Herald15.3.16 by Lil Bonnette

What unites can also divide

The State of the Union Address is, almost by design, a politically polarizing event.

Yet during President Donald Trump’s sixth joint address to Congress, America was given a glimpse of something seldom seen since the dawn of the Internet Age: a concerted act of togetherness in the Capitol Chamber. The U.S. Men’s Hockey Team, still high on their gold medal match victory over Canada, came streaming into the House Gallery to a thunderous standing ovation from the President, senators and congresspeople of both parties and most notably, four Supreme Court Justices.

While there were certainly prickly moments surrounding the politics of American Olympic athletes—and the dissenting members of Congress— such displays of bipartisanship are sorely missed in American society.

Such displays struggle to translate, even among the students of Willis Hall.

Both boys and girls indoor teams won their respective conference championship, with the latter winning their first in school history. Besides a social media post about the teams, though, they have not received much acknowledgement online and in person.

However, during the Winter Olympics, the students of Willis Hall were buzzing with excitement. Whether it was because Alysa Liu won gold for America after almost 20 years in women’s figure skating or maybe the aforementioned men’s and women’s hockey team both winning gold. Students and teachers connected because they all felt the same rush of emotions when watching the different athletes compete under the red, white and blue.

In a survey conducted by the Willis Hall Herald, nearly 61 percent of Upper School students believed that watching the Olympics made them feel more united with people they usually don’t agree with. So it would not be bizarre to assume that, at least for the Upper School students, there is a correlation between sports games and unification.

Or, at least, it should be that way. In the same survey, 58 percent of Upper Schoolers don’t feel at least some level of unity with their fellow students. 22.2 percent feel there’s some level of disunity.

There’s a clear disconnect between the macro and micro level of sport, and certainly so within our own athletic accomplishments.

A part of the reason is because the Olympics are more grand in just about everything. It’s more special because it happens once every four years and is highly televised. If something is pushed more in the public eye it is bound to get more attention.

This is true of Willis Hall. Teams such as the football team, who tend to be heralded far more often, bring more excitement and unity, even for an ordinary game. Even though the football season has passed, it is still arguably more relevant than many winter season sports. Unity in our country doesn’t always translate to unity on campus. There is more than enough evidence to support that assertion.

Founded in 2010 and based in the Journalism elective, The Willis Hall Herald is the official student-led publication of the Upper School at North Cross School. The Herald may be published in magazine form three or more times per year. Founded in 2017 and produced by the Herald staff, GeoPrism: A Global Studies Journal may be published in magazine form once or twice per year. the Herald welcomes letters, commentary and submissions of original content that adhere to the Herald’s dedication to factual journalism. Letters and other content must be signed and may be edited for length and Herald style. The Herald does not guarantee publication of outside submissions. Submit letters to willishallherald@northcross.org. the Herald won Gold Medals from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2012 and 2015. The Herald is also a member of the National Student Press Association, whih

Caption Contest Winner

Opposing views, one dream, cheering for gold. -- Gabby Miller ‘26

Anderson Ratliff used ChatGPT to create the image for our caption contest.

OVERCOMING HURDLES: Our cover is a photo illustration by Anderson Ratliff of Alicia Holmes ‘27 clearing the high jump bar to contribute important points to the state championships. After only three weeks of learning to high jump, Holmes cleared 4’6” to land her in a tie for 5th place, which amounted to 3.5 of her 21.5 points. Holmes was honored as Female Field Athlete of the Meet. Photo by Andrew Weng

Vol. XV No. 3 Feb. 2026

North Cross School 4254 Colonial Ave. Roanoke, VA 24018 www. willishallherald.org

Instagram: willis.hall.herald

Co-Editors-in-Chief ...................................Aadeetri Pandey ‘26 and Mason Bibby ‘27 Senior Design Editor.....................................................................Anderson Ratliff ‘26 Asst. Editor-in-Chief.......................................................................Kaitlyn Perkins ‘28 Photography Editor..........................................................................Andrew Weng ‘28

What Unites Us Survey

The Willis Hall Herald distributed a Google Forms survey by email Feb. 26-27.

What unites us?

“What unites people is when everyone decides to be accepting of certain things, such as beliefs, humor, political views, while also not being judgmental towards one another for what they believe is right.” -- Anonymous

What divides us?

“When people can’t openly express any view no matter how crazy it is.” -- Anonymous

“Not including people and being so opinionated that it stops you from doing things.” -- Anonymous

“Unity can only prevail once the light of one another is seen through the fog set up by man to keep us from becoming something greater than we could ever know. The light itself, admits a temporary burn off, appears at its brightest, not because it decides to shine brighter, but due to the dissipation of what is causing it to abstain.” -Bryce Austin

What does it feel like to be a member of your class?

Does it feel like you have more status and power on campus each year? If you are an international student, do you feel like an outsider in terms of status and power? What has helped you feel included?

“I feel like power and status come with involvement in the school itself, but it really comes down to being able to connect with people even if you don’t know them all that well. Being able to interact with people even if I personally don’t know them all that well has helped me overcome something I’ve been fighting for a while and I feel like as the months pass, I’m able to overcome it little by little, increasing my ‘power’.”

“The longer I am on campus, the more confident I am in expressing myself.”

