The Blade Graduation Issue 2020

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Born in the wake of 9/11 and graduating in the midst of a global pandemic, the Class of 2020 has proven time and again that they have resilience in their DNA. In this issue, we wanted to highlight some of the members of this outstanding class and all that they have accomplished.

Despite unprecedented challenges second semester, seniors finished their high school careers with diligence and lots of plans for the next chapter of their lives. Although these students were unable to toss their caps in May, we eagerly await their graduation ceremony and any opportunity to celebrate them. We thank the senior class for all that they have done for the Woodward community and their patience during such strange circumstances.

The Class of 2020 has no problem getting their voices heard, and their lasting impact will not be forgotten.

Thanks to some of the members of the senior class, major changes have been made to ensure an inclusive experience on campus for every student, regardless of their identities or backgrounds.

Michael Taylor White worked with President F. Stuart Gulley to make changes to the uniform dress code that included natural hairstyles for male students of color. Matthew O’Stricker not only served as the student government president; he is now the only person under the age of 40 on the Anti-Racism Task Force which will work to ensure Woodward is living by its mission to be a place of diversity, equity and inclusion. Micaela Stewart started a tutoring and mentoring program which focused on supporting and celebrating Transition students.

The Class of 2020 didn’t just excel to get into good colleges; they left valuable legacies which make our community even better.

The Blade staff is eternally grateful for the senior editors who worked tirelessly all year to publish our work, even amidst the pandemic. To the Class of 2020, we are so proud of your accomplishments and cannot wait to see what your future brings.

Table of Contents exploring VOICE..............3 exploring DIALECT.........4 exploring MUSIC.............7 exploring IDENTITY.......8 children of the MILLENNIUM..10 exploring ATHLETICISM......12 exploring OUTLOOK.....18 exploring DANCE...........20 exploring LEARNING....22 exploring BANTER.........24 silly SUPERLATIVES..... 26 words of WISDOM.........28

Staff Jackson Fryburger ‘21 Dylan Jordan ‘21 Sebastian Skinner ‘21 Chloe Lomax ‘22

Editors in chief Aspen Andrews ‘20 Naomi Censullo ‘20 Junior Editors Carly Breland ‘21 Yasmin Khan ‘21 Alina Noorani ‘21 Lexi Rogers ‘21 Grace Ross ‘21 Maya Packer ‘22 Elizabeth Yu ‘22

Adviser Ms. Rebekah Goode Proud winner of the 2019 National Scholastic Press Association Diversity Award

The Blade is the student news publication of Woodward Academy

1662 Rugby Ave College Park, Georgia

exploring

VOICE

Even speaking up for yourself can be hard, but Promis Gimeskel tapped into her ability to speak up for others.

by lexi rogers ull-time student.

Part-time employee.

Youth council board member.

Devout and involved church member. Community center treasurer. Student Diversity Leadership Conference attendee and workshop facilitator.

Outspoken Ethiopian-American.

Leader.

In December of 2019, Promis Gimeskel ‘20 learned and grew surrounded by young leaders wwlike herself at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Gimeskel and six other students went to Seattle, Washington to learn about equity and inclusion and how to support efforts to create learning environments respectful of all. Though Gimeskel– according to school counselor Ms. Tonya Dedeaux who mentored her since Middle School–had long been a student who encouraged others to be the best versions of themselves, SDLC was a catalyst for her organizing efforts.

Ms. Jennifer Knox, Director of Character Education and Ron M. Brill Chair of Ethical Leadership and SDLC chaperone, saw the impact the SDLC experience had on Promis.

“When I dropped her off in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon, she was almost an entirely different human being,” Ms. Knox said. “When I picked her up, she was walking differently, and she was alive. This was true for all six of our students, but Promis is someone who buzzes with intensity when she’s excited about things.”

Before attending SDLC, Gimeskel spoke on a Black Student Union panel discussion about the use of the “n-word.” She used her opportunity to speak to share the discomfort of other students when teachers read the word in teaching. At the conference, she consciously worked to expand her natural empathy and compassion.

“In my eyes, my role was to learn new insight about things I wasn’t aware of,” Gimeskel said. “[I learned] about the broad spectrum of gender and how to go about situations when I’m unsure about something.”

Gimeskel also picked up useful skills that could be applied to the many leadership positions she holds.

“I learned how to be more vulnerable, even if that makes me look vulnerable,” Gimeskel said. “I also learned how to sympathize with people, even though I haven’t been through the same thing as them.”

After a transformative and validating experience at SDLC, Gimeskel

and the rest of the students who attended returned to school and led an impactful activity about core identifiers for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI). The committee consisted of teachers from all grades and various administrators. “[The activity] really helped attendees examine our own identities but also those of our co-workers,” Dr. Elizabeth Burbridge, DEI member, said. “We could see how many variations and how much diversity of experience exists at Woodward in certain categories but also how much work is needed so that we see diversity celebrated across all core identities.”

Gimeskel continued her community building work outside of school.

She served on the Community Service Board for the United Orthodox Tewahedo Youth organization and as the youth treasurer for the Tigray Community Center. There, she spent time with other kids whose parents immigrated from Tigray in Ethiopia. “[The center] is where we get to know each other,” Gimeskel said.

“They teach us about where we’re from and give us academic opportunities like tutoring sessions.”

As treasurer for the center, Gimeskel applied for grants and fundraised to obtain the financial support needed to provide activities.

She also served as a board member at her church.

“I’m one of the people who helps the kids by organizing Sunday school and figuring out what gospel songs they’re going to sing,” Gimeskel said.

While maintaining all of her leadership positions and taking advantage of opportunities like SDLC, Gimeskel helped customers at her job at Publix and supported her fellow War Eagles as a manager for the varsity boys basketball team.

In the next chapter of her life, Gimeskel planned to attend the University of Pittsburgh as a pre-law major.

“I will miss Promis next year but know that she will be following the path that she needs to fully embrace who she can be,” Dr. Burbridge wrote in her college recommendation for Promis. “If that is a Supreme Court Justice, well, I’m going to say I called it.”

3

hen William Gore ‘20 was five, his grandmother introduced him to the Greek alphabet. From that moment, his interest in studying other languages grew. Gore’s voracious curiosity led him to mastering several languages at once, creating his own languages and traveling the world for free.

“From a young age, he became hooked on sorting through the alphabets and their intricacies,” Jane Gore, Gore’s mom, said. “He wanted to know if there were other alphabets, and we’d show him other ones even if we didn’t know them, like the Cyrillic alphabet.”

As he grew older, Gore learned to pursue his love of language on his own.

“I started reading the dictionary, and there was a page that had [about] eight different alphabets listed on the page,” Gore said. “I thought that was the coolest thing, and I wrote the letters over and over again.”

However, Gore’s hunger for language did not stop with alphabets. He took French in middle school and added Chinese to his class load in high school.

“When I applied to Woodward, one of the things I really liked was that they had Chinese,” Gore said. “I decided to take French because my mom speaks French, and I could practice it at home.”

Besides studying French and Chinese in school–the two languages Gore considers his strongest–he works independently and with friends to learn other languages in his free time.

“I have a collection of books,” Gore said. “Right now, I’m focusing on Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Hindi.”

He does not consider himself to be fully conversational in any of these languages yet, but he hopes to become more competent in each of them.

Regardless his level of proficiency, Gore’s mom appreciates his willingness to communicate using what he does know.

“I was always amazed [by] how he wasn’t afraid to speak to someone in a different language, even if he knew only a little bit,” Jane Gore said. “I was always self-conscious. I studied French, and I would never just walk up to anybody and start speaking French unless I knew exactly what to say. But, he’s never been afraid. It was always amazing to see people when he attempts to speak to others in their language and [to see] how their faces light up.”

Gore was first introduced to Chinese at a school he attended in Ohio, and he immediately enjoyed the language.

“When I was in first grade, my school switched from Spanish to Chinese,” Gore said. “Chinese was completely different and new, and I thought it was really interesting. That’s what sparked my love of languages.”

Gore’s high level of interest in the Chinese language matched his skill level as demonstrated by various accomplishments and

exploring

DIALECT

From the ABCs to whole grammatical systems, William Gore plays–and adventures–with language. by josie pickett

awards. He received the Star Student Achievement Recognition award from the Georgia Chinese Language Educators, passed the Hànyu Shuipíng Kaoshì (HSK) Chinese Proficiency Test and won the first place Superior Award for the Level II group at the southeast area Jiang-su Cup, a Chinese speech contest for high school students sponsored by Emory University. The latter award led to a huge opportunity for Gore.

To prepare for the competition, Gore wrote a speech with the help of one of his Chinese teachers, Cheng Lao Shi, which he had to memorize and then present to a panel of judges from China.

He won the Chinese two-division, and the top three people from each division earned all-expenses-paid trips to China.

“I love Cambridge so much that it was worth all the trouble.”

4

William Gore

“I just walked in and gave a speech, and all of a sudden, I was going to China,” Gore said. “I was really surprised because all the other kids were really good too.”

Gore’s Chinese teacher said she was not surprised at his victory. She has had a couple of students win the competition in the past, and she knew what to expect from William and his talents. Additionally, he was allowed to skip Chinese 3 in order

to take Chinese 4 and be better prepared to take AP Chinese his senior year. Gore excelled in his AP Chinese class senior year and was grateful for the opportunity to take the highest level of Chinese instruction at Woodward.

“Everyone says he has some talent in learning languages,” Cheng Lao Shi said. “Because he studied in China for one month in the very intensive program, he was allowed to skip Chinese 3 and is now doing very well in Chinese 4.”

Gore lived like a college student the summer after his sophomore year during his stay in China at the Nanjing Forestry University campus.

“I was staying in the international student dorms, and there was a lot of freedom,” Gore said. “It was nice because we each had our own rooms.”

Although he spent more time in the classroom over the summer than he does during the school year, working with very few breaks, Gore’s experiences in China cemented his desire to study the language in the future.

“I would really like to go to Cambridge University, but it’s a stretch because they only accept around 20 American students a year,” Gore said in an interview during his junior year.

When Gore began applying to universities his senior year, the reality of those numbers began to sink in as he learned more and more about what was required of American applicants to Cambridge.

“I wanted to apply to Cambridge,” Gore said. “It’s been this dream I’ve had for a few years now. The closer I got to it, it seemed less and less possible. I kept learning how convoluted the application process was, and how many hoops you had to jump through and how low the odds are for American students to get in. But then I was like, ‘I’m going to try and do it.’ I visited and decided that I wanted to at least try because I love England, and I love Cambridge so much that it was worth all the trouble.”

The British school system functions very differently from the system here. Students there do not get grades from their teachers, and the college admissions process relies heavily on standardized tests they take called the GCSEs. Students who intend to go to university take multiple practice exams in preparation for the final exams that determine which school they attend. For Gore, applying to Cambridge was extra challenging because Cambridge did not really care about the grades he had worked hard to earn throughout high school. He never even notified Cambridge that he was Valedictorian.

To supplement his lack of a GCSE exam, Cambridge’s admissions board looked at his grades, his AP exam scores from his junior year and even his predicted AP scores for his senior year which had to be acquired through interesting means.

“Ms. Bounds did this because I had to find a teacher to be my recommender. [She] had to go around to all my teachers and figure out what my predicted scores were on my AP exams,” Gore said. “Then they wrote this long report, and I had to write this essay that was not like an American college essay because it was all about why I want to study Chinese because that’s the subject I applied for. You have to apply for a specific subject.

You don’t get to go there and then choose. Your spot that you get in the university is for studying a certain subject.”

Gore also had to travel to South Carolina to take a test that he found out about a week beforehand. His last-minute preparation worked out, and eventually, he found out he had secured an interview at Cambridge.

Gore had two weeks to prepare for the interview and book a flight to England, but the interview itself posed its own set of challenges.

“It’s not like an interview in the U.S. for college where they want to get to know you as a person,” Gore said. “They ask you really tough questions about your subject that don’t have an easy answer, and then they watch how you fail. The point is it’s good if you can answer them, but they keep going until you just can’t answer a question. They want to see how you react to that.

My interviewer was like, ‘solve these linguistics puzzles,’ which I was not expecting, but I loved it because I love linguistics.

I explained differences between English sentences that were barely different, explained the subtle shades of meaning that were different, and read Chinese out loud to prove that I actually had learned some before. Then I had to discuss current events.

At the time, the big current event was the protests in Hong Kong. My interviewers asked me about what newspapers I was reading, and when I told them, they were like, ‘well,’ and then they waited for a while. ‘How do The Guardian and the South China Morning Post compare in the vocabulary they used to talk about the Hong Kong protests?’ I obviously hadn’t read The Guardian or the South China Morning Post closely enough to know what words they use differently to talk about this one issue, so I had to speak more generally and they seemed satisfied with that.”

The admissions committee was, in fact, satisfied because in January of his senior year Gore received an offer to study Chinese at Cambridge’s Churchill College with a world-renowned Chinese professor. Gore visited the college he was admitted to within Cambridge over spring break and knew it was the place for him.

“Every student I met was super friendly, and I learned some cool things that made me feel like I could picture myself there,”

5

Gore said. “Only 16 people got offers for Chinese in the whole university, only two at Churchill. So, it’s me and this other kid who’s a French international student. I got to meet the teacher who’s the Churchill Chinese teacher. I’ll have one-on-one lessons with him once a week throughout all of university. He’s awesome and reminds me of my grandfather.”

Although Gore still had to get a minimum of four five’s on his AP exams this year to secure his spot, and the whole process was shaken up by the coronavirus outbreak, Gore felt confident he would make it to Cambridge.

Students in England were also affected. Their final term of school was canceled, and the all-important GCSE exams were canceled for the first time since 1888, including throughout two world wars.

Gore planned to apply his ability to pick up new languages to a career in foreign service, potentially as a diplomat. He said he saw the unpredictability of the job as a bonus.

“You don’t get to decide [where you go], so you get sent somewhere, which I think is cool because I like learning new languages,” Gore said. “I would like to be sent somewhere where I didn’t already know the language.”

Besides working to comprehend various languages, Gore has taken up an additional hobby.

“I started making up my own alphabets, and eventually that transitioned into me making full languages, not just alphabets,” Gore said.

The process of creating new languages is comprehensive and involves an understanding of linquistic rules and steps that Gore has developed over time. First, he decides which sounds each language will include. Then, he adds in basic grammar, begins to create words and then starts stringing together simple sentences.

“Gradually, I add more grammar and more vocabulary,” Gore said. “Hopefully, someday, I’ll stay with one long enough until it’s actually usable.”

The Governor’s Honors Program offered Gore spots to study both Chinese and French following his junior year, but he turned down both offers, choosing instead to study Arabic in Morocco through a Department of National Security program that grants high schoolers the ability to travel to other countries in order to learn the language, live with a host family and experience the culture.

During his time in the program, Gore lived in Rabat, Morocco’s capital, and experienced the language and culture fully, despite some bumps in the road.

“I was there for seven weeks,” Gore said. “While I was there, I had Arabic class every morning, and every afternoon I explored Rabat. I stayed with a host family which was really interesting because there was a big language barrier. I was only able to communicate with my host parents because I knew French because everyone in Morocco speaks Moroccan Arabic, 6

which is a completely different language [from the standard Arabic courses I was taking]. So, it was easier to communicate with my host family in French than Arabic most of the time, but by the end of the program, I’d learned enough Moroccan Arabic that I was able to talk to them in Arabic instead of French.”

