Senior Issue Class of 2021
The Tritonian
vol. XXXI Issue iI
notre dame academy
May 2021
Best of Luck, Class of 2021!
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And The Academy Award Goes To... Most Likely to teach at nda
Loudest
Best Sense of Humor Garrett Grzesk Emma Rose Sonnenburg
Libby Rickards Alex Brabant
Brooklyn Onell Robert Healy
Most Likely to Trip at Graduation
Quietest Sarah Petroll Thomas Coyle
Always Late
Maggie Gallagher Sam Limoni
Maria Hanes Sam Gagnon
Complains the Most Allie Johnson Danny Nennig
Most Hair Changes
Most Likely to Move to a Foreign Country
Liam Tumblin Tola Adejumo
Senior Who Refuses to Slide Jenny Ai Alex Gutowski
Yasmine Samadzadeh Tabrizi Isaac Johnson
Jackof-AllTrades Faith Barrington Judah Gartzke
Most Likely to Never Be Single Bella McCarron Michael Scripp
Person Who KnowS Everything
Most Likely to Join the Religious Life
Tara Janas Connor Seidl
Matthew Schumacher Katelyn Grzelak
Most Caring Abby Micksch Owen Campbell
Person You’d Take Home to Your Parents Emily Noble
Max McNeil
And The Academy Award Goes To... Biggest Trend Setter Heidi Lulloff Cooper Bukowski
Most Unforgettable
Best Sneeze
Jacob LeMay Claire Noble
Briana Fitzgerald JV Steckart
Best Actor
WORST DRIVER
Best Eyes
Lainey Chosa Alex Gryboski
Olivia Berndt Sam Ruffell
Kyle Barr Hannah Bressers
Couple Most Likely to Get Married Emma Sullivan and Aidan Guiou
Most Sarcastic Georgia Gregoire Aiden Wolfram
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Most Muscular Charley Apple Caleb Steffel
Most Likely to Succeed Joseph Re Ava Van Straten
Most Flirtatious
Best Smile
BEST DANCER Lilly Kaye Jack Gagnon
Most Changed Will Drake Jada Ver Boort
Best Singer
Sonja Gapinkski Tommy Zakowski
George Kress Ammerae Peebles
Rachel Van Hefty Noah Jaeckels
Most Addicted to Social Media
M o s t lik e ly t o F a ll A s le e p in C la s s Henry Parish Izzy Spaulding
Emily Hawley Tim Turek
Most Likely to be a Professional Athlete Sammy Opichka Brendan Poshak
Most Likely to Have a Reality Show
Sophie Rotherham Seth Baeten
4 Can You Believe ...? “Can you believe I threw up in an Arby’s parking lot on the way down to Chicago for the service trip?” -Briana Fitzgerald “Can you believe I dented the ceiling with my head freshman year?” -Alexander Brabant “Can you believe I wore my hair in a different style every day freshman year?” -Anna Zimmerman “Can you believe I fake-sprained my wrist for a day so I didn’t have to show up to tennis practice?” -Tommy Zakowski “Can you believe that I actually did a sport all four years of high school?” -Owen Campbell “Can you believe I saw Mr. Lagerman vault a lunch table?” -Michael Scripp “Can you believe that I’m actually Artificial Intelligence?” -Jenny Ai “Can you believe that I took an 8th hour class on my own free will?” -Judah Gartzke
“Can you believe that I willingly dressed up as a groundhog twice for the Morning Announcements?” -Joseph Re “Can you believe I hid my backpack in the bushes during a football game before the back-to-school dance sophomore year?” -Madison Waldrop “Can you believe I never bought anything from Konop?” -Anna Smith “Can you believe I had the same locker two years in a row?” -Ava Van Straten “Can you believe I never wore a white uniform shirt or blue pants/shorts? -Bennet Smith “Can you believe I have never worn a green uniform shirt?” -Catherine Goffard “Can you believe I was never late to school?” -Alex Gutowski
Memories of NDA Marking Memories
Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s “Rhapsody” by Sofia Algas Monday morning. Along the school hallways Walks zombies, Every shoe that I see, Screams so much to me Says so much about someone What they like Who they may be Like someone at show and tell. Eight o’clock, The shoes screech, The shoes dance, The shoes exclaim, “Look at all of them, The people who make your day That make your life worthwhile You see the soles of their shoes Are worn out and dirty And you see their face, Lit up like a fire.” The memories of the weekend’s Mischievous plans light up our faces; Spark us with excitement A phone lights up when it receives a notification of That text that will guide us To unforgettable nights Eleven o’clock, The shoes exclaim, “Look at the clock while it’s ticking, The school bell will sing Time for the next class of eternity” Singing on the top of our lungs And those times lasted forever driving in my mom’s car Nothing, but innocence Until a fox swiped our innocence A fox filled with curiosity
