Nova Highlands Latin School
|
November 2020
Roma |
Volume 4, Issue 2
Preparing for College as Highschoolers By: Marissa Mudd and Abi Bitner Many high schoolers struggle with the question of what they should be doing in preparation for college throughout high school. Even though as a freshman, sophomore, or even a junior, college can seem far away, it is crucial to begin the process as early as possible. HLS’ college counselor, Ms. Murray, wants students to know that while preparing for college is important, one of the most key things for success is not letting the preparation overwhelm you. For those of you who don’t know Ms. Murray, she has a college planning class with the senior’s once a week, teaches one AP literature and composition class, and is the school’s college counselor. In her college planning class, seniors spend an entire period working on applications, doing resume workshops, and practicing interviews. She attended college at Western Kentucky
University and majored in economics with a business management minor. She had also done some assistant teaching in college and discovered that she loved teaching and helping others. As a college counselor, when asked what she saw students stress about the most regarding the college process, Ms. Murray responded that the most common stress was due to choosing a list of schools to apply for and trying to obtain scholarships to pay for school. Her biggest advice for freshman and sophomores is to keep doing well in your classes. Even though this might sound somewhat basic, your GPA and test scores are really important when you apply to college, so freshman and sophomore years are crucial for getting a strong GPA. While grades are important, colleges look for wellrounded students. They want students involved in activities,
students who actively volunteer, and students who hold leadership roles. Thus, the other piece of advice Ms. Murray offered is to be involved in extracurricular activities. Students can begin by attending house meetings, showing up to school events, and volunteering in your community or church. Find one or two organizations you feel passionately about and become involved. As a college counselor, another aspect of Ms. Murray’s responsibilities are to work individually with students on filling out applications for colleges and scholarships. She edits and reviews student’s essays offering advice about what they could improve on to make the essay stronger, as well as helping students narrow down their list of colleges. Once students apply to colleges, Ms. Murray takes care of all the official documents that have to be
What’ s Up!? Your HLS Student Spotlight By: Steve and Gus S: Welcome back everybody! It seems our last article went so well, that they let us do it again! We’re back with new and improved questions. Today we have the honor of talking to 8th grader, Abby Kate Wallace. G: Hi Abby Kate! AK: Hi! S: Abby Kate, can I call you AK? Tell us a little about yourself. AK: Well, I’m in 8th grade, and I have 2 siblings. S: What’s your Favorite part of 8th grade so far?
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COVID Adjustments: Volleyball and Cross Country By: Lilly Pottlitzer, Carly Wheat, Justin Gilbert, Caleb Kang Sports at HLS this year have looked different from years past and cross country and volleyball are no exception. Not only has covid created many obstacles that teams and coaches have had to work around, but HLS is now a part of the KHSAA which is more competitive than the KCAA. Because HLS is in the midst of switching leagues, we are not able to participate in any postseason or state tournament across all sports. These changes and obstacles have created a fairly chaotic year, but our
HLS teams are persevering and performing exceptionally well. The varsity volleyball team battled all year long, and it paid off with a record of 4-4 against KHSAA opponents. This team had two fantastic seniors in Sydney Windhorst and Abi Bitner. When asked how this year’s seniors will be missed, Mary Kate Rohrer says, “Our seniors were a huge part of the team, we will miss them a ton, they were the biggest leaders on the team.” Unfortunately, the volleyball team’s season was cut short due
to Covid, and senior night was
canceled. Junior, Elli Bitner, describes the volleyball team as a “little family who have all bonded so well over the past few years.” When asked how the team shapes up next season, Elli says, “I think next season is going to be great! We will have four seniors, and we will have some pretty talented freshmen and sophomores.” The volleyball team seems to be in a great position to make some noise in the KHSAA next season. Continued on Page 5
AK: Um...I would probably say literature, having Mrs. Windhorst as a teacher. G: Ok, I was gonna ask you your favorite teacher, but you just answered that. Do you play any sports? AK: I play volleyball. S: Ooh! What’s your favorite position to play? AK: Probably outside or middle. G: I have to say I’m kind of a beast at volleyball myself. It’s basically like super intense hot potato, and I am a master of hot Continued on Page 3
