MARKING THE JOURNEY OF THE CLASS OF OUR YEAR WRAPPED ACADEMICS ACTIVISM ARTS PG. 16 PG. 23 PG. 33PG. ATHLETICS5 22 Woodward Academy | Issue 4 | Spring 2022
Journalism is special. There is something for everyone, no matter what you’re interested in. We have had writers who refuse to write anything that isn’t sports-related, who always include a recipe in special Butterknife editions, or who only pitch CNN-level political think pieces. In this program we have found passion, home, and family. Although I can’t say for certain what student publications will look like next year, I know it will still be an experience you will never regret. I urge anyone that has a passion for something, a creative mindset, an interest in writing, a love for people, or anyone just looking for a place to belong and call home-- to join The Blade. It changed my life and it just might change yours.
It is with watery eyes and a wide smile that I finally close my laptop for good and say goodbye to The Blade. I will always love not only the words that we wrote and the layouts we designed but the conversa tions we had, the food we ate, the songs we listened to, and the laughs we shared. It has been an honor.
MAYA HEAD EDITOR OF THE BLADE
This class is where I discovered that I loved storytelling, interviews, photography, and design and where I gained the courage to pursue them. From my first day on staff after initiation (yes, I was initiated. There were cloaks and blindfolds.), I was pushed for ward into so many things I would not have found on my own. Whether that was doing interviews backstage at the musical, spending hours on YouTube teach ing myself how to use InDesign, or meeting friends through interviews. I never even considered majoring in anything journalism-related and, yet, here I am hav ing applied to Public Relations in the communications school at most of my colleges. I’ve had the opportunity to write long-form journalistic pieces that I’m extreme ly proud of. It has been so special to now be an editor and see other people begin this journey for themselves. I am extremely proud of all of the staff mem bers who I have seen grow and develop into not only better writers but people I’m proud to call my friends.
PACKER
Can’t wait to read the next issue, Maya Packer
All good things must come to an end and, I must say, the last four years with The Blade and The Butterknife have been very good. As the Class of 2022 graduates, we are all saying bittersweet goodbyes to things that changed our highschool experience for the better. Sports teams, clubs, teachers, friend groups, and whatever else. For me, it’s student publications. It has been anything but easy. We have dealt with low staff numbers, advisor changes, writers not meeting dead lines, unanswered interview request emails, blank doc uments that are supposed to be articles, and answering the age-old question “Wait, what’s The Blade?” But it was so worth it.
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I never planned on majoring in journalism, so why did I take the class? I wanted to elevate my writ ing; however, over the last three years, journalism has done much more than elevate my writing. This course was turbulent to say the least with changing advisers, missed deadlines, challenging layouts, and the unforgettable pandemic. Despite these challenges, when I look back at how far I’ve come in the last three years, I would choose journalism all over again because it grew my character, and I found a com munity.Not only did I find a creative outlet in this class, but also confidence. For my first Butterknife article, I remember the sweaty palms and debilitating anxiety when I did my first interview with an absolute stranger. Now there is no hesitation whether it’s shooting a text, sending an email, or initiating a call. As the Butterknife editor, I can be decisive and be sure of my decisions. I’m confident in my abilities and myself. Because of journalism, I’ve expanded my net work, met one of my best friends, and hid 150 Easter eggs around the Upper School (sponsored by The Blade of course). By being a Woodward student, I’ve always been a part of the community by default, but journalism helped me get involved. When people find out I’m the editor of the Butterknife, they ask me what my favorite issue is. It is not the highest performing issue nor the Matchmaking Survey. My favorite is the April Fool’s Butterknife be cause I could hear the impact of the Butterknife when I’d walk by students as they ask each other “Is prom seniors only?” or “Is Mr. Ross actually retiring?” I also love a good prank. I’ll miss putting out the Butterknife weekly and the staff and advisors I’ll be leaving behind. I’m going to miss the banter between Francesca Henderson and Mr. Cheney, the birthday celebrations, and the random conversations. When I think about journalism, I think of W213 with sunlight flooding through the glass win dows. Some students plug in their computers and open up InDesign while others walk out of the classroom to do interviews; but regardless of what is happening, there is always a conversation to be had. It’s been an adventure.
HEAD EDITOR OF THE BUTTERKNIFE
Already subscribed to all future issues, Elizabeth Yu 3
ELIZABETH YU
STAFF Sithini Chea Neha RomanKogantiHolder Brooke Barrow Maya Packer Hannah Marte ThaoMy Pham Marcus Gray Kailani Moore Elizabeth Yu Francesca Henderson Tito Oyewo 4 EDITORS WRITERS Blade editor- Maya Packer Butterknife editor- Elizabeth Yu Senior Issue Editors- Neha Koganti, Francesca Henderson, Hannah Marte, Sithini Chea Roman Holder Brooke KailaniMarcusTitoThaomyBarrowPhamOyewoGrayMoore
5 OUR YEAR WRAPPED ATHLETICS SYDNEY BOWLES: WOODWARD’S BASKETBALL STAR PG. 14
SINGLETONMATTHEW
“I did a bunch of sports when I was little, but my dad got me into wrestling and that’s when it stuck,” SingletonThroughoutsaid. his time wrestling, he found a sense of independence.“Ijustlike the fact that it was just by myself, not really with a team,” Singleton said. “So everything that happened was on you, and you could decide how it was.”
Throughout his high school career, Singleton has made various achievements from state championships to competing on national teams and traveling out of the country. The climb to the top for Singleton was not easy. Like every journey, challenges came along the way. “I had to change my style,” SingletonOversaid.time, he had to understand what was best in the long run as a wrestler. “I definitely used to be a really offensive kind of guy,” Singleton said. “I would take shots a lot. I wouldn’t always finish them and I’d tire myself out.”
It’s honestly magic. I’ve had the pleasure of watching Matthew Singleton wrestle for five years now. Everytime Singleton steps on the mat, you know you are in for a show. No matter how quick the match may be, a rush of excitement and adrenaline fills the room. From the swiftness of his performance, to his grace and speed on the mat, I can testify that Singleton is a real-life magician.The story of the magic starts back in the small town of Moreland, Georgia. For Singleton, wrestling is a family affair. Singleton began wrestling at the age of 7, thanks to an introduction to the sport by his father, who also was a wrestler.
With over 25 tournaments, Singleton and the wrestling team traveled all over the southeastern region of the United States this past season. Over his four years as an upper schooler, he has won four individual state titles, two individual national titles, and made Team USA for the United World Wrestling (UWW) Junior Greco World Championships.
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Singleton’s flexibility to change all stemmed from his mindset.“I’ve always been pretty good at just being open to change and what other people have in mind,”
SingletonAlthoughsaid.
Singleton loves the independence of wrestling, he finds that wrestling is a collaborative effort. “If you really believe in someone: believe in your coach, believe in your teammates, and take their advice and really work on it,” Singleton said. “You can get a lot better.”
Wrestling HolderRomanBy:
Ponugoti, who started playing at age nine, was also inspired to play tennis by a family member. “I started because of my uncle,” Ponugoti said. “He used to play [tennis] in India and he played at a pretty high level, so he got me into tennis.” For both boys, tournaments are what made them fall in love with tennis.Traveling for his tournaments made Byars fully commit his time to the sport.“I play a lot of tournaments in the south,” Byars said. “I get to play [at] the beach sometimes which is fun. I take time off in the spring for school tennis, but I’m playing tournaments kind of everywhere, all year round.”Thecompetitive nature of tournaments drew Ponugoti in. “[Tennis] became my passion once I started playing tournaments because the competitive side of me started coming out,” Ponugoti said. “It was just Nowfun.”asseniors, the players are leading their younger teammates to become better athletes.
Tennis
PackerMayaBy:
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“He’s really passionate about it,” Byars said.“He wants me to do well. He comes with me to all my tournaments and he watches most of my matches. He sees stuff that I’m not able to see and he’s been kind of a second coach for me.”
While tennis is a team sport, matches are single or dual so the team’s performances add together to determine the outcome, but the players work individually. However, Byars does not let that affect their team-oriented mindset.
“I think the biggest thing is having a common goal and knowing that everyone on the court wants the same thing,” said Byars. “For us, it’s to defend our state championship but making that clear and knowing that we’re all in it for the same reason is a really big deal to me and the rest of the guysIntoo.”their junior year, Byars and Ponugoti celebrated victory with their team when they won the state championship.
“That was definitely one of my favorite high school memories,” Byars said. “[Leading up to the championship,] we lost a lot of close matches that we shouldn’t have lost, but heading into region and state playoffs, that’s when we really started to win. Making that turnaround was the most important part and having that pay off by actually winning state was just very Ponugotirewarding.”alsoappreciated the win after experiencing loss, which made the moment even more satisfying.“We [hadn’t] really won a state championship in a while, and we were close our freshman year,” Ponugoti said. “We got to the state finals as freshmen, but we had a loss and were able to learn from that and then win last year, so that was huge.”
BYARSJACKSONPONUGOTIMYAN
whenplayingstartedByarsjourney.tennistheirstartedthenotteamjoiningHowever,joined.whenteamtennisVarsityonfreshmenthewerePonugotiMyanByarsJacksonandonlythetheythewaswherepairhe was five years old, prompted by his dad who played in high school.
“We’re trying to lead them so they’ll be able to [be leaders] when they’re seniors,” Ponugoti said. “We help them with whatever we can [with] what we have learned through our individual experiences.”
