The Lion's Roar Senior Section 2024

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Newton South High School · Newton, MA Est. 1984 · June 6, 2024 the LION'SR A R VOL . 40 SENIOR SECTION
CONGRATS 2024
Photo by Bella Ishanyan

Dear Readers,

And just like that, it’s over. Tis day marks a moment in our lives where we close of this chapter, say goodbye to friends and the lives we’ve always known, and take a dangerous leap closer toward tax-paying adulthood. But more importantly, this day marks a moment in our lives where we, for the frst time, open ourselves entirely to the world and begin the next of many chapters. Te world is ours to conquer, and for that, we say congratulations to the class of 2024!

Seniors, it’s easy to use a blanket statement and say that we’ve overcome arduous circumstances, but, in all honesty, we have. Tese past 4 years have been a true rollercoaster. We entered 140 Brandeis Rd. (or should we say Lion Drive?) with masks on and absolutely zero social skills. We spent the vast majority of our 4 years fooded with news and the emotions of rampant foreign conficts. We entered our senior year unsure of the livelihoods of our teachers and the sanctity of our school year. We’ve been through h-e-double hockey sticks and back, but in the wise words of Kelly Clarkson, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Our resilience, passion, and strength are self-cultivated virtues, and we are massively proud to be a part of this incredible class. Cheers to many more sleepless nights, cop-busted parties, in-class explications, successful talking stages and lifelong memories that don’t just defne our high school careers, but build the foundation for the rest of our lives.

To our readers and our community, thank you for everything. As the sole print newspaper in Newton, we are honored to share your stories and provide you with (somewhat) timely briefngs of the incredible and not-so-incredible things that have occurred. Our mission is not only to inform but to be a frst-hand account of the history that is currently being written. We seek to capture the zeitgeist and without your constant support, our eforts would be in vain. Tank you for reading our articles even if you are not a part of the Newton South Community™. Tank you for picking up our articles of the foor and only doing the crossword (we still appreciate it). But most of all, thank you for always doing cool things and allowing our freshmen trainees to interview you. If y’all didn’t, we would be out of business.

Volume 40 staf, where should we even begin? Room 1201 has seen it all. Tanks for sticking with us through the epic highs and lows of high school journalism, from the happy tears shed at the birth of our frst paper, to the emotional tears shed on the NSPA hotel foor/bed, respectively. We could not have asked for a better group of people to do it all with. You all have grown into incredible writers, storytellers, and curious humans part of this community. We know that you all will continue to do amazing things, and we encourage you all to have the most fun with this glorious club. While we’re at it, our emails are bella.ishanyan@gmail.com and emma.zhang2016@gmail.com. We’ll see you in the inbox.

Volume 41 staf, we know that Roar is in such brilliant hands. We can’t wait to see the wonderful things you’ll cook up, and we’ll be cheering you on every issue, every paste-up and send-up, every NSPA and every step of the way. Perhaps we’ll even run into you on another one of our routine Pressed visits? Te future of Roar is so bright. Long live Leonna, and — hot tip — PLEASE keep track of your own fnances (also, keep the hidden Roar stash locked and loaded ;)).

So CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2024, and cheers to everything to come!

Signing of, Stay so safe, Have a good one, Its been so real,

Volume XL Senior Staf Seniors

Bella Ishanyan and Emma Zhang

the lion's roar page 2 | senior section

Dear Bella,

We are so proud of your unstoppable energy and all that you have contributed to our communities and lives. We know that this is just the beginning.

Mom, Dad, Sabrina & Kufta

Congratulations Emma! We love you so much, and we are so very proud of you! Stay sweet and passionate about everything you do.

Best of luck with all your new adventures! Love, Mom, Dad and Emily

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Love,

Henry,

We are so proud of you. Keep following your own path!

Enjoy your adventures.

Love, Mom, Dad, Jaden, Kramer & Lucky

Congratulations Elliot Heywood & the Class of 2024 You are going places!

Love from Mom, Dad, Samantha, Julia & Tikka

Congratulations to Sylvia - and the entire NSHS Class of 2024! We are incredibly impressed by your tenacity, hard work, and accomplishments. Time to celebrate!!!

Love, The Forrest Family

the lion's roar page 4 | senior section

Congratulations, John!

Love, Mom, Dad & Thomas

We are so proud of you and look forward to the many new and incredible adventures ahead.

Congratulations Elias

You've had a rich high school experience and we're excited for you as you embark on the next chapter in college.

Carpe Diem!

Love, Mom, Dad, Alex, Hannah & Ben

Congratulations, Hannah!

We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished. Simply put ̶ you are amazing! Good luck at William & Mary and enjoy the adventures to come. We love you!

Love, Mom, Dad and Megan

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CONGRATULATIONS, CATIE!

We are so proud of you and all that you have accomplished! We can't wait to see where your future leads!

the lion's roar page 6 | senior section
Love,
Mazel Tov Naomi! So excited for UVM
the
Congratulations Aniyah! Love, the Hines family
Mom, Dad, Brendan,
and Corbin
and
future!

Renee,

Congratulations on your high school graduation! We are so incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished and the amazing person you’ve become. As you continue on a new journey, may you fnd endless opportunities, discover your passions, and achieve all your hopes and dreams. Remember, this is just the beginning of an incredible adventure. Best wishes for a bright and successful future ahead!