5 That fox that had guided us to mistakes. Half-past one, The shoes mumbled, The shoes danced through the halls. The shoes muttered, “Look at who’s around you, The friends that live within the memories, They laugh They smile They look back at all of the times Their smile has withered Maturity has taken over Their mind has a DVD That plays back times of regret and happiness, They are growing up With all the old memories That replay in their head Where did the time go Of endless nights Growing up together, Loud music in the background, Sounds of tears in our hidden darkness, Coming home past curfew And the sounds of laughter. The shoes exclaimed, “Three o’clock, The last day of school. Memories! You have the key, Saying goodbye, To what we have known. Say goodbye to the adolescent days Pack your bags, you are on your own now. High school flashes before your eyes.
Dear Underclassmen...
My advice to all underclassmen would simply be to participate in something and do what makes you happy. Personally, sports have been a big part of my high school days. I enjoy everything that they have to offer, but there are plenty of other activities and clubs that you can participate in. Everyone has their differences, but there are many opportunities that can provide new friendships, hobbies, and aspirations. I know of many people who never put them-
selves out there in high school and regretted it later. There is something for everyone, even if you do not believe it.
You are only in high school once so utilize the time you have and take part in the excitement. Participating in new and different activities provides valuable lessons and skills that will help you later in life. Along with this, you will learn organizational skills, improve self-confidence, and most importantly learn how to manage your time. Jumping into all
of it as a freshman was most definitely stressful, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to learn from it. Without experiencing the struggles of time management as I did, my confidence leading into college would not be where it is today.
Engaging in new experiences and putting myself out there was very difficult for me to do. I believe that the key to selfconfidence is to put yourself in situations that force you to step outside of your comfort zone once in a while. Trying
new things also prepares you for more situations that you will face while developing the skills it takes to handle them. Extracurricular activities can help you explore your interests and widen your social circle. The friendships that I have made through sports and other extracurricular activities are unbreakable. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of something that taught me so much and brought me so much joy. - Sammy Opichka
6 Seniors’ Last Wills Alex Brabant wills his massive Pokémon card collection to whoever wishes to be the very best. Anna Zimmerman wills her role of being confused with Alora Schneider to Katie Zasuly and her IB English Learner Portfolio to Coco Guiou.
to Chris Mitchell. Lilly Kaye wills the “Anna Kaye” legacy to her cousin, Emmy Aitkin and her IB Philosophy workbook to Alora Schneider.
Tommy Zakowski wills his Chinese skills to Henry Weber.
Bella McCarron wills the permission to date one of her brothers to Maryssa Jaeckels.
Alexandra Stover wills all of Sra. Stover’s love to Aubrey Guyette.
Lainey Chosa wills her infinite Culver’s “give a pint-get-apint” coupons to Mia Lemkuil.
Owen Campbell wills his elite German skills to Jack Fitzgerald.
Allie Johnson wills her good looks to Ryan Darling.
Emily Hawley wills her softball skills to Amanda Limoni.
Lily Balison wills her unbelievable golf skills to Emma Wolf. Connor Seidl wills his trumpet jazz band folder to Jude Frigo. Seth Baeten wills his ability to say controversial things and not get in trouble to John Sack and his NDA hype jewelry collection to Ryan Darling. Bennet Smith wills all of his youth small shirts to Joe Stumpf. Michael Scripp wills his movie knowledge to Maddie Scripp (quiz her). Ava Van Straten wills the SL Math Party Planning Committee decorating duties to Mary Popkey.