HARLEYCOLBY
“My parents didn’t want me to play football so I tried tennis, but it was boring,” said Harley. “When [they] found out about [Nellya Fencers Club], they wanted me to go because all the kids [were] very successful.”Soon after joining the Atlanta-based club, Harley found himself growing fascinated with fencing. From traveling all over the world to sparking friendships with other talented youths, the intense bouts provided Harley an opportunity to show off his competitive spirit and sportsmanship. Coached by Maestro Arkady Burdan, a twotime Olympic U.S. Fencing Coach, Harley has placed Gold in the Junior Men’s Saber Event at the May North American Cup and the 2019 July Challenge. Additionally, Harley won the 2020 Cadet Pan American Championship. As a firstyear Cadet, Harley was selected to compete in the Cadet World Team in representation of the United States; the Cadet World Team is composed of the top three Cadet fencers in the country. Ultimately, Harley finished in Bronze at the 2021 Cadet World Championship in Cairo. To Harley, fencing is more than scoring points and winning matches; he describes how fencing has impacted his life in a plethora of positive aspects.
“It has [definitely] taught me the importance of strategy,” said Harley. “A talented fencer has [to have] commitment, athleticism, and determination. Even when [you] practice a lot, winning can come down to your choice of strategy.”
When planning strategies with his coach, Harley emphasizes how planning ahead and practicing can help improve overall skill and performance. Out of hundreds of fencing moves, Harley favors utilizing the “parry two” when defeating his opponents since it wins him a great amount of touches. As for his pre-match rituals, Harley typically enjoys a red gatorade alongside Advil to ease his soreness from previous practices. Harley will be attending Columbia University next fall as a member of their fencing team. Additionally, he hopes to take advantage of the school’s extensive law program as he begins his next journey in New York City. Although Harley is unsure of whether or not he will continue fencing after college, he is thankful for the experiences and opportunities the sport has brought to him.
Fencing PhamThaoMyBy: 8
As the youngest to ever earn the title of Division I Men’s Saber National Champion, Colby Harley ‘22 has taken the fencing world by storm since the age of seven. From Alpharetta, Georgia, he originally followed his brother Sage Harley ‘19, who is currently a member of NYU’s fencing team, into the competitive sport. Unlike any of the other activities Harley tried, fencing has stuck with him for the past decade.
“I am excited to fence for [my] first year [because] I will get to make a lot of friends and travel, but I am looking forward to seeing what else is in store for me [outside] of fencing.”
Harrison Lewis and Ford Stratton both started playing lacrosse at a young age. “I was in between sports so I decided I would settle down on lacrosse and I fell in love with the sport ever since” said Lewis. Lacrosse has been a part of their lives for a while so they take a lot of inspiration from it. “The team and playing for one another inspires me the most,” said Lewis. “Our teammates and coaches just drive us to be better,” said Stratton. Playing such a physical sport can be draining, Stratton and Lewis get their motivation by knowing they have people that look up to them.
LEWISHARRISONSTRATTONFORD
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“You want to set a good example for the kids to follow for the next three to four years” said Stratton. Being on a team as close as lacrosse there are many good memories that come with that. “My favorite memories are before games,” said Lewis. “Going to get food and the bus rides—-just making these small memories stick with you more than playing the actual sport,” said Lewis.
Lacrosse can be dangerous so it’s not surprising that there are so many injuries. This is especially true for Lewis, who plays goalie. With offensive players shooting the ball at almost 100 mph, one save with your body can end your season. “There’s a lot of adversity that comes with lacrosse, specifically the injuries,” said Lewis. “We just have to be there for one another when these things happen,” said “LacrosseStratton.islike a brotherhood and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Stratton said. For Stratton, the brotherhood notion of lacrosse took a more literal meaning this season, as his younger brother made the varsity team. “Playing with my little brother has always been a dream of mine,” said Stratton. “Playing with him has been special and is something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”
With so few colleges carrying varsity lacrosse programs, it can be very difficult to receive an offer to play varsity lacrosse in college. Stratton is one of the few who has been able to earn an offer from one of those programs, and will be playing at Rhodes College next spring. While the lack of varsity programs seems negative, it actually allows for more players to continue playing beyond high school, through club teams. Players are able to choose a major university that they’d like to attend, and still play the sport they’re passionate about. Lewis, who will be attending Tulane University in the fall, plans on playing on the club team.
Lacrosse
Moring wants underclassmen who aspire to play multiple sports at the varsity level to know that through hard work and determination they can be successful.“Myadvice is to keep on going, there’s going to be challenges and adversity but if you fight through it all the reward at the end will be worth it,” Moring said.
MORINGMACKENZIE
Scientists have long lauded the pros of playing multiple sports. Studies have shown that playing multiple sports decreases the risk of burnout and injuries.“In soccer, you work on different muscles than you work on in basketball or track, so I rarely overuse my muscles over the course of a year,” MoringHowever,said.
“I was so happy to be able to win a championship for Coach Kim; she works so hard for us, so it was great to be able to do that for her,” said Moring. “Our track and field championship was unexpected because we made a mistake during the relays that cost us points, [but] everybody on the team overachieved to make up the lost points, and we won.”
Moring has had the opportunity to win state championships in both basketball and track and field.
playing multiple sports can be controversial with certain coaches. Some coaches want athletes like Moring to play only one sport, so they can focus on a specific sport year round. “I’ve been swayed to quit by coaches, but I have always stayed mentally strong and continued playing” MoringEvensaid. though Moring does not have the opportunity to participate in preseason conditioning, she believes that each sport she plays keeps her in shape for the following sport.
“Coming off the basketball season, I’m in great condition for track and after track, I’m in condition for soccer,” MorningMoringsaid. is fantastic at basketball and track but is truly exceptional at soccer. She is committed to play Division 1 Soccer at the University of Arizona.“Soccer requires the most dedication and the sport I’ve spent the most time on,” Moring said. Moring has a birth injury to her brachial plexus nerves that limits upward movement of her right arm. However, she does not let this impediment limit her in her athletic endeavors.“My birth injury makes basketball more challenging, but with dedication and hard work I’ve reduced its effects,” Morning said.
Multisport GrayMarcusBy: 10
Playing a sport in high school requires a great amount of hard work and time management. Mackenzie Moring has managed to play three sports in high school, which speaks to her ability to balance academics and athletics.“I’ve balanced [playing three sports] pretty well during my high school career,” Moring said.
“For me, it was originally my dad,” Francis said. “On a lot of our family outings my dad brought me to play golf and it helped me realize how much I liked it. He would always caddie for me and help guide me through it all. Also being on the Woodward golf team has helped me alot. The team has a bunch of traditions that we have always done, like going to hibachi during our state tournament and trips to Jeykll Island too.”
FRANCISALYGolfBy:HannahMarte
For most people, their only experiences with playing golf are simply just at Top Golf. However, golf is certainly more than swinging clubs and hoping you hit the ball; it requires a passion and a drive that not everyone finds right away.
Both Francis’s work ethic and neverending determination allow them to continue playing at the top of their golf game.Golf has always been an important and entertaining part of Francis’s life. Whether it is playing for the school, an outside club, or simply just for fun, it is something that has always stayed passionate within her heart.
“I have been playing golf for ten years,” Francis said. “I have been playing competitively for twelve years though. My parents started entering me into tournaments at eight years old and I realized that it was something that I could do with my life.”
“The hardest thing for me when it comes to golf is finding a balance,” Francis said. “Between school and golf it is really hard to find time to do good in both school and while playing golf. With how time consuming and how rigorous golf practice is, it takes time to find the balance between both. Golf is a mental game. It is not all about strength, but if your mental game is not there, then your game is just not there at Havingall.” a person on campus or off that helps guide you is a key component to success. Whether that is a coach, friend, or family member, having that support can be the difference between being good and exceptional.
Beyond the impact Francis has made on the girl’s golf program, she plans on taking her education and golf skills to Anderson University, a private college located in South Carolina.“I am going to play golf at Anderson University next year,” Francis said. “I am going on a full ride to play golf at the school. My goal is to have a successful college career and be on the team that wins the championship.”
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Aly Francis is a soon-to-be future War Eagle alum and a future Trojan for Anderson University.
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anyway.”wantedtootomyhisolderplayingremember.“IrememberwithmybrotherandfriendsandmomusedtellmeIwasyoung,butItoplaySheplayed multiple sports growing up, including soccer and tennis, but in the end, basketball won out. “I love the competitiveness of basketball. I love the team aspect and meeting new people,” Bowles said. Bowles believes that there is something special about individuals working together for a goal. “I love the feeling of being successful as a group, there is nothing like it,” Bowles said. She was always seen as a special talent even from a young age but she started taking control of her basketball career when she turned 16.
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“If you keep your head down and play well, your talents will always come to light in the end.” - Sydney‘22Bowles
BOWLESSYDNEY
“My dad always used to schedule my basketball training, but when I turned 16 that changed. I started scheduling my own training and getting in the gym a lot more. I wanted to take my basketball journey into my own hands,” said Bowles.
For the last two years, Our Lady War Eagles have had an amazing run filled with both region and state championships. The star of our team has been Sydney Bowles who has contributed her talent in any way imaginable. From being team captain to leading scorer, Sydney has been an integral part of Woodward’s successes.“Iplay any position coach needs me to play, and I do all I can to help the team,” Bowles Bowlessaid. has involvedbeen basketballinfor as long as she can
Bowles gives a lot of credit to her parents for where she is now with basketball.“Myparents help me with my goals and help me craft a path to achieve them. They are always at all my games, so I am really appreciative of all of their mental and emotionalShesupport.”takespride in being the leader of the team and appreciates the trust her teammates have for her. “I try to lead the team by themandteamsureIfullplayokaywillmygames,practicesgivethatbecauseexampleIknowifIdon’tmyallinandthenteammatesthinkit’snottototheirpotential.trytomakeIbringthetogethergiveasmuch knowledge as I can,” said Bowles.
Her favorite school basketball memory was winning a state championship during her junior year. The Lady War Eagles lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs the year before, so they avenged their defeats the following season. “We lost in the quarterfinals my sophomore year, but we knew we had the talent to make it farther. Our coaches told us that we belonged with the teams in the Final Four, and we made it our goal from the
Bowles believes that her leadership qualities have grown the most over the past 4 years. She has become more comfortable being a leader. “When I was a freshman, I worked hard, but I wasn’t comfortable with people following my lead. I definitely have developed into a better leader,” said Bowles.
