"He has 'star' quality," she said.
"Trevor is the 'voice of the school,' " Violett said, adding the "mature, professional and articulate" teen reads the morning announcements on "Panther-Rama," the school's daily morning news show, and has "great energy."
She lauded him as a "positive role model for his peers."
Giving Trevor a four-star review, she added, "He is charismatic, smart and genuine. A one of a kind." Reliable and dependable, he is one of the first people Violett seeks out when she needs a student to assist her.
Once, when asked to attend an admissions meeting at North County High School for Morehouse College in Atlanta, he obliged. Impressed by the teen, Morehouse officials offered him a half-scholarship on the spot.
Morehouse, the alma mater of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is one of the colleges he's considering. Trevor is also looking at Ithaca College and Cornell University, both a short commute from New York City and its theater scene. He has already been accepted into Ithaca's School of Humanities and Science.
"I hope to hear from Cornell and four more before making up my mind," he said. "I'm interested in pre-law, political science, government and ethics. I want to ultimately become a lawyer and become a legislative attorney or a congressional staff member."
Trevor lives with his mother and grandmother in the Annapolis Walk community. His mother, Lea Smith, is a cafeteria aide at Annapolis Middle School. Barbara Offer, his grandmother, is a legal administrative assistant at the Washington, D.C., offices of the Gray Plant Mooty law firm.
His father, Antonio Queen, and stepmother, Yvette Queen, live in Gaithersburg. Their blended family encompasses eight children.
A family friend, Phyllis Adams, has watched Trevor mature from childhood to a young adult. "His credentials already read as a young man of great promise," Adams said. "He sounds like he should be listed in 'Who's Who for Men of Promise.' " She noted Trevor is ranked in the top 15 percent of his class.
The teen is president of the school's National Honor Society chapter and is also a member of the Spanish, Music and National Thespian Honor societies. With the National Honor Society, he is part of a group, led by classmate and Vice President KiKi Coffman, who are writing letters to soldiers overseas. Along with NHS members, he is participating in this year's Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, May 18 and 19, held at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds.
Though he was offered a full scholarship to a local private school, Trevor chose to attend Annapolis High's IB Program instead. "I thought colleges would be more accepting of an IB Program, which involves a lot of academic rigor and challenges," he said.
Trevor, a tenor, is active in the school's chorus and its drama program. He is currently rehearsing for his role as a male lead, Sir Harry, in the spring musical, "Once Upon a Mattress." The show runs March 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18. The Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m., and Sunday performances are at 2 p.m.
The show has already been selected to perform in May in the "Cappies of Baltimore," a critics and awards program for high school theater involving schools in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, southern Hartford and Howard counties. From this area, casts from Annapolis, Old Mill and Severna Park High schools have been invited.
"It's a high school equivalent of the Tony Awards," Trevor said.
At last year's Cappies, Trevor was nominated for Best Male Vocalist for his role in the Annapolis High Panthers' production of "Guys and Dolls."
Trevor plans to apply his onstage experience as a Prince Charming when he takes his girlfriend, Marylyn Hurrell, a fellow IB senior and a top-notch golfer, to the Annapolis High prom later this spring.
Trevor also has a strong interest in the legal system and politics. Sean Byrnes, with the law offices of Peter G. Angelos in Baltimore, is a current mentor. His mother's sister, Tonia Smith, is an attorney on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics. With her assistance, he was selected for an internship this past summer in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, a Democrat representing Ohio's District 11.
"I worked three weeks, from the end of July to early August, during the deficit crisis," Trevor said. "The second week was hell with phones ringing off the hook with constituents calling. My job was to listen to their concerns. I'd reassure them Rep. Fudge would address them as best she could." He also handled email and written correspondence from the congresswoman's constituents.
Before the August recess, Fudge sat down with Trevor and talked about why she entered politics. "The joy of answering constituents' wishes via legislation is why she got involved," Trevor said. He was surprised "how down to earth the people on Capitol Hill are. At first, I was intimidated by all the people in suits, but I learned they are people, too."
On Sundays, Trevor doesn't sleep in. He spends the morning at Holy Temple Cathedral on Bestgate Road. There, he teaches Sunday school to children, ages 2 through kindergarten.
Philip L. Greenfield, an IB theory of knowledge instructor, said, "I don't know that anyone has ever gotten more of their 'money's worth' out of the IB Program and Annapolis High in general than Trevor. He has been part of absolutely everything that we do here. He has grown as a student, a thinker, a performer and a leader." Greenfield added, "His openness to it all is an inspiration. I have had a ball teaching him."
"My career goal is to become a lawyer," Trevor said. "However, if 'American Idol' called …"
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Teen of the Week: Teen earns rave reviews for academics, extracurriculars