Spring 2023 Towelette - Senior Issue

May Crowning: A Celebration of Our Lady

Sophie Lewandowska ’25

On May 11, the Villa community gathered outside in the garden around the statue of Our Lady of Fatima to celebrate the May Crowning. This celebration is a joyous event, as it honors Mary the Mother of God. Students from the senior class led the school community in praying the Rosary and reading TheGloriousMysteriesofChrist.

A beautiful Villa tradition that commemorates theMayCrowningishavingmultilingualstudentslead Hail Marys in another language. This is a wonderful moment that brings everyone together. This year, the Hail Marys were spoken by Angelina Rizk ’25 in Arabic, Ines Lemee ’25 in Tagalog, Sophie Lewandowska ’25 in Polish, Hannah D’cruz ’23 in Spanish, Amalia Hronides ’25 in Greek, Emma Kosc ’23 in Italian, Madeline Knagenhjelm ’25 in Norwegian, Cadence Graf ’23 in French, Leah Costa ’25 in Portuguese, Samantha Innella ’27 in Latin, and LynetteGao’25 inChinese.

Once the Rosary concluded, two members of the senior class were bestowed with the honor of crowning Mary. With Emily Toth ’23 as the crown bearer and Allison Wilbur ’23 as the crowner, the statue of Our Lady was crowned with a beautiful wreath of white ﬂowers. As a heart wrenching goodbye to the senior class, each member of the class of 2023 placed a white ﬂower in the vases before the statue.

Traditions like these, especially during the seniors’lastweekofschool,arewhatmakeourschool sospecial.HonoringMaryfortherolesheplaysinour livesispartofusasVillaWalshstudents--something that will stay with us forever, even as we venture to newchaptersinourlives!

PublishedbythestudentsofVillaWalshAcademy VOL.53,NO.6 Spring2023-SeniorIssue

“Liveaschildrenoflight,forlightproduceseverykindofgoodnessand righteousnessandtruth.”—Ephesians5:8-9

Photos by Mrs. Grabowski

ErinAroneo UniversityofVirginia AvaBateh VillanovaUniversity TatianaBedelian ClemsonUniversity SiobhanBracken ProvidenceCollege SusannaBuonaiuto SetonHallUniversity SheridanCaughey Purdue University HannahD’cruz VillanovaUniversity EmilyCostello NortheasternUniversity LaurenDion TulaneUniversity MaryBowers UniversityofGeorgia Salutatorian

LiaDyer FairfieldUniversity ChiaraFajardo UniversityofAlabama ElizabethFoldy FairfieldUniversity SetonGannon UniversityofNotreDame CadenceGraf TulaneUniversity SriyaJayanthi NewYorkUniversity MaeveKenny CollegeoftheHolyCross FrancescaKearns ProvidenceCollege KellyKeyes UnitedStatesMilitaryAcademy AbigailFreshwater NortheasternUniversity

LaurenKollar PurdueUniversity EmmaKosc TrinityCollege-Dublin MaggieKovachik VillanovaUniversity NevinMahoney SyracuseUniversity BrigidMcGlone SetonHallUniversity MollyMcHugh UniversityofNotreDame MadisonMolinaro BaylorUniversity DelaneyMcKee IndianaUniversity MaggieNoonan UniversityofScranton MaisyMagistro StevensInstituteofTechnology

KellyO’Reilly ProvidenceCollege MayaRocco ElonUniversity AvaSimmons VillanovaUniversity OliviaTerpin BelmontUniversity EmilyToth UniversityofAlabama AveryWalsh UniversityofNotreDame SarahWojcik BostonCollege AllisonWilbur BucknellUniversity VictoriaWong MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology MaureenSimonet UniversityofScranton Valedictorian

Puzzle designed by Bryanna Liu ‘26

Personal Perspectives

The Case of the Missing Chili Pepper: A Senior Story

As told by Emma Kosc ’23 and Molly McHugh ’23

Molly: So at the very, very beginning, we had a group chat of all of our friends freshman year. And I think it was Emily Toth ’23 who sent a video of these friends who did capture the ﬂag around their school. We thought, what a great idea. That would be such a funny littleactivityforallofustodotogether.Andso LiaDyer ’23 had the bright idea to use her bedazzled red chili pepper[Christmas]ornament…

Emma: … as the object. And therefore our group chat name was the Red Hot Chili Peppers from there on out. And so we started the game two weeks before COVID started freshman year. And it was a fun game. We were looking everywhere. We deﬁnitely thought it got stolen one too many times, but we always found it. Lia was going to hide it somewhere in school, and she would giveusthegeneralareathatitwasin.

