Graduation 2019

A publication of

Celebrating the class of 2019 MAY 12, 2019

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Congratulations, class of 2019!

GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL Page, 3

JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL Page, 4

LANIER COLLEGE & RIVERSIDE CHEROKEE BLUFF CAREER ACADEMY MILITARY ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL Page, 6 Page, 8 Page, 10

FLOWERY BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL Page, 12

WEST HALL HIGH SCHOOL Page, 14

EAST HALL HIGH SCHOOL Page, 16

NORTH HALL HIGH SCHOOL Page, 18

CHESTATEE HIGH SCHOOL Page, 23

LAKEVIEW ACADEMY Page, 20

LANIER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Page, 22

class of 2019

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GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL Catie Cook

Matthew Penado

Grace O’Keefe

Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

Honor society produces artwork, talented seniors

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Gainesville may not be regarded by history as an arts town — yet.

But the foundation for such a tradition is being laid across the community in new exhibits, public murals and a burgeoning crop of young students.

In particular, soon-to-be graduates of Gainesville High, among them members of the National Art Honor Society, have showcased what local talent looks like.

“I would say this has been our most productive year so far,” said Sarah Claussen, the fine arts chair and visual arts instructor at Gainesville High.

Whether through painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, or courses in the history and principles of design, this year’s senior class has shown a high aptitude for the arts.

The student organization this year created a large-scale mural to benefit the Elachee Nature Science Center in Gainesville.

The student group also participated with artists from Atlanta, other high schools and university students to carve and print a large-scale work titled, “Rise Up,” Claussen said.

“Lead designer and NAHS president, Matthew Penado, along with our GHS National Art Honor crew, worked diligently over a month to hand carve the design,” she added.

Penado has been involved with

Khanh Au the group since freshman year.

Along the way, Penado said, the biggest lesson learned is that good leaders know the value of good team members, which requires listening and observing “like a sponge.”

“They really helped me and guide me to do things that otherwise, by myself, I couldn’t do,” Penado said. “I’ve been able to see different kinds of leadership.”

Penado’s “bread and butter” is working with mixed media, from paintings to photography and film, that carry strong social and political messages.

Penado is looking for a way to continue studying art at the college level, though financial constraints may push back that timeline.

“But despite that I’m still going to work hard and get a full-time job,” Penado said. “Sometimes you have

Katherine Salazar to roll with the punches and keep going.”

Catie Cook, who has been involved with the honor society since her sophomore year, took first place in senior art awards for a watercolor on paper painting called “Plunge.”

Her work also earned her a $2,000 Kiwanis scholarship and a $4,000 scholarship from the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville.

But Cook said her journey has been an unexpected one.

“I was the type of kid who always used to paint just for fun,” she said.

But her father and grandmother were artistically inclined, and her mother pushed her to pursue her talents.

It’s been “totally worth it,” Cook said.

She plans to enroll at the

University of Georgia in the fall and major in studio art.

Katherine Salazar, meanwhile, served as the treasurer of the honor society this school year. The opportunity breathed new life into her work.

Salazar said she always “doodled” but she lived far away from school and was unable to engage most extracurricular activities until this year.

“I didn’t really think much of it,” she said. “I still thought of art as a hobby for myself, and not as a career.”

But not anymore. Salazar plans to attend Kennesaw State University after graduation, with dreams of becoming a studio artist or maybe a book cover illustrator.

If the latter is the case, she may find herself doing charcoal drawings for someone like Stephen King.

“I really like doing horror art,” she said.

Salazar’s work has been recognized at state-level competitions.

Grace O’Keefe, an Advanced Placement student, described her art as a “labor of love.”

She said broadening her art to include pottery and ceramics has allowed her to take risks.

“I’ve really loved the process,” she said. “I’m very academic, so to come here and think differently is very relaxing.”

O’Keefe said art serves as a good balance to her athletic pursuits, such as tennis, and her other studies. She intends to major in

English in college.

“I know (art) means a lot of different things to people,” she said.

For O’Keefe, this year has meant being chosen as a finalist to exhibit her art in the Atlanta High School Art Exhibition, which took place at the Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park in April.

Photography is also a pursuit for some students, including Khanh Au, whose came to the United States from Vietnam in 2015.

This medium has helped Au explore and navigate her new environment.

She said telling her story was difficult at first because she could not speak much English.

“When I came here, I could not make friends,” Au said.

But like mathematics, Au described art as a “universal language” that translates across cultures, and her photography projects have brought her closer to her art peers.

Au also gained valuable experience interning with the Quinlan Visual Arts Center through a work-based learning program.

She helped manage a kids’ camp, for example, and assisted with exhibit showings and events.

Au plans to attend the University of North Georgia in the fall and later study interior design and marketing.

In the meantime, she’ll be finding inspiration in retail.

“I like to go to Home Goods and Hobby Lobby,” she said with a laugh.

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JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL

Latino Knights make service their mission

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Leadership. Knowledge. Service.

That’s what the Latino Knights of Service student group at Johnson High School is all about.

“Everything we do is geared to promote one of those three pillars,” said Frank Zamora, who teaches U.S. history and English for Speakers of Other Languages courses at the school and is the district’s teacher of the year for 2019.

Zamora started the club, now in its third year, to give students opportunities to get out and serve their communities through volunteering.

“The kids love going out and serving the community, and we have a blast while we do it,” he added. “We’re showing them it’s fun to serve.”

Jose Sosa, a senior who first got involved with the student group as a junior, said he likes to support monthly parent meetings hosted at the school.

These meetings provide an opportunity to engage the whole family in a student’s schooling, educate them about resources and services inside and outside the classroom, and provide Spanishlanguage instruction about how to apply for college, among other things.

“I like helping others achieve what they’re trying to achieve,” Sosa said, “and bring smiles to others’ faces.”

Sosa plans to attend the University of North Georgia in Gainesville this fall and study physical therapy.

But until graduation, Sosa said he hopes to continue spreading the word about the Latino Knights of Service so more students will get involved.

