KALVON
by Clifton Greene
On a warm and rainy day in Rochester New York, I traveled to the School of the Arts to find a random student who would not mind answering a few questions. A journalism teacher, Mrs. Parker, recommended Kalvon Morrison who happened to have a goal that could possibly change the health conditions of suffering people, which happened to be very interesting to me.
I first wanted to know her personal opinion on what it took to be successful. She answered with simple answer such as: “Being open minded, having an open spirit, learning to explore and adventure into parts that you haven’t explored yet. Mentally and physically to further your education.” The interesting part came up within the second question. Her goal 10 years from now was to still be in college in which she’d be TWENTY SEVEN years old. I found this to be quite astonishing when she said, “I want to be able to learn how to be at my best to obtain this goal. Working with people, learning more about business and health so that I can help people.” A person not knowing Kalvon well or in my case, at all. Opening up a health clinic won’t be the first thing that pops up into your mind for a set goal, considering that her major at the School of the Arts is dance. But she seemed to have a very solid plan, she’s an intern at the Center for Community Health an offsite office connected to Strong Memorial Hospital. Moments later I had her list to me all of the things that she feels are the next step to achieving her major goal of opening up a health clinic that is accessible for everyone in the near future. She listed things such as “Developing Motivation to be able to even go as far as where I want to go, so moving forward is like a key…” she also mentioned something that she said before, “furthering my education.” This way she will be able to make things in her future goal much easier to obtain when she has more knowledge about what’s going on. As well as allowing her to know things such as: the disadvantages and advantages of health clinics, the type of involvement that she will have in business when the clinic is opens, how the human mind and themselves function, (Considering the health clinics deal with the conditions of humans.) I asked one more question because I was a bit more curious about her future. I wanted to know what her definition was or what she believed to be a perfect family. She answered “No children! Maybe a husband, I don’t know about marriage. But if I do find someone, they have to be a great support system, open minded with a strong will, loyalty, trustworthy and etc. all of the things to create a healthy relationship.” Satisfied with the answers that she gave to me and the amount of time that we had to converse, I thanked her for her time and we went our separate ways.
Adrianna
by Caroline Smith
On a soggy Thursday noon at the School of the Arts, I was told by Mrs.Parker, my journalism teacher, that I would be interviewing Adrianna . I was a little nervous because I have never had any kind of lengthy conversation with her, even though we have been in the same major for 6 years. I sat down with Adrianna and she appeared to be eager and pleasant before I even spoke a word. That comforted me quite a bit. We introduced ourselves and the interview began. I started off with, “What is the most important trait to have as a person, and why is that trait important to have?” She replied heartily saying. “I would say that independence is really important to have. Being able to financially and emotionally support yourself will benefit you in the long run. That stability will help you be confident about who you are. It will create a solid foundation, whether you live alone or with other people.”
I then proceed with, “What would you consider to be your best trait, and how does it affect you as a person?” She laughed and smiled at me. “I get really excited about things! The other day I was hanging out with SOTA alumni Heidi and some of her other friends at Java’s Café. She was talking about this new anime she was watching, and I had no idea what anime was, really. I was curious and eager to know about it, so she told me what it was and all about it, and afterwards I became a part of the conversation. Excitement has given me opportunities for new knowledge, which I think is pretty awesome!” Through that question, I discovered that we share the same excitement, which I thought was really nice. I gave the both of us a minute before I asked her the main question. “What are your views on mental health?” She paused for a moment to think about it. “I’ve learned a little bit through the internet and a tad in health class about it. Otherwise, I don’t have much knowledge in mental health. But I do believe it’s something that’s not taught enough.” I nodded my head and she continued, twirling her hair around her finger. “It should be taught more in school at a younger age. Mental illnesses affect many students on a daily basis. It’s not something that should be touched on only in a health class.”
I took a second to collect Adrianna’s thoughts. The room began to get loud, so before I could get distracted with the volume of the class, I asked, “How important do you believe mental health awareness is?” She smiled and let out a breath. “I think mental health awareness is really important. I’m still learning about it! I would suggest that maybe the concept is elaborated on more in health class, and even outside of the class.” I was pleased that she had the same idea as I have had. “Mental Health Month is May,” I told her, then asked, “Do you believe mental health should be focused on year round, and why so?” She looked down at her lap and looked back up at me. “A month seems unfair to me. I don’t believe a month is good enough, when people struggle with mental illnesses for years.” That reply gave me a warm feeling and I found myself smiling.
I looked at the clock and realized we were running short on time. I decided that it would be a good time to conclude the discussion. “What do you think of the idea of schools instituting mental health classes?” “That would be a wonderful idea!” Adrianna cheered. “In school, I have seen that many students have had problems when it’s come down to voicing their frustrations. Having that kind of course could help shape their emotions and their ways of coping with certain situations. In addition, it would help so many students understand their peers, and instead of bully them or remain uniformed, they could be compassionate and offer them support. It would be nice to see that kind of class being a part of every school’s curriculum!” Having the opportunity to hear her speak on something so important to me, was a great experience. I thanked her for her time and we went to pack our bags.
Aleah
by Mina Ahumada
On the gloomy afternoon last
Thursday, Aleah’s warm and cheerful demeanor gave warmth and brightness to the
room. She was very friendly with answering questions and maintained a smile
that gave her responses genuine personality. Already knowing that Aleah was a
hard working student who is multifaceted and busy with various activities
outside of school, I only I asked her basic questions about her personal
experience during her senior year and school as a whole or about how she sees her
future. I asked her what her favorite
memory from high school was and she replied that the coffee house reading with
her fellow creative writing majors has always been something she has enjoyed
through high school saying, “I’ve done each one since 9th grade. We
all come together as a major and showcase what we have done through the year.”
She also comically included that the trip to Washington D.C. certainly was not
on her list of enjoyable things from high school. I also asked what she sees
herself doing in the next few years to which she said that she would like to go
on to a four-year university, among choice of colleges she mentioned were University
at Albany, and SUNY Oswego and she plans to go into media broadcasting. Aleah
already currently peruses her goal of becoming a media broadcaster by doing a
bit on Saturday mornings for Fox sports on the radio. She says that it is important to be able to
“voice yourself” and that is why media broadcasting is an appealing field for her.
Being able to chat with Aleah was a pleasure, I was pleased to learn new things
about her and what she plans to do and what her interests are, as well as jus
enjoy a genuine conversation.
Alenna
by Alyssa Schulwitz
It was
a cold, rainy day in late December in the corner of our journalism class when I
sat down with Alenna and got to know her better. I had a few
important, but basic questions that I wanted to ask her, to get a feel of the
type of person she was. I asked a few about School of the Arts, and what/who
inspired her to audition, if she thought that SOTA could be better, etc. I got
some answers that I never thought that I’d get to hear, making me realize how
well we’d get along. When I asked Alenna who was her inspiration to audition,
she told me that it was actually her sister Adrianna, because she was extremely
competitive, and they both played clarinet. She originally was not going to
audition for instrumental music, but visual arts. Alenna felt that her calling
was visual arts, but also loved playing the clarinet. She realized that she
could draw anytime, but renting out a clarinet for a couple times a week would
rack up so much money, so she decided to pursue instrumental music for the next
6 years of her life, while drawing on the side.
When
asked about her goals, and what she’d like to achieve in the next year, she
stated that she had “a bunch of little goals,” going on to explaining a few of
them, like going to Florida in February, graduating high school, her over the
summer job, some horse show opportunities that she also loves doing, and most
of all, the goodbyes. Out of all of those the “goodbyes” stuck out to me the
most. Alenna went on to further explain herself and what she meant by goodbyes,
which was that she wanted them to be memorable, she wants to spend as much time
as she can with the people she loves, before she goes off to college. Speaking
of college, Alenna is planning to attend SUNY Geneseo, as that school is her
top choice and she’d like to major in Business because of her love for learning
math, although she doesn’t know what job she would with a degree in business.
When asked what she’d like to do while in college, she said “a lot of
studying,” spending time with her horses and her friends as well.
Bringing
it back to high school that is ending in a few months, Alenna is “pretty happy
with the way that SOTA runs.” She is against common core, and she says that
“the art programs are always great.” One thing Alenna wishes that SOTA would
always keep is the opportunity for the students to choose the classes they want
to take, for example, picking the English class you’d like to take for the
year. When being asked what she’d do to personally make School of the Arts
better was funding opportunities, although she doesn’t have much control over
how that would happen. Also, she stated that “the senior class are good role
models for the younger kids.” “We show them how they are supposed to act and
behave.” Lastly, Alenna feels that to instill change in society, we’d have to
be more comfortable doing things on our own. She feels that if she were put
into a group of people that were trying to instill change she’d be scared. She
wouldn’t like to be grouped with people and labeled with a stereotype, she’d
rather be on her own. Alenna feels like she could instill change in society
with her white privilege, online, and/or through her family.