Molly: She'd say “Regina Pacis.” And then you would spend [time] in between classes. If I was walking to English, I would look around the second ﬂoor for the chilipepperhiddensomewhere.

Emma: And if it took longer, it would be more speciﬁc clues. So Regina Pacis locker room or gym locker room orsomethinglikethat.

Molly: And usually you would have to tell people when you found it before you hide it again, so that it's not like peoplearerunningaroundlookingfordifferentthings.

Emma: Oneofthehidingspots, KellyKeyes’23 hiditin thebathroom.

Molly: I think maybe Abby [Freshwater] ’23 hid it in … I wanttosay,Mrs.Williams’roomwhereshehadallofher markersonthewhiteboard.

Emma:Andthenanotherpersonhiditinthelunchroom where you get your lunch in one of the napkin containers.Itwassittingrightthere.

Molly: I'm honestly really surprised that no teacher was ever like, why is there a chili pepper in my room?Thatwaskindofthefunnypartofit:itwasa secret with just us. No one else knew about it because it was something that we would talk about duringlunch.

The group was our freshman year friends, which I always think it's kind of funny because we reallydidn'tknoweachotherthatwell.Wehadonly started the group chat for the semi pre party or something. I remember Abby was added to the groupchatbecausehersemidateknewKelly'ssemi date.Itwasn'tlikewewerebestfriends.Itwaskind of just group of people thrown together. So we made this group chat, and it just kind of was born out of nowhere. And then I think it was two days beforeCOVIDLiahidit.

Emma: But before that, Kelly Keyes had hid it in thebathroom.Andwewerelike,oh,no,whereisit? We thought that originally was left in the bathroom and then COVID hit but then Lia said, “No, I found it and I hid it.” And she said she hid it on top of the bulletin board display in the freshman–sophomore locker area. It was hidden on top of there, right on theedge,andthenCOVIDhitand…

Molly: …. we never found it. But I do remember at the end of freshman year, where they had the day where everyone came and cleaned out their lockers. Lia was there when I was there, and the twoofuslookedontopofthebulletinboard.We're like, “It's gone. Where did it go?” And so, yeah, we justneverfounditagain.

Emma: So the legend is that there is a missing bedazzled, chili pepper somewhere in Villa Walsh Academythateveryoneshouldgototrytoﬁnd.

Molly: Andsomedayit'llbefound.That'sourstory.

Emma: [We never tried it again because] it’s one of those memories that’s so deep hidden behind quarantine that every once in a while we’ll remember…

Molly: “The chili pepper. Wait a minute.” Once in a while we’ll remember, this is just one of those things— the mystery itself has this special value to usthatbringsusbacktogether.

Favorite Sport Moments:

My favorite sports-related memory is my freshman year winter track season. As one of the two freshman on the team, I was welcome into my ﬁrst high school sport by an eccentric group of seniors who showed me what the Villa community truly is. - Sarah Wojcik

For the ﬁrst time in Villa history, our cross country team won the Morris County Championships! It was the greatest on-top-of-the-world feeling and I am so proud of our small but mighty team! - Vicky Wong

My last tennis practice this year where we played other father-daughter teams. - Susanna Buonaiuto

Having the whole swim team try my homemade organic brownies which became a running joke the whole season.

- Liz Foldy

The St. Elizabeth lacrosse game last Friday. The intense energy was palpable, and Villax dog-piled once we pulled off the win. - Seton Gannon

Freshmen year going to the basketball game at CCM and having a big Villa mosh pit whiteout. - Maggie Noonan

Septemberfest of my junior year when the entire JV tennis team lost all of our games - we did not care and were laughing and having fun the entire time! - Emily Toth

Favorite Classroom Moments:

Working with Mr. Goldman to shape our economics class to our wants. - Maggie Kovachik

When Miss Schoonmaker told me she thought I was good at math even though I’ve struggled with it my whole life. And when Mrs Lanni thought my kenning about coffee was good and read it to a bunch of classes. - Abby

Freshwater

Sophomore year history class with Sister Helen. We had a very small class but had the best times!