Meredith James wills her wonderful parking spot in the parking lot to her brother. Hopefully he can wake up early enough to get to it. Katie Peters wills her school clothes to her younger sister Klarissa Peters, her sarcasm at practice to Amanda Limoni, her sock fashion, Skittles and confidence to Soo-Yin Brown, her perfect pitching skills to Jaqueline Zacharias and her sense of humor to Paige Beining. Judah Gartzke wills the sacred Manteca to Eli Frigo and his practice jersey to Tate Milton. Matt Shumacher wills Hail Mary Mondays to Addie Weiss. Jack Christensen wills his title of French Club president
Catherine Goffard wills the Spanish quote book to Nick Massabni.
The Most Memorable Moments at NDA are ...
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“Judah dying in my arms as Hamlet while I said ‘Goodnight sweet Prince’ as Horatio. I also took my Jordans off halfway through the performance so I didn’t crease them.”--Liam Tumblin “Winning regionals freshman year on dance team.”-- Anna Zimmerman “The comeback the men’s mile relay team made against Bayport freshman year. It was biblical.”--Alexander Brabant “When I won Mr. NDA my junior year.”-- Owen Campbell “Working in the theater department and seeing a final curtain drop made my heart soar.”--Meredith James “Anytime in Mr. Morris’s class.”-- Emily Noble “Junior year when I auditioned for the play and got a lead role.”- -Olivia Berndt “The back-to-school dance junior year with Owen Campbell and Ashley Lemens.” --Katie Peters “When the tennis team won state.”-- Tommy Zakowski “My most memorable moment at NDA was when I got cut from the basketball team.”-- Will Jensen
“My most memorable moment was when I became a JV tennis legend after I clutched up in the JV tennis tournament.”-Alex Gryboski
“Breaking my foot two days before shooting for Theo’s Mr. “My most memorable moment was being announced regional NDA video. His act was ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen.”- champions with the dance team.” -- Lily Kaye -Hannah Weisse “My most memorable moment at NDA was when I was an “Being chosen as both drum major and captain of the football emcee for the Academy Awards.” -- Lainey Chosa team.” --Judah Gartzke “My most memorable moment at NDA was when Mrs. Brown thought I was shadowing Fuzz French freshman year.” --Joseph Re “My most memorable moment at NDA was when we won the State Championship for tennis.” -- J.V. Steckart “My most memorable moment was when Mrs. Hall said her first impression of me was “sassy” but in a “good way.” --Kennedi Turriff “When Brown’s 7th hour Freshman Honors English class finally won the brownies.” --Tara Janas “My most memorable moment at NDA was winning a state basketball championship.”--Faith Barington “My most memorable moment at NDA was running at the Roy Griak Invite.” --Alex Gutowski
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Shout Outs
Lucy Quidzinski gives a shout out to Sam Lagowski for always saying hi to her in the hallway.
Briana Fitzgerald gives a shout out to Ms. Mahlock for realizing her name was not Juliah.
Will Jensen gives a shout out to Mr. Morris for always making his day better and teaching him all he needs to know about business.
Alex Brabant gives a shout out to Joe Stumpf for being the best sophomore captain he could ask for.
Anna Zimmerman gives a shout out to Mr. Geiser for letting the IB history class make a meme page and a shout out to Mr. Rudar for teaching her the difference between poisonous and venomous. Chloe Forbes gives a shout out to all the teachers, especially Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Brown, “for helping me grow into who I am.”