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Show your appreciation to the teachers or other school staff who have made a difference in your student’s life by making a gift in their name to Newton Schools Foundation!

Say “Thank you” (while also complying with NPS’ gift policy).

Newton Schools Foundation supports grants that fund new approaches in the classroom, professional development for teachers, and programs that promote equity for all students.

THANK
NewtonSchoolsFoundation.org
LOOKING FOR A GREAT WAY TO
A TEACHER OR SCHOOL STAFF MEMBER?
Scan to learn more! bit.ly/NSF_HTT the lion's roar page 8 | senior section

Congratulations Alex!

We can't wait to hear about your Colorado adventures!

XOXO, Mom, Dad, Charlotte, Erin and the Grammas

Reese- We are so proud of your accomplishments and look forward to seeing what you’ll do next.

Congratulations!

Congratulations Ivan and the Class of 2024! Love, Mom and Grandma

Congratulations, Ellie!

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

We are proud of you and are cheering for you always!

Love, Mom, Dad, Arielle, Skyler, and Sunny

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Congratulations Caspian! It’s hard to believe you will be going of to college soon! It’s been wonderful seeing you grow up to become the person you are today. We are proud of you and are excited for what the future holds! We love you very much and truly are your biggest fans!

Love, Mom, Dad, Sofa and Stella

Congratulations David and Richard!

With love and pride today and always, Mom and Dad.

We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished along the way! We cannot wait to see where the next adventure takes you.

Sandrine Martinez

and Moby

the lion's roar page 10 | senior section
Love, Mom, Dad, Vladimiro
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Of They Go

Senior

Washington

Seattle University

Hannah Valiente-Verhulst

Oregon

George Fox Univ.

Nate Hamilton

Reed College

Sam Pomerantz

California

UC Berkeley

Phoebe Anthony

UC Davis

Haley Kim

UCLA

Julia Feldman

Elliot Heywood

UCSC

Sandrine Martinez

USC

Max Raffel

UCSD

Ellen Vaynberg

Scripps

Marley Wiener

Utah

University of Utah

Eli Varnum

Colorado

Univ. of Colorado Boulder

Kendra Manie Kyrah Mar

Arizona

University of Arizona

Izunna Anigbogu

International

Danny Aldehneh

Timothy Cheng

Mia Dror

Andrew Hill

Lia Kaplan

Aaron Lu

Alexandra Martin

Cole Boerner

Ari Clark

John DeBrito

Dylan Kadish

Diego Mobarak

Gabby Priddis

David Qiu

Eli Rybnikova

Julia Shapiro

Max Vallmitjana Agullo

Other

Tejal Kasture

Jack Lu

Jett O'Connor

Riyanna Ufland

Trade School

Colorado School of Mines

Alex Ottmer

Colorado College

Charlie Hughes

Adam Levin

Suvi Talvite

Texas

Gap Year

Briana Butera

Lia Kaplan

Henry Kindermann

Henry Kominik

Vida Luckett

Adam Rotberg

Mia Shahal-Schiffer

Jasmine Smargiassi

Ilana Sternburg

Military

Southern Methodist University Chutian Wu Nathan Arguello Asker Maehlisen Gwen Connor Joaquin Flores Herrera Sophie Turney Caleb Johnson Roger Lehr

Fordham

Plans 2024

Penn

Bucknell

Michigan

Binghampton

Pennsylvania

Univ.

Ohio

Lafayette

New York

Skidmore

Pratt

Culinary

Vard

Stony

Ohio

Drexel

Temple

Denison

Univ.

William

Tennessee

Virginia

University

New Jersey

Wake

South Carolina

Alabama

Florida

Univ.