By: Marcus GrayWoodward’s Basketball Star
Basketball has changed Bowles’s life with the opportunities that it has presented. “I’ve had the opportunities to meet some amazing people, coaches, friends, and trainers that truly care about me and have helped me grow as a person and player.”
She is thankful for past Woodward teammates who have helped her become successful on the court.
beginning of the season to reach the semifinals and win a championship. We worked really hard, and nothing beats setting a goal and accomplishing it. I was so excited that our hard work paid off,” said Bowles.
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“I really looked up to Maddy Cronin ‘20 and Clara Snell ‘18. They really showed me what it meant to be a leader,” said Bowles.
Bowles has lofty goals for her future basketball career. “I’m hoping to win a national championship in college and go to the WNBA,” said Bowles. She encourages young ballers to focus on their craft and not to worry about media attention. “At the end of the day, if you’re good, you’re good. Keep working and don’t worry about having video footage and highlights. If you keep your head down and play well, your talents will always come to light in the end,” said Bowles.
Bowles is extremely grateful for her basketball experience at “PlayingWoodward.basketball for the Lady War Eagles has been an experience of a lifetime and I would not trade it for anything,” said Bowles.
“My goal is to be in the NFL. We can leave after our junior year, and that’s my personal goal to be either in the NFL or working to get there,” said Alston.
FootballBy:FrancescaHenderson 15
Setting the school career rushing record with 4,195 yards and 62 touchdowns, Damari Alston is the best running back Woodward has seen, and it wasn’t unusual to hear the loudspeaker announce “number six.. Damari Alston touchdown!” But, how’d he get to where he is now?Alston’s father made him play football when he was around five years old, and since then he’s never looked back.“Iplayed other sports like baseball, but I think I realized back in middle school [when] I was bigger than everyone, [that] football is my sport,” said WithAlston.53offers and the school record for most yards rushed, it’s safe to say he is correct about football being hisHowever,sport. he’s not really surprised by his success.
“It was always a dream of mine you know just watching football as a young kid [on] Sundays: NFL [and on] Saturdays: college,” Alston said. “[Then], once I got to ninth grade, I began to realize that you know, I could really get some scholarships.” His first offers were from Kent State and Toledo, and after that, they kept rolling in. What does the commitment process look like when you have so many options, and how do you choose between that many schools?“I looked into the school overall along with football because that’s the main reason there, bu tI also have a mom that’s real big on academics, so that’s why when I narrowed down it was between LSU, Northwestern, and Auburn,” Alston said. “My decision did come down to a little more about the football side like coaching changes.”
“You know me setting the record is pretty good, but I want the next running back to try to beat that by their junior or senior year,” Alston said. “It’ll show the tradition that Woodward Academy holds and the standard that we have. I feel like me setting the bar high gives younger players an opportunity to want to come in to beat that.”
ALSTONDAMARI
As far as his legacy at Woodward, he hopes his accomplishments inspire younger athletes to aspire to be their best and hopefully even better than him.
Like every other college freshman, he does have some concerns.“I’m kinda nervous going into college mainly because I’ll be on my own now,” Alston said. However, there’s also plenty he looks forward to. “I want to break records at Auburn just like I broke records here,” Alston said. There’s [also] two running backs in front of me at Auburn and they’re NFL caliber players, [so] I’m really ready to work with them.”This desire to constantly maximize his potential is also reflected in his goals for the upcoming“Oneseason.ofmy main goals is to learn the playbook early, be attentive, and get on the field early as a freshman,” Alston said. What does he hope his future holds beyond his freshman season?
OUR YEAR WRAPPED ACADEMICS SAMUEL JUNG: MAKE THE WORLD PG.INSTRUMENTYOUR20 16
“I just was really fascinated with learning [about] different cultures and how to interact with different people who live differently and speak differently than you might,” Moore said. She found that ASL was purposeful with communicating with those who are deaf, and only know ASL.
“[For] sign language as of recently I just honestly saw it online,” Moore said. “I’m a little bit hard of hearing and I knew it was something that was super useful. I’ve had experiences in the past where I’ve met people who are hard of hearing, or deaf and didn’t know how to communicate properly.”
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“My main thing with learning any language is you have to immerse yourself in that language,” Moore said. “That’s the only way that you’re going to grow as a language speaker. I might watch movies in Spanish or listen to Spanish music, or watch Italian shows. That can really help me just focus on words and grammar and sentence structure. It comes into play when you’re trying to learn and speak.”
Kai Moore makes the extra effort to learn multiple languages outside of school. Her first language is English, but on top of that, she is currently learning Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL), and Italian. Her goal is to become a polyglot, a person who speaks more than one language, by college.Moore has been learning Spanish since she was 5 years old; she attended the Atlanta International School, which had a summer camp created by the school that she went to until she was 10. She expressed interest in learning Spanish due to her curiosity of new cultures.
Moore plans to pursue a career in politics and language by being a diplomat or an ambassador, where she can utilize her language skills and help other countries. She enjoys the rewards of her hard work of constantly practicing various languages.“Honestly, I feel like once I’m able to like go out and see how my hard work is paying off, it’s really rewarding especially considering going to different countries and seeing other people use the language that you’ve been studying forever,” Moore said.
“Sign language is a really big deal, and it’s like a tool that can help bridge that gap which I think language can just do in general,” Moore said.Moore immerses herself in language by using it outside of school in order to strengthen her language skills. She uses Duolingo, in addition to watching Sign Duo, a Youtube channel of a couple who sign. Moore learns new vocabulary terms from it and finds it immensely helpful, and suggests it to others who want to learn new languages.
Everyone must take language for at least two consecutive years at Woodward, but not everyone may go the extra mile to make the effort and take time to immerse themselves in the language.
Moore believes that ASL is essential for breaking the language barrier.
MOOREKAILanguagesBy:SithiniChea
“I wanted Esports and there was no varsity team, so I [wondering]washow I could make one,” said Jung. “But, the first issue [was] that you can not make a varsity team if the varsity sport does not exist, so that’s why I went to GHSA and petitionedHowever,them.”
one day, a wealthier donor expressed to GHSA that he was interested in funding a high school Esports team and because Jung had put the idea on the table, they were able to successfully create the team. He also has interests in several other areas of STEM beyond Esports.“I used to be into [engineering] until like two years ago, but recently I’ve changed from hard sciences into [topics such as] how does our world work and how do we interact and see the world,” said Jung. thisthingsseeingthetechnologybeen]genre,interesttakenperspective.theevolveshow[and]andmind,ofit’scomputing’‘ubiquitouseightiesseventiesaroundcoinedWesier“[Mark]actuallyatermtheorcalledandtheideaconnectingmedia,machine,seeingtechnologyfromconceptualI’vealotofinthatso[I’vecombiningandartsandhowwork.”Infact,itwasinterestin the interdisciplinary relationship between the arts, science, and interactions with the natural world that inspired his independent research project titled ‘The Electric Response of Wood for Guitar Pickups Using Surface Acoustic Wave Transducers’ which essentially allows musicians to play the guitar
For Samuel Jung, STEM has been an avenue to explore his many questions about the ins and outs of how and why things work and it dates back to his childhood.
JUNGSAMUEL
GHSA didn’t have the funding to make e-sports, so it didn’t happen for a few months. But,
“I don’t want to follow this traditional path. I want to make a lot of ideas into reality. That’s my dream gig: inventing things, going after crazy ideas, and making them into a reality.” - Samuel Jung ‘22
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By: Francesca HendersonMake the World Your Instrument
“When I was little, I loved poking around with wires. I got wires off of TV’s and started plugging them into random things,” Jung said. “I liked trying to make things work [and] seeing how things worked. Then, I started reading a lot of books on how things work. How do trains work? How do airplanes work? How do lights work?” He was always looking to satisfy his interests, but never really had a distinct goal. wouldn’t“I say I had a specific passion in mind, I was just going after things,” Jung mentalitythisUltimately,said.go-getterled to the creation of Wooward’s first Esports team and its story is actually pretty unique.
without touching the strings.
“You can make the world instrument.”your - Samuel Jung ‘22
He also envisions this sort of “sticker technology” being used for more than guitars.
“You can make the world your instrument,” said Jung. “You could put the sticker on [a] table or a light and hear their ‘true sound.’”
“I don’t want to follow this traditional path,” Jung said. “I want to make a lot of ideas into reality. That’s my dream gig: inventing things, going after crazy ideas, and making them into a reality.”
“I like looking at music from a scientific angle,” said Jung. “I’m very interested in how we process sound: what makes music so interesting to us, what makes concerts so exciting. There’s not a lot of science going on in those areas [though] just because there’s no money in it like there is with cancer research, bioinformatics, and other big name topics. It’s a whole new genre and there’s a lot of potential applications, and I think that’s really interesting.”
“During concerts the musician brings the guitar and plays super close to the microphone and that’s how it’s amped up, but my thought was what if we could print out a sticker with any design, for example my name, that you stick on the guitar to change those things,” said Jung. “[For it to work,] you hook up a wire to the sticker and it generates an electric field,” Jung said. “Imagine a 3D force and moving your hand in changes the field and that response goes through the wires and converts that to sound…. [and based on] how fast and close you move your hand, you can control the pitch and volume.”After many trials and tribulations, he was able to do just that and it led him to become a 2022 Regeneron STS Scholar–– a title awarded to the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.“Igotthe email during English class and was [very excited], but I was not expecting to win,” said Jung. “There’s 300 winners of the STS scholar, but in Georgia there’s only two to three every year. The winner this year was a guy who did research at MIT on math with a guy who won a Nobel Prize for Math, so I was kind of an underdog.”
But, more than anything he just wants to make really cool visions reality.
