Hello 9th Grade!
I spent the last year and a half of elementary school and all of middle school online due to the Covid pandemic. But when the county stopped the online program, I had to go in person for high school. At first, I was nervous but then when I went back, I realized it wasn’t so bad. I loved my teachers, but I wish some of the other students would behave better.
School portrait, 2024–25
Academic Achievements
Testing “Distinguished” on MCAPs for Science; and “Proficient” in Math.
Selected as a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders at UMass-Lowell.
Induction into the Society of Torch and Laurel.
Making the honor roll every quarter.
Tennis
Freshman Year
Luv It All!
Tennis Ready: The first time I picked up a racquet was when I was 4 and a half years old. My parents and I were walking through a park in Washington Depot, Connecticut and we came across a tennis court. Two gentlemen were playing and I picked up one of their racquets. They stopped and asked if I wanted to try and hit a ball. I hit it over the net right to one of them my first time trying. The man asked my dad how long I have been taking lessons and he said that I had never picked up a racquet before. So the man said “well then, you better put her in lessons.”
Favorite Shot
My forehand. People have told me it’s a “killing machine” because it goes hard at a fast speed.
BEST COMEBACK
I was down 2-7 in a singles match while I had a sprained knee but ended up winning 8-7.
WORKING ON
My topspin. I need to get under the ball better.
HIGHLIGHTS
Art
I’ve been taking art classes since I was in middle school. When I was online for school, I took classes at the Academy of Art Museum in Easton, Md. All of the students in those classes were either online for education or homeschooled. In those classes I learned many different techniques, how to draw animals and the human figure, and how to create landscapes.
As a freshman, I got to take Foundations of Art and participate in the Art Club. In Foundations of Art, my teacher taught us about primary and secondary colors, and how to do monochromatic art, Zentangle, still life, and realistic animals.
I wanted to practice painting a tiger. First, I sketched it out and then painted it with acrylic paint. I paid close attention to the patterns and details I included. It was unlike a lot of other entries that year, which were mostly landscapes. It has an abstract quality that helped it stand out.
Dance
My mother likes to tell the story of how I got the “boot” in Ballet and was kicked out of the class for singing during recital when I was three. These days, I just dance during recital but love it as much as I did back then. Although I still take Ballet, my real jam is Hip Hop, and I also take Contemporary. Next year, I would like to add a Jazz class if I can fit it into my schedule.
Community Service
In Maryland, you need 75 hours of Community Service in order to graduate. Currently, I have 76.50, because I was able to work with the local community college theater department on a production while in 8th grade, and then, this year with the Art Club on a variety of projects that benefited the community including face painting for Haunted Hallways and making ornaments for a Christmas Tree Auction fundraiser at the Tidewater Inn. I think I will continue to do community service even though I have enough hours because I enjoy helping people.
