Kootenai Kids: Academics come easy for Dock Rosenthal

When Dock Rosenthal entered Cathy Bayes’ first-grade class 10 years ago, she knew instantly there was something special about him.

“He is always smiling,” she said. “He is a great kid.”

Over the years Bayes has kept in contact with Dock and is not surprised by his success in both academics and extracurricular activities.

“The whole family is outstanding,” said Bayes, who has taught both of Dock’s younger sisters, Carli and Emma.

Dock’s parents, Matthew and Tammi, were aware very early that there was something unique about their son.

“Even when he was really little he was very compassionate and caring,” said Tammi, adding that her son would never kill an insect but would instead catch it in the house and let it free. “We knew we had a child who was above and beyond.”

While in Bayes’ first-grade class, Dock completed both the first and second grade curriculum and moved right into the third grade the following year. He hasn’t skipped a beat since. He will turn 17 in April, just a couple months before graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School.

Academics have never been difficult for Dock, whose name reflects his Norwegian heritage.

“School has always come easy for me,” he said.

He is currently enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, formerly known as advanced placement. As part of his graduation requirement, he must complete a 12- to 15-page paper.

“Our teacher told us if we didn’t have a rough draft completed by the end of the summer, we would already be behind,” said Dock.

As part of the International Baccalaureate program, he is also required to study a foreign language. He did not take one his freshman and sophomore year, but enrolled in German during his junior year. Now, in order to catch up, he is studying German over the summer as well.

As part of the Scholastic Team, which he describes as similar to playing “Jeopardy,” Dock has traveled to meets in which he has faced teams from North Idaho and Spokane.

“We placed fourth in the Greater Spokane League, and that was great,” said Dock.

He has been the vice president of the debate club for the past two years – something his mom believes has helped him excel in many areas.

“We were lucky to get him into debate and theater early, so he is really comfortable in front of people,” said Tammi.

Dock has performed at Lake City Playhouse as well as in school productions. He has combined his singing and acting talents to land the lead roles in both “Grease” and “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream.”

In addition to academics, singing and acting, Dock has been involved in Boy Scouts, track and field, soccer and wrestling. Unfortunately, he had to give up soccer and wrestling after he was injured when riding his bike and colliding head on with a deer.

“I had a fractured skull,” said Dock who adds he doesn’t even remember the accident. “But it was a clean break. I had pretty long hair so I was glad they did not have to operate.”

After taking the college entrance exams, Dock said he was flooded with information from various schools. Among them was the University of Chicago, which Dock said stood out.

“They had a lot of different things in their information,” said Dock. He adds that there was a piece of paper that asked him to color the picture and send it back. Not sure of the point behind it, he said it intrigued him.

Dock credits his teachers with keeping him motivated over the years.

“They make it interesting and fun to go to school,” said Dock.

One thing he enjoys both in and out of school is reading. During his junior year, his English teacher assigned certain books to read.

“I read a lot of great books, “said Dock. Authors such as Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe have inspired this 16-year-old to possibly form a book club over the summer.

“We’ll see if I have time,” he said.

Between working on his paper, studying German, starting a book club, and working as a lifeguard at Silverwood’s Boulder Beach, time is something that is scarce.

But he still finds time for music, which is an important part of Dock’s life. He enjoys choir as well as attending concerts. His next big adventure is a trip to New York City, where he and a friend will attend the reunion concert of the band Dispatch.

Dock’s success, although it seems to come easy, has been the result of hard work, and he says everyone should always try their best.

“It helps out in the long run,” said Dock, pointing out that at Coeur d’Alene High School, kids who earn a 4.0 grade-point average are allowed to choose their own teachers. “If you do well, you get to make your own choices, which can make it fun.”

He said he also thinks it is good for kids to find an activity that they enjoy. Dock said it helps to keep students motivated knowing they have to do well in school if they are going to participate in an extracurricular activity – or in Dock’s case, several extracurricular activities.