“It sometimes feels a little lonely I feel like everyone including me are always on some screen. It feels like the system is designed to give students more status and power but I feel like it promotes a feeling of superiority in older students that comes off as arrogance in some cases. I think it takes time to feel included and just getting to know more people.”

“I feel like I have some superiority for being a senior. Inclusion is just about the willingness to talk to anyone”

OPINION

Relating to Macy’s tale of family discord

By Kaitlyn Perkins

When Beth Macy told our Journalism class about divisions within her family about politics and returning to her hometown to find everything changed, I knew what she meant.

The Herald interviewed Macy, an American journalist, non-fiction writer, and Democratic candidate for Congress, who recently published a book called Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America. I got to thinking about my own experiences having severed ties with family over politics and religion and asked her if she had given up trying to connect with her family. I told her about the severed ties between my dad and uncle. I am not sure who is, and to what extent anybody is at fault.

“This book grew out of a newspaper piece that I wrote for The New York Times,” Macy said.” It was about my mom’s deathbed. . . . It was the Saturday after the election when Biden was elected.

“And we’re sitting there, mom’s had a stroke, she’s literally dying, and I’m sitting there with my evangelical sister that’s probably like your uncle. And we had never really talked about politics before. And the hospice nurse’s phone rings and she goes, ‘ah, they’re calling it for Biden.’

“And my sister, who had never spoken about politics before. ‘No! You wait. It’s fraudulent. He won’t win.’ And literally, I’m not exaggerating.

“Our mother is laying in bed not needing anything like this. Any moment, it could be her last. Are you kidding?”

Macy went on to recount how she wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times about that moment in late 2020.

“What’s even left of my family after this?” she asked. “Because mom was the glue. My mom was hilarious and spicy, funny, really hard-working and took no guff. And very much like this family, you know, she was just everything. And so I wrote this piece, and hundreds of people wrote in, similar stories, like your dad’s and mine.”

Macy discusses life as journalist and her book Paper Girl

Beth Macy came to Journalism class on Jan. 12 to discuss her path to becoming a journalist and how she wrote about it in her recent book Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America. She discussed what inspired her to write it, as discussed in Kaitlyn Perkins story, but also how she approached it. “In a nutshell, I try to tell it through people’s story,” she said.

Beth Macy: So if you’re a poor kid, you don’t really understand loans, and maybe you haven’t had the best grades, but you’re pretty smart [Pell Grants used to help to pay for all of college]. They basically took the ability for you to go to college away, and hardly anyone said anything about it. This began during the Reagan administration and carried on under President Clinton. . . . So that’s a huge difference that I also saw.

Silas became the primary figure in her story Silas got a free community college scholarship, but he lives out in the country, and it takes him an hour to get to his free community college. Now, Silas is smart enough to get a PhD. This kid is wily, He’s smart, he’s caring. He’s kind of the whole picture. He just didn’t have a good support system. And I want to ask him why he was so resilient. He said, ‘Well, I didn’t have a family I could rely on, so I created my own.’ So, you know, he’s kind of a unicorn in that world, in that he’s been through

so much trauma, and yet he has managed to, so let’s stay a kid. Silas, could have gotten a four-year degree. He has a community college degree -- a 10 month welding certificate. it was an hour away, though, from his little small town in Marysville, Ohio. to get to Springfield, Ohio, in a shitty car

that’s older than him by a couple of years, and it takes him, ultimately, in 10 months, it takes him five cars and four full time jobs to finish this program. That’s like one of the best jobs to have in western Ohio, to work at Honda. And he’s welding, so he’s he’s doing very well, but as he was finishing up that program, his mother relapsed. His mother had been taking care of the family and the younger kids, and Silas and his partner became foster parents so they could raise at the age of 19, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old younger sibling. I mean, all these things fit into this kid’s story.

“And so the book is about that, but it’s also largely about political polarization, how we’ve gotten so divided, both not just the politicians, but also how the media environments are so divided.

Beth Macy: “I had a public speaking phobia, and so I majored in journalism because I thought I can still write, but I can just talk to people one on one. And isn’t that funny? . . . now it takes a hook to get me off the scene.”

Mason Bibby: “I guess I want to build off of sort of, you know, the answer you gave in the introduction. Now, how did that sort of, you know, I guess we’ll call it, improbable way of you getting into college, sort of set the stage for your character later on in life, and what you later went on to do?”

Beth Macy: “That’s a great question. Continued in Features at www.willishallherald.com

Perkins: Reckoning with ways we are divided and looking for ways to unite

Continued from page 4

I don’t want my children hearing their support for certain things.”

The Pew Research Center published a report in 2025 showing a growing “rudeness” issue in the U.S. and Americans are not only being less polite in private but also in public. We are getting more comfortable saying and doing things that can be hurtful to those we care about.

“Because of their unwillingness not to conceal those attitudes around my kids,” my interviewee continued, “who I don’t want hearing that stuff or believing that it is okay to talk about other kinds of people that way or believe certain things about people just because they’re different from them.”

A poll from YouGov in 2025 in The Guardian confirms much of what I have experienced and discovered through interviews like the following:

“We just don’t spend time together anymore,” my interviewee said. “Many of my family members seem almost like entirely different people to me, since becoming full supporters of Trump. So it’s really sad and it’s really upsetting but I just don’t want those beliefs normalized for my own kids.”