Gore left for Morocco only knowing the alphabet and some very basic language fundamentals. By the time he left, he was conversational in a wide array of subjects. He credited the program for his success.

“I was able to talk about big, cultural issues, like racism, and economic things like unemployment rates, so I think–given the amount of time I had to learn–the program was amazing in that we were able to learn so much Arabic in a really short amount of time,” Gore said.

Gore made friends with Morrocan students, and he has maintained them via Instagram messaging. During his stay, he found a few favorite activities that became his go-tos.

“One of my favorite things to do was really close to my host family’s house,” Gore said. “We went to visit the Old City of Rabat, and there are all these street vendors. They told us not to eat most of the food because you could get food poisoning, but the things that we were allowed to eat were really good. There were vendors selling fresh sugarcane juice and all these old book shops that had books in Arabic and French and English all mixed together in piles on the side of the road. It was really fun to go to the medina and look at paintings and handicrafts for sale and look at books in three languages at the same time. We did traveling outside of Rabat as well to places like Tangier and Marrakech, but some of my best memories were in Rabat and exploring where we were.”

Gore had high expectations for his future, and his mother believed that his ambition has played a part in Gore’s success so far.

“He’s having these wonderful experiences all over the world because he’s willing to put himself out there without fear of making mistakes,” said Jane Gore.

exploring

MUSIC

Hannah Coetzer fell in love with playing the tuba and the second family she found. by chloe lomax unflowers spark inspiration for Hannah Coetzer ‘20. Ever since Coetzer drove past Georgia Tech’s campus and saw their marching band play, she knew she was destined to play the tuba, or as she likes to call it, “the sunflower.”

Originally from South Africa, Coetzer moved from South Africa to Dubai and then from Dubai to Atlanta. Coetzer came to Woodward in January of her fourth grade year, but Hannah’s love story with the tuba began one memorable day when she drove past Georgia Tech and saw their marching band perform. “[When I joined band] in fifth grade, we were going through all the instruments trying to pick which one we wanted to [play], and we could try out the sounds,” Coetzer said. “One day, I was driving past the Georgia Tech campus, and I saw their marching band practicing. I saw their tubas on the field and I was like, ‘Mom they look like sunflowers. I have to play the sunflowers.’ I went back to school, and I said, ‘How do I get to play the sunflower?’ [The band director] said, ‘You start on the tuba, and then in marching band you play the sousaphone.’ So now I play the sunflower.”

The ambitious goal Coetzer set as she gazed at all the gold “flowers” glinting in the hot sun on the Georgia Tech field may have seemed unattainable for a ten-year-old girl, but she didn’t let her size, or the hard work required, deter her.

“When Hannah first joined band, my son was the band director,” Mr. Ken Beard, Band Director, said. “We didn’t have enough people who played tuba, and in order to have a good band, you have to have variety. We needed someone to play tuba, and Hannah went up and said, ‘I’ll play the tuba.’ She’s been playing tuba ever since.”

Although Mr. Beard said he knew that Hannah was a positive and upbeat person, he still worried about her playing such a large instrument. He could tell that she was in pain while practicing, but he never heard her complain. They took the right precautions to make sure that Hannah

stayed safe and unharmed by the instrument, and she continued to play.

Hannah’s resilience and unwavering positive attitude were some of the qualities that she was most known for among her bandmates, and she said she built those qualities learning to play the tuba.

The passionate personality Coetzer cultivated to sustain her through all the hard work radiated positivity all around her.

“I have to play the sunflowers.”

Hannah Coetzer

“The band went to Italy to play in the Rome New Year’s Day parade,” Mr. Beard said. “It was a mile and a half parade through the city of Rome, and as the band was marching, all of the tuba players looked at Hannah, and she was still going strong. That same trip, she got an ear infection. We took her to the hospital. She was tough, and she came back and completed the trip.”

Hannah’s hard work paid off and allowed her to grow in the band which she said she viewed as her second family, a part of her that she held close to her heart. She loved what she learned about not only the tuba, but also herself through band. “[Band] has shown me how I can stand in a leadership role,” Coetzer said. “It’s shown me how I can be a leader and never be afraid to stand up for what I believe in.”

Beloved by her fellow band members and band director, many of her school family said they felt excited for Coetzer’s future but sad to see her go. The feeling is mutual.

“Without band, I’d be a completely different person,” Coetzer said.

7

exploring

IDENTITY

Along with his own journey of self-discovery, Michael Chapin strives to help others with theirs.

by yasmin khan any know Michael Chapin as a charismatic, creative character around campus. Beneath his joyous persona, however, is a determined soul fighting an uphill battle to make the school a more inclusive place. Coupled with his ongoing struggle to be accepted himself, Chapin’s road-map to find community is one most high school students cannot fathom.

Chapin came out as gay during his freshman year. Coincidentally, this was also an election year–a period when outspoken political opinions were at an all-time high. He was already anxious about how people would receive him. The election of President Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed anti-LGBTQ+ politician, and his Vice President Mike Pence, a supporter of electroshock conversion therapy, only propagated Chapin’s worries.

“In truth, I did not accept myself for years,” Chapin said. “Because of the stories on the news and [America’s] history of homophobia, especially aimed at young people, I thought being gay was a tragedy that would see me kicked out of home or dead.”

Although a better future seemed distant, Chapin wanted to embrace his true self after coming out.

Initially, he sought validation from his peers. He spread himself thin for months on end, adamant on maintaining good relationships. But after recognizing that genuine acceptance can only come from within, Chapin changed his outlook.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I know now that if people had turned on me, it would have eventually been for the best,” Chapin said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be around people who can’t accept someone else because they supposedly love wrong.”

Looking back, Chapin even acknowledged that he would not have done anything differently when he came out––including the temporary period of doubting his self-worth. “[I would like to think] that I would be more trusting if I [did] something differently,” Chapin said. “But, honestly, I do not think 8

[that is the case.] I was working things out on my own, and I think that was necessary for me to get to where I am now.”

As a senior, Chapin served as a board member of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA). He first sought out a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community when he joined the club. With a few years of club experience tucked under his belt, Chapin continued investing in learning about his peers and further developed his pointof-view from the vantage point of a leadership position.

“Places where members of the LGBTQ+ community feel safe are hard to find, and I wanted to make sure that GSA would be such a place,” Chapin said. “It also gives us a group of people who understand each other unconditionally and who can support each other in ways others might not be able to.”

Chapin said his primary goal was to provide an auxiliary system: an epicenter for both educating its members and the school as a whole about LGBTQ+ issues.

“The default for our society is straight,” Chapin said. “When you are not the default, people are going to think of you as ‘other.’

Getting around that is sometimes difficult, but we are lucky enough to live in a country where being a part of the [LGBTQ+] community

“It’s no one’s right to tell you who you are: that’s up to you.”

Michael Chapin

is more or less accepted.”

Despite feeling like an outsider sometimes, Chapin managed to create one of the most inclusive spaces in the school, according to Lexi Bortnick ‘20.

“Through his work with GSA, I believe that Michael has given individuals in the LGBTQ+ community an outlet that they struggled to find in the past,” Bortnick said. “Michael has made GSA more than just a club––he has made it a smaller community within Woodward where all individuals feel as if their voices are heard. [He] has greatly

changed the stigma within [the school] through his panel discussions and creative club meetings.”

Sharing Bortnick’s view, William Gore ‘20 said he admired Chapin for being so forthright about his sexuality and recognized him as a prominent LGBTQ+ role model throughout the school.

“Michael has helped solve the issue that Woodward’s LGBTQ+ community was far less visible than it should have been,” Gore said.

“This has increased the number of LGBTQ+ students who feel welcome on campus and know that they belong.”

Chapin said he promoted the idea that each individual has the power to explore their own identity––it is their intrinsic right to be themselves.

“Michael [teaches] the people around him that you do not have to listen to what people [think] your identity is,” Gore said. “Your identity comes from you alone, and other people do not get to define what it means for you.”

Furthermore, Chapin always put his best foot forward in the community to ensure that everyone felt safe, loved and secure.

“Whether he is working on a painting, helping a friend with their paper or planning the next GSA meeting, Michael is always 100% invested and ready to help anyone who may need him,” Bortnick said.

There was a reciprocity to Chapin’s efforts: the blossoming community he tirelessly worked to create doubled as a personal outlet too.

“I [am] impressed by just how strong these people are and how willing they are to tell us about the things they have gone through,” Chapin said. “Support from within the community at Woodward stems from a sense of sameness, I think. Just the act of gathering together, of celebrating who we are, is a form of support because we are not alone.”

Besides working to promote a supportive environment at school, Chapin found other outlets for his identity. For example, he participated in a slam poetry event held during the Governor’s Honors Program which he attended for Communicative Arts. Chapin and 400 other strangers from the LGBTQ+ community stripped their feelings to the bone, unveiling their scars, fears, experiences and anger.

“It was probably the most inspiring thing I have ever witnessed, and it gave me hope for the future,” Chapin said. “These people know so confidently that who they are is beautiful, something to be celebrated, something to take pride in.”

Later, Chapin said he relied on that experience for comfort when the future seemed bleak.

“Whenever the news is not so pretty, I think back to those people who stood up and spoke,” Chapin said. “That is, I think, the most important thing anyone can do to support those in need. Speak.

Stand up. Usually, all we need is someone we know we can trust.”

Chapin received another opportunity to share his story at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. His painting was placed inside the top five at their Social Justice exhibit.

“My piece was about silence, and I got to give a speech about the topic,” Chapin said. “Afterward, a woman came up to me and thanked me. It was a simple gesture, but one that moved me. I could move people with my words, with my art. I want to continue to do that in the future, in college and beyond.”

Although he found a support system, Chapin said he recognizes that others do not have his good fortune.

“It is still illegal to be gay in 72 countries, with more than a few of those accepting the death penalty as punishment,” Chapin said. “There are people out there with more to say, who are full of stories that they will never be able to tell because the dice rolled wrong.”

Chapin said he strives to reiterate that a sizable chunk of LGBTQ+ members continue to face severe backlash. While he tried to generate attention to the community to the best of his ability, Chapin said he could not do it alone.

“It’s easy for me to sit here and tell my story because I am lucky,” Chapin said. “A large part of the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community is silence. We silence ourselves, and we are silenced by society. I am lucky enough to be able to use my voice, but others are not. We need other people to speak up with us. Those of us who ‘got lucky’ have the responsibility to help the members of our community who did not.”

As a result, Chapin said he wanted to spread his positive mindset and share it with those who are struggling.

“Ours is a still ongoing battle for recognition of equality, one that I think will unfortunately continue for the foreseeable future,” Chapin said. “That said, I do think we’ve made progress. We are still new, still working, and still fighting.

Unfortunately, Woodward is [now] out of my hands. But in college, I hope to find a similar community and club to join. And if there isn’t, I’ll create one. Working and being with people with a shared experience, especially one as powerful as ours, is invaluable.”

9

he Class of 2020 had no problem making a name for themselves. From infamously low averages to high detention counts, this year’s seniors started their four years of high school with the uphill battle of overcoming preconceived notions about them. As graduation day arrived, the seniors enrolled in top-notch colleges with astonishing achievements under their belts. These self-made hard workers have reinvented themselves as exemplary scholars, athletes and service leaders, exceeding the expectations of even their most hopeful mentors.

children of the

MILLENIUM

by carly breland

President Stuart Gulley witnessed the impact of the Class of 2020 on our community.

“I have been quite impressed with the level of commitment to service and to giving back to the larger world, not just to the Woodward community, but for their attempts to try to make a difference both locally and globally,” Dr. Gulley said.

Dr. Chato Hendrix, the Class of 2020’s school counselor, worked with them since their junior year. Her front row seat to the class dynamic, both socially and academically, allowed her to watch as the group grew and matured as students and as people.

“I can honestly say, individually and as a class, it’s just a dynamic group of students,” said Dr. Hendrix. “They will continue to do exceptional things, make history. I see them continuing to make their mark on the world.”

Larger-scale involvement became a theme within the Class of 2020, extending to many corners of the world. Some students developed by choosing to fully immerse themselves in countries thousands of miles away from their comfort zones. Many seniors spent time abroad, engaging in learning on a global scale, while international students found a home here.

The Director of International and Global Connections on campus, Mr. Stéphane Allagnon, worked with all of the seniors who expressed interest in global studies.

“This is the largest class of graduating [international] students that we have had,” Allagnon said. “The impact is also probably the most diverse that we have had because we have a big variety of students from different countries.”

Many seniors got involved in service abroad and immersed themselves in other cultures.

“I’ve also found better support from our Woodward students to protect or mentor our international students,” said Allagnon.

Many students traveled to one of our sister schools, the Terranova School in Zambia, the summer before senior year in order to help the local community and school. Maya Mitchell ‘20 journeyed to Zambia for a life-changing experience.

“I connected with new people,” Mitchell said. “It really made the world smaller.”

Spencer Smith ‘20 took global immersion a step further and spent his entire junior year studying abroad in Spain.

“It wasn’t hard to transfer from Woodward to Spain because everything felt so new,” Smith said. “It was harder coming back because I felt like I had so many experiences to share, but at the same time, I felt like I missed a lot of everyone else’s experiences. So I was [kind] of having to catch up.”

The worldwide reach that the seniors grasped during their four years built character, making them into the people they are today.

Whether in Zambia or Spain, seniors left their mark on the map while learning about themselves and new cultures.

What truly makes the seniors unique is not their well-traveled backpacks, however. Student leaders within the class have augmented former rules, represented their school publicly and closed the gap between students and administration. Their unyielding determination to ignite change on campus has paid off, leaving a legacy.

Matthew O’Stricker, student body president, said he did not take his leadership role lightly.

“I think I’ve become more cognizant of real world issues and have a better understanding of how to address and understand individuals that are around me, both old and young,” O’Stricker said. “The history that [seniors] have made here at the Academy, I think, is pretty profound, and it’s going to set a good precedent for future grades.”

Uniform regulations were altered this year with the help of students who wanted more inclusive requirements. Gender-neutral and racially-conscious adjustments have been made. These alterations included allowing natural styles of hair for Black boys, many of whom previously had to alter their natural hair due to dress code restrictions.

Michael Taylor White ‘20 brought the issue to Dr. Gulley’s attention.

“When he came to me to talk about the dress code, I was able to

“We did not let a rumor become the norm for us–we created a new norm instead.”

Matthew O'Stricker

10

share his thoughts with the people who were working on [updating high school with the reputation for having the lowest GPA average the dress code,]” Dr. Gulley said. “I think [Michael Taylor White] is in school history, the Class of 2020 was also no stranger to the emblematic of the kind of growth and maturity that has come in the disciplinary system on campus. According to many seniors, they class.” remember spending Saturdays serving time for demerits. However, Student leaders influenced everyone, from the basketball team as they advanced through high school, they learned self-discipline to the performing arts department. Their character has not gone and respect. unnoticed by the adults who worked with them, especially the college Prompted either by consequences or maturity, many seniors counselors who spent hours preparing seniors for the admissions admitted that they noticed their attitude adjust from freshman to process. Mr. Bryan Rutledge, the Director of College Counseling, senior year. The malleable years of high school lay the foundations said he witnessed ambition and a sense of community blossom of character, and respect for authority is an essential tool in both within these students. higher education and employment.