- Emily Toth

My favorite academic memory was an English project I did with my sister where she had to discuss her favorite poem. - Chiara Fajardo

An interpretive reading of Pinocchio in AP Italian class.

- Ava Simmons

One of my favorite classes I took at Villa was statistics, it was my last period class everyday, and that was the class that would get me through the day. Mrs. Schiro allowed us to feel the emotions and the stress we were feeling and support us simultaneously, so every day of the class lifted my spirits. That class reminded me everyday that we were all supporting each other and hoping for each others success. - Maya

Rocco

When Liz accidentally spilled chemicals on my pencil case during an AP Chem lab. - Lauren Dion

Favorite Annual Events:

1stPlace:Mrs.Nugent’s “StrongWomen”

Senior year Mother-Daughter and watching our moms do a skit is my favorite memory. - Ava Bateh

My favorite project was the fashion designer project in Spanish class when we made our own clothes and described them in español! - Sriya Jayanthi

When Emily taught our calc class the unit circle. - Kelly O’Reilly

The songs in Sr. Jo's class. - Allison Wilbur

Señora Ferrentino's class was what I looked forward to every day when I had her as a teacher. Even though she threw stones at us, her ability to make us laugh while learning proved to enhance my academic career in a multitude of ways.

- Avery Walsh

Collaborating with classmates in preparing for Career Day this year. - Sheridan Caughey

How I got hit in the hand with a pitch when I was up to bat (both on April fest a year apart). - Lauren Kollar

I look forward to ﬁeld day every year. I love getting competitive with my friends and participating in all of the fun activities. - Siobhan Bracken

My favorite annual-event memory was winning best freestyle dance at the father-daughter dinner dance. My dad and I were exhausted but it was so worth it. -

Emily Costello

3rdPlace:Mrs. Harper’s“Pastand PresentChangers”

I love Septemberfest every year when the Villa Grillers are out and all the sports are being played.

- Maeve Kenny

Favorite Annual EventS Continued:

My favorite annual-event is the fashion show, especially this year, us getting to walk in it with my dad is a memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Not only is my favorite to personally participate in, but also watching the previous seniors that were some of my best friends walk down the runway, with their dads was so wholesome. - Maya Rocco

My favorite annual event is the gong-show on Halloween. This event is unique to Villa and unlike something I had ever experienced before attending. It's a great way to ﬁnish an already exciting day and something to look forward to every year. On the ﬁrst day of school, the executive board greeted everyone in blow-up unicorn suits. We welcomed each student with the enthusiasm and eccentrics that were needed for our return to be remembered. - Avery Walsh

Favorite Performing Arts Moments:

Being stage manager of the play this year. - Lia Dyer

Taking my ﬁnal bow in the Friday show as Elsa and seeing all of my friends in the mezzanine stand up and cheer.

- Molly McHugh

The ﬁre alarm going off mid-rehearsal and had to wait outside dressed in a white see-through bodysuit.

- Lauren Dion

My favorite arts memory was when Mrs. Cheifer took our art class to the roof in Mother Ninetta Hall, where we were greeted with amazing views of campus to take inspiration from. - Avery Walsh

My favorite music related memory is all our winter concerts because I love to sing with all my friends! - Sriya Jayanthi

When the cast brought Sra. Ferr on stage for a human sacriﬁce during the play our sophomore year.

- Nevin Mahoney

My favorite music was singing randomly with my fellow senior classmates in the cafeteria. - Chiara Fajardo

Watching Lauren Dion in the music man last year, she had to be a boy and wear a wig. - Liz Foldy

Remember

Doing the obstacle course at Mental Health Day this year with all my friends. - Kelly Keyes

During the scavenger hunt on Field Day this year, our team got split up. A group of us went up to the tower and sat in the courtyard for a while. We ran back in to where the rest of the school was sitting after they had already announced the winners and found out our team had won. - Hannah D’cruz

Getting to visit Mrs. Figa everyday during my study senior year with some of my friends. - Fran Kearns

The Christmas skit is always hilarious and never fails to make me laugh. - Maeve Kenny

I loved how the whole school came together to give me themed gift baskets after my mom passed away and how they've been there for me ever since. This thoughtfulness and consideration is something that I will miss at Villa. Also, every memory with my friends here has a warm place in my heart. I have experienced the most formative years of my life and some of my best memories here. - Emily Costello

The ﬁrst day of senior year where we all watching the sunrise -- which was cloudy -- which was the perfect way to begin our senior year. We were all together to begin our senior year bright and early anxious to start the beginning to the end of the high school career.Maya Rocco

Freshman year I made up a Villa Walsh version of the Copacabana song. - Lauren Kollar

3rd

1stPlace:Mrs.Nugent’s “StrongWomen”

Place:Mrs. Harper’s“Pastand PresentChangers”

that Time . . .