New York University Kevin Chen Matthew Krintzman Caspian Madsen Aimee Pan Yoonchul Shin Cornell University Raj Brodie Noah Li Ithaca College Nadia Mustafa Lucy Marcus
Washington D.C. George Washington University Ellie Gish Caroline Kay Ainoa Nashat Grace Santos Ella Viti Univ. of Maryland Aviad Elyashiv Talia Kalis Owen Serra Maya Shammay Matthew Zhou Maryland
Macalester Coll. Paxton Boyd Minnesota Tulane University Vitoria Brokhof Zach Rhein Alex Sprung Louisiana Syracuse University Maggie Schofield Darian Firoozabadi Purdue University Charlie Brail Lara Karsligil Stephanie Morin Eddie So Indiana Johns Hopkins Univ. Michael Chang Matthew Zeng Northwestern Univ. Bryan Baumer Claire Ruan Jonathan Wei Colgate University Gavin Coull Spencer Solcoff John Timko Hamilton College Grace Johnson Emory University Raina Bornstein Ben Diner Shir Ivanier Hannah Lim
Vanderbilt Univ. Misha Goldfarb Claire Lee Miles Pearlman
Georgia
Duke University Emma Zhang North Carolina Elon University Sophie Lee Bella Ross Univ. of Michigan Julia Arboleda Adrienne Lirio Kai van Beever
Univ. of Chicago Leah Vashevko
Hampton University Imani Laird
Missouri
Illinois
Georgia Tech Alon Mileguir Methodist Georgetown Univ. Bella Fankhauser Reese Pinto Case Western Reserve Univ. Mateo Berger Oyola Weber Chen Harper Smyth Clemson Univ. Angelina DePalma Alec Sussman Sophia Utano Univ. of Wisconsin Chanel DiLoreto Samuel La Camera Enya Vahey
Univ. of Rochester Liam Sakakeeny
Wisconsin
Sarah Lawrence Coll. Cate Mahoney Univ. of Pennsylvania Ben Kogan Abigail Shin Tim Shine Abby Ustayev WashU Lana Mello Ilan Sherman-Kadish Hayne Song Sophie Song
Haverford College Andrew Loo Lehigh University Sam Johnson Univ. of Florida Ali Abouhilal Vanessa Namakula
Univ. Nick Gilo
Villanova
Univ. Addie Abrams
State Univ. Lexi Cooke Elias King
of Visual Arts Linda Liu Sabina Uribe
University Nora Linssen
School
Princeton
of Miami Gabe Lieberman Daniel Zaslavski Barnard College Ariana Bhargava
University
State Univ.
Fitzgerald Jane Jakubowski
Kekalainen Edward Maklin Jocelyn Woods
University Evan Ng Matt O'Toole Nir Stein
Tommy
Henrik
Indiana
University Adair Smyth Graham Tonkonogy Columbia Univ. Ben Miner Marist College Miles Danila-Schmidt
Institute of America Max Evans
and Mary Ian Brenner
Tarmy Michael Wiener Go
Hannah
University Liam Healy
University Avery Hamilton
Auburn
Rutgers
Forest Univ. Daniel Yosubash
Tech Amethyst Ryan
Virginia
of Richmond Maddie Lewis Izzy Wilson
of Tampa Arthur Cordeiro Marquez Charlie Quirk Jacob Tomaneng Howard Univ. Chelize Foster Jada Green
of Cincinnati Anna Wright-Lee
Cam McAllister
University
Freya Munshi
of Pittsburgh
University Sofia DeCosta Elias Kiritsy
College
Korn
Hooper Arianna Levitan
Seth
Basil
College Joe Faulkner
Institute
Friedlander Anna Kladova
Michaela
Brook Univ. Alyssa Haidar RPI Meir Khitrenovich
Lawrence Univ. Benjamin Dietrich Lukas Boyce
St.
Kevin Butler
University
Jack Cowhig
Masoud Timmy Trotman
University
Tariq
College Lila DeAvila Morgan State Univ. Amirah Pitts

Of They Go Senior Plans 2024,

Vermont

University

New Hampshire

Colby College

Catie Corkery

Neil Giesser

Sienna Masood Ben Perman

Rhode Island

University of New Haven

Jaelyn Baldon

Connecticut

Yale University

Taban Malihi

Susan

Elena Baskakova

Connecticut

Heart University

Trinity College

University

Massachusetts

College

Harthorne

Caelan Quadra

Carina Santucci

Yee

Elyssa

Ameer Almedhychy

Jazmin Shaar Henry Thoennes

Continued...
College Kaveri Krishnamoorthy
Maine Dartmouth
of Vermont Esther Dansinger Wyatt Grieb Meg Henson August Karrenberg Naomi Weitzman Michael Welch Dillon Woods
of Connecticut
Gomez Reynoso Donna Shirasb Tamar Yeret Alice Zou
Juliana
College
Aggarwal Grace
of New Hampshire Luca Del Porto John Robertson
University Ian Ellis Max Kamen Michael Kokovidis Roger Williams University Jalen Ortiz
Priya
Sousa University
Bryant
Lowell Lea Afonkin Patrick Lin Elliott Longo Tufts University Liv Carpenito-Kronenfeld Denise Chan Ethan Cheng Sylvia Forrest June Kim Zoe Hong Connor Huang Jacob Massoff Kira Yoshida Alex Zheng Brandeis University Aaron Chen Austin Han Eric Li Ben Nakash-Kadener Suffolk University Alessandra Nagarajan Darya Rostami Emerson College Ava Gordon Robbie Jones Avi Kuperman Greer Wheeler
Institute of Technology Jake Goldman Liam Goldman Harvard College Neena Tarafdar Ishaan Tewari Sara Tomas Kevin Yang
College
Cai
Tang
Wu
College
Rayavarapu WPI Sylvia Jacobs
College
Cogan
UMass
Wentworth
Wellesley
Grace
Andrea
Sophia
Stonehill
Anjan
Boston
Nick
Hong
Pessanha
Sonmez
Williams
Ye Jiewen Zhong Bentley University Lisa Ofir Mass Bay Community College Ivan Estes
College Amanda Cosgrove Christian Chau Tiffany Chin Reese Cote Will
James
Garcia Keith Hanson Bella
Rohan
Tim
Markey
Amit
Lani Lee Wheaton College Jonas Cohen University of Massachusetts Amherst
Max
Alp
Cory
Marcus
Endicott
Cotter
Dandrea Servio
Ishanyan
Iyengar
Kasyanov
Khrapunovich
Kopolovic
Westfield State University Kevin Fisher Rachel Fisher Middlebury College
Hayward
Simmons University Lilly Costanzo Curry
Sarah
Aditya Kothari
College Eleni Koutounidis Anastasia Senfuma Nicole Senfuma
School
Violet
Jack
Emmanuel
Rhode Island
of Design Zach Avinoam
Goldstein
Liu
College David Efendiyev Bowdoin College
MCPHS Lisa Liu Clark
Max
Babson College Fabricio Gonzalez Estrella Eleanor Skabeev
University
McGary
Johnson & Wales University Barak Clemons Simone Foley Courtney Martin
Jacob Copelotti Emma DeCosta Philip Elbert Renee Gilman
Charlie Kouspakian Ryan Leonard Zachary Li Diya Misra Northeastern University Ema Morgovsky Joshua Moshes Alexandra Ossipian
Greg Tinkjian Zach Weiss Ender Widder
Noa
Kane Anna
Kayla Woo Boston University
Handelsman Yana
Kuo
Liza Odikadze
Rosen
Marcelo Villafuerte Sasha Vorobyov
Zoe Zalkind
MIT
Katelyn Zhao
Ryan
Williams
Max
Berklee
Kam Quinnipiac University Alex Laurie Sacred
Ally Cohen
College of Music Angelina Tang Jared Wang
Richard
Maayan Levy Andrew Luo Sacha Najafi
Qiu
Eric
Shen Hailey Smith Nate Smith-Michaels
Ellie Jolly Nathaniel Scharf Olin College of Engineering Jack Wei
Preslava Tchesnovsky Allison Wu Brandon Yee Chris
Fisher College Sierra Rogers Amherst College