“I’ve noticed the positive energy of the class and the determination “I’ve learned so much more about the world just by being here and to be their best and do their best through this process,” said Mr. interacting with all of the students,” said Mitchell.

Rutledge. “Across scientists and fine artists and humanities, there The social lessons that many learn in adolescence shape our is a sense of contributing to a larger cultural perception, but growth community of a social consciousness, a comes in staggered waves. social responsibility to make things better Mr. Luke Underwood, the locally as well as in larger communities Associate Dean of Students, too.” said that though he has worked with Sports have always been a crucial many graduating classes, they are not easy part of student life, but with the ‘allto compare. in’ campaign, school spirit intensified “All classes that come through share at every game. The senior section was some basic similarities in regards to often full of students cheering on their discipline,” Dean Underwood said. “As peers, solidifying a collective feeling of each class matures, learns to use free school community. If the seniors were time wisely and become invested in selfnot dressed out and hollering in the The Vintage Eagles of the Class of 2020 gather in the Gallups interests, their productivity increases and Atrium for a group shot for the Phoenix yearbook. stands, they represented school pride with behavioral issues decrease.” record-breaking achievements. The boy’s Some students changed their ways, varsity basketball team won the state championship for the first time realizing that they needed to grow up and better apply themselves to in school history, senior players beginning their final term in high their work. For example, Calvin “Tre” Williams ‘20 shifted his focus school with a full support team in the stands. to bettering himself and preparing for the next step in his academic “We just won our first ever state championship basketball game, journey. thanks to the seniors on the team,” Dr. Gulley said.

“Woodward has given me a lot of the resources to be able to get Michael Whitmore ‘20, the starting point guard, said he credited where I want to be,” said Williams. “At the end of the day, [discipline] his success to the athletic department’s discipline during practice. is all for good causes because they don’t want me to not be the best “A lot of the values that I’ve been taught in the classroom and that I can.” practice has made me feel ready for the real world,” Whitmore said.

Many seniors credited their success to the mentors who helped Maddy Cronin ‘20 said she planned to continue her soccer career them along the way. Influential faculty motivated students to pursue at the University of Vermont, bringing the skills and discipline that their passions. Leah Greer ‘20 said she planned to continue her art she learned during high school to a new team. career at an arts-based college. The visual arts department helped her “Woodward provided me a path for my future,” Cronin said. “I discover new talents and look into the future. know that I can accomplish anything and go after anything; it’s made “Mr. Greenway, Mr. Cunningham and Ms. Knox were some of the me the person I am.” most influential people in my entire life,” Greer said. “They helped Nick Masters ‘20 has always been known for his school spirit, me develop not only my art, but who I am as a person and how I whether painted head-to-toe for a football game or dominating on the think.” wrestling mat. Masters said he planned to attend Princeton University Every senior interviewed agreed that Woodward changed the way to pursue his wrestling career, and his teammates Vince Mannella that they think, both in and out of the classroom.

‘20 and Malachi Wiley ‘20 committed to University of Pennsylvania “[Woodward] has made me the person I am,” Cronin said. “It’s while McCoy Pace ‘20 committed to Columbia University’s wrestling made me open to new experiences and to trying new things.” team.

The Class of 2020 turned their early reputation on its head, leaving Masters reflected on the impressive transformation that his class quite the large footsteps to follow. No matter where they end up––an went through and his pride in being a part of their legacy.

Ivy League school or an international service project––these students “When I take a second and look back, I’m like, ‘wow,’” Masters will have no trouble expanding their impact to all circles of society. said. “We’ve made such a large jump, and we’ve all matured in our The seniors’ growth has also not gone unnoticed within their own own ways. It’s really cool to see how we’ve all grown. Our focus peer group, as many remarked at how far they have come in four shifted towards college, and that motivated us more. I feel like the short years. From varsity athletes to passionate artists, the Class of turnaround we had is amazing.”

2020 comes from all walks of life; yet, they have grown in important The seniors also transformed their initial disciplinary issues ways together. into a learning experience about integrity and authority. Starting 11

exploring

ATHLETICISM

These War Eagles took their last steps on the high school field.

Now, these D1 commits advance to the college arena. by dylan jordan, sebastian skinner and jackson fryburger illustrated by yasmin khan Usually kids commit towards the end of their junior year, but because I was scouted late, I committed September of senior year. Everything worked out just fine.”

Jide Awujo: “Personally, my college decision became really hectic after the many showcases I participated in. Fortunately, my parents supported me to the fullest in order to help me make my decision.”

Ambe' Caldwell: “In the beginning, it wasn’t really much of a process.

I was only talking to two schools. That was in the beginning of spring football, but after spring, I started getting more looks and traveling across the country to go to camps. I committed to Furman. I wanted to go somewhere bigger, but I didn’t have any offers from big schools.

After the first three games of the season, we went undefeated and won against Blessed Trinity. Then a couple of my teammates and I started getting bigger offers. After the Blessed Trinity loss at the end of the season, I went on my official visit to Miami-Ohio University. I committed on the visit and then decommitted from Furman the same day. A week later I signed.

Vincent Mannella: “My college decision process wasn’t as good as I anticipated. I was unable to practice or compete all of my junior year because of a knee injury, and junior year is the most important year to get colleges’ attention. Because of this, not many colleges were interested. I only received three offers, but I always thought that I was going to get more. At the beginning of senior year, my coach emailed me that the head coach of University of Pennsylvania was going to watch us practice. Fortunately, I got his attention and was asked to come on a visit and ended up loving the university.”

Ambe' Caldwell

Jide Awujo

DA Allen

BASEBALL 12

Eric Malever: “I took a couple tours and limited my options down to a couple of schools. Then I weighed the pros and cons of the schools that I chose and decided that Maryland was the best fit for me academically and athletically.”

Villanova University

University of Georgia

John Franks: “My process was slow at first. With soccer, college coaches cannot contact you until your junior year. At the beginning of my junior year, I wasn’t getting many looks; however, I performed really well in my junior year, attracting more high level college coaches.

Emory Lanier: “It was pretty interesting. It took place a lot last spring and summer. I was playing AAU, and I was getting a lot of looks and receiving interest from a lot of different colleges. Throughout the process, I took visits during the summer to see which schools really fit me best. I ended up making my decision in July. When I visited [Davidson] in the summer, I just thought the coaching staff and the campus was everything I wanted the next four years. The location and proximity to home was all great, so when it came to making a decision, it had everything I really wanted.”

Miami-Ohio University

What was your college decision process like?

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FOOTBALL

Nick Masters: “Honestly, it was pretty easy. I emailed schools that I thought I would be a good fit and got responses from not a lot but a few really good ones. I took visits up to Princeton and West Point as they were my top choices. Princeton then offered me a slot late last May.” Chase Oliver: “My recruitment process was a little bit of a Cinderella story. Since I was on a very underrated team here in Georgia, the high level college scouts didn’t come to any of our games, so I didn’t have the opportunity to showcase my talent. That all changed when my team made a shocking run all the way to the National Championship.

Although we lost, I scored the goal to send the game to penalty kicks and overall played a very good game. After that night, I had a good [number] of top notch schools contacting me to play soccer. Schools like Clemson, Yale, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Duke, Brown, Xavier, SMU, and a bunch of other schools. But the call I received that brought me the most joy was from Wake Forest. Wake Forest is a beautiful private school in a really nice city with a great soccer program. After visiting all of my top choices, it was a gut feeling that Wake was the place I needed to be.”

McCoy Pace: “It was pretty easy for me because I only had one “offer” (for Ivy’s, they call them slots), and it was Columbia. I was talking to a few other coaches, but once Columbia offered, I accepted in a matter of days.”

Alexa Richardson: “My college decision process was both interesting and challenging, but I had excellent guidance and support from my parents, coaches and mentor.”

Hunter Sellers: “I had a few offers, but once I narrowed it down to a couple of schools, I took visits to those schools and talked with the coaches to see which college fit me best. It ended up being the University of Pittsburgh.”

Jacorrei Turner: “It was very stressful because all these schools were contacting me. I also had to be mindful of who really wanted me at their university.”

How did you know that your school was right for you?

Dwight "DA" Allen: “I chose Georgia because of the academic prowess, coaches and wanting to be a hometown kid representing his state.”

Awujo: “I knew Villanova was the place for me after speaking with the coaching staff and hearing their intentions for me on and off the field.”

Caldwell: “I let my heart decide for me when I went on my visit. Interacting with the players, the coaches, being on campus and going to some of the parties was great. I liked the vibe better than when I took my official visit at Furman. The coaches seem to care about football more, and they had just won a conference championship. I want to major in business, and they have [one of the] top five business schools in the nation. That was one main thing because my parents always talk about academics. The people in the south are different people than in the north or the midwest.

Getting that change, I think it will be good for me in the future.”

Franks: “I always liked the idea of going to Georgetown in terms of their academics. On the soccer side of things, I liked their style of play, and when I went on my visit, I enjoyed the campus, the coaches and the players themselves. After comparing Georgetown to other schools that I visited, I knew that it was the right fit for me. I cannot wait to join a national championship team.”

Walker Kessler

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Lanier: “First off, Head Coach McKillop’s offense and style he runs really fits me. They pass the ball a lot and play really unselfishly, [and] I’m an unselfish basketball player. Then, I love playing with other great

John Franks

Georgetown University

Maddy Cronin

University of Vermont

Malachi Wiley: “I began getting calls from college coaches asking about my GPA and SAT scores and wrestling life. I talked with my parents about which schools would be best for me both wrestling-wise and academic-wise, and I took official visits to schools that I thought would be best for me in both aspects. I ultimately chose Penn because I loved the campus, the team atmosphere and the academic potential.”

Mike Wright: “The college decision process was interesting. For a long time, ever since the summer, I was committed to University of Central Florida. I was committed all the way until December 14. Then I decommitted, and to make sure I was making the right decision, I took visits here and there. We eventually came down to Vanderbilt University, but the decision process was stressful. At the end of the day, I am happy with the decision I made.”

SOCCER

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BASKETBALL 13

players, so playing in a system like that where I could play off other people, and even be aggressive myself within the offense, I thought I was a really good fit. Then, the campus is like its own little city. It’s not in the city. It’s about thirty minutes from Charlotte, and I like that. In case I want the feel of a big city, it’s always right there, but it’s in a chill little town. Things like location were really big for me.”

Malever: “Academically, it was a good fit for me, and when I committed there, they were ranked number one in the country and had just won a national championship. The coaching staff is great, and I just fell in love with the school.”

Wiley: “I knew it was the right place for me as soon as I stepped on the campus. I just felt at home, and I could see myself really loving my life there for the next four years.”

Wright: “It’s a great university. I love the city of Nashville. Academicwise, Vanderbilt is a top 15 university in the nation. Football-wise, they play in the greatest conference for football. Those were the main factors that went all into my decision. Then the commute back home is good, so Vanderbilt is the place for me.”

Mannella: “I knew UPenn was the place for me because I always wanted a college that both focused on athletics and academics in a student-athlete’s life. When I visited Penn, I definitely realized that they stress the importance of having both a successful athletic life as well as an even more successful academic life.”

Masters: “As soon as I stepped foot on campus, I knew. It just felt like home. Then I spent time with the team and coaches and fit right in. I knew from the first day that that’s where I wanted to be.”

Oliver: “I knew Wake Forest was the place for me because it has the perfect dual path I was searching for. Academically, the school has an excellent reputation throughout the United States, and the soccer program is ranked within the top five of all Division 1 teams. The campus is also very nice, and the people on and off the team are super chill.”

Pace: “New York has always been one of my favorite cities, and after I went on a visit to Columbia, I just knew it was the place for me. I went on the visit before I had an offer, but I was planning on applying even if I didn’t get in through wrestling.”

Richardson: “I knew Cornell University was the place for me when I went on my official visit. I immediately connected with my College, advisor, coach and teammates.”

Sellers: “Being around some of the players and being around the coaches and seeing what the city was like, I ended up falling in love, so that’s why I committed.”

Turner: “All of the coaching staff treats me like family. There’s a great atmosphere and vibe up there. It’s a nice college town, and they’re in the SEC. There isn’t much around and not a lot of distractions.”

What will you miss most?

What have you learned?

Allen: “I’m going to miss the relationships created with my coaches and teammates. I couldn’t have asked for better people around me. I’ve learned in high school that in order to be successful in baseball you must be prepared and confident. Without the two, it is very difficult to be successful.”

Awujo: “One thing that I will miss about high school soccer is the genuine teammates that I got to know so well through the many experiences we shared on the field.”

Caldwell: “Probably the Friday nights. While it did not seem as fun [at the time] because of all of the practices and the assignments that led up to the Friday nights, looking back, Friday nights are probably the most that I [will] miss about my high school career. I have learned to keep working. My freshman year, I did not play that much. All my friends were getting called to play varsity their freshman year, and I’d be chilling, watching in the stands. I kept working and started my sophomore year, and I’ve started ever since.”

Franks: “I will miss my club teammates the most. Probably the best thing that I have learned throughout playing during my high school years is that your relationship with your teammates is reflected on the field. If your teammates are your brothers, then you will fight for each other on the field and enjoy them off of the field.”

BASKETBALL 14

Vincent Mannella

University of Maryland

University of Pennsylvania

Emory Lanier

Eric Malever

Davidson College

Lanier: “There are so many things to miss. The student sections and

LACROSSE

WRESTLING

hanging out with my teammates on bus rides. The little things you kind of take for granted most of the time, I think those memories will always stay with me, and I’ll miss a lot of things about high school basketball. I learned it most recently this year. I would say it is to make the most of what you have. I moved my junior year after we had just won a state championship, and I didn’t want to move schools. I ended up moving to Woodward, so I just had to make the most of my situation. I was brought into a good situation, and I didn’t pout, have a mood or have an attitude with my teammates. They willingly accepted me, and I tried to make the most of it, being a leader, and I made the most of it. I helped lead the team, and it was a really great experience.”

fantastic counselor and amazing teachers. I have learned managing your time, and being open-minded and adaptable are essential to being successful.”

Malever: “What I’ll miss the most is the camaraderie. The people at Woodward are some of my best friends, and I’ve made so many good memories over the years. Hopefully, I’ll make some new friends that’ll last the rest of my life and make memories like winning several national championships in college.”

Wiley: “I will miss my teammates the most. Many members on my team are some of my best friends that I have grown up with both inside and outside of the sport. I really love those guys like brothers.

I have learned the value of hard work in my sport. There is no taking shortcuts or cutting corners. I’ve learned to commit myself to improving my craft despite any and all obstacles.”

Mannella: “What I’ll miss most about my high school career is being able to compete and have fun with the friends I made in the classroom and wrestling room. What I learned in high school that I hope I can carry into college is that making connections is an incredibly important part of life, and they can be beneficial for a long time.”

