies as she grows up. The sacrifices are worth knowing that," Simons said of his Family's choice to stay at Fort Drum for eight years.
Sarah's parents want their daughter to be whoever she wants to be.
"I'm thrilled that we got a smart, successful, involved kid, but we'd be happy with her if she wanted to paint houses, but she better be the best house painter she can be," Sarah's mother said. "It's more important to me that (Sarah) is a good person, than it is to me that she becomes a doctor. Being a doctor is a perk."
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