Senior Reﬂection: Soul Sisters

and Mock Trial Bring Joy and the Promise of Bright Futures

Hannah D’cruz ’23

Soul Sisters, Villa’s campus ministry club, has been busy bringing some extra fun and faith into school days. When we’re not hosting Tea and Coloring in the café, you can ﬁnd us planning for events like the St. Valentine’s Day cookie-decorating contest. In December, we decorated every student’s locker with an encouraging Bible verse, handwritten by club members, withspecialversionsfortheseniors.SoulSistersoffered a chance to win a tag day to anyone who pulled a green coin from a pot of (chocolate) gold in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. More recently, we held an outdoor “Field Day Pre-game” with foursquare, corn hole, and badminton by the Tower during lunch. We’ve also brightened the café with “God’s Word to Inspire”: students can write a Bible verse that speaks to them on the poster by the podium to encourage everyone who walksby.

Personal Perspectives

The Mock Trial team learned a lot -- and had a lot of fun -- this year. Student attorneys, witnesses, and paralegals on the defense and prosecution sides started preparing for the competition in October with the help of our coach, Mrs. Pasko. The witnesses studied their statements, drilled direct examinations, and quizzed each other to get ready for cross-examinations. Meanwhile, the attorneys wrote their opening statements and questions, preparing for the daunting task of dismantling our opponents’ case theory to solidify our own. It was all worthitwhenourteamcompetedattheMorristown Courthouse in February before a student jury, a judge, and an anxious audience of Villa fans. We advancedtothequarterﬁnalround!

As the president of Soul Sisters, I have loved watching the club branch out from its beginnings last year.Wehavesharedfaithandfriendshipwhilewework to brighten our Villa sisters’ days. I’ll miss meeting with ouramazingteam,butIcan’twaittoseewhattheydoin thefuture!

Senior Title Winners

Co-captain Molly McHugh ’23, who has been on the team since her freshman year, said, “I’m really thankful for Mock Trial because it helped me come out of my shell, meet upperclassmen, and speak while thinking on my feet.” Co-captain Brigid McGlone ’23 adds, “It’s great! It’s a great way to improve your reading comprehension and presentation skills, butmoreimportantly,it’sareallyfun competition. The team is always a really great group ofgirls,andwehaveagoodtimewithit.It’sgivenme some of my favorite memories at Villa.” Our team came so far and had so much fun together this year. MockTrial’sfutureatVillaisbright!

Seniorspreparefortherigorsofcollegewritingwitheveryessay;oneoftheelementsofagoodessayisagood title.Herearesomeofthebest,includingthosevotedonbytheseniorsthroughouttheyear:

● Is Honesty the Best Policy? Exploring Deceit and Friendship in The Naked Don’t Fear the Water

● It’s All in Your Head: The Power of One’s Mentality as Expressed by Unﬁnished

● When in Rome, Do as the Romans: The Sense of Culture in Secrets of the Sprakkar

● Oysters to the Rescue: How Oyster Communities Can Fix Puerto Rico’s Shoreline Disasters

● Drawing Away: Using Art Therapy to Resolve War Trauma Among Ukraine’s Children

● Hidden Stories: How Art Makes Syrian Refugees Feel Seen And Heard

● Like Father, Unlike Son: Protection in Purple Hibiscus

● The Face Makes the Case: How Corruption is Established Through Appearances in Purple Hibiscus

● Take Me to Church: How Papa Became a Sinner Trying to Become a Saint in Purple Hibiscus

● The Winner Takes It All: An Investigation of Games and Their Purpose in Purple Hibiscus

● 1 Murder Ordered! Delivery in 2-3 Business Days: Maxim de Winter and Mr. Favell as Representations of Immoral Business in Rebecca

● A Sexy Baby or a Monster on a Hill: The Battle to Mature as a Woman in Rebecca

● A Knight in Shining Rust: What King Lear’s Edmund and a Con Man Have in Common

● Contagious Corruption: Proximity to Power in King Lear and Carreyrou’s Bad Blood

● Now I Ain’t Sayin’ She a Gold Digger: Goneril and Regan’s Elder Abuse in King Lear

Current events

Success at Aprilfest!