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HLS Senior Athletes By: Lilly Luse and Devin Moore This year has certainly changed a lot of things, but the careers of our senior athletes remains something to be celebrated. Senior year often consists of looking back at all the good and bad times. As fall sports conclude, we spoke with a few of our senior athletes to reflect on their careers as their final season comes to a close. Sean Vander Woude and Carter McGill play on the soccer team, “I’ve always enjoyed playing soccer, I’ve played it since I was like five,” says Sean, “so it’s always been my favorite sport.” Carter originally played soccer to train for basketball, but grew to love the sport and the team “I used to play soccer a lot…it’s super fun, and it’s a really chill sport.” Sean and Carter also reminisced on their favorite games of their careers. Carter says his favorite game was the team’s first game in the KHSAA where they won by eight goals, “Our first game was pretty good, playing against Portland. That was fun because we beat them, and it was a real confidence boost for the team.” Sean thinks the best game they played was against Eastern, “that was one of the best teams we played this year, and we tied with them, but it felt like a win.” Carter offered some practical wisdom for any future players on the soccer team: “the importance of stretching is actually huge... we had a few injuries this year that could have been prevented, but also playing hard, and giving your all. It’s something you’re there to do because you love doing it.” Sean similarly shares that future players should “go out to every game thinking you’re going to win it and give it your all.” Abigail Bitner plays volleyball on the HLS girls’ team, and said it was her mom who first got her into the game. “My mom played when she was in high school, and so she was the one that first got me into it, and I played it with
my sisters, so that made it more fun, and then I made some good friends on the team and because of that I kept playing.” Volleyball has been a family affair for Abigail, playing alongside her sisters during her high school career. Abigail recalls her freshman season as one of the best seasons of HLS volleyball, “In ninth grade, Sadie Hassung and I were two setters on the team, and we played off of each other so well, and we both had the same thoughts in volleyball… that was our best season.” Abigail has some advice to future players on the team: “listen to your coach because she totally knows what she’s doing, even though sometimes you think you know better, and if you have a problem with the coach go talk to her, because they want to hear what you’re thoughts are, and they want to make you better, so they’ll listen and make changes if need be.” Emily Haner runs on the cross country team and has been running with the team for two years. She loves running because of the visible results of improvement, “I can see a clear progression of my abilities. Starting out in spring I’m not too fast, but when summer comes along and especially going to practices, I feel stronger and more capable. I think it’s something especially unique about cross country.” The cross country team meets at the Parklands rain or shine, and she recalls a memory from a particularly intense practice, “at our last practice of last season, it was freezing and windy and wet outside, we were running and there were puddles of freezing water everywhere, and after the run, the whole team squeezed into one of the bathrooms at the pavilion because it was the only warm place so Coach Walrad could talk to us.” This is Emily’s favorite memory of her time on
the cross country team. Isabella Helms has played field hockey since she was little. She loves, “playing outside on the fields, being part of a team, scoring goals, and winning games.” Bella’s favorite memories were of her senior season these past few months, “our last game of the season, we went into overtime, and we even had to do strokes, but we won in the end, and I really loved watching us come together as a team.” The girls of the team have become a sisterhood, and she says she has a lot of fond memories of her teammates. “We had a costume contest at practice this year and Carly came dressed up as me.
It killed me how accurately her costume turned out, she had every detail thought out!” Bella is also inspired by the girls, and mentions one player in particular who always pushed her to do her best, “Meredith McFarland… encouraged me at every game and motivated me to play harder simply by playing her heart out and giving her all no matter what.” Bella offers high school athletes some parting wisdom as her season concludes: “enjoy it while it lasts because high school goes by so fast, and if you push yourself a little harder than you think you can, you’ll be amazed at what you’re capable of.”
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Student Spotlight Continued from page 1 potato. Anyway, what house are are you in?