Ali Abouhilal University of Florida

Addie Abrams Binghampton University

Lea Afonkin UMass Lowell

Priya Aggarwal Connecticut College

Danny Aldehneh Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai

Ayame Allan

Ameer Almedhychy Northeastern University

Betina Alves

Izunna Anigbogu University of Arizona

Abdul Ansari

Phoebe Anthony UC Berkeley

Julia Arboleda University of Michigan

Nathan Arguello Military

Zach Avinoam Rhode Island School of Design

London Balan

Jaelyn Baldon University of New Haven

Elena Baskakova Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bryan Baumer Northwestern University

Mateo Berger Oyola Case Western Reserve University

Ariana Bhargava Barnard College

Cole Boerner Kimball Union Academy

Raina Bornstein Emory University

David Borokhov

Lukas Boyce St. Lawrence University

Paxton Boyd Macalester College

Charlie Brail Purdue University

Ian Brenner William and Mary College

Raj Brodie Cornell University

Vitoria Brokhof Tulane University

Nailasia Brown

Briana Butera gap year

Kevin Butler Fordham University

Grace Cai Wellesley College

Liv Carpenito-Kronenfeld Tufts University

Anastasia Cassidy

Ben Chaftez

Denise Chan Tufts University

Jason Chan Sufolk University

Hazel Chang

JunWon Chang

Michael Chang Johns Hopkins University

Christian Chau UMass Amherst

Aaron Chen Brandeis University

Weber Chen Case Western Reserve University

Kevin Chen New York University

Ethan Cheng Tufts University

Timothy Cheng University of Adelaide

Tifany Chin UMass Amherst

Eduardo Chirico

Ari Clark Internship

Barak Clemons Johnson and Wales University

Nick Cogan Boston College

Ally Cohen Sacred Heart University

Jonas Cohen Wheaton College

Gwen Connor Trade school

Lexi Cooke Penn State University

Jake Copelotti Northeastern University

Arthur Cordeiro Marquez University of Tampa

Catie Corkery Colby College

Amanda Cosgrove Endicott College

Lilly Costanzo Simmons University

Reese Cote UMass Amherst

Will Cotter UMass Amherst

Gavin Coull Colgate University

Jack Cowhig Temple University

James Dandrea UMass Amherst

Miles Danila-Schmidt Marist College

Esther Dansinger University of Vermont

Hewitt De Vlieger

Lila DeAvila Lafayette College

John DeBrito

Emma DeCosta Northeastern University

Sofa DeCosta Bucknell University

Luca Del Porto University of New Hampshire

Angelina DePalma Clemson University

Benjamin Dietrich St. Lawrence University

Chanel DiLoreto University of Wisconsin

Ben Diner Emory University

Mia Dror Reichman University

David Efendiyev Emmanuel College

Philip Elbert Northeastern University

Ian Ellis Bryant University

Aviad Elyashiv University of Maryland

Ivan Estes Mass Bay Community College

Max Evans Culinary Institute of America

Bella Fankhauser Georgetown University

Joe Faulkner Vard College

Julia Feldman UCLA

Darian Firoozabadi Syracuse University

Kevin Fisher Westfeld State University

Rachel Fisher Westfeld State University

Tommy Fitzgerald Ohio State University

Joaquin Flores Herrera Boston Academy of Pilots

Simone Foley Johnson & Wales University

Sylvia Forrest Tufts University

Chelize Foster Howard University

Amber Freiman-Polli

Olivia French

Michaela Friedlander

Pratt Institute

Juju Garcia

Servio Garcia UMass Amherst

Neil Giesser Colby College

Renee Gilman Northeastern University

Nick Gilo Villanova University

Ellie Gish George Washington University

Misha Goldfarb Vanderbilt University

Jake Goldman Wentworth Institute of Technology

Liam Goldman Wentworth Institute of Technology

Violet Goldstein Rhode Island School of Design

Nia Gomes

Juliana Gomez Reynoso University of Connecticut

Fabricio Gonzalez Estrella Babson College

Ava Gordon Emerson College

Taiga Goto

Christopher Gordeau

Jada Green Howard University

Wyatt Grieb University of Vermont

Rafael Guedes

Alyssa Haidar

Stony Brook University

then Northeastern Leen Hajjar

Avery Hamilton Rutgers University

Nate Hamilton George Fox University

Austin Han Brandeis University

Noa Handelsman Boston University

Keith Hanson UMass Amherst

Max Harthorne

Williams College

Sarah Hayward Middlebury College

Liam Healy

Auburn University

Meg Henson University of Vermont

Elliot Heywood UCLA

Andrew Hill Concordia University

Layth Hlail

Susan Hong Boston College

Zoe Hong Tufts University

Basil Hooper Skidmore College

Connor Huang Tufts University

Charlie Hughes Colorado College

Henry Hysenaj

Bella Ishanyan UMass Amherst

Shir Ivanier Emory University

Rohan Iyengar UMass Amherst

Sylvia Jacobs Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Jane Jakubowski Ohio State University

Peter Jiang

Caleb Johnson Trade School

Grace Johnson Hamilton College

Isaiah Johnson

Sam Johnson Lehigh University

Ellie Jolly Amherst College

Robbie Jones Emerson College

Dylan Kadish Northfeld Mount Hermon

Talia Kalis University of Maryland

Ryan Kam Trinity College

Max Kamen Bryant University

Yana Kane Boston University

Lia Kaplan Gap Year

August Karrenberg University of Vermont

Lara Karsligil Purdue University

Tejal Kasture

Tim Kasyanov UMass Amherst

Caroline Kay George Washington University

Henrik Kekalainen Ohio State University

Meir Khitrenovich Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Markey Khrapunovich UMass Amherst