ALLAN
by Luis Montano
We all have
aspirations, of course. They drive us and guide us. Last Thursday, I pulled
Allan aside and we talked about just that. Aspirations. The conversation
started with a seemingly simple question. “What do you think your purpose in
life is?” Of course, on the surface, this question appears to have little no
depth, but when you ask, more times than not, people will be stumped. Not Allan
Johnson. He responded immediately and with certainty. “My purpose in life is to
laugh and make people laugh with me because my life is just one big joke… if I
go an hour without a joke or without laughing I become severely depressed. I
live with extreme highs and extreme lows”. I was expecting this response, with
exception to the last line. I didn't know that it was something Allan and I had
in common and it made me feel closer to him. I went on to ask how he came to
the conclusion that his purpose in life was achieving happiness and laughter
through comedy. “I've always been a shi**y student and I've exclusively been interested
in comedy in the media and pop culture. When I was young I told my mother that
I was going to be a comedian. She laughed and said that was my first and only
joke, I have doubt believes in me. However, I feel a necessity for lighthearted
joking to be around me at all times.” Along the line, people tend to feel a
shift in their direction and purpose, especially when they grow and realize
perhaps what they wanted before was unreasonable. I asked Allan why he had
unwavering faith in his perceived purpose. “Recently I stayed up all night,
writing. Aziz Ansari was on and I had this gut feeling that this is what I
needed to do. That's a recurring thought that has happened for years over the
course of many sitcoms and comedy movies alike.”
I thought he had answered
my next question, “Who inspires you?”. But he proved me wrong immediately. “
Nah, man. F**k Aziz!”. We broke out into laughter. “My true inspiration is
Donald Glover. I see myself in him and I'd even go as far to say that he is my
brother. As for Aziz, I will no doubt surpass him. I am envious of Eddie
Murphy. I wish I had written and performed his best material before he did,
although I wasn't even born yet.” We had both seen Murphy's stand up before so
we laughed and reminisced of it together. “A few other persons who inspire me
are Chris Rock and Louis C.K.. Louis especially taught me how to deal with my
negativity, I even feel like I'm in his show but I'm the main character.” We
talked about his show Louie for a minute and came back to the interview. “What
do you plan on doing with stand up”. I asked. “I want to have one of the best
standups of all time, and write one of the best sitcoms of all time.” He’s
quite ambitious, and a I really wish him luck on his trek to becoming a comedy
legend. If anyone can do it, it's him.
Allen
by Isis Cable
On a rainy, gray Thursday morning at 11:15 in the second
floor office, I interviewed senior vocal major Allen Austin. He sat right
across from me, as I asked him about any previous interview experience, so as
to relieve any tension and nervousness either he or I might feel. He explained to me how he did at his senior
exit interview and the feedback he received. This created a looser environment
for him to comfortably be responsive and thoroughly answer questions.
I asked Allen if he thought his high school
experiences had prepared him to transition into society? He slowly began to
look at the ceiling, clearly thinking about his response. He said: “These years
have extremely prepared me; this is a stepping stone into life.” He felt that
he had had low quality education before and feels that School of the Arts gave
him a chance to “let his mind free.” He began to get into the topic of how he
felt he could be himself and creative in the school’s environment. “This
experience has also introduced me to myself.” He felt as if he learned his
capability. This is where I wondered what had such a major impact on him and what
made his years at the School Of The Arts so good. So I asked him if he had anyone
who had motivated him to succeed or who was someone he knew he could always go
to? He responded promptly with a teacher who stopped working at the school when
he came back for his senior year. “Mr.Lawritzon gave me vocal confidence” he
added that “he helped me think differently about myself and capability”.
He seemed very passionate about being a singer so I
proceed with the topic. Do you plan to fulfill your experience with your talent
into college or maybe a career? There was no thought to his answer “yes, really
primary hopes as an opera singer and if not a backup plan as a personal
singer.” He sighs as if he doesn’t want to result to being a personal teacher.
Some feel that if they did something different in the
past there future might have been a little brighter. With his clear portrayal
in behavior that his dream is to sing opera I ask, if you were able to go back
to one year in high school and retry it what year would it be? He repeated that
same pause he did when I asked my first question, his look at the ceiling a
brief pause and says “Freshman year, I didn’t think ahead, I didn’t think about
college.” So his regrets live with him but he also says “we live and we learn.”
On the topic of college he expresses that it’s clearly
a consideration of his before I even make my way to the question I had prepared
about college consideration. He goes into detail about this topic “ yes, I am
very interested in college considering growing up less fortunate, and my family
did not attend college so I want to live up to potential.” “I want to do what
my parents didn’t.”
Alyssa
by Alenna Streeter
It’s
funny how you can go your entire high school career without barely speaking a
word to someone. I didn’t fully realize the oddity of the occurrence until I
heard Alyssa’s soft, delicate voice, previously unrecognized.
Then the nerves kicked in. Embarrassment, for
overlooking this wonderful girl for so long. Alyssa may be known as a member of
the Choir at School of the Arts, but she is so much more than a pretty voice.
We sat to begin, and her striking long dark hair stood out amongst her pale
complexion. It was long enough to hide behind when needed, yet gorgeous enough
to frame her fragile face any other time. Her clothing disguised her into the
student body. She sat facing the computer screen, as I sat to face her.
A look of surprise overcame her
when I asked my first question, “What is the most important aspect of your life
right now?”
Being a senior, the answer as it
was expected was “college.” And of course this is immediately associated with
the commonplace stresses of a college bound student. She is in search of an
education in criminal justice, and hopes to become an FBI agent in the future.
The Ferguson Missouri shootings and the surrounding controversy intrigued her
enough to spark her interest, and enough for her to “want to figure out why,”
and investigate every detail of the case. This sort of mystery, Shulwits feels,
defines her.
In the next 5 or 10 years, Alyssa
wants to have a good job, her own house, financial stability, and hopefully the
beginning of a family. When I asked if she felt she already knew exactly who
she was, she responded hesitantly with “kind of…,” followed by a big beautiful
smile. She feels that she is well on the path to success and capable of a great
life, due to her positive outlook on the future and the help of her supportive,
loving mother. She’s the one Alyssa can go to for anything, her rock,
counselor, and biggest fan. Since her grandmother passed away, her mom has
assumed most of her parental support. This
must be quite the task, as her mother has multiple other children to care for
as well! Alyssa is the oldest, and her little siblings are also huge fans. They
are constantly vying for any bit of attention they can get from her.
She hopes to be able to teach
others the importance of responsibility and to help make them better people.
She’ll “be the mom,” because “someone has to do it!” Behind her faux
delicateness and soft spoken voice was a strong opinion against peer pressure
and high school stereotypes. The girl to support her friends throughout her
life and offer advice whenever it is needed, as well as helping her children
learn and grow into respectable, positive, and open minded individuals ready to
investigate the world and find their passion.
Always listen to the soft voices,
as they often have hidden power and meaning. No one could have made me realize
this more than the quiet girl I’ve often seen in the hallways of SOTA with the
long dark hair.
AVERY
by Ann Schrader
Though I’d known Avery for the majority of my high
school experience, I’d only had a few interactions with her and had only gained
a basic impression of her personality from across long stretches of classrooms.
She had always been talkative and quick to comment in class, and though we
shared friends and more than a few educational experiences, we never became
good friends.
After
hearing that she was my partner, I felt ambivalent and expected only an awkward
interview conducted simply to fulfill our grades. Approaching her, she kindly
greeted me and casually recommended conducting our interview in the hall. This
suggestion surprised me as she seemed concerned about our ability to conduct
the interview without interruption or distraction.
After
happily answering the questions she had prepared for me, I began with my first
question, which produced an image of her which I did not expect. When asked
about her experience as a Drama major over the past six years, she carefully
considered her answer before stating, “When I first entered SOTA I was reserved
and shy…Drama really helped my
communication skills and confidence, and helped me come out of my shell in
general”. Not once during the time I’d known Avery had I ever seen any lack of
strength in her confidence, and I was admittedly stunned for a moment as her
answer defied my expectations. When I prompted her on other majors she’d
considered, she became surprisingly eager as she told me about her time
‘always’ writing stories and poems, and sharing them with the people at her
local YMCA. She also talked about how
Ms. Accorso, who came to SOTA in the same year as Avery, was a big inspiration
and motivator. Feeling as if they grew into SOTA together, Avery said that she
was her most approachable teacher. While reflecting on her time at SOTA, Avery
produced both nostalgic and almost wistful responses to my questions.
Avery
remained extremely relaxed during our interview, sitting back in her chair,
thinking calmly about her answers, and often eating some of the fruit she’d
brought out in the hall with her. Though some would have seen this as
unprofessional in a formal interview, I found it both amusing and calming since
the interview did not take on a stressful or overly serious form, despite Avery
having serious and insightful answers to my questions.
She
remained thoughtful as I asked what she looked forward to in the future and
what experiences she’d become most proud of over the past few years. Avery
discussed the excitement she feels for the opportunities after high school to
discover herself and find her purpose in life. She also showed a strong craving
for the possibility of forming lifelong friendships and growing old in general.
Avery confessed that her proudest moment was during her junior year, working in
a program through Planned Parenthood which allowed her to educate and interview
her peers on sexual health. She said that this experience greatly increased her
independence and passion for working in a field focused on communication while also preparing her for
having two jobs this current school year. Avery hopes to continue this kind of
work through future studies in communication and broadcast journalism,
hopefully becoming a journalist or talk show host, embracing the challenges and
competition that comes with it. When I
asked what she thought of our journalism class, she laughed and said, “Yes, I like what we do in class.”
When
asked, Avery eagerly stated that she would much prefer a career in which her
passions were satisfied over her financial needs. If she chose a career purely
based on money she would need to completely change her mindset, and that coming
home from a nine-to-five job unhappy was not a life she would want. “Why would
you waste all that money on college preparing to do something that doesn’t make
you happy”, she said. After my final
question Avery and I thanked one another for the interviews, and I walked away
feeling more open minded about the people I see each day.
