The C&G | Volume V | Issue 4 | Senior Edition

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Class of 2017 Colleges

STAFF Editors-in-Chief GRACE SIZEMORE CORINNA WADE Managing Editors SARAH KALLIS CLAIRE SIMMEL Associate Editor CADE ANDERSON Section Editor GRACEN BETTS Trending Entertainment ANNA CARR HANKS Feature/Multimedia Writer SYDNEY GREEN Photojournalist SPICER LEAR Visual Designer LIBBY MALCOLM Staff Writers SAM AIKEN SHEPHERD BRIDGES SHEA FLEMING OLIVIA MARTIN TIANA MOMON ETHAN MULLEN MILLER REID C&G Senior 2017 | 2

Playing at the Next Level

Rutledge for Tassel Turner

The STATS/ Languai

Senior Art Gallery

Capstone Recap

Redemption, for Fuego

EDITORIAL POLICY C&G is a student publication published for the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School community. All opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire journalism staff or those of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. The C&G staff seeks to accurately report news, ideas and events relevant to our readership in a professional and unbiased manner.

All content is controlled and edited by staff advisor and editors. The staff will only publish legally protected speech that abide by the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and the invasion of privacy. a

Balance of Excellence

A Reflection in Numbers

SOCIAL MEDIA

f i t

THECANDG

@THECANDG

@THECANDG

EDITORS’ NOTE

I’ve been thinking about the direction that I want this magazine to go in for quite some time now, and I always seem to come back to the same quote by Aristotle. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” I want our readers to experience education of both the mind and the heart through the C&G. I want to show you the human side of every news story. But, I can’t do it alone. I’m fortunate enough to have an incredible staff standing with me, and I’d like to extend this opportunity to the reader as well.

I want this magazine to encompass a variety of topics and opinions. Along with educating the heart and mind of the HIES community, we want to be its voice. We want to incorporate as many student and faculty ideas as possible, because their support and ideas allow us to do what we love. So, thank you for your support, and I look forward to another year of collaboration. a

Leading something special has always been a goal of ours. From a young age most children desire to be a leader: the line leader, the kickball captain, or the hall monitor. As we have grown and come to understand the true meaning of leadership, which in our mind is someone who obtains confidence, compassion, and creativity, we have aspired to find something we are proud to lead. Joining the journalism staff was our golden (bears) opportunity to fulfill this desire. Leading a staff of 17 has its challenges, but the rewards far outweigh the long and arduous hours spent producing the magazine.

Participating in the expansion of the C&G from two to four annual publications has been one of the hardest yet most rewarding experiences in our high school careers. We are excited to announce that thanks to the journalism program, we have decided to pursue our passion for design in our upcoming college educations. Thank you to everyone who has helped get us this far, especially Mrs. Elms. We will miss you all greatly and look forward to seeing the spectacular work to come. a

EDITOR’S NOTE

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Class of 2017 Colleges GRACE SIZEMORE, co-edior-in-chief

Alabama

Birmingham-Southern College Alfredo Granier Auburn University Ryan Braatz Jake Bradshaw Henry Broms Ansley Earle Phillip Game Turner Gill Emilee Hagerman Carly Reifenberger Grace Sanders Iain Thomas University of Alabama Kyle Blasingame Kate Evans Nic Hewett

California

Stanford University Sean Hackett

Florida

Florida State University Chase Luther Rollins College Evan Rottner

Georgia

Berry College Bennett King Emory University Natalie Scales Georgia College & State University Russell Duncan Georgia Institute of Technology Sam Armstrong Max Brauer Hugh Chapman 4

Clarisa Colton Dylan Cooper Kaylee Correll Russell Hudgins Kendall Jabaley Grace Kasper Benjamin Maitski Katherine Watson Georgia Southern University Keegan Donahoo Immanuel Milord Georgia State University Edward Verdree Mercer University Taylor Morton Savannah College of Art and Design Libby Bulley University of Georgia Cade Anderson Grace Asbury Mollie Belisle Ceci Conrad James Devine Camille Floyd Zach Henry Darya Khani Kaitlyn Love Emmy Morgan Evan Null Virginia Pittman Amelia Rempe Kirby Rodriguez Fred Sager Sarah Schmidt Cole Smith Travis Thurber Corinna Wade Elizabeth Williams Patterson Williams University of North Georgia Jack Wood **

Louisiana

Louisiana State University Khayla Pointer Tulane University Jackson Pellegrini Zakk Rosenberg Claire Simmel

Maine

Bates University Anna Mangum

Massachusetts Boston College Ben Davies

montana

Montana State University Brad Kale

mississippi

Mississippi State University Andrew Valentino

missouri

Washington University- St. Louis Ellie Epperson

New york

Bard College Jack McGinnis ** Hamilton College Eli Best

North carolina Elon University Amanda Gibson

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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Caroline McClatchey Annabel Ward Wake Forest University Megan Roddenberry Reed Stewart ** Eric Wood Western Carolina University Margaret O’Neal

south carolina

Clemson University George Fallon Lane Tillman Caroline Townsend College of Charleston Shaiauna Blanding Furman University Carson Staples University of South Carolina Ansley Eden Tolbert Nance Andee Poulos Wofford College Sarah Catherine Conklin Parke Faison

Ohio

Ohio State University Sydney Green Robert McGovern University of Cincinnati Emily Hannan Grace Sizemore

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tennessee

The University of the South Chaucer Cook Anna Carr Hanks University of Tennessee Dominic Cappo Lexie Knox Vanderbilt University Keillor Johnston

texas

Baylor University Shepherd Bridges Southern Methodist University Ryan Nelli Caroline Spearman Peyton Whitehead Texas A&M University Jimmy Arnold Texas Christian University Matthew Christensen Fiona Henry University of Texas at Austin Ross Johnson

VERMONT

Bennington College Alex Luttery

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2 Virginia

University of Richmond Charlie Hodgson University of Virginia Gracen Betts Cameron Jackson Washington and Lee University Richard Surdykowski

wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Madison Brickie Bills Spicer Lear

wASHINGTON

University of Puget Sound Isabel Fargason

wASHINGTON D.C. Georgetown University Reilly McClain Howard University Austin Rogers

ireland

Queens University Belfast Kyle Murdock * as of April 28th, 2017 ** students will take a gap year C&G Senior 2017 | 5

[

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StaTs of ‘17]

GRACE SIZEMORE, co-edior-in-chief

Undecided

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19

students’ intended majors

Social Sciences 12 Science, Math, 17 & Technology

79%

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11

Public & social services

of students are planning to participate in greek life

54.3% of students are receiving Merit Based aid C&G Senior 2017 | 6

Arts & Humanities

27 Business

Health & Medicine

72

students are planning to study abroad

12 vs 16

students are attending the same college or university as a sibling or as a parent

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THE

LANGUAI ]

LEARN HOW TO TALK LIKE A SENIOR WITH THIS QUICK REFERENCE THE CLASS OF 2017’S “LANGUAGE”

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CORINNA WADE, co-edior-in-chief FRED SAGER, contributing writer

Add “age”, “mommy”, or “daddy” to the end of a word. This often involves shortening of the original word

ex. Water = Watage mommy

Pronounce hard C’s and K’s as “ch”

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ex. Car = Char

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Words ending in us/y/ie (making ie sound) turn into hard “I”

ex. Campus shop= champi shop (cham-pie)

Refer to people as mommies or daddies

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ex. “That mommY over there is really nice DADDY.”

