The Bolles Bugle: Quarter 4 2024

Ava Lankarani

Lucas YusukeKnappNakatani

Ellion Doyle

Ellie Smith

Joaquin Martinez

Mya LillyBridgewater Salvador

JP Nogueira

Jaden Taher & Nitin Mali

Luke Balaskiewicz

Abigail Gartner & Kathryn

Sowers

Noura Ossi

Avery SoumyaSuvoski Kondu

Katelyn Dye & Thomas Gorman

Ava Mariotti

Bennett Kirk

Denzel Del Valle

Shruthi Pakala

Will Sandner

Ms. Morgan & Mr. Nesselrode

Abby Bradley

Maddie Kaiser

Mrs. McNesby

Sam Perry

Wesley Smith & Veronica SippensGroenewegen

Mr. Ferrari

Milan Thomas

Mr. Collins

Dylan Schwartz

Ms. Jacobson

Mrs. Westerlind

Simran Naval

Sarah Anne Thomas

Krish Patel

Santana Starks

Jonah Landis

Parth Jain

Carter Lowe

Holden Edgecombe

Dylan Gatlin

Mr. Jump

Luis Lebrons

Terrell McCoy

Collin Norton

Brody Mills

Gabe Coleman

Kalinski

Mr. Rivera

Joe Graham

Mady Dailey

Harriet Loftin

Bubbie Brown

Kieran Roychowdhury

Mr. Stam

Maura Waller

Mrs. Wood

Billie Nimnicht

Dr. Lieb

Mrs. Dale

Scott Rywelski

Olivia Owens

Johnny Allmand

Amber Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for picking up (or digitally accessing) this copy of The Bolles Bugle, the student news magazine of The Bolles School.

This is our fourth and final issue of the 2023-2024 school year. Humans of Bolles, in the tradition of Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, is different from our straight news editions - instead of long form writing, majority of the content is comprised of short quotes and singular images that represent an authentic look into the Bolles community.

We also have select pieces that tell deeper stories and give multi-dimensional views of the lives of people we may only see on the surface.

This issue’s theme is based on five colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and purple, representing passion, longing, excitement, growth, and mystery, respectively.

If you enjoy this issue and want more Bugle content, check out our website www.bollesbugleonline.com and follow us on Instagram @thebollesbugle for early article releases as well as fun photos and videos. Thanks for sticking with us, and welcome to the Quarter 4 edition for the 2023-24 school year!

Editorial Policy:

The Bolles Bugle is the news magazine created by the journalism class at The Bolles School. Our publication focuses on increasing community awareness of in-school events and topics relating to the five news values: relevance, proximity, timeliness/novelty, conflict/ controversy, and human interest.

Content in the Bugle is the responsibility of the editorial staff and not meant to reflect the views of the school’s administration or the faculty advisor. Please reach out to our faculty advisor, Ms. Gastaldi, with any questions or comments. She can be reached at gastaldie@bolles.org.

Copyright 2009-2024, The Bolles Bugle

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“I wish I could change the fact that everyone in the world is pretty much always stressed out or unhappy. I feel like if everyone would enjoy their lives more it would be a lot better, not only for everyone who does their jobs and everyone who makes the world run the way that it does. [The world] would be a lot more successful if they actually enjoyed themselves while they did what they’re doing.”

Anjali Gusani ‘25

“I would have to choose architecture because it’s a change you can make and it’s art and math and it’s really fun to do. It’s what I’m moving towards. Hopefully I can become an architect in the future. I’m very passionate about it. I’ve done a lot of programs for architecture and different activities and reached out to a lot of different firms.”

“I look up to my mom a lot. Mostly because she’s doing great in life and she’s happy. I want to be like her one day. My horseback riding trainer too because she’s made a name for herself out there and works well. She’s accomplished and done a lot of big things.”

Jaice Wilkins ‘25

“My grandkids are my passion. I always get my grandkids on the weekends and we do all kinds of fun things. I take them to the park, ride bikes with them, do arts and crafts, and play games. The favorite game is probably Uno, they are middle school age so they get really competitive. I have four, and they’re all girls.”

Ava Ludwig ‘27

Elaine

“My dad Kevin is the most important person in my life. He is a mentor to me. He always finds time to do activities with me like help my baseball swing or go fishing with me.”

Wyatt Wise ‘27

“My favorite part about being a teacher is hanging out with some really cool people that are still de- veloping their concepts, their mor- als, their path in life, and it’s real- ly neat to see how that changes over the years and just getting to know some really interesting people.”

“I have a lot of favorite books, but right now I’ll go with ‘Existentialism is a Humanism’ by Jean-Paul Sartre. It’s a speech that he wrote but it’s transcribed and translated because originally, it’s in French— I think it was really interesting and well-spoken, and it doesn’t really read like a speech, it reads like a book. It’s kind of an overview of what existentialism is, which is nice for a reader who doesn’t know a lot about that. Philosophy books are usually pretty dense and confusing, so to have him talk about what he’s trying to convey is really helpful. I usually like to read a pretty wide array of genres, a little bit of everything.”

