Congratulations to Paul Downing, one of the SOAR Award winners in February. The narrative submitted for his nomination is below.

“It is my great pleasure to nominate Paul Downing for the Methuen High School 2011 SOAR award in the Performing Arts.
As you can see from his impressive resume and long list of awards and achievements, Paul has many and varied talents and interests. In addition to his musical distinctions at Methuen High School as a member of the Ranger band, Dirty Hands Ink, and Ranger Jazz, and his participation at the senior district level, he has a lively interest in theatre both through the theatre department and the Independent Theatre. At this writing, he is preparing his audition for Massachusetts All State Music Festival.
Consistently one of our top academic performers, Paul maintains a full schedule of Advanced Placement courses in English, History, Math, and Science, striving for and achieving excellence at every stage. While he hopes to pursue a college career in the sciences, he is sure to continue his interests in music, theatre, and creative writing. He is a student of whom the Fine Arts Department, Methuen High School and the City of Methuen can be justly proud. We wish him the very best as he continues his academic journey.”