Ethan Kim

Haley Kim UC Davis

June Kim Tufts University

Yohan Kim

Henry Kindermann Gap year

Elias King Penn State University

Elias Kiritsy Bucknell University

Anna Kladova Pratt Institute

Ben Kogan University of Pennsylvania

Arnaud Kohler Boston University

Michael Kokovidis Bryant University

Henry Kominik Gap year

the lion's roar page 15 | senior section

Amit Kopolovic UMass Amherst

Seth Korn Skidmore College

Aditya Kothari Middlebury College

Charlie Kouspakian Northeastern University

Eleni Koutounidis Curry College

Matthew Krintzman New York University

Kaveri Krishnamoorthy Dartmouth College

Anna Kuo Boston University

Avi Kuperman Emerson College

Michelle Kwan

Youngrah Kwon

Samuel La Camera University of Wisconsin

Imani Laird Hampton University

Alex Laurie Quinnipiac University

Maelyn Leacock

Claire Lee Vanderbilt University

Lani Lee UMass Amherst

Sophie Lee Elon University

Roger Lehr Trade school

Aaron Leigland

Ryan Leonard Northeastern University

Adam Levin Colorado College

Arianna Levitan Skidmore College

Maayan Levy UMass Amherst

Maddie Lewis University of Richmond

Noah Li Cornell University

David Li

Eric Li Brandeis University

Keith Li

Zachary Li Northeastern University

Gabe Lieberman University of Miami

Hannah Lim Emory University

Patrick Lin UMass Lowell

Nora Linssen Princeton University

Adrienne Lirio University of Michigan

Linda Liu School of Visual Arts

Lisa Liu MCPHS

Jack Liu Rhode Island School of Design

Elliott Longo UMass Lowell

Andrew Loo Haverford College

Aaron Lu McGill University

Ellen Lu

Jack Lu

Vida Luckett Gap year

Andrew Luo UMass Amherst

Caspian Madsen New York University

Asker Maehlisen United States Marines

Cate Mahoney Sarah Lawrence College

Edward Maklin Ohio State University

Taban Malihi Yale University

Emerson Mallis

Kendra Manie University of Colorado Boulder

Kyrah Mar University of Colorado Boulder

Matthew Marcolino Merrimack College

Lucy Marcus Ithaca College

Alexandra Martin McGill University

Courtney Martin Johnson & Wales University

Sandrine Martinez UC Santa Cruz

Sienna Masood Bowdoin College

Tariq Masoud Temple University

Jacob Massof Tufts University

Jess Matatall Merrimack College

Isabella Maya

Cam McAllister Drexel University

Max McGary Clark University

Molly McGinnis

Lana Mello Washington University in St. Louis

Alon Mileguir Georgia Tech

Ben Miner Columbia University

Diya Misra Northeastern University

Diego Mobarak McGill University

Jan Montesinos Navarra

Ema Morgovsky Northeastern University

Stephanie Morin Purdue University

Joshua Moshes Northeastern University

Freya Munshi University of Pittsburgh

Nadia Mustafa Ithaca College

Myles Mutambo

Alessandra Nagarajan Sufolk University

Sacha Najaf UMass Amherst

Ben Nakash-Kadener Brandeis University

Vanessa Namakula University of Florida

Ainoa Nashat George Washington University

Evan Ng Indiana University

Ali Niu

Mark Ocher

Jett O'Connor Community Connections Program

Liza Odikadze Boston University

Lisa Ofr Bentley University

Jalen Ortiz

Roger Williams University

Alex Ossipian Northeastern University

Matt O'Toole

Indiana University

Alex Ottmer

Colorado School of Mines

Ashwin Padmanaban

Aimee Pan New York University

Etienne Panasenko

Sedam Park

Miles Pearlman Vanderbilt University

Amil Pena Rodriguez

Andrew Perlin

Ben Perman Bowdoin College

Max Pessanha Boston College

Jaylon Phifer

Dimitry Pianykh

Nathan Pilavin

Reese Pinto Georgetown University

Amirah Pitts Morgan State University

Sam Pomerantz Reed College

Gabby Priddis John Cabot University

David Qiu McGill University

Richard Qiu UMass Amherst

Caelan Quadra UMass Amherst

Charlie Quirk University of Tampa

Max Rafel University of Southern California

Dalynn Ramos

Anjan Rayavarapu Stonehill College

Zach Rhein Tulane University

Karen Ridge Gap year

John Robertson University of New Hampshire

Evan Rofman University of Michigan

Sierra Rogers Fisher College

Rheya Rohanna

Alexander Rong

Elyssa Rosen Boston University

Bella Ross

Elon University

Darya Rostami Sufolk University

Adam Rotberg Gap year

Claire Ruan Northwestern University

Amethyst Ryan Virginia Tech

Eli Rybnikova University of TorontoMississauga

Liam Sakakeeny University of Rochester

Grace Santos George Washington University

Carina Santucci UMass Amherst

Lior Sapir

Nathaniel Scharf Amherst College

Maggie Schofeld Syracuse University

Imla Seelam