“If there was something I could change about my community, I would change how we have to drive everywhere versus walking. Walking everywhere would allow people to get out and meet one another and get more exercise.”

Olivia Ebeling ‘25

Estella Bruneau ‘25

Ms. Vance

“I invest my time in crocheting so I can give my little stuffed animals to friends or family because I feel like it’s a meaningful little craft.”

Kayleigh Kasinger ‘24

“I think you know you love somebody when you are willing to sacrifice things for them. You understand how they are feeling, and you can act on that and show that you care for them. I try to show love to the people and things that I love by appreciating them- especially with people, thinking about what they would need now. To me, it is being compassionate towards people and being willing to give yourself for them, wanting to be around them, and it’s like a two way thing- they have to love you for you to love them.”

“If I do have to pick my dream job... probably something in sports broadcasting or sports analytics. I’d be on ESPN, like a Mike Greenberg kind of guy in the sports industry without actually playing sports. I feel like that would be great. My dad got me into baseball when I was about four and I played until fifth grade. He taught me to not stay with one sport and that’s how I ended up finding track. I’ve been doing it for six years now and that’s something that I want to do up past college.”

MaryAgnes Smith ‘25

“During the school week I’m obviously preoccupied with a lot with school and then after, I have practice every single day. Then, usually after that I just chill with my brothers at my house, do some homework. On the weekends. I spend a lot more time with my family and also my friends.”

Louis Joos ‘26

Andrew Ruzanka ‘26

“Driving. Driving frustrates me the most. It can be great but at the same time annoying because I actually have to think. I’m used to being able to just get in the car and not pay attention and just decompress, but when I drive I actually have to pay attention and lock in. Also I feel like I’m always driving all over the place like for different sports and activities after school. I feel like I spend more time in the car than at home.”

Hallie Nelson ‘25

“So I’ve got two businesses right now. One of them is going to focus more online. That one’s gonna have more of a future. I think that one can bring in more money, which I want to share through charities and obviously something for myself. Ultimately, that’s my goal, to run that business. I’m starting a detailing business first. I’m using that as a stepping stone to funnel and basically put money back into my other business to get that one more off its feet.”

“The most important person in my life is my dad. He is an extremely kind and gentle person whom I can always go to with all of my problems. He is always offering advice on ways I can improve my life and be a better person, friend, and student. He always has my best interest at heart and I look up to him as a role model of how I want my life to look like in the future. I appreciate him so much.”

Alexiya Downer ‘25

“Traffic and driving safety. Running red lights and texting while driving should be more of a hazard than it is because some people get away with it. And it causes bad stuff to happen to others. When people on the streets around us while we’re driving are texting they get too close to us because they are not watching what they are doing and almost cause us to crash.”

Jolee Abbey ‘27

Drew Canestra ‘25

Drawn to Art

Ms. Kuonen shares her journey to success through doing what she loves.

Isabel Schimpff Coffeehouse Editor

“I think it’s safe to say that art is my passion,” says Ms. Kuonen.

It’s clear to any student in Kuonen’s classes that the Bolles fine arts teacher has a deep love for her craft. However, it’s difficult to pinpoint where her attachment to the craft began.

“I have been asked how I have gotten into art a lot in my life and honestly, I don’t think there was ever a physical moment in my life where I self-elected - I am an artist. It was just always a part of my life.”

“My mother was a dance teacher and a schoolteacher.” says Kuonen, “She taught at a Montessori school and would always bring home big pieces of butcher block paper. I have loads of memories of just drawing on butcher paper on the floor while she would make dinner.”

“Art’s always been a part of the rich fabric of my life.”

— Lily Kuonen

Art continued to shape Kuonen’s life through school. She attended an art magnet school where one month students would learn from an African dance group and the next, professional storytellers.

After graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design, where she trained in 2D techniques, she quickly realized that 3D work was becoming an additional passion of hers.

Kuonen began fusing her academic training, her passion for mixed media, and her fascination with mechanics and puzzles. One of these revelations included her “clayntings.” These, as the name suggests, were clay pieces mixed

with paintings.

The inspired artist then started making larger scale projects.

“I made a couch that looked like something that IKEA would sell, but it was all made out of paintings. You could take it apart and hang it on the wall or put it together and have a real object. I liked it because it was problem solving and ways to reinvent what painting meant to me.”

Kuonen’s studio in progress.

Credit: Ms. Kuonen

Today, in addition to teaching and inspiring young Bolles artists, Kuonen also creates large scale public installations. She has made indoor projects, outdoor projects, memorials, kinetic sculptures, stainless steel statues, traditional bronze sculptures, and more.

She typically makes two projects a year with one of her most notable ones being the Organ Donor Memorial here in Jacksonville. Like most creators, Kuonen takes inspiration from other artists.