Heidi Lulloff gives a shout out to Mrs. Brown for dropping off brownies at her house on the way home during Covid. Judah Gartzke gives a shout out to whoever cancelled IB exams. Katie Peters gives a shout out to Mrs. Hall for not confusing her and Betsey Conard in class anymore, a shout out to Mrs. Gilson for actually understanding a student’s
life outside of school and a shout out to Mrs. Campbell for accepting her terrible emails. Owen Campbell gives a shout out to Mrs. Campbell for heating up his lunch every day. Meredith James gives a shout out to Mrs. Brown for helping her realize
how much she loved poetry Katelyn Grzelak gives a shout out to all the teachers who didn’t call her Anna. Jenny Ai gives a shout out to all of the teachers for learning how to use new technology and trying to make online learning as good as it could be and another shout out to Tracy and all of the Konop Crew. Jack Christensen gives a shout out to Mrs. Brown for always making extra brownies. Danny Nenning gives a shout out to Mr. Morris who changed his life with “the greatest teaching style.”
Shout Outs Joe Re gives a shoutoutto Konop for always having the donuts he likes in the morning.
Liam Tumblin gives a shout out to Anthony Burnette as a cool artist and person.
Matt Schumacher gives a shout out to Joe Stumpf for almost winning a game of Uno.
Aidan Guiou gives a shout out to his sister CoCo for excelling in Mrs. Brown’s Freshman English class.
Madison Waldrop gives a shout out to Mr. Guyette for showing her advisory a video of his band’s performance. Seth Baeten gives a shout out to Mr. Morris for being the best teacher he’s ever had. Emma Rose Sonnenburg gives a shout out to Mr. Geiser for being her favorite teacher and making IB fun. Tola Adejumo gives a shout out to Catherine Sherman for being my favorite underclassman. Sophie Rotherham gives a shout out to Sophia Richards for having moves on and off the court. Julia Augustine gives a shout out to Frau for trying to keep this year as normal as possible and another shoutout to Nick Bumgardner for putting together this Senior Issue. Melanie Burnell gives a shoutout to her freshman sister Audrey who made varsity in soccer.
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TOP TEN 2021 1
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Tara Janas Northwestern University
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Jenny Ai Marquette University
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Ava Van Straten Yale University
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Faith Barrington University of MinnesotaTwin Cities
Anna Zimmerman Washington UniversitySt. Louis
Abby Micksch University of WisconsinMadison
TOP TEN 2021 7
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3 Judah Gartzke DePaul University
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Isaac Johnson University of WisconsinMadison
Kate Grzelak Creighton University
Lainey Chosa Carroll University
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Joe Re University of WisconsinMadison
Jack Christensen University of MinnesotaTwin Cities
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Oh The Places We’ll Go...
American University Aiden Guiou Arizona State University Sofia Algas
George Washington University Emma Sullivan Iowa State University Alexa Vande Corput
Benedictine College Thomas Coyle
Lawrence University Sarah Petroll
Blinn College Susanna Quinn
Loyola University of Chicago Stephanie Wilke
Carroll University Margaret Bolin Lainey Chosa
Marquette University Jenny Ai Connor Seidl
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Luke Bennett Lizbet Cendejas Alondra del Rio Maxwell Gatewood Tre Jadin Tyler Juneau Chris Lee Jospeh Rose Ruth Schlumpf Sammy Treml Noah Weslow Northland College Josh Revolinsky
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Melanie Burnell Southern Methodist University George Kress Temple University Tola Adejumo Texas Christian University Catherine Goffard
Northwestern University Tara Janas
Colorado School of Film Frankie Roznowski Creighton University Kate Grzelak
Michigan State University Bennet Smith