Laurel Hamilton ’24 and Marissa Noonan ’25

Aprilfest was a success this year from the spirit to the wins to the food. Both Varsity and Junior Varsity pulled out a win against Morristown Beard on April 22nd. Both teams were supported by the spirit of the students and parents who came to cheer. The fans were able to eat food and get fake tattoos as they watched the teams. Junior Varsity handled themselves well under the pressure of the defense of MoBeard and had some of their best transitions of the year. Through their hard work, they won with a ﬁnal score of 11-1. After both games, the teams ate Jersey Mike sandwiches together on the ﬁeld and sent their opponents home with lunch. The team chatted about their game and their upcoming ones as they basked in their victory.

Overall, Aprilfest was ﬁlled with victory and fun for Villa. Although Aprilfest was downsized this year with the loss of our softball tournament, the spirit was as big as ever. Our Varsity and Junior Varsity lacrosse teams had an amazing day against MoBeard, with both teams coming out on top. The Varsity team ended up winning 14-12. The energy was electric. “Being on the ﬁeld and seeing friends there to support made the game even more more fun,” said Marissa Noonan ’25. There was a large showing of loyal Villa fans, and a ton of encouragement coming from our bench. From the cheers, the tattoos, to the team bonding, everyone felt like they won!

Photos by Laurel Hamilton ’24, Jesse Kramer ’24, and Marissa Noonan ’25

Current events

And Now a Word from Our Mentors: The Sophomore Research Project

Marissa

Noonan ’25

Every year the sophomore class works hard to complete a science research project. Based on the student's topic of choice they are assigned their mentor. Mrs. Cunico, Mrs. Forte, Mrs. Price, Dr. Lemke, and Dr. Thomas help students explore their interestsandguidethemthroughthisproject.

Mrs. Cunico and Mrs. Forte shed light on the purpose of the process and what being a mentor meanstothem.

What is the main purpose behind the sophomore researchproject?

Mrs. Cunico: I would say one of the big problems today is misinformation when it comes to topics such as these and the goal of the science department is to promote scientiﬁc literacy. We’re hoping to teach studentshowtodoresearchandhowtosupporttheir beliefsandopinions.

What is the most challenging thing about being a mentor?

Mrs.Cunico: Thebiggestchallengeisﬁndingthetime thatworksfortheteacherandforstudents,aswellas trying to teach them a task that is often a class in otherschools.

How would you compare this year’s process to last year's?

Mrs. Cunico: The process is getting better all the time. Every year it is tweaked to match the needs of thecurrentstudentsandsophomoreclass.

What is most important to you regarding the sophomoreprojectprocess?

Mrs. Forte: The most important part of a project like this is that it is the ﬁrst introduction to analyzing scientiﬁc research, which is a skill that can be used throughoutthestudents’entirelives.

Whatisthebestthingaboutbeingamentor?

Mrs. Cunico: I am fascinated by the topics the students choose and I love when they realize they have learned something new. I love watching them becomeintriguedbyscience.

Mrs. Forte: The best thing is getting to know girls who haven’t been my students, as well as getting insightintothewaytheythink.

As a sophomore who just ﬁnished her project, I learned a lot about in-utero and fetal surgery– a topic I wouldn’t have thought to research. Sophomores will also share their hard work and knowledge on the topic of choice to the freshmanandjuniorsonMay24.

It is great to know that the mentors of this project enjoy watching the work we sophomores do.

A sampling of sophomore science research topics 2023

● Iron deﬁciency

● Serotonin Theory of Depression

● Screen Time Effects on Development of Young Children

● Impact of Pandemic on OCD

● False Memories

● Sanﬁlippo Syndrome

Collage Concert: A Night to Remember

Bella Cantave ’24 and Bryanna Liu ’26

The spring season has arrived, and so has the long-awaited return of one of our most well-loved traditions at Villa: our annual Collage Concert. The Collage Concert is an evening event that allows our talented artists, musicians, and dancers to showcase their talents! The evening sprung alive when our talented Villa artists presented their artwork to their families and friends. Laughter echoed throughout the whole auditorium and the bursts of color in the art pieces were fascinating. As the artists settled down, the chorusentered,andourmusicalconcertbegan.

