Incline High senior Sean McClelland will attend the University of Chicago in the fall. He is a National Merit Scholar, a Presidential Scholar semi finalist and this year’s salutatorian.

When Sean McClelland leaves Incline Village this fall, he knows what he’ll miss — the nice weather. But in the Windy City, he’s excited to find a different, more cosmopolitan culture.

“I’m definitely excited to get out of the Tahoe bubble and go to the big city,” he said.

The Incline High School senior — who is just 16 — will leave behind a legacy of success, though, as he heads to the University of Chicago this August. McClelland is ranked second in his class, is a member of the state champion “We The People” team and is currently a semifinalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholarship. And he credits the high school as a key to his success.

“It’s obviously a very small school, but I think it fosters a community spirit and really gives you a good connection with teachers and other students,” McClelland said.

He said the support of community members have bolstered his efforts, too. Many volunteers and others have helped with his academic pursuits and “We The People,” he said.

“It’s nice to see Judge (Alan) Tiras and other prominent community members helping us out,” he said.

A summer at the University of California-Davis focused on math and engineering got McClelland more interested in math and science, but “We The People” and its teacher, Milt Hyams, drew McClelland into the realm of politics and policy.

“That’s really shifted my interests to the social sciences and humanities,” McClelland said.

At the University of Chicago, he said he hopes to study economics more in depth and experience a broader culture.

“Chicago’s a big city, so that’s exciting, but a bit dangerous,” he said.

Outside the classroom, McClelland said he recently started a blog and enjoys usual teenage activities — watching movies, listening to music and hanging out with his friends. But he never strays far from thinking about scholarly topics.

“Really, writing and just debating things with my friends are some of my favorite hobbies,” McClelland said.

That sort of thought, discussion and debate is an important part of “We The People.” Though all of his courses at IHS have been helpful and “quite good,” he said We The People has provided him with a team full of peers who are just as interested and passionate about the topic as he is.

“Being part of an intellectually based team was really a great experiment. I’m sure I’ll look back at my high school career and be proud of our team’s accomplishments,” McClelland said.

McClelland’s father, Wayne, said Sean has taken advantage of opportunities out side the classroom as well as in it.

“He’s intellectually curious and I think that’s probably his strength,” Wayne McClelland said. “He’s also been good at taking our urging to go beyond traditional learning.”

Though he said he might have taken more difficult courses earlier in his high school career, McClelland said he’s pleased with his experiences in high school. And while college will be different, he said he’s enjoyed living here.

“I think I’ve done a pretty good job taking advantage of the opportunities Incline has offered me,” he said. “It’s a nice place to grow up.”

His mother, Cindy, said she and her husband have been lucky to have a committed, hard-working student as a son, and they’re excited for his future.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “And we’re going to miss him.”