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“I have always liked story telling, ever since I was a kid and I think that was a natural segue for me into writing,” Dade said. “I was always good at English and always had a knack for writing, so I just got into it at a really young age. Both of my parents are also writers, so that also helped me find inspiration to enjoy writing.”
Inspiration is something that is a necessity for any hobby. When it comes to writing, that is a must to find. Creative writing is not a skill that all people have, but for the people that do inherit it, it is something that can take you above and beyond in life. Sonali Dade is one of these people who got lucky enough to inherit the creative writing skill.
“My inspiration for writing came at a really young age,” Dade said. “I used to go to The Children’s School and in second grade we had to write in journals once a week and one week I wrote about a 25 page story at seven years old and my teacher was really impressed with me. That made me really discover my interest and skill in writing.”
To find inspiration in something a spark must be lit. Not everyone can sit at a desk and begin writing. Whether Dade found inspiration at a young age or later on in her life, it is safe to say that she will carry that with her forever.
Finding a person to help further your skill in something is important for everything. Whether that person is a teacher at Woodward or just a person at home, deepening connections with those people can help anyone move from point A to point B with just a little push. “Ms. Hewett was one of these people,” Dade said. “She helped me talk about aspects of writing that do not necessarily come naturally to all people. [My parents] both used to be journalists, so they helped me find inspiration and give me that natural knack for writing. Also Dr. Zaring, she was my junior year English teacher. I wrote an essay in her class and she encouraged me so much and helped me submit two pieces to this award that I actually ended up winning.”
Although it is easy to find an activity that you are good at, it is not easy to always like said activity. Specifically with writing, writers can easily get bored, lose motivation, or get writer’s block that might delay the writing process for however long it takes to get the passion back. “Writing can be frustrating, that is for sure,” Dade said. “But when it is not frustrating, the opportunities writing brings along with it are so endless to explore many different aspects of life. You can dive so deep into so many topics, you can talk about grief, love, race, gender, and your own personal journey while also making all of these connections to so many different people.”
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But, the topic that consumes most of his readings is constitutional law and“Itheory.spend a lot of my time during the day researching [Constitutional and political] issues and doing a lot of reading about them,” said Gardner. “So, if I see a political issue I’ll probably go and read about if that’s shown up in our past and how we’ve handled it in the past… if it’s a Constitutional issue I’ll go back and read first the Constitution and then read Supreme Court decisions and articles and papers and legal journals.”
Zach Gardner has a particularly strong affinity for the humanities because for him, they provide an opportunity to learn about the human experience from multiple perspectives, as well as the duality between the theoretical and practical.
So, how exactly did he discover this deep love for politics and the Constitution? Well, a lot of it originated with his parents as well as his government and English teachers at Woodward.“Myparents kept me interested in politics throughout my life, [and] my dad’s a pastor, so for my whole life, I’ve been surrounded by biblical stories and ways of approaching textual analysis.”
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“Politics is one of those disciplines where it can easily go between the humanities and more theoretical and then the social sciences where you deal with policy, polls, [and] governance, and I think it’s a very fascinating blend between the theoretical and the very practical.”
“In literature, I love looking at the art of writing [and] the way that people can communicate ideas [and] emotions through language and how through stories we can relate a lot of these elements of the human experience,” said Gardner. “I’m really fascinated in how we organize society: what the best way is to do that, and looking throughout history at different forms of government [and] different ways in which people have organized their societies and saying ok what works, what doesn’t, and how can we improve in the future,” Gardner said.
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He’s also an avid reader and specifically loves non-fiction, history, biographies, and any other genre that enables him to read about real people, events, and ideas.
After graduating from Woodward, he hopes to begin the journey towards the legal field. He even had the opportunity to jumpstart that process this past summer when he interned for Judge Elizabeth Branch of the 11th Circuit Court of“TheAppeals.plan is to go to college, major in politics, go to law school and then after law school clerk for a federal judge, [and] if I’m lucky clerk for a Supreme Court Justice and then go on the path of having a legal career,” said Gardner. “I really want to work on constitutional law and tethering the importance of constitutional law and the history of that to current events and making sure that politics doesn’t lose its roots in the Constitution.”
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Faulkner currently doesn’t have any employees and works entirely by herself. Owning her business comes with perks because she has control over her time and doesn’t have to worry about someone directing orders for her to follow.
Faulkner knew that her old art teacher, Mike Dillard, ran a commissions business and was able to make a living off of it. She wanted to emulate his commissions business by running her own business.
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“[I enjoy] the fact that I get to choose my clients,” Faulkner said. “I get to choose when I work, how I work and what my breaks are. It’s been a lot more freeing. It’s allowed me to take care of my health a bit more and it makes me just interact better with my Entrepreneurshipclients.” is useful for learning many things, but she especially has learned how to trust herself and be more confident. “Learning to trust yourself is definitely the most important,” Faulkner said. “Not only is it just a good life skill, but you feel so much more completed. You feel so much better and more confident in yourself and it feels great.”
“I’m really inspired by my old art teacher,” Faulkner said. “I just thought he was the coolest guy and the fact that he did commissions on his own and made enough money to live on just always stuck with me.”
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Many students have various passions and interests, and some of them may be so passionate that they have the drive to create their own business from scratch. Keely Faulkner is passionate about drawing and making clothes, leading her to create a commissions business and a sewing business; she has been running her commissions business since 9th grade and her sewing business for two years. For commissions, she draws designs of clothes, characters, etc. As for sewing, she discusses the specifics of the desired article of clothing from measurements to fabric to ensure she can cater the clothes to their desires.“Iget a basic idea of what my client wants,” Faulkner said. “We discuss the pattern, we take measurements and we discuss the fabric and then after all the pattern and the fabric and all of that is set, I cut, sew and then I allow my clients to try things on so I can make some minor adjustments if it doesn’t fit right.” She felt motivated to begin her business, which is now overloaded with clients, due to truly doing what she loves and enjoying it more than other lines of work that are not as enjoyable.“It’salways something I really wanted to do,” Faulkner said. “A lot of the jobs I’ve worked have been really hard on me so doing something that’s a lot easier and makes me feel more fulfilled was just something that I was very happy to do.”
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Long’s and Hicks’s campaign for homecoming court was very successful, although Long didn’t know what to expect heading into it.
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“It was nerve-wracking,” Hicks said. “I’m already an anxious person, but being in front of everyone, especially when it was partially because I was gay, was really scary.”Nonetheless,
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“I had to remind myself that I was doing this to help other people,” Long said. “That’s what really helped me get through it.”
After harboring much support from the Upper School community, she felt more confident about her and her partner’s chances of making it to the final round.
“It made me nervous because I didn’t want to see people talking badly about us,” Long said. “I didn’t think we would go anywhere with it, but the more it became a possibility, it made me really happy to see everybody supporting us.”
Having an LGBTQ couple on the court was a big step in giving visibility to people who identify with sexual orientations other than straight. Not only does it bring a new perspective to the student body, it also proves to others that it is possible to be successful, no matter who you“Ilove.want other people to feel valid,” Long said. “I really hope that we can see more queer representation for the court, because that would be really great for Woodward and [for] kids to feel included in everything.”
Melanie Hicks harbored some apprehension about sharing their relationship with the Upper School.
Long wasn’t the only one who was anxious about the campaign.
Katie Long, who escorted her partner Melanie Hicks, was very excited to make an appearance to the student “Itbody.felt like a dream,” Long said. “I’ve always wanted to make other people feel like they’re not invisible.”
Long understands the importance of what the couple’s representation meant to other queer students.
A long-held tradition, which Upper School looks forward to during Homecoming week, is when students vote for their favorite couples for the Homecoming Court. Largely dominated by straight couples in the past, there has been no representation of the LGBTQ community–that is, until 2021. In October, Katie Long and Melanie Hicks made history as the first queer couple to be voted onto the court.
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Hicks echoes that hope for the future representation of all high school couples.“I really hope that this was cool to a younger queer kid who had only ever seen straight couples on homecoming court.”
Currently, Cochran owns one of the largest card stores on eBay and has even been featured as a premier seller on several of eBay’s virtual sports cards conventions such as Virtual Holiday Sports Card Con in December 2020 and Virtual Holiday Card Show in December 2021. He expanded from just eBay, to Instagram and Facebook, and has amassed a following of 7,000 followers.He hopes to continue his business in the future and donate a portion of his profit to the Epilepsy Foundation to help those in need who have suffered through epilepsy. “My business is definitely, for me, a passion with a purpose,” Cochran said. “Given my medical journey, I make sure to donate part of my proceeds to The Epilepsy Foundation as one of their retail donation partners and hope to continue to be able to as I enter this next phase of learning and life.”
As for the condition of the card, it included how well the card was taken care of, specifically centering, corners, edges and surfaces.
“I remember the first time I logged into eBay and created an account while I was at Mayo Clinic,” Cochran said. “That first month I was charged so many seller fees. It took a while to understand the platform and associated business costs.”
Daniel Cochran owns a sports cards business.Daniel was driven to commence his sports card business when he attended the grand opening of a local sports shop the weekend before his brain surgery at Mayo Clinic, in Minnesota. He won a prize raffle and left with a Connor McDavis “Young Guns” Canvas, which was graded a BGS 10, also known as a Black Label Pristine. BGS 10 is the highest achievable grade combination. Connor McDavis plays center for the Edmonton Oilers, of the National Hockey League.
“The card then sold for $700 and I quickly realized I could make a profit while recovering,” Cochran said. “My business continued to grow from there with over 150k cards in inventory today, shipping daily to customers all around the world.”
His business started off small and he learned along the way what works and what doesn’t.
Sports are undoubtedly a huge part of many people’s lives. Sports have merchandise such as sports cards, which are extremely valuable to fans.
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He has been proudly running his online business since 2017. He is on multiple platforms, including his website: https://deezcards. com/, Instagram: deezcards_13 and Facebook: deezcards13. He believes that time management is key to running a successful business. Most importantly, he has learned how to provide the most quality experience to each one of his customers. He enjoys meeting people around the world who are different ages but still share the same hobby as him.