Our high school chorus opened our concert with the glorious song of “Total Praise”. The chorus always looks forward to this event, and the members spent many weeks in preparation for this concert; the chorus members even have the opportunity to recommend pieces to sing as a group. Collage is also a way for chorus members to step out of the group and showcase theirtalentsindividually.Manyotherextremelytalented musicians followed, starting with LynetteGao’25 as she stepped up to the piano and skillfully performed the Fantasie Impromptu by Frederic Chopin, an elegant and calming piece that set up the concert for success. After herastonishingperformance,thecrowdgaveherahuge round of applause, a scene that would be enthusiasticallyreplicatedaftereachperformance. Bella Cantave ’24 followed Lynette’s performance with a stunning rendition of “Home” from the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast, and she said, “Performing in collage is one of my favorite activities to do because I love being able to using my voice to bring differentemotionsoutoftheaudience.”

After Bella’s stunning performance, Bryanna Liu ’26 blewtheaudienceawaywithherincredibletalenton the cello, performing a very technically and emotionally demanding piece -- the ﬁrst movement of the Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor. She expresses, “I love being abletoperformeveryopportunityIget.EversinceIﬁrst heard about the collage concert in seventh grade, I’ve been enthusiastic about performing in it. Each time I played, the audience fell completely silent and gave me their undivided attention, which I greatly appreciated as aclassicalperformer.

Current Events

To me, playing music is very intimate, and I couldn’t have asked for a better audience to share this experiencewith.”Oneofthebiggestcrowdpleasersof the night was a performance by Clara Ainsworth ’25 and her rendition of “You’ll Be Back” from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. This performance sure got people hyped up for our closing performance, which was a dance performance of “Kill the Lights,” choreographedbythedancersthemselves!

April 26th, 2023 was a night to remember, a delightful celebration of the arts for both the artists themselves and the audience. As the night neared its end, the performers said goodbye to their peers and the audience started trickling out, eagerly awaiting for the next upcoming performance by our very own Villastudents.

Photos from Villa Students

Book Review: Maybe in Another Life

Katherine Ziwot ’25

Think back to a moment in your life when you were stuck between two decisions that could change the course of your life. If you could go back and change whatyoudecided,wouldyou?

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2015, Washington Square Press), explores how the decisions we make can lead us on vastly different paths. The story follows Hannah Martin, twenty-nine, on the heels of leaving yet another city after years of meaningless jobs and no clue what to do with her life. Shereturnstoherhometown,whereshedecidestostay with her best friend Gabby, and ﬁgure things out. One night, Gabby and Hannah go to the local bar and meet upwithHannah’shighschoolboyfriend,Ethan.

When the night comes to an end, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. Seconds later, Ethan offers togiveGabbyaridehomesoshecanstaywithhimfora while longer. Hannah looks between the two, unsure which to pick and more importantly, unsure where her decision will lead her. The story splits into two concurrent storylines: one following Hannah if she goes home with Gabby; the other follows Hannah if she stays with Ethan. The novel continues in two parallel but radically different stories, each one with its challenges andconsequencesforHannahandthosearoundher.

Both storylines are ﬁlled with so much joy and contentment, showing that no matter what choices you make in life, you will be exactly where you are meant to be.Ithinkashumanssomethingalotofusstrugglewith

is regret. We replay past scenarios in our heads and think about how we could have said something different and how they would affect us in the present. I love this book because it teaches us that it doesn’t matter which path we didn’t take because the reality is we made a choice and can’t go back. We can’t see what our future would look like if we chose option 2, so why spend time agonizing over somethingthatdidn’thappen?

Whatever is meant to be will be and whatever isn’t won’t. And although I don’t want to spoil the book, I can conﬁdently say that Hannah ﬁnds happiness in both storylines. So as our seniors graduate and move on to adulthood, I hope they remember that wherever life takes them is where theyaresupposedtogo.