BILL
by Emma Myrglod
December 17, 2015 was a beautiful day to conduct an interview with one William. It was at random that I had the chance to interview Bill, a senior high school student at School of The Arts. This was a great opportunity to have an indulgent conversation with a class mate who I have barely spoken to since being a fellow student at school of The Arts. It amazes me that we as a whole student body pass by familiar faces at school and proceed to disengage in any verbal contact. It was nice to finally see the opinions and interests of someone who I do not speak with every day. Often people get caught up in their own egos and issues which prevents rich friendships. It was pleasant to take a step out of my world and into the mind and world of Bill.
I conducted an interview in which I asked Bill six
questions.
1.
What Do you aspire to be?
“I am not sure… I aspire to be happy, as cheesy as it
sounds, but happiness has to be one of my main goals.” Bill then followed up
with saying how he wants to do something fulfilling in his life and that money
is not one of his main concerns. Bill would like to settle down in a city
somewhere.
2.
Do you have plans on attending college?
“Yes but I have not decided on what I would like to major in.”
Bill would like to test out his different options and go into college with an
undeclared major. Bill hopes the school has a theater program so he can
continue to participate in more productions.
3.
What is your back up plan?
Bills back up plan is to have a secretarial job in a law firm,
or something similar to that.
4.
What is an important situation that has impacted
your life? Was it encouraging?
The Crucible, a production at School of The Arts was an
important experience for Bill. Bill was an actor in the production and said “It
was my first big show at SOTA… we did eleven shows in a row.” Bill said the
cast became united by friendship. There was a great energy, professionalism,
and a bond made. This bond created a team and encourages Bill to be a part of a
team or a team leader.
5.
What are your favorite sports teams?
Bill said the he likes the Buffalo Bills football team
because they are closest team to him. Bill enjoys the Mets baseball team as
well. Bill often did the box scores for baseball games as a hobby with his
family. Bill would track base running, runs scored, hits, and errors.
6.
How have you liked being a School of The Arts
student?
“It was like any high school experience.” Bill is thankful
for the opportunities to make new friends and to be a part of SOTAs
productions.
Birnella
by Jacob Gilbert-Mahoney
On a cloudy, unusually warm,
December afternoon at School of the Arts, I met with Birnela to reflect on her time as an Visual Arts
major. As we quickly approach the Winter Recess, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve,
it seems that the brisk air is thick with nostalgia of old events and a longing
for the fairness of the past. Halfway into her final year, Birnela still seems
able to recall her reasons for coming to this school and the achievements that
followed. The bright expressions she would make seemed to tell the story, as I
sat across from her and began my questions. “Why did you come to School of the
Arts rather than any other school?” I asked. “Was it an academic or artistic
reason?” She smiled and, taking a mere moment to think on it, said that it was
a bit of both. “It was obviously one of the best city schools. It has one of
the best GPAs, but it's also because I’m ‘artsy’.” She describes the school as
having a “mixture of both” academics and art. She could be passionate about her
interests while leaving room for the necessities of high school. “If I didn’t
go, I would probably have given up on art.” When I asked her about her time at
SOTA, I received an equally bright-faced response. Birnela wouldn’t describe
her time at SOTA as stressful, but slightly nerve-wracking at times. Overall,
she believes she has received an “enjoyable” experience, and a better one than
most city schools could offer. That statement was one that interested me, to
find out what exactly stood out in her education that made the experience so
worthwhile. “What was our best learning experience,” I asked “outside the
traditional classroom?” Understandably, this took a little more time for her to
respond to, her contorted expressions and pressed lips emphasizing the tension
building up in her mind. Just as it seemed as though she were about to explode,
all at once, the tension in her face released with a slight laugh and smile.
Her response was simple: art class. “Everyone has their different styles and it
humbles people in a way.” She said. Her art teachers did not compare one work
to another and essentially taught her to be non-judgmental and accepting. More
importantly, it advocated to her the importance of sharing something in common
with someone with the same interests as herself. “Suppose didn’t like the major
you chose,” I asked. “what would you do then if you couldn’t change your
major?” With a shrug, she said: “I would make the best out of it and get
through it. That’s how I am with everything.” Birnela seemed to exude a certain
confidence in her education with every reply. It made me wonder just how
assured she was in herself and her school. “Do you think your time here has
prepared you for college?” She immediately replied with a “yes”, emphasizing
that it was more so in her senior year that she felt more prepared. However,
she wished to have learned more college-wise, rather than just being ready for
it. Time after time, it was brought up to her that a certain subject, topic, or
assignment would not be done ‘here’ in high school, but it was more appropriate
for college. “Why?” She asked. “I wish we had at least one super long college
essay or something that shows what college is really like.” Nonetheless,
Birnela clearly felt ready. The lessons imbued in her mind were set to carry
her forward in life. “How will you take what you have learned here with you once
you graduate?” I asked. “What will you do with this knowledge from the years
you spent here?” This was the first time in the interview that she put on a
blank face. After a couple of glances to the left and right, and an eye roll
here and there, she finally came up with an answer.: “I don’t know.” An answer
I’m sure many can relate to. While she’s learned many things, and intends to
study something along the lines of make-up, she’s still undecided. However, no
matter where she may end up, Birnela is hopeful that everything will come back
to her once she has decided. I asked her if she believes she learned anything
at all that wouldn’t help her, or would be useless when she left high school.
“Some things,” she said. “but there are some many things you can do that the
classes have to cover a range of things. They help you find your path in life.
It makes sense to learn a little bit of everything.”
Brittnee
by Lauren Lane
In my harshly lit journalism
classroom, it seemed to be just a normal day. I sat down by my computer as I always
do and waited for class to start. I felt the blue lit computer screens
radiating uncomfortable warmth as I waited for my interview partner. When she came over, she had a smile on her face and sat in the chair next to me.
We both seemed somewhat confused on what we were supposed to do, but we started
off the interview anyways.
Moments
later I asked Brittnee “If your family were to read a book about your life,
what do you think would be the most surprising thing that they were to read
about you?” After a moment of thought, she finally said “That it’s more crazy
and drama-filled than what they might think.” She says. “They would have to see
that I’m hiding major parts of my life from them, and that it’s crazier than
what they might see.” When I asked if her family would be more understanding of
her issues that she was dealing with, she bluntly said “No.” She explains that
her family wouldn’t be caring towards her problems, and that they would call her
problems things such as “petty” and that she should focus more on things such
as work or school. Furthermore I asked: “How do you imagine your life would be
different if you were the opposite gender?” “I think I would see myself as more quiet,
probably more of an opposite of what I am now. I would think of myself as not
being as dramatic, and not being involved in a lot of drama.” Brittnee added: “Now, I am always caught up in drama.”
Next I had asked Brittnee to tell
me something that makes her truly uncomfortable. “Probably trying new things.
I’m always used to have the same routines, like going to school every day then
going to work.” Do you ever find doing the same things over and over again kind
of boring? “Sometimes, but most of the time it’s easier to do the things that
you’re comfortable with.”
And finally, to finish off the
interview I decided to ask “Do you have a favorite memory that you have that
couldn’t be caught by a camera or on a video? “Probably all of senior year so
far,” said Brittnee. “The moments we had like Camp Cory are moments that you
live in and can’t really get back--The way that made us feel in the moment, we
can’t really experience that again.”
Caz
by Aurion Jaire
It
was a cold morning in Rochester, New York, inside Ms. Parkers’ fifth period
class Casimer gathered his belongings for our interview. He pulled
up a chair a small distance in front of mine, so that we would face each other.
Despite all the conversations that were going on around us, we were able to
hear each other very well. The noise seemed to disappear in the background. Caz
is a Senior Dance Major at School of the Arts. He spends his extra time playing
soccer as well. With the hassle of college applications, Dance Concert
rehearsals, and academics, his body language was still very relaxed as well as
his voice. It was hard to explain his range of emotion and tone of voice. It
was something the fellow Senior Dance Class struggled with a lot. There wasn’t
just one word that defined it. For the most part, we have all known each other
since seventh grade. Whenever we tried to explain we would say, “That’s just
Caz!” I asked a range of sophisticated questions and after each one Casimer
paused to collect his thoughts before answering, keeping eye contact throughout
the conversation. I learned a good deal
of things about Caz during this interview. We all have our flaws, even
situations from the past we wish we could change. Caz said the total opposite.
He was fine with everything in his life. There was not one experience that he
would change in his high school experience because the situations made him who
he was. As for dance, in the beginning it was just something to do. “I didn’t
know what else to get into” Caz said. Now, dance was much more than that. He
explained dance as the biggest part of his life. Something that made him happy.
It was a major activity that shaped him into the young man he is today.
Watching Caz throughout the years artistically I would agree, his strength was
choreography. His movement was phenomenal in comparison to where he started.
You could definitely see the growth overtime. He was very honest with his
answers to questions about the future. The truth is that he didn’t think about
it too much. We were total opposites in this particular area. The difference
was that Caz was living in the moment and I was existing. I realized I planned
too much. I found that I learned a lot from Caz. One thing he was sure of was
that he wanted to attend Nazareth College as a double major in History and
Dance. Life was just beginning for this SOTA Senior and he was going to enjoy
the ride, wherever it seemed to take him.