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Words that have hard g’s are pronounced with a “j”

ex. Game = “jame”

Okay is “otay”, Thank you is “tankage”, AND CHICKEN TENDERS ARE “TENDIES”

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Hands are CALLED “eugenes”

To show excitement, hold up left hand forming a cusp, and make an “oooooooooo” sound

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BALANCE OF 8

With national scholastic and artistic recognition, state championships, and thousands of service hours under their belts, the class of 2017 truly embodies the expression ‘Balanced Excellence’. The following students truly showcase this expression through their diverse accomplishments, accurately representing the overall excellence found in the class of 2017.

F EXCELLENCE *photos contributed by Gemshots Balance of Excellence | C&G Senior 2017 | 9

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Sean Hackett

Clarisa Colton

Zain Bashey

Alpha-Omega Sean Hackett has developed an interest in science throughout his career at HIES. Next year, at Stanford University, he plans to study both natural and social sciences in order to grasp a broad understanding of science itself. “The hard [sciences] are the ones you would normally think of, like physics, chemistry, and biology.” Hackett said. “The soft ones are more like economics, psychology, or sociology.

What I want to study in college is physics which I think is the most fundamental and important hard science, and economics which is the most important and fundamental social science.”

Hackett has wanted to be an inventor since he was little, but he later realized that “anybody with a job is an inventor” because they must constantly create things. “With physics and economics under my belt, I will be able to give myself the most possible options” Hackett said.

His interests include quantum computing, and his goal is to one day find an alternative to rockets.

Here at HIES, Hackett learned to not be afraid to ask for help, which has helped him achieve success. “There are a lot of people that know a lot more than I do.” Hackett said. “Instead of trying to compete against all those people, it’s better just to become friends with them, so they can help you.” Hackett attributes his success to his dad, as well as Mr. Yarsawich and Mr. Frame at HIES.

Throughout her 9 years at Holy Innocents’, Clarisa Colton has proved to be a multi-faceted student, with outstanding academics and participation in the fine arts. As Salutatorian and member of the Cum Laude Society, Colton attributes much of her success to her dad, who “has always been patient with helping [her] work through things, especially math.”

Since a young age, math has been a subject Colton loves. Although it once came easier to her, Colton still enjoys math because “it is very concrete.” Colton has done exceedingly well on standardized tests, being named a recipient of the STAR Student award, however she believes having a genuine “desire to do well” has been one of the most important contributing factors to her academic achievements. Unsatisfied until she can “understand something at a level where [she] can explain it to someone else and it would make sense to them”. Colton never turns down an opportunity to ask follow-up questions. Loving the confidence Colton derives from studying and understanding any certain topic, she also loves “seeing the connections between different things we’ve learned throughout the years, especially now in Calculus.” With 7 AP’s under her belt, Colton says AP Computer Science has been one of her classes offered at HIES, contributing to her decision to pursue a STEM major in college.

Even though you may have witnessed him zipping around the track or performing in a band concert, Zain Bashey also triumphs in the classroom, fueled by his interest in academics, specifically the sciences. “I honestly think [my favorite subject] is just any science in general,” he said. “It was always something I’ve been able to connect with deeply.” Support from his parents and many great teachers such as Ms. Sautter, Mr. Frame, and Mr. Taylor has aided him in his pursuit of knowledge and helped him reach the point where he is today: an honor roll student, academic award recipient, and college admittee.

“I think [my biggest academic achievement] is just getting into college,” he said. However, a great support system and an outstanding group of teachers alone is not the reason for his success.

Bashey’s perseverance, the trait he attributes to his academic achievements, enables him to go above and beyond in the classroom and enjoy more challenging subjects such as AP Computer Science and Chemistry. Though these subjects prove to be difficult, he is especially interested in them because of “their appealing subject matter and their applicability in today’s world.” Due to his keen interest in the sciences, he will continue to pursue the field after graduating. “I’ll probably go into a career involving [science], and focus on it as my major in college,” he said. “It’s going to be a big part of my life.”

Physics

Computer Science

Science

Balance of Excellence | C&G Senior 2017 | 10

“ARMED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE, FILLED WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE, HIES GRADUATES ARE READY TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE, AND IN LIFE.” - hies.org

Grace Kasper

Max Brauer

Alicia Chacko

Frequently hustling to and from the STEM building, Grace Kasper is constantly asking insightful questions to broaden her understanding of all things academic. Kasper attributes her academic success to the fact that “[she’s] super hardworking”. She tutors her fellow peers for Mu Alpha Theta, saying, “I just want to always say yes to every situation and help people out.” She feels that her can-do positive attitude has “given her a lot of different experiences,” citing her role in the fine arts department as an example. Academically, Kasper focus mostly on math and science. “I’m a big nerd and they just make a lot of logical sense to me,” said Kasper. Planning to continue her love and curiosity for these subjects at Georgia Tech, Kasper credits Ms. Many for a substantial amount of academic support, saying“[She] has been a really great teacher to me. Having Ms. Many for two years back to back was really great to have that consistency of someone in my life.” Although her academic pursuits have been focused on STEM, Kasper wants to expand her experiences in the humanities. Kasper “really [wants] to learn more about languages so [she] can travel more and meet more people… and get more cultural appreciation,” she continues, “kind of like how science can tell you more about your natural world.” Graduating with an outstanding accomplishment of 12 AP courses, Kasper is always going above and beyond in her efforts.

STEM-virtuoso Max Brauer has always been a frontrunner in the academic field, and his tenacity and drive to learn guides his academic success.

“I always try to push myself to do better and to be the best that I can because I always know that if I didn’t put the right amount of effort in or if I should’ve put more effort in and I didn’t, to me that’s the worst feeling.” Brauer’s favorite subjects can often be found in the top floor of the new building because “they’re so logical and clearcut. I like how [they’re] ‘yes-or-no’ like perfect logic every time.” Despite not sharing a fondness for humanities subjects like others, Brauer’s biggest academic achievement is receiving an A in Dr. Swann’s second semester 9th grade English class. His favorite subject by far at HIES has been Computer Science with Mr. Frame. “I have had a ton of teachers impact me along the way but definitely for computer science, Mr. Frame. He helped me so much when I was first learning,” said Brauer. “For college I am going to be a Computer Science major and I want to head into cyber security, all tied in with entrepreneurship.”

Brauer’s love for learning is evident, even outside of the classroom. His favorite part about learning is “being able to apply it after learning it and understanding how it is almost like magic to see what you can do with what you have learned.”

Continuously impressing the HIES community with her academic achievements, Alicia Chacko is an outstanding example of a great student.

Chacko is one of few who has taken “an online class through John Hopkins [she’s] been taking Calculus C which is the second part of Calculus BC, and then [she’s] also taking Multivariable.”

Chacko’s family support has been intrical to her academic success. “My sister has always been very supportive with my goals,” said Chacko. In addition, she keeps her father’s saying in mind, “as long as you have drive, that’s what fuels your passion. If you have passion without drive then you don’t have anything.” Chacko believes her hardworking nature is the backbone to her academic success. During her senior year, Chacko found an appreciation for Computer Science. “Mr. Frame told us [computer science] is like learning a new language like learning Java, so it made me change the way that I study and the way I see things because it’s a new way of thinking,” said Chacko. In the fall, Chacko plans to attend Georgia Tech where she is considering a focus on Engineering. “I also saw this video in global, and it involved biochemical engineering.

And it caught my attention. And I researched more into it and that’s kind of how I based my decision on what I kind of wanted to major in, in college,” Chacko said.