The student group, already the largest among any such group at Johnson High, has approximately 200 members, Zamora said.

The group has participated in the community by helping

Britney Reyes

Jose Sosa

Photos by AUSTIN STEELE | The Times

with resource fairs, visiting local homeless missions and participating in litter cleanups around Lake Lanier, for example.

For Britney Reyes, a senior and president of the group, the single best community service project was the group’s visit to the Northeast Georgia Humane Society in Gainesville.

Reyes said the Latino Knights of Service has been like a second family, a group full of camaraderie and friendship who are united in a cause.

“It means a lot,” she said.

Reyes said she has also enjoyed

working with eighth-grade students who take tours of Johnson High to get a taste of the next level.

And through events with guest speakers, members of the student group are given the confidence to design their own service projects, Reyes said.

“They should be able to feel like they can do anything,” she added.

Reyes has been taking dualenrollment courses as she begins working toward a post-secondary degree and plans to continue her studies at Lanier Technical College after graduation. She wants to work as a nurse one day.

‘The kids love going out and serving the community, and we have a blast while we do it.’

Frank Zamora, Teacher, U.S. history and English for Speakers of Other Languages When she achieves her dream, Reyes said she’ll look back to where it all started.

“I would love to look back and be like, ‘Wow, I was part of that group and look at where they’re at now,” she said of the Latino Knights of Service. “I feel like we could do so much more.”

Zamora said there are already huge turnouts for the group’s

monthly meetings, and sign-up sheets limiting participation in community events to the first few dozen signees are necessary.

“We just go out to where they need us and serve,” Zamora said. community events to the first few dozen signees are necessary.

“We just go out to where they need us and serve,” Zamora said.

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LANIER COLLEGE & CAREER ACADEMY

Grads show off career education at skills challenge

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com

Students at the Lanier College & Career Academy, one of eight public high schools in the Hall County system, have the opportunity to explore their passions as they ready for the workplace.

This includes studies in the culinary arts, agricultural mechanics, cosmetology, construction, and heating and air conditioning specializations.

The school gives students whose career paths do not include attending traditional liberal arts colleges a chance to learn trade skills and take dual-enrollment courses through Lanier Technical College, for example.

But along with earning a diploma, taking apprenticeships and internships — and even paid jobs through the school’s many partnerships with local businesses — competition is a big part of of the experience and allows students to set themselves apart.

For example, seniors studying cosmetology and construction at LCCA competed in the SkillsUSA challenge in late March at the International Convention Center in Atlanta.

According to its website, SkillsUSA serves more than 360,000 students and instructors annually “through the development of personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics.”

Jacqueline Itzel Velazquez, a senior, won first place at the competition for her work, which included a basic facial, makeup application and an optical illusion face-painting challenge.

“I practiced a lot and

JACQUELINE ITZEL VELAZQUEZ

INGRID YESENIA SANTOS

DANIEL LAMAS Photos by AUSTIN STEELE | The Times

‘I practiced a lot and studied a lot, like every night and day. ...

For me, it was fun.’

Jacqueline Itzel Velazquez LCCA senior studied a lot, like every night and day,” Iztel Velazquez said, adding that she wasn’t nervous during the competition. “For me, it was fun.”

Ingrid Yesenia Santos, a friend and fellow student, offered to be Istel Velazquez’s model.

“She had a lot of fun, and so did I,” she said. “You get to show off your talent to other people.”

Yesenia Santos said she plans to find work at a salon after graduation this year before later returning to school.

“But my goal, what I’ve

always wanted to do, is (crime scene investigation),” she said.

Istel Velazquez said she plans to attend college and hopes to own her own salon one day where she can teach others the trade she’s learned at LCCA. For Daniel Lamas, who will also soon graduate, construction is the family business.

It’s in the blood.

“My dad works in construction,” he said. “He’s been a big example for me.”

So, Lamas has been

gaining experience all his life.

But studying at LCCA has helped hone his craft, which he showed off at the SkillsUSA challenge.

Lamas won first place in the masonry challenge, which required him to build a wall with certain materials meeting certain measurements and specifications.

“It was hard,” Lamas said.

“Everything has to be just right.”

Lamas said studying at LCCA has helped him

appreciate how to use materials and resources efficiently and safely.

Upon graduation, Lamas said he plans to enter the construction industry, working with his father in both residential and commercial development.

He admits that his father, a first-generation immigrant, has encouraged him to continue his studies at a liberal arts college, but the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“I’m ready to work,” Lamas said.

Auburn University Auburn University of Montgomery Barry University California Lutheran University Canterbury Christ Church University Charleston Southern University Defiance College East Tennessee State University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Erskine College Flagler College Fordham University Franciscan University Gardner Webb University Geneva College Georgia Southern University Georgia State University Indiana University Jacksonville University Johnson and Wales University

Riverside Military Academy Class of 2019 Johnson C. Smith University Kansas State University Kennesaw State University Lafayette University Lake Erie College Lynn University Maine Maritime Academy Manhattan College Marist College Mercer University Michigan State University Michigan State University at Flint Middle Georgia State University New York Institute of Technology Pennsylvania State University Purdue University Reinhardt University

Roe Hampton University Saint Louis University Saint Petersburg College Samford University Savannah College of Art and Design Shorter University Syracuse University Texas Christian University The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina The United States Air Force Academy The United States Military Academy The United States Naval Academy The University of Memphis The University of Mississippi The University of North Georgia United States Military Academy

University at Buffalo University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Alabama at Huntsville University of Kent University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University of the Cumberlands University of West Georgia University of Westminster Western Carolina University Wingate University Wright State University

Riverside Military Academy’s 2019 Senior Class has reached over

$7 MILLION in merit-based scholarships!

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RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY

Standout graduates keep traditions alive

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com

This year’s senior class at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville represent the leadership, academic excellence and athletic prowess the college preparatory boarding school prides itself on.

Cadet David “Parker” Brobst, for example, has held many leadership roles since enrolling as a freshman in 2015, including leading a charge of 60 cadets.

This school year, Brobst has served as the chairman of the academy’s honor council.