“There are people that inspire my teaching side of production and then there are people who inspire my personal side of production. Of course, my peers inspire me, but one artist who really stuck with me is Anne Truitt. She writes about life intertwining with art and when I read it, it was exactly what I needed to read at that time in my life.”

Kuonen and partner install dragonfly work.

Credit: Ms. Kuonen

As far as advice to other aspiring artists, Kuonen suggests engaging with local art and artists and just taking things slowly.

“Take on what you can accomplish. I think the expectation often times is you have to always be successful in everything all the time, and really, incremental change is valuable and necessary.”

For the future, Kuonen plans on working more sustainable practices and materials into her teaching like flowers and turmeric. She still believes in having a fondness for one’s work and mixing their careers with one’s passion.

“You have to like what you do. It’s fun, it’s hard, it’s challenging, but you’ve got to love it!”

Detail of collection by Kuonen.

Credit: Ms. Kuonen

“The thing I miss most is my pet guinea pig, Autumn, who sadly passed away last night after living a whopping 12 years.”

Ava Lankarani

‘25 name

“I would like to change my perspec- tive on others a bit more. I feel like I’m a bit harsh on judging people be- fore I get to know what kind of per- son they are. I think that one of the biggest things that has helped me is progressing in my walk of faith. You can’t judge people by their actions at the same time when God died on the cross for our sins. I think in general that is how I’m working through it, by putting my faith and belief in God and knowing that I shouldn’t be doing those things.”

“If I could be anywhere else in the world right now I would choose Japan. I miss Japan so badly. I miss my family and the food. The food here is good and I like it but I prefer the Japanese food.”

Yusuke Nakatani ‘27

“If I could change something about myself, I would change my eye color. I feel like it would be cooler. Just for like one day I want to see what I would look like. I don’t know, I just want to look cooler, unlike 80% of the world. I would change it either to hazel, violet….or like the two color eye people…., or like blue. Even like light, light brown would be ok.”

Ellion Doyle ‘24

Lucas Knapp ‘26

“I’d say probably my toughest time was when I tore my ACL and I couldn’t run for a year and then it ruined track and I thought I wasn’t going to go to college. But then I did go to college. But I didn’t commit. But I’m happy that I didn’t commit. It redirected me in life. Overall it was a good thing because we just broke the school 4 by 1 record.”

“I miss the free time the most from my childhood. I miss being able to hang out with my friends and not have to stress about the quiz tomor- row or the test at the end of the week.”

“If anyone I know is upset, I think the most important thing is to make sure they know that you’re there for them—so they know they have the support, that’s what you need to give. I don’t think it’s important to go up to someone and tell them what they should do with their life. I think it’s important to check up on even random people to like, oh, like ‘how are you doing today?’ It’s something as little as that that can mean so much.”

“I miss my older brother Daniel the most. He’s in college right now and we were really tight before he left. Now I don’t see him very often, I don’t think I’ve seen him since last summer, which has been almost a year. So I think I miss my older brother the most.”

Ellie Smith ‘24

Mya Bridgewater ‘25

Lilly Salvador ‘24

Joaquin Martinez ‘27

“The hardest thing I’ve been through is probably learning English. It was hard to adapt. It was hard to learn and I had like no friends, no family. Nobody to be with for like a good couple months. But then I learned how to live here.”

JP Nogueira ‘25

“I had a very happy childhood. My dad was a sailor, so the sound of the sea or the rigging on a ship always reminds me of my dad. The crackling of a fire is the sound of our house in the winter up in the Lake District where we would be snowdeep and toasting crumpets over the fire. I love the smell of newly cut grass in England when the earth is damp, the smell of grass is redolent of summer. I heard the wind on the river and it did make me feel of nostalgic towards my family.”

“The thing I miss most about my childhood is having a good sleep schedule.”

“And I would say, adding on the sleep schedule idea is the amount of free time that I had as a kid. And the amount of unstructured time I had to explore my curiosities, whilst today I have a lot of extracurriculars to do.”

Jaden Taher ‘25 Nitin Mali ‘27

“I’d say, probably playing in the U.S. Amateur. I was really nervous.”

Luke Balaskiewicz ‘25

Mrs. Kervin

Kathryn: “Senioritis is hard.”

Abigale: “And all I can think about is the beach and a tropical vacation.”

Kathryn: “Even though I’ll be really sunburnt.”

Abigale: “Yeah, I’d rather be sunburnt and cooking in Bora Bora. I say Bora Bora because that’s where all the tart influencers go. They look like they have a lot of fun on social media.”

Kathryn: “Not Jamaica that’s for sure. I’m going on a cruise there this summer and I’m not allowed to wear camo. I would say Key West.”

Kathryn Sowers ‘24 Abigale Gartner ‘24

“I don’t think you should have regrets because you can’t really change anything about the past. I’ll probably have regrets later in life, but, in the grand scheme of things, I feel like it’s not that important to dwell over something that already happened.”