Math

Computer Science

Math 11

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Patterson Williams

Turner Gill

Virginia Pittman

Patterson Williams is known as a jack-of-all trades when it comes to sports. Whether it is practicing basketball, softball, or lacrosse, you can always find her on the court or field, “Ever since I could start playing sports, I played them. I tried about every sport, but I quickly realized basketball was my favorite” Williams said. A sport that once kept an overly active seven year old occupied has led to countless years of memories and dedication. As shooting guard and point guard, Williams has played to her strengths as a dynamo on the court, “Throughout the whole game, something exciting is happening. There are just no boring parts”. Williams is known to joke with her teammates, and it is her attitude on and off the court that has developed her into an adept leader and an equally skilled player, “One of the biggest things I’ve learned on the basketball team is how to read people and it took some analyzing of people’s emotions to know whether they need a pat on the back or a quick joke to cheer them up” said Williams. “Whether it means messing with around with a freshman and trying to make them feel a part of the team or telling KP that I’m better at basketball to make her laugh, I want to make sure everyone on the team is having fun.” Her mentor role on the HIES basketball team has taught her, in many ways, to be a more confident person and a leader in many aspects of life.

Turner Gill discovered his passion for athletics when he began playing baseball at age five.

In seventh grade, he started wrestling for St. Francis. Although he thoroughly enjoys both sports, Gill says he is0 “more passionate about wrestling,” because of its physical aspect and mental stimulus. “Wrestling I like a chess match because you are always thinking ahead depending on the situation that you are in.” Gill treasures the relationships he has been able to form through athletics. His said that his favorite thing about sports is that “the whole point of sports is to have fun while competing against other.” He mentions that Keegan Donahue, Ryan Sherk, his parents and Coach Davis have been especially supportive of him through his athletic journey, and he says that they keep him motivated.

“Even at my lowest points he has always believed in me and wanted to not only make me a better wrestler but also a better man. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him,” he said about Davis. He has many cherished memories from wrestling, but his favorite is placing sixth in the 2017 state tournament. “It was an awesome experience and I accomplished my goal for the year which was to place at State.” Although he does not plan on pursuing any sports at Auburn University next year, Gill’s participation in athletics has been an important force in his life, and he has created memories that he will treasure forever.

Virginia Pittman knew tennis her calling at the young age of six, after years of trying new sports.

“I did softball, gymnastics, I did soccer for a year, but nothing really stuck with me except for tennis and I really like doing it,” Pittman said.

Her favorite part about playing tennis is meeting the myriad of people from different parts of the state and watching them grow as people and players. “It’s different from having friends at school because a lot of them are not always from Atlanta, sometimes they are from different parts of Georgia, or even from different states,” she said. Regarding HIES tennis, Pittman has consistently maintained a leadership role. As a junior, she was selected as captain and became heavily involved in creating bonding activities for the entire team. “I like organizing different things for us to do,” Pittman said. Although there is a concept of teamwork, tennis also has an individual aspect. One of the most valuable lessons this sport has taught Pittman is how to deal with frustration on the court. “It’s taught me about mental endurance, it’s not only physical endurance,” she continued, “sometimes you have to outweigh if you’re losing and you’re down. It can be hard to come back because it’s a long match so dealing with that frustration has taught me a lot.” Although Pittman is not pursuing tennis in college, she plans on continuing to play in the future through the ALTA tennis team.

Wrestling

Tennis

Softball, Basketball, and Lacrosse 12

“WE SET OUT EACH SEASON TO BUILD WINNERS ON THE FIELD, AND OFF IT AS WELL, EMPHASIZING PERSONAL EXCELLENCE, COMMITMENT, DISCIPLINE, TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP, AND SPORTSMANSHIP.” - hies.org

James Devine

Keillor Johnston

Cole Smith

Championing both the court and the course, James Devine is a classic example of an all around athlete. As varsity captain for both cross country and tennis, Devine has represented HIES in several sports since middle school. After starting Cross Country in 6th grade, he continued on through senior year because he “really liked the group who did it. I really loved the practices and the competitions, too.” His favorite memories of the sport are the river runs at local Chattahoochee River trails. “River runs are always my favorite because it’s just fun when you go to Chattahoochee River; we can go and explore all the trails around there.” Not only have Devine’s times grown faster, but his leadership skills have too. “I went from 9th grade being pretty quiet to 12th grade [being] a captain with Ben [Davies] and Zach [Henry] and that was a really fun experience to be a leader.” After deciding to go out for tennis in the spring of 10th grade, Devine found another passion. “I like the competition more for tennis than I do cross country. I like the actual matches. I love the team, the coach, and I just overall think it’s a really fun sport to play.”

Devine also leads the tennis team this year being one of the varsity captains. “Captainship for tennis is different than XC. It is Wmore of like an actual role where you are supposed to win more, where you are supposed to perform more sportswise.”

After starting her swim career at only five years old at Garden Hills Pool, Keillor Johnston continued to swim, and years later, became the 2016-2017 varsity girls captain. As this year’s varsity swim captain, Johnston recalled “leading and helping underclassmen with the stress of swimming while keeping it fun and light.” A 2017 Academic All-American award recipient for swimming, Johnston has honed her skills both in and out of the pool since the seventh grade. Johnston described swimming as “a very important sport because it helps you become more well rounded”. When looking back on her life as a swimmer, she added, “I made some of my best friends through swimming and even though it’s a tough sport, I feel rewarded at the end of the day.” Johnston acknowledged that swimming has impacted her life in many different ways.

She believes it has “taught [her] perseverance because you have to push as hard as you can for what feels like a long time but once you get to the finish line, it makes it all worth it.” Johnston is grateful that her parents signed her up for swim team when she was young because she has been able to grow as an athlete, person, and leader, and has applied those skills to her own life. She encourages others to try the sport even if “it might be hard at first because once you get into it, you will start to appreciate it.”

Ever since Cole Smith was four years old, his love for the sport of basketball has grown alongside him. After his dad signed him up, Smith started playing basketball for the first time at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. “I had no idea what was going on because I was four, but the reason why I think I enjoyed it was just because of the active, fun part of the game, just competing,” he reflected. After dabbling in a few other sports, Smith remembered committing to his passion for basketball when he was in the fourth grade, saying, “I quit baseball to really focus on the one sport.” Playing at the Varsity level since his freshman year, Smith recalled his most memorable game as the one against Model High School in the first round of the 2016 State Playoffs. With five seconds left in the game, “they had just made a free to tie the game, and so we get the ball, and I just started dribbling down for the shot, and I made it.”

The feeling of making this game-winning shot was indescribable for Smith. Although winning is always a terrific feeling, basketball has meant more to Smith because it taught him valuable life lessons. “It’s really taught me how to be a leader, and it’s taught me how to deal with adversity,” he said. “Whether the game is going good or bad, it’s taught me to stay positive and fight through things and keep pushing to the end.”

Cross Country and Tennis

Swimming

Basketball Balance of Excellence | C&G Senior 2017 | 13

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Eli Best

Anna Mangum

Jimmy Arnold

Inspired by his older brother, James, Eli Best started taking piano lessons at the age of five and continued taking lessons for the next ten years. Starting as a percussionist after coming to HIES, Best has had many “piano parts but mostly percussion and learned a lot about different percussion instruments and it’s been really fun [for him].” After attending a Bruce Springsteen concert, which was his first live rock concert, Best’s passions for music were fueled. During his sophomore year, Best played “Wake Me Up” by Avicii in chapel and said “that was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve made in my life but I’m really glad I went through with it, because that was the beginning of me just wanting to perform on a regular basis.” As a form of inspiration, Best listens to a variety of music genres, including his current favorite 90s rock music, and adapts things he sees in his daily life into songs. Best continues to be influenced by his brother and stated “my brother is very supportive… and he’s very similar to me.” His brother also plays piano and Best learns a lot from listening to him play; they also collaborate and see what happens when they merge their creativity and play music together.