Ceyonna
by Nick Walker
Ceyonna and I introduced each other rather quickly and
got right to the questions. There wasn’t another chair around for her to use so
she sat on the table, looking awfully relaxed which I could relate to. Once our
seating situation was solved, we got right into the questions. My first
question of “what is your passion?”, was roughly easy and she replied back with
sports and overall fitness. When asked if sports have influenced her life and
the person she is, she said she says busy and in shape, it relieves stress, and
the competition is fun. From the beginning of and throughout the duration of
it, she would use small hand movements and gestures when answering a question
that she felt confident about. When asked if her passion would help her later
in life, rather than think about it mentally or emotionally, she thought of it
in terms of a career, in which her response was sports analysis. When asked if
there was any other hobby she might’ve enjoyed doing, she had to think for a
second before her response because I assume she is currently living the life
she wants, and she replied with sports broadcasting. I asked “would you rather
have a well-paying job that you hate, or follow your passion even if it doesn’t
pay well?”, Ceyonna wants to be a sports analyzer or broadcaster and those
position in themselves would bring money, rendering the question mute. The
final question was “What are your future plans?” and she replied with attend
college for sports management and possibly minor in communications. She also
listed colleges she was currently applying to such as, University at Buffalo,
University of Arizona, University of Albany, St. John Fisher College, and
Rochester Institute of Technology. I approved of some of her school choices and
we ended the interview. The interview was also rather short because both
Ceyonna and I were straight to the point in our answers and responses.
CHRISTIAN
by Jessie Wrona
Christian is well
known at school of the arts for being—on the boys’ basketball team. While the
team has found – victories this season and made is to sectionals last year
Christian doesn’t want his basketball career to end when he leaves School of the
Arts. In his interview he revealed his plans for after high school to help grow
his career in basketball “after high school I am going to go to a prep school
for a year so I can be recruited by more college”. Christian hopes that by
going to prep school for a year before college that he will be recruited by
college that are not centered around the Rochester area and find a college
maybe in Massachusetts.
Chyna
by Saisha Delvalle
The transition between the quiet
walk down the flight of stairs to walking into the rambunctious library set the
mood for a nice interview with Chyna. We made our way towards a small
table in the center of the room and got settled. The crowded library filled
with chit chats from every corner became background noises once the interview
questions popped out of my folder. Chyna sat next to me and I could see her
mentally preparing for whatever was going to come at her. She flashed a bright
smile and insisted to start. From the beginning, I could tell that this girl
was full of spirit. Positive vibes filled the air and I began asking Chyna
about her major at School of The Arts. I wanted to know what made her
interested in it, and if she was planning on attending college with it. Chyna
is a vocal major; she’s been singing since she was five years old. She’s
currently 18 so it’s been about 13 years of having a great talent.
Unfortunately, not all of us were blessed with that ability. She believes that
it’s the only thing she’s good at. She’s not planning on making a career with
her major; it’s “not a consisted job”. Being successful in the singing industry
is a challenge, so I understand where she’s coming from. Since that wasn’t her plan, I asked Chyna what
was. She’s hoping to study to become a dentist- attending Monroe Community
College as a dental hygienist, then going to a higher college. Not many people
think to go into the dental work field, so it was a remarkable choice for her.
“What do you admire about your
guardian and why?”
Chyna proudly stated that she admires her grandmother for her strength,
independence, and strong will. She also added that she bases herself off her
grandmother. I followed up with who influenced her to be who she is today, and
she grinned from ear to ear. Singers/artists and independent people are some of
the main influences in her life, but the number one was her mother. Chyna
talked about how she wants to be a fierce woman like her mother. She’s had
three kids, attended school, and is now a manager at a bank. I could tell that
Chyna is fierce already. The next questions that I asked her was to know a
little about her personality. “What do
you like and dislike about yourself?” Chyna likes how she’s a respectful,
kind, determined person; she doesn’t like how she doesn’t put in effort to
accomplish her goals, and how she’s put off as introverted when she tries not
to be. “If you could change one thing
about yourself, other than appearance, what would it be and why?” Her
confidence. I was surprised at this because throughout the interview she’s been
nothing but confident; her hand gestures and genuine personality expressed it.
Chyna wants to improve it because “you need ambition for success”. The last
question that I had for her was to have an insight on her life goals- “What is the meaning of life to you?”
Chyna took a moment to gather up her thoughts. The meaning of life is to live
well, make decisions that makes you content, and to just be happy. Chyna
Collins gave great answers, and was a cool person to interview. At the close of
the interview, the chattering background noise was no more and we went on with
our day.
CLIFF
by Kalvon Houchins-Morrison
Watching Clifton Green work his way through Mrs. Parker’s
journalism class fifth period, he had a stern look when he had entered. It
seemed like he needed a talk so, he pulled up a chair right beside me and I
began to start learning more about him. He started to twiddle his fingers
waiting for something to blurt out of my mouth. I started to ask “What were your first thoughts entering SOTA
doors and getting ready for those auditions?” Before he responded he
started off with a sigh and said “my auditions were 3 hours long.” You can tell
from the sigh and the way he looked at me, that he really doesn’t have a “good
memory” during his audition. Clifton had a whole opposite outlook on SOTA where
he stated “I didn’t think it was high school musical.” He feels like attending
School of the Arts is a huge accomplishment because he didn’t never planned on
going there. Clifton feels like during his senior year it has been all
stressful and built around mostly procrastination but it also has been
“somewhat exciting” he stated with a somewhat grin on his face. The next
question I asked him was “Has the year so
far taught you about friendships, dealing with certain situations better, etc.?”
“It has helped me cope with problems at home” he said. Clifton started to look
down at himself with a disappointed look on his face as if he started to fill
himself with sadness. It was a time where the conversation between us needed to
start a glow and put that sparkle in Clifton’s eye. We started talking about
his future and his life goals and plans which made him seem happier for him to
talk about. Our conversation then led to the question that was, “Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10
years?” He wants to work at city
hall to help improve neighborhoods, decrease poverty rates, and help
individuals get a job. “I also want to have two children”, he stated. To
conclude the wonderful conversation we were having, an in depth question
occurred to actually get to understand why Clifton is such a kind hearted and
determined person. “Who pushed you and
how did they affect your academic performance?” “My mother”, he answered.
Clifton’s mother’s disability had her out of work for two years. As he takes a
pause to connect his thoughts together he rubs his chin and says he wanted to
“get over that stump she was in.”
by William McDonough
I sat down with Emma in front of two blank computer screens. Our chairs were angled slightly towards each other. After a few fleeting comments and an awkward laugh we began to talk about her experience at School of the Arts. When she entered school her sister was a junior. The two have been very close for years. Not only was Emma’s sister a role model to her she was one of her closest friends. In the eighth grade she and her sister were a team. They played together in softball and soccer. But at the end of the year Emma’s sister graduated and Emma now had to cut her own path. Emma feels this school has helped her acquire a strong sense of individuality. She has always enjoyed spending time with new friends and trying out new activities. The environment at School of the Arts has nurtured this; the school doesn’t have many cliques and students are encouraged to explore different parts of themselves.
During our conversation Emma’s easy confidence and positivity were clearly noticeable. I asked her if there had been an experience that lead to this mindset. After a pause she spoke of a meniscus injury she had suffered while playing lacrosse. “I was worried I would lose my scholarship” said Emma. That scholarship is to Canisius College, a school with a Division I lacrosse team. The injury proved to be a challenging time. It became easy to lose sight of the positive things in her life. After working with her trainer Mike with the unending support from her mom, she was able to work through the time. She feels that one negative experience shouldn’t outweigh multiple positive experiences. “Nothing is ever that serious” she said with a chuckle. With a positive outlook she feels that no problem is insurmountable. In less than a year she will face another great challenge when she enters college. Under the scholarship she plans to study biology for her undergraduate degree. From there she wants to earn a master's degree in Sports Physical Therapy. Emma feels that her experience will help her relate to her patients as they push to stay physically and mentally strong.
We later got to talking about her family. She had already told me about how supportive her mom was, but she was also eager to talk to me about her dad. Her father made of game of everything when she was young. When they would do the laundry he would put Emma to the test by having her catch balled up socks, She always passed with flying colors. She told me that these games with her dad were probably what sparked her competitive nature. She liked having something she was good at. Soon enough she would be a star in more than just a game of catching socks. Emma gave a relaxed smile and with a twinge of embarrassment told a story her dad often repeated. Years ago Emma and her family had been on a vacation in Florida. They went down to an Olympic size pool, where a group of boys were tossing a ball around. The boys challenged each other's strength and dared their friends to throw the ball as far as they could. Her family egged the boys into giving Emma a shot. She stood at the edge of the pool with the heavy ball in her hand. The boys gave her multiple targets, but they were all too close. She waved them back until one was at the far end of the pool, almost 50 yards away. In a quick fluid motion she wound back and whipped the ball at her target. The ball sailed along the length of the pool and into the waving hands of the rowdy youth. She was the only one at the pool who could have made that shot.
As our conversation together neared its end I asked Emma what aspect of our society made her mad. “Hypocrisy” was her answer. She feels that people judge and generalize the world around them. Too often it is acceptable for someone to criticize others while not trying to improve themselves. She tries not to get upset over the little things that don’t seem very important. If someone has a view that differs from hers, she can understand that. For her part, she tries not to generalize in the way that hypocrites might. But, like all of us, she sometimes finds it hard not to get mad.
ISIS
by Allen Austin
On December 18,
2015, a young woman by the name of Isis, who is a senior theater tech
major at School Of The Arts, was interviewed by myself, Allen Austin.