“I think it played a good role,” he said of working up to this position of leadership among his peers.

The honor council, for example, is about help as much as punishment, Brobst said.

Brobst came to Riverside from Jupiter, Fla., where had attended public school.

But the size of the high school he would attend, a student body Brobst estimated at more than 3,000, felt overwhelming.

“I was kind of falling through the cracks in the system,” he said.

His struggles were compounded by dyslexia, a common learning disability that affects reading, writing and spelling comprehension.

The opportunity to lead at Riverside, however, has given Brobst new confidence.

“You learn how to advocate for yourself,” he said, “to get out there and find your own way.”

It’s also had a direct impact on Brobst’s academic performance.

“I’m not a D, C student anymore,” he said. “I’m an A, B student.”

Brobst will enroll at the Virginia Military Institute this fall. He plans to study electrical engineering, but also intends to serve in the military before life in the civilian world.

For now, he’s enjoying the relationships he’s developed among his peers.

“I don’t call them friends, I call them brothers,” Brobst said.

ISAAC TEASLEY, SHINKWANG MOON AND PARKER BROBST

SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

Cadet Shinkwang Moon is Riverside’s 2019 valedictorian and he’ll enroll at West Point this fall, following in the footsteps of two older brothers who also attended the army military academy in New York.

“I saw my brothers go through it,” he said about his readiness for the challenge.

Moon first arrived at Riverside his sophomore year in 2016 from a public school in Washington State, where his family resides.

He admits the change in geography was a bit of a culture shock, but “over time I was able to distinguish myself in (an academic) manner. If I can set

an example for the younger kids, that’s a good thing.”

Though Riverside instills the discipline and routines of military life in its students, only a handful of graduates each year go on to attend a military academy like Moon.

Moon’s decision to serve is not just a matter of family tradition, however.

“A lot of it stems from my family values,” he said. “My parents always taught me to live for something greater than yourself.”

Moon said in the long term he could see himself in civilian life exploring the many things that “intrigue” him, such as history,

math and science.

“What I need to do is start narrowing down,” he said with a smirk.

Like Moon, Cadet Isaac Teasley also matriculated to Riverside his sophomore year.

But Teasley is a Gainesville native, which makes him unique.

Riverside has more than 500 cadets representing about 30 states and 30 countries.

“I’ve told people a little about here,” Teasley said about his role as “ambassador” of Gainesville to his fellow cadets. “But I love to learn, so I’ve learned a lot from them. I’ve learned a lot more than I can tell.”

That humble refrain belies Teasley’s accomplishments in the classroom, especially in the sciences, and on the track, where he’s a star athlete.

“This school has been a home and a place for me to grow,” Teasley said.

For example, he added, his coaches have helped him evolve from an “average athlete into a state champion.”

Teasley won the 400-meter race at the 2018 state championships, took second place in a relay, third in the 200 meters and second in the triple-jump.

“When you put the work in, you shouldn’t be nervous,” he said.

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CHEROKEE BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL

First graduating class sets high standard for future

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Maddie Thomas chose to be part of this year’s first-ever graduating class at Cherokee Bluff High for several reasons.

But like her peers and mentors, the biggest reason was to be a part of establishing a new tradition of academic and athletic excellence in South Hall.

“I thought there was a lot of opportunities (at Cherokee Bluff),” she said.

So much so, in fact, that her family agreed and moved from Banks County so Thomas could attend.

The result: Thomas will enroll at Brenau University in Gainesville this fall on a scholarship.

As the vice president of the senior class, Thomas said she hoped she helped lay a foundation for the basketball program and set expectations higher for the next class.

“We got to put in some ideas to get things going,” she added.

Thomas was just one of two seniors on the basketball team this year, and that allowed her to develop better leadership skills, she said.

The team made it to the first round of the state playoffs in its first season, a good run for a new school.

Thomas said she will study exercise science at Brenau and intends to pursue an occupational therapy career specializing in pediatric care.

When Cherokee Bluff High opened last fall, it was described by school leaders as an opportunity to be a part of setting a new tradition.

Savannah Lunt, president of the senior class and yearbook editor, said she can relate to Thomas.

She had attended Flowery Branch High for three years.

But Lunt wanted a change and a chance to make history.

She arrived on campus, like Thomas, in a roundabout kind of way.

Lunt had planned to also play basketball, but an ACL tear

MADDIE THOMAS

SAVANNAH LUNT Photos by AUSTIN STEELE | The Times

‘Our motto is every story matters and making sure no one gets lost in the crowd is important.’

Savannah Lunt Senior class president last summer interrupted those dreams.

“I really wanted the atmosphere of a small school,” Lunt said.

And, ultimately, it’s what drew her to the school even without the

opportunity to play basketball.

Lunt said being a part of Cherokee Bluff’s first graduating class has been an “awesome” experience thanks to the faculty and administration, who have

brought the inaugural senior class together in solidarity.

Lunt said she’s gotten to know the entire senior class in her role as president.

“We come from a lot of different places,” she added, describing Cherokee Bluff as a kind of melting pot for students from across Hall County.

But no matter where these students have been, Lunt said, “Our motto is every story matters and making sure no one gets lost in the crowd is important.”

Lunt will attend Brigham Young

University this fall and plans to study editing and publishing, she said.

She’ll also undertake a mission as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But before that journey begins, Lunt will have the opportunity to speak at graduation, and she plans to make it a “speech for them,” she said, referring to her entire class.

But with only about 60 seniors, “Graduation is going to be real short, which is kind of nice,” Lunt said with a laugh.