DePaul University Judah Gartzke Emily Kulick
Michigan Technological University Alex Gutowski Claire Noble
Duquesne University Allison Lamm Dominican University Danny Nennig Edgewood College Macy Augustine Fanshawe College Subin Won Fox Valley Technical College Manuel Delgado Velazquez Ella Jensen Ethan Otto
Milwaukee School of Engineering Noah Ciriacks Nicolet Area Technical College Jack Schnaubelt Northern Michigan University Andrew Burke Gracie Mongin
University of Alabama in Huntsville Justin Lee Univeristy of Arizona Sara Savona
Ohio State University Briana Fitzgerald Saint Norbert College Stanley Bailey Vanessa Cortez-Aguilar Anthony Farone Cristina Flores Chloe Forbes Garrett Grzesk Will Jensen Sam Limoni Melissa Mercado Libby Rickards Alexandra Stover
University of CaliforniaIrvine Shucheng Fei University of Iowa Alex Brabant University of Kansas Tressa Martzke Eddie Noble
University of Mary Bridget Stillwell
Oh The Places We’ll Go... University of Minnesota Lily Balison Faith Barington Olivia Berndt Jack Christensen Betsy Conard Georgia Gregoire Yasmine Samadzadeh Tim Turek Riley VandenHouten Alli Welker Sarah Wingert
University of Utah Alex Gryboski University of WisconsinEau Claire Maddie Gage Emily Hawley Robert Healy Jacob LeMay Anna Smith Kennedi Turriff Hannah Weisse Will Zellner University of WisconsinGreen Bay Claudia Cendejas Ethan Johnson Kyra Merriman Katie Peters Isaac Quezada
University of NebraskaLincoln Kaelynn James University of New Mexico Brynn Greil University of North Dakota Jackson Salzwedel University of St. Thomas Molly Desotell Magdalena Helfenberger Sammy Opichka Henry Parish Lucy Quidzinski Sophie Rotherham Michael Scripp J.V. Steckart Gianna Tyczkowski
University of Tampa Brooklyn Onell Ammerae Peebles
University of WisconsinLa Crosse Cooper Bukowski Maggie Gallagher Bella McCarron Dom Vanden Elzen Madison Waldrop
Allie Johnson Isaac Johnson Taylor LeFever Heidi Lulloff Abby Micksch Joe Re Alex Schrader Rachel Van Hefty Jada VerBoort Aiden Wolfram
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U.S Marine Corps Simon Dvorak
University of WisconsinWhitewater Seth Baeten Jack Gagnon Nathan Witte
University of WisconsinMilwaukee Owen Campbell Grace Cisar Sam Gagnon Sonja Gapinski Aira Guevara Luke Hummel Jake Huss Anna Kyles Sam Ruffell
Villanova University Lilly Kaye Emily Noble
Viterbo University Meredith James
University of WisconsinMadison Charley Apple Julia Augustian Hannah Bressers Emma Cooper Bryn Danen Maria Hanes Noah Jaeckels
University of WisconsinOshkosh Griffin Klein University of WisconsinStevens Point Renee Porod Josh Goral Trent Janowski Nate Ruggles
Washington University in St. Louis Anna Zimmermann Yale University Ava Van Straten
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My Teacher Said...
Mr. Guyette “If you do things on your own terms, then you win life.” “We will jump off that bridge later. Did I say jump? I meant cross.” Mrs. Hollenback “Oh I should probably finish this page before I flip it.” “Ope, I lost my chalk.” “I was going to write the pages down, but by the time I got there, I forgot them.” “I’m on a crusade.” Mr. Browne “That’s the thickest neck I’ve ever seen! You been working out?”
“Upped my meme game this year. This one is classified as dank.” Mr. Morris “Violetta is dead. Time for Business Management.” Mrs. Corriveau “And the electrons just go WOOooOOooOOoo.” Mr. Konshak “We do look similar, Seth, like family.” Mr. Stary “Don’t worry; you’re much more likely to die from a school shooting than the covid vaccine.”
Mrs. Stanczak “I’m calling shenanigans.” Mr. Gray “How do you spell bougie?” “You can never trust a chicken nugget.” “There’s nothing safe about eating a chicken nugget.” Mrs. Brown “If Tara Janas lies, then it’s like God is lying to us.” “SHEEEEEEEEEEESH!” Mrs. Flinchum “I’m a pretty princess.”
Sra. VW “Aaron Rodgers had a hot Italian friend named ieron.”
Ms. McConnell “Don’t be idiots!” “Stop being idiots!”
Mrs. Mayer “Your biological drawing probably shouldn’t be abstract.”
Frau “If you get caught swearing, just say you were practicing new German words.”
