Eric Derr will be graduating this June after spending the past four years on the diving, track and mock trial teams. He has explored new ways to advance in each of the sports he is involved in and explored his competitive side. He has a good outlook on school, life, and is an amazing Full IB student.

Eric has participated in diving for four years. He started out by becoming the diving team manager but as the year progressed, his sophomore year he decided to start learning how to dive saying, “I saw how much fun everyone was having so I decided to try it myself, and I have done it ever since.” He also received the Most Improved in Diving (2020) and Leadership Award Diving 2019. As far as pole vaulting, Eric mentioned how a diving team member mentioned the sport and he started to participate his sophomore year. He also added, “It is easy to psych yourself out or get into your own head, which I have done on multiple occasions, but it is totally worth it.”

Besides his amazing high school sports career, Eric participated in Mock Trial for the past four years. As the season is coming up for nationals and regionals, he says that he has won: Best Witness Award 2019 Regional, making it to state (the past three years and hopefully this year to nationals) in Mock Trial and second place at Yale Bulldog Mock Trial tournament. Though his team practices seven+ hours a week, the team still manages to have fun he says, “Mock Trial itself is really fun, I really like competitions and working together as a team. I really like our practices, we often go to a park with a zip line during breaks in Sunday practices and it’s always a lot of fun.” 

Throughout all these activities and accomplishments, he says that his favorite memory from John Adams High School was “playing water polo during a dive practice, and I blocked a goal with my face.” He is undecided on what college or university he wants to go to, but is looking at colleges in these states/countries: California, Chicago, and Canada. He calls them  “The Three C’s”. He also said that maybe two in New York and a couple near home. He plans to double major in Film and Television along with French and minor in foreign language.

To the underclassmen he says that, “Find a sport or activity and stick with it for all four years. The friends you make in those clubs and sports especially, are the best and are what will get you through IB if they choose to do it.”