Untold Stories of DDS: Issue 10

MAY 2024

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UNTOLD STORIES OF DDS Issues 9 and 10 of UNTOLD STORIES OF DDS are a collection of articles by students enrolled in Mr. McGill’s Creative Writing class.

THE MANY TRAVELS OF LUISA PARAGUASSU

BY SEAN JONES

A

lthough senior Luisa Paragussau has attended Davidson Day School for only two years, she has significantly impacted our community. Mainly, Luisa is known for her artistic talents, such as singing, playing guitar, and writing songs. She has also performed in Contemporary Ensemble and starred in multiple theater productions, like Mean Girls, Something Rotten, and Clue. Off the stage, she is a stellar student and an even more impressive person.

culture shock once all the foreigners left and I was the only one,” she said.

Above: Luisa and a few of her favorite things; Below: As Cady Heron in Mean Girls. Photo by Laura Woods

The path that Luisa traveled before finally landing at Davidson Day School was a long one.

She has lived in different parts of the country and in other countries. She was born in the tropical climate of São José do Rio Preto, Brazil (her whole family is Brazilian) before her family moved to Iowa in the United States when she was about one and a half years old. “Iowa was a little boring,” she said, “but I love Iowa.” Nine years later, when Luisa was ten, the family moved to Shanghai, China, for her dad’s work. The five years they lived in Shanghai proved to be a roller coaster of emotions. While in China, Luisa experienced an entirely different culture than she was used to. “Every place is different. I think for me, it was like a bit of a

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But even being one of few Americans and the only Brazilian girl, she loved China and her time there. Over the Chinese New Year break, their family heard an announcement that her break would be extended for two weeks.

“I would walk around Shanghai, and almost everyone was gone.

Everyone I saw was wearing masks. Though I had heard about COVID-19 before and knew it was a thing, everyone at my school said it was no big deal.

‘There are 30 million people in Shanghai; you're not going to get this disease.’ But they were wrong.”

The stress of the COVID restrictions led Luisa’s family to decide it was time to leave China, so they packed up their things and escaped to Continued on next page

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CONTINUED THE MANY TRAVELS OF LUISA Brazil. When they arrived in her home country, the people in Brazil weren’t very welcoming because of the pandemic. “We had just come from China, Luisa explained, so they politely asked for us to go.”

They went to North Carolina for a month, where they stayed with an aunt who was living there. Then they moved back to Shanghai, where Luisa and her family were on complete lockdown in the quarters of their home. “And it wasn't the quarantine where you could go out and do things,” she said.

“You had to stay in the house.” Being confined in the closed quarters of her home wasn’t the only thing Luisa had to deal with. They had to report their temperature every morning to ensure they didn’t have COVID-19.

Luisa with friends she credits with deepening her childhood memories living abroad

While her mom was fighting a cold, her temperature rose to a higher number than the regulated one. “Within thirty minutes, like ten people in hazmat suits came to our house and took my mom away,” Luisa said. Luisa later learned her mother was in a hospital, but they were not allowed to have any form of contact with her. Soon after learning about her mother's isolation, Luisa, her brother Felipe, and their father were ordered to stay in a hotel room for two weeks with no contact outside of their containment. During her isolation in 2020, Luisa learned Morse code and how to throw cards. She went back to school and things went back to normal ... until they didn’t.

In 2021 Luisa's brother and father returned to the U.S. while Luisa and her mother stayed in Shanghai. During the

lockdown, they relocated to a local compound – a small community filled with people stuck in that area for an unspecified amount of time. In the compound, medical staffers would call out each of the houses to test people for the virus.

“Everyone was super terrified because [government officials] would take people away to hospital camps and we would hear horror stories about them.” One thing that helped Luisa pass the time was playing guitar with little children in the compound.

Their food was rationed, as they would receive a shipment of rice every week. Luisa and her mother spent a total of 56 days in quarantine.

Later, Luisa returned to the United States, reuniting with her brother and father in North Carolina. This is when Luisa enrolled in Davidson Day School for her junior year. She was not excited to move across continents, because it felt foreign and weird to return to the United States after planning out her high school career in China. Even though she had to leave everything in China behind, Luisa accepted the change once again in her life. “ I think it's still hard to accept change,” she said, “but it does get easier to deal with.”

During her junior year at DDS, Luisa was exposed to experiences like playing the role of Cady Heron in Mean Girls and performing as a member of Mr. Friedline’s contemporary ensemble. These outlets helped shine a light on the extroverted star who walks our halls.

Luisa in Davidson Day’s Spring 2023 musical theater production, Mean Girls. Photo

by Laura Woods

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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FOLLOW YOUR PASSION: C JESSICA THOMPSON’S JOURNEY OF PURSUING WHAT SHE LOVES

BY INES AKINS

ounselor by day and dance instructor by night, Jessica Thompson, Davidson Day’s School’s counselor, lives a double life each day many of us are unaware of. Jessica was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, where she lived with her mother, father, and older brother.