AK: I’m in the house of Patrick. G: Nice! They’re pretty good, but certainly not superior. We all know which house I’m talking about. How many years have you been at HLS? AK: Last year was my first year, so only 2. G: Ok, so we got a newbie. S: Gus, be nice. Where did you live before moving here and going to HLS? AK: My dad was in the military so I’ve lived everywhere. Let me count, I’ve lived in Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, here, and somewhere else. G: Wow, that’s a lot, where was your favorite place to live? AK: South Carolina. That’s where we lived before moving here and that was by far my favorite. S: AK, is there something you’re looking forward to this year that might be different because of Covid?
AK: That might be different? I’m not sure, my whole year’s been pretty good so far, so I don’t really have anything. S: Ok, that’s fair, I’m glad you’re having a good year! Gus, you need to ask a question. G: You keep stealing my questions, I don’t have any. S: Think of something, you can do it! G: Oh, I got one! What’s your favorite trip that you have ever been on? AK: Last summer, I went to the Grand Canyon, that was a really fun trip. G: That sounds like a great trip! S: I’ve heard that it’s really pretty out there. G: Wait, I got another question, I’m on a roll. Since it is the Fallidays and Halloween was a few days ago, did you do any fall traditions with your family? AK: Just go outside and enjoy the fall colors, Trickor-Treat, carve pumpkins, things like that.
S: Did you Trick-or-Treat this year? AK: Yeah! My youth group dressed up as Winnie-thePooh characters. S: That’s fun! G: That’s cool.
actually
very
S: Yep, she’s pretty cool Gus. G: What’d you dress up as, Steve? S: I actually didn’t dress up. G: Wow ok. That’s lame. I dressed up as Burger King. AK: That’s super cool. I like the creativity. S: Speaking of being creative, tell us some of your hobbies. What do you like to do in your free time? AK: I really like playing volleyball and drawing. I also really like bullet journaling and things like that. S: That’s awesome! I have no artistic talent myself so I am always fascinated by people who can draw and paint. Do you have any siblings you like to draw with?
AK: Yeah! I have 2 siblings. My sister goes to HLS, but my brother is too young. We don’t draw together but we really like to play volleyball, especially my brother. G: That’s cool. You could make your own team with your family. Ok, can I ask my favorite question now? S: Sure Gus, go ahead. G: This could possibly be the most important question we’ll ask all day-maybe even your entire life. Think about it before you answer. Are you ready? Who is your favorite Disney Princess? AK: Well, I’ve always liked Ariel. I wanted to be a mermaid when I was little, so yeah, Ariel. S: That’s a great answer. Thanks for talking to us today Abby Kate! AK: Yeah, of course. G: Alright, adios until next time, folks! Remember to stay safe and healthy.
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Senioritis
By: Sam Birkholz and Jonathan Lasoi JL: Welcome back guys to senioritis! This month we’ve got Jacob Fox, Matt Leprell, Bella Helms, and Emily Steinbach. SB: Alright guys, what’s been your favorite school moment throughout your time at HLS? ML: Let’s see, mine’s gotta be the men’s retreat, especially man hunt where I was climbing up trees and falling off bridges. JF: Yeah, mine’s definitely got to be the men’s retreat. It’s awesome! BH: I’m not sure this counts, but club sports this week was really funny because there were only ten of us since our whole grade had to quarantine, and yeah it was just super funny. ES: Club sports was pretty funny with everyone missing, but also just in general funny stuff happens there all the time so probably club sports. SB: Alright, so we just came off Halloween, so what’s the best Halloween costume you’ve ever had. ML: I’m really bad about making Halloween costumes, but my grandma got me an angry birds costume one year, and that was fun. JF: Easy, I crowd funded a full body squirrel costume freshman year and got my classmates to pay for like half of it, it was pretty cool. BH: When I was Lafawnduh from Napoleon Dynamite for the Halloween dance, that was super fun. I really loved that costume. ES: I was Roo from Winnie the Pooh one year, but I haven’t dressed up a ton. SB: Good stuff, moving on, what’s your guys’ favorite book. ML: Lord of the Rings for me, I just really enjoy that book. JF: I’d say 1984, it’s a really good book that I enjoy. BH: I really like Chesterton, call me a nerd, but I like it. ES: I’ll be honest I don’t read a ton of books, but a book series