For me - it is still worth fighting for that relationship, just as it is worth ignoring something I believe to be ignorant that a friend posted online.

But I also feel strongly that if for anyone it is too detrimental to maintain a relationship simply for the sake of maintaining it and feels it would be best to simply try and let go and move on - that is perfectly fine too.

There are solutions that offer hope

Beth Macy and I had a very good discussion regarding ways to deal with family and friends who have conflicting beliefs.

There are a lot of things you can do when encroaching on sensitive topics - you could start an argument, respectfully disagree: change the subject, pretend you didn’t hear them, ask politely to discuss something else and if that is not an option or what they said or asked was inappropriate or offensive, it

is okay to tell them that.

Macy said that bonding over shared family hobbies such as fishing, pizza and card games, worked for her.

Some tips for getting through holidays with family

The article “6 Tips for Thanksgiving with a Difficult Family,” published in 2019 by Psychology Today, offers tips on ways to get through family gatherings without biting your family members head off.

As Macy also suggested, the article’s number one way to deal with your relatives on Thanksgiving is to search for things you have in common. There is more to life than politics, find something non-political.

The one space in which my family gets along best is on a court or field playing sports. I have the fondest memories of me, my parents, aunts, uncles, siblings and cousins playing kickball, basketball and football - and at least then our arguments were limited to who is the GOAT- Lebron or Jordan (which, too, can get heated).

Recommendation two recommends the buddy system. Ask a buddy to help you invite a disagreeable family member help with a task like dishes.

The third tip suggests engaging in “socially acceptable avoidance” like running a 5k, volunteering at a soup kitchen or checking your neighbor’s cats.

Tip five might be the best: Invite a close friend who can put up with your family while also pressuring your family to be on their best behavior.

The weird thing about family for me is that we assume our families will always love us, it is easy to say and do things that hurt the people we love.

But at the same time - those are the relationships that I seem to hold on to the most. Like maybe they said something that I would never get over if it were a friend, but somehow family is different. This is why I believe family estrangements and even ones with friends or colleagues are such a big topic, because we as humans value our relationships. We are persistent and try to forge ahead even when we’ve been hurt. We don’t want to let go.

Yeah, you don’t quickly I came up stories, but not afraid like asking about five the stories And, you here in 1989. five. Exactly, have Rambler, three of the Roanoke above its award. We classified know, Facebook now know we also know wealth in

PAPER GIRL: Beth Macy shows Herald students a copy of her book Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America. Photo by Andrew Weng

Analyzing America

Speaking on the state of the ‘last best hope of earth’

By Mason Bibby

President Abraham Lincoln delivered his 1862 Annual Message to Congress, as spelled out in his executive duty under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution.

16th President Abraham Lincoln delivered his 1862 Annual Message to Congress, as spelled out in his executive duty under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, and his concluding remarks, perhaps some of his most famous words ever uttered short of the Gettysburg Address, resonated off of the walls of the combined chamber:

“We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”

163 years later, I walked into NPR’s WVTF Radio Station in Roanoke with the express intent of talking about America, that same country Lincoln had spoken so highly of an odd century and a half before. My goal was to tackle the nation in full; her victories, her sins and my ever-evolving role in this grand national narrative. I found it interesting how this was something I could just do. Yes, it was certainly the culmination of several months—years, really—of work, but it was almost second nature to me. Walking into a soundproofed room with a freshly pressed blazer and slacks is part of my signature cadence. And, for better or for worse, I hope it sets me apart from the stock teenager who, supposedly, will become the stock citizen.

That little Thursday evening excursion, I resolved, would illuminate this piece. And, for what it’s worth. I could talk about my insights into this matter all day long. But the truth is, doing so would be intellectually dishonest. America is so much more than pundits, analysis and politicians. With that in mind, how backward—hypocricial, even—would it be to tell why America is still the world’s last great hope from my perspective—essentially a hometown savant? Very, I figured.

So, to combat this, I did what any meaningful opinionist who hopes to inspire change would do. I ripped up everything I had written, and instead called in four teens to have a general roundtable discussion.

These kids aren’t pollsters, they aren’t candidates and frankly I’d be surprised if they turned on the evening news more than twice a week. To that point, I’d place a solid bet on the fact that they’d rather do anything else than take an interview from their classmate 30 minutes before lunch.

That doesn’t make them unintelligent by any stretch of the imagination; in fact, it makes them invaluable.

How does the average teen—one who will grow up, get a job and raise a family in this country, see it?

These ladies and gentlemen—two and two respectively, all juniors— definitely don’t think about politics a majority of the time. They’re busy. Sports, school, friends, and a plethora of other things take up their time. They didn’t walk in with unbridled confidence. They tapped their fingers. Laughed during long silences.

Drew blanks on certain questions.

“People have a lot of problems at the moment, but of course, there’s always stuff to improve.” -- “Sam” ‘27

They are the true America.

And it wasn’t my job to determine whether or not Lincoln’s words bear fruit: it was theirs.

Mary, Sam, Thomas and Martha—pseudonyms for these individuals—were capable of remarkable insight. And their role is to take Lincoln’s words and contextualize them. The president that year was talking about whether democratic self-government could survive civil war. Today, these students talk about whether it can survive civil strife.

