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Leesville Road High School graduate Lauren-McNamara Clement helps care for her four adopted siblings, all while excelling in the classroom and on the basketball court
June 27, 2017
Lauren McNamara-Clement's mom once asked her why the now-Leesville Road High School graduate is the way she is - which is to say, driven, diligent, energetic, empathetic, tireless, ethical. “And she was like, ‘Mom, because I care,’” says Kelly McNamara, a first-grade teacher at Leesville Road Elementary School.
She cared enough to start a student prayer circle on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, adding to the list of the extracurricular activities that range from band to Spanish Club to the basketball team.She cared enough at, age 10, to share information with her mother about foster child awareness month, a not-so-subtle bid for a younger sibling.
She cared enough to help her single mother care for their first foster baby.
She cared enough to cry her eyes out when the baby was returned to his biological family after nine months.
“The first weekend, my mom and I didn’t even make it out of the neighborhood, we were bawling so hard,” Lauren says. “We couldn’t even go in his room.”
Now, she cares enough to help care for her four adopted siblings while she juggles all the duties of a college-bound student-athlete.
And she does it all with a smile. It’s just who she is.
She cares.
‘Fab Five’
You read that right.Kelly McNamara has fostered and then adopted four children in the last seven years. (She asked that their names not be included to protect their privacy.)
The obvious question: How do they do it? The answer: All hands on deck.
“Our style of living, we kind of all just know what needs to be done and we do it all together,” Lauren says. “Like a puzzle piece, we all contribute to make the puzzle complete, ‘I’ll do this and you’ll do that and it will all be done.’ We all just kind of put our hands in and contribute. It’s weird, we just kind of know what to do. My mom calls us the ‘Fab Five.’”Of course, big sister plays a big role.
A Day in the Life
A typical school day for Lauren had her up around 5:45 a.m., getting herself and her siblings ready, then loading up her four-year-old brother and her oldest sister, Leesville ninth-grader.They dropped off their brother at preschool before getting to school about 7 a.m. (The two other siblings, ages 5 and 7, head to Leesville Road Elementary with their mom.)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lauren and a friend led a prayer circle at 7:10 a.m.
This semester, her class schedule went Band, Pre-Calculus, AP Biology, lunch (club meetings and studying), and then Apparel II Honors.
After school, it’s working out at the gym or physical therapy. There’s church on Wednesday nights.
Other nights she’s either starting or picking up dinner for the family.
Many nights were spent studying with classmates at Panera Bread – especially Pre-Calculus.
Of course, basketball takes center stage in season.
Lauren was a star center for Leesville and now will head to Campbell University on a full basketball scholarship. The entire family attends both the JV and varsity games. (Her oldest sister plays JV.) “We are like a team,” Kelly McNamara says. “And the way Lauren is on the court is how she is in the home – a leader.”
Her coach, Ben Daniels, couldn’t agree more. “She has just a ton of qualities that every coach looks for in a player. If I had 12 of her, I would never lose a game.”‘It’s just what you do’
Lauren’s mother can’t help but marvel at Lauren’s energy. “She wants to get her hands in everything,” Kelly McNamara she says.On top of everything else, she started prayer circle, made her own prom dress in apparel class, and she led a book drive for young students at an apartment complex on Burgundy Street they visit once a month.
“For her it’s not even work,” Kelly McNamara says. “It’s just what you do. It’s her natural being. If she has an idea, she’s not afraid to be the pioneer and start it. She’s not afraid to try new.”
That included pursuing and receiving admittance to the United States Military Academy last fall. The discipline and structure was appealing, and Lauren was ready to take on the challenge.
Unfortunately, she is still recovering from an ACL injury, and she recently learned that would have delayed her attendance at West Point by at least a year.
“I was notified on May 28 that I wasn’t going to be released to attend due to where I was with my ACL surgery recovery,” Lauren says. “It was recommended that I attend one year of West Point Prep School to allow my knee to fully recover. There isn’t a women’s basketball team at West Point Prep school, and there wouldn’t be an opportunity for me to work towards my degree with college level classes. Academically I was ready to take on college-level classes. Therefore I looked at other options available to me. One is an athletic scholarship to Campbell University where I will begin taking classes in June. Although I won’t be serving my country in the military, I am committed to serving my country in my community and am thankful for my opportunity and experiences.”
‘Wherever she wants to go’
Daniels, her coach, says Lauren “represents the best qualities of a Leesville Road student.”“She is the type of person who will spend as much time as is needed to master a concept in the classroom, and will ask as many questions as it takes for her to walk away with a true understanding,” he says. “Her tenacious and relentless attitude towards learning are going to take her wherever she wants to go."
Her mother, Kelly McNamara, also has full confidence that her daughter will overcome any obstacle she encounters. “She’s always been an easy kid, an amazing kid,” Kelly McNamara says. “She’s just been this gift, not only to me, but to the whole world."