Mrs. Hinch “Stop talking about my feet.” (after Alex Gryboski complimented her boots)
Mr. Geiser “Believe it or not, I’m a 43-year-old man who likes to take risks.” “Blame others for your problems; take credit for the solutions.”
Sra. Stover “Jose...park it.”
Seniors’ Words to Live By
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Abby Micksch: “If you’re happy doing what you’re doing, then nobody can tell you you’re not successful.” --Harry Styles Tara Janas: “You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.” Jennifer Ai: “I see the sun, and if I don’t see the sun, I know it’s there. And there’s a whole life in that, in knowing that the sun is there.”--Fyodor Dostoyevsky Ava Van Straten: “Be like the birds. Sing after every storm.”--James Rivett Judah Gartzke: “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” Katelyn Grzelak: “Think not, is my eleventh commandment; and sleep when you can, is my twelfth.”--Stubb in Moby Dick Anna Zimmermann: “Don’t mistake what you want for what you need.” Joseph Re: “If it’s flipping hamburgers at Mcdonald’s, be the best hamburger flipper in the world. Whatever it is you do, you have to master your craft.”--Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr.
Faith Barington: “I am ready to face any challenges that might be foolish enough to face me.” --Dwight Schrute (The Office) Isaac Johnson: “You can only lose what you cling to.”-Buddha Jack Christensen: “Sometimes it’s hard to pick right from wrong. The best thing we can do is go with our heart and hope it all goes well.”--Mac Miller Elaine Chosa: “God placed the best things in life on the other side of fear.”--Will Smith. Briana Fitzgerald: “Live life for the moment because everything else is uncertain.” --Louis Tomlinson Julia Augustian: “There is no passion to be found in playing small-- in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”-- Nelson Mandela Eddie Noble: “Don’t be afraid to take risks in life. Fill life with many adventures and one day you will be able to look back and smile.” - Mr. Dan Morris, business teacher Mrs. Brown, NDA super senior and English teacher: “The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Mrs. Nelson, NDA super senior and science teacher: “The universe is made of atoms, not stories.”
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Remember When...
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
Remember When... Class of ‘21: Your Rhapsody Through NDA First steps into bright and cologne-filled hallways New faces and unknown places Getting lost in the priory Underdog victory on the football field followed By strobe lights and lost voices from singing Plumbing clogged by luxury items Mumbles of Catholic and excellence Wandering into the next year Seeing Locust fill up and hearing keys jangle in the hallways On retreat everyone cried Social justice hours Lagerman’s lunchroom leap 8 a.m. junior year. . . and Three hours later still in search for something Rubber Ducky war Writing on bathroom walls And writing for scores from 1-36 Doors lock for a year Causing many students’ tears Zooming, swiping, Magnus First semester we’re halfway here Second semester we come back for the year Speed-dating, we reflect on past years Thinking of teachers’ stories from trees to chickens Who could’ve imagined we’d end up here With the flick of the wrist the cord falls to the other ear.
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Tritonian Staff Picks
Most Likely to Go D1 for Cornhole
Most Likely to Fall Asleep Before 8 p.m.
Katie Peters Maddy Waldrop Joe Re
Julia Augustian
Who You Would Want to Be Stranded on an Island With Josh Goral
Biggest Moby Dick Fan Renee Porod
Hardest Worker Rigoberto Linares Jr. Ava Van Straten
Principal Patrick Browne has held our school together through these last two school years upended by Covid-19. He poses here with a quote from the Beatles which has inspired him in tough times. Thanks for all your positivity and guidance, Mr. Browne.
Most Likely to be a Barber Leonardo Rodriguez
Most Opinionated
We say good-bye to beloved basketball coach and English teacher AJ Alexander who is moving to Illinois in June to pursue new career opportunities. We will miss you!
Most Unforgettable Experiences The 3-hour lockdown junior year
Sarah Rolain
When Mr. NDA became Academy Awards
Most Likely to be a Greek-Life President
Most Likely to Work for Brownies
Eddie Noble
Tritonian Senior Issue Staff and Nick B.
