FOXBORO -- It's not every day an `` American Idol'' personality comes to your school.

But Tuesday morning students at Taylor Elementary School were treated to a visit from `` American Idol'' contestant and Top 16 finisher Ayla Brown, who talked about how to achieve your dreams.

Brown seems to know something about the subject, since few dreams have proved elusive for the 17-year-old Wrentham native.

A star basketball player at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Brown is headed to Boston College on a full basketball scholarship and bested about 100,000 contestants across the country to make it to the `` American Idol'' Top 16.

Brown's visit was a surprise for many students who didn't find out the identity of their special guest until minutes before she arrived. The general response once Brown's identity was revealed was `` Yes!'' coupled with exclamations like `` Oh my God, Ayla Brown, Oh my God, hi!'' once she actually walked in.

Brown sang the national anthem, then delved right into the heart of the matter.

`` How many of you guys actually watch `American Idol'?'' she asked, and a room full of hands shot up in the air.

Brown told the students about her background, from singing along to Disney movies as a child to becoming interested in sports -- especially basketball, which she said she learned from her father, state Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, who played in college.

`` I just had to play,'' she said. `` I love basketball more than anything.''

When it came to `` Idol'' topics, Brown revealed that she had doubts about even trying out for the competition, which her mom, WCVB-TV news reporter Gail Huff, helped to dispel.

`` She told me to go for it because you're never going to have another opportunity like this again,'' Brown said. `` So I did.''

From there Brown described her `` Idol'' experience, starting with 18 hours of waiting in the rain at Gillette Stadium, to making it through round after round in the competition, then finally being eliminated last month, which she said she has put into perspective.

`` Even though it didn't work out for me and I got eliminated, it was a great, great opportunity,'' she said. `` I definitely won for myself because I made it further than I ever thought I would.''

A question and answer session proved that inquiring minds want to know about several things -- namely who Brown's favorite `` American Idol'' contestant is (Mandisa, until she was voted off last week), who her favorite judge is (Randy Jackson) and if she still watches `` American Idol'' (yes, all the time). One student hesitated, then asked `` Umm, do you hate Simon?''

Brown laughed and said, `` no.''

`` He's just a judge. We don't interact on a personal level,'' she said.

Brown tested the audience's knowledge with some trivia questions and traded autographed pictures for correct answers.

She also told students she'll be introducing Natasha Bedingfield at the Kiss Concert at the Tweeter Center on May 20.

Throughout the talk, Brown tried to convey that no dream is unreachable with hard work.

`` I took everything that was given to me and worked hard to make myself better, and I think that's really important for you guys,'' she said.

An impromptu performance of `` Reflection'' by Christina Aguilera, the first song Brown performed on `` Idol,'' rounded out her visit and got an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Fifth-grader Colleen Reilly, who traveled from Ahern Middle School with her friend Nicole Cullen just to see Brown and says she hasn't watched `` Idol'' since Brown was voted off, summed up her thoughts easily.

`` Ayla shoulda won,'' she said.

LAUREN CARTER can be reached at 508-236-0339 or at lcarter@thesunchronicle.com.