“I don’t really have any regrets, because I’m not that old so, I don’t know. I haven’t really done anything that’s too regrettable. I guess the reason I don’t have a regret is because it’s better to learn from my mistakes than to dwell on them.”

“Do I feel like I have a purpose in life… yes, because I think my purpose in life is to help others. Through volunteering, mostly. I tutor people, and I think that helps the most—in Spanish and math. Middle schoolers. I think they get a lot out of it—I hope they do. I feel a sense of fulfillment from helping others.”

Avery Suvoski ‘27

Soumya Kondu ‘25

Noura Ossi ‘27

Combatting Cancer

Olivia

Janse Van Rensburg ‘24 raises money with LLS

in her father’s honor

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-in-Chief

Olivia Janse Van Rensburg ‘24 was nine years old when her father passed away from ABC Lymphoma.

Now 18, Rensburg raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, so far totaling $157,000 and was recently honored at the LLS banquet for her contributions.

Who do you miss most?

“My father.”

When did he pass away? “December 17 of 2015.”

How did you grapple with that as a young child?

“When you’re so young, and you’re told that your parent has this diagnosis that is incurable, it does not seem real. You hear about bad things, but you never

expect them to happen to you.”

How has losing him affected you?

“For the first two years it didn’t seem real. Honestly, as I grew up in elementary school, it didn’t seem real. Like at all. It just seemed like he was on vacation, or he wasn’t there. And

then it started to sink in, and it more affected my lifestyle. I really was able to get through it, and the hard days would be days like his death day and his birthday, or father-daughter stuff. People say that time heals but it doesn’t. The older you get, the harder it is, because you start to think of things like your wedding, your kids, prom pictures, stuff he won’t be there for. It definitely is hard, but it’s also something that I know that if I can deal with that, be strong through that, I can be strong through anything.”

What’s your favorite memory of him?

“I never wanted to go to my bible study at church. I would hate it because I was alone. He would drop me off, then he would stand outside the window making me and all of my classmates laugh for like 10 minutes until I was comfortable and then he would leave.”

How do you honor him now?

“LLS is a big way. It is crazy how much money plays a part in cancer research. LLS was a huge tribute to him, I did it all in

honor of him and it was really hard, but it was one of the most humbling and rewarding things ever.”

What do you wish you could tell your dad?

“I love him and I’m trying to do my best for him every day.”

What do you think he’d say to you right now?

“That he’s proud of me.”

(Left) Rensburg with her father.

(Above) Rensburg presents at the LLS Banquet in April (Below) Rensburg learns to ride a bike.

Katelyn:

“My favorite food is mashed potatoes because you can eat them when you are an infant, middle-aged person, and an elderly adult. You could put gravy on them, butter, or salt. There are so many variations. You could throw a little cheese, or bacon on them as well.”

Thomas:

“My favorite food is veal parm. It’s a nice cut of veal breaded. You put a little bit of cheese on there, some sauce. I have liked it since growing up in Massachusetts, and it’s one of those things that is hard to find in all areas of the country.”

“Money, lots of money. Anything from gambling, like I like gambling money and playing video games for hours on end. I like to play Minecraft and a lot of games like GTA.”

Katelyn Dye and Thomas Gorman

“The barn makes me feel safe because I get to disconnect and I’m always working on a project and I get to focus on that and not think about whatever is going on at school. I get to focus with nothing distracting me.”

Bennett Kirk ‘26

“I feel safest with my family in Puerto Rico. Being with my family there reminds my of my childhood and growing up with that culture. I always felt safe and it was so fun spending my childhood there.”

Ava Mariotti ‘25

Denzel Del Valle ‘26

“That’s how I bond with people, it’s through my humor. Yeah, it’s jokes and just making fun of other people—not bullying, just making fun of—you know, and then they’ll make fun of you back. But I think just genuinely appreciating the other person, like complimenting them, smiling at them, like they have a pretty smile, because I love it when people tell me I have a good smile.”

Shruthi Pakala ‘24

Mr. Nesselrode

“I take pride in the library being such a welcoming place and I think we both have the philosophy that anytime a student enters the library they should feel comfortable and welcomed.”

“I really liked them. Get that tingly finglie. You know, the feelin’s. God, why are you asking me this? Ask him. I feel like I gave you gold there. That’ll sell papers. Tingly finglie. Soulmates do the tingly finglies.”

Ms. Morgan

“I love helping the kids print. If they need some help, I love helping them, especially with the new printing system.”

Mr. Nesselrode Ms. Morgan

“I think I do believe in soulmates. The right place, the right time, the right people—when fate brings them together. It would definitely feel like nothing else—it would be its own scenario. Like two vibes— picture this—two atoms with the rings around them, and then there’s a transfer of energy. Everyone has these transfers of energy, but the transfer of energy between two soulmates is stronger. It’s more powerful and beautiful than other ones. I think if you have to change something to make it work, it’s not your soulmate. It’s a first meeting kind of thing.”