I remember liking was Percy Jackson, those were good. SB: Ok, let’s go from books to music, favorite musical artist? ML: I would have to say Electric Light Orchestra just because I enjoy that, their music is so random and from so many different spectrums. JF: (pulls out about 20 Spotify playlists) Wow, this is hard. I like so many artists, let’s just say Illenium. BH: Oh my gosh, that is hard I should just send you guys my whole playlist, I really like the weekend, Stevie wonder, LL Cool J, and Pitbull, but I can’t choose from those. I also like Chris Brown and Michael Jackson. ES: I like Frank Sinatra and Travis Scott, I know they’re completely different, but those are my favorites. SB: Cool, let’s make this difficult, you can only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what are you having? ML: A massive rack of ribs, good old french fries, you’ve got some good old green beans, you’ve got your fresh lemonade, and your bowl of cookie dough ice cream. JF: A calzone, ok do not sleep on the calzone, a calzone with cheese, chicken, pesto, and goat cheese, and then let’s add in some bread sticks, ice cream definitely, and some ginger ale, perfection. BH: Pasta, I love pasta. ES: Probably pancakes. SB: Wow, that is some great stuff, ok finally, one free ticket to go anywhere in the world, where are you guys going? ML: Man, there are so many places, probably Germany or Greece. JF: New Zealand, you can’t pass up New Zealand it’s amazing. BH and ES: Bora Bora resort! JL: This has been Senioritis with Sam Birkholz and Jonathan Lasoi, enjoy your month!
Preparing for College Continued from Page 1
sent to colleges such as a transcripts, school profile, report cards, or recommendations. Senior Sydney Windhorst commented that you don’t really know what to expect when you first start planning for college, but Ms. Murray has been helpful every step of the way. Sydney started working closely with Ms. Murray last year as she prepared her application for the Governor’s Scholars Program. In her senior year, she helped Sydney edit and re-write college essays. When asked what she thought was the hardest part of preparing for
college, Sydney affirmed that the essays were definitely the most time consuming because even after you apply to the school, there are other essays to write if you want to be included in an honors program, other scholarships, or fellowships. Sydney is not completely sure in what she will be majoring, but she says that one of her biggest goals is to travel, so she is considering International Relations. Thank you to Ms. Murray for her dedication in helping students and remember to begin the process- the sooner, the better.
Editor’s Note By: Sydney Windhorst
Dear HLS Students and Families, Welcome back to the newest addition of the Nova Roma. When I took on this role, I certainly never imagined that I would finish it online. Instead of looking back at the things we are missing or things that are different than last year, let us take a moment to look forward. Thanksgiving is coming up, what are you thankful for? Personally, through COVID my family has stayed healthy and safe. I had the majority of my volleyball season with my wonderful team. I am able to come to school in person and see my friends. Many others cannot say these things. Don’t ever take these blessings for granted. Take a moment to pause and reflect on the things for which you are thankful. Continue to stay safe! Sincerely, Sydney Windhorst
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Sports
Nova Roma Staff
Continued from Page 1 Another team that fought through adversity to have a fantastic season was the HLS varsity cross country team. Led by their captains, Matt Leprell and Abi Bitner, and new head coach, Coach Daria, the cross country team saw many runners post personal bests. The girls also came in first in the Meet of Champions and the guys’ team came in third. Junior, Jake Hamilton, who posted an incredible 17:58 5k in the Meet of Champions, said of the new coaching change, “Obviously we missed Mr. Walrad, but Coach Daria did a great job this year.” Captain, Abi Bitner said, “I can’t say enough good things about Coach Daria! ...she always pointed us to our real goal: Glorifying Christ in all that we do.” The main change due to Covid was that “it caused smaller races which is both a good thing and a bad thing” Captain Matt Leprell stated. Both captains thought that their team did fantastic and made incredible improvements throughout the season. When asked about how things are looking for next year’s cross country
team, Kara Moran said “I think next year is going to be a super great year for the team! ...We had several strong runners join the team last year, and everyone is super excited to improve throughout the offseason.” Jake Hamilton says, “We will miss the leadership of our graduating seniors, but I think the runners in my grade are definitely up to the challenge of leading the team.” Despite so many changes this year, the cross country team worked incredibly hard and saw major improvements. They are definitely poised to be competitive in KHSAA next season. These two HLS varsity teams exemplify what it means to be an HLS athletic team. They never complained about changes or restrictions but worked hard in order to improve and have fun. Balancing the rigorous curriculum here at HLS and performing at such a high level takes a great deal of dedication and passion. Both seasons have just wrapped up so please make sure to thank our HLS seniors for their dedication and hard work over their time here at HLS.