Anastasia Senfuma Curry College

Nicole Senfuma Curry College

Fabio Sepe

Owen Serra University of Maryland

Jazmin Shaar Northeastern University

Mia Shahal-Schifer Gap year

Maya Shammay University of Maryland

Julia Shapiro McGill University

Eric Shen UMass Amherst

Ilan Sherman-Kadish Washington University in St. Louis

Abigail Shin University of Pennsylvania

Yoonchul Shin New York University

Tim Shine University of Pennsylvania

Donna Shirasb University of Connecticut

Eleanor Skabeev Babson College

Elijah Skehan

Ella Small

Jasmine Smargiassi Gap year

Hailey Smith UMass Amherst

Nate Smith-Michaels UMass Amherst

Adair Smyth Denison University

Harper Smyth Case Western Reserve University

Eddie So Purdue University

Spencer Solcof Colgate University

Hayne Song Washington University in St. Louis

Sophie Song Washington University in St. Louis

Alp Sonmez Boston College

Grace Sousa Connecticut College

Alex Sprung Tulane University

Nir Stein Indiana University

Ilana Sternburg Gap year

Alec Sussman Clemson University

Suvi Talvitie Colorado College

Andrea Tang Wellesley College

Angelina Tang Berklee College of Music

Neena Tarafdar Harvard University

Hannah Tarmy William and Mary College

Preslava Tchesnovsky UMass Amherst

Ishaan Tewari

Harvard University

Henry Toennes Northeastern University

issuu.com/thelionsroar senior section | page 16

Caroline Turmond

John Timko Colgate University

Greg Tinkjian Northeastern University

Sasha Tolparova

Jacob Tomaneng University of Tampa

Sara Tomas Harvard University

Graham Tonkonogy Denison University

Ava Towfgh

Amari Tran

Timmy Trotman Temple University

Sophie Turney United States Army

Riyanna Ufand

Sabina Uribe School of Visual Arts

Abby Ustayev University of Pennsylvania

Sophia Utano Clemson University

Riccardo Vacchi Uma Vagenshtein

Enya Vahey University of Wisconsin

Hannah Valiente-Verhulst Seattle University

Sonya Valkova

Max Vallmitjana Agullo International, Barcelona

Yvana Valtchinov

Kai van Beever University of Michigan

Lani Vargas

Eli Varnum University of Utah

Leah Vashevko University of Chicago

Katya Vasileva

Ellen Vaynberg University of San Diego

Aniyah Vega-Hines

Jessa Verhoef

Elena Vernet

Marcelo Villafuerte Boston University

Ella Viti

George Washington University

Sasha Vorobyov Boston University

Jared Wang Berklee College of Music

Yitong Wang

Jack Wei Olin College of Engineering

Jonny Wei Northwestern University

Michael Weiner

William and Mary College

Zach Weiss Northeastern University

Naomi Weitzman University of Vermont

Greer Wheeler Emerson College

Ender Widder Northeastern University

Marley Wiener Scripps College

Cory Williams Boston College

Izzy Wilson University of Richmond

Kayla Woo Northeastern University

Kuga Wood

Taiga Wood

Dillon Woods University of Vermont

Jocelyn Woods Ohio State University

Max Worman

Anna Wright-Lee University of Cincinnati

Allison Wu UMass Amherst

Chutian Wu

Southern Methodist University

Sophia Wu Wellesley College

Kevin Yang

Harvard University

Marcus Ye Boston College

Brandon Yee UMass Amherst

Chris Yee UMass Amherst

Tamar Yeret

University of Connecticut

Kira Yoshida Tufts University

Daniel Yosubash Wake Forest University

Zoe Zalkind Boston University

Daniel Zaslavski University of Miami

Matthew Zeng Johns Hopkins University

Aden Zhaichybekov

Emma Zhang Duke University

Katelyn Zhao Boston University

Alex Zheng Tufts University

Kyle Zheng

1 in 434: Class of '24 speaker, Grace Sousa

On the morning of May 23, Senior Grace Sousa took a walk around Skyline Park, the Class of 2024’s emblematic place of re tion, in an attempt to clear her head.

“Tat was the day of tryouts, and I was saying to Jack, ‘I don't want to do this anymore. I actually don't think my speech is good enough anymore,’ And he was like, ‘No, you should do it,’” she said.

“And then I’m sitting there in tryouts, and all these people are going up, there were like eight people before me. And I was like, wow, those are so amazing.”

Senior Jack Cowhig, Sousa’s boy

friend, said that she was having second thoughts and was incredibly nervous, but that he always had confdence in her and her story.

“Her speech was good, although I gave her some harsh criticism for the frst that discouraged her a little, but in knew that she was going to win,”