Will Sandner ‘25

Abby Bradley ‘25

“My happiest memory is genuinely being on the girl’s crew team and being a co-captain with the friends that I’ve made on the team. I like the team culture we’ve been able to build over the last four years and how we are close both on the water and in the classroom. I feel like rowing is a very niche sport so it’s also pretty cool going to regattas, camps, and getting to connect with other athletes.”

“Taylor Swift. The new album coming out, it’s a thing of joy almost ‘cause you’ve been waiting for a long time and it finally comes out and you’re just like ‘YEE PEE!’ When you can actually relate to something, it gives you more of a deeper connection and so it makes you feel better. The album’s kind of sad. It makes me happy because I get more music to listen to, and that’s kind of what I survive off of every day.”

Maddie Kaiser ‘24

“Currently, it’s spending time with my family, my wife, my dog and golfing in the beautiful spring Florida weather.”

Sam Perry ‘26

“A good friend is genuine, honest, and respectful of someone’s values and time.”

Mrs. McNesby

Wesley Smith ‘24

Veronica SippensGroenewegen

“Barry Sanders, I love Barry with all my heart. I named my first pet ever Barry. My 40th birthday, my wife got me an autograph. Barry Sanders jersey framed and authenticated. I have over 30 Barry Sanders cards, several of them rookies. I once told him I loved him when I was an adult. In a Verizon store in Novi, Michigan, I remember it very well. I don’t know what to say to him, I was so shellshocked. I loved him. He was drafted when I was eight and retired when I was 17. It was very formative.”

Mr. Ferrari

“My mom would always say, be the reason someone smiles today. My dad would always say, you never know what someone’s going through. You may be the only good thing that happens to them today. So having my mom and dad basically tell me, you know, show the love to others, they need to see to know that there’s good in this world.”

“I think my favorite thing about myself is that I’m very understanding and I’m a good listener. I love that because in terms of friendships, I love that my friends always come to me for advice or if they ever just want to rant about something that’s bothering them they always come to me. I find that to be one of the nice things about our friendships so I think it’s nice that they think I’m a good listener and someone they can always talk to no matter what.”

Mr. Collins ‘05

“Rock climbing makes me happy because it’s a lot of fun, it’s like problem solving, and it’s a fun sport. There’s a lot of socializing, a lot of people around you, you get to work together, and it’s rewarding.”

Milan Thomas ‘24

Dylan Schwartz ‘24

Jacobson Slams

Ellie Stewart Copy Editor/ Sports Editor

Story Slam is an organization that holds story telling competitions in cities all over the country, including here in Jacksonville. Each participant puts their name in a hat so they can compete in a random order. Each has five minutes... five minutes to tell a story relating to the night’s theme, vying for awards for the judge’s or audience’s favorite.

Ms. Jacobson was first introduced to Story Slam when she went to a competition with her friends after Mr. Dickson’s 50th birthday party. “I looked it up online and there were two tickets left… But we went, and my friends had put my name in the hat,” Jacobson says.

“I enjoy watching people come into themselves, and the way that the audience supports them if people get nervous.”

— Ms. Jacobson

Ironically, her name was drawn first, and with no time to prepare, Jacobson went with one of her tagline stories from college. The theme for that night was improvisation, and so she spoke about “what it’s like to invent yourself on the fly.” During college, whenever she met someone new, Jacobson would create a new career for herself. Her story about reinventing herself earned her the top prize.

Ever since winning her first competition, Jacobson has been closely connected with the organization. One person she looks

Ms. Jacobson and Mr. Dickson back stage.

Credit: Ms. Jacobson

up to is George Dawes Green, who started a podcast entitled The Moth in the late 1990’s that helped make Story Slam famous. “The idea is that we are like moths, and stories are like the flame,” Jacobson says. “We are drawn to stories, and so much like the flame is attractive to the moth, but also deadly to the moth, it is the same thing with our relationship with stories.”

and tell all kinds of stories. “I really, really respect all the storytellers who take to the stage,” Jacobson says. “It takes a certain amount of courage to go up and stand in front of strangers and tell the story.” As a teacher, Jacobson believes she has an advantage in Story Slam because every day she stands in front of students and teaches them new material. “I have so much respect for people who don’t do that all the time,” she says.

When she is watching others perform, she enjoys “watching people come into themselves, and the way that the audience supports them if people get nervous.” She believes that the Story Slam community, especially here in Jacksonville, is very welcoming to performers, and she is thrilled to be a part of it.

Jacobson competes around three to four times a year. “I compete less now, in part because I want to make as much space as possible for new voices.” When she isn’t telling stories, Jacobson enjoys contributing to Story Slam by baking for the competitions. For example, she remembers, “when the theme was ‘untethered,’ I baked braided pastries.” Baking for the competitions and helping out backstage even when she isn’t competing allows her to continue staying connected with the organization.

Jacobson’s favorite part of Story Slam is watching others perform

Mr. Dickson telling a story.

