Freshman Phineas Eagar values strong academics and is excited for what La Salle has to offer. 

Prior to high school, Eagar came from All Saints, where he said he thrived academically. He prefers a small, close community, a desire that La Salle satisfies. 

In regards to academics, Eagar loves anything STEM-related. 

“I’m really interested in a chemistry degree or somewhere in the hard sciences,” he said. 

He is participating in the Science Olympiad, which is a program where students learn various science related skills and then compete towards the end of the year.

He is excited to take La Salle’s Innovation & Design class when his schedule allows for it. 

Eagar participates in multiple extracurricular activities, including cross country, swim, and track. One of the main reasons he chose to attend La Salle was because of its strength in both academics and athletics. 

Eagar really enjoyed his first cross country season.

“I like the outdoor, off-road running aspect of cross country,” he said. “Track is extra training … I just want to keep up on my running skills.”

During his time in middle school, Eagar swam for a CYO swim team, which he is now a coach for. His former CYO coach, Ms. Jennifer Brigham — who is also a college counselor at La Salle — was a major role model in his life.

“[She] taught me I can do anything I put my mind to,” he said. “ I’m excited to see her as a counselor when I need [to].”

In addition to Ms. Brigham, Eagar mentioned how influential English Department Chair Mr. Greg Larson has been to him. 

“I didn’t have a great English experience in middle school,” he said. “But this first year, high school English has been amazing. I’ve loved it.” 

Another teacher he greatly appreciates is his math teacher, Ms. Sue Pinto, for her teaching style. “[She] teaches math in a way that I can understand,” he said. He says that when he struggles with a topic, she gives him other methods which work for him. 

At home Eagar has three pets — two Siamese cats and a Western Forest snail — which he has raised since birth.

He decided to get a snail after he heard how easy they are to take care of, only needing water and sweet potato or lettuce to survive. 

In his free time, Eagar enjoys drawing schematics of submarines, a hobby he has enjoyed since fourth grade. He draws these intricate and accurate submarines both digitally and physically. 

His interest in submarines goes farther than just drawings. 

“One of the things I do a lot of research on is submarines,” he said. In the future, Eagar wishes to visit different submarines around the world, especially those at a Russian submarine base; however, he noted this is extremely unlikely due to how classified they are. 

On a more local level, Eagar mentioned visiting the submarine at OMSI multiple times. 

He also enjoys playing simulators on his PC, including BeamNG.drive and Teardown because they are both entertaining and realistic games involving STEM. 

Eagar wants to pursue a career in the field of nuclear chemistry, hoping to focus on solving some of the modern energy problems.