“He knows a lot of stuff about music that I don’t, and I just like learning from him,” he stated. Best continues to express himself through music.

Since authoring her first story, “Treehouse of Magic”, at the age of 6, Anna Mangum’s love for reading and writing has only grown. Being a listener, observer, and daydreamer has served her well, as these things are the main source of inspiration for her more than 100 works of writing. Mangum’s most time consuming work was in middle school, where she “wrote out an entire book by hand and then transcribed the entire thing on [her] laptop.” One of her most recent works for Dr. Swann’s AP Literature class has allowed her to express emotions “at a time in [her] life where [she] needed to write”. Mangum has had the opportunity of becoming close with teachers who share her love for literature, explaining how “sometimes, adults tend to not take teenagers seriously because of our age, but Dr. Swann takes everything I say seriously, and he gives me advice that helps me grow as a writer.” Mangum has been a recipient of several honors, being named the first place winner of the annual poetry contest for two consecutive years.

She loves hearing unique perspectives from peers and teachers, and as Editor-in-Chief of the Rhyme and Reason she has the “opportunity to read a plethora of student writing and see the talent in our students”. Mangum will continue pursuing English courses in college, and one day hopes to have her work published.

Jimmy Arnold became fascinated with photography in middle school as a result of his family traveling often. “Mentors in my life started doing photography and just got me interested in it,” he said. “Then when I learned we actually had a class, I decided to take it, and really enjoyed it.”

Along with meeting other students and teachers because of his pursuits, Arnold made a newfound connection with his youth group leader, giving him a greater understanding of the world of photography. “He’s showed me a lot of stuff about [photography], and he teaches me a lot, so I know more about it,” Arnold said. Among all his projects during his time at Holy Innocents’, he “really liked the long exposure stuff because [he] found that interesting.” The satisfaction of producing a work of art drives his passion for the field. “My favorite thing about [photography] would have to be catching a moment and then seeing it as a finished product,” he said.

“Especially when it’s an idea for a photo that doesn’t resemble anything online.” The creativity in photography kept Arnold interested because there was space to explore. “Typically, when we have a project there’s certain guidelines we have to follow, and then, Mrs. Thompson lets us explore a little bit,” he said. “She wants us to be as creative as possible.” Though photography is a current hobby and may continue as one, Arnold plans to pursue other paths of study in college.

Music

Rhyme and Reason

Photography

Balance of Excellence | C&G Senior 2017 | 14

“STARTING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL AND CONTINUING THROUGH 12TH GRADE, OUR STUDENTS ARE GIVEN EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER THEIR ARTIST WITHIN.” - hies.org

Amanda Gibson

Jack McGinnis

Megan Roddenbery

Amanda Gibson’s passion for broadcast journalism started at an early age, but really flourished during her time in high school. “I worshiped the people on the broadcast,” she said, remembering her admiration for the staff as a lower school student. “I just thought they were so cool, so I just knew this was something I was interested in and wanted to do.” Being part of the journalism program has allowed Gibson to grow in a number of ways. Not only is Gibson executive producer of WHIS, but she also finds time out of her incredibly busy schedule to write for Reporter Newspapers’ “Standout Student Section”. “I think the types of journalism that I’m a part of are different. I love just kind of being a part of the real-world of journalism,” Gibson stated.

However, Gibson’s proudest accomplishment is her marked improvement over the years. “If you look at stories I’ve produced as a freshman versus as a senior, I think they’re very different and that’s something I’m very proud of.” Furthermore, Gibson has flourished as a leader, motivating her staff and becoming more disciplined. Her biggest challenge has been “getting people really excited about [journalism] especially since it’s something I’m really passionate about.”

Looking forward, Gibson definitely wants to continue in this field. “I plan on studying journalism and pursuing a career in journalism,” she said. “Whether that’s a political route I’ll go or sports journalism, I’m not sure. But, I know I want to be a part of a journalism lifestyle.”

Jack McGinnis’s first time jumping into acting was when he participated in storytelling at the age of six. During this first experience, McGinnis described his story as “awful..but I liked doing it”.

Then, a year later, he tried again, “I just decided to put ‘my own kind of weird whatever I wanted’ into it and it made a lot of people laugh, and it just felt good”. From that point on, his passion for the performing arts continued to flourish, and eventually became part of his identity with his unparalleled resilience pushing him to improve, “the turnaround point was in eighth grade when I really decided this is what I love doing and this is what I want to do”. This “turnaround point” further rooted his love for acting and the dramatic arts. Describing himself as a “perfectionist”, McGinnis strived to be the best version of himself as an actor and producer, “the reason I keep doing it is the idea of getting better and being the best I can be, because I know I can be really great if I work at it a lot”. McGinnis’s upper school career in the fine arts department began with his participation in the crew for “Curtains”.

Since then, he has performed in “The Diviners” and “Little Women”. Last year he wrote his own 2016 spring one act play, “From the 56th Floor”, as well as performing in other one act plays during the “One Act Play Festival” Furthermore, he also performed in “Seussical” in the fall of his senior year, and later performed in the spring performance of “Cotton Patch Gospel”.

After taking an art class at a summer camp when she was ten years old, Megan Roddenbery’s passion for painting ignited. At Camp Greystone, they were able to “create whatever we wanted to and so I would paint landscapes,” she stated.

After “always [liking] to draw and doodle,” Roddenbery entered Foundations of Art in her freshman year and discovered one of her main artistic passions, to “[see] something in real life and then [paint] it and [try] to make it look as real as possible.” Roddenbery cited her Upper School art teachers, Mrs. Jacobs and Mr. Watson, as being integral and supportive figures to her artistic career, due to their extremely inspiring teaching and consistent encouragement to continue pursuing painting and the arts.

During her junior year, Roddenbery enrolled in Advanced Placement 2D Design and was assigned a concentration, “which is where you can basically come up with your own project”.

Roddenbery decided to recreate scenes from Tanzania in the summer of 2015, using paint as her medium. Later that same year, she had free time in class and decided to spend the rest of her time painting a cow in a field. Roddenbery said “it was just nice to not have instructions and I just painted whatever I wanted to and it turned out really well.”

Journalism

Theatre

Art 15

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Bryce Weber

Ellie Epperson

Emmanuel Wright

Bryce Weber discovered his love for service work on a middle school mission trip to a homeless shelter in inner-city Nashville. ”That was kind of an eye-opening experience, going from a seventh grader in kind of a sheltered private school environment to inner-city Nashville,” he said. Weber continued volunteering through his church, travelling to the Bahamas and eastern Kentucky to build houses. He cited the relationships that he had formed as one of his favorite parts of service work. “I think whenever you’re doing service, you’re connecting people that you’re helping, and people that you’re serving with,” he said. Weber enjoys meeting people with different backgrounds through his service, like a 90-year-old woman from the Bahamas with connections to the Bahamian Parliament. “You’re dealing with probably the friendliest people in the world, and their economic situation isn’t good, and you say ‘I want to go back and help these people.’” He also enjoys the creative aspect of hands-on projects, such as repairing houses. He remembered the challenge that fixing a bathroom in Eastern Kentucky presented. “A lot of times, the houses you’re working on were never up to code, and so you’re dealing with kind of unusual things, and you’re dealing with a bunch of other teenagers trying to figure out how to fix a bathroom, and it’s interesting.” Weber plans to continue exploring his interest in service throughout his life.

When senior Ellie Epperson hears of someone in need, she jumps at the opportunity to help.

She made an impactful decision two years ago when she said yes to Mrs. Christine Brodnan who approached her about serving with the Horizons summer program and the Change a Life after school program. Horizons and Change a Life provide help for academically disadvantaged children, while high schoolers not only tutor them but also form relationships with them. Working for nine weeks over the past two summers, Epperson loves spending her time with the children in the Horizons program.