Credit: Ms. Jacobson

One of her favorite memories is when Mr. Dickson won first place. “He could tell that he had nailed it,” Jacobson says. “He actually jumped off the stage and ran down the aisle and was getting high fives.” Memories such as these are why Jacobson continues to be involved with Story Slam, and she recommends it to any new aspiring performer.

“What motivates me? It truly depends on what part of my life. Successful outcomes motivate me a great deal of the time. Process motivates me, like how I get there is important. The little steps along the way are just as important as the outcome. My nana, my grandmother. She is a motivating factor in my life in general. She is a hundred and one years old and she has been a role model for me my entire life and if I can be even half the woman she is by the time I’m her age or at any point in my life, I would consider my life to be very successful.”

Mrs. Westerlind

“When I look in the mirror, I see someone who has potential, but doesn’t know what they want to do with that potential yet. Someone with ability, who wants to do something for the world but doesn’t know where they fit in yet and wants to find a community, but also foster communities for other people. I see someone who is independent but still relies on people. I think it’s a big inspiration to see yourself in the mirror every day and see how you’re changing, and to see your influence and potential and your possible change as an inspiration for yourself.”

“I am looking forward to relaxing, graduating, and going

“In 10 years I hope to be in medical residency.”

Sarah Anne Thomas ‘25

to college!”

Simran Naval ‘24

Krish Patel ‘25

“If I only had 24 hours to live, I would spread the word of God. I would spread it as far as I can get us for as long as I can and the best I can.”

Santana Starks ‘26

“If I could give my ten year old self advice, I would tell him to experiment, try new activities, explore new languages, and do as many sports as you can.”

“Dang only 24 hours left… I’d probably travel to Texas where most of my family is and we’d play board games and watch movies. You can’t do a lot in 24 hours and I really miss them so that’s probably what I would do. I would not do any school work. I most definitely wouldn’t do anything that involves school or grades or anything like that.”

Parth Jain ‘24

“If I could give advice to my ten year old self, I think the first thing I would say is that it’s important not to be afraid of making mistakes. I feel like I missed out on a lot of opportunities and I kind of limited myself on what I said and what I did, and I wasn’t able to have as much fun as I feel like I possibly could have.”

Carter Lowe ‘25

Jonah Landis ‘25

“I’ve definitely taken school more seriously as I’ve risen up my grades— almost a full GPA point increase since freshman year. I take school more seriously, also I probably just look more at the big picture and I’ve been trying to stop focusing on small events in my life that annoy me because is it really going to matter in a year or six months? I want to just go with the flow more, be more independent, not rely on other people as much as I do now, talk more to people and be open.”

“My biggest strength, I would say, is my ability to build relationships with my students. I always say relationship building because I’m really good at following what my students are doing. With people outside of school too. If they have, for example, a family member who was sick, I try to ask them about that or pay attention to what’s going on in people’s lives and have a genuine care for how they’re doing. That strength helps me a lot in education because a lot of my students have so many things going on in their lives.”

“In the more abstract, I think debate helps you grow because it gives you more confidence in your own ideas. Having the abilities and the knowledge to defend what you believe in is really important as well as confronting other people’s ability, other people’s knowledge and then challenging your own beliefs. I think it really helps you grow intellectually and become a better person as a result.”

“You have to work hard to complete achievements and nothing is gonna be free. If I have any exam or any project I have to do it and do my best to get a good grade.”

Holden Edgecombe ’25

Luis Lebrons ’26

Brody Mills ‘25

Mr. Jump

“My friends and the people around me who help me strive to succeed in life. My friends helped me feel better about myself, and they helped me strive to become my best self physically and mentally. Like in the gym, I had a good friend Jake, he inspired me to start going to the gym back in January.”

Dylan Gatlin ’27

“Honestly something I’m looking forward to is just change. I’m a huge advocate for change whether it’s something small every day or something major like going to college which is right around the corner for us. Honestly, I’m just really excited about the future in general and just growing as a person, and just experiencing new things.”

“My overarching goal would probably be to have at least three more offers in any sport that I do, whether it be basketball or track and field, and I hope to get those this summer. But it’s what ever God wants, so I’m not going to push it too much. In three or four years, I definitely want to be in the Division 1 level playing where I become a household name, like Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark, and I can actually be a role model for younger girls like me who are tall.”

Collin Norton ’25

“Well, I definitely haven’t gotten any taller, but as far as changing goes, that’s a good question. I think in middle school I was really just a shy person in general, and I still think part of that is a large component of my personality, but my dad, he’s a professional photographer, so I’ve always had a camera in front of me, whether he’s just taking pictures or random home videos or whatever, and I think more in high school, starting like freshman year, especially because, we were all online for COVID, I started getting more comfortable being in front of the camera.”

Gabe Coleman ’24

Terrell McCoy ’26

Julia Kalinski: Perservering in times of change

Caylee Padgett Online Editor

Mrs. Julia Kalinski is the Director of Alumni Engagement here at Bolles. Kalinski grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine, and tells the story of living behind the Iron Curtain to inspire others to persevere in times of change.