Masters: “Honestly, the thing I’ll miss most is the team, especially the seniors. We all have been through so much and were there as we went from boys to men. The biggest thing that I am gonna take with me to college is remembering to just enjoy the sport and have fun.”

Sellers: “Playing on Friday night with my boys and all of my friends.

Woodward education has prepared me for the next level. Coach Davis and the rest of the football coaching staff gets us ready to play at the next level, so I feel like I’m prepared.”

Turner: “Definitely my teammates. I will carry my work ethic and also working hard in the classroom to college with me.”

Wright: “The main thing I will miss is the group of guys I’ve been with for the past four years. The atmosphere Woodward brings on game day because there’s nothing like it. As far as learning, I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned how to game plan, watch film, how to carry a team, how to be a team player and how to be a leader. I can definitely say that all the factors I’ve learned at Woodward I would definitely take with me to Vanderbilt.”

Oliver: “What I will miss most about my high school career is the ability to play alongside and against my best friends. Soccer has also been a little bit more fun simply because I can play with or against guys I have grown up with since we were little. I will also miss the chance to play in front of my parents and siblings every weekend. Since I will be four hours away, they will barely get to see me play in the most pivotal time of my soccer career, which really sucks.”

Pace: “I will probably miss the chemistry I had between my coaches and my teammates. I have great relationships with some of the best coaches and wrestlers in the country, so it will be a shame to have to leave them behind. I learned that being a quick study is one of the most important skills you can have in wrestling, so I hope to be able to bring that with me to Columbia.”

Allen: “I didn’t really have an influence as a kid to participate in baseball. My mom was trying to get me involved in something in the community one summer when I was six, and since then I’ve never looked back.”

Awujo: “What influenced me to start soccer was how natural it came to me compared to all the other sports I was playing at a young age.”

McCoy Pace

Columbia University

Caldwell: “My dad played in high school and as a free safety at

Chase Oliver

Wake Forest University

Nick Masters

Princeton University

Richardson: “I will miss the camaraderie of the marching band, the competition of the track team, my cool and loving friends, my

What influenced you to start playing?

WRESTLING

SOCCER

WRESTLING 15

Morehouse. My sixth grade year I was focused on soccer. Then one of my dad’s friend’s sons were playing football, and we were playing at his house. Then I realized, ‘Hey, I’m kind of good at this,’ so I started playing football my seventh grade year. I liked it, so I kept playing ever since.”

Franks: “I started soccer at a really young age because my parents needed to put me in a sport. I tried others like basketball and football, but I enjoyed soccer the most.”

Lanier: “That’s an easy one. It was my dad. Currently, he is a coach at Georgia State for basketball, but he’s the reason I have moved around a lot. He has been a coach and coached with a lot of great coaches.

He has been a head coach at some places, an assistant and he has coached a lot of Hall of Fame coaches. He has also coached several great players. Me being a kid and always being around these coaches, players and the really good culture of basketball made me want to play. I started playing when I was five, so I’ve always been around the historic knowledge of basketball and the best of the best, so it just made sense for me to play basketball.”

Malaver: “A long time ago, some friends of ours had these sticks. I was at a little party with my parents, and they had sticks. They were throwing it, and I was curious about what it was. So, I picked it up.

Then I started playing at a local YMCA, and I just loved it.”

Mannella: “My mom’s brothers wrestled in middle school and high school, and my dad had a lot of friends that wrestled. After watching them compete, he ended up really liking the sport and planned to introduce his children to the sport. He asked me if I wanted to try it out and took me to my first practice when I was seven. I’ve loved it ever since.”

Masters: “My uncle was a two-time state champ for Wheeler and in their Hall of Fame who should’ve gone D1 but didn’t. I ended up doing what he did but better.”

Richardson: “My parents and Coach Murphy and Mr. Notestine in the Middle School.”

Sellers: “I wanted to play football my whole life. My dad and brother played football. Everybody around me played football, so it was just the norm.”

Turner: “My dad. Since he played football, he wanted me to play football, and I’ve always loved the sport.”

Wiley: “I have been wrestling since fifth grade intramurals. My brother and I started at the same time, and my dad made us join because we were constantly wrestling around the house and breaking furniture. He said, ‘If you’re going to wrestle anyway, then you should learn how to do it right.’”

Wright: “Naturally, my dad wanted me to play sports, so I’ve always played sports. Now my main motivation is to give people younger than me hope for something, telling them that you can do what I do and that you can achieve a dream. Understanding that I’m an influence in the community, I want to put a positive foot forward at all times and give people younger than me hope and tell them that you can do it if you put your mind to it.”

What or who helped you to become a collegiate athlete?

Allen: “I don’t give one person or one thing the sole credit for getting me into the position to be a future collegiate athlete. I would say that

Hunter Sellers

University of Pittsburgh

Will Sanders

Cornell University

TRACK & FIELD 16

Pace: “I used to play basketball, but my seventh grade math teacher was the varsity wrestling coach, and he tried to convince me to wrestle almost every day. Also, some of my friends wrestled, so they kept pestering me to try it until I did.”

University of South Carolina

Alexa Richardson

Oliver: “I started playing soccer at the age of three for the local recreational soccer league for toddlers. Like every other parent in the US, my parents thought I would look really cute in a soccer uniform, so they signed me up for the summer league. I was absolutely dominant in the summer league, so dominant that they had to move me up to play kids two years older. When I was five, I moved to Montclair, New Jersey, and that is where my soccer career really started. After seeing me play in a park about a year after I moved into the city, a director of a prominent youth soccer club in New Jersey pulled my parents aside

and told them I ‘had it.’ What he meant by saying ‘had it’ was that I had the potential to be a professional. After hearing that and realizing my talent in soccer outweighed my other sports, I quit everything but soccer and began to strive to be great.”

BASEBALL

FOOTBALL

it has been the people I have been fortunate enough to be around: coaches, teammates, family and friends.”

Awujo: “Undoubtedly, if it weren’t for my parents, I would not be in the position I am today. I was heavily influenced by their emotional support as well as the many lessons my dad taught me when I was little.”

Franks: “There have been lots of people who have gotten me to where I am now. First, my parents have sacrificed so much to help me throughout my soccer career. In addition, I have had many great coaches and teammates who have helped me on and off the field.

I would also like to point out that some of my best friends now, I met when we were about 10 years old, all through soccer. We have stuck together for the last eight years and all ended up at the same high school. These friends have made soccer more enjoyable and have always pushed each other to get better, and I am so happy for their accomplishments as well.”

Lanier: “I would credit that to my family and all the coaches I’ve had along the way. My coaches have been different, obviously. Coach Thomas here, my AAU coach, Coach Bobby Mays, and my old high school coach Coach Ricky Norris. They’ve all had different systems and philosophies, but I felt like I played some of my best basketball during each of them. It gave me different sides of basketball I’ve never seen before. At each level, I was able to play well with others, so I think that made me better for the future, to be able to play with a lot of different players getting ready to play in college.”

Malever: “A lot of the coaches in Atlanta have really helped me. The club lacrosse Thunder LB3 has really helped me as well as Coach Z at Founder. Coach Pons from Woodward has helped me with the recruiting process.”

Mannella: “My family has been a huge support and motivation for me throughout my wrestling career. They have been incredibly supportive since I’ve started, and I can never repay them. I also believe that with drive and consistency, anyone can accomplish what they desire. I believe having that mindset and great people in my environment also helped me as well.”

Pace: “I think all my coaches have gotten me to the position where I am now, going to be a collegiate athlete. Each coach, whether it be Coach Ragan, Coach Hardin, Flavin, Taylor, Anthony, Coach Panone, Coach Fretwell, Coach Willsey, or any of the others, has taught me something invaluable that I will keep with me forever and that helped me get to where I am. Also, all my teammates who beat me up and pushed me to get better each and every day were a huge contributing factor to the success that I’ve attained thus far.”

Richardson: “‘My Village,’ which consisted of my parents, high school coaches, club coaches, teammates and some amazing competitors nationwide.”

Sellers: “Hard work, dedication and perseverance. You have to work hard, and if you believe in something enough, you can do it. I always wanted to be a D1 athlete, and with hard work, dedication and perseverance, I was able to achieve it.”

Turner: “Hard work when no one is watching, watching film and training at least three times a week.”

Wiley: “My parents, many coaches and teammates have all played very important roles in shaping me into the wrestler that I am today and helping me to reach the next level.”

Wright: “There’s a lot of people. As far as training wise, I work out with Cam Newton a whole lot, so he has been a tremendous factor throughout this entire process, teaching me and embodying the knowledge that he has and putting it into me. When Deshaun Watson comes down, we throw a little bit and we work out together. The main guy though is my brother. I force Alan (Taco) to go out in the yard and throw with me sometimes, so he’s motivated to work too. As my best friend, we’re out in the yard throwing and always working.

Vanderbilt University

Editors’ note: All senior D1 commits were contacted for this piece, and we included all interviews received. All D1 commits are pictured.

Mike Wright

University of Pennsylvania

Jacorrei Turner

Malachi Wiley

University of Arkansas

Masters: “Honestly, it was a choice I made when I was younger. All that I’ve accomplished stems from the dreams of a young kid. I was lucky to have a great support system that lifted me up and fanned the flames of my passion.”

Oliver: “I got to this point in my life with nothing else but God’s will.

This is all in his plans that he has for me. I also could not have done anything in my career without the support and love of my parents and siblings. I’m really excited for the next chapter of my life and can’t wait to see how far I can go.”

FOOTBALL

WRESTLING

FOOTBALL 17

exploring

OUTLOOK

Grant Huyghe immersed himself in a new world of protests and overseas internships in Hong Kong.

raving an enriching experience, Grant Huyghe ‘20 took a leap across the Pacific Ocean last summer, immersing himself in the unfamiliar world of Hong Kong. Once he became an intern at Mayer Brown, an international law firm, everything about his daily routine changed. His morning commute on Hong Kong’s MTR train displayed Hong Kong’s organization, cleanliness and quietness.

The locals remained silent, either reading a book, napping or listening to music. At first the s i l e n c e was uncomfortable, but eventually Huyghe appreciated his quiet train rides as he adapted to his new environment.

From third to fifth grade, Huyghe lived in Hong Kong where his father worked in construction. After classes finished at his French international school, he hiked up mountains with friends and took taxis without his parents. When he returned to Hong Kong, he did it all over again.

“It was kind of like reliving my childhood freedom, being able to go wherever I wanted on the buses and the trains and the taxis whenever I felt like it,” Huyghe said. “I think the freedom was mostly the same.”

Standing on top of mountain peaks, he viewed the entire city and wandered down to the harbor to see light shows at night. He visited 18

by elizabeth yu

open air markets. Unlike indoor grocery stores, massive fish tanks filled open air markets. Customers chose which fish they wanted, and stall keepers killed and prepared the fish to ensure it was fresh.

“I tried to find areas that I thought were interesting, and I would go whenever I wasn’t at my internship,” Huyghe said.

Although he enjoyed exploring the city, Huyghe realized this time around that there was more to the Hong Kong of his childhood. As a child, he stayed on Hong Kong Island, a nice, upscale area. He never saw the mainland until last summer.

“It’s all buildings jammed together,” Huyghe said. “I had never seen that before because when I was younger, I didn’t care or pay attention. I was just living my childhood and having fun all the time.”

When Huyghe returned to Hong Kong this time, he looked at colleges and explored possible career options. He wanted to learn how to be independent.

Huyghe had searched for an internship that would provide opportunities to push him out of his comfort zone, and that is exactly what he got.

Instead of shuffling through papers in an office on his first day, he took a forty-five minute train ride to the court house.

“I got to sit through a proceeding where they were arguing about the safety of one of the MTR stations,” Huyghe said. “It was pretty fun but also very hectic for my first day at an internship.”

Wearing a translator headset, Huyghe sat in the courtroom for over five hours, listening to lawyers switch between English, Cantonese and Mandarin as they spoke to construction workers.

On other days, along with the other interns, Huyghe worked in an office and attended meetings to take notes. People working in various departments dropped by with assignments focused on organization and converting files.

“It wasn’t the most interesting office work, but I valued the experience of getting to work with them,” Huyghe said. “I got more of the feel of the office and how the law firm functioned.

I learned what it takes to maintain a job.”

Since the law firm was positioned above a mall, Huyghe usually visited the food court for lunch. At the end of the day, he headed back to his Airbnb. However, there was always a chance he would be stuck in the law firm––and not just because of long work hours.

“I remember them saying you can’t leave right now because there are protesters outside, but it was usually during the middle of the day,” Huyghe said. “By the time I was supposed to leave, it had already died down.”

Before he arrived in Hong Kong, Huyghe knew little about the protests occurring there. Though the news sometimes covered the unrest, it was an issue across the ocean that did not affect his everyday life.

“I didn’t really know how big it was going to be,” Huyghe said.

“Full streets shut down.”

The Hong Kong protests revolved around proposed changes in extradition laws in a bill proposed in China. The bill stated that if someone committed a crime in China and fled to Hong Kong, the Chinese government could go to Hong Kong and arrest them.

Hong Kong had been a safe haven for anyone who antagonized the Chinese government, especially those who advocated for free speech on the mainland, and this bill would change that.

“The concern is that people with different political ideas might be punished by Chinese law,” Chinese teacher Ms. Sherry Cheng said.

Although the causes for the protests were complicated and people supported the protests for various reasons, many people in Hong Kong rallied together.

“It was cool to witness everyone gather for a common cause,” Huyghe said.

“Everyone was very helpful and caring towards one another. For example, they had stations under bridges to hand out water to the protesters.”

The Hong Kong protests were part of the conversation at his workplace, but most people focused on their work.

“Although most people at work supported the protests, a few

people were questioning the protests and whether it was a good idea,” Huyghe said. “I didn’t really want to have an opinion on the protests because it’s not my place.”

Even though Huyghe had lived in Hong Kong, he acknowledged that he was a visitor and a guest.

“Being a guest in a country, you need to behave as a guest with cultural etiquette,” Director of International and Global Connections Mr. Stéphane Allagnon said. “It could be difficult to stay if you do not agree with the political views of the country you want to study in.”

Since Huyghe was a visitor, the Hong Kong police and protesters paid him little attention. While witnessing the protests on the street, Huyghe did not see any conflicts between the protests and police.

“The police were definitely there, like on bridges, but no one was stopping the protesters,” Huyghe said. “They let them do what they wanted, especially in the peaceful areas. Instead, there were more police in the areas where there was more violence, like around government buildings.”

For Huyghe, the protests were no longer distant news from across the Pacific.

They were real and happening around him. Not only did Huyghe reflect on this cultural experience, but he also reflected on his time at the law firm.

“I went in thinking I wanted to do law, and I came out not wanting to do law at all,” Huyghe said. “I wasn’t fully interested, but also the environment of the law firm was very serious. It wasn’t me.

It helped define what I wanted to study and what I didn’t.”

Even though Huyghe no longer wanted to go into law, he still learned from his internship and planned on majoring in international studies and doing another overseas internship in college.

“I took a risk, and this was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had,” Huyghe said.

“Don’t be afraid to go somewhere different, scary or new. Learning to rely on myself was the most valuable thing I learned from this internship.”

