Smiths Station High: Grace Allen

Grace Allen has been a Smiths Station panther for seven years — she moved to the area from Russell County in fifth grade.

Allen said that she has loved the school since the first day she moved here, and that Smith Station’s great community and staff added to her experience.

The now-senior was involved in several of the clubs that Smiths Station has to offer, including the volleyball team, of which she was captain during her junior year. “As the years progressed, I’ve taken on more leadership roles and this year I’m senior class president … and I’m part of honor societies like Beta Club, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Science Honor Society, English Honor Society and, previous to that, I was part of student council,” she said. Like many high school students across the country, the pandemic has turned the average American high school experience topsyturvy. “It was hard because I am a face-to-face learner,” Allen said. “I have to see [the teacher], I have to see the notes, I have to hear [the teacher] and transitioning from that to virtual, to not talking to my teacher, not having her there to help me was very hard. And senior year, you want your grades to be good and it was really stressful to keep it up and you had to be motivated because a lot of times you just didn’t want to get out of bed because you were so used to being in lockdown and it was really hard making the transition from being at school to being online.

“Even when you came back to school, everybody’s anxiety was so bad because we didn’t want to get COVID. So that was hard too because you had to stress to keep your mask on, you had to keep distanced and a lot of the work that we did, it was hard to do [the work] when you have to be 6 feet apart. So, it was a really big

Grace

By Lofton Wheeles Photos Contributed By Grace Allen

adjustment.”

However, Allen said she has learned to think about the positive things when reflecting on the most memorable part about senior year.

“My favorite parts, as of right now, are finally coming back from the pandemic and seeing all of my friends and seeing all of those faces that I haven’t seen since March of last year, and what I think will be my most favorite is [prom]” she said. “… We [were all] together, and I just think that will be the best part of my senior year.”

When reflecting on her high school experience, Allen said that she felt sentimental about her sophomore year since that year was not influenced by the pandemic.

“That was my first year of high school and my only normal year of high school that I would have, but sophomore year was definitely the most memorable,” she said. “The pep rallies, the homecoming games, everything — like we got to experience everything. Also, just being with my friends and having a schedule, I just really think I’m going to miss that the most.”

Allen said she has committed to playing volleyball at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama.

“Right now, I’m just excited to hopefully get a closeto-normal year and just being in a new environment because I’ve been at Smiths Station for a long time,” she said.

Allen plans on majoring in Education and minoring in Communication, something that she said could be subject to change. However, she enjoys being in school and teaching other people, so she said she feels it is “the best idea right now”.

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Dear Trinity Class of 2021,

You have run the race well! Your last final has been turned in, you have performed in your last concert and you have competed in your last game as a Trinity student. You have had your last Socratic circle, your rhetoric speech has been presented and you’ve had your last cup of coffee while discussing Neil Postman. What a joy to have watched over the years as the Lord has grown you into a wonderful group of young men and women who exemplify each and every day “glorifying God and enjoying Him”. We will miss your servant hearts, your enthusiasm for learning and your desire to put the needs of others before your own, and we will remember for many years the many ways that you led the students on our campus by serving them in love. You truly are virtuous scholars who think clearly, listen carefully, discern wisely, reason persuasively and articulate precisely, and it is our honor to call you alumni of Trinity Christian School. We look forward to seeing all the ways you will serve the Kingdom throughout your lives!

With gratitude and love, Larry Cornelius