Sousa was driving to her babysitting job when texts came ooding in, telling her that she was chosen as the Class of 2024’s graduation speaker. She said that along with being shocked, she felt a sense of humility as she realized that her story could make an impact that resonated with the entire class.

“I'm very humbled in a way … because you have to talk about your personal experience, but you also have to make it universal,” she said.

“It was a really humbling experience in the sense that this day isn't all about me, and I'm not someone who went through this crazy journey,” she said. “We all have our own crazy journeys that I want to make sure I'm honoring with my speech.”

English teacher and friend of Sousa’s Deborah Bernhard said that although they had not heard the speech previously, they were not

shocked at all that Sousa had been selected.

“I was not at all surprised because she's awesome, and she's a really engaging speaker,” they said. “She has a really unique story that's probably diferent from the mainstream South kid. I was just so happy for her, but not at all surprised, because she's so great.”

Te judging panel, made up of 13 faculty members and senior students, was led by the English department head Brian Baron, who said that Sousa’s speech universally refected the shared story of the graduating class.

Te challenge of a graduation speech is telling part of your story in a way that resonates broadly,” he said. “Grace manages that balancing act skillfully. Everyone is going to love her speech. I can’t wait for the Class of 24 to hear it.”

Her story in Newton, as she tells us, began in 2021 when she moved to South from Norton High School in Norton, MA, after fnding discomfort with the community’s approach to racial inclusivity. Her brother Gavin Sousa said that the transition to Newton was signifcant, but better suited for what they valued.

“It was a pretty big change,” he said. “Being in more of a city, more people, more connections, more everything. Better school, people take school more seriously. It is just a better environment. Norton was kind of like a box.”

Along with impressing the judging panel, Sousa has consistently made an impact in the community as a whole, as a member of South’s Legacy Scholars Program, president of the Black Student Union, head costume designer for South Stage, centerfold editor for Te Lion’s Roar newspaper, member of Newton Athletes Unlimited, camp counselor at Mason-Rice Elementary, babysitter and kind soul.

Senior Asker Maehlisen, who also auditioned for the class speaker role, said that Sousa’s speech clearly demonstrated that her leadership and ability to connect with those around her has fortifed her ability to make a

Te challenge of a graduation speech is telling part of your story in a way that resonates broadly,” he said. “Grace manages that balancing act skillfully. Everyone is going to love her speech. I can’t wait for the Class of 24 to hear it.

Grace Sousa class of '24

diference in everything she does.

“Grace has a very powerful voice, and she's a great writer,” he said. “ I didn't know her very well this year, but she seems like a very, very nice person, and her speech [showed that she] was very involved. It seemed like she had defnitely been around diferent communities and diferent clubs and diferent associations at South, and she does mention that in her speech as well.”

As this chapter comes to a close and we enter a new period of our life, Sousa said that she wants to recognize the perseverance of our class and the dedication that went into these four years — a message she seeks to convey with her speech as she beckons our community into this new period of our lives.

“My biggest thing is determination. I mention that word a lot,” she said.“Tere's a lot of uncertainty about the future. People say you can plan as much as you want and things won't always pan out that way, but with uncertainty, if you are determined and you keep working at what you think you're good at, or you want to pursue, your determination will see through and bring you to the end. Every person had their challenges, but we all overcame those challenges with determination.”

photo contributed by Grace Sousa
the lion's roar page 17 | senior section

-Mom, Dad, Grandma and the rest of the family

the lion's roar page 18| senior section Congratulations, Rohan! We love you and are proud of you. Per
ad astra.
aspera

Congratulations Adam!

We are so proud of you and we wish you much success in your new beginnings!

With much love, Mom, Dad, Ilan, Mikael and Lexi

Congratulations Sylvia!