At the age of three, her love for dancing sparked and she has never stopped since. When she reached the age of eight years old, she decided it was time to level up her dancing career and start competing in nationwide competitions where she danced hip hop, ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and clogging. Dancing competitively took up the majority of her time and required dedication and sacrifice, but most importantly, it was something she loved and wanted to continue to pursue.

For high school, Jessica attended Greenville Senior High Academy in her hometown – a big, diverse school where she had an enjoyable experience while surrounded by friends. After graduating, she committed to Winthrop University in South Carolina, where she majored in psychology. She describes her time at Winthrop as “some of the best years of my life.”

She joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, and met some of the most influential people in her life. Dancing still remained an important element in her life, as she participated in the Winthrop dance team. “It was fun,” she said, “I danced for the school’s sports teams and met a lot of cool people.”

After graduating from college, Jessica moved to Rock Hill, SC. Finding a job was hard, as there were not many to choose from at the time, so she decided to apply to work at a small dance studio.

That was her first “big girl job,” as she was working there full time. While living in Rock Hill, she continued her academics and was studying for her masters degree online at Liberty University in Virginia, and was required to make trips there frequently. After searching Continued on page 4

Trained dancer, Jes Thompson, performed from age 3 through college

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CONTINUED FOLLOW YOUR PASSION for a second job, she found one as a substance abuse counselor, which enabled her to finally put her psychology major to good use. Juggling school and two jobs was difficult, but she continued to work hard while incorporating her passion for dance into her life.

Jessica soon found an interest in family therapy and switched to it as her specialty. After earning her masters degree, she continued to pursue family therapy. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2016, her home to this day. Because of her move, she was required to switch dance studios, and that’s when she found Carolina Dance Capital (also in Charlotte), and has been teaching there ever since.

Being a family therapist and dance instructor still wasn’t enough to quench her thirst for personal growth. “I continued to look for another job to work while also being a family therapist. I found Davidson Day on Indeed.com.” Being hired here at DDS, she was able to incorporate her experiences in family therapy. “While a substance abuse counselor, I was working with adults with major addiction problems, but with family therapy I do similar things as I do here at Davidson Day. People come to find me to talk about their mental health needs, and I do my best to cater and advise them.”

Her typical day in the life here consists of “talking to students who might be struggling with their mental health, educating parents about mental health, working with teachers to ensure students feel safe in the classroom, and more.”

Thompson in the Davidson Day School Yearbook.

Something that makes Davidson Day stand out to her is the environment. “The positive environment was something that really stood out to me here at Davidson Day. Seeing the willingness other adults have to help the kids who need it here at school is really important to me, and that is something they do here.”

Her advice to DDS students is to “work hard for your success and to do what you love, because life is short.” She lives by this principle as she continues her exciting double life as a counselor and dance instructor.

Thompson in her Winthrop years as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated

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PARKER SMITH AND THE SOUTHLAKE EAGLES

BY MADISON HOWARD

W

hen Athletic Director Chris Turner first came to Davidson Day in 2021, one of the first things he did was to form an alliance with Southlake Christian School in Huntersville so that Davidson Day students who wanted to play football could play for the Southlake team. In the first year, we had three students who played for the Southlake Eagles. The second year, we had a few more. This past

Parker Smith, #70, for the Southlake Eagles

year, we had one: sophomore Parker Smith.

Coach Turner explained that "the football relationship came about because we were trying to provide opportunities for our kids. We recognize the passion people have for football here, but we just don't have the numbers to run the program ourselves."

The co-authorship with Southlake has been a success, with Parker being one of the proud participants. "As long as we can maintain this partnership,” Coach Turner said, “we're going to do that. Parker's really embraced it, showing a lot of commitment. Parker's dedication knows no bounds. He went to every workout last summer. And this year, we even hired someone to drive him to practice on time.

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He's doing it because he loves it, not just for individual recognition. While the numbers may vary, the spirit remains unwavering. The plan is to move forward with this partnership."

When Parker, a 10th grader at DDS, decided to toughen it up and play football with a different school, he wasn’t just playing a game; he was forging connections and breaking barriers. "It all started back in middle school, around 6th grade," Parker recalled. "My dad was the one who got me into it." His love for the game was evident from the start. "I've always loved football. So when tryouts came around, I figured, why not give it a shot? Plus, I wanted to represent DDS and show that even though not many kids did it, we still had talent.”

Joining the combined team with Southlake didn’t come without its challenges. "I didn't really know anyone from Southlake before joining, but they were all pretty nice," Parker shared. "In the beginning, there were some awkward moments, but once we started practicing together, it was like we'd been teammates for years." As for his peers at Davidson Day, "some didn't even know we had a football team,” Parker said. Coach Turner announced the alliance in an email before the end of summer was over, so, according to Parker, “I guess not many people saw it."

When asked to discuss his plans for next year, Parker said that “even if no one else from DDS tries out, I think I’ll still do it. The experience was totally worth it and I made some really good friends that I'm excited to play with next year.” Parker was part of a great group of teammates on a rather young Continued on page 6

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CONTINUED PARKER SMITH

DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL

team. According to his dad, Interim Head of School Michael Smith, they only graduated five seniors on the roster this year, “so we are optimistic that the returning rising seniors and juniors will have some great momentum leading into this 2024-2025 season.”