Today’s conversation was a pleasant interview about music, as it has evolved in
the course of decades to the present. It went in depth of what many people’s
perspective is like today when they listen to certain genres.
So, I started the
conversation off with a brief explanation about what the topic was to check Isis' interest. My first question was; “Now everybody loves all sorts of
music. What types of music genres do you feel are significant in your life?”
Isis, in her words, responded saying that she really loves “R&B music”,
specifically “2000’s R&B”. She also responded by saying that she loved Ed
Sheeran as well, because she thinks that he stands out as a pop artist, and his
music is so “emotional” in its own special way. Next, we shifted to the second
question: “Why do you feel the way you do about the music you
listen?” She responded to this by saying that music is an “emotional trigger”
and it just “triggers something inside of you.” I concurred that this has been proven to be a fact. For example, when I listen to certain music
genres, it really sets me in a certain mood. Rarely am I ever sad or mad the
majority of the time, so I listen to a lot of music that’s either tranquil, or
upbeat and hype. I listen to Pandora a lot ( but then again, who doesn’t?) and
one of the radio stations I listen to is called "Indie Electronic",
and it is basically just lots of vigorous, adrenaline-pumping music. Third
question came upon this subject, and I just wanted to know more about her
personal side. "Who is your favorite artist and why do they stand out to
you?" In Isis's mind, the artist that she thought of that came to her mind
was an old school rap artist from the 90's by the name of Tupac. She stated
that in almost every song, there is "a message that represents so many
people's opinions" and that his music "speaks for
minorities". The fourth question that was about experimenting
different genres. "Is there any other genre that you would to besides the
ones you listen to now?" There wasn't really another genre that she
would listen, but as she specifically she said, "I listen to stuff that
puts me in a good mood." The last two were really critical thinking
questions. "Some people
today say that music has changed today, to where it's lackluster. Do you
agree or disagree and why?" Isis agreed but said
that "it doesn't have a message anymore, a message that people can relate
to" Which is true, since music can be a factor in how society acts and
evolves too. The last question concentrated on what music decade was the best
in the interviewee's opinion. "As oppose to today's music ( music of this
decade), which decade of music from the past would she prefer?" Isis
stated that she would've the "early 90's" since she knows that there was
"a mellow, type of postive vibe to
it". I agreed as to where early's 90's had a good, wholesome feel to it as
opposed today's music. Today, you might hear a few music artists that come out
with something that's very convincing and their music gravitates to people, but
the majority of artists in the contemporary music era today are just very
common.
In the end, I thanked
her for her time and it was a pleasure talking to her her about this topic. 
JACOB
by Tazmara Doctor
On a rainy Thursday afternoon I sat
down in the School Of The Arts library and interviewed Jacob E, finally getting
a chance to get to to better know him and his views on life. He
wore a casual look and brushed himself off before sitting down. He was
very professional about the interview and Jacob made sense of the questions and
answered in them in a mature manner. During the interview, I asked a
series of questions, beginning with what he expects of himself in the
future and in what direction he wished to go in his life. As I look at
Jacob, I see a focused student, someone who appears pleased with his accomplishments
and has firm goals for himself. I am very impressed with his respectfulness.
In
response to my first question, Jacob tells me he wishes to attend the
University of Rochester, with the goal of studying pre med and eventually
becoming a surgeon. Jacob has clearly chosen a competitive field,
and I wish him well. Wanting to know what had inspired him to become a surgeon,
Jacob said: “There was no one person who inspired me...it’s something I’ve
always wanted to do” I continued with asking him if he had considered any suggestions from his teachers or fellow classmates. “ His reply simply was a simple“no”. I was curious if he had considered his long-range plans. He smiled and replied: “I'd like to retire rich, " and then said he planned to make a mark in his field. Jacob was undoubtedly had a strong head on his shoulder. His responses were quick, as he clearly had long reflected on his goals. I enjoyed talking with Jacob and was happy to get to know him a little better. He is someone to be admired. I wished him luck.
JAYMEE
by James Streeter
It was dark and grey
outside, storm clouds hovering in the sky ominously, but within Mrs. Parker’s
Journalism class at School of the Arts it was bright and cheerful. The students
around the room were talking and working with each other to complete their
given tasks. I had the pleasure to interview Ms. Jaymee Pride, A senior creative
writing major at School of the Arts that afternoon. “Why” I asked her “did you
choose to become a creative writing major?” she looked down at her hands and
admitted that it wasn’t her first choice in a major, she had originally planned
to become an instrumental percussionist. What had changed her perspective was a
school writing assignment that opened her eyes to creative writing and showed
her something that she came to enjoy. She talked of her creative writing class
creating strong bonds and relationships with each other, sharing their works
and stories between each other. She stated “You can’t be a writer without a
reader and vice versa.” I had to sit and think for a moment and I came to
interpret this as you can’t write truly well off stories and articles without a
reader to criticize nor can you become a reader without an author to write the
works you read and criticize.
Ms. Pride seemed to get a far off look in her eyes after
the question was asked about what had been one of the most defining moments of
herself as a student. She said “I wrote a poem called Amazon Woman and it was all about reclaiming my own identity as a
human… That was me reclaiming who I am and taking charge of my own identity and
who I want to be”. To her it was a large self-discovery of who she was as a
person. When thinking of who she admired and wished to embody, she immediately
thought of her mother who has battled cancer and deals with multiple sclerosis.
Her eyes glazed over and she smiled softly, no doubt thinking of all good
memories. Speaking fondly she told me
that “…to see her (Jaymee’s Mother) push through all those things and still
fight and do things for other people…” that was who she aspired to be like.
Jaymee plans to become a musical journalist later in life after going to RIT
for journalism. She wishes to open the eyes of others to a new part of the
world that they never knew about before. Throughout the interview she smiled
and laughed, showed her confidence and that she wasn’t afraid to tackle new
challenges and find ways around the obstacles in her path. Shaking hands, she
got up and left, still smiling and headed towards whatever happened next.
JAMES
by Jaymee Pride
On a gloomy Thursday afternoon just
before winter break, I sat down to talk with fellow senior James Streeter. Our
conversation was one filled with thoughtful reverence as we looked back
together on the past five years we’ve spent at SOTA.
To get the ball rolling I simply
pose a question that seeks to reveal what influenced his chosen major at School
of the Arts. He smiled meekly before describing his experience in his
elementary school band. “At that time I looked at it as something to get me out
of class. I played percussion and it had it’s ups and downs. I worked hard at
it and discovered that it was something I wished to continue doing.” Moving the
perspective forward into more recent times I asked if there was anything he
would change about his overall experience at School of the Arts. He chuckled
before responding with, “I wish I payed attention more in my earlier classes. I
would have liked to retain more during tests and maybe I wouldn’t have had to
retake the same math.” I smiled and nodded in agreement, because I too am
facing the same dreaded Algebra II and Trig course for the second time.
Our talk took a more serious turn
when I introduced the next question regarding the impact of his high school
experience on himself personally. James casted his eyes downward at a computer
keyboard before beginning. “I would say I am now much more open minded and
willing to give things a try. I have more friendships and am exposed to more
diverse groups of people with various interests; and I am really grateful for
the experiences and insights I’ve gained
with these friends over time.” As I was detailing what he had just said to me,
he added. “I’m much less of a recluse.” I was learning I had a lot more in
common with him than I originally thought.
Something unexpected was revealed with the next question
which was, “If you weren’t practicing your current art, is there any other you
would consider doing here at SOTA?” James blushed and a grin spread across his
face. “I actually almost considered coming to SOTA as a vocal major. I knew
they had a small admission for percussion, so I wasn’t really too confident
about being accepted as one.” Struck by surprise I interjected, “You can sing?
Really?” The both of us laughed before he said, “Yeah, a little bit. Believe it
or not I can actually carry a tune. However, the pitch may be a little off. My
voice has definitely gotten a lot deeper since I considered singing. I’d
probably be quite good if I had lessons.”
He proceeded to tell me about the time he auditioned for Into The Woods in middle school and how
the piece he was given to sing was one of the highest in the entire play. He
wrapped it up with, “Yeah, I didn’t get the part.”
The next question was one of speculation. I asked, “Where do
you think you would be if you weren’t at SOTA?” He looked up and asked,
“Literally?” I smiled before saying, “Why not? It’s open to interpretation.” He
thought before saying, “Probably World of Inquiry around the corner, or School
Without Walls which isn’t too far away from here either. Both of my sisters
were accepted into World of Inquiry, which automatically meant I was in and not
on their extensive waiting list.” I chuckled and said, “Yeah I remember that,
it was crazy. There were drawings for placement in that school, I went to one.”
He then brought up the big high school fairs they had at the Rochester
Convention Center downtown. He concluded by saying, “But I am glad I chose
SOTA, the programs here are a lot more enjoyable and beneficial.”
JENNA
by Austin Hammond
She sat there in her chair like she was supposed to. We
locked eyes and stared into each other's subconscious for nearly five minutes.
