Advice to my freshman self

From volleyball, to fishing to soccer games, senior Hudson Ribble finds joy in being active and getting outdoors. Ribble has had fun bonding with teammates and working towards their end goal, winning a state championship game. “Our season the year before [the 2021 state championship volleyball game] got canceled due to COVID-19, so the win felt double as important for the guys who didn't get to pla...

As a freshman, grades were senior Areeb Hasan’s top priority. This caused him to spend less time with friends and not get involved in extracurricular activities. “I have become a lot more relaxed when it comes to grades and school work. Not to say that I am neglectful or lazy, it's more like I am not as anxious about grades and school work as I was before,” Hasan said. Hasan has since par...

Simple classroom interactions were valuable moments to senior Tiffany Ung as she navigated the high school. Ung enjoyed casual teaching styles where students and teachers could joke with each other and talk about life. As a senior, Ung has figured out how to surround herself with people and activities that are best for her. Ung learned to focus on her interests rather than cramming in extracurricu...

Senior Rikus Van Der Walt found a stress reliever in mountain biking. Going mountain biking allows him to keep his mind clear. Additionally, he has fun playing video games in his free time. “I like both of them because they allow me to forget about any stressful things bothering me for a short while,” Van Der Walt said. “I still think grades are important, but I think it is even more importan...

Already having a few ideas of which colleges he wants to apply to, senior Joseph Denklau wants to spend valuable time on friends and hobbies such as car photography. He finds joy in the speed and freedom offered by cars, and he grew up washing his family’s cars with his dad every weekend. “I remember the first time I hung out with a friend who I hadn't seen in a long time, and we got to know...

Senior Aliana Sawall feels that in order to be successful in high school, she had to overcome the mental block of not being able to ask for help. Once Sawall found a math teacher during her  sophomore year that she was comfortable around, she was able to ask for help more often during class and study halls. Aside from studying and school work, Sawall volunteers at an animal shelter and works at K...

Senior Trisha Manna worked on time management over the course of high school. By holding herself accountable and setting aside her phone, Manna slowly overcame procrastination and large workloads of homework. “When I was a freshman, I thought the most important thing was taking all the honors I could. As a senior, I try to be more balanced in my course load and take classes that really intere...

Senior Paige Wehrmeister strives to try new things and have fun in high school. Wehrmeister knows it is important to challenge herself while still accepting that trying her best might not always get her a perfect grade. “When I was a freshman, I thought high school was all about going to class and getting good grades. Over time though, my view changed a lot. Sometimes my best is a B and that'...

Senior Waleed Abdulla believes his high school experience made him a better person. From improvement in classes to meeting positive people, Abdulla learned to make the most of clubs and opportunities. Navigating high school became simpler for Abdulla with the help of his sister. Abdulla’s sister was a senior when he was a freshman, so she helped him pick classes and find summer activities. “Ironi...

Senior Ella Roesch found a supportive figure and role model in her mom. From her soccer career to self discovery, Roesch’s mom was there for her entire high school experience. “High school has probably been the biggest changing point [in my relationship with my mom]. We've gotten extremely close throughout the years of high school. I'd consider her one of my best friends and I tell her everything....

Senior Reagan Vierling always takes time out of her week to go to her church’s youth group, along with the Mountains and Valleys club. In addition to these, Vierling is the leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “I am very passionate about [these activities]. I struggled with being able to find friends who would support my decisions and encourage me to do good,” Vierling said. �...

Along with baking and trying out new recipes, senior Kate Yates spends most of her time running. Yates found inspiration in her high school role model, who was her first cross country captain alumni Laura Rein. Yates is the varsity cross country captain during fall. In spring, she runs track. Originally, Yates was hesitant to join cross country but now she thinks running is the best part of her ...

Senior Lucy Billadeau joined many activities when she started high school as a freshman. Billadeau is involved in theater as a stage manager, Key Club, Thirst Project and other activities. “One of my favorite memories of high school was when I completed my debut [theater] production for All in the Timing, and got Froyo with some of the cast [and] crew freshman year,” Billadeau said. Pushing herself out of he...

Senior Joshua Rollins had originally thought fitting in and getting good grades was the most important part of school, but now he believes people who stand out are the ones remembered best. “My favorite part of high school was probably seeing everyone evolve these past four years,” Rollins said. “I had goals and standards for who I wanted to become.” Rollins is involved in ASAP, Link Cr...

Senior Hannah Lumpkins says she created good connections with her friends and teachers through high school to become more comfortable in her education. During all spirit weeks she attended in person, Lumpkins helped build the float for homecoming. “I would say those after school hours trying to create something fun for the school and really bonding with some of my peers has been the most fun,...

From collecting albums to learning about the history of bands, senior Grace Eschbach has been invested in music her whole life. One of Eschbach’s favorite activities is going to concerts and watching bands perform live, which pushed her to become involved in the theater tech department. Although Eschbach found fun in going to concerts in her free time, school was a different story. As a fresh...

Senior Natalee Huff participates in Improv and Clay Club. In the past, Huff was a member of the marching band. Huff felt she struggled with the pandemic. “Since everyone had to be online, it was hard doing all my work by myself,” Huff said. “Now that I’m a senior, I have put more of my time into being with friends and stressing less as long as I felt I knew my studies well.” With influen...

Between school, volleyball, work and friendships, senior Amber Vogelgesang is constantly engaged in the high school scene. In order to make up for lost time due to COVID-19, Vogelgesang is making it her personal mission to attend every football game, school dance, senior activity and go all out for spirit week. Vogelgesang hopes to graduate without regrets and make the most of her high school exper...

From volunteering in an art class to teaching a family friend’s son, senior Zeina Daboul gets involved in her community to form meaningful relationships. Additionally, Daboul is a board member of NEHS and HOSA, and volunteers with Key Club. Even though switching from a small private school to a larger school was difficult for Daboul, she ended up making the most out of school events. “My f...

Starting freshman year, senior Devyn Green had to navigate mental health. She says she struggled with putting herself out there and feeling nervous often. Green ended up making friends who pushed her to go out and make more out of her years in high school. Green’s teachers are a big inspiration to her. After high school, Green wants to become an English or drama teacher. “The way [my teacher...

In all four years of high school, senior Ryan Whorton was a member of the swim team and the water polo team. Whorton looked up to the seniors of water polo each year. Especially last year, Whorton felt the seniors did a good job of eliminating the stigma between grade level and status in sports. “Each group just got better with the legacy that they left, so being able to model myself and model a cl...

Senior Deena Abuzeid had the most fun going on adventures and field trips with her friends in high school. She enjoyed all of the football games and spirit weeks. Entering freshman year having gone to a different middle school than most of her classmates was a challenge for Abuzeid, but through encouragement from friends, she joined activities and became more involved. “Ever since then, I w...