Start a New Chapter in Your Life

Johanna Aguilar ’25

Movies are a great way to start that new chapterinyourlife.Theideaofgoingtocollegemight be scary, but I recommend watching LegallyBlonde, a movie that is based on a young sorority girl who tries to win her boyfriend back. She ultimately decides to apply to Harvard Law School to earn a JD; throughout her time at Harvard, she works very hard to achieve hergoal.

Bythetimeofhergraduation,sheisknownfor her great success as she overcomes being stereotyped as a blonde. I recommend watching this moviebecauseitgivesyouaninsightintohowyou

can accomplish anything you put your mind to. This movie has many great themes that include feminine power. Young women will be able to succeed and it doesn’t matter whether or not people judge you for who you are as a person. LegallyBlonde is a lesson ofempowerment.

Reviews

On Trend on Campus

It has come the time when the Towerette publishes its ﬁnal issue of the year in honor of our beloved seniors. Though it is sad to say goodbye as they head off to college, we know they will go on to accomplish something great. To bring a little fun and joy, and a fashion twist of course, here is what you need to know about the current fashion trends on college campuses with a little help from some of our veryownalumnae.

Attire depends on the area where college students attend school. For our seniors who will attend college in Southern states, like Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, outfits will be fitting for more warm weather.Outfitswillincludeasimplepairofjeansorshorts, ashortsleeveshirtortanktop,andsneakers,likeconverse.

Maura Hamilton ’22, a Villa alumna who now attends the University of South Carolina, says her school’s attire is athleisure wear all the way. Due to the constant heat, clothing is always on the lighter side like leggings, workout tops, fun ﬂared pants, and everybody’s favorite, Hoka sneakers.

For our seniors who will attend college in Northern States, like Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Indiana, campus fashion is very different. Due to prevalent cold weather and heavy snow in the winters,especiallyforour“BayStaters”,college attire consists of warm pants, like sweatpants or jeans, with a comfy top, like a sweater or sweatshirt, with the addition of a coat or another layer that will keep the student warm. Mary Connor ’22, a Villa alumna who attends Boston College, says her school has a wide range of fashion, but she sees a lot of the preppy style and school spirit. Mary says that for a more dressy style, sweaters and jeans are the go to, for casual days, it’s a sweatshirt and leggings or sweatpants, and for going out in Boston, it’s leather pants or jeans and a nice tank top. Popular shoes include Vejas, Reeboks, On Clouds, and Hokas. And of course, students wear Parkas, Canada Goose, and just heavy jackets.

The comfy and cozy style has popularized itself on college campuses, especially since Covid-19, because by the secondhalfoftheyear,collegestudentsaretoo burnt out to put a great amount of effort into what they wear. Both alumnae said that sweatshirts are of course very popular in college campus fashion, as they are popular in Villafashionaswell.

PhotosfromPinterest

Studentsat USC!

Inspiration, Challenges, and New Prospects

Ellie Tracey ’24

This past month I was excited and honored to sit down with Mrs. Cheifer to talk about updates within the art classes at Villa. I loved learning about the amazing projects the art students are working on andherideasfortheupcomingschoolyear.Iwasalso curious to hear Mrs. Cheifer’s insight into the challenges Villa students have faced within the past school year and why art is so important for mental health.

What projects and pieces are your students currently working on? What was the inspiration behindgivingthemthisproject?

Currently, students are working with Photoshop. Inspired by artist/photographer David Hockney, students in Advanced Art were given the taskofcreatingaphotomontageofaspacetheypass by in their everyday life. Some girls chose places at Villa, while others depicted spaces in their own homes. Students were instructed to take a variety of photos of their chosen space, and altogether these photosmakeuptheentiremontage.

The Art and Design class is making advertisements in Photoshop from their most recent ﬁnished artwork. Students interested in fashion designed and created outﬁts to put on mannequins, while students interested in cartoons created comic strips. Both of these groups are required to incorporate a picture of their face or a person into their artwork. The architecture-focused group needed to incorporate photos of themselves and friends within the image of their architectural sculpture to show different perspectives of far and near.

What does the rest of the year look like for your art classes?

Sophomores and juniors have the option to paint the cover of their sketchbooks, while other students wish to make another dress for a mannequin. Students are also encouraged to try fabriccollageandpaintingonfabric.

Whywouldyouencouragestudentstotakeart?

