by Leo Charlebois
Intellectual ability is sometimes very apparent and other times flies under the radar. For Thomas Kummer, a senior at NAHS, his genius has gone unnoticed for many years. In the movie Good Will Hunting, a janitor solves a complex math equation which a professor notices and sees the genius in this unlikely man. This is greatly similar to Tom’s story.
Many people overlook Tom’s intelligence because of his sluggish speech and relaxed manner. However, his mind is anything but slow. In fact, Tom’s mathematical knowledge is far superior than the average person. He takes AP Calculus, a class that many well-educated adults would be hard pressed to finish with a passing grade.
Tom excels in this class, receiving an almost perfect grade of a 96. Despite this clear proof of Tom’s brilliance, there are still many that question Tom’s overall intelligence.
When asked what they would think of Tom academically Eric Braun said, “I can’t see Kummer getting into college to be honest, he’s a nice kid and all but the content of his head is similar to my basketball, nothing but air in there.”
To gain more data on public opinion, we asked someone who had a personal interaction with Tom. When asked about their initial impression of Tom, senior Conor Danahey said, “He just seems to always be out of it you know, not to be rude but that’s the type of kid who counts his IQ with his hands.”
Truly Tom’s genius mathematical abilities were not widely perceived by his peers. However, Tom also plays football, a skill that doesn’t necessarily require a high level of mathematical skill. One of Tom’s football coaches is aware of Tom’s off the field brilliance. Coach Herber has communicated with Tom about his academic excellence along with his Uncle Kurt, who is the athletic director at NAHS.
Tom plans to use his high mathematical IQ to get into the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he wants to major in mathematics. After he graduates, Tom plans to share is gift with younger generations by becoming a math teacher. He is already taking steps to improve his teaching abilities by becoming a trigonometry tutor for his fellow high school members. Tom truly has a remarkable mind and should succeed in reaching whatever goals he sets for himself.
The First Launch 