Thatcher Ella is a senior at Bearden High School. He has played violin for over 8 years under the instruction of Mrs. Chelle Hawkey. Thatcher has participated in the KSYO for four years, going from the Sinfonia Orchestra to Concertmaster of the Youth Chamber Orchestra, to now being a first violinist in the Youth Symphony Ensemble. Outside of violin, Thatcher has swam competitively for over 7 years and is a four-time state relay finalist swimmer. Thatcher has also developed his leadership skills over the years as the Student Body President of Bearden and a graduate of Youth Leadership Knoxville. Earlier this fall he was an awardee for the Optimist Club’s “Service to Humanity Award” and this spring he won superlatives for Best All Around and Most School Service. His scholarly accolades consist of being a national merit commended scholar, a two-time state champion and top 5 finisher nationally for Virtual Enterprise’s business plan competition, and an AP Scholar with distinction. In the fall, Thatcher plans to attend either the University of Tennessee or Clemson University to major in finance and minor in violin.