Furthermore, Epperson serves as the Change a Life president during the school year. “The biggest reward is when I come after school and they get so excited to see me, and that I can see that they know someone is in their corner.”

Not only does her volunteer work benefit the students she serves, but it has also truly shaped Epperson’s life and outlook on the future.

Through Horizons, Epperson was introduced to the concept of education and equality in America, and her passion pours out through her advocacy. “I’m just a highschool student, and if this is all that I can do, I want to do it well.” She hopes to pursue this type of service in college by always keeping in mind that it is very important to “make a difference in the best way possible.”

Epperson’s one simple yes has truly impacted a countless number of lives.

Emmanuel Wright began his journey into community service two years ago at Horizons, a HIES summer camp for underprivileged children, where he discovered his love for helping others.

Following his experiences with the Horizons program, Wright continued to pursue other service opportunities, and views his volunteer work as, “a great way to meet new people as well as give back to the people who are not as fortunate to go to places like Holy Innocents”.

After two years of serving his hometown community, he became an influential member in international volunteer work, during his travels to Cuba and the Dominican Republic as a part of the student travel program, Rustic Pathways.

Two years ago in the Dominican Republic, Wright spent his time volunteering in a local school, and last summer he spent three weeks in Cuba where he actively participated in the “restoration of the environment”. Both of these experiences taught him that, “to be able to be helpful and also being able to have fun is very important”. His encounter with different cultures and new people on these trips further fueled his passion for serving others.

Wright’s work in worldwide service has taken him out of his comfort zone as well as the “private school bubble”, and allowed him to see “things you wouldn’t normally experience just living in Georgia”. Wright enjoys being able to give back and plans to continue community service work in college.

Dunwoody United Methodist Church

Change a Life Club

Horizons

“SERVICE IS PART OF OUR HIES MISSION, BUT EVEN MORE IT IS A PART OF US, ALL OF US – STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, PARENTS, AND ALUMNI.”

- hies.org

Grace Sanders

Peyton Whitehead

Emily Hannan

At the early age of six, Grace Sanders has exhibited an intrinsic passion for being with children and a propensity for volunteering.

After growing up at Covenant Presbyterian Church, she fell in love with helping children in the Atlanta area. She said, “what motivates me the most was that I was raised knowing that this is something I need to do. I went to homeless shelters and grew up with this helping identity through my church and my school.” Over the years, Sanders has been involved with the Sandy Springs Mission, volunteered with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and this past year, she traveled to Haiti for a mission trip with her church.

At the teen volunteer program for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta this past summer, Sanders said, “I had several days where I was alone with a patient in their rooms when their parents left and it’s something really special because I was being trusted with their child. I got to try to make their days better in such hard times.” These services were not forced upon Sanders, but rather selfdriven by her love for helping and interacting with kids, and she continues to be a valuable asset to our community. “I’m really glad that I found something like these organizations and others that involve children because that is what I really enjoy; that’s what motivates me. I can find something out of this even though it’s not for my benefit.”

Peyton Whitehead, an achieved Eagle Scout, is no stranger to helping others. Whitehead first began service through his church Peachtree Road Methodist, embarking on summer mission trips and working on his church’s annual Great Day of Service for five years. Every summer, Whitehead can be found in Asheville, North Carolina working in impoverished neighborhoods by repairing dilapidated buildings for those who cannot afford hired help. “Two years ago, we had so many people go to Asheville that we were able to do an entire street of houses. Anywhere you walked you could see kids working on houses, and it was amazing to see so many people really passionately involved in what they were doing.” Whitehead continued, “helping those around me gives me a true sense of self worth.”

For Whitehead, the experience of establishing or revitalizing a place of worship for churches in need really speaks to his personal calling, enriching his spirit and further rooting his faith.

His passion for community service will continue to inspire others around him, even after high school. Next year, Whitehead will be attending Southern Methodist University, and has already found a way to aid his new community through a program called the Genesis Women’s Shelter, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence. No matter where he goes, no matter what his life holds, there is no doubt that this outstanding individual will be making the world a better place.

Emily Hannan believes that serving the community is one of the most moving and rewarding experiences, no matter the contribution, “We all have people that might have done something small for us that we remember because it really made a difference for us, and it’s humbling to think that I could be that person for someone else.” Hannan not only serves on the site board for Horizons at HIES, but she also serves with her mother in a mother-daughter organization, the National Charities League, which helps many philanthropic organizations around Atlanta.

Having the opportunity to watch children learn and grow in an engaging way roots Hannan down in her work and draws her to always do more, “My favorite memories are the mornings during Horizons, where all the kids run off the buses. It’s kind of cheating because it technically isn’t one memory, but I just love seeing how excited they are.” Compassion shines through her personality. Each interaction she has with the students impacts her memory and boosts her spirit. “He was going into third grade and he couldn’t tie his shoes and I showed him how and we practiced for a few days and the first time he did it by himself was really awesome for me, I was so proud of him.” Hannan has loved serving the community and she is going to continue her acts of kindness and philanthropy as she plans to major in nursing in college.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Peachtree Road United Methodist Church

Horizons C&G Senior 2017 | 17

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Daniel East

Avery Pingpank

George Fallon

From maintaining aquariums to perfecting his musical talents, Daniel East keeps busy with his many intriguing hobbies. East acquired his first saltwater aquarium eight years ago after discovering his interest in coral reefs through Youtube videos. “I wondered how I could imitate one in my own home with an aquarium,” he told.

Throughout his stressful last year of high school, East enjoys taking the time to relax by watching his peaceful aquarium. One might not realize the extent of this hobby because of the popular freshwater aquariums, but “saltwater aquariums take it to a whole new level. It is a lot more difficult, and the water parameters have to be kept a lot more stable,” East mentioned. He has definitely experienced setbacks with this hobby, including an accidental small flooding of his home due to a broken filter in a 50 gallon tank. Although aquariums require vigilant care, East hopes to continue this hobby in his dorm room. When not tending to his tank, he “recreationally plays the piano. I play classical pieces, and I’ll throw in the occasional pop song. I love Coldplay’s music” he said. Furthering his broad scope of hobbies, East learned to crochet from his sister, and enjoys learning new techniques and stitches from, once again, online videos. “There are a lot of informational videos out there and people who share the same passions as me.”

Club volleyball sparked interest in Avery Pingpank at the young age of 12, and she continued to play for four years. While friends began quitting due to the developing competitive nature, she was able to find the type of volleyball that was fit for her. Pingpank branched out to beach volleyball, “I just decided why not try beach volleyball? And I found that I loved it and it was super cool”. Her love for beach volleyball has kept her playing and passionate. Pingpank does not view beach volleyball as anything like other sports she or many others have participated in, “You could be going to a national qualifying tournament and just put on a bathing suit and flip flops because it’s that laid back”. The sport allows her to have time to spend with friends, family, and school, “It’s super laid back. You just play it because you enjoy it, and there’s no stress and that’s honestly why I played”. Beach volleyball allowed Pingpank to play the game she loved, and not have to worry about the stress, or having lots of people watching her. The lessons that beach volleyball have taught her are crucial to for her life going on past Holy Innocents, “If you’re not doing well, it’s on you, and you have to communicate with your partner, and take responsibility...communication and responsibility, you have to be open to taking criticism and giving it”. Beach volleyball has taught Pingpank lessons on the court and lessons for life.

What started out as a simple hobby has transformed into something indelible, as fly fishing became a lifelong passion for George Fallon. When he was in the eighth grade, Fallon started a middle school bass fishing club, that quickly segued into the world of fly fishing by his freshman year of high school. “My friend went on a trip out west,” Fallon recalled, “and then he came back and we started fly fishing together.