Congratulations to our Gainesville High School Class of 2019 ainesville City School System

salutes our graduates for their hard work and dedication as they have been accepted into the following colleges and universities:

Yale University, Duke University, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Notre Dame, Emory University, New York University, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, University of California Berkeley, University of California San Diego, Clemson University, Howard University, Auburn University, Delaware State University, University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University, Mercer University, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, University of Mississippi, Georgia State University, Augusta University, Savannah College of Art & Design, Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, University of North Georgia, University of the Cumberlands, University of West Georgia, Clark Atlanta University, Valdosta State University, Oglethorpe University, Paine College, William Peace University, Georgia College & State University, Stetson University, Austin Peay State University, Greensboro College, Brenau University, Lanier Technical College, Ohio Valley University, Georgia Gwinnett College, University of North Georgia, Webber International University, Piedmont University, Anderson University, Tuskegee University, Alabama A & M University, Albany State University, Fort Valley State University, Miami Dade College, Troy University, Southeast Missouri State University

INSPIRE • NURTURE • CHALLENGE • PREPARE

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FLOWERY BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL

Senior finds a home and a future with FCCLA

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com

High school is a lot of things to a lot of people.

But for Julia Peake, a senior at Flowery Branch High School, it wasn’t much of anything at the beginning.

“I was the ultimate slacker kid,” she recently confessed.

That’s all changed, however, as Peake now serves as the national vice president of finance for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America.

The nonprofit national career and technical organization for students in family and consumer sciences education has more than 160,000 members and 5,300-plus chapters across 49 states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Peake is the first national officer for any career and technical student organization in Hall County Schools history.

Peake said she experienced several detours in her educational journey, such as being pulled out of gifted classes and into special education courses because of a learning disability caused by sensory overload.

“I needed different parts of my brain stimulated,” she said.

By the time she arrived at Flowery Branch High, “I had no direction or idea of what I was going to do,” Peake said.

The Community Leaders of America group became a place of refuge, and something she could put on her resume, Peake said.

Along the way she found support from her peers and mentors — including

JULIA PEAKE

‘We get a lot of kids that come from a lot of different home lives. ... They find their own little family with FCCLA.’ Julia Peake Flowery Branch High School Senior

SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

her mother, a teacher — at Flowery Branch.

“I just absolutely fell in love with FCCLA,” Peake said, adding that it has given her the confidence to chase her dreams.

Peake said the student organization can be a home to those students who may not fit in elsewhere in school, and they can develop communication

and financial skills that allow them to find a job.

“We get a lot of kids that come from a lot of different home lives,” Peake said.

“They find their own little family with FCCLA.” Serving as a national officer has been about giving back, Peake said.

“The most beneficial thing I could do is give back to FCCLA what they gave to

me,” she added.

Peake’s national term ends in June.

Getting here was a rigorous process, however, which included interviews, tests, essays, public speeches before thousands of people and more before she was selected.

It was a big jump, too, from starting as a regional state officer and moving

directly to a national role.

Peake said her speech during the selection process was about how she had seen and experienced firsthand the student group’s impact on local communities through the development of young leaders.

“I’m just very, very blessed,” Peake said.

Peake said she has a job offer after graduation this

year as an office production assistant for Hulu in Los Angeles, a difficult opportunity to pass up.

“My passion is film,” she said.

Producing is right up her alley, Peake added, because she loves budgeting and scheduling and keeping everything on track.

“I truly love the logistics of it all,” she said.

Class of

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WEST HALL HIGH SCHOOL

Teamwork helps seniors excel in bilingual program

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com

Graduating seniors at West Hall High School enrolled in the school’s International Baccalaureate bilingual English-Spanish program had an opportunity to showcase what they had learned over two years at a “Spartan Symposium” in April.

But while individual performances and accolades were given for the superior academic work this small cohort of students had achieved, each one later expressed gratitude for their peers.

Reynaldo Santana, who plans to pursue a degree in engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta (after attending and then transferring from the University of North Georgia first), said the rigorous coursework, afterschool home study and effective time management that the IB program offers or demands have prepared him for the next level.

However, the selfdiscipline it requires to excel in high-level math and science courses, for example, some of which offer students early college credit, takes time to master.

And that’s when Santana leaned on others in the program.

“The other students are definitely a big resource,” he said.

The small cohort of students involved in the IB bilingual program all share similar backgrounds and upbringings.

For example, each student who spoke with The Times said their parents are immigrants, and each

student will be among the first in their family to earn a diploma and go on to attend college (some have siblings that have preceded them).

Those built-in ties make working and, sometimes, struggling together through the program a little easier to manage.

Andrea Garcia said she plans to major in psychology at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville this fall.

Even when stressed and feeling overwhelmed, “They’ve all kind of motivated me,” she said of her classmates.

This teamwork and camaraderie has given Garcia confidence to pursue her academic dreams, and she hopes to serve the large and growing Latino demographic in Gainesville and Hall County as a result.

When it comes to mental health, it is common for Latinos and immigrants to “usually not talk about … their feelings,” Garcia said.

“Maybe, as a Latina, I can help people feel more comfortable because they can relate to me,” she added.

Maksymus Zepeda plans to study engineering at Florida International University in Miami.

“Ever since I was a little, I’ve had a fascination with Legos,” Zepeda said.

So, he’s always building things, figuring out how they work and looking for ways to improve. And this fascination has led him to an interest in robotics, for example.

Without the IB program, Zepeda said getting accepted to attend Florida International likely would have been a pipedream.

His writing and verbal

ANDREA GARCIA

YVETTE ZAMUDIO

YULIANA HERNANDEZ

REYNALDO SANTANA

MAKSYMUS ZEPEDA Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

skills in both English and Spanish have improved significantly, Zepeda said, and he’s now able to apply what he learns in one language to the other.

“It’s also helping me get a year advanced in my classes,” Zepeda said, adding that he’ll be heading straight into his major core classes when he enrolls in college.

“I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said of his classmates.

For Yvette Zamudio, who plans to study political science at either Georgia State University in Atlanta or the University of North Georgia in Gainesville, the heavy workload, which includes testing, language comprehension, excellence in the math,

science, literature and the arts helped her become an independent learner.

And she believes this has readied her and “allowed me to see how much I needed the rigor for college.”

Yuliana Hernandez, who wants to double major in business administration and international business relations, perhaps at

Georgia State University, said the long nights writing lengthy essays and the early morning study sessions with her peers have her brimming with confidence.

“I can knock them out of the park,” she said of the rigorous course requirements. “IB has really prepared me in every sense for college readiness.”