I noticed a flicker of tragedy in her eyes and it was at that time that I knew
what questions I had to ask, “”What is your opinion on crackers?”” She took her
gaze quickly from the monotonous task she was performing and looked into my
eyes. I saw at this moment that my choice was 100% necessary and relevant
despite what any hypothetical journalism teacher would say. She stumbled over
her first few words then took a moment to collect her thoughts.” “They are dry
and salty, I guess you could say I'm not a huge fan”.” She broke eye contact
immediately, and it was obvious she was hiding something. I intended to figure
out what it was-- I had to dig deeper. ““If you had to choose what your
favorite cracker was, which would it be?”” A silence fell over us like the
blanket a loving mother would bestow upon a sleeping child. ““I…… I suppose I
like Ritz crackers the most”.” She refused to look me in the eyes, so I
inquired some more. “”Why do you like this particular type of cracker the
best?”” Another silence, but this one for only a moment. “I think they have a
more buttery flavor and they fall apart in my mouth easily, they also compliment
cheese snacks” I was taken back by the complexity of the answer and had to
think hard about my next question in order to maintain the momentum
established. “Interesting… Can you
explain to me how you came to this conclusion?”, “No, not really.” She finally
made eye contact with me again. There, in her eyes, I saw the tragedy flash
again before me and I knew there was something here for me, I had to go deeper.
“You didn't say that with much confidence.” This caused her to jolt upwards,
her eyes wide open, and her soul bleeding-- She had more to say. “It's okay to
speak to me. Tell me what happened.” She slowly looked down at her now open
hands, her palms exposed as if she were giving herself a tarot reading. She
sighed “It was nearly ten years ago when they came for my Ritz. I was just a
kid at my elementary school who sat alone in the cafeteria and ate the lunch my
mom prepared for me the night before. She never forgot the Ritz crackers
because she knew they were my favorite. One day these three boys came up to me
and snatched them out of my hands and started to eat them in front of me
laughing. I stood up to retrieve them from the boys, but they were taller than
me and held them over my head saying ‘You
almost had it, you gotta be quicker than that' and then proceeded to laugh
in my face. Then, one of the boys pushed me down and poured three cartons of
milk over my head and yelled ‘Ha ha look!
Jenna's a little cow! Look at all the milk! Moooooo!’ I was hysterical, and
since that day I haven't gone down the cracker aisle by myself at the store...
I haven't tasted a Ritz cracker in years.” I saw a single hot tear roll down
her cheek and fall silently on the table. I saw the pain and the anguish Jenna
had experienced, and I understood the PTSD she experienced around Ritz
crackers. The emotion in the room was raw, and I didn't want to salt the wound,
so I decided to try to shift gears to a different type of question. “My
favorite crackers are tied between Cheez-its and goldfish. Would you ever
consider trying different types of crackers to alter your opinion?” She answered me quickly “Yes, of course.
Yes”, “So now, do you prefer crackers in general, or chips?” Jenna took a
moment to think this one over, lifting her hand to her mouth in contemplation.
She finally answered “Honestly, ever since that day, I don't eat crackers
anymore” I heard her voice fluctuate in pain, in reference to her past and I
knew it was time to finish up this emotional roller coaster that was this
interview. I thanked her for her time and we parted ways.
by Christian Simmons
On this rainy grey Thursday morning I
took the time to interview Jessie at the School of the Arts. Before the
interview even started, I saw a great big smile symbolizing that her day was
going great and she was happy to be here. I started off the interview with my
first question “what are your plans after high school?” She responded quickly
without even thinking. “I want to go to
college for musical theater and to get my BFA” (A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA,
B.F.A.) is the standard undergraduate degree for students in the United States
and Canada seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts).
As I proceeded my next question was “what do you want to do as a career?” Quick
and confidently she said: “I want to be a famous performer for example working
on Broadway.” She loves musical theater; her passion for it is undefined and
Jessie also likes to travel, so I could see this career really fitting her
100%. Now my next three questions I made up because I really wanted Jessie to
think deeply about them. “How was your
background growing up, what are your life goals, and lastly where do you see
yourself in 15 years? Jessie heard the questions and stopped to reflect. Well, to
your first question, “I grew up in a nice neighborhood near the school and I’m
spoiled.” After she said that I laughed because I could relate, and then she
also said that her parents were supportive of everything she participated in.
To my second question she stated that her life goals were to make money, travel
and most importantly be happy. And to the third answer to the brainstorming
questions about where do you see yourself in 15 years, before she could even
answer, she had a big smile and it seemed like she was visualizing what she was
thinking. “I see myself in big city’s
performing or teaching in some type of arts in the general field of musical
theater.” To end the interview I had one final question: “What three words would
you use to best describe yourself? She
replied back to me with the three words: “shy, passionate and driving”. “Thank
you for your time; Jessie I truly appreciate it”. “No thank you Christian”
Miss Cloonan
by Katrina McCullough
I sat down to interview a student
teacher by the name Mrs .Cloonan a very bright and promising woman. Mrs.Cloonan
has not always stuck to her original path but has switched it up based on what
she feels is right for her. As a very family oriented person this many times
brought her back to where she was before. Thus allowing her to view both a more
traditional and a more outside of the box path through life. Cloonan also
allowed her travel to different places and her love for meeting new people take
her to different areas.
Mrs.Cloonan started off as a
pre-med student in college and later found out that she didn’t enjoy what she
was doing. “ As I started my courses I realized I hated pre-med and I actually
enjoyed the English classes I took more.” This is what inspired her to then
change from a pre-med major to an English Literature and Studio Art major.
Mrs.Cloonan found that this changed things for her within her college. “I found
Studio Art to be much more relaxing.”
Cloonan seemed to be a very level
headed and strong minded person. When I asked her what she would do when
something hard would come up with no obvious way out she said “ I would rather
stress out and get something done and meet a deadline then allow for something
to go undone.” Showing that work always came first which let her be more calm
and relaxed in college and find it to be easier and more relaxing then most
people might think. This allowed her to be semi- prepared for her rigorous
final exam. In which she had to pick an essay question and orally defend her answer
to an outside professor. “It allowed me to connect more with the other seniors
through study groups.”
When I wondered how she managed
to juggles both her personal life and a college life she told me “It was more
relaxed and it taught me to live and be more independent than I was before.” It
also managed for her to become more organized as the only one she could count
on to get things done was herself, so she had to manage her time and her
thoughts wisely.
All of her work and organization
has helped her to prepare to be a teacher and she often looks back to her
college and teaching for new ideas. “I use what I learned from college to draw
links into what I will be teaching and how I will be teaching it.” As she loved
to meet new people and learn new ideas inside and outside of her field her
travels took her to many places but her family always drew her back home where
she resides today as a student teacher at School of the Arts.
Her travels along with her
difference in fields will allow her to have many different ideas and ways to
approach teaching. Making Mrs. Cloonan a very promising and high potential of
success in her field. Her student teaching should leave her with more of an
inside look and give her a bigger idea of what kids will respond to, I have no
worries about this aspiring teacher.
Ms. Cloonan, part 2
by Devon Slone
On a cold and gloomy December day in the back of our
Journalism class I conducted an interview with our student teacher Ms. Cloonan.
I wanted to know more about her, what choices did she make to land her in the
position she is today? If there were people to credit for her successes in life
thus far. I tried to create thought provoking questions that required a little
time to think and give a thorough response rather than questions with short
answers and no depth to it.
The
first question that I decided to ask Ms. Cloonan was about her early life, I
wanted an insight on how her years were in high school and how these years
shaped who she is today. When asked “What you would say is your most memorable
experience during high school?” She responded with a little antidote of her
high school years and it brought a smile to her face as she reminisced about
her earlier life. She told me about how she played in the orchestra during her
years at Fairport high school. She explained to me that once the orchestra took
a trip to New York City and how ecstatic she was being that this was her first
time going there. It was obvious that she was too focused on the trip itself
rather than the playing music part because she didn’t seem to remember much of
the playing that took place during the trip. However she exclaimed that this
was a really cool trip for her and obviously it was a memorable one. The
response that I received for my next question wasn’t what I anticipated. When I
asked Ms. Cloonan “If you could have an outer body experience and meet yourself
from someone else’s point of view do you feel that you’d like that person that
you meet?” She gave me a simple response that was to the point. She simply said
that yes she thinks that she would like the person looking back at her. She
also said that she feels that there are things to improve about herself (as
with everyone) but for the most part that she would like the person she met.
After
hearing these responses from Ms. Cloonan I wanted to know if she had any
inspirations growing up and if they shaped her in any way. I then asked “Who do
you feel inspired you the most to peruse the career that you have chosen?” This
took some thinking on her part and after a minute she told me that she didn’t
really have many inspiring people in her life however she had one great English
teacher who she remembered because they were fun not because of the content
that was taught to her. Then I wanted to find out if Ms. Cloonan had any
regrets or things that she would change and do differently if she could. I
asked “What made her pursue higher education and if she could do it differently
how would she?” The response I got seemed very genuine and true to how she
felt. She told me that she went right into a four year college and wished that
she would have taken a year off of school to further think about her career
choices. The last question I asked was to see where she was now and where she
wanted to go in life. The question was “Where do you want to go with the career
that you’re in”? She then told me how she wanted to work in a secondary school
such as school of the arts and she feels that other schools could learn from
how our school is run.
So all
in all after this interview was conducted I feel that I have a better understanding
of Ms. Cloonan and where she wants to be career wise. With this simple five
minute interview I learned a great deal about her and I understand certain
things about her more. Interviews are a great way to get to know someone and
when done right it can be an enjoyable experience.
LAUREN
by Brittnee Johnson
On a
rainy Thursday morning, the mood of the classroom was calm and the interview of
Lauren Lane was taking place. She started at her computer and looked up at the
ceiling. We got into talking about school and general life ideas and concepts.