Sam went first. “People have a lot of problems at the moment, but of course, there’s always stuff

to improve. In that moment I was reminded of the classic American cautious optimism that had come to characterize our nation. There’s the possibility of good, but in no way should we go about it haphazardly. Thomas agreed. “Economically and business-wise, we’re probably one of the best countries,” he said. “I think with jobs I’ll be good. Our nation’s moneymaking institutions, it seemed, were strong. The cultural lens was where things started to fray.

I decided to qualify my argument a bit by meeting the students where they were at. I’m sure Congressional depositions that even I find boring would be a snoozefest for them. So, I brought everyone to the table via a scattershot appeal to what Lincoln would describe as their “better angels” (i.e. the ones that would get the best response): sports and pop culture.

I asked what Puerto Rican pop star Bad Bunny’s Superbowl performance said about America.

“Our diversity,” Martha said. “But it’s important, because [we aren’t] caring about countries other than the U.S., and we’re not taking as much time to understand.”

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Mary said. “I honestly didn’t think they’d let him perform.”

The students opened up a lot more after this. In fact, we had a robust off-record discussion before we reached the crux of our discussion:

Do they have hope for the future?

To my surprise, the answer was a resounding ‘yes.’

“I think America will be on the right track,” Sam said.

“Always,” Martha said.

“Of course,” Mary said.

“I’m optimistic,” Thomas said. That to me was more quantifying than any piece of data. The pundits may cry division. The pollsters point to disunity.

But the people have hope for the future.

And in that strain, I do too. If we are to be an example of the world’s last best hope for evidence of civic survival, then it starts at the micro-level.

It starts with four kids speaking, unscripted, about America.

Lincoln graphic by Anderson Ratliff using Adobe Illustrator

Clue entertains audience and actors alike via improvisation

By Aadeetri Pandey

After many snow days and illnesses the Upper School production of Clue was finally performed Feb. 22 in front of a lively audience of students, faculty and parents.

While some students had some preconceived notions of the winter play mainly because they are normally Shakespearean plays or other classic works, they were pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

“Looking back on the past plays, they were, I mean, they were okay. So I was expecting this play to be just okay. But after watching it I thought it was one of the best plays that we've ever done, “ Maria Summer ‘29. “I liked how the actors really portrayed their characters in a really good way. They were really expressive.”

The actors really made this performance of Clue humorous by adding their own unique flare to the characters they played. One of the performers, Mia Esposito ‘28, who played Mrs. Peacock, a crooked

senator's wife, was especially electric during the performance. She and the other actors were constantly ad libbing and switching up small things every practice, so come time of the performance, it remained fresh.

“We ad libbed through the whole thing. We ad libbed every rehearsal, every run through was different. And I think that like having a cast, you can go having a cast where you can, like, build off the energy of one another,” Esposito said. “It is really fun, and it's really great, and I really appreciate that Miss Jones has let us cultivate that environment.”

A moment the audience found particularly humorous was completely improvised. But it worked really well because it addresses Mr. Green’s previous admission of homosexuality.

“The closing line I came up with at intermission, I talked to Carter Reel [‘28], who played Mr. Green. I was like, hey, Carter, when you say that you're gonna go home and sleep with your wife, I'm gonna be pretty surprised that you're not gay,” Esposito said “And he was like, ‘that's great.’”

Mr. Green (Carter Reel ‘28), puts his glass on Mrs. Peacock’s (Mia Esposito ‘28) head to hear the conversation happening on the other side of the door between the mysterious Mr. Bobby Boddy and his Butler Wadsworth. Photo by Morgan Kemp

NEEDS A CLUE: Wadsworth (Hayden Saunders ‘28) looks at Mr. Boddy (Elijah Bradley ‘27) with confusion when he asks him to hand out gifts to the guest, something Mr. Boddy and him had not discussed beforehand. Photo by Morgan Kemp

MUSTARD MAN: Colonel Mustard (James Austin ‘29) sports many medals of honor from being a colonel. Unfortunately for him the Butler Wadsworths is tarnishing his honor by outing the reason he was blackmailed to the other guest, but don't worry all the guests are being blackmailed for “some considerable time.” Photo by Morgan Kemp

GIRLS WIN FIRST INDOOR

After years of with small teams, 12 girls help dominate D II

Raiders win by 30 points over the 2nd team. Faith Johnson lands best long jump to earn individual honors and anchors 4x200 relay team to victory.

By Andrew Weng and Camryn Stevens

Gabby Miller ‘26 earned 7 individual and 10 relay points for the Raiders in three long sprint events including the 300m, 500m and the 4x200m relay races.

She compared the 300 and 500 events.

“Both events require me to run basically a full sprint,” she said, “but in the 500 I can run slower than I would in the 300. There’s parts of the 300 I slow down a little bit to conserve energy and I start my 500 like I would for the 300 and then slow down to a good pace.”

Miller said the 300 proved to be the biggest challenge.

“I would say the 300, because I had been focusing on the 500 and hadn’t run the 300 in over a month. I just have to tell myself that I can do it and push myself which helps me under pressure.”