He got his driver’s license, and so we both started going up to the mountains together.”

Fallon soon realized that this hobby was also a talent of his, and he decided to enter regional competitions. His high scorings led him to the honor of being chosen onto the US Youth Fly Fishing Team in the summer of 2015 and again this past summer. “There’s a bunch of kids from all over the country, and the coaches cut it down to fifteen kids on the team,” Fallon said. Even though the competitions may be stressful for some people, Fallon finds serenity in it. “Going out and going some place you’d never go to ordinarily, and then just being in the river in a beautiful place. There’s nothing else in the world at that moment… nothing else matters besides what you’re doing.” During his time in high school, Fallon has found that fly fishing has led him to great achievements and that he hopes to continue throughout his whole life, as “a hobby and an escape from everyday life.”

Beach Volleyball

Fly Fishing

Saltwater Aquariums and Crochet C&G Senior 2017 | 18

“THE ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT AT HIES MAKES YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES AND GET MORE INVOLVED.” - hies.org

Reilly McClain

Taylor Morton

Natalie Scales

After months of endless begging from her parents, Reilly McClain finally decided during the end of her sophomore year of high school to try the newest cycle class: Flywheel. While it may sound simple, McClain admitted that her first class was not a breeze, “I died the first time I tried it.” With the stress of school, she explained that she participates in the classes as a form of relief, “I primarily go to de-stress myself and take time to get my mind off of whatever is happening in my life.” While McClain did not start cycling for any other reason than to stop her parents from asking her to go with them, she realized that Flywheel makes her “a more generally healthy person and I always feel so happy afterwards.”

Flywheel acts not only as a form of meditation and exercise for McClain, but also as a place to meet new people. She revealed that each class is different and it “really starts with who the instructor is because since I am friends with a lot of them, if it is someone who I am friends with, I am more excited to go because I can talk to them before and after and catch up with them.”

McClain suggests to those who may be hesitant to try a class to go for it anyways: “You either love it or hate it and honestly, your first class is at a very discounted cost and what do you have to lose? It’s only 45 minutes out of your day and it could change your life.”

Beginning his fruitful music career in the Children’s Course at his church, Taylor Morton was first “fully exposed to areas of like classical music or opera” when he was only in third grade. Morton’s experience with opera not only introduced him to a widespread selection of music, but also allowed him to, “meet new people at the first rehearsal and then go through that really long learning process with them”, which has continued to be his favorite memory of his time spent in opera. Although Morton no longer continues opera due to his voice change and age, his passion for music remains keen. He has gained countless time management skills as Morton practices music every day for an average of two hours. Though it may seem difficult, Morton makes it part of his routine. “If I have a lot of homework some days I’ll only practice 30 minutes, but if I’m not too busy I’ll just sit down and practice.” An average practice session consists of Morton playing the piano and singing along, while occasionally reading a new piece of music. In addition to practicing daily, Morton is currently the Beartones Musical Director, and has participated in chorus and the Beartones all four years of high school. These time consuming and daily practices with music have benefited him substantially as he plans to study both classical and choral music at Mercer University this fall.

Growing up in the frigid northeast, where hockey made an impression on Natalie Scales as an extremely popular pastime, she continued the sport when she moved to Atlanta. Because she has played hockey for so long, it has shaped her to the person she is today. When Scales was five, she began hockey as the first girl in her town in Connecticut. “I remember all my guy friends started to play, and my mom was like ‘you can start playing, too’”, said Scales. In Connecticut, her youth team had the opportunity to play during a professional minor league game. “When I was 7 or 8, our team played during halftime”, said Scales.

“I scored, and that was a pretty big deal.” After she moved to the south, she continued playing the sport, even though it was much less common.

“It’s something that I’ve grown up playing, and I’ve grown up around”, said Scales. Through the years, Scales has learned lessons about leadership and how to help others throughout her life. “I always had someone who would teach me what to do, and teach me the basics,” she said. “From those people, I learned how to do that for other people, not just in hockey, but in life.” Next fall, Scales will be attending Emory University, and because it doesn’t have a hockey team, she is unsure whether she will continue the sport. Nevertheless, hockey has had a significant impact on her life.

Flywheel

Opera

Hockey 19

Playing At the Next Level “I love soccer for not only the endless life lessons it’s taught me, but the best friends and memories I’ve made throughout the years.”

Mollie Belisle University of Georgia

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“My favorite memory was when I scored a goal with 14 seconds left from nearly 50 yards out to tie the game against Mt. Pigsah.”

Lexie Knox University of Tennesee

“My goal is to go to the NFL and when I do I can buy my mom a house back home in Savannah and my aunt and ultimately take care of my family. From this sport I've learned that the only way you will get far is if you trust each other (teammates)” Edward Verdree Georgia State University

“I started because it runs in my family and it’s in my blood to play. My favorite memory is winning my first national championship in 7th grade.”

“Track taught me that even though you need talent to be good at a sport, heart is what separates the good and the great.”

“I love this sport because of how many people I have met through the sport and the friends I have made throughout my career.”

Khayla Pointer Louisiana State University

Parke Faison Wofford College

Bennett King Berry College

“I love it because it teaches me how to handle failure and gives me opportunities outside of the game that are more important than baseball itself.”

“I started playing because my uncle wanted me to play and we were really close. I continue to play because he passed away and that’s something that we shared.”

“Basketball taught me the importance of working to get what you want.”

Hugh Chapman Georgia Tech

Shai Blanding College of Charleston

“My favorite memory from baseball was when I was around 4 or 5 and my grandpa bought me a plastic bat and ball...My grandpa has always been there for me and I play this game for him.”

“Swimming taught me how to be good at math! But actually, you definitely get a work-hard discipline from swimming because you work every single muscle, as well as your mind.”

“The greatest lesson that I’ve learned playing soccer is not to be overly selfreliant. It takes willingness to work with and learn from your coaches and teammates in order to be successful.”

Alfredo Granier Birmingham Southern

Cade Anderson University of Georgia

Eli Best Hamilton College

Richard Surdykowski Washington & Lee

C&G Senior 2017 | 21

Senior ArT Gallery SARAH KALLIS, managing editor

”This picture was taken flying by helicopter to a volcano in New Zealand” - Sarah Catherine Conklin

“I used a type of glaze that changes once its fired in the kiln, so I had no idea how it would turn out! I ended up really liking it though.”

- Annabel Ward

“I took this photograph junior year, I have won national photography competitions for it and went to New York for the award ceremony at Carnegie Hall. It was taken on a Go Pro.” - Libby Bulley

C&G Senior 2017 | 22

“Learning to use Photoshop has been one of the most useful things I’ve learned at HIES. Here, I painted my dog, Lucy, in Photoshop, which I love because the brush strokes add subtle depth and dimension.”

- Grace Sizemore

“It is one in a series I am doing about how animals protect or defend themselves. I wanted to highlight these features and show how important they are in the lives of these animals.”

- Kirby Rodriguez

“I made this because my overall concentration is aquatic puns. I thought it was punny like a fish tank” - Jules Erving

“There was a light reflecting through my bathroom window, and it made a rainbow all around my room, so I yelled to my little sister, pulled out my camera, and snapped a pic before it went away.”

- Ansley Eden

“The premise of the project was to research other photographers and take 6 photos in the same style of that photographer. I chose Ansel Adams, he did a lot of B&W nature shots including long exposure waterfalls. The photo attached is one of the long exposure shots that I tried to do.”