During the early days of the pandemic, many Woodward students thought about what school would look like in person. Would we have to wear masks? Would we have enough sanitation products to keep everybody safe? How would staff keep the surface around the school clean Bradleyfrequently?You‘22
You has big plans for Aegis for Schools that extend after the pandemic. He plans to increase the membership of the organization and expand its servicebased projects in creative ways. “I’m trying to broaden the range of my organization,” You said. You understands that his role in the organization will likely change after graduation, but he still wants to continue his involvement in some way. “I’m going to give a lot to the next leadership team and I am going to take a more backseat approach,” You said. The success of his organization demonstrates that passion combined with hard work can truly create something special.
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His non-profit, Aegis For Schools, reaches across the Metro Atlanta area. They donate products wherever there is an unmet need to protect children.
“We talk and connect with a lot of the staff, principals and counselors. We try to get them to promote us to other schools,” You said.
“We managed to contact over a dozen schools to facilitate our mask donation,” You said. His team relied on the community to support their efforts subsequently. As the pandemic continued, these resources became more expensive and harder to finance in-house.“We mainly got our funding on the second donation from the community,” You said.
“We saw a lot of concerns from teachers and parents about how schools were going to be supplied with masks,” You said.You teamed up with some friends from other schools and decided that they would be the solution to this problem. They used their own money to buy masks and sanitation products, which they delivered to schools.
“If you’re very passionate about something, and you have high motivation, I don’t see why you can’t make a great organization,” You said.
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You manages social media and the website for Aegis For Schools. Unsurprisingly, the commitment requires a great deal of time during the week, and he has to manage his time well. “We can range from 20 hours a week to just a couple, depending on the time of year,” You said. You values the relationship he builds with schools. He interacts with anybody from principals to students.
realizes that it was likely that private schools would have money for masks and excess sanitation products, but it was unlikely that public schools would have enough resources to protect every student.
“We don’t focus on a specific district,we just choose any school that needs help with mask supply,” You said.
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Forming lifelong friendships with the student body is one of the most rewarding experiences in leadership according to Tompkins. Aside from getting to know the students, both Packer and Tompkins developed their leadership skills with the help of faculty mentors.
“My mom always likes to tell the story [of how] I got in the car after the first day of ninth grade and told her that I was [going to] run for class president,” said Packer.
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and I am so glad that I [joined],” said Tompkins. “[Being elected as] senator [and] vice president [and] president was a fun deal, and I have made so many friends along the way, whether [or not they are] in [my] grade. I got to interact with people who I would have never thought I would become friends with.”
SGA sponsors Jill Bounds and Chris Myers have been two main supporters of Packer and Tompkins, affirming their leadership as students throughout their Upper School careers.
For Maya, Laquinta Montgomery, an English teacher and BSU sponsor, and Rebekah Goode, the yearbook advisor, have provided comforting, influential presences in her leadership positions.
“[When] I left my old school, I was the fifth grade vice president so when I came to Woodward, I wanted to be onHowever,SGA.” since the Lower and Middle Schools do not have an SGA, Packer waited until she was in the Upper School to begin making her mark on the student body. Packer’s older sister Nija ‘19 was also a prominent member of SGA and BSU. Through student government, Packer has grown close to another influential student leader, Emeri Tompkins Tompkins‘22.isnot only the senior class president but also copresident of the Math Club, an Ultimate Frisbee captain, a peer leader as well as the winner of the Graliker Leadership Award. Tompkins recalls making the choice of joining SGA on a whim after hearing of a meeting on the announcements. As an excellent organizer with [thanwhole.facultyrelationshipsanfoundcommunicationimpressiveskills,TompkinsthatSGAprovidedheropportunitytogrowclosewithupperclassmen,andthestudentbodyasa“SGAbecamesomuchmoreafantasticopportunitytome],
Upon seeing the pink feather boas, posters, stickers and treats decorating the Tyler Brown Student Center, a seventh grade Maya Packer ‘22 started planning her future SGA (Student Government Association) campaign right then and there. Now as SGA president, co-chair of BSU (Black Student Union), head editor of the Blade, and a peer leader, Packer continues to be driven by the constant compassion, decisiveness, and determination that she carried into the Upper School as a freshman.
“[Ms. Montgomery’s] support and confidence in me is everything,” said Packer. “Knowing that she is in my corner [always] checking in on me is very helpful [since it is important] to have someone who recognizes that I am doing a lot [and] emotionally supportingPackerme.”has known Goode prior to her arrival in the Upper School since Goode was also her sister’s journalism advisor. Packer describes how Goode has guided her through leading the Blade staff since she has experience in the journalism teaching community. Packer credits Goode as part of the main reason why she is interested in journalism. With being the only girl on the Math Club board, Tompkins is thankful for the guidance of Swannee Park especially for her encouragement over the years.
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“All plans come from thoughts, and everybody has good ideas,” said Tompkins. “[However], when you’ve got a clear vision of what you want to do [and] a way that it can efficiently be put into play, people are [more] likely to agree with you [and your perspective].”Aleader has great responsibility to notice issues among the student body and address them with calmness and an open heart. Packer has been a driving force behind encouraging the need of more African American students in peer leadership. Since the student body grows more and more diverse, having a peer leader that a younger student can immediately identify and relate to is important to Woodward’s close-knit community of students and faculty.
“There are kids that are new to Woodward that don’t share the same culture as say a White vintage Eagle peer leader,” said Packer. “I saw how hard it [was] to connect and bridge that culture [gap], and I think it’s important to have people from [different] cultures to help [new students] acclimate to Woodward.”Packer expresses how she hopes to leave behind a legacy as a student who genuinely cared about the Academy. With being the only student advisor among the search committee responsible for electing the new Vice President, Packer is grateful to President Stuart Gulley for believing in her abilities
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As student leaders, Packer and Tompkins have worked together to boost school spirit through advancing the culture of the student body. To Tompkins, one of the greatest accomplishments of her leadership was establishing the addition of hoodie sweatshirts to the Woodward uniform.
“Be authentic and be yourself because that’s what you’re bringing to the table.”
“Getting [the sweatshirts] all over campus, whether [it is in] the Upper School through the Primary School and up to Woodward North [was a great achievement] for Maya and I,” said Tompkins. “I see them everywhere now and just to know that I was part of making that actually happen is really cool.”
With the Class of 2022 being the first to ever reach 100% for senior giving, Packer emphasizes how much closer the seniors are as a community now compared to the beginning of freshman year. From the pep rallies to out-of-uniform competitions, the Class of 2022 were really not together as a class.
“Ms. Park has helped me to be sure of myself [and affirm that I] am a voice of reason and that [I] was selected to be part of the board because [I am] capable and organized [with] good ideas,” said Tompkins. “[She would often say that] I have reason to speak up and not be afraid to tell [the other members] about my ideas.”
Pitching ideas in a large group can be difficult especially when it comes to getting the point across. Speaking up for your ideas, actively participating in conversation, and being a listener is among the necessary characteristics in a leader in Tompkins’s opinion. She stresses how backing up claims with great examples can get others on board with your ideas. Not only can planning out your initiative aid your communication skills, but it can also encourage others to do the same and speak up in the best manner.
“COVID brought so much tension, and we are very different people,” said Packer. “For us to come out of [the pandemic] and get 100% participation in senior giving [shows] me that we have the ability to overcome [anything], and we still have a sense of togetherness.”Compared to previous years, SGA has stood out among the student organizations through encouraging students to participate in out-of-uniform days by creating unique activities with the intent of building a close-knit community. Working together in SGA, Packer and Tompkins have formed the ultimate dream team as the two share remarkable qualities while standing out in their own special ways.
“Maya and I are two sides of the same coin,” said Tompkins. “She’s very outspoken and more of a creative type [while] I’m literally the exact opposite. I’m more of a sit and listen type of person [and much more into] organizational tasks like number crunching and to-do lists. If [Maya] is North on a compass, I am South.”When it comes down to compromise, Packer looks at the situation at hand depending on the crowd she is dealing with. Packer believes that the three most imperative qualities a leader possesses includes being a firm decision maker, a kind and compassionate figure, and a listener open to ideas. One of Packer’s personal favorite methods of dismissing disagreements is through“Youvoting.cannot think that you are right all the time because, of course, leadership is about you leading, but a large part of leadership is also following,” said Packer. “Being open to changing and accepting other thoughts and perspectives [is important] because if you stay stuck in your own opinion, you’re not going to grow [or] help the people you’re leading.”
as a leader and respecting her opinion. She describes the selection of Nigel Traylor as among the multiple aspects of her legacy at Woodward. In addition to SGA and BSU, Packer has spent the past years as a writer for the magazine, the Blade, which is another place where her legacy can be seen even after her graduation.“Iwant to be remembered [for] keeping the Blade legacy intact since we went through so many [challenges], and I have been reading the [magazine] since I was in middle school,” said Packer. I [do not] want the Blade to turn into something that forgot all of [its] legacy, [considering] all of the heart and soul that so many of our past members [molded into it] for what it is today.”Asfor Tompkins, she believes that her legacy is embedded into the sweatshirts that students wear every day when they step foot onto campus; she takes pride in knowing that she was a shoulder for her peers to lean on. Her advice to future student leaders of Woodward reflects how she has overcome challenges in leadership.“Justlisten, learn, [and] stay true to yourself,” said Tompkins. “You know what’s important. You know what your morals are, and you know that you’re there to better things for everybody else and [those followingBeingthem].”able to be in the leadership positions she is in on top of taking difficult AP classes and being Homecoming Queen means the world to Packer; she believes that since the positions like president of SGA and head editor of the Blade have historically been separate, it is important that students specifically younger black girls can understand that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. Packer prides herself on being her best version, constantly maintaining her energy and enthusiasm in any task she takes. Her advice to the younger classes revolves around being genuine as nobody can be the exact same, unique person as you can.