Starting the 4x200 relay race made her run her best to support her teammates – Alicia Holmes, Camryn Stevens and Faith Johnson.

“I think the best thing to build that connection is practice and just trusting the person after you,” she said. “I also think that having confidence goes such a long way.”

That confidence led to a first place finish for the 4x200 team.

“Being able to sprint/have a big kick at the end is such an essential skill,” she said, “it can make or break a time you want to beat or be the difference of 1st or 2nd place.”

It seems clear that Miller kicks big when necessary, working well with her teammates.

“I would thank my teammates for always believing in me,” she said, “and just making everything so fun that I never miss practice or a meet.”

See more about Faith Johnson on page 13.

TRIPLE THREAT: Kaitlyn Perkins ‘28, Aynsley Myles ‘27 and Lillian Phillips ‘29 run 3rd, 4th and 5th in the 3200 to put more distance between the Raiders and their nearest rivals. Myles finished 3rd. See more about Myles and Phillips on page 12. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

FULL FAITH: Faith Johnson ‘28 brings the baton down the stretch of the 200-meter oval at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. When she took the baton from Camryn Stevens, she was even with two runners, but she finished alone, 3 seconds faster than the field. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

GABBY GOES FAST: Gabby Miller ‘26 finishes the 300-meter race in 7th place, earning 2 more points for the team. Faith Johnson finished 2nd in the event for 8 points. Johnson would go on to earn 24 individual points while also anchoring a winning relay. Photo by Elijah Hutchinson

INDOOR STATE TITLE Holmes is top female field athlete at meet

ALL 4 ONE: Before the 4x200 meter relay, the girls pray to get focused, which caught the attention of other athletes. They also enjoyed the atmosphere. Gabby Miller ‘26 led off and handed the baton to Alicia Holmes ‘27, who passed to Camryn Stevens ‘28. Finally, Faith Johnson ‘28 brought the baton home in first place adding 10 points to the team total. Photos by Elijah Hutcheson

By Andrew Weng

Sprinting, jumping and throwing in the indoor track state championship, Alicia Holmes ’27 showed strength and determination by competing in four events: the 4x200-meter relay, high jump, long jump and shot put, scoring 21.5.

Switching between such different events can be difficult, especially mentally. Holmes said that she sometimes felt anxious about her performance. To be focused, she gives herself a few minutes between events to calm down.

“To mentally switch between different events, I usually take a couple minutes to calm down and refocus,” Holmes said. “I struggle with being anxious about my performance, so I take a second to pray and remind myself that one bad competition isn’t going to ruin everything.”

In the meet, high jump was the most challenging event for her. She had only started competing in high jump three weeks before the championship, so she didn’t have much time to practice.

“High jump challenged me the most,” Holmes said.

To handle the pressure, she focused on her technique and remembered what the coach had told her. She also practiced deep breathing to be calm and confident.

Holmes believes that training in different events makes her be a better athlete overall.

“Training your body to do different things gives you an advantage,” she said. “Being able to run and jump makes me a better thrower.”

Her journey back to competition has not been easy. Last year, Holmes got an ACL tear and had surgery. The injury forced her to spend months in rehab. She stayed committed to physical therapy and workouts, even when progress was slow.

“Recovery taught me discipline and patience,” she said. “I had to trust the process.”

When asked to describe her experience in the indoor track state championship in one word, she said, “Exhilarating. It was so fun to experience this with my friends,” she said. “Hopefully I can do it again.”

SUPER SHOT-PUT: Alicia Holmes ‘27 wins the shot put with a throw of 38-4.75 during the VISAA DII State Championship meet. Photo by Spencer Britton

Holmes, Chen go

1, 2 in shot put

By Mason Bibby

After three years of winning the indoor track meet title in the shot put, Brooklyn Chen ‘26 finished second behind new teammate Alicia Holmes ‘27.

Moonlighting in shot put while playing as a starter on the varsity basketball team, Chen has been lonely in the field events.

Holmes, a transfer from Lord Boutetourt, bolsters the indoor track teams in field events. She threw 38-4.75, while Chen put the shot 37-11.50 hauling in 10 and 8 points respectively toward the team total of 107.50.

“It felt really good to perform as well as I had hoped,” Holmes said. “It was super amazing to contribute to the team win.”

A FORCE IN THE FIELD: Alicia Holmes ‘27 holds the plaque for the VISAA Div. II Girl’s Best All-Around Field Events Award. Holmes earned 21.5 points for the Raiders as she competed in the state championship meet at Virginia Beach in the girl’s shot put, long jump and high jump. She placed 1st in shot put, 2nd in long jump, and 5th in high jump. “I’m proud of our team and this amazing accomplishment” Holmes said. Alicia also competed in the 4x200 relay with her team placing 1st. Holmes looks forward to the outdoor season. Caption and photo by Camryn Stevens

SURPRISE! Holmes shows how shocked she was when she was announced as the field athlete of the meet. Photo by Spencer Britton

BOYS REPEAT AS INDOOR

Britton and Chaney lead team in scoring with 30 points combined

By Kaitlyn Perkins

With the 3200 and the 4x400 left to contest in the meet, the NCS boys were in a tight battle with Blue Ridge School for the title.

Finn Chaney ‘27 finished 2nd in the 3200, going under 10 minutes, which set a school record, while Justus Horner ‘28 ran his own PR to secure 5th.