It is great for their mental health and helps them to relax and access a creative part of themselves that they may not necessarily get to express in their academic classes. Many students are also surprised about what they are able to create. Art isagreatselfesteembooster.

Do you have any projects already in the works for thisupcomingschoolyear?

Next year, the ﬁrst formal AP Art and Design course will be offered. The goal of this class is to prepare students to submit a portfolio at the end of senior year for college credit. Next year, each week will be more speciﬁc and planned out to each assignment. In this class, students choose a theme to stickwithtocreateacohesiveportfolio.

Have there been any artistic challenges your students have needed to solve in the last few months?

Preventingclayfromdryingouthasbeenabig challenge this year. Some students only have a Monday and Friday class which can make it tough to keep their clay projects at the correct moisture level. It is especially difﬁcult when someone is sick, so a buddy system was put in place. For example, if a student was absent, their buddy could check on their clay for them and add moisture if needed. It can also be quite difﬁcult to manage time when there is a holidayandstudentsmissaclass.

Collage by Brianna Hetherington ’25

Comic by Lily Meier ’25 Drawing by Brianna Hetherington ’24 Drawing by Sarah Chambeau ’24 Watercolor by Olivia Chang ’25 Charcoal drawing by Leia Lange ’25

Self-Expression through Replication

Erin Lyons ’25

IhadtheopportunitytotalkwithMrs.Lagana,whoteachesartto grades7-9andarthistorytostudentsingrades11-12.Inthis interview,youwillfindoutaboutthenewestprojectsandthe growthofeachgirlovertheyear.Iwantedtofindouthowthe yeardevelopedandtheirfinalprojectsincetheyeariscomingto anend.HereiswhatMrs.Laganasaid:

Tellmeaboutthemostrecentprojectyouhaveassigned. Themostrecentprojectwascalledtheestablishedartistproject. Thiswasatranscriptionorcopyofapieceandthenyoucould createyourownversionofthework.Eachgirlalsohadtowrite anartiststatement.Thiswasthebiggestprojectoftheyearand peoplearestillﬁnishingthisup.Thesearewhatwashangingin theauditoriumbecausetheywereinthecollageconcert.

Whatmakeseachstudent'sartworkatVillaunique?

TheonlywayIcanspeaktothisisspeciﬁcallyfromthelatest projectthegirlswereworkingon.ThereasonIchosethisproject isthatIhadleftitwideopenonwhichartisttheywereableto chooseapiecetoreplicateintheirownversion.Thevarietyof artiststhattheychosewasamazing.Whatwasalsoreally incredibleishowcomplexanduniquesomeofthepieceswere thatpeoplechosetocopy.Whatissouniqueaboutthestudents thatcomeintothisclassistheyknowwhattheywant,andthey doagreatjobproducingwhattheyareinterestedin--andtheir interestsvarywidely.

Howhaseachstudentimprovedasaresultofthearttechniques youhavetaughtthemoverthecourseoftheyear?

Everysinglestudenthasimproveddramatically.Whenyoucomeintotheartroomacoupleoftimesaweek, yougetintotherhythmofcreating.Sotheartworkhasjustmadeahugeleapforwardforeverysinglestudent andyoucanseeanimprovementineverypiecetheycreatefromwhentheyjustcameintonow.

Whichofthisyear'sprojectswasyourfavorite,andwhy?

Thisprojectwasmyfavoritebecausetheyhadchosensomereallyinterestingartistsandworksofartand thenwhattheydidtocreatetheirownversionwasuniqueandamazing.Watchingthemcomeupwiththeir ownversionsoftheartpiecestheychosetoreplicateintheirownwaywasexciting!

WhatimpactdoesarthaveoneachoftheVillagirls?

Ihopethattheirexperiencehereinstillsinthemalifelongloveandappreciationforart.Ithinkitisimportant thattheycanexpresswhotheyarerightnowbasedonpreviousexperiences,andIhopeithelpsthemto developintowhattheywanttobeinthefuture.Ihopeitmakesthemoptimisticandhopeful.Ithinkartplays acriticalroleintheworld.Aconsistentcreativeprocesshelpsyoutodetermineandexpressyourvisionofthe world.Itprovidescreativethinkingandconversation.Simplyput,theartsteachyouaboutlife.

Drawing by Sierra Warjanka ’26 Drawing by Soﬁa Kearns ’26