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“I took a risk, and this was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had.”

Grant Huyghe

exploring

DANCE

Three girls from three different cultures all found ties to their roots through dance. by maya packer hile some people use Ancestry.com to feel more rooted in their culture and origins, others live it out everyday. One way to get in touch culturally is to practice the traditions of the culture, which includes dance. As one of the oldest forms of art, dance is found all over the world in different variations.

Megha Gupta ‘20, Mary Claire Steele ‘20 and Ryann Phillips ‘20 all danced. For these girls, dance was an expression of not only their culture, but also their art. While Gupta gracefully glided across the stage in her lehenga, Steele jumped around the pub to boisterous cheers from the crowd in a blinged-out dress and hard shoes, and Phillips artfully connected many styles into each dance move during her dance competitions. Gupta, Steele and Phillips came from different backgrounds culturally, but they shared the same passion for dancing and connecting to their cultural roots.

Gupta started dancing at the age of five, inspired by the performances of her grandmother.

“Seeing her perform on stage when I was little, it was an inspiration for me because I saw how passionate she was about it,” Gupta said.

“I felt that this was a way for me to connect with not only her but also my culture.”

Gupta practiced a classical Indian dance style called Kathak, used as a religious devotion. Although Gupta did not view herself as a deeply religious person, she used dance as a way to pay homage to her Indian heritage.

“I’m a third generation Indian American,” Gupta said. “Both my parents [were] born here, and I was born here. We’re a lot more disconnected from our original Indian heritage, so doing Kathak allowed me to reconnect with my culture.”

The moves in Kathak are all deliberate and elegant. They each represent something in Indian culture such as a story or a god.

Many times, dancing Kathak means the dancers are telling a story from their culture. “[Through] how we use our body and how we use our arms and

our movements, we’re able to express our culture,” Gupta said.

Steele started her dance career 11 years ago because of a dress.

During a sewing lesson, her little sister was enchanted by a sparkly Irish dancing dress. Her sister decided to start practicing Irish dance, so she could have a dress of her own. Steele was along for the ride and began dancing as well.

“I did it for a couple years, and, eventually, I fell in love with it,” Steele said.

Irish dancing has two different styles, hard shoe and soft shoe.

“Soft shoe looks a little more like a ballet shoe, and it’s a lot of jumping and up on your toes,” Steele said. “Hard shoe is also a lot of up on your toes and jumping. You make beats kind of like tap dancing on the floor [by banging] all your weight on your leg to make really loud sounds.”

Steele’s Irish roots stem from her great grandfather, who came to America during the Irish famine of the 1840s. While her mother’s side does not have documentation, she believes they are also of Irish descent.

“I would say I express my culture most on St. Patrick’s Day because every year we go around to pubs, nursing homes, charity events, and we also do the St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” Steele said of her dance team.

Not only is Irish dancing a physical manifestation of her culture and heritage, but it has also become an integral part of Mary Claire’s life.

“Through dance, we are telling a story from our culture.”

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Megha Gupta

“Dancing is pretty much my entire life,” Steele said. “It takes a lot of time, and I love it. I have a passion for it.”

Phillips began her journey with dance when she was just three years old and has been involved in many different dance styles including ballet, contemporary, modern, tap and Moja. Moja dance–a mixture

of modern, jazz and West African dance–connected her to her origins.

“I’m straight African American,” Phillips said. “None of my parents or immediate family is from Africa. We’re all from America, and I still don’t know where my family is from in Africa.”

Not knowing exactly where their ancestors hailed from is a common plight of African Americans, but Ryann did not let that stop her from trying to connect with those roots.

“Knowing that I’m dancing movements that are straight from West Africa [and] dancing movements that I know have strict rooted tradition from West Africa, it really makes me feel like I can combine the technical dancing that [I’ve] been doing all my life, like ballet and modern, with something that a long, long time ago [my] ancestors were a part of,” Phillips said.

As a dancer who had only been trained in technical dance styles, Moja allowed Phillips to step out of her comfort zone and show her versatility.

“I feel like sometimes in dance, it’s hard to be a well-rounded dancer that’s able to do traditional movements like West African as well as technique like ballet,” Phillips said. “Moja combines all of those styles, and to combine that technical training with the West African movements is really cool for me because I can branch out of only being the technical dancer.”

Dancing Moja allowed Phillips to break through the labels placed on her as a dancer. It taught her to not box herself into one style of dance.

“When you put yourself in a box, I feel like your mind already settles on the fact that you can’t do certain stuff,” Phillips said. “I know how to do other styles, but I’ve always said contemporary is my thing. After dancing Moja, I feel like I opened my mind to different possibilities. Now, instead of saying I’m a contemporary dancer, I say I’m a dancer, which is a lot more powerful.”

For all of the girls, dance became an escape from the world and their forum to decompress and express themselves.

“Dancing has really impacted my life,” Gupta said. “It gives me an escape because I take it every Sunday. From the top: Megha Gupta, Ryann Phillips and Photos courtesy of Gupta, It’s a way to wrap up my week Mary Claire Steele.

Phillips and Steele and get me more focused on heading into the next week. It helps me find mental balance of balancing school and activities and then finding time to do the things that I love.”

Kathak not only gave Gupta balance in her life, it also taught her about her Indian culture and brought her closer to her religion.

“It got me connected to my religion as well. [Without it,] I don’t think I’d be as knowledgeable about my culture or my religion,” Gupta said. “It’s greatly impacted me in allowing me to know more about myself and where I come from.”

Dance is the balancing factor in Gupta’s life, giving her a medium to escape the stress of school and to learn more about herself.

“Without [dance], I don’t really think I would know who I am as a

person,” Gupta said. “Dance let me see who I was outside of school and who I could become with the emotional and inner balance that I found. I don’t know where I’d be without it.”

After years of dancing, she also formed strong relationships with her fellow dancers.

“I’ve made so many friends in my class. They’re all seniors with me. So [through] the journey we’ve been on since third or fourth grade up until now, we formed an unbreakable bond together,” Gupta said.

Steele, similarly, used dance to escape the stress of teenage life.

“Irish dance has always been kind of like an outlet and escape from the world because it’s not school related. When you dance, you kind of feel free,” Steele said.

While she said dance was challenging and could be hard to manage when exams come around, it still gave Steele a feeling she couldn’t find anywhere else. nnn“Sometimes, if you just put your heart into it, you feel on top of the world,” Steele said.

For Phillips, dance was something that took her focus from her stressful school life to her empowering dance life.

“Dance has always been an outlet,” Phillips said.

“As I was going through the first semester of my junior year, this really hit me because I would go to school all day, and then I would start dance at 5:30 p.m. and not get out till 9 p.m. I always had to be present in each place, whether I was at school, I had to be present there, or whether I was at dance, I had to be present there, even though my mind might want to think about the next test or project that was coming up.”

Separating school and dance was important to Phillips, so she could put her all into both.

“I had to think: okay, at school, this is when you can put all your work in and be focused,” Phillips said. “Once you go to dance, you have to let yourself go, and be free to be who you are.”

After 13 years of practice and dedication, dance become a safe space for Phillips. It was a constant in her life, especially through the transition of transferring to Woodward.

“Dance is something that will never judge me,” Phillips said.

“I’ve always felt like I can turn to dance.”

Dance even allowed her to form long-lasting bonds in Middle School as a new kid in unfamiliar surroundings.

“I met my entire group of friends in my seventh grade dance class,” Phillips said. “We all got really close. Lauren [Thomas] and I have always connected through dance, and that’s my best friend. I love her so much.”

While Gupta, Steele and Phillips all had different journeys in their dance careers and connected to different cultures through dance, they all shared their love and appreciation for not just dance itself, but what it brought into their lives.

“I think anybody should try dance to bring themselves peace and to find who they are,” Gupta said.

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or students who enrolled in either the Lower School or North Campus, one can vividly remember traveling from class to class with the same group of students. Placement did not yet divide students into their classes. Random selection determined whether you would or would not be in the same class as your best friend. Yet, there was always another group of students in a smaller homeroom class who stayed together year after year until they moved to the Middle School. This was not the result of random selection but of the Transition program. Among Remembering what she needed as a those students was Micaela Stewart ‘20 who started Transition classes in Primary School.

Transition student, Micaela Stewart “When it comes to the Transition program, [they] obviously set out to fill that need for others. have good intentions, but they do isolate you from what we call the mainstream program,” Stewart said. “You’re on a different side of the hallway, and you’re on a different floor. It was hard to interact with the other kids because you couldn’t relate to them. You only interacted with them during lunch, after school or in the morning. It was kind of difficult because every kid wants to fit in when they’re young.”

As a former Transition student, Stewart clarified what the purpose of the program was and who was eligible to take these classes.

“The Transition program is for students who have learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia or ADHD,” Stewart said.

“When it comes to the Transition program, you [learn] the same tutoring program. It turns into a mentorship program where kids talk thing as everyone else does, but they break it down step by step by about issues that may be going on at school or that go on at home.”

Stewart coined the term “the Transits” for the Upper Schoolers step.” who served as tutors and mentors.

Before enrolling at Woodward her third grade year, Stewart said “The actual program [started] my 11th grade year, but I had she was falling through the cracks. Her mother felt that Stewart would to get it approved by the Lower School and the Upper School,” excel best with the individualized help of the Transition program.

Stewart said.

“It was a difficult process. I had to go through [the] While the program was beneficial for her, Stewart said she struggled Transition department head, and then I had to go to Ms. Ronda with some aspects of it.

Zents and Dr. Jonathan Merrill. I also wanted this to be a service “You’re with the same opportunity for students, kids for three to four years so I had to get it approved [until] Middle School,” for Helper Helper. We Stewart said. “You’re stuck “[We] really wanted them to know that this is about didn’t actually start going with the same people, [but] sharing your strengths, sharing your story and sharing over there until probably you become really close this year.” with them. Those are the your tools.”

Ms. Kendra Clemons September Ms. Clemons played only people that you have. a key role in the startup It was pretty difficult. I of the program, helping wished that I had [an] older Micaela reach out to the Lower [student] to help me not overthink things and [help me] with my School Transition program. confidence.”

“I was excited,” Ms. Clemons said. “I was actually beyond excited.

Remembering how she felt growing up in the Transition program, Many students who have learning challenges don’t have the same Stewart voiced her concerns about the Peer Konnect tutoring opportunities as some of the other students to offer their skills and program to Ms. Tonya Dedeaux, School Counselor, after realizing their talents to younger peers. This program allows students to really that it was not offered to Transition students. With the help of show their unique strengths and show how they have overcome their Ms. Kendra Clemons, Accommodations Coordinator in the Upper learning challenges.

They have an opportunity to share what I call School, Stewart started a mentorship program for Lower School their toolbox, what they’ve used to overcome and be successful in Transition students and recruited other former Transition kids in the school.

[I wanted] to do whatever I could do to help see this come Upper School to join and help. to fruition.”

“We wanted to give [former Transition students in the Upper Ms. Clemons helped former Transition students like Stewart get School] the opportunity to share skills that they’ve learned,” Stewart accustomed to the Upper School. said. “Not only learning skills, but also life skills too. It’s not just a 22

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LEARNING by alina noorani

“I met Micaela her ninth grade year,” Ms. Clemons said. “I [was] helping her become accustomed to using accommodations in the Upper School because when you’re in the Transition program, they come from smaller class settings. Helping her use accommodations in the Upper School and helping her become her own advocate, Micaela has been a rock star doing just that. It has been such a joy watching her take ownership of her learning, and then take that and become a mentor to other kids.”

To garner support and build a foundation for the program, Stewart and Ms. Clemons recruited students to join as mentors.

“We hosted an informational meeting [with] all current 10th, 11th and 12th grade students who were former Transition or who had accommodations,” Ms. Clemons said. “[We] wanted them to know that this is a bit different from tutoring. You may not be really good at a subject, but you have learned special skills to overcome your learning challenges in that subject. [We] really wanted them to know that this is about sharing your strengths, sharing your story and sharing your tools.”

One of the members of the Transits, Shay Patel ‘21, recalled his experience at the informational meeting and how Stewart encouraged him to sign up.

“When she first introduced the program, she was very energetic and very passionate about it,” Patel said. “That was one thing that led me to want to join. If she had that type of energy for the program, then I knew it could be very successful. She was probably the person who put in the most hours to the program. I think that’s what helped me get into it.”

With the program up and running, the first step was interacting with the Lower School kids.

“I think they were a little bit intimidated because upper schoolers don’t interact with the Lower School like that,” Stewart said.

“Some warmed up to us pretty quickly, and others were a little bit more shy. A big change would be that they’ve been so much more open [now]. They’ve been more willing to participate. They’re excited to caption goes here get things done, and they’re excited to play games and learn. We get excited to go back over there.”

Ms. Clemons noticed changes within both groups of students.

“It empowered our Upper School students,” Ms. Clemons said.

“They have really taken ownership of how they learn, and [how they are] able to share those tools with the students.”

Throughout the program, the mentors discovered new ways to help using their own experiences.

“You learn new techniques and different strategies to handle and counteract certain things,” Patel said. “So, for example, you can learn how to time manage way better and how to go through work much faster.”

Stewart said sharing her experiences taught her that she’d cultivated more of a tool box than she’d previously realized. “[What] I realized is the strategies that I learned, they may be more tedious and they may be longer, but they really do help,” Stewart said. “Doing note cards, writing [on the] carpet and using a lot more sensory things, they really do help you.”

After its pilot year, Ms. Clemons took stock of the mentor program.

“What we hear from the Lower School students is they get

to see themselves in their mentor, and they see that they can still be successful once [they’ve] finished work within the Transition program,” Ms. Clemons said. “They get to see the tools and strategies that their teachers are teaching them [and] that they actually work.

They can then take ownership of those tools.”

One day when things didn’t go as planned, Stewart realized how much of an impact the Transits were making.

“I remember one day nobody went,” Stewart said. “It was as soon as we got back from winter break, and everybody was busy. [The Lower School students] were sad and disappointed. They really do care when we go over there.”

Parents of Transition students thanked Stewart and told her that the mentor program made a real difference in the lives of their kids. Stewart said she appreciated teachers like Ms. Denise Twiss, Ms. Jenny Broad and Ms. Jeanine Duke who always thanked the mentors for coming over and helping their students.

“Their feedback helped me because this is more than just tutoring,” Stewart said. “This is more than a Woodward education-based thing. We’re actually helping these kids with their confidence and their selfesteem.”

Recognizing her efforts to make the program a success, Ms. Clemons said Stewart demonstrated hard work and a driven attitude.

“Micaela has been overwhelmingly passionate and consistent, and this has been a wonderful experience watching her grow,” Ms. Clemons said. “She has become her own advocate, and not just her own advocate. She’s advocating for the whole learning support community. To say ‘Hey here’s a need, and I have a suggestion to fulfill that need’ is so powerful. It really speaks to who she is, how resilient she is and the young woman that she’s become.”

Stewart said she planned to continue her studies at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georia, and Ms. Clemons said she hopes the mentoring program will keep going.

“The hope is to grow and expand because it helps on both ends of the spectrum,” Ms. Clemons said. “You get students who have an opportunity and those who may not always have a traditional opportunity to share their special skills. The hope is that it grows throughout the [entire] Transition program.”