Those 12 points secured the victory because Blue Ridge -- who scored more of its points in sprint events -- did not have an entry.

“It was exciting because it was coming down to the last two races for us to win a State Championship,’ Coach Jeff Britton said, “and we needed Finn and Justus to really put out some big numbers and big results in order for us to score the maximum amount of points.”

To add an exclamation mark to the score, the Raiders 4x400 team of Spencer Britton, Connor Phelan ‘29, Parker Britton ‘28 and Wynn Yardley ‘28 finished 4th while Blue Ridge came in 7th.

Those final two races determined the outcome: NCS 93, BRS 76.

2-3 PUNCH: Spencer Britton and Finn Chaney place 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 1600 meter race, crossing the line in 4:39. Britton also finished 2nd in the 1000 meter race in 2:39. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

LEAN ON THE LINE: Connor Phelan ‘29 leans into the finish of the 500-meter race in 5th place, while teammate Wynn Yardley arrived two spots behind. The underclassmen also teamed up to win 6 more points on the 4x400 race. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

INDOOR STATE CHAMPS

MERCI COACH: Upper left: Quebecois Canadian Kingston Paquet, third in line behind Wynn Yardley ‘28 and the team’s fastest sprinter JD Grubb ‘27 and ahead of anchor Demarcus Brown ‘27,communicates with Coach Ed Dickenson, who teaches French, before the 4x200m race. The team placed 2nd just behind rival Blue Ridge School. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson. Above, Elijah Hutcheson ‘27 also earned 8 points on his first throw of 44’-2” in the shot put competition. When he wasn’t throwing, he took many of these photos. Photo by Spencer Britton. Right: Yardley hands off to Paquet. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

HIGH_JUMPING GERMAN: Sam Bauer ’27 clears the high jump bar at 5’-4”, scoring a nice 4 points for North Cross at the state championship competition and helping them win with 93 points. The German came for football, and then followed many of those players onto the indoor track team.“Winning a state [title] means everything and it’s the result of hard work and dedication and support and excelint [sic] coaching. It’s something I’m very proud of.” When asked about how indoor settings affected his focus, he said, “It is very loud which makes it hard to focus on something but you just have to be locked in.” Now that he has championship rings in both football and indoor track, Bauer will participate in outdoor track and join the lacrosse team that will aim to repeat as state champs. Photo by Andrew Weng

“It was exciting because it was coming down to the last two races for us to win a State Championship and we needed Finn and Justus to really put out some big numbers and big results in order for us to score the maximum amount of points.” -- Coach Jeff Britton.

Chaney, Horner left it all on the track to help team

By Kaitlyn Perkins

Finn Chaney ‘27 had already raced in the 1600m race earlier that day where he ran a PR of 4:39.41 and placed third, earning six points for the boy’s indoor track team.

Justus Horner ‘28 had run the first leg of the 4x800 relay, helping his team place 4th. But the hardest event -- the 3200 -- was still to come.

“I felt pretty confident,” Chaney said. “It felt surprisingly relaxed, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might have been.”

After averaging 38-second laps, Chaney ran the penultimate lap in 35 and the final lap under 32 seconds for the fastest 200 of that race.

“I could hear everyone around the track…it helped me push myself as much as I could. I was nervous, I didn’t know if I would get it but once I got out there and started feeling good I think it made me feel a lot better myself and I heard Justus close behind me. It made me feel really confident…we both had to put

in good efforts, so I had to show up.”

The team went on to win their second Indoor Track State Championship in a row in a close matchup in the end against Blue Ridge School, which scored 76 points, and Trinity Christian School which scored 73.50. The Boy’s teams were close leading up to the 3200 leaving both coaches and athletes alike, nervous to watch Chaney and teammate Justus Horner ‘28 compete. Despite nerves, Chaney managed to cement his own legacy through his performance and step away from the shadow of his older sister and infamous North Cross Alum Kerrigan Chaney ‘25 who holds the school records in multiple of the distance events including the 3200m.

“It makes me feel more like my own person instead of Kerrigan’s brother,” Chaney said.

Kerrigan Chaney, who was in attendance, said, “I was not surprised because I know he is pretty talented and that he can do it - also it’s amazing. I think it’s really funny - we can

MOTIVATED MYLES AND FLYING PHILLIPS:

Ainsley Myles ‘27 leads Lillian Phillips ‘29 around the 200-meter track on Feb. 12. Phillips scored 6 points individually in the the 1000 and the 3200 races and 6 more as part of the the girls 4x800 relay. She stated that “My favorite part of running is challenging myself.” Luckily for the team, Phillips has now started prepping for the outdoor track season.. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

Completely spent and rightfully so, Justus Horner ‘28 collapses on the infield of the Virginia Beach Sports Comples, while Finn Chaney ‘27 offers aid. Both set their personal bests in the 3200m with Horner running a 10:18.68, a PR by 25 seconds and Chaney running a 9:58.75, a PR by 19 seconds and a school record. Referring to both his teammates, Spencer Britton ‘27 said, “They pushed through the race, and showing that grit. It’s really nice to be able to see them do that because they’re my teammates. I knew they would do well in that and I knew that they would perform….I believed we were gonna win states.” Photo by Spencer Britton

be called the ‘Chaney Siblings’, the ‘Running Siblings.’ I’m just really proud of him.”