I asked her, how are you different from how you were when you were younger to
how you are now? She looked up and laughed and told me she was very lost and
scared of growing up. She was very to herself and shy. Over the years, she said
that she became more aware of the world and became to grow as a mature young
women. We then began to talk about the future and what she saw herself doing
after high school, she laughed and said working with animals and travel the
world. Her favorite thing to do besides draw is to work with all types of
animals. She continued with the next question about her dream career and said
working with land and sea animals around the world and help others take care of
the earth. We then stopped the laughed and talked about her high school
experience, she said it was an emotional rollercoaster and stressful! She is
very happy and thankful for this experience and wouldn’t change it for the
world. The stress of senior year got to her at one point but she said that she
needed it and it was helpful. Lauren is very happy to be graduating with such a
mature class and wouldn’t change it for the world. We talked about what
would’ve happened if she never came to SOTA, she told me that she would be the
complete opposite of how she is now. She would still be quite but probably not
be into what she is into now. She thinks that the person that she is now is the
best that she’s ever been and is proud of that. Lauren is someone that knows
what she wants and is someone who wouldn’t change anything about herself.
LUIS
by Allan Johnson
Thursday,
the 17 of December, on a not so December day, I interviewed the vocalist and
pianist Luis from School of the Arts in Rochester. Luis is a very
light-hearted and funny person so I asked him about his life and his beliefs on
a few things commonly discussed ideas. We conversed over the sounds of Yuhki
Kuramoto’s Everlasting Gentle Thought, a very beautiful piece from Piano
Affection.
I started the conversation with a
simple question of where Luis was born in Rochester, “Rochester General Hospital,”
he told me innocently. I proceeded to jokingly tell him that General is the
worst hospital in the city, after which Mrs. Parker gave us an excerpt on her
experience of Rochester General.
I continued down the path of
interviewing him without a theme or direction and I asked him, “why’d you wear
what you’re wearing today?” His answer was just as light hearted and confusing
as his personality, he told me, “I woke up really early, so I didn’t give a
[expletive]... so now I look like a homeless man.” We proceeded to talk about
how good homeless people have it in our society, and we believe that being
homeless is a blessing.
Universal homelessness is a strong
part of the presidential campaign me and Luis are starting leading up to the
election of 2036, later this I will expand.
Being homeless is a dream thanks to
Yeezy.
More seriously I asked Luis how he
knew he was beautiful, he told me he didn’t know, he contributed this to how invaluable this society treats masculine beauty, and of course women are getting
a unhealthy dose what we are discussing but we feel like a balance is what we
need when it comes to society's beliefs on beauty.
This interview touches on many
different topics but I feel like this is a good way to interview Luis. A clever
mind can easily become bored of repetitive conversation, this leads me into
what we talked about next.
I asked Luis what he would be doing
if he wasn’t in school at 2:40 on any given Thursday. I was told that he’d
simply be at home catching up on missed television (the worst kind of
television), I guess Luis makes good use of his DVR.
I then up’d the tempo by asking two
of the most cliche and repetitive questions ever asked, “Do you believe in love
at first sight?” and, “Does money equal happiness?” Luis being a very clever
and thoughtful person said yes he does believe in love at first sight and that
he’d, “rather be happy in a [Lambo] than be happy on a bike,” some very
interesting points of view especially because they, though not directly, are
contradictory. Luis believes that one may not have the real in depth version of
love but a romantic connection through visual contact. On the other hand he
summed up that money brings the things that we attribute to happiness.
We finished our interview with a
conversation about the next major thing he plans on doing after he turns 4o, he
said that something he would like to do is renew his vows with who ever he is
married to at the time. Which is something I think is a very passionate thing
to say at such a young age, I wanted to know if he knew the source of this
passion. Egging him on I asked him who he thought he would marry, confidently
stated, “Alenna Streeter.”
MICHELLE
It was a dark, rainy day on Friday,
December the 18th. Star Wars had just been released, a Cage the Elephant album
came out, and an interview occurred that would change the notion of interviews
forever. This interview, of course, occurred between myself and Michelle. We received a pass from Mrs. Parker, allowing us to leave the classroom
and travel down to the library. I needed a quiet space, unfortunately I did not
get that. Against all semblances of common sense, the School of the Arts
library is not a place of solitude or tranquility. Instead, a cacophonous roar
of noise constantly encompasses the room. Undisturbed, we took a seat at a
table near the front of the room.
The interview began as I asked “What is your major?”. She
replied instantly, “My major is Visual Arts”. Clearly, she knows what she's
talking about. There was no hesitation in her voice, undoubtedly, she really
was a visual arts major. I continued, “Okay, and what would you say is your
favorite aspect of your major?”. I was just probing the surface, looking for
the simple responses, to get to know her. “My favorite aspect about my major is
the fact that art helps me express how I feel when I can’t put it into words”,
she responded passionately. I was taken aback by this. I wasn’t expecting such
a deep and thought out response.
We had jumped into the deep end, but I was ready to keep
moving, to learn more. Still a bit startled, my next question was muddled, but
the point got across. “ Is there anything specifically about the how you can
express yourself, or is the ability to express yourself that intrigues you?”
Understandably, she seemed a bit confused, but she quickly responded anyway. I
could tell by her mannerisms and facial expressions that she was passionate.
Whatever her response was going to be, she obviously cared significantly about
it. “It’s the ability, because if you want to write out how you’re feeling, you
might not find the right words, but art, it has a thousand meanings. And when
someone else is looking at it, it gives them a feeling to figure out what you
were feeling about making that art piece.” This fascinated me, as I had never
probed someone about the nature of their art. It became clear to me that art
was just another form of personal expression, a means of showing the world who
you really are. Michelle embodied that, her art allowed her to shape her
interactions with others, how she presented herself, and how the world saw her.
Armed with this knowledge, I switched to a different topic.
“So, have you done are since a young age, was it something you started at SOTA?
How did that begin?” I was looking for her origin story, essentially. I wanted
to know how her artistry began.
“I started
drawing off of pictures, and I really like doing that, cause coloring stuff, so
when I came here to SOTA, that really let me explore a way of making my own
artwork, and not doing copyright infringement.” This gave me a clear view of
who she was. I was beginning to understand how art had affected her, how her
major had impacted her life.
At this point I was done with the
basic and inquisitive questions, I decided to move onto a more suggestive
question. I had looked into her background, now it was time for the future.
“If you were
forced to do a different major, right, you couldn’t do visual arts, you had to
do something else, what would you do?”
“Either
vocal or drama, because vocal I like to sing, it’s something that I can do
anywhere and everywhere, all I need is my voice. Then drama, because I was in
plays, in elementary school, and I really enjoy, being someone else, not me.”
Her response fit in perfectly with her previous answers.
I could really tell that she used art, and now singing and
acting, as a way to express herself. Michelle, at her core, was simply looking
for a way to show the world who she was. She was looking for a way to be
unique, Michelle wanted to prove that she was her own person, and I think she
succeeded. My interpretation was reaffirmed later on in the interview, when I
asked “Do you have a favorite memory, or an experience from art class going
back? Is there something that you think was the most impactful, or the most
memorable to you?”. I was not expecting her response, but I think it perfectly
summed up the tone of the interview.
“All the
trips that I have in media class when we’re out taking photos is the most
memorable. That’s something that you might not see when you’re just walking
around in the neighborhood, like, around the same places all the time. But
there is always something different, something eye catching.”
That one
phrase, “there is always something different, something eye catching”, shows to
me that Michelle, fundamentally, cares about being unique, and being different.
It shows through her art, it shows through her interests, her character and her
responses, everything that I noticed in the interview clearly displayed that
Michelle was looking for a way to express herself.
After the interview concluded, she
showed me a piece of artwork that she had been working on, and it amazed me.
She evidently has a high level of skill when it comes to visual arts, and I
believe she will do well in life. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview, and
hearing about Michelle's passion for her artistry.
Mina
by Aleah Adams
For
many seniors, their last year of high school is consumed by their outlook on
the future, rather than the miscellaneous senior courses they’ve signed up for
or of their performances within those classes. As a result the seniors of Ms.
Parker’s fifth period Journalism class, all sulked at the announcement of an
interview project, especially with Ms. Parker being the one choosing who would
work with whom. You could hear the groans and disapproval from the room when
the lists of partnerships were posted on the class blog. Senior Flute major
Mina , who sat completely parallel from me on the other side of the
room, was my assigned partner. We sat down together, and exchanged awkward
hellos as if we were strangers to each other. She sat juxtaposed to her
computer and myself, her legs shifted towards me, her torso towards the screen.
For
Mina, the future is hazy and she’s unsure of her career aspirations and goals.
When asked “What are your plans for the future” she responded with a deep sigh
followed by “first go to college, let’s start there.” Due to her high school
performance not being completely up to her standards, she’s felt that she’s
fallen short and that may be a definite factor to her apprehensive feelings
towards college. She’s battled with procrastination and laziness for numerous
years at School of the Arts, however looking back it’s pushed her to want to
try harder and care more for her school work in the future. Her lack of
satisfying grades however has not just stemmed from her procrastination; it
also comes from her parents not motivating her. “Their definition of okay isn’t
my definition of okay,” Mina said in regards to her parents, “they don’t really
care, so I’m not really motivated.”