“All plans come from thoughts, and everyone has good ideas.” Tompkins
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“Be authentic and be yourself because that’s what you’re bringing to the table,” said Packer. “I’m not bringing Michelle Obama [or] Steve Jobs to the table. I’m bringing me to the table, and that’s what’s special. Be confident in your leadership because you [are there] for a reason. Somebody chose you [and] wanted you there. You’ve worked hard to get there [so] enjoy it.”
“Through the classes and intensives I took, I realized that the main issue was that I was not aware of many of these things and if I was, I didn’t realize the depth of it,” said Reese. She also discovered a passion for helping fight hunger. So, before the annual canned food drive, Reese created informational videos about what food insecurity is, how it affects people, and the differences between food insecurity and hunger with the goal to educate the student body on why they should participate in the drive.Lack of opportunities is significant to Vemuri, as well. Since many local children don’t have access to instruments for free, Vemuri designed a clinic at the local Jesse Draper Boys and Girls Club where she and a few other members of her orchestra performed for the children there, as well as gave them the opportunity to play a few of
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Going forward, Pham hopes that ASL will become a permanent part of the HorizonsLikecurriculum.Pham,Amanda Reese also views education as an important part of service.Aftercompleting a summer internship with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Woodward’s service learning summer course, Reese discovered how unaware she was of many issues.
“ASL is the third most common language used in America after English and Spanish,” said Pham. “But, [the deaf community] doesn’t have enough representation or people who can speak ASL outside of the community.”
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For ThaoMy Pham, Amanda Reese, and Anika Vemuri service is more than a graduation requirement, it’s an important aspect of life. All three choose to pursue a distinction in service learning in hopes of educating and bettering the community.ToPham, service is a way of bringing awareness to issues, and she used her distinction to show alliance with the deaf community by teaching American Sign Language. She realized she had an interest in sign language after her best friend, Kai Moore, began to teach her ASL. Then, after she met a girl who was hearing-impaired on Omgele and conversed with her using ASL, Pham realized how meaningful it is to learn.
So, in hopes of changing that, this summer, Pham and members of the ASL club will be partnering with the Horizons program at Woodward to teach third through fifth grade studentsTheyASL.will begin by teaching students basic conversational skills and how to sign their names, but Pham hopes that by the end of the summer the students will be able to successfully sign an entire song.
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Music isn’t one of the most common choices for a career, but it did captivate Zoë Schwartz. Not only did she believe that it is the fitting career for her, others believe so as well. She is a commendable player for the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra for four years.
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“I think I realized music was my passion when I started to take it seriously. I realized that I actually want to spend time practicing and working on music, and I didn’t want to just do it as a hobby,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz enjoys exploring this style of performing arts with a group of people rather than by herself. “I honestly like playing in a group better,” Schwartz said. “ I feel like hearing all the different parts come together to make one thing.”
During her freshman year, Schwartz discovered the extent of her passion for music, an essential turning point in her music career.
With taking several AP classes and maintaining extremely good grades, Schwartz sometimes finds it difficult to keep up with her work and her music simultaneously. However, she does not let this pose as an obstacle for her and has learned to equally balance them. “I just think of music practice as another piece of homework to do, so they’re equal priorities,” said Schwartz. “I’ve had weekends with 11 rehearsals and performances, so it’s difficult to catch up on work or work ahead, but I think most of the time, it’s part of balancing fitting music with academics, [which comes with practice].”Duetothe notion that music is sometimes not the safest path to choose as a career, Schwartz’s parents had some caution towards her choice but nevertheless support her completely.“They’re really supportive. They come to my shows and just encourage me [in general],” Schwartz said. “They were a little bit wary about it at first because it’s not a super lucrative career but as long as I enjoy it and I’m not feeling pressured into it, then they’re very supportive.”Yet,Schwartz believes that practicing even more and at an earlier age would have aided her career greatly and has mild regrets not doing so.
Schwartz centered her decision of choosing Brown University as her top school on being able to delve deeper into music and pursue another interest simultaneously.“Iwanted to be able to do something as well as music,” Schwartz said. “[At Brown], I’d be able to double major easily and explore different options. I also had a [music] lesson with a teacher there and I absolutely loved her.”
“I definitely wish I had started sooner,” Schwartz said. “Fourth grade isn’t that late to start, but I feel like if I had a more stable foundation, it would have made it easier. The only other thing I regret is just me not practicing enough.”
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As a pre-professional for nearly 6 years at both Atlanta Ballet and Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Solomon believes that her dance experience has made an impact on her life.“It makes me happy,” Solomon said. “I love all the people and it teaches you a good discipline to push yourself in that way, all the time, which translates to a lot of other aspects of life.”
Space. Time. Force. Shape. Four elements that comprise one of Mira Solomon’s favorite passions: dance. Though her hobby requires much time, dedication, and effort, Solomon thoroughly enjoys doing dance, which actually arose out of one of her previous sports. “I was a competitive gymnast for seven years,” Solomon said. “It was great, but then it became very stressful and the gymnastics community isn’t the most happy place you can be; there comes a point, like a breaking point. I then did competitive diving at Georgia Tech and ballet [simultaneously], but then it came to a point where I had to pick–– I was either in the Junior Olympic diving or a pre-professional in ballet.”Solomon then gradually fell in love with all of the aspects of dancing throughout the years.
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In fact, Solomon has gained much insight and knowledge from her experience as a costume designer for Terminus dancers. “I had to deal with difficult clients,” said Solomon. “The choreographers who I had to design clothing for weren’t always easy to please. But it was a really great experience. I did learn a lot about mass production and what goes into that and why tutus are so expensive.”
“I love that cycle of rehearsing everything so I fell in love with [dancing] over time; it wasn’t immediate,” said Solomon. However, Solomon found it difficult at times to dance, but she still persists through any obstacles she faces due to her strong love for the performing art. “It was during COVID, when everything was still shut down, that I injured my back,” Solomon said. “I got really frustrated because we weren’t performing due to COVID, and I was hurting every time I took class. I [questioned myself], ‘why am I doing this?’ Then I actually got into the studio one day, and I remembered why I loved [dance] so much; I love the people and the cycle of performances.”Inaddition, Solomon connected her fondness for dancing to her interest in fashion and sewing, which appeared in her life far before she began“They’redancing.both about movement, like moving somebody. I will sew for dance and I will be inspired by dance [elements] when I’m sewing,” said Solomon.
Lomax and Jones have been in the world of theater before they attended“I’vehighschool.doneashow a year since second grade,” said Jones. “Being so committed to something always takes time and effort.”
“My love of theater started to grow even more when I started participating in shows,” Lomax said.
“What drew me to Woodward’s theater program was its diversity,” said Lomax. She enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing the community that theater created. “I will miss getting to know theater kids in other grades,” said Lomax. “In theater we became such a family’s new community. No matter what grades we were in or what our interests were we were all passionate about theater and it brought us closer!”Being a part of a community where one feels accepted is always a great thing to “Beinghave.asenior, I am definitely going to miss the people and the environment, but because of them I feel like I am ready for the next chapter of my life,” said Jones.
“The theater kids are my second family—-we’re all really close,” said “We’reJones.always there for one another which makes the whole experience even better,” said Lomax.
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Theater is an important part of a high school experience whether it be participating in one or watching one. Chloe Lomax and Alena Jones show two different sides to theater that makes it so special. Lomax participated in the musical by performing in it while Jones manages the backstage work to make sure everything goes smoothly.
The Woodward theater program has always been popular among the Woodward community because it is special and unique.
Since so much time and effort goes into theater, bonds are bound to be found during that time.
Jones appreciates seeing all of the hard work she put into the show come“Mytogether.proudest moment was definitely getting to watch Mamma Mia in the audience,” Jones said. “I worked to help bring all of the technical elements of the show to life and getting to watch it all come together on stage was incredible.”
“During show month, I always spend more time at school than I do at my home,” said Lomax.
LOMAXCHLOE JONESALENA
For Carolyn Clayton, her talent is the arts, and more specifically, jewelry.
By the start of sophomore year, Clayton really figured out that jewelry was her passion. She felt that she needed more one-on-one help in addition to the regular classroom time she received.
Clayton is an accomplished artist, she hopes to take these skills to a college focused on the arts, so that she can work to have a successful career in such a alternative field compared to most professions.“Iwant to do jewelry as a career,” Clayton said. “I really enjoy it and I want to do something that makes me happy, like making jewlery does. I hope to have my own commercial line and make certain things for people. I love when they give you creative freedom because you get to interpret what they want. I am going to Rochester Institute of Technology next year to help me achieve my goals.”
You start off by taking jewelry 1, but depending on your skills you could possibly move up into the higher level classes of jewelry making. “I just started making jewelry for fun,” Clayton said. “I saw a kid doing jewelry one day and I then asked Ms. Engelhart to teach me and help, which gave me a step up. Officially I started doing jewelry my junior year, but unofficially beginning of my sophomore year.”
Finding a time to perfect your work outside of class is something that many high school artists do not realize could be the difference between success and just being average. “I find time whenever I have any free time,” Clayton said. “I doubled up in my art classes as well. I get really impatient sometimes though, so I have to step away. Mr. Cunningham has been really helpful in assisting me in that which has helped me a Althoughlot.”
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Being lucky enough to go to a highschool that embraces all types of talents is something to be grateful for.
“For me it was both Ms. Engelhardt and Mr. Cunningham,” Clayton said. “Both of them just love teaching and they adore their students and they just create such a great environment for not only me, but everyone to blossom and grow in their work.”
“I wasn’t really getting much out of painting,” Tovin said. “It’s not that it was a bad class –– it’s just that it wasn’t something that I was as invested in. I wasn’t as proud of the work that I was However,producing.”hisdrawing and painting classes did not go to waste, for he used the skills that he learned in these classes and applied them to photography, which allowed him to further enhance his photography skills.