WEST HALL HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Outstanding Accomplishments SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Willie Ellison earned Overall Champion in both the state and southeastern Special Olympics Powerlifting.

He also won gold at both levels in Squat, Bench, and Deadlift. BASKETBALL-BOYS: Sweet 16 and 4th straight appearance in state.

CHEERLEADING: Anna Pettit, Most Positive Athlete of Northeast Georgia. FOOTBALL: Seniors, 3 state playoffs and 4-0 vs. Johnson.

TRACK-GIRLS: Third time Region Champion in 100m & 200m Dash-Aaliyah James.

SKYLAR YATES is the first female from Hall County to place in state wrestling, winning 4th, 126 lbs. She also won both the Area and Sectional Championships. Her overall record of 18 – 10 was against both men and women. She will wrestle on an athletic scholarship at Limestone College.

Athletic Scholarships BASKETBALL-BOYS: Noah Edmondson, 1259 Career Points, LaGrange College. FOOTBALL: Hunter Rainey, John Stoecker, Shorter; Jeremiah Prather, Quentin Smith, Methodist University; Devon Williams, Webber International; Corey Dupree, Miami ASA JUCO. State Qualifiers GOLF-BOYS: Tyler Stauffer. GOLF-GIRLS: Rachael DeVall. SWIMMING: Cassidy Klekot, top 30 in 50 yard backstroke & 200 yard freestyle. WRESTLING: Ricky Castillo, Alexis Chavez, Rolando Galvan, Gabriel Salud.

Sectional Qualifiers TRACK-BOYS: Triple Jump-Terrance Robinson, 1st; Terrell Robinson, 3rd. High Jump & 400m Dash-John Stoecker, 2nd Region. 4x1 TeamTerrance Robinson, Terrell Robinson, John Stoecker, Aalijah Porcia, Josh White, alt., 4th Region. TRACK-GIRL: High Jump-Kinsey Wilson, 4th Region. 4x1 Team-Kayleigh Hunt, Aaliyah James, India Johnson, Kinsey Wilson, Kayleigh McFarland, alt., 2nd Region.

Region All-Team BASEBALL: Gabe Allison. BASKETBALL-BOYS: Noah Edmondson, 1st; Sawyer Passmore, Honorable Mention. BASKETBALL-GIRLS:

Dr. Ley Hathcock, Principal David Wagner, Athletic Director

Kinsey Wilson, 1st; Kylie Stasierowski, Honorable Mention. FOOTBALL: Corey Dupree, Jeremiah Prather, Matt Sinclair, John Stoecker, 1st; Devon Williams, 2nd. SOFTBALL: Anna Grace Brock, 2nd.

VOLLEYBALL: Cadie Shirley. ALL ACADEMIC: Hunter Rainey, John Stoecker.

Region Champion TRACK-BOYS: Triple Jump-Terrance Robinson.

Scholar Athletes BASEBALL: Gabe Allison, Clayton Jenkins, Canaan Koger, Kyle Murphy, Mario Ramirez, Braden Simms. BASKETBALL-BOYS: Hunter Rainey. BASKETBALL-GIRLS: Kylie Stasierowski, Kinsey Wilson. CHEERLEADING: Melena Appling, Erika Benitez, Charlie Carlisle, Reagan Edmondson, Yannis Estrich, Maddie Frazier, Allie Luna, Emma O’Neal, Zoe Parker, Anna Pettit, Sydney Ritter.

CROSS COUNTRY: Matthew Gale. FOOTBALL: Jackson Bartlett, Caden Collins, Kris Fuller, Jacob Gault, Logan Ormerod, Hunter Rainey, John Stoecker, Thomas Tran.

GOLF-BOYS: Charles Benson, Devin Cantel, Zach Lingle, Sammy Shepard, Tyler Stauffer.

SOCCER-BOYS: Tristen Adams, Cristian Aldaco, Juan Aldaco, Eduardo Almaraz, Josue Segovia.

SOCCER-GIRLS: Caitlyn Bullock, Karlee Floyd, Betty Granados, Gisselle Vargas, Maricela Vargas. TENNIS-BOYS: Jackson Bartlett, William Brannen, Elian Mosqueda, Vu Nguyen, Reynaldo Santana. TENNISGIRLS: Evelyn Albarran-Gutierrez, Anna Grace Brock, Madison Blum, Mayly Lao, Yvette Zamudio. SOFTBALL: Anna Grace Brock, Madison Blum. TRACK-BOYS: Willie Ellison, Kristopher Fuller, Jakob Hoskeer, Mardochee Kankolongo, Johnathan Mast, John Stoecker, Takemion Williams. TRACKGIRLS: Yannis Estrich, Mariana Sanchez, Kinsey Wilson. VOLLEYBALL: Ivy Bui, Mckinzey English, Ansley Sparks, Cassidy Klekot, Kaleigh McFarland, Cadie Shirley, Kylie Stasierowski, Kinsey Wilson.

ACADEMICS

Outstanding Accomplishments 13 YEARS PERFECT ATTENDANCE! Ross Logan.

AP SCHOLARS: Gunnar MacGillivray, Yvette Zamudio; With Honor-Enye Lee. GOVERNOR’S HONORS: Gabe Ezeta, Band ; Ashley Alcantar, Spanish. CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION: 450 students certified in GeorgiaBEST. GA DOE IDIS STAR STUDENT: Yvette Zamudio.

VANESSA NUNEZ will attend Yale University. She received two national scholarships, the Questbridge and The Gates (1 of 4,500), and is a Presidential Scholar Semi-Finalist, an AP Scholar with Distinction, a National Hispanic Scholar, a Georgia Governor’s Honors Student, Star Student, and an IB Full-Diploma candidate. She earned the National Honor Society, Georgia Biliteracy, Hall County Bilingual, and International Skills diploma seals.

College Scholarships BRENAU: Ross Logan.

PIEDMONT: Matthew Gale, Montana Thomas, Choral Music. SHORTER: Hunter Rainey.