Patel said he planned to keep mentoring during his senior year.

“I hope it carries on through the years because it is very beneficial to the kids, and I think it is very fun to do,” Patel said. “I enjoy going down there for one hour which is a good bit of time.”

An hour at a time added up to make a major impact.

“A lot of people don’t realize the difference that you make when it comes to helping a child, and how much they want your help,” Stewart said. “Since we’ve been down there, a lot more kids have been coming to the study hall program. They’ve been really wanting to learn [what] we do, like different group activities and one-on-one sessions. Students’ grades have improved, which is amazing, and it gives you a sense of endearment in a way because it’s like, wow, you’re actually making a difference in somebody’s life.”

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BANTER

One conversation at a time, Matthew O’Stricker works to help everyone climb the mountain.

by grace ross he name Matthew allow himself to grow from them.

O’Stricker was well“When people critique you, they’re coming from their perspective,” known among students, teachers O’Stricker said. “If you accept everyone’s critiques without and administrators around campus. understanding who you are, you have no perspective. [At] that point, While many may have been familiar you’re not necessarily leading. You’re not actually yourself, you’re just with O’Stricker because of his role as whatever everybody tells you to be. Know who you are as a person, take SGA president, many did not know the critique, and then adjust it based on your own principles.” about his involvement in the school’s podcast club, Eagle Exchange.

“The goal of [Eagle Exchange] is to allow access for students to use their voices about certain issues that interest them,” O’Stricker said. “That can be serious issues and be current events, it can be things that are going on in the Woodward community, and it can also be fun stuff that we like talking about.”

Dr. Elizabeth Burbridge, history teacher, inspired O’Stricker to create his own podcast club during his sophomore year.

Eagle Exchange was casual in its beginning stages, only consisting of “[Dr. Burbridge] explained she had her own podcast, ‘Footnoting O’Stricker and a number of his friends.

History,’” O’Stricker said. “I asked, ‘does Woodward have [a podcast “All of his friends who were in the club were male and black,” Dr. club],’ and she said no.”

Burbridge said. “It was kind of like their lunch table had O’Stricker asked his come together [to] talk about things.” friend Ozie Adams ‘20 However, as the podcast gained more traction and to join him in creating expanded its audience, O’Stricker knew he had to diversify. the school’s first podcast “If we were going to be the voice of the school, we club. had to be more representative,” Dr. Burbridge said. “We Initially, O’Stricker had to bring on white students, other students of color, experienced backlash for and we had to acknowledge that everyone should be able his interest in pursuing to have a voice.” podcasts. He said many According to Dr. Burbridge, since the onset of Eagle of his peers considered Exchange, there have always been members that share podcasts outdated and differing political and world views. Thus, to ensure that felt they were irrelevant. each opinion can be expressed during a given podcast, Matthew O’Stricker ‘20 and Nick Wright ‘20 interview Callie Riggs “There’s gonna be members do not plan out an entire script ahead of time.

Dauler ‘04 and Jeff Dauler about their podcast “The Upside.” people that are gonna Instead, they come prepared with individual ideas and Photo by Dr. Elizabeth Burbridge doubt you, people that thoughts, which have not been edited or revised by other are gonna make fun of you,” O’Stricker said. “You’re going to have peers or faculty. people that love to critique you.”

“A podcast is a conversation in and of itself,” O’Stricker said. “We do O’Stricker decided to try and understand his critics’ perspectives and not need paper.”

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“There’s a fine line between listening to people and hearing them.”

Matthew O'Stricker

As a podcast host, O’Stricker guided conversations and ensured they No matter what role he was in––whether as president of the student flowed, but O’Stricker’s responsibilities extended far beyond simply body or Eagle Exchange––O’Stricker gave it his all. He put others’ needs guiding the conversations. Behind the scenes, O’Stricker organized and before his own and remained modest. led meetings, assigned members to each episode and arranged practice “Being in these leadership roles, I would say it’s a humbling experience dates. and [an] experience that “Matthew is one of the just makes me realize most organized people there’s more,” O’Stricker I know,” Dr. Burbridge said. “There’s more to life said. “He’s really good at than just yourself. I’m not organizing [and] saying, ‘hey necessarily just serving we’re going to meet these the student body, I’m also days, and we need to meet serving people that are this amount of time[s] a going to be the next SGA month.’ When I [say] I don’t President and the next do any organizing, I don’t.” podcast club heads. I’m In addition to his serving them because I’m proficiency in organization, going to be the example O’Stricker brought additional that they’re going to have leadership skills to the table. to follow. I’m setting the While it is often difficult precedent.” to make every member Though O’Stricker of a team feel recognized, finished his senior year and O’Stricker got the job done. planned to continue his “I think he does a studies at Duke University, really good job of making For his off-campus podcast “Not an Anomoly,” Matthew O’Stricker ‘20 interviews Tim’m T. West, a he continued to serve the people feel important,” Dr. Cinncinnati-based educator and activist, at the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. student body through his Burbridge said. “[He feels Photo courtesy of Matthew O’Stricker appointment to the newly that] there is like no job too organized Anti-Racism small––you need someone for every job.”

Task Force. According to O’Sticker, the Anti-Racism Task Force Along with inclusivity, O’Stricker strived to lead with a sense of is a group of individuals who are “rallying together to create and equality and humility in mind. implement policy” that will make sure Woodward is a racism-free “[W]hen you remain humble and don’t environment. look at yourself as above [everyone else], As the only recent graduate on the you have a better understanding of who Task Force–and the only individual under [your team members] are and what they’re 40-years-old–O’Sticker said he knows he going through or what their opinions are,” has a lot of responsibility to relay what O’Stricker said. “I find the true power the student experience on campus is like someone can hold is when they have the now. respect of the people they’re leading.”

“My role features providing guidance Micaela Stewart ‘20, Eagle Exchange and my experience to the Anti-Racism member, said she believed O’Stricker was a Task Force, which will assess all of the strong, successful leader. information shared with the Academy and “Matthew is an amazing leader because make detailed recommendations on policies he does a great job of managing everyone’s and procedures to address accountability, personality,” Stewart said. “[He] makes sure disciplinary actions, and equity for all,” everyone gets to speak up and voice their O’Stricker said. opinions when it comes to group meetings.”

While O’Stricker didn’t anticipate this Ms. Jill Bounds, a faculty advisor to new role so soon after senior year, but SGA, also took note of O’Stricker’s his experiences on SGA and Eagle Matthew O’Stricker ‘20 visited the Georgia State Capital “extraordinary” leadership abilities. As Exchange left him feeling prepared for the with Dr. Stuart Gulley for GISA (Georgia Independent student body president, O’Stricker aimed responsibility.

School Association) Day. Photo courtesy of Matthew O’Stricker to remain humble. Just as he did in Eagle “Both taught me how to understand other Exchange, O’Stricker valued everyone’s people’s backgrounds. That’s extremely opinions and took them all into account. important when you’re in any role or on any board making decisions “Matthew is the definition of leadership,” Ms. Bounds said. “He for others. No one set group of people are monolithic in their lives or has done such a fantastic job as the SGA president and takes his job experience. You need to try to diversify and integrate by listening to extremely seriously. Matthew has made a huge effort to really get to people from different ages, different backgrounds, different spectrums. know how the students are feeling about various issues around campus. Both of those organizations helped me in that sense, of having a better He feels strongly that SGA needs to be the voice of the student body understanding of who I’m representing.” and has worked hard to do this.”

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silly

SUPERLATIVES illustrated by mansi patel

Cass Bowers & Will Demorest

Jordan Culle y & Jordyn Finney

Sier ra B ag well & Mik e Wright

Br andon Veale , Cornell McBr ide & Mia Be chara 26

Michael Tayl or W hite & R ile y B ur ress

Matthew O’Str icker & Tess D unkel

Jessica Moore & Tim R esuta

A bbi P at Jal en ter son & De de au x

L ex i B or tnick & K at hr yn Demor est

A l a n R oss & Michael D u b ose

Wallace Tool e & Egypt Jack son

Michael W hitmor e & Cece P ittman 27

words of

WISDOM

Messages written by parents and loved ones for the Class of 2020. illustrated by yasmin khan

Alec Aaronson Alec, Congratulations! We are so proud of you. Your hard work and determination got you into your dream school. We hope you approach this next chapter as you always have, by being genuinely yourself. Your future is so bright!

Love, Mom, Dad, Cole, Reed, Janey & Jolie

Jide Awujo Jide you make us so PROUD! Seems like yesterday when you started first grade, and now you have grown into this amazing young man who is ready to take on the next chapter of your life...keep rising...you have God’s Blessing.

Congratulations!

Love, Mom & Dad

Kristin Abernathy The world is full of excitement, adventure, possibilities and challenges. A life well lived embraces each one with love, hope, caring and courage. We see all of those traits in you. Continue to grow, and always trust God to guide your path.

We are so very proud of you!

Love, Mom and Dad

Myles Ashe Congratulations on this exciting and momentous occasion!! You’ve worked hard and achieved your goals. This is just the beginning of many more wonderful achievements. Remember “All your dreams will come true with the courage to pursue them.” You’re amazing, and we are forever proud of you!

Happy Graduation and Keep reaching for your Star!!

Love Always, Mom and Dad

Ozie Adams, III Ozie –You’ve been a blessing to us. We’re extremely proud of how you worked through the ups and downs of your senior year. Continue to trust and believe in yourself. God does and so do we. You’re a gifted young man, and your gifts will make a way for you in this life. Work hard, play hard, follow your heart and give God the glory for every good thing!

We will always love you.

Mom, Dad, Cory, Zoe, and Chloe ‘18 Armaan Ajani In this time of uncertainty, you have made us certain that you will always be successful. There will always be high and low tides in the journey of life, and you might fail at times, but we are confident that you will grow and shine with every step you take towards your future. You will bring the change to the world with all the desires you have since childhood, and you will be a good sailor in life no matter where your destiny takes you.

Dwight Allen II "DA" DA, you are a wonderful son. We are so proud of you––your humble character, your drive, enthusiasm, athleticism and motivation to succeed. Continue to keep God first in your life, and the sky is the limit!! Knock them out at UGA next year!!

Love Always, Mom and Dad “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for prosperity and success in your future!” -Jeremiah 29:11. Stay focused on your dream, and never, ever give up!

Love, Mom and Dad Aspen Andrews Aspen, Your courage and strength will take you far in life. Be sure to follow your dreams and always stay true to yourself. The best is yet to come!

We love you, Mama & Dad

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Myles, you are a special, unique, and awesome grandson who nobody can replace. You’re always in our hearts and the love of our lives. You have accomplished a lot, but your task is not complete. Continue to set your goals high, and make them happen. Congratulations!!

Love, Your Proud Grandparents, Dr. Richard & Dorothy Ashe Charlie and Lola Hardy Michael Azadi Another milestone, it was a challenging year indeed but also a wonderful year.

Congratulations, our dearest, on your achievement. So proud of YOU but even more proud of you for growing up to be such an amazing person.

– Your biggest fans Brendan Bagwell I am so proud of you for having the courage to be who you are and say what you feel. Your determination, creativity, and wit are unsurpassed. Remember that the choices you make over the next decade will have lifelong effects.

Choose wisely, Brendan, and always know that you are loved. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5, 6 I love you, Mom Sierra Bagwell Sierra, you are a wonderful person. I’m so blessed to have met you and been a part of your life. Your future will be fun to watch...reach for your dreams, and don’t ever stop believing in yourself! You will succeed!!

Congratulations today, and best wishes for all your tomorrows! We can’t wait to see where life will take you next. Wherever it is, our prayers go with you!

Sierra, from the time I met you when you were a tiny baby to now when you’ve become a smart, athletic woman, I knew you would do well! Congratulations on your graduation and awesome hopes for the future!

Sally Remember: “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Christopher Robin to Pooh Our love, Martha & John SIERRA, as you turn the pages and start a new chapter in your book of life, remember to always stand strong, stand for what you believe in, and stand for what’s right. Trust in the Lord, always respect and call your parents, be the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, NEVER give up on anything, stay true to yourself, dance in the rain, and when you find that life is getting hard––just BREATHE. LOVE YOU ALWAYS. Andrew and Dee Hall The road to success is not easy, but it is well worth the fight. Fulfill your dreams!

Love, the Carpenters Babygirl, I wish that life becomes all that you want it to be and more. Keep Learning, Keep Going, Keep Venturing on your Journey. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I love you, and I’m super proud of you. #ProudAuntieMoment “This girl is on fire.” We’re so proud of who you are and everything you will accomplish. Brains, strength, beauty, and heart. We love you and are always with you!

We are grateful that God has Blessed us with such an amazing daughter.

Continue to believe in yourself and thrive to be greater in everything you do. The road will not be easy. Stay positive, keep the faith, and keep moving forward. Whatever the obstacle, you can overcome as you always have and achieve success as long as you believe in yourself. Never give up. We love you!

Mom & Dad You are my granddaughter, travel companion, confidante and inspiration! May your light continue to shine wherever you go, to whatever heights you aspire!

Devotedly, Gima Jane Jenna Benedict You will always make melons out of lemons, that is what makes you so special.

You have missed out on your senior year, but have gained so much strength to endure any situation you face. Congratulations, you made it! We love you so much and can not wait to see where your journey continues!

Love Ya Always, Mom, Dad, Jordan, James, Jarrett and Jesse...Sic ‘Em or Roll Tide!!!

Jenna, what an amazing inspiration to us all. Keep being an advocate and standing up for what you believe in. Stay focused on your goals and dreams, and you will go far. I’m so incredibly proud of you and honored to have been a small part of your journey. Congratulations on your graduation!!!

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams (even better than a Disney Cruise)!

Dr. Seuss said it best: “Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t, and believe everything happens for a reason. If you get the chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it’d be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.”

Although we have not known you very long, we have quickly grown to admire the impact you have made and the inspiration you have bestowed upon countless individuals through your tireless work on your social causes. We wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors, and you can count on us to support you in any way possible. When the road gets a bit bumpy, remember to be true to yourself and lean on your God-given strengths–– kindness, gentleness, cheerfulness, full of passion and energy, with a heart of gold. “She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future.” -Proverbs 31:25 Aloha! The Sprechers Jenna, Congratulations on all your achievements: athletic, academic, and personal. You are an amazing young woman. As you embark on the next Chapter in your life’s journey, remember that this is a time of transition and growth, and those are hard, not for you, but for your parents. Be patient with them as they learn to give you all the freedom you are ready for. And always remember that only 50% of your education will be in the classroom. Soak it all in!!!

Congratulations Jenna! We are so proud of you! You make this world a brighter place. Reach for the stars!

Love, Duncan, Lana, Kasen and Haven Jenna, remember the words of wisdom from the 1968 film love story “The Graduate” starring Dustin Hoffman. They came from a friend of his father at his graduation party where he offered these words, “Think Plastic.” Hoffman was befuddled as the audience, but it was a great line. Life is those steps you will take from now on, and enjoy each one.

Pops As you journey down life’s path, I hope you know how many lives you have touched. You turned a disability into a positive ability. Continue to do something you feel passionate about!