Sydney Windhorst Sophie Harris Samantha Kang Steve Gus Justin Gilbert Lilly Luse Abi Bitner Lilly Pottlitzer Leili Popejoy Carly Wheat Kara Moran Elliana Bitner Sam Birkholz Jonathan Lasoi Devin Moore George Hall Grant McGill Sophie Krumhansl Marissa Mudd Caleb Kang
Editor-In-Chief Junior Editor Format Editor Student Spotlight Student Spotlight Sports Writer Features Writer Features Writer Sports Writer Book Review Sports Writer Advice Columnist Photographer Senioritis Writer Senioritis Writer Features Writer Poll Conductor Poll Conductor Head of Art, Poems, and Puzzels Features Writer Sports Writer
Book Review and Recommendation By: Leili Popejoy
The personal journal of Marcus Aurelius, deemed “Meditations” in later years, was never meant to be viewed by the public. However, its translation by Gregory Hays provides readers with a glimpse into the beliefs and ideas of the Roman Stoic, which are not so distanced from our own Christian worldview. Consider this: “The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own…we were born to work together...” (2.1). As Christians, we are called to do the same: we will interact daily with others who are just as flawed as ourselves, however, the source of goodness, God, has been revealed to us and we are now convicted to live in a manner glorifying to him and to reveal that truth to others. Both have the same fallen nature, but both are meant to live in unity and glorify God forever. It is so interesting to see the parallels between Stoicism and Christianity. Despite the differences, we can still discover truths within pagan literature, which makes it a valuable addition to the classical curriculum.
Announcements: The Boo at the school was a huge hit! Thank you to all the families and students who made that possible! Thanksgiving break is approaching very quickly! Keep pushing yourself.
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Pontoon Boat By: Emily Grace Haner
Advice Column By: Kara Moran
By: Sophie Harris
By: Emily Grace Haner
Student Poll:
Conducted by: George Hall and Grant McGill
This time students decided which students tend to carry the most luck. The students most likely to win the lottery: 1. Lane Kindig 2. Hans Kiesling 3. Trevor Geddes
One thing we’ve certainly all experienced this year is the cancellation of various usual activities. At first, this was quite overwhelming and disappointing as seniors lost their final sports seasons, retreats were postponed, and school moved online. Although we’ve now grown accustomed to this, it’s not any less frustrating. I think the primary way we can stay motivated during these months despite these cancellations is focusing on the perspective. In March during lockdown, this was just unrealistic and we all had to take time to grapple with so much change. At the time, we may have had the perspective that we could take on a negative mindset until the next school year started back up or we could spend time with our friends again. Now, since the pandemic is ongoing and schedules continue to be altered, we have to turn to a different way of thinking. Without this, all we’ll gain is perpetual disappointment.
It’s important to be aware of our emotions. If we don’t acknowledge them, they can negatively affect us without even being fully conscious of them. To avoid a pessimistic attitude, we have to be deliberate in pushing our perspective towards a positive one. There is a lot we have to be grateful for: so much has changed since early summer. It’s easy to only think about the masks and distancing and events we aren’t at, rather than the opportunities we have been given in attending school in person and even some few events and extracurriculars. No matter how positive we try to be, we’re still human and some degree of sadness is unavoidable. We must all make an effort to encourage each other, especially this year. Thinking creatively is also crucial. It’s hard to find activities that keep everyone safe, but with effort and the right mindset it’s still possible to have fun. Value your time in school and seek to encourage seniors in their very unexpected last year here.