Other University-Bound GEORGIA TECH: Enye Lee. UGA: Geovanni Bravo, Anna Grace Brock, Rachel Robertson.

SCAD: Leilani Perreira. GA STATE: Devin Cantel, Yvette Zamudio.

GA SOUTHERN: Jackson Bartlett, Hunter Crawford. BRIGHAM YOUNG: Cozette Teeples. State Colleges: over 40 other students attending schools throughout the country.

State Champions & Winners BAND: All-State-Gabe Ezeta, Atira Murawski.

CTI: Tori Gazaway, Jasmine Valencia, 1st Team Career Skills; Caleb Franklin, State President & 2nd Place Civic Awareness; Corryn Carden, 2nd Career Manual & Interview Skills. CHORUS: AllState-Noah Doran, Gabe Ezeta, Matthew Gale, Anthony Garcia; Site-Reading-Matthew Gale.

SKILLSUSA: Jesus Nunez, 1st Action Skills.

Region/Area/District Winners BAND: District Honor- Gabe Ezeta, Destiny Johnson, Kimberly Lucio, Atira Murawski.

DECA: Entrepreneurship- Josh Reuter, 2nd; Human Resources Management-Ashley Galvan, 2nd; Personal Finance Literacy-Kaylie Dover,

We ALL are Sparta!

1st; Principles of Marketing-Yamilet Ortiz, 2nd; Sports and Entertainment Marketing-Gio Bazzetta, 2nd. LITERARY: Essay-Personal-Erika Benitez, 4th; Essay-Rhetorical- Ashley Alcantar, 4th; Performance-Duo- Amber Cowburn, Leonel Castillo, 2nd; Quartet-Boys-Gabe Ezeta, Anthony Garcia, Matthew Gale, Jacob Gault, 4th; Solo-Boys- Matthew Gale, 4th; Solo-GirlsAlexa Benson, 2nd; Speaking-Domestic-Preston Jackson, 4th; Speaking-International- Dawson Beardshaw, 2nd; Trio-Girls- Jenny Green, Montana Thomas, Angela Teeples, 4th. SkillsUSA: Jeslin Bonilla, 1st Pin Design. Alexis Hernandez, 3rd Electrical Construction Wiring; Emma Whitmire, 3rd Graphic Communications; Rachel Chacon, 3rd T-shirt Design; Eyby Aviles, Manuel Chacon, Denny Cuevas, Alec Hoehn, Daniel Martinez, 3rd Teamworks Team. THEATRE: Region Runner Up. Best Ensemble. Best Sound Design. All Star Cast-Drew Brannon, Zoe Parker.

Diploma Seals HALL COUNTY BILINGUAL: Eduardo Alamaraz, Diana Castillo, Manuel Chacon, Jay Chen, Ashly Galvan Centeno, Francisco Fuerte, Andrea Garcia, Odalys Garcia, Alexis Guadarrama, Lisette Guel, Yuliana Hernandez, Jacqueline Ibarra, Leslie Lopez, Ana Osorio, Galilea Reyes, Iris Rocha, Reynaldo Santana, Amy Soto, Antonio Vazquez, Javier Villeda, Yvette Zamudio, Masksymus Zepeda, Alyer Flores Zuniga. GEORGIA BILITERACY: Odalys Garcia, Iris Rocha, Antonio Vazquez, Maksymus Zepeda, Alyer Flores Zuniga. FINE ARTS: Chorus-Elijah Bowles; Visual Arts-Monica Alonso, Maggie Jankiewicz. INTERNATIONAL SKILLS: Eduardo Almaraz, Jackson Bartlett, Anna Grace Brock, Andrea Garcia, Maggie Jankiewicz, Enye Lee, Yuliana Hernandez-Lopez, Ana Osorio, Reynaldo Santana, Amy Soto, Cozette Teeples, Yvette Zamudio, Maksymus Zepeda. NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY: Helen Adams, Jackson Bartlett, Anna Grace Brock, Devin Cantel, Hunter Crawford, Dillon Davis, Matthew Gale, Andrea Garcia, Daryan Karimzadeh, Enye Lee, Gunnar MacGillivray, Ariana McMahan, Anna Pettit, Hunter Rainey, Rachel Robertson, Reynaldo Santana, Cozette Teeples, Yvette Zamudio.

International Baccalaureate Candidates IB DIPLOMA: Yuliana Hernandez, Maggie Jankiewicz, Enye Lee, Ana Osorio, Yvette Zamudio, Maksymus Zepeda. IB CAREER: Eduardo Almaraz, Jackson Bartlett, Giovanni Bravo, Anna Grace Brock, Andrea Garcia, Alli Roy, Reynaldo Santana, Amy Soto, Cozette Teeples.

Dr. Ean Sonnier, Assistant Principal Amy Brock, Assistant Principal

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class of 2019

EAST HALL HIGH SCHOOL

Hispanic students lay groundwork for HoPe

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Hispanic high school students, particularly the daughters and sons of immigrants, have lower graduation rates, on average, than their white, Asian and African American peers.

But seniors at East Hall High, through the Hispanic Organization Promoting Education, have helped lay the groundwork for a younger crop of local Hispanic students to succeed in academics and pursue the American Dream.

“It’s changed the lives of many people who didn’t think they could come here and get an education,” said Jennifer Grimaldo, a HoPe member who will graduate this spring.

The club is “dedicated to promoting education in everyones’ lives, but with a definite emphasis on the Hispanic community,” said Daniel Stainback, an East Hall High history teacher and faculty adviser. “The mission of the club is to increase graduation rates among Hispanic high school students through leadership, service and education.”

Stainback said the 80-plus member club, led by seniors, has “amassed 1,733 volunteer hours at various locations around the community” this school year.

The group has worked with the Georgia Mountain Food Bank and Good News at Noon homeless mission in Gainesville for example.

Grimaldo said many of the HoPe members, like her, are the children of immigrants and will be the first in their families to graduate high school and attend college.

And HoPe has empowered them to succeed and be models for younger students.

In particular, the group mentors elementary students across Hall County.