“What I like to do is try to merge [the techniques that] I’ve learned from working with other ––such as composition skills, lighting, knowledge– – with the technical aspects of photography, such as how to use the camera, develop the pictures and film, and print the pictures in order to create my artistic vision,” said SeveralTovin.aspects of photography intrigue him, but a significant one is the social connections he made and will continue to make through this form of art.
“I’ve met so many people, not through taking pictures with people, but through the events that I’ve attended, because I have a job of taking pictures,” Tovin said. “I’ve made a lot of friends who are now in the marching band, because I would go to their events all the time. In that sense, it’s just kind of a way to open my eyes, because [I realized that] there’s a lot more people here that do so many different things. I’ve learned so much about various activities that I had no idea about [previously].”
Click. Jordan Tovin ‘22 focuses his lens on his subject and captures it with just the right light and angle, creating a photo that depicts the story he envisioned in his mind. Tovin began experimenting with photography during his freshman year, and this passion has been a part of him ever since. During his junior year, Tovin enrolled in the Yearbook staff, for he knew that this path would be the suitable one for him due to his interest in photography. In addition, he almost immediately became the Photography Editor of the Yearbook, an unexpected surprise; this position placed huge responsibilities on him, although he was not afraid to undertake“Asthem.lastyear progressed, I kind of developed this archive and this album of pictures because I was really the only person on campus for a really long time taking a lot of pictures for the yearbook,” Tovin said. “I was also developing my interest in analog photography simultaneously as I have access to the darkroom. [My interest] just built on itself. I’ve just gotten so many opportunities, and I love doing [photography].”Tovinrealized his true passion for photography over any other form of visual art when he couldn’t hold himself back from going into the photography room to experiment with the film and the printing process during his painting class.
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Another essential part of photography that enthralls Tovin is its special components ––components that people are generally oblivious“Photographyto. is a lot more than [simply clicking a button],” said Tovin. “You’re combining your artistic vision with the environment around you, and everybody has a different perspective of how they want to view the world. I think photography is one of the easiest ways to emulate that vision to the world, because, in essence, you’re getting what you see, and what you see will differ based on the person.”
By: Neha KogantiTHE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA
Tovin is an active member of GSPA, or the Georgia Scholastic Press Association, which is a way to connect with other publications around Georgia and other student journalists who are passionate about journalism. Though last year
“I want to get to a sense where all my pictures 100% speak themselves.”for-JordanTovin‘22
“I felt a special burden last year to take pictures for publications, knowing that a lot of the people who had experience in photography in years past that have been on staff for multiple years, were at home because of the pandemic,” said Tovin. “But on the other hand, sometimes when I was forced to attend various events, amazing things happen, and I had the pleasure of capturing them on camera. It’s definitely worth it after you see how many moments you captured throughout the However,years.”Tovin decided not to pursue photography as a career but rather expand on this art and apply his skills to photojournalism where he believes he will learn much more and become“Isuccessful.chosephotojournalism because it’s a way that I can travel, take pictures of both the things that I love and have an influence on the world,” Tovin said. “If I choose between [photography and photojournalism], I would be more likely to choose journalism or photojournalism, just because there’s not really a whole lot you can do with a photography degree. I definitely think there was something to be said about learning how to take pictures that told the story. It didn’t just have artistic value but also held artistic weight and held that story somewhere in there.”
was somewhat difficult to be an active member, Tovin believes that this year is much better and he attended a conference at University of Georgia along with Elizabeth Yu ‘22 where he wrote articles and conducted interviews.
He experienced some difficulties in balancing doing schoolwork and being the Photography Editor as well as a GSPA board member; several times, he came home late at night from events and barely had time to do any homework, but nevertheless he regards his experiences as quite rewarding.
He decided to apply to Corcoran School of Arts and Design at George Washington University in Washington, DC., for he felt as if this school was where he could receive the best opportunities in regards to Tovinphotojournalism.wasbeyondexcited upon his acceptance into the school and hopes to expand on his photojournalistic skills that he can use to become potential chief Associated Press photographer for Washington, DC., his life ambition. He wishes to learn how to take each of his photographs so that it makes a powerful statement and has an impact on “There’speople.acliche line that says a picture’s worth 1000 words,” Tovin said. “If you do something super special you should be able to talk about it, but it’s very true that your pictures should speak for themselves. While I definitely feel like I’ve gotten better in that sense, I definitely feel like I want to get to a sense where all my pictures 100% speak for themselves. I want to get to that point where they all tell their own story.”
41 On left page: Contemplation Top: Back Again Bottom left: Skating Bottom right: Here It Is photos by Jordan Tovin
Visual arts, specifically painting, has filled Annabel Goncalves’ world for several years. Goncalves decided to pursue painting in high school, a decision that she is quite content with due to the new medium she was able to delve in.
GONCALVESANNABEL
“I knew I wanted to continue visual arts, but I also didn’t want to do anything like sculpture or anything other than 2D [art forms],” Goncalves said. “I’ve painted previously just mostly with watercolors at that point. I knew we would be doing paintings using acrylic paint, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is my chance to kind of explore that new medium.’”Through her painting class at Woodward, she was able to deepen her love for acrylic painting.
“With acrylic painting, I enjoy being able to manipulate the canvas and the colors; I think I wasn’t able to do that with watercolor so much,” Goncalves said. “I feel more competent working on a larger scale with acrylic than watercolor. I think the process of where you start from stretching the canvas and building it to the end and seeing this [finished] piece makes you feel super proud of yourself. You might not like the way it looks in the end, but you can at least honor what got youInspiredthere.” by renowned artistssuch as Élisabeth Vigée le Brun and Tamara de Lempicka, whose artworks contain many female subjects, Goncalves centers her work around female archetypes and feminism.“Anything from angels to Eve, I’ve made artworks that are kind of satirical in discussing that theme,” Goncalves said. “One thing I really love to put in my paintings is Victorian flower language, [such as] Lilies of the Valley, dahlias, and lavenders, which has historically been a symbol of lesbian pride.” She hopes to continue her passion in visual arts beyond her high school career and into college.
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“[In addition to fine arts], I’m also looking for art history courses, [where I can learn] the techniques we use and how painting came to be,” said Goncalves. “I feel like there’s certain art history courses in college which [center around] feminism, which I’m excited about in addition to [a broad range of] new opportunities.”
Always There, painting by Annabel Goncalves. photo courtesy Annabel Goncalves Lover’s Eye, painting by Annabel Goncalves. photo courtesy Annabel Goncalves
Before freshman year Ambrus had never played the bass and he did not even know how to read sheet music. Since he was so behind, he would go home every day and practice.“I probably practice at least 10 minutes a day,” Ambrus said. “I don’t have that much time to practice because of school, but I still make it work.”
AMBRUSVAUGHN
Vaughn does not just express himself in band, he also makes his own music outside of school. Vaughn started producing music after a rap battle during freshman year. “I can’t rap but I can make beats.”
Ambrus is not only in band because he loves making music, but he also loves the environment the marching band gives him.
Vaughn Ambrus joined the Marching Band his freshman year of high school out of the band’s need for a bass player. “I figured I needed something to do for high school, and band seemed like the right fit,” Ambrus said.
Vaughn gets inspiration for his beats through everyday sounds.“There were a bunch of fluorescent lights that were flickering so I decided to use that sound,” Ambrus said. Ambrus has a couple of songs on Spotify and Bandcamp, and is currently working on his album.
People believe that music helps people express themselves in a different way; this theory proves true in Vaughn Ambrus’ case.
“There’s a lot of great people in band,” Ambrus said. “I’ve met a lot of great people these past four years, and they still have an impact on me today,” Ambrus said. The marching band practices long and hard, not just for football games, but for competition as well. Through these long hours Ambrus stays motivated by thinking positive thoughts. Vaughn tells himself to “try his best” and to “have fun.”
Though Ambrus is busy with his music production he always makes time for band, and because of that he has many fond memories from it. “My favorite memory is winning competition,” Ambrus said. “During your senior year you start to realize that there are a lot of last moments and winning was kind of surreal.”When thinking of a least favorite memory from band the only thing Ambrus could recall was carrying all the equipment. “There is a lot of heavy lifting and it’s tiring, so I get grumpy,” said Ambrus. The class of 2022 only had one real year of high school before COVID-19 hit. “Band took a big hit due to COVID” said Ambrus.
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“We lost a lot of numbers, going from 89 freshman year and then 60 sophomore year is hard.” They could not compete and the shows weren’t the same anymore.
Dream. Laugh. Give. Be kind. Believe in yourself. Don’t divide by zero. Expect surprises and embrace spontaneity. Circuitous paths are more scenic.
College is full of amazing opportunities and possibilities. Take full advantage of those opportunities to make new friends, discover new interests, and to get involved.
Be true to yourself. It’s fine to experiment and discover different things but don’t forget who you are, where you’re from and what your core beliefs are. Don’t try to be something you aren’t in order to please others. Keep your identity. That will serve you well. Always be open to learning something from every person you meet and conversation you have. Sit back, take a breath, and think hard before you form an opinion.
If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room. To the best of your abilities, and as frequently as possible, slow down and appreciate the moment as it is unfold Knowing. yourself and who you truly are. Celebrate your accomplishments and know that your failures do not de fine you. There will be both rain and sunshine in your life but know that the rainy days do not last forever. The sun always shines again! Go forth and show the world how great you are!
The present moment is just that a moment. Never sacrifice your character for that moment. Take every opportunity presented. It may not come again. Happiness Always! You are a scholar destined to succeed. Always strive for excellence and remember not only to set an example but help someone else along the way! When you’re in college, try to go to classes....it makes a difference come finals time. Wake up every day and CHOOSE to be the best version of yourself!
Don’t sweat the small stuff in a world where you can be anything, be kind. Have fun!
