When Gov. Mifflin senior Elise \u201cNox\u201d Clemmens talks about social studies, the subject becomes something alive \u2014 an ever\u2011expanding web of ideas, histories, and human stories that shape how she sees the world and her place in it.<\/p>\n
That curiosity, paired with a fierce commitment to learning and community, has earned Clemmens the Reading Eagle\u2019s Berks\u2019 Best 2026 award in social studies.<\/p>\n
Clemmens\u2019 academic record alone is formidable: 10 AP courses, including U.S. history, European history, U.S. government, psychology and English literature \u2014 each of which she scored a 5 on. But Clemmens\u2019 teachers say it\u2019s the 17-year-old\u2019s intellectual depth that sets Nox apart.<\/p>\n
In a recommendation letter, Social Studies Department Chair Michael Kurtz describes Nox as a gifted thinker and writer whose analysis is consistently nuanced, precise and insightful.<\/p>\n
Nox\u2019s passion for understanding people and systems began unexpectedly \u2014 with Frankenstein.<\/p>\n
It was early in the COVID-19 pandemic during Nox\u2019s freshman year. Nox and friends, as a way of coping with the forced isolation, began constructing stories together based on an alternative Frankenstein universe. Research for those stories dovetailed with the Nox\u2019s studies in AP U.S. history.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, I reluctantly endured analyzing classic literature, thinking of it all as blatantly pretentious,\u201d Clemmens writes in the Berks\u2019 Best application. \u201cYet, suddenly, a desire planted itself in my brain: to understand. I devoted my entire being to understanding the history of the novel and the movements that influenced Mary Shelley\u2019s writing. Learning forced me to reconsider the beliefs I once held as truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nox\u2019s research spurred a desire to read on a variety of other subjects, from the ideal growing conditions for plum trees to subcultural fashion.<\/p>\n
That curiosity extends far beyond the classroom. Nox has volunteered at the Reading Public Museum, the Mifflin Community Library, the LGBT Center of Greater Reading and Threads of Success, a school\u2011based program supporting unhoused and low\u2011income students. Whether tending a community garden, helping patrons navigate technology or helping to arranged Prom Palooza so students have the opportunity to get free prom garments, Nox sees each act as part of a larger mission to create spaces where people can learn, connect and feel supported.<\/p>\n
Teachers note Nox\u2019s empathy, integrity and quiet leadership.<\/p>\n
Clemmens\u2019 academic interests are rooted in personal experience as well. Growing up in a low\u2011income family and witnessing the effects of addiction on loved ones shaped Nox\u2019s early life and questions about human behavior, social structures and compassion. Those questions now guide Nox\u2019s future plans.<\/p>\n
Nox will attend Yale University with the initial goal of studying sociology and psychology, with aspirations of becoming a professor and researcher.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Nox sees social studies not as a subject but as a lens through which to observe the human condition while continually presenting more questions worthy of research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Gov. Mifflin senior Elise \u201cNox\u201d Clemmens talks about social studies, the subject becomes something alive \u2014 an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,85079,227,182,139,28,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-197483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-berks-best-2026","tag-education","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}