“I feel like they look up to us because of where we are in life,” Grimaldo said.

Janet Madera, a senior who plans to attend Piedmont College in the fall, said she wants to return to the high school classroom one day as a teacher.

“A lot of high school students don’t know who they are,” she said.

And it’s something Madera understands.

“I was always kind of really shy,” she said. “I still am.”

SELMI GONZALEZ

‘They are growing up to be better than us. ... My heart just shines.

It’s not about helping yourself, it’s about other people.’

JANET MADERA

JENNIFER GRIMALDO

Janet Madera East Hall High HoPe mentor But HoPe has given her confidence to lead and speak out and support others, traits Madera knows will make her a good educator.

Madera said she has most enjoyed working one-onone mentoring elementary students.

“They are growing up to be better than us,” she added.

“My heart just shines. It’s not about helping yourself, it’s about other people.”

Selmi Gonzalez, a senior who plans to attend the University of North Georgia in

Gainesville after graduation, said the friendships and camaraderie among the HoPe student group have helped her mature these last three years.

“I also was shy,” she added.

“It’s helped me speak out more.”

And, like her peers, it’s given her opportunities to serve the community in many ways.

“It has brought me so many good opportunities,” Gonzalez said. “There’s just something special that we’ll always have.”

Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

WHY LAKEVIEW? 59 seniors accepted to

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29 states

“

Lakeview helped me build strong, lasting relationships because of its focus on community, challenged me academically with its rigorous curriculum and allowed me to pursue my passions through extracurriculars.

- Adam Cottrell, senior

�

Congratulations CLASS OF 2019 796 Lakeview Drive Gainesville, GA 30501 770.532.4383

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NORTH HALL HIGH SCHOOL

Leading color guard through changing seasons

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com

Tori Heflin was the lone senior this year on the newly reformed winter guard, a seasonal offshoot of the color guard, at North Hall High School this year.

That means she was a leader of 10 other students who will help carry the winter guard to greater heights next year after reestablishing the tradition.

“I feel a lot like an older sister or a mom,” Heflin said. “It’s been more fun than I expected it would be.”

Sheri Kinney, an instructor at North Hall High who leads color and winter guards, explained the key differences between the two.

In “marching season” in the fall, the 22-member color guard participates with the school band, for example, at football games and other showcases, twisting and flipping mock rifles and flags.

The winter guard, on the other hand, in addition to being a smaller group, trains and performs indoors from late fall to early spring.

“It’s a big, huge family,” said Heflin, who plans to study psychology at University of North Georgia after graduation.

It has more of a performative aspect to it, with seven-minute routines designed for scoring-style competition against other school teams.

In addition to the rifles and flags, the winter guard add sabers to their shows and dispense with the traditional formation of group lines and shapes during events with the band.

Winter guard had existed previously at the school, but

‘We were trying to put a story together for the people we were performing for.’

Tori Heflin Senior, North Hall High Color Guard

TORI HEFLIN

AUSTIN STEELE | The Times

only in sporadic years, and hadn’t formed for at least five years or more.

It also had typically performed with a drum line, but this year’s group went solo.

Kinney said the intention is to join a Southeastern regional competitive group next year, which will give the winter guard

the opportunity to grow its ranks and compete against stiffer competition.

“That was kind of our goal this year,” she added.

“Get our feet wet.”

Heflin said the long training hours — up to four hours a day, three days a week at times — prepared the novice winter guard for excellence in the circus

themed competitive routine they designed.

The routine mimicked “The Greatest Showman,” a 2017 American musical drama, with clowns, tightrope walkers, ringmasters and more.

“We were trying to put a story together for the people we were performing for,” Heflin said.

And the show received a great response, not just at competition, but also from the entire student body.

Heflin recalls a kind of rara-ra applause rather than a formal clap.

The same was true when the winter guard performed at local middle and elementary schools, perhaps laying

the foundation to instill interest in a younger crop of students.

Kinney, who participated in color and winter guards while she attended high school, said this year’s winter guard at North Hall High has developed remarkably quickly, “more than (during) marching season.”

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class of 2019

LAKEVIEW ACADEMY

Robotics team shows how to build together

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com

The 12-member robotics team at Lakeview Academy in Gainesville has a name fitting for the future-looking program of study: Team 5898 Galactic Lions.

The team first gathered last September when this year’s challenge was announced.

It was called Rover Ruckus, according Lakeview instructor and robotics coach Mikhail Lovell a space-themed challenge where robots must gather “minerals” and return them to a moon-lander of sorts.

The team has racked up several awards this year, including placing first in its 12-school league; earning an automatic invitation to the state tournament where the team won the Compass Award recognizing a team mentor; and winning the “Think Tank” honor at the league tournament for best engineering notebook.

Everyone on the team had a hand in creating the notebook making sure every step of the design and build process was documented.

“My favorite thing about our team is how family-like it is,” Lovell said. “Everyone contributes and feels like their ideas can be heard.”

Lovell said he was new to robotics when he first began teaching at Lakeview, and he served more in a supervisory role to a program that had “little cohesion.”

But that’s transformed now into a more robust curriculum and more competition with other schools.

Emma Jones, who plans to enroll at the University of Georgia after graduation to study microbiology, said the robotics team had given her an understanding of how to apply what she’s learning in the classroom to life in the real world.

“I think here we do a lot less busy work,” she said, and

teamwork is crucial to that.

Catie Long, who plans to attend the University of North Georgia in Gainesville and wants to study journalism, said it can be easy to go unnoticed elsewhere in the school.

But on the robotics team, everyone has a role to fill, and “everyone works together really well,” she said.

Josie Jiang, who will attend Harding University in Arkansas to study international business, said the robotics team is “not something everyone gets to do.”

So, Jiang feels fortunate to have the opportunity, and can see how it’s shaped her academic success in other areas of study.

“I think that’s a really good way to prepare for your future career,” she said of the team.

Alice Gao, co-captain of this year’s team, plans to study computer science at the Georgia Institute of Technology after graduation.