Teammate Bryce Austin ‘28, who was sick with the flu the day of the championship said he was watching his teammates run the 3200m. Due to Austin being sick, Chaney and Horner had to race even harder to compensate for the loss of talent.

“I was jumping for joy in my bed . . . but I wasn’t really jumping,”

Myles and Phillips go the distance

By Kaitlyn Perkins

Ainsley Myles ‘27 was so motivated to win that after having run both the 4x800m and the 1000m earlier that day, she PRed by 41 seconds in the 3200m, placing 3rd overall and earning 6 points for the team in addition to the 4 points she earned in the 1000m after placing 5th overall and earning a PR of 3:22.65.

“I think the 3200 was definitely the hardest [event], it was the longest, I think I did the best in that overall, and it was after my other two races so I came in with the most fatigue,” Myles said, “I felt like my lungs were going to fall out of my body, I was coughing so bad and I was just so exhausted from all my other events. I didn’t feel great but I knew it was an important race and I knew it was going to be a mental battle so I just pushed through all the pain.”

Myles had overcome a difficult track season the previous year but came back stronger than ever.

“I was so proud of her,” Coach Jeff Britton said, “proud of everybody, but proud of her because she

had a rough season last year and to see her overcome those obstacles that she had last year and really put both feet in front of where she was and just blow it out of the room. It was incredible.”

Myles also ran the 4x800-meter race with teammates Claire Cocowitch ‘30, June Bradley ‘30 and Lillian Philips ‘29. The relay team placed third overall in a time of 10:47.79, a new school record.

“It was her third race and it’s not easy to run three races,” said Coach Britton.

Any event in States can cause fatigue but three can push an athlete to their absolute max.

“I thought it was impressive that she was able to do three events and perform well in each one,” teammate Evan Duncan ‘29 said.

“I am always impressed by Ainsley,” teammate Gabby Miller ‘26 said, “I think she’s a very good athlete and very strong and she pushed herself very well.”

And for Myles that day wasn’t just a team victory but a personal one as well.

“I was so unbelievably happy,” Myles said, “the 3200m was probably the best race I ever ran.”

PANCAKED:

Johnson scores 24 individual points and helps win relay

By Kaitlyn Perkins

Feb. 12 was an insane day for Faith Johnson ‘28.

The athlete scored 24 out of the total 107.5 points scored by the girl’s team that day, which was the most points of any Raider, boy or girl, with Alicia Holmes ‘27 scoring the second most points -- 21.5.

Johnson was completely unaware that she had scored the most points of anyone that day and upon hearing the news she humbly laughed and said,

“Did I really?”

Johnson said she felt good.

“I mean, as the day was going on that was kind of my focus. Because obviously I wanted to place well but we wanted to win overall - everybody wants to win. So now that I know, I’m just really glad.”

Johnson placed within the top three in every event she competed in. She placed third in the 55m dash in 7.61 seconds, second in the 300m dash in 43.51 seconds, first in the long jump with a leap of 15ft 9in, and first in the 4x200m relay in a time of 1:50.46 with teammates Holmes, Gabby Miller ‘26, and Camryn Stevens ‘28.

“Just watching her win and excel in her events was super exhilarating,” Miller said of Johnson, “and I just thought that she did so good and I was so proud of her.”

Miller spoke of her experience as a teammate to Johnson over the past two years.

“It is so fun. It makes me so happy. And I just think she is so good and she is going to do great stuff in her future. [The funnest part is] any time we get to race or just practice together, because we are constantly pushing each other and very close in times. I just think it’s really fun - it’s like a challenge almost.”

Johnson’s favorite event was the relay, her only team event.

“It was really fun running with everyone, especially Gabby for the last time. Because that’s our last 4x2 because we don’t do that in outdoor [track].”

Another highlight of the meet for Johnson was supporting and cheering on her teammates.

“I always like cheering everyone on, especially Camryn because it’s her first time running indoor,” she said. “We also kind of knew we were gonna win, so that was the event we were looking forward to.”

While the 4x200m was the most fun for Johnson, the 300m was the hardest event because it is the longest distance she does between both indoor and outdoor track.

It also is a “three part race, so every single second matters,” she said.

Johnson was quite nervous prior to the event because she had worked so hard to drop time for it in the previous meets.

“I ran really well,” she said, “so I was still proud.”

The most gratifying achievement of the day for Johnson was the 55m dash because in 2025 at the Indoor Track and Field State Championship

“Just watching [Faith] win and excel in her events was super exhilarating.” -- Gabby Miller

she had not run what she wanted. She was still learning how to run that event, it being her first year running indoor track - so it was a big jump from last year to this year. She ran a 7.91 and placed sixth last year in comparison to her third place finish this year in 7.61.

Going into the outdoor track season Johnson hopes to win states again, win her 200m race, and drop

as much time as possible.

“It felt like we did what we came to do,” Johnson said, “because Coach Dink (a nickname Johnson and others have for Head Track and Field Coach Ed Dickenson) - I had talked to him before and he was like ‘you just have to compete’ and I thought everyone did really well with that, it was just really rewarding.”