Love, Beverly Powell Jenna, you are a true gem, a pearl––made from grit but full of grace. You are only 18 and have already made such an impact on the world. We can’t wait to watch your future unfold. God bless you always.

Love, Aunt Christine, Uncle Dave, Steven, Adriana and Melina Dear Jenna, Your road to graduation had many bumps along the way. But not only did you get over those bumps, you learned from them, and you used that knowledge to help yourself and others!! That’s where greatness comes from!

So proud of you and can’t wait to see what you achieve in the future! Go do your thing! We love you!

The DiPenta Family College is what you make of it––make sure you study hard, but don’t forget to party hard too. These will be the best years of your life, so take a moment to stop and look around every now and again and remember everything you did to get there. Do big things kid.

Love, James Follow your heart pursuing your career. If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it.

Congratulations on all your accomplishments! We have loved watching you grow from a sweet, loving little girl to a thoughtful, empathetic, successful young woman. You are an inspiration! All the best at Baylor!

Love, the Schroer family

Jenna, you’re an inspiration and helped change policy in Georgia.

Congratulations on being a part of the Zoom graduation Class of 2020! Be true to yourself and keep changing the world!

Jenna, we are so proud of you and all of your many accomplishments. We don’t know that we have ever met a student with so much initiative and drive!

Your personal and “global” work has truly benefited so many others! CHMS grew as a school due to you being here and being willing to teach us. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! Congrats!!!

Jolene Morris and Amy Ludlow

Keep Joy at the center of your life.

Jenna: Always live your dream – and know it may change many times

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throughout your life. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – you will be in good company. Rejoice in your gifts and talents – and share with others. Remember your family – we are here for you no matter what. Congratulations on your milestone accomplishment!

Love, Aunt Jane and Joey Thank you so much for being our Big Sister! We have looked forward to seeing you every week, and you have been so welcoming to all of us as new 6th grade girls. It is a huge act of kindness by you just being there for us. You simply are amazing! Though you will be missed, the great memories and the impact you have made on us will never be forgotten! Best of luck next year!

Love, Your 6th Grade Little Sisters Jenna, the way that you treat others and how you go after your dreams is clear evidence of your strong character. We are so proud of you and wish you much success in your next phase of life! We know that you will go on to do many more great things!

Love, Aunt Stacey, Uncle Rob, Aubrey, and Ethan As you take your first steps into independence and adulthood remember three things: 1. Don’t take anything in life for granted, and cherish every moment.

2. Keep in touch. Call daily, weekly, or monthly, and talk to all those amazing people in your life. 3. Put yourself out there, and don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Sometimes the best memories you get are when you are the most spontaneous.

Sic ‘em Bears!

Jordan We are proud of your accomplishments and who you are. We are looking forward to seeing who you will become. We hope your next years at Baylor University are everything you want. Remember “If one does not fail at times, then one has not challenged himself.” Never Lift!

Love, Dad Katie Berkowitz Find a balance in your life between your career, service contributions and leisure time. Choose a career that you can pursue with passion. Continue to be kind, compassionate, true to yourself and have a good sense of humor. Always believe in yourself, and challenge yourself to be the best you can be in all your endeavors. We believe in you and are very proud of you!

Love, Mom and Dad Max Blank Dear Max, Some folks think the greatest years of their lives were those in High School. But we think the best years of life aren’t the ones soon to be in the past, nor are they the ones yet to come. The best year is always the one you are living at this very moment. Each day that you live to the fullest brings with it the opportunity to show kindness, to do good and to feel gratitude for all the love and blessings in your life. Be present in the gift of each new day, and you go live the best years of your life. We love you!

Mom and Dad Seth Blanke We are proud of all you have accomplished and look forward to the next chapter! Be bold, be courageous, be your best!

Love, Mom and Dad Erin Brooks To accomplish most feats in life, you must not only act, you must also dream.

Not only must you dream, you must also plan; along with the planning, you must believe. But the ultimate is to achieve. Congratulations on your achievement! -Dad We are so proud of you and all that you have achieved. Keep reaching for the stars in all that you do. Love you to the moon and back forever and always!

Dad, Mom, Jalen ‘15, Erica ‘17 and Grandma, too.

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Jordan Brown Jordan, we are so proud of you and all you have accomplished! We can’t wait to see the life GOD has in store for you! We love you!

Ambe' Caldwell Ambe’, Anything in life worth having is worth fighting for. If you want something enough, then you will do whatever it takes to get it. Nothing can ever stop you from doing anything in your power to achieve that.

Love, Mom and Dad. Michael Chapin Thank you for enriching our lives beyond our greatest imagination. You have earned your wings; we are excited to see where they will take you. We love you so much!!

Mom, Dad, and Chris Brandon Clagette Brandon, We are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments. Continue to have faith, keep God first in all that you do and remember your family will ALWAYS be your biggest fans!

Love, Mom and Dad! Patrick Cobb Your Woodward graduation is an end and also a new beginning. Use the tools you have acquired here to face your new adventure with confidence, humor and optimism. We are proud of what you’ve done thus far and hope you enjoy your next journey! We love you PC! Amelia Connor Congratulations to our Double War Eagle!!! We love you so very much!!!!

Mom, Dad, Miles, Honey, Pa, Gogo, Dadu and all your aunts, uncles and cousins.

Darby Cornelius Life can take you in a million different directions. Stay focused and true to yourself–whatever path you choose. Always remember to follow your heart and dream big kiddo!

We love you­­–Mom, Dad and Ethan!

Maddy Cronin When the going gets tough...Just keep going...

Love you to the Moon and back, Dad & Jack Ezekiel Davis Our dear Ezekiel, pursue your dreams with a Godly fierce faith, fearlessness, and incorruptible passion! “This above all: to thine own self be true.” We love you more than you will ever know!

Mom & Dad Jalen Dedeaux Jalen, follow your dreams, know your true self, trust the process of life.

Everything that happens, is what is supposed to happen. Your goal is to figure out the message. You’ve got this!

Love, Mom Kathryn Demorest Congratulations on a stellar high school career, Kathryn! I’m SO proud of you and can’t wait to watch and enjoy the life you create.

Much love, Mom Will Demorest Congratulations on finishing strong, Will! I’m so proud of all of your hard work on and off the court. I know you’ll love and do great in college. Can’t wait to see where you go from here!

Love, Mom

Nia Doyley You are fully known and loved by God, and your identity is in Him. Seek God’s heart, not His hand, and always hide His word in your heart. Be gracious, be selfless and kind. Be ambitious while maintaining integrity, and be wise with your choices. Observe the masses and do the opposite.

We love you so much, Mom and Dad Tess Dunkel “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” -Pablo Picasso We are proud of all you have accomplished in high school, especially how you clean the dust off of all our lives. Keep creating!

Love, Mom and Dad Gabrielle Leigh Edwards To our beautiful young lady, Gabby, we could not be more proud of all that you have accomplished! Through your strength of character and endless perseverance, we know your future is bright and that you will fulfill all of your dreams for the future. We love and cherish you so much!

Love, Mom and Dad Isan Elba Isan, I’m beyond proud of your accomplishments! You faced many obstacles, but overcame them all and are stronger for it. As you head off to college in pursuit of your dreams, always remember that you’re fearfully and wonderfully made with unique talents.

Love, Mom

We love you deeply, and we are sincerely proud of you!

Love, Mommy and Daddy Zoe Gelber Zoe–we’re beyond thrilled how your dedication, hard work and winning spirit drove you to an amazing finish to your Woodward career. You did it! And in proving you can do it at Woodward, we know that you will be able to do it again and again through college and the rest of you life. We are incredibly excited by all your future holds. Congrats!!

We love you, your family Nishita Ghanate We are so proud of your hard work and achievements. We wish you success, happiness and great health throughout your life.

Love, mom, dad and sister.

William Gore While we are so proud of your accomplishments, we are most proud of the person that you have become! You are sweet, kind, generous and interested in everything around you. Stay curious, and know that we love you so much!

Mom, Dad, Elizabeth, and Lucca Sydney Graves Our sweet Bear, our hope for you is that you learn the lesson and grow from every challenge you encounter. Trust yourself, never stop learning and dream BIG. Can’t wait to see all that your next chapter holds.

We love you dearly and are so very proud of you, MTB, Daddy and Tati.

Hope Englert “Though you may not know where your gifts may lead, and it may not show at the start, when you live your dreams, you’ll find destiny, is written in your heart.” Find your wings and live your destiny!

Love Dad, Mom, and Grace

Avery Greene Dream BIG Avery! We are beyond proud of you, and cannot wait to watch you thrive at Alabama! We love you so much!!

Dad, Mom, David Jr., and Lauren

Hannah Feldman Hannah, we are so proud of who you have become. You have worked hard, learned so much, made such good friends and memories. You are loving, very thoughtful, creative, smart, strong, friendly, persistent and tender. Look out world (and Maryland), here you come! We can’t wait to see what adventures you will experience.

Love, Mom and Dad

Leah Greer Leah, you have remained very positive during the last half of your senior year, and I know there have been disappointments, yet you still thrived! Remember, tenacity will always help you continue the journey! Go paint the world a new color of beauty! Continue to pursue your dreams, laugh hard and make wonderful memories! I love you so very much! In the words of Frida Kahlo: “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly.”

Mom

Jordyn Finney Jordyn–Wow! It’s hard to believe that you are officially a Vintage Eagle. We are so proud of not only what you have accomplished, but who you have become in the process. You are a Leader! You have goals, aspirations, dreams, and a spiritual foundation. We love that you dance to your own music and are not intimidated by anything or anyone. We honestly don’t know the span of great things that you will accomplish in your life, but we are confident that the world will know Jordyn Finney!

Love, Mommy and Daddy Samantha Fitch Samantha, keep dreaming your dreams and reaching for the stars. The future is yours –SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND SOAR. Love you, Mom and Dad. Reynolds Gaddy We are so proud of you and your accomplishments! Always remember to do what you love and love what you do. Live, love and make lots of memories!

We love you, Mom, Dad and Jameson Anjali Naomi Gamble To God be the Glory for the things He has done in you, for you, by you and through you! Inner strength, outer beauty, a compassionate heart, a beautiful mind and a sweet sweet spirit is just some of who you are...Thank You for making this world a better and beautiful place!

As your “great” aunt, I know the potential for greatness when I see it, and I see it in you. Because you are you, you will achieve greatness in your own way.

I love you!

Cynthia Greer Leah, you are an incredibly smart young woman, and we are so proud of you.

We know you are going to soar, and we pray that God blesses you abundantly.

Always stay focused on Him, and everything will fall into place. We love you.

The Christie Family Congratulations on your graduation. As you are witnessing, there will be hurdles in life which you can clear with perseverance-discipline-guidance and attitude. Needless to say, as happy as we are for you, we expected this. You made it! You will be the fourth generation entering and completing college.

Our prayers and support are with you. We are with you now, and we will be with you when you finish. Love you Leah.

Uncle O’Hara and Aunt Joy Spearman Congratulations to my little cousin Leah on your accomplishments. Blessings to you in your next endeavors.

Love you, Kimberly Spearman Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, “I must keep going.” It’s that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final. That voice that says to you, “Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit.”

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Leah, the Bazemore Family is so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. We have seen you grow into a beautiful, young lady who has been blessed with talents that we can’t wait for the world to see. Remember to keep God first and, in doing so, your light will surely shine.

Love, Adrian, NaKeya, Arianne, and Nasya Bazemore Leah, we are so proud of you and the young lady you have become. We may be biased, but we believe that you are perhaps smartest, most talented and confident young lady who we are blessed to call Cousin and Niece.

Love you, Aunt Linda and Bryce Congratulations Leah! This is just the beginning––onward and upward.

Love, Bree Spearman Leah, we are so proud of you and the way you use your many talents and gifts, your loving spirit and that beautiful smile. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, “God knows the plans he has for you,” and we are always in your corner praying for your continued success.

Love, the Ferrells–Alejandro, Tiffany, Myles ‘16, Semaj L is for the Loving person you are E is for the Exquisite style you possess A is for the Amazing Artist you’ve become H is for the Happiness you bring to our family by possessing all these wonderful qualities and so many more. Best wishes for a bright future that awaits you.

Love You, Aunt Linda Megha Gupta Dearest Megha, We are very proud of all your hard work and dedication these past four years. Always put 100% effort in your endeavors, and success will follow.

Love, Mom and Dad Caroline Hatcher Caroline, We love you so much and are so proud of all you have accomplished.

Stay kind, determined and humble. Never lose your wacky sense of humor or fierce spirit of independence. Always be yourself as there is nobody better. Go forth and conquer!!

Love, Mom, Dad, Charlie and Catherine.

Thank you so much for being our Big Sister! We have looked forward to seeing you every week, and you have been so welcoming to all of us as new 6th grade girls. It is a huge act of kindness by you just being there for us. You simply are amazing! Though you will be missed, the great memories and the impact you have made on us will never be forgotten! Best of luck next year!

Love, Your 6th Grade Little Sisters Elyse Hesskamp “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

-Abraham Lincoln Roarke Humphrey Start each day believing in your dreams. Know without a doubt that you were made for great things. Keep learning, keep trying, keep accomplishing, and keep venturing on through your journey. Congratulations and we are so proud of you!

With Much Love - Mom, Dad, Sela and Winston Grant Huyghe Finally Done! Congratulations! It’s been a fun ride, and we are so proud of you for facing challenges head on, always making great decisions along the way and growing into a smart, dependable, dedicated and persistent young adult. Your strength of character shines and will take you places. Follow your dreams, and we will always cheer you on!

Mom, Papa and Audrey

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Stuart James I am confident you will achieve whatever you want in life. Also, before you leave for college, clean your room.

Insight can come from anywhere. This is what Dr. Seuss wrote about you, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Love you, Mom Jack Jewell Jack, You are such an incredible young man. We know you are going to do great things at Wake Forest. We love you!

Dad, Mom, and Gillian Aldric Johns Jr. Aldric, we celebrate the person you are and support the man you are becoming.

Your hard work has paid off, keep your commitments to yourself. We love you!!!

Gildea Katz Dear Gilly Girl, Thirteen years at Woodward Academy and eighteen years of living. You were born in the aftermath of 9/11, and you finished high school during the COVID-19 quarantine. The world clearly needed the gift of you.

First, be good to yourself. Then, share your sweet love with the deserving children, animals and people of the world. All the rest is icing. We love you and could not be more proud of everything you are.

Mom & Dad Thank you so much for being our Big Sister! We have looked forward to seeing you every week, and you have been so welcoming to all of us as new 6th grade girls. It is a huge act of kindness by you just being there for us. You simply are amazing! Though you will be missed, the great memories and the impact you have made on us will never be forgotten! Best of luck next year!

Love, Your 6th Grade Little Sisters Justin King “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr. You were born two weeks after 9/11, and now you are graduating during a pandemic. We are so proud of you and how you have risen to the challenge. You got this!

Love, Mom and Dad Anjiya Lakhani Anjiya, we are so proud of you. You have done a tremendous job in your studies. Always work hard, and stay focued on your goals and dreams.

