MEET KAYLA

HOMETOWN: BRISTOL, CT PASSIONS: ATHLETICS, KINDNESS COLLEGE: HAVERFORD COLLEGE

When you talk about Kayla, it’s hard not to talk numbers: She’s a three-season varsity athlete and a three-sport team captain. And if that seems impressive, try this number: During her senior year, Kayla became only the second basketball player in school history to score 1,000 career points. She says that the many mentors in her life, including her own team captains, helped shape her experience both in the classroom and on the court, giving her the confidence she needed to fulfill her potential within the Taft community. And she has: Kayla is an honor student, the head of the tour guides’ Admission Council, a member of GSA and of the Step Team, and a powerful voice on the Day Student Council. From her mentors, she learned that she can do almost anything she puts her mind to, and do it well. “They showed me what good role models looked like. They helped me branch out and find my passions, and then how to balance them as both a student and an athlete.”

MEET MORGAN MANZ ’13

GIRLS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL COACH

It was a happy day all around when Ms. Manz ’13 returned to her alma mater. As a Taft student, she was a three-sport athlete, making her mark on the links, and on the volleyball and basketball courts. Her talents earned her Founders League and NEPSAC All-Star accolades, and two Founders League titles in basketball. As a college player, Ms. Manz was named a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic player, and was a key contributor on a talented team that reached the NCAA Sweet 16 during her senior campaign—one that included a game in which she landed an impressive six threepointers. It’s clear Ms. Manz knows a thing or two about leadership, hard work, skill-building, talent, and what it takes to succeed. And she’s happy to share that with student-athletes as head coach of Taft’s varsity volleyball and basketball teams. “I am grateful to be back at Taft, and able to serve the same community and the specific programs that impacted me when I was a student. I learned a lot from my coaches as a student-athlete; it has been a pleasure to be mentored by them once again, this time in my new role as a faculty member and coach. My goal is to impact my players in the same way those coaches and mentors impacted me.” In addition to coaching at Taft, Ms. Manz teaches science and is one of the learning specialists in the Moorhead Academic Center.