Parker’s friends from DDS were supportive, driving to games to cheer him on, inspiring him to play his best. "Knowing that I had my friends and family behind me gave me the confidence to give it my all every time I stepped onto the field,” Parker said.

His dad also appreciated the Davidson Day love: “I have to say how touched I was to see so many of our upper school kids show up to the games on Friday - it was touching to see that sort of support for a team that only one of our kids was playing on.”

As Left Tackle, Smith blocks defenders to clear a path for his teammates.

Parker's football journey, while personal, is also a testament to the power of the partnership between DDS and Southlake.

"Southlake has been happy with the kind of kids we're able to send to them,” Coach Turner said. For Parker, the bonds he has formed with his teammates have enriched his life and given him a chance to enjoy the game he loves. Although the team didn’t have a great record, there is no question that Parker had a very gratifying season playing varsity football at Southlake this year.

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t is no secret that Davidson Day Athletics has been dominant this school year. In the fall, the Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Volleyball, and Boys and Girls’ Cross Country teams won state championships. And in the winter, the Boy’s Basketball team also came home with a state championship, and there are still more teams competing this spring. These athletes gave their all to compete every single day, spending countless hours on the field, in the gym, or on the trails. This physical effort is taxing on the body, and a single misstep can lead to serious injury. So, keeping athletes healthy enough to compete is paramount to the success we’ve had.

Behind the scenes of this athletic success lies Sabryna Gordon, the Davidson Day athletic trainer.

Described as a “difference maker” and “game changer” by Athletic Director Chris Turner, she has helped Davidson Day athletics stand out from other schools. From her office located in the weight room, she spends the afternoons and evenings providing treatments and helping to mend our athletes who are struggling with injuries. In the afternoon hours after the end of the school day, the area in and around the weight room is usually a flurry of motion, with athletes of all in-season sports performing prescribed exercises, receiving evaluations, or receiving treatments like cupping and shockwave therapy.

Gordon, who grew up in Concord, NC, developed an interest in sports medicine at a young age. When asked why, she responded, “I was an athlete growing up, and I got hurt all the time.

And there wasn’t an athletic trainer

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SABRYNA GORDON: MORE THAN A TRAINER

BY ERIC KNIPLE

Sabryna Gordon, Davidson Day’s Athletic Trainer developed an early interest in sports medicine pursued her passion through college.

at my school, so I wanted to be one.” Gordon then recounted her time at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, which she attended from 2015-2019. “The classes were interesting.

We learned about the body as a whole, similar to an anatomy class, but also learned everything that could potentially be wrong with each particular system.” Gordon also did several internships at UNCC and Johnson C. Smith University in downtown Charlotte, helping various athletic programs, including track & field, football, and softball.

After graduating, Gordon accepted a job at Statesville High School in Iredell County in 2019, where she worked for three years, until mid-2022. Although she enjoyed her time there, she recounted that “being a solo athletic trainer when you’ve got 400-500 student athletes is difficult because you can’t really see all of them, and it makes me feel like some of the kids were lacking on the healthcare that I could’ve given them.” Connecting with patients has been key for Gordon in her athletic training journey, so she switched jobs to work for Novant Continued on page 8 Health, her current employer.

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CONTINUED SABRYNA GORDON

DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL

If one thing is clear about Gordon, it is the positive impact she has had on not only athletics, but the Davidson Day community as a whole. With her ever-present smile and friendly nature, she has become a popular figure among students and staff alike. In fact, many students take advantage of afternoon study halls to go down to the weight room for treatment while enjoying pleasant conversation. In the words of Jacobs, “She’s like a really good big sibling, and you can’t really pick the best part about her because she’s so amazing.”

CONTINUED LUISA PARAGUASSU Every time I hear Luisa speak, it is obvious that she takes pride in staying true to who she is. In her senior speech, she talked about the beautiful place where she was born.

Even though Luisa moved from Brazil when she was a toddler, the country of her birth remains a major part of her identity. Moving around so much makes it difficult to find a sense of belonging, but Luisa shines a light every day to brighten up the lives of the people surrounding her. Even though she has only attended Davidson Day for two years, she will leave the place better than she found it. She will always be remembered here for her musical gifts and her kind heart. Without a doubt, she will do amazing things at UNC Chapel Hill next year.

Gordon’s positive impact at Davidson Day comes through injury treatment, recovery strategies, and mentorship as a sounding board for student-athletes

She recalled, “Novant gave me options when it came to schools, and they told me about the sports programs going on in each. When Davidson Day came up, they said that it was a small program without football, and only about 200 student athletes.” Gordon knew it was the right choice, and accepted the job ahead of the 2022-23 school year.

Since joining the Davidson Day athletic staff, Gordon has worked with many DDS athletes to overcome various challenges. One of these athletes, junior LeVon Jacobs, a star on the Varsity Men’s Basketball team, faced leg pain during the season that affected his ability to run and jump. “She gave me scraping on my Achilles tendon,” Levon said. “The relief from that was immense, because she took the time and explained to me what was going on and helped me heal.”

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