Tritonian Staff
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Best Wishes Class of 2021! It never gets old. . . this working on the senior issue of the newspaper at the busiest time of the year. The seniors who show up to make something special for their class become our buddies for a month, eating brownies, counting survey responses, trying to get people to fill out their surveys, and working to include a lot of the class members into our memory paper, an issue to keep and treasure. Every year their biggest regret is the number of seniors who don’t return their survey sheets. We had less than 60 do so this year, and that explains why you see the same respondents in the wills, the memories, and other pages like Can You Believe I? In other words, don’t complain if you didn’t turn in your survey! Special thanks to Ms. Bain for giving us the list of college choices. Mr. Masarik reads over our pages since he knows a lot of the “inside jokes” that might offend someone. (Let’s face it, his is a thankless job most of us would never want.) Nick Bumgardner, a junior and editor-in-chief of the Online Tritonian, gave up his study hall for a month to do the computer work for us. We owe him a very big THANK YOU! If you see one of these volunteers, let them know you appreciate their efforts in getting this paper done: Tola Adejumo, Julia Augustian, Briana Fitzgerald, Lily Kaye, Eddie Noble, Joe Re, Sophia Rotherham and Madison Waldrop. Finally, as advisers for who knows how many years, it’s always “new” to see another class of seniors exit NDA. We appreciate you. In the words of Mr. Browne, this has been a “year like no other,” and, despite the challenges, you’ve made it a successful year. We look forward to following your adventures in the post-high school world. Congratulations! Mrs. Thillman & Mrs. Brown Advisers, NDA Tritonian
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Senior Farewell Final Words to the Class of 2021
One day a gardner walks into his backyard and finds his trees, bushes, and flowers all withering away. The oak tells him it’s dying because it never reached the height of the pine. The pine said it fell because it was unable to give grapes as the grapevine did. The grapevine shrunk because it couldn’t blossom like a rose. Within this garden of decay, the man finds a single blossoming small flower. When asked why it didn’t wither like the rest, the flower replied, “You planted me. It was your wish and decision to put me here and that’s exactly what you did. If you wanted an oak or pine or grapevine, you would have planted them instead. I cannot be anything else than what I am. So I try to develop my best qualities.” Now I know that it may seem overdone or cliche kicking off a farewell message with a pretentiously moralistic children’s parable, but if I learned anything that wasn’t derived from the pages of a textbook or the lecture of a teacher, it’s that you have to be yourself. In our younger days when we were ignorantly optimistic about every beautiful thing the Earth provided for us, we held no concept of being anyone but ourselves. If we heard good music, we’d dance our heads off without a care in the world. No matter who was watching, it was just us and the music. And then we grew up. We became older, more vulnerable, and started caring how others perceived our dance moves or we didn’t dance at all. Then. . . we stepped through the doors of the domicile that is Notre Dame Academy. The education we were given both academically and emotionally helped us craft the individuals we have become more and more every day. Within these walls, we met guardians and mentors who devoted their lives to committing the noble act of passing on knowledge to our hungry minds. They showed us the path to being a reputable member of society and graciously helped us back on track whenever we stepped out of line. We will never be able show the appropriate amount of gratitude they deserve. When not in the classroom, we found bits and pieces of ourselves we never may have realized were there through the extracurricular activities and sense of community that Notre Dame provided for us. Through these clubs, courses, and classes, we learned even more about who we are and what we wanted the next 60 years of our lives to look like. And now it has finally come to an end. With a determined sense of direction, our next journey is born. From this day forward we have the capabilities and potential to become masters of whatever we choose to do. Be it college, be it the workforce, be it the military, our stories start now. With the unique and distinctive personalities that we own from finding our true selves, we have the commodity of turning the new leaf. We are fortunate enough to live in a generation where the possibilities are endless, and the only thing left is to see how high we choose to jump. This is the time to be the flower. In the endless garden of life, every single one of us has a calling that we can answer. We can pull ourselves out of any pessimistic shrubbery we’ve found ourselves in and prove to all the doubters, and most importantly ourselves, that when we put our minds to something, we deliver. --Sam Ruffell, Class of 2021