- Jimmy Arnold

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Capstone Recap ETHAN MULLEN, staff writer OLIVIA MARTIN, staff writer SARAH KALLIS, managing editor DESIGN, Corinna Wade

Every year, seniors in the program for global citizenship create social enterprises as a final capstone project. See how these seniors plan to change the world.

Troubled water

GEORGE FALLON, FIONA HENRY, CHASE LUTHER, and ERIC WOOD 24

Straying from the more traditional social entrepreneurship format, George Fallon, Fiona Henry, Chase Luther, and Eric Wood created a Capstone project that concentrates on the intersection of film and global citizenship. Their project, a documentary titled “Troubled Water: A look into the Chattahoochee,” focuses on The Chattahoochee River and investigates pollution as a major problem to the local water supply. Luther describes it as “a media project with a social justice aspect... around the idea of protecting the river.” The group worked with the Broadcast and Film departments as well as experts in the city of Atlanta – river keepers, the CDC, and park rangers – to shape a narrative about the local rivers and streams. Spending long hours behind the camera, they set out to “follow the river all the way up from the headwaters down to the ocean where it empties out, and see how it dirties up as it goes,” Luther said. The idea for bridging the departments arose from film teachers hearing about the great ideas coming out of the Global program. Luther explained, “[Mr. Conway] had an idea that we have all these Global students doing these incredible things and with film, we always believe the story comes first.

Mr. Conway saw these awesome stories coming out of the Global class and said ‘Why don’t we pair some film students up with them?’” This pilot project, which originated with the idea of a cross-department Capstone, was meant to create a template for Global-media collaborations for future classes, and Luther looks forward to working with Mr. Vincent and Mr. Conway to help further build a relationship between the programs.

support group for the youth Growing up with someone who struggles with mental health, Sarah Schmidt understands the needs of children with parents who have mental illnesses. When parents struggle, it is difficult for them to support their children, creating a need for some form of external support. After a simple search for a support group like this, Schmidt found NAMI, or National Alliance of Mental Illness, which is a national organization that services Americans with mental illness, along with their families. However, they lacked the type of service she was looking for. “I found it interesting that although they have family support groups, they don’t have any support groups for just kids who act as caretakers to their parents,” Schmidt said. With a $2500 global grant, she will work with NAMI GA to create a much needed support group for children. “It’s a support group that allows children (middle/high-school students) to come together and find strength in those experiencing a similar situation to their own,” Schmidt described. “This group of kids will act as a team that builds off of and learns from one another.” Planning to start within a year, the support group will meet at NAMI’s Northside location to discuss their experiences. In addition, the children in the support group will contribute to their community. “We hope to turn these children into young volunteers who go out into their community and help in any way they can,” Schmidt said.

Although she is too young to be the leader of the support group, she will act as a mentor and plans to become a NAMI affiliate, working alongside the program to ensure its success.

SARAH SCHMIDT

Creative Start

AMELIA REMPE and ISABELLE SMITH

Because of their shared passion of the arts, Amelia Rempe and Isabelle Smith decided to collaborate on their Global Capstone project to tackle an issue that many Atlanta Public Schools face: lack of funding in arts curriculum. Their organization, Creative StART, aims to “strengthen or establish an arts curriculum in schools that lack the financial or administrative resources to give their students a well-rounded arts education.” Working with Sarah Smith Elementary School, they test-drove the program. “It wasn’t our initial target area…. We worked with Sarah Smith first to see how the project would work, and it was a success,” Smith said. Creating a project called “All Fired Up”, students painted ceramic tiles centered around the themes of love, family, or environment. However, the project presented obstacles. Rempe cites reaching out to schools as the biggest challenge. “It was a lot of cold-calling schools,” she said. “It was trying to keep going when you have to wait on everyone else’s schedule, even though it’s kind of you first concern, it’s not theirs.” In the future, Creative StART wants to focus on one school, and implement arts curriculum into core classes so that students are guaranteed an arts education. “Even if it seems like some huge obstacle, and it seems kind of unattainable, you can never really have regrets if you look back and say, ‘I tried,’,” Rempe said. Smith adds, “So, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help, because that’s the only way that you’re going to be able to make it work.”

Investment in Imagination

In 2009, Reed Stewart’s aunt and uncle helped found the Jubilee School in Jubilee Blanc, a lowincome suburb outside the major city of Gonaïves, Haiti. She fell in love with the school, returning every summer since her first visit in eighth grade. Jubilee School does not currently have an arts curriculum, and Stewart saw the need for students to express themselves through a creative outlet. “Because all of the academic classes they have to take throughout the year, they really run out of time to designate time for creativity,” Stewart said. To solve this problem, she will spend a gap year teaching art classes to Haitian students which will include different mediums of visual art. “I’ll be teaching four days a week, during the school day, teaching these kinds of classes: recyclable art classes, and painting, and drawing,” Stewart said. Delaying college plans only seemed natural to her; she wanted to see her program implemented and wanted to stay in Haiti long-term after visiting for weeks at a time during the summer. “There’s no time like the present!” Stewart thought. At HIES, Stewart has learned that arts classes are valuable, and the art classes in Haiti will give the other students opportunities inside and outside of the classroom by “developing creative thinking and problem solving skills.” Next year, she will work with teachers she has met during her summers to implement the art classes as part of the curriculum. She hopes to further expand the program to classes including photography, music, and dance.

REED STEWART

C&G Senior 2017 | 25

C&G Senior 2017 | 26

RUTLEDGE FOR TASSEL TURNER SYDNEY GREEN, feature and multimedia editor design, CORINNA WADE

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hether it’s a coach, teacher, advisor, or dean, every student makes some type of connection with a staff member here at HIES, and these unique relationships with different adults throughout the HIES community are strong enough to transcend the boundaries of the campus.

A well known HIES tradition is the senior class coming together in order to choose a member of the HIES community to be their tassel turner at graduation. There are multiple rounds of voting to select this special individual, and the candidates are people who the graduating class feels has helped them throughout their time at HIES and the one who leaves an indelible impression on the senior class.

This spring, the seniors prepared a well thought-out chapel in honor of their recently selected tassel turner. Senior Drew Dehaven began his speech by outlining his relationship with the tassel turner, “I have watched this person laugh till they cry, I have had inside jokes with them, I have jammed out to some T.I. with them,” Drew continues, “...this teacher is my friend, and that couldn’t be more true.”

Other speeches prepared by Grace Asbury, Sydney Green, and Iain Thomas highlighted this year’s tassel turner’s plethora of corny jokes and infamous tardiness, followed by two performances by Iain Thomas, Reed Stewart, Eli Best, and Zach Henry with guest rapper, Father Bailey.

At the conclusions of the speeches and performances, most students had already guessed the tassel turner’s identity. Then, Senior Executive Board President Cade Anderson stood at the podium and announced that Mr. Jason Rutledge had been chosen as the Class of 2017 Tassel Turner.

Rutledge walked up to the podium and took a long pause. After a couple minutes of choked-up silence, Rutledge jokingly stated, “I’m glad my contract was renewed already because it seems I have a tardy problem, but I’ll work on that and my jokes.”

Rutledge gave testament to his selflessness, “what a lot of you may not realize is that you teach not for yourself but to help others and make an impact on our student’s lives. So this wasn’t because of me it’s because of the amazing students you all are.”

Having been a part of the HIES community for over seven years, Rutledge has supported the senior class every step of the way from middle school to high school, teaching and coaching the Class of 2017. He has taught AP Human Geography, served as the Dean for sophomore boys, and coaches the golf and cross country team.

This year, Rutledge expanded his pedagogic repertoire through teaching AP Microeconomics and becoming the 12th grade dean.