Kalinski in a traditional elementary classroom in Ukraine

Credit: Julia Kalinski

“The Chornobyl disaster happened when I was about a year and a half. I moved with my family to Azerbaijan, which was also part of the Soviet Union at the time. And I was there for about five years. After that, in about 1991 to 98, I lived in Kyiv still, but it was now independent. Once the Soviet Union broke up, and became an independent state, the transition there was interesting.”

In times of change, Kalinski reflects, communities often come together to make life easier for those around them.

“Culture is very collectivistic and community-oriented. So a lot of people really looked out for

Kalinski’s homecoming court in 2003 at Orangewood Christian school in Orlando.

Credit: Julia Kalinski

“You’d never go to someone’s home without bringing like a treat or something that you had. Maybe you bake a bunch of cookies and you would share that, and then they would return your plate with candy or something. So, it was very much about giving what you have and being grateful for others, so people became close just because the outside world was so unstable.”

Kalinski lived in this community for the first 11 years of her life and then moved to America to study English in an exchange program in Orlando. “I lived with a family for about a year. I learned English very quickly. The adapting to America was definitely different. I remember my first memories were landing in Miami and going into a Walmart, and just having the plethora of choices.”

As Kalinski transitioned from Ukraine to the U.S., she had to learn English quickly as no one spoke Ukrainian in her host family. She lost her accent and began adapting to the teenage culture she was immersed in.

“That was probably the biggest kind of transition just because teenage life in the former Soviet Union was very different than than it is here and just acclimating to how to have friendships, how to dress, how to do all these things was challenging, but after about a year, the school was very small and people really came around me as a community were really supportive.”

Kalinski reflects that being in a new culture is a challenge, but also eye opening.

“That transition was hard but taught me a lot of lessons and gave me a lot of perspective... As I got to know people and heard them, I think I blended in and adapted really well.”

When undergoing a transitional period in life, Kalinski recommends, “just to be open. I think we can just really kind of dig our heels in the way we’re used to doing things and not be open to new ideas of different ways.”

Kalinski in her wedding dress at the president’s office in Kyiv in 2012.

Credit: Julia Kalinski

“I am most afraid of hair.”

Mr. Rivera

“I believe in aliens because there is so much out there, it’s hard to believe that there isn’t anything else or that there wouldn’t be another form of life. There’s endless possibilities. I think they would look kind of like us but maybe with different skin color or maybe without hair.”

“Medium-rare steak. Maybe like a mashed potato side and broccoli on the side maybe that? Maybe some asparagus.”

“Do you know Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters? The Bermuda Triangle? That’s how Amelia Earhart died, there’s this big monster in there and it ate her. That’s why nobody can find anything. Somehow her logistics were wrong so everyone thinks she was over the Pacific. All of a sudden her plane crashed, she dove down, you know, she’s swimming in the water. And this big ‘ol monster, literally like the one in Percy Jackson, just a mouth with sharp teeth comes and swallows her up. She was able to live inside of the monster, but now she’s dead.”

Mady Dailey ‘27

Joe Graham ‘25

Harriet Loftin ‘25

“I’ve heard a lot about the Paris Catacombs. There’s this conspiracy theory that there’s people living in the Paris Catacombs, and I always hear stuff about it because urban explorers go down there and a lot of people have gotten lost. But I think that’s cool because it’s part of history. Or the DaVinci code and the idea that Jesus had like a bloodline and a family. I think that might be my favorite conspiracy theory.”

Bubbie Brown ‘26

“I guess it might surprise people that I’m actually kind of athletic. My build doesn’t really seem that way, and also I like sports a lot. Basketball, football, I follow it. The Jaguars and the Lakers have held up a lot. Well, for fun, I play basketball like every day and I used to do cross country. I think people would be surprised because it doesn’t look like I’d be someone that’s actually athletic. Because I’m very skinny.”

“Who would play me in a movie? Wow, that’s a toughie. I have students saying I look like Jason Statham now. Okay. But I really don’t know. What’s the guy who plays Star-Lord? Chris Pratt? Yeah, we’ll go with Chris Pratt.”

Mr. Stam ‘00

“If I had to tell the whole world one thing it would be to take a deep breath because you do not need to be worrying. Though worry can sometimes help push people in the right direction, it also causes a lot of stress and too much stress can be unnecessary. Majority of the time it is better to take a deep breath and relax because life is much more fun and rewarding when you do not have anything to worry about. YOLO.”

Maura Waller ‘26

Kieran Roychowdhury ‘25

“People would be surprised that I have a philosophy degree and I’m teaching technology. Well, a BA in philosophy, then a Masters in technology. The philosophy degree I got in El Paso, Texas, and then the Master’s in technology was from JU. Philosophy, I just outgrew that. I used to really sit and talk to people and make them change their minds and all that. I don’t do philosophy anymore. And then with the technology one, I’m teaching all the classes that I love and I’m learning at the same time.”