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WORDS OF WISDOM MESSAGES FOR THE CLASS OF 2022
Demand excellence, but be prepared to pay for it!
Hard pill to swallow: it’s okay if college is not your thing. Figure out what you are good at, what you love to do, or something that you want to try and are willing to learn, and monetize that. I promise you will have a much more fulfilling life if you think like this. I didn’t teach any seniors this year (my first year at Woodward), but I hope my advice stays with you! You are more than what you can do academically! Find your niche and do what makes you happy!
Often take time to hit pause. Look around. Think. And appreciate your good fortune. And be grateful.
Explore your passions, seek new opportunities, never be afraid to take risks and be confident in your ability to handle whatever life throws at you.
Surround yourself with people that celebrate you- Dr. Hendrix
Best of luck and sending all the positive vibes as you navigate adulting. ¡Sí se puede!
You don’t have to decide what you want to be for the rest of your life, just decide who you want to be first. Build on the positive experiences of your past to create more positive experiences in your future.
Be brave! Do what you think you cannot do!
“People are always asking, ‘What can I do as an individual to save the planet?’ I always say, ‘The best thing you can do is be less of an individual.’”
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Surround yourselves with people who will both cheer you and hold you accountable. If you do this, you will be successful.
Make good choices, stay healthy, study hard, AND have fun!!
— Bill McKibben, environmentalist and climate activist Class of 2022 - Embrace every experience that comes your way as a chance to excel. Pursue new opportunities, even when they scare you; often it is necessary to step out of your comfort zone to grow. Choose to see the po tential for learning in every situation, and do not waste energy focusing on the negative. Finally, remember that every person with whom you come into contact matters, therefore treat them all with dignity and respect. I had an advisor in college that always used to say, “It’s hard to fly with eagles when you’re surrounded by turkeys.” That message always stuck with me, and I’ve found it to be true. You will become like the people you choose to surround yourself with. Surround yourself with people that will challenge you and inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
Always remember, life is about relationships. Tell people you cherish what they mean to you and learn to ap preciate the little things in life. They will sustain you through good times and bad. Godspeed Class of 2022!!! Make us proud!!
SILLY SUPERLATIVESSENIOR RESULTS FROM THE ANNUAL SGA SILLY SUPERLATIVE ELECTION MOST LIKELY TO BE THE NEXT COACH MEYERS GRACE HALL & BRYSON JACKSON CUTEST COUPLE THAT NEVER WAS CADE CAHOON & ALLYN TUCKER WORST DRIVER MARY ELLE MASTERSON & KAYLEE BELL MOST LIKELY TO BE LATE TO GRADUATION TITO OYEWO & ADELEINE NARDONE BIGGEST FLIRT BEN VALDES & LILY BULSON MOST LIKELY TO DATE A FRESHMAN JACK DEMPSEY & THOMAS FREER 47
BEST GLOW UP ROMAN STALLINGS & LEA BOURNE MOST LIKELY TO BE ID’D WHEN THEY’RE 30 ALLIE RAGAN & EVAN BREITZKE SISTERS FROM ANOTHER MISTER MOLLY DEVINNEY & CLAIRE ASBELL BROTHERS FROM ANOTHER MOTHER ETHAN FAIRCLOTH & FORD STRATTON CLASS MOM & DAD MAYA PACKER & JACKSON BYARS MOST LIKELY TO BE A CULT LEADER VAUGHN AMBRUS & SAMUEL JUNG BIGGEST INSTIGATOR ROMAN HOLDER & MADDOX HUSBAND 48
“I leave behind my beloved Stitch backpack to Dejah Bush.” - Sarah Westen
“I hereby pass on the duties of the ‘Shoot that Ball’ cheer to Elle Overstreet ‘23.” - Brooke Barrow
“I leave behind my rugged good looks to Zackary Weiss.” - Lee Johnson
“I wish to leave behind my outstanding frisbee skills to the Woodward Academy Girls Frisbee Team.” - Elise Webb
“I will now pass on my position as one of Mr. Cunningham’s assistants to Audrey Cordier.” - Michelle Franks
“I bequeath my beloved locker #169 to whomever will appreciate its comedic value.” - Rainey Mills
“I do proudly bequeath my amazing morning latte recipe to Callie Mitchell, so she too can be awake and pre pared for class.” - Isabella Orkin Emmanuel THEIR
OUR SENIORS LEAVE
“I hereby bestow upon my freshman, Delaney Cooper, Kameron Herring, Kayla Whitner, and Keeley Chapman the back section of the locker room.” - Zoe Scott
LEGACIES 49
“I wish to leave all my fabric to Maria Hickox, my cloak to Void, and my existential dread to all the underclass men.” - Keely Faulkner
“I leave behind the marching band uniforms and all of their issues to Priya Storey.” - Katharyn Fenzl
“I, Brooke Aiko Yamada, hereby dedicate my entire seven years at Woodward Academy to the members of Gamma Theta Alpha of the Class of 2022.” - Brooke Aiko Yamada
“I leave behind my stick bag tags to Sarah Marsh and Sam Mitchell.” - Mythili Kartik
“I hereby lay my 12 ft pole to rest with Miss Maggie Nievera.” - Molly Devinney
THE LAST WILL TESTAMENTAND
“I hereby bestow upon the entire rising senior class this invaluable piece of knowledge: anyone younger than you doesn’t deserve rights.” - Connor Phillips
“I hereby leave behind ownership and control over any future changes to Sensei Box in the capable hands of Sam Mitchell. Even if you never end up learning how to fold a paper crane, feel free to continue making sure Sensei box never goes hungry =^). Finally, in regards to the demanding job of harassing Sahara Sensei, I would like to leave the duty to all of my classmates (Sans Colby as he is also a Senior) in Japanese Three. It’s a trying task but I am sure each and every one of you will be able to live up to it. I wish all of you the best! I cannot WAIT to see where all of you go, I know there is no limit to how high each of you can fly, so shoot for the stars y’all! Know if you ever need me, or even if you just want someone to talk to, I will be here for you so do not be afraid to reach out to me!” - Jade Faulkner 50
“I do hereby bequeath my esteemed title of SGA “Grill Master” to Griffin Sorrow.” - Jackson Byars
“I do hereby leave my Luh Geek Twizzy Yeat Turban to Chase Stegall and my collection of Ronaldo figures to Jackson Smith.” - Christian Cameron
“I hereby bequeath my Model UN Notepad to Heather Frisch.” - Riya Sachdeva
“I leave the heavy burden of my dictatorship to rest on the shoulders of Griffin Sorrow. Good luck, you’ll need it.” - Maya Packer “I do hereby bequeath several bottles of radiathor from the prop shop in Richardson to Kennedy Rogers, Domi nic Gibson, and Grace Putnam.” - Chloe Lomax
“I hereby bequeath my baboon onesie and the title of band party animal/hype beast to Bryce Jackson. Scream your heart out little one :)” - Vaughn Ambrus
“I do hereby bequeath my Cunningham door pieces to any Visual Arts student who wishes to continue them and my period piece to Ms. May Engelhardt.” - ThaoMy Pham “I leave the role of jaded robotics senior to Heather Frisch.” - Michael Tye
“I hereby bequeath my theater rehearsal seat to Grace Putman.” - Madison Woods
“I do hereby bequeath my award for best Upper School Advisor to William Peter Hightower.” - Jackson Hightower “I wish to leave behind my guitar book to Mr. Hunt.” - John Dempsey
“I give Jaylin Tate my parking spot in the senior lot.” - Deon Williams “I wish to bestow the swim team captaincy to Henry Hughey.” - Josh Armour “I will leave behind my coveted spot in the lunch line to Will Hightower.” - Matt Hightower
Y’all remember when you were baby freshman and 2022 was a far off dream? Look at you NOWWWW! I will never forget the honor and joy of watching y’all grow throughout your high school career (even if you made me crazy on occasion ;) – truly I will never take it for granted! We grew up together in a lot of ways ... I supported y’all through classes and friend drama and relationships and y’all helped me maintain perspective and kept me energized as I learned to be a mom. Let’s not forget that you kept me humble and brave by entering me into a freestyle contest in front of the whole school (#LawDog4lyfe). While I was devastated to leave y’all a year early, I have enjoyed keeping up with our class and praying for you throughout this year. The best is truly yet to Ascome!you go off to college, a few things came to mind that I wanted to share:
w4. Remember who you are! No person or experience is worth giving up your values or reputation. There will be plenty of people and things vying for your attention, but you were made just the way you are for a reason and the people put in your life need to see the real you! Shine bright!
Class of 2022!
1. Remember people’s names! You are about to meet so.many.people! You never know how they may impact your life or how you may impact theirs. Plus, nothing is worse than having to reintroduce yourself to the same person multiple times. Set yourself apart. Be intentional with people.
3. Ask for help! While college is so fun and exciting and a time to focus on YOUR future, be mindful of times when you or the people around you need help. It can be overwhelming to “figure out your future” while juggling everything else college life has to offer. Lean on your advisor, school mental health programming/ther apists, mentors, pastors, priests, friends, and family when you need it.
A FINAL GOODBYE FROM MRS. LAWSON
Mrs. L 51
2. Never again in your life will the freedom to responsibility ratio be so lop-sided as it is in college. You have so much freedom, with little responsibility. Be a good steward of this time despite the temptations that are surrounding you. You will never have access to so many diverse opportunities at once at your fingertips. Take advantage of the opportunities to serve, grow, learn, volunteer, study abroad, roadtrip, work, make friends, etc. Most of all, have good fun!
Y’all have given me so many wonderful memories and I am honored that I had the privilege of getting to know you. Please keep in touch and let me know how things are going. If I can ever do anything to help you, I surely will! All my love to you and your families! Ready, set, GO M.A.D. (make a difference). Keep it 100(00000)!
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022!
FOLLOW US AT @THE.WA.BBK Class of ‘22 celebrates their victory at the Spring Fling Powder Puffs game