One of his best known qualities is his compassion towards his students and fellow faculty members. “Mr. Rutledge has an immense amount of compassion towards not just the students but everyone else around him,” senior Natalie Scales continues, “when I was really sick and was getting behind in classes, he always checked in on me asking me how I was doing and making sure I was happy. Things like that can really change a person’s day for the better. I am so thankful for everything he has done to help me this year.”

To countless members of the HIES community, Rutledge is a friend first and a teacher second, and his solicitude and kindness have created a safe place for the Class of 2017, so it is no wonder why they selected him to be their tassel turner. a

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COLUMN

Redemption, for Fuego I slide a chair into my bathroom and prop it in front of my mirror.

I sit down and I just look at myself, the features of my face, the shade of my emotion, some sort of summary to my identity. If you stare into your own eyes for long enough, believe it or not, you get uncomfortable.

No matter how positive my outlook is now, I’ve seen my reflection a countless amount of times, times when I felt consumed with rage, sadness, confusion, times when those dark brown eyes have rolled out tears of remorse and I just stood there, bent over with my arms posted down on the counter as I glared at myself in such a pathetic state simply for the sake of self pity.

Often when I’m riding down the highway of rural Georgia, or rural anywhere for that matter, I’m overcome with some sort of perspective. There’s exit after exit, small town after smaller town. Crowds of simple lifestyles settled around bait and tackle shops and pawn stores for buying and trading guns for hunting or just flexing the ole’ Second Amendment. So many of these towns characterized by their own sets of standards, problems, and livelihoods. People living by their own means, in their own worlds, without two shits given for what goes on in the city that makes them an outskirt.

The world consists of over seven billion people facing in different directions, driven by different agendas, bolstered by different expertise, and disgruntled by different shortcomings. I am a single rain drop with my own pallet pride and shame, success and failure, and I’m about to be flung out into the sea along with the rest of 2017. There is ambition within me, desires to do something grand with my life, to make a mark, a difference, a betterment despite my meaningless status as a drop, a speck in the grand scheme.

There’s a fear in the back of my mind, however, that whispers, “that ambition is just arrogance.” In a world of so many, ambition has such a small target… such a thin line of success to make aim for. When you find yourself staring down different paths to take, the routes to success are vastly outnumbered by ones that lead to nowhere, that lead to failure.

The truth about me is that I’ve got no clue if my desires to be great are fueled by a true need to do something good, or if I’m

just out seeking redemption for a past drenched in regret and false steps; but if we’re up an in the action, does it really matter what sent us there?

If we’re fighting the good fight, standing for something bigger than ourselves, does it matter why? I contradict myself; I beat against my own head, the expression in the mirror changes.

Man’s own character isn’t defined by any particular moment, but rather a collaboration of all our moments. Now legacy, that damn sure can find its meaning in something singular. The development of vaccines, creation of democracy, completion of the Mona Lisa... Stalin implementing the gulags, Eichmann devising the Final Solution.

The glory or malevolence of our memory to the world could be pin-pointed and summarized on a Wikipedia page; but our character, the true and in-depth meaning of our souls, is something that only we carry, that only we fully know. The character that we know of ourselves isn’t something gold plated that we show to the rest of the world. It’s not a definition for others, but rather an explanation just for ourselves. Character is our memory, it is our timeline of who we are because of who we were; the decisions, good and bad, that brought us to this moment.

I’ve made some bad decisions, I’ve made some horrible decisions. At a certain point, you’ve gotta let go of the apologies and accept the scorched bridges as an un-repairable effect of your own extreme actions, but for one more time: I’m sorry, I’m sorry to you in particular for the pain that I caused, I just have to say it again before we all trudge forward into another realm of the unknown.

I remember on the last day of junior year a feeling that overcomes you, a feeling of pride, a feeling of ‘we run this bitch now’. That feeling comes to a close, but in a blissful sunset kind of way.

Senior year is intoxicating. This ride has been something that I wouldn’t trade in for the world. I love every member of this class, because at some point you all stopped being schoolmates and started being family, but the time’s come for this family to go out and make their impact on the world. So… with the sunset in front of me, I take the top down, I turn my head back, and I blow a kiss to the wind. Peace. a

SHEPHERD BRIDGES, staff writer

C&G Senior 2017 | 29

C&G Senior 2017 | 30

COLUMN

Reflection in Numbers Class of 2017...we’ve been through it all. From some of us having our first steps on this campus back in 2004 in the Primary School that seemed larger than life, to the intensely popular 5th grade laptop fun time when we cherished the opportunity to play games for a mere 20 minutes. From going through the motions in middle school and feeling awkward as ever walking through the halls, not wanting to speak for fear of a voice crack, to coming to the Upper School building on the first day of high school with ‘your transcript starts today’ plastered all over the lockers.

And now, in just a few short days we will be leaving.

60 members of the National Honor Society, 33 Alpha Omegas, 14 athletes who are playing their respective sport in college, 6 state-awarded photographers, 2 Governor’s Honors Program recipients and honorable mentions, 2 singers receiving all state recognition this year, 1 incredibly talented cellist with numerous awards under her plate, and the list goes on and on.

We have, without a doubt, left our mark here on campus at Holy Innocents’. We will forever be known as the grade who showed up in pajamas the last day of first semester for a mere 20 minutes before being forced to change, the grade who spent so much time planning out the most intricate senior run of all time all for it not to work out, and the grade who solely caused an epidemic of pinkeye in the high school which gave every doctor in the general Sandy Springs and Buckhead area some business.

As May 13th approaches, senior year has tragically, and rapidly, come to an end. The infamous disease, senioritis, fill the halls like the spread of pinkeye on all of the couches and pillows in the senior commons. Classes seemed to be optional, homework remained incomplete, studying was just a memory from years past. However, seniors haven’t given up completely on life at HI; they are cherishing those last memories and moments as a family of 128.

In this realm of confusion where friendships are being formed for the first time and then ending so soon, time seems to speed by quicker than it should, and people want to slow down and reflect. Reflect on the memories, both good and bad. Prom, senior skip day (or lack there of), homecoming week, and the

first and last Friday Night Lights all bring both joy and sadness to us all. Never again will we have the annual decades day theme with guys sporting jorts and tie dye t-shirts. Never again will we see those familiar faces on the sports field playing their hearts out for our school. And never again will we be able to complain about having to walk from the senior building all the way up to the 700 hallway.

My time here at HI has been incredible. I have met some of the most interesting people, and have shaped some friendships that will last a lifetime. There’s actually a 14 percent chance that I will marry someone that I’ve already met here in high school. I have both passed and failed tests, luckily more so the former of the two. And I have found a passion for journalism in surprising terms Looking at my accomplishments this year, as well as the hurdles I’ve crossed, it is easy to say I’ve had a good year. However, I have had my share of struggles. I have failed assessments, lost friendships, and experienced family struggles. But all of my battles have made me the person I am today, and while it may sound cliché, I would not change my experiences for the world.

My favorite memory here on campus may surprise you at first as it doesn’t share that same sense of importance as other significant memories like being named Homecoming King, Student Body President, and winning state for swimming. Regardless, it is significant to me.

Rain or shine, my friends and I have sat outside during lunch every day since 6th grade. While some of these conversations had at this table may not be the most appropriate to share, and while I was probably asked countless times to put my phone down like any other teenager in this century, these moments were some of the times on campus when I felt the happiest.

While I am undeniably ready for my next chapter in life, it is a scary feeling to think that I will never have another “first day” here at HIES. However, I have always been a fan of the famous quote, “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” As all 128 of us finish this chapter on May 13th with Mr. Rutledge turning our tassels, we must open up to the next page. a

CADE ANDERSON, associate editor

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