FLYING: Track and field star Faith Johnson ‘28 floats across the finish line of the girls 4x200m relay at the Division II VISAA Track and Field State Championships in Virginia Beach. Photo by Elijah Hutcheson

BRING THE BLING: Faith Johnson shows all five of her medals: Gold for first place in the team competition, long jump and 4x200 relay, silver for the 300m sprint and bronze for the 55m dash. Photo by Spencer Britton

BACK-TO-BACK: Brooklyn Chen ‘26 earned 8 points for the indoor track team on Feb. 12 (photo by Spencer Britton), then played most of her final home basketball game the next night on little sleep (the track team got home at 12:30 a.m.) Photo by R. Robillard

D1 departures imperil football program

By Mason Bibby

“Parting ways” was the prevailing terminology used to describe the split between North Cross and boy’s football head coach Dwayne Priest.

What started as a murmur among students inevitably proved true when the three-time state champion coach confirmed the move with The Roanoke Times

“If another coaching opportunity comes I’ll look into it, but I’ve got two master’s degrees,” he said in an interview with The Times. “I’ve got a good thing going, so it’s whatever comes. I really don’t dwell on anything.”

Certainly the sudden shakeup in the Carter Athletic Center would have a profound impact on the direction of the program, but perhaps an unforeseen consequence has manifested in the form of several former players for Priest looking for opportunities elsewhere in the city and state.

#7 Demarcus Brown ‘27 stands as a prime example. A transfer from Roanoke Catholic, the 6 ‘3 junior tendered his withdrawal from NCS and returned to RCS following Priest’s parting.

“It has nothing to do with me,” said Brown. “It affected me in a way

because the coach they fired was a big reason on why I came here and I just feel like that was the most important part in my opinion.”

Brown, who committed to the University of Virginia in December, now looks to capitalize on one final season at rival Roanoke Catholic School. With over a thousand yards and 14 TDs, North Cross’s offense may struggle to recoup the loss.

To make matters worse, he isn’t the only one.

#78 Daven Reed ‘28 also harbored doubts about the jarring moves by the school. Reed, the towering 6’4 310-pound offensive lineman who collected a cavalier 23 pancakes, five sacks, 11 tackles resulting in losses and two defensive forced fumbles.

Reed offered his remarks on the situation. His status is still undetermined.

“I would say it’s more sad than anything to see him go,” he said. “But I guess that’s because the school needed a coach on staff so players could have an outlet during school hours. It’s still up in the air whether I’m gonna transfer or not.”

Compounded by the graduation of quarterback Tristan Lange, Jase Rhodes, Ja’ziel Hart and Nate Hayes (who committed to Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, the University

have plenty more opportunities last season, which he capitalized on for a total of 53 receptions, 1,112 yards and 14 touchdowns. Defensively, Brown was a workhorse as well, hauling a total of six interceptions, two forced fumbles, a single fumble recovery and over 60 tackles. Both offensively and defensively, Brown leaves a sore spot in what would have been his final high school season with North Cross.

of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Elon University, respectively, though Lange committed for baseball), NCS has a challenging journey ahead of it.

Brown and Reed, while headline-making in their own right, aren’t the entire story. Several other athletes who requested anonymity are also seriously considering or have already made moves to exit their enrollments at NCS,

most seeking to offset a seemingly disappointing tenure on campus, following Brown to rival RCS. With that in mind, there’s no question that a significant amount of work remains to be done to court new arrivals, change up strategies and even potentially take advantage of a clean house. The Raiders have the ability to shake this off—it just has to get its head in the game.

“It affected me in a way because the coach they fired was a big reason on why I came here and I just feel like that was the most important part in my opinion.” - Demarcus Brown

DEMARCUS DIPS: Demarcus Brown ‘27 reaches up for a touchdown pass during Aug. 29’s 36-28 loss to Trinity Episcopal, a VISAA D1 school. Brown would

Photo by Compass Staff

DEPARTING DAVEN? Daven Reed ‘28 waves goodbye to STAB at the end of the state championship game with a glove showing one of the many D1 football programs recruiting him, while Carter Reel ‘28 looks on. Photo by Andrew Weng

Votta captains team to BRAC championship

For the conference meet, Votta placed 2nd in the 50 free, 3rd in the 100 free and helped win two relays, one of which she anchored as the final swimmer. Due to Emma and her teammates, the girls won their first conference championship since 2018. “It felt really good for the girls to win the championship, because it’s always Covenant who wins, and it was really good to beat them,” said Votta. “And I feel like I’m close with all the girls on my team, so winning together was really fun.”: Photo by Eliza Vogel ‘26

VISION QUEST: Emma Votta ’26 envisions her dive off the blocks on senior night. As a member of the Raiders swim team since 8th grade, she is no stranger to a swim meet.

CAN’T CORRAL KALEB: As his final high school season conlcudes, Kaleb Robinson ‘26 helps the Raiders beat Carlisle on Feb. 13. He scored his 1000th high school point in the final week of play before the playoffs. Photo by Jax Bentley

WHO’S WANTS IT? Julia Cephas ‘28 fakes a pass to Katherine Ellett ‘29 before passing to Remi Lewis ‘27, while Tina Chikwata ‘26 trails on senior night. Photo by R.