“I’m a pretty good cook. I started working in Italian restaurants when I was in high school and college, so that’s where I kind of learned. So, I can cook anything and everything Italian. I like Mexican food too, so I cook a lot of Mexican food, Indian, Thai, and other Southeast Asian foods. So, I’m not an expert in any of those things, but I like to experiment with recipes and try to figure out how to make it as good as it could be. I’m making firecracker shrimp tonight.”

“To the world I’d say, ‘stop wasting water, you’re destroying the planet.’ I was trying to think of something important enough to tell the whole world and something that an average person could help with. I considered saying ‘stop all wars’ but I realized that the average person can’t stop a war, but for an issue like water overuse, an average person can make a contribution by using less water personally.”

“I am afraid of getting sick. I don’t know how to explain this eloquently but I have an odd fear of having plans and then getting sick and not being able to make my plans, or being sick while I’m out of the country or out of town. I make myself sick ahead of time before I even go where I’m going. For instance, right now I have a trip in two weeks, and I started feeling bad this week and my mind just started playing tricks on me.”

Ms. Wood

Dr. Lieb

Billie Nimnicht ‘24

Ms. Dale

“Dice, because when you roll dice you always want to set them down at the highest number. The other ones are ghosts and ghouls. Ghosts are everywhere and they haunt people and sometimes possess them.”

Scott Rywelski ‘25

“If anyone could play me in a movie, I think it would be Adam Sandler. I feel like he would hit me in the right way.”

“My final meal, I want some mac and cheese. Homemade mac and cheese with a big slice of cake, a juice box, and fried chicken. But the fried chicken from Popeyes with with my Chick-fil-A order. Definitely that, because I love those things.”

Johnny Allmand ‘25

“Support the cause of decency to each other. Most definitely with the chaos and madness of conflict and war we see right now. It is a repetition of what the world knows didn’t go well in the past. And when you launch these aggressive actions against each other, we forget about how to be decent human beings. As someone who has traveled the world quite extensively, it’s pretty mind boggling. I think it goes back to the idea that people just don’t value human life. It’s sad to watch.”

Coach O’Neill

Olivia Owens ‘27

Lights, Camera, Ashkon

Tristan Schneider Contributing Writer

Ashkon Shirazi ‘24 has performed in five Bolles plays in his highschool career. He perfectly embodies each and every one of his roles, which takes time, determination, and creativity.

Playing a character takes more than just reading the lines. A good actor will go deeper into their character’s thoughts and motivations, and this is exactly what Shirazi does. This process can take weeks or even months to perfect for a performance.

“To perform as a made-up character takes a ton of creativity. The actor has to make up everything. They have to come up with the accents for the character, how they walk, how they interact with the set and the cast. It’s not something everyone can do. But I think if you’re willing to practice, anyone can do it.”

“What’s motivating this character? Why are they saying what? Once you understand the motivation, then you can kind of get into the mindset of the character.”

- Ashkon Shirazi

Shirazi uses his vast creativity to become his characters,

which shows in his excellent performances. He has to spend weeks creating his characters from the ground up, and needs to make sure that all the characters he has played don’t combine.

Shirazi uses different voices for each character he plays. He is able to do this by listening and mimicking people he has heard, which usually takes him a couple of days. He takes his accents very seriously, sometimes staying in the character’s voice for hours after a show. “One time I had to speak a Scottish accent and after the show, I spoke with a slight Scottish accent for the rest of [the day].”

A great performer can also improvise on the spot. This is another skill Shirazi uses. He can perfectly make his own improvisation look convincing, while also being able to respond well when someone uses improv towards him. Improvisation is also just a fun way of messing with the audience and cast.

Shirazi is a very creative person, and he uses his talents to embody his characters, with his proficient accents and voices or how he carries his character through interactions with others. Shirazi is a great performer and everyone cannot wait for what he will do next.

Ashkon Shirazi preforming in “The Play that Goes Wrong”

Credit: Ashkon Shirazi ‘24

Amber Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief

Hailey

ContributingChristyWriter

Caylee Padgett Online Editor

Dear Bolles community,

Thank you for supporting our publication these past four years. We’ve learned a lot and have loved sharing this experience with you. It’s your support that gives our journalism meaning. Bugle has been a large part of our high school careers and has been a forum for us to grow, change, and try new things.

For Amber, who will be studying at Stanford University next year, the best part of being on Bugle has been the people on staff as well as learning how to become a leader.

Isabel, who will be studying at Northwestern University this fall, will miss crafting articles the most. She has loved findng her voice and experimenting with different writing styles while on staff.

Hailey, who will attend Florida State University, enjoyed combining her passion for videography with telling stories as well as getting to learn about jounalism.

Caylee, going to the University of Central Florida, will miss getting to know new staffers. She has enjoyed interviewing and learning about so many cool people in the Bolles community. It has been a joy and honor to serve on the Bugle staff, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for the publication. Good luck and happy summer!

Signing off,

The

Bugle Seniors