We're so proud of everything you've accomplished so far and can't wait to see everything you achieve in the future.

Love, Mom, Dad, Gabriel & Amber

issuu.com/thelionsroar senior section| page 19
Love, Mom, Dad, Jordan, Gram and Grandma

Congratulations, Ava!

We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’ll do at Emerson.

Love, Mom and Dad

Ian, it is so hard to believe that you are already graduating. Thanks for being the best big brother, and we can't wait to see what your future has in store.

Congratulations Liam!

Lots of love from Mom, Dad and Cormac

We are so proud of you, today and always, and can't wait to see where your next adventure takes you!

the lion's roar page 20 | senior section
issuu.com/thelionsroar senior section| page 21 Congratulation AARON CHEN and the Class of 2024!

We

Te Lion's Roar welcomes the opinions of our readers in the form of letters to the editor.

Te Lion's Roar reserves sole discretion to decide whether or not a reader submission will be published.

Te Lion's Roar will not publish anonymous submissions or letters containing personal attacks.

Te Lion's Roar reserves the right to edit or refuse all letters. Te authors of such pieces are not members of Te Lion's Roar staf, nor do they necessarily refect the views of Te Lion's Roar staf

If a submission is selected, it will be run on a single occasion, and the author agrees to give us the right to publish it in print and digital form. Letters should not exceed 300 words.

Come to a meeting in room 1201 to see what The Roar has to offer:

Photos

Improve your technique by shooting sports games, school events and staged illustrations.

Conduct interviews, report on compelling topics or write about your own opinions.

Graphics

JOIN THE R AR Writing

Draw, paint or use digital techniques to create pieces that accompany printed articles.

the lion's roar page 22 | senior section Congratulations, Eli! We are so very proud! Love, Mom and Dad
WILL! a letter to the editor to SUBMIT ss.lionsroar@gmail.com
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations, Asker
are
proud of you, can't wait to see where your next adventures take you. Love, Mor, Far, Anton & Oakley
so
Message @nshslionsroar on Instagram or email ss.lionsroar@gmail.com for more information. issuu.com/thelionsroar

Q&A

With Senior Cup winners

Kevin Yang and Raina Bornstein

What's your advice to current/future high schoolers?

"Be in the moment and be present a little bit more. We only have four years in high school, four years,to evolve from naive, somewhat annoying middle schoolers into full blown adults, a lot happens during that time. And if you're too busy planning for the future, then you'll miss it."

What are your plans and goals for the future?

"I want to meet as many interesting people as possible, have incredible conversations, and then also pursue diferent projects with them and see where those go."

What are you happiest about from your time in high school?

" I got to explore the world more, I started hanging out with all my friends and really just taking in the non academic part of high school, for the most part, so I've been very successful in doing that, now that I look back on it at the end of senior year, I did go to Friday Night Lights, and I did get to party with friends and grill with friends and run a marathon and do other crazy things."

What is your biggest regret from high school?

I took a lot of things for granted. Te most clear example, are the sports games as a little bit of a shallow example. But I remember when our boys basketball team qualifed for the playofs. And I was like, ah, that's kind of cool that they're playing sweet 16. But I'm a little busy tonight, I need to go fnish some homework assignments. I've just watched them another time later. But that later never came.

What was your reaction to winning Senior Cup?

I'm honored. Especially since the Senior Cup is an award based of of votes from the people. I'm honored that both teachers and my constituents have voted me for for the award. I feel accomplished. And it says that, perhaps this is a good way to end of my time as president.

What's your advice to current/future high schoolers?

"My advice to future high schoolers is to say yes, to be ambitious, to challenge yourself to fgure out what's important to you and then push yourself to chase after that."

What are your plans and goals for the future?

"I'm hoping that I can learn enough about neuroscience and understand biology at a deep enough level that I can start to get involved developing therapeutics and improving quality of life for people who have brain based disorders."

What are you happiest about from your time in high school?

"I discovered my passion for neuroscience, and I just kind of jumped right in I started publishing my own articles online. I had meetings with all sorts of diferent PhDs from around the world, and just tried to learn more and tried to fgure out why I cared about the things that were important to me and how I can make a contribution to this world. I have a really strong sense of direction, what I care about, what I want to change and how I want to help people."

What is your biggest regret from high school?

I try not to live by the philosophy of regrets because I think that there are things that I did that maybe didn't have enough outcomes or decisions that I could have made, but I really do believe that everything happens for a reason. And so I guess that even the mistakes that I made, they were lessons I learned but if I was gonna go back and start over again, I just would have told myself, you don't need to be afraid to get involved. You don't need to be afraid to interact with people as much as you want. ask important questions.

What was your reaction to winning Senior Cup?

It was amazing winning senior cup. It was really surprising to me because I was put up against some of the most incredible people that I know and I've ever had the privilege to know. And so I was honestly shocked when I won the senior camp, but it made me really proud because at the end of the day, it's an award that's decided by students and faculty and then ultimately decided to come by students and so it made me really proud to know that my class had felt that I that I served them and that I did a good thing to my community.

Kevin Yang Raina Bornstein
issuu.com/thelionsroar yassss | page 23

Congratulations Class of 2024!

The Newton South PTSO

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