Love mom, dad, Appa and Ishana Anna Landgraff Dear Anna, I don’t have a lot of advice because you are pretty darn wise already... but, just try to be patient with yourself and others, and look at all experiences as an opportunity to learn something. We are so, so proud of you and can’t wait to see where you go and what you do!

Love, Mom Kathryn Lee Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the differences in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the friends that knew you when you were young.

We love you, Mom & Dad Paul Aidan Loughlin Paul, We are so proud of you. Keep doing what you are doing because it is working great. You have made the most of your opportunities at Woodward Academy. Your priority has always been helping other people, especially your peers. You lead by inspiring and teaching. You are amazing at engineering, and we look forward to your accomplishments.

Love, Mom, Dad, and Evan

Jaylin Mae Our journey over the last 18 years has been filled with so many memorable moments. However, the next phase of your journey will be bittersweet as you will be traveling this road as an adult and no longer as my baby. I am blessed that the values our family has instilled in you along with providing you with a great education has transformed you into the accomplished young man standing before me. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, trust in God, stay true to yourself, and live the life you imagined!

Love, Mom Nicholas Mair Son, we are so proud of your achievements. Continue to reach for the stars!

Love Mom & Dad. Vincent Mannella Congrats on all your accomplishments! We are extremely proud of you. Always keep your goals in sight, strive to achieve them, and you will excel!

Eric Malever Eric, We are very proud of you and all of your accomplishments! We cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Love, Mom, Dad, Rebecca, Kobe and Blue Megan Millner Peanut, Lead with your faith, help others, and be a champion. You are a unique and precious peanut, and we love you so much!

Luv, Dad & Nandy Alex Mills Alex, you have shown us so many experiences and adventures along our ride through life. Please know we love you and look forward to our roads ahead.

Congratulations on all your accomplishments, so proud.

Maya Mitchell We are extremely proud of you and your accomplishments. Continue to trust your inner voice and follow your dreams.

Love, Mom and Dad Parker Mitchell We are so proud of you and look forward to what the future holds for you.

We have loved watching you grow from a smiley kindergarten Woodward War Eagle to your senior year, and although your time with your Woodward friends was cut short, your class will be the most resilient ever. Keep your fun-loving spirit and hard-working attitude as you embark on your next adventure as a Demon Deacon at Wake Forest.

Love, Mom, Jim & Gabrielle Congratulations P! We are so proud of the (young) man you have become.

Always continue to do the right thing, especially when no one is watching. We love you!

Dad and Megan Trevor Muirhead We couldn’t be prouder of you and the person you are. Believe in yourself, follow your dreams, and live a life of integrity. Never forget who you are, and always remember that God has great plans for you.

Love, Mom and Dad Ja'Kiya Myrick Confronting your feelings and giving them appropriate expression will take strength, not weakness. When you face the next triumph in your life, remember the strength that is within you! Courage, Resilience, Compassion and your Authenticity is what makes you beautiful! We are so very proud of you and are anxiously awaiting to witness the next great chapter!

From your biggest fans.....Mommie & Dad! Isabella Nardone “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is

unafraid to be herself.” -Emma Stone We are so proud of you, all your accomplishments, and the sincere young lady that you have become. Find Beauty, Kindness, and Love in all your Adventures.

With all our Love, Mommy and Daddy, A, A, and T “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13 Alexandria "Lexi" Needle We are so proud of all of your accomplishments and the beautiful, strong, independent young women that you’ve become. May the rest of your journey continue to bring you happiness and success!

Love, Mom and Dad Cameron Nguyen We could not be more proud of you! All of your hard work and dedication has shown through during your time at Woodward, and we know you will continue your success at Georgia State and beyond. Thank you for being such a wonderful son, grandson, and brother!

Madison Norwood Words cannot explain the pride we have. You have accomplished so much, but more importantly, we are overjoyed to see the young, confident woman you have become. Watching you come alive on the theater stage was incredible! We will always support you as you follow your dreams!

Drake FW Oakhill Drake, from the moment that you came into this world, you have been a joy. A wonderful young man, kind and strong, and funny and daring. Life is about finding joy in the journey, not just the destination. I wish for you a lifetime of journeys and adventures with those who fill your heart and your soul. You are loved.

Mom Chase Oliver We are extremely proud of your accomplishments.

Continue working hard and follow your dreams.

Love, Mom, Dad, Lovelle and Paige Matthew O'Stricker Matthew, remember as you begin the next chapter of your life to continue to be your authentic SELF, practice gratitude, love and kindness is never wasted, be of service, don’t forget the infinite possibilities of faith, and continue to trust God. Son, “go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” We’re proud of you!

Love, Mom, Dad, Winston lll and the entire O’Stricker and Perry Clan!

Sydney Partin “She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” -Proverbs 31:25 Sydney we are so proud of you, and we can’t wait to watch you do incredible things. We love you very much.

Mom, Dad and Conner Mansi Patel Mansi–We are so proud of your numerous achievements and feel blessed to have seen you grow up to be a strong, confident and free-spirited young woman. You are kind, happy, caring and, most importantly, a sweet soul. As parents, it is a bittersweet moment for us as you transition into the next phase of your life. We will always be here to support you. We are very confident that we have raised you with all the tools to handle any of life’s challenges. We wish you all the best that life has to offer.

Good luck and Go Deacs.

Ryann Phillips Ryann, you continue to amaze me, from babysitting days where you were my very own baby doll to watching you mature in the most beautiful ways artistically and intellectually. These qualities, paired with your beautiful soul, will bring you nothing but joy in life! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see you flourish in this next chapter. Much love and congratulations from your cousins Leah & Wayne!!!

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We are so proud of you and your accomplishments! Keep your eyes on the prize and your heart with God. Love Always, Dex, Qwaneshia, Savannah, and Trey Ryann, seeing you grow into the amazing woman that you are becoming over these last 17 years has been a privilege. You are bound for nothing short of success! We are so excited for you to join the legacy and take Spelman by storm. Continue to walk with God, and you will always reach your destination.

With Love, the Washingtons Congratulations! Wishing you much success as you pursue your dreams and goals! Here’s to making your dreams come true! We love you and very proud of you! Happy Graduation!

Congratulations on your graduation. Wishing you much success in your future goals. We are very proud of you.

Ryann, thank you for your amazing talent, hard work, creativity and professionalism. You are a beautiful dancer and a very strong person. Your commitment and self-motivation will take you far, no matter what path you choose in life...Keep shining bright.

With Gratitude, Ms. Gould Kalyn Pierre Kalyn, your love has taught me so much more than words can describe. Your kindness, perseverance and resilience will be your strength and power to achieve any dream you dare to seek. Continue to lead with your heart and passion. I love you Scooby!

-Mommy Mykal Poindexter Don’t pray for an EASY life, pray to be a STRONG person! Love God ALWAYS! Play hard. Work Harder. Repeat. DREAM BIG then go and achieve what God showed you!

Love always, Mom and Malik Continue in God’s Service.

Love always, Bigs and Nana “Don’t let your schooling interfere with your education.’’ -Mark Twain Love always, Uncle Derek Ali Rab Congratulations on reaching this milestone! We are beyond proud of all your hard work and achievements. Remain focused as you start a new phase of your life. And remember, we are right here to back up all your dreams!

Love you, Mom & Dad Will Reese We love you and are so grateful to be a part of and to watch your journey so far. We are proud of your accomplishments, but most importantly, we are proud of who you are as a person who cares deeply about doing the right thing for yourself and others. You have taught us so much, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for you. And, don’t forget––work hard and be nice!

Love always, Mom and Dad Alexa Richardson Trust and believe that GOD is watching over you, and many people are praying for you. Open your heart to life’s infinite possibilities. When a person tells about their self in word, action, or attitude believe them. Try to always be on time or early. Keep your word.

WE LOVE YOU, Daddy and Mommy Ava Rincon “Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?” -Tim Burton

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Alan Ross Alan, you’ve done it! Life doesn’t always follow the path you have planned, but you are smart and resilient and can handle anything. With your kindness and determination, go confidently on to your next adventures. We love you!

Mom, Dad & Molly Salina Salim Congratulations on your well-deserved success. We are so proud of you.

With love always, Mom, Dad, Shifa & Chase.

Jacob Schroeder Be kind to all creatures and the planet, follow your dreams, and enjoy the little things in life!

Love, Mommy, Daddy & Allie Hunter Sellers It’s impossible to say how proud we are of you, how much we love you, and how excited we are about your next steps. Always be humble, kind, and serve other people. Never forget the people who’ve supported and encouraged you, and always look for someone to encourage and support. We’re always here for you. God first, always!

Alexander Silva Alexander–We’re so proud of all that you have accomplished. As you move forward in your life’s journey, remember that we love you and believe in you.

Always remember the family name! Remember where you came from, and may God bless you each and every day. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” -Henry David Thoreau Jake Simpson Jake–We are so proud of you! Your high school adventure began on the West coast with many changes and challenges along the way. Watching you successfully navigate and embrace opportunity over the last four years, will set you up well for your future. Congratulations and remember to make good choices ;) Pony Up! We love you, Mom, Dad, and Claire Brandon Smith You have made me amazingly proud!! I admire your intellect, your capacity for compassion and your innate confidence. It’s time to start something new...trust the magic of beginnings. Move boldly forward. Make it count.

Love you, MOM Lori Smith Here you go Lori!!! Congratulations on this milestone in your life. Wishing you great success in all your future endeavors. We are so proud of you!!!!

Nana D and Grandpa G Congratulations on your big accomplishment. This has been a moment you’ve been waiting for a very long time, and it’s well deserved. College is going to be a wild ride! Keep your head on straight and remember why you are there. I love you, and I wish you the best.

Your cousin, Oran Lori, you are such an intelligent and delightful young lady. You’re ready for whatever lies before you though the world may not be. Look out, here she comes!!! Looking forward to seeing your next successes.

Luv you, Auntee Nancy Congratulations! We are so proud of you and we love you! May your next journey in life be all you hope and dream of! The best is yet to come!

Love you–Corey, Karen, Layla, Zach and Cornelius Lori, we are incredibly proud of the beautiful young lady you’ve become. The sky’s the limit. Keep soaring! We love you!!!

The Ward Family (Chris, Meka, Linda and Evann)

Lori!! You have made us very proud of you, my GREAT niece.

Love, Aunt Josephine and Uncle Bud Lori Olivia Smith–Congratulations! Best wishes to you on your many endeavors in life. We know that you will excel in all that you do. We pray that college life is amazing for you, and we can’t wait to see you grow and flourish into a beautiful young woman. Many blessings to you Lori!!! c/o 2020 We love you, Thad, Tonia, Oran and Wesley To our amazing niece in whom we are so proud...May God grant you peace and grace along this journey called life. We love you and look forward to all the wonderful things that are to come! We love you!

Uncle Darryl, Aunt Holly, and your Cousins Nate, Chels, and Chan Dear Lori, enjoy every moment of college, and create memories that you want to look back on. You are beautiful and smart––don’t let anything stop you from accomplishing your dreams.

Love Auntie & Brie Congrats Lori on graduating high school!! I am so proud of the young woman that you have become, and it is a honor to be able to have someone like you as a cousin. I can’t wait to see you grow even more as a person, and I know you are going to kill it in college! Keep up the good work!!!

Love, Cornelius Lori, I’ve grown up with you my entire life, and as I’ve grown, I’ve seen a beautiful young lady destined for great things unfold in front of me. Your caring heart is only matched by your hardworking attitude. I have no worries for you wherever you go in your life because you’re a strong person and will get to where you want to be. No matter what happens, stay with it because this is only the beginning for you.

I love you, your brother Austin My Daughter, Lori, A prayer for you is on my lips every day. I ask the Lord to walk with you everyday and protect you, guide you, and keep your soul and spirit strong. You are the Love and Joy of my life. Whether near or far apart, I pray that you feel my Love in the warmth of your heart.

Love Dad

Patrick Spillane We’re proud of you and wish you well at DePaul, Patrick.

Love always from Mom, Dad, Tim and Kat. Jason Steinfeld Congratulations & we are so proud of you. All of your hard work paid off!

Don’t wait for your ship to sail in—row out to meet it!

We love you, Mom & Dad Micaela Stewart Your diligence and dedication inspire me. I couldn’t be more proud. Remember “the only way of finding limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” You got this!!!

Loving you always, Mom Kale St. James Surround yourself with things that interest you. You will make mistakes and question everything like why you are in college or whether you chose the right major. If you feel this way, you’re doing it right! We believe in you, so don’t stop trying new things. And when you get the chance to create a better world place for yourself (and others), you’ll know what to do.

Always, Mom & Dad Kerrington "Kerri" Stratton We cannot be more proud of you than we are on your graduation day. We love you and wish you nothing but success and happiness as you move into your next journey of life!! Love you, Kerri!

Xoxo, from your FamFanSquad!!

Elise Tong Remember the Tong family motto – “Always certain, sometimes correct.” You are braver than Olivia, stronger than Dad, taller than Amelia, and almost as nice as Mom. We are so proud your hard work and love you so much!

Abigail "Abby" White Abby, I am very proud of you and wish you all the best in your college years and beyond. I love you!

Mom

Lori, I am so proud of you! Congratulations and all the best is my wish for you.

Before you is a beautiful future; never stop dreaming new dreams. Continue to learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow. With your energy and persistence, you can conquer all things. Keep moving, don’t stop.

Love you so much, Grandmother

Michael Taylor White Congratulations to our sweet baby boy! Your undeniable leadership and your incredible artistic talent have left an indelible mark. Your steps are truly ordered by the Lord!

Love, Dad, Mom, and Sade’

Lori!!! My darling girl, my daughter, my friend. I am so very proud of you! My heart is overflowing with joy at this moment. My hope for you is to enjoy the beauty of living your life with happiness. Celebrate small victories along the way and never, ever give up no matter what obstacles are placed before you. Smile baby! You’re an amazing person! You did it!!!! Congratulations - I love you!

Love, mommy!

Grace Whitmire Grace–you have worked so hard, and we are very proud of you! Love you lots and lots and lots!!!!

Mom, Dad and Luke

Lori, I am so very proud of your accomplishments! Congratulations on graduation, and let your light continue to shine!

Auntie Val Mikayla Smith Always be who you are in your heart as you were beautifully and wonderfully made by God. Always listen to your inner voice and keep your kind, gentle spirit. The world is yours for the taking.

I love you, Mommy.

Spencer Smith Know that you are meant for something truly special, Ordained since the beginning of time. Listen to your heart, Trust your soul, And have the courage to reach for your dreams.

All our love, always....Mom and Dad

Chase Kim Wright Dearest Chase, it brings tears to my eyes to see how fast time has flown and how much you have grown. You have all the life lessons you’ve experienced over the years to succeed as you go off to your next stage in life. The family is so proud of you, and Harmi is always watching over you with happiness and joy!

Love you so much! Kun Emo We are so proud of you Chase and love you so much. Keep that fire going and passion for learning alive. You got this! And know that the girls and I are here for you.

Michael Wright Jr. Michael Wright Jr.–Keep that burning desire to “win in life” at all costs.

However, your actions will be associated with your character which defines you. Stay close to God and be the best You! We are proud of you.

Love Dad, Mom, Taco, Mya and Ava #Wrightmode

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