She said the team has given her the chance to learn leadership skills while better grasping the ins and outs of engineering.

“It was a little bit stressful at first,” Gao admits of her role, “but eventually we learned how to coordinate the team.”

Cameron Gay, who plans to attend the University of North Georgia in Gainesville before transferring to Emory University in Atlanta to study medicine, said the robotics team has brought him out of his shell.

Both his parents are doctors. And so, too, were his grandfather and greatgrandfather. It’s the family business and Gay hopes to follow in those footsteps.

But naturally shy, he’s learned to become more open and has developed “people skills” he knows will be useful in his career.

“It really taught me teamwork and collaboration,” Gay said. “It’s something you kind of need to be a doctor.”

CAMERON GAY

EMMA JONES

CATIE LONG

ALICE GAO Photos by SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

JOSIE JIANG

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LANIER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Seniors take reins of Beta Club after losing adviser

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com

Madelyn Majewski found herself between the proverbial rock and a hard place at the start of her senior year last fall when the faculty adviser for Lanier Christian Academy’s Beta Club abruptly left the private school.

“I was the only remaining member (in a leadership role) of the Beta Club at that point,” Majewski said.

She had served as vice president of the service organization her junior year, so Majewski knew the ropes.

But she was left with the challenge of recruiting other students to fill important roles, such as vice president, treasurer and secretary, and launching service projects to meet the group’s mission.

“It was a stressful couple of months,” Majewski said.

But she found help in a close friend and fellow senior, Mikayla Henderson.

Henderson had been a part of the Beta Club her sophomore year.

But she kind of drifted away from the group, Henderson said, after narrowly losing the vote to serve as vice president of the club her junior year.

But Henderson said she was more than happy to step up this year.

“That’s what we’re all about,” Henderson said.

“When we’re serving one another, we’re leading one another.”

New elections were held, and this time Henderson was voted vice

president, a role she said has brought her out of her shell.

“I’m an introvert naturally,” she added, but it doesn’t show that much” It’s changed through various school and community projects, such as sponsoring a canned food drive, a work day to help at Eagle Ranch, a residential facility for children in crisis, and a clothing drive to benefit the women’s shelter My Sister’s Place.

Henderson plans to study biomedical engineering, perhaps at Berry College near Rome, and later pursue a master’s degree.

Whatever she does, Henderson said, she wants to always serve her community.

“That’s what I want to spend my life doing,” she added. “It’s my heart for the Lord.”

Majewski, too, said she had gained a newfound confidence in herself, especially after managing about 80 student members and so many service projects.

“I feel very well prepared for anything I might have to tackle,” she said.

Majewski plans to attend Mercer University in Macon and wants to pursue a career in occupational therapy. She has spent part of her senior year at Lanier Christian interning at an occupational therapist’s office in Braselton.

But before she graduates, Majewski said she and Henderson are working hard to train junior leaders to take the helm of the Beta Club next year.

“It’s my way of giving back,” Majewski said.

MIKAYLA HENDERSON

MADELYN MAJEWSKI

SCOTT ROGERS | The Times

class of 2019

The Times, Gainesville, Georgia |

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Sunday, May 12, 2019

23

CHESTATEE HIGH SCHOOL

CUONG TRAN

EMILY WILLIAMS

JUAN HERNANDEZ Photos by NICK BOWMAN | The Times

Playing at Pearl Harbor highpoint for marching band

BY JOSHUA SILAVENT

jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Juan Hernandez, a senior at Chestatee High School, admits he was skeptical when he heard the War Eagle Marching Band would perform at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii this year.

A trip to New York City in 2017 to perform in a St. Patrick’s Day parade was a highlight for many of the graduating members of the marching band.

But playing at Pearl Harbor, the site of one of the most infamous foreign attacks on the United States, was a “whole different ball game,” said Hernandez, who

plans to study at Lanier Technical College to become a paramedic after he graduates.

Cuong Tran, who plays piccolo in the band, felt similarly.

“I just thought it was crazy,” he said, “dream-like.”

Tran plans to study music education at Kennesaw State University beginning this fall.

He’s taking after his instructor and marching band director, Daniel Merck.

“We try to go on a big trip every other year,” Merck said.

But Hawaii felt like a stretch even to Merck when he was first offered the opportunity at the Georgia Music Educators

Association conference last year in Athens.

Merck said he was unsure what school administration would say, and he suspected the cost and time it takes to travel to Hawaii would have been deterrents.

Instead, the marching band got the backing it needed and off they flew.

The War Eagles were the only band performing at the naval base and national memorial, performing patriotic tunes for visitors, military personnel and others across a 25-minute set.

“I thought it was interesting that some of the people who died there were actually in a band and

had just finished playing before (the attack on) Pearl Harbor actually happened,” said Emily Williams, who plays the flute and will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology this fall. “It was just a good feeling playing for them.”

Tran said facing toward the USS Arizona “had a lot of meaning.”

Hernandez said the vibe the entire trip, “from the moment I landed … was naturally and emotionally beautiful.”

He recalls “the moment when we were performing, at their location, where young men sadly took the ultimate sacrifice.”

Later, the band was presented with a traditional Hawaiian bowl

and the American flag that had flown over the USS Missouri naval ship as an honor to the marching band.

The band then took off the traditional Hawaiian lei, or wreath of flowers, from around their necks and gently set them on the surface of the water in Pearl Harbor, watching each drift toward the watery graves of the brave men and women killed on Dec. 7, 1941.

“I get chills talking about it,” Merck said.

That visceral connection to history was stirring for the band members, too.

“I started tearing up a little bit,” Hernandez said.

At UNG, students learn to change the world for the better and lead.

Trey Young, a communication major and Albany, Georgia, native wants to make the world a more mindful and racially equal place, which thrust him into the political arena.

Selected by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to serve as an intern in Washington, D.C., Trey’s political engagement is just getting started.

He also interned for a New York Times best-selling author and speech writer for President Barack Obama.

LEARN MORE

www.UNG.edu UNG is designated as a State Leadership Institution and as The Military College of GeorgiaÂŽ.