I
proceeded to ask her if she even felt that she had any mentors that had a great
influence on her. She scrunched her lips to the side and shook her foot, having
to think hard before answering back to me. Surprisingly she had no set adult
mentors in context to school instead she viewed her fellow classmates as her
mentors. Mina often compares herself to others and when she saw them doing well
she noticed “Damn, I need to pick it up,” and that’s when she’d cease her
slacking in schoolwork. If she weren’t surrounded by such diverse and
intelligent classmates to push her she wouldn’t have taken opportunity of the
great education given to her at School of the Arts. If she would’ve been placed
in another high school she’s almost certain her academics wouldn’t have been
the same, and even speaking the words suburban school aloud made her want to
throw up. “I love the diversity and being exposed to things that aren’t
conservative…I love not being surrounded completely by ignorance,” she said,
hinting at the common ideals found in suburban schools.
Her
views on suburban schools originate from her urban community setting as well as
her upbringing. “How have your surroundings shaped your morals,” I asked and
with no hesitation she responded. She enjoys being surrounded by people from
all over and not being stuck in an environment where all people have the same
ideals and goals, which largely contrasts with her strong Democratic and
liberal political opinions. Prior to her acceptance into School of the Arts, Mina attended a Christian school, where she would’ve never been as accepting if
she would’ve extended her education there. “I think it’s really important to be
different,” she said and it’s vital to “let human beings be human beings.”
The
interview ended on that note. She ran her fingers through her hair, displaying
happiness in being done with answering multiple questions. I scanned through my
notes and returned back to my side of the classroom.
by Brandon Graham
On a gloomy Thursday morning in Ms. Parker’s class I met Mitchell
and was so intrigued by his aura. At first I was nervous about interviewing him
because I didn’t know anything about him but he kind of opened up and was a
very interesting person. When he sat down for his interview we made
conversation immediately and I was pretty intrigued by what his views and
morals were considering the questions I asked. The first question I asked was
“How do you feel about the schools dress code?” and Mitchell went on to say “It
is very prejudice against women and I see Aspenlighter stopping them in the
halls and I don't get distracted by what they wear. Guys can pretty much wear
whatever they want” . I told him that I absolutely agree and that they get
treated unfairly but simple clothing that isn't distracting to anyone and dress
code is specifically set out to discriminate against women. The second question
I asked was “What are your thoughts about school lunch?” and he proceeded to
say “I eat it everyday, it's not good and in surprised when it even taste okay.
They need more nutritious foods and they need to put more on our plate because
I still leave lunch hungry”. I also agreed with his statement and said they
should definitely give us more fruits because we rarely ever have fruit and
when we do its not good. After that's asked “Do you play any sports and if so
how long and what sport?” He said that he had done cross country for two years
and he loved it because it wasn't really competitive, everyone was really
supportive of each other. He also said that he was going to join the track team
this year. My next question was “Do you plan on going to college and if so
which one?” He does not plan on going to college and I asked “why” and he
simply said “I don't know what I want to do with my life yet, I want to be a
writer but that is far fetched for me an there's a lot of competition” and he
also stated that money is a problem but he does plan on going eventually, just
not right away. Then I asked “What are you feelings on the college application
process” and since he said he wasn't going to college I thought he wouldn't
know but he made some good points just from looking at what his friends did and
how they took it. He said he talked to a few friends about it and “it seems
like one of the most stressful things for a senior to do” and I absolutely
agreed from personal experience it's very nerve wracking and it discourages you
a little. Finally the last question I had didn't pertain to the other questions
like about school and college but it is just a question I felt that I needed to
ask just to see what he would say. My question was “what is your biggest fear?”
And he sat and thought to himself as he searched his head for the answer and
said “My biggest fear would be upsetting those that I care about, I always try
to do my best but it definitely never works out”. I was very shocked by this
answer because usually you get the typical “I'm afraid of heights” or “I'm
afraid of spiders” things like that but this seems to be a fear that people
have unconsciously and it can actually be considered a “big” fear for all of
us. This was a great interview, I felt privileged to be able to hear his side
of things and basically how he thinks, I feel honored to be able to be his
interviewer.
NICK
By Ceyonna Trotter
Saisha
by Chyna Cleveland-Collins
On
December 17th on a very rainy day, Miss Parker told us that we would
be conducting interviews from the questions we created the day before. She
paired me up with Saisha who is a creative writing major. Saisha and I made our
way to the library where we would conduct our interviews to learn more about
each other. Saisha volunteered to go first. We sat down and I started off by
asking her what her plans were after graduation. She answered, “I want to go straight
to work with my dad.” Whom works at a shop where he makes grills for people.
She explained that she wanted to experience working a little before attending
school in the fall. I found it so interesting that her father and grandpa owned
and worked at their own grill shop. This led to another question I had, who is
your inspiration in life, and why? Her answer surprised me. She said her mother
because she was everything that she doesn’t want to be. Meaning the mistakes
that her mom made in the past, she didn’t want to follow. Her mother didn’t
graduate because she dropped out and Saisha was not going to follow in her
footsteps. My next question was where do you see yourself in 10 years? She
looked as if she had to think about this question, carefully and thoroughly. I
didn’t blame her, it’s something to think about. She answered, “Successful and
with a stable but enjoyable job.” I asked her if she saw herself with any kids
or maybe married and she responded probably some kids and hopefully married. My
fourth question for her was what keeps you motivated to accomplish goals? , she
confidently replied , “Just knowing that eventually one day I will accomplish
these goals.” She said it would take patience but they will be met. My next
question was about High school. I asked her what aspects you are enjoying about
senior year. She smiled and said knowing that every day will be a new memory
because it’s your last year in high school. She also said being around people
who you probably won’t see as much after high school, basically enjoying these
last moments of being in high school with these people. I absolutely agreed
with her. My last and final question was, what college are you considering to
attend? Her answer was Bryant and Stratton because she was accepted, which was
great news! She smiled and said I want to go for occupational therapy because I
want to become something that can benefit others... I thought to myself that
seems like something she would do because she is such a kind and sweet person. I
thanked her for her time and we moved on to my interview.
SAMANTHA
by Starr Ryland-Buntley
It was a grey and gloomy day when
Samantha and I met for our interview. We decided to meet in the front of
the classroom since I was already set up there and most of the other spaces were
occupied. I began the interview by asking what her plans were after graduation.
“Of course I plan to go to college, and I’d like to study psychology.” Sam stated.
I proceeded with “and why would you like to study psychology?” “Nothing else
really interests me, I’m not great in math or science and I’ve always felt
comfortable around people. My brother has mental health issues and I want to be
able to help those just like him.” Sam told me. I then asked Sam what she planned to do after
college “I am hesitant to start working right away, I’d like to travel the
world and meet new people and experience new cultures and become more
understanding.” Sam responded.
Inspiration is a key component to
making a change in our lives, communities and world. Knowing this and that
Samantha wants to make a change in others’ lives, I wanted to know who she
admired most. “I would have to say my grandma. She remains happy in any
situation and doesn’t give up, and she encourages me to be confident and stay
positive. She’s never mean and is so kind. And I one day aspire to be as kind
and positive as she is.” Sam stated with a big grin.
Since Sam wants to help others, I
continued the interview with the question would you like to do missionary work
in the near future. “I like the idea of bringing home different cultures, it
changes your perspective, by experiencing their problems and helping them helps
you to realize that your problems don’t compare to what other countries deal
with daily.” Sam stated.
When looking for jobs people tend
to take jobs for the money and hate it I know this from experience. So I asked
Sam “would you rather take a job for the money you make or the way it makes you
feel. “Of course you have to think about providing for yourself and in my
chosen field you either make a lot of money or you don’t at all. But I’d take a
job for how it makes me feel and if you’re going to die anyway you should enjoy what you do and make the
most of it no matter how much you make.” Sam chuckled.
I have come to realize that in our
school a lot of the students don’t intend on continuing with their crafts. I
asked Sam if at one time she thought of pursuing her art. If you didn’t know
Sam is a drama major. “I used to think that I wanted to continue in theater but
when I auditioned and always got chorus roles I seemed to be growing out of
acting. But it helped me gain a thicker skin and shaped me into the person I am
today.” Sam smiled. Honestly if had not been for this project I wouldn’t have known
what a kind hearted and caring person
Samantha truly is and I’m truly glad we were able to learn more about
each other and I wish her the best of luck in the future.
The Mind of
Spencer
by Michele Wright
Spencer, a theater tech senior at School of the Arts, had
some very interesting thoughts about senior year so far.
To begin things Spencer was asked what he believe was the
biggest problem at SOTA. He responded: “Predominately, the administration does
not know how to work with the students and work with the staff to make the
building run as best as possible. All the events are happening in the very
beginning of the year during college applications, scholarship applications,
making sure your grades are good, and taking the SATs and ACTs”. Right off the
bat you can see that just in the few months that school has begun there is many
things that this senior has to deal with at once. He compared his situation to
the seniors that year and finds it quite unfair that they were able to turn in
money and pictures for senior activities and personal things, like the senior
page, in April, but the seniors now had to have these things done by the
beginning of November. He believes that this is “detrimental to the seniors”
because they have all this stressed to get these things done in such a short
amount of time. He believes that the deadlines should be spaced out so that the
seniors are able to plan effectively.
I asked him if he thought the problem is more because the
deadlines are too early in the year or is it because the seniors are not well
informed about these deadlines. To simply put it he believes the problem is
that the deadlines are so early in the year when seniors are worrying about
other things, like college applications, that there is too much going on to
remember everything and have it done on time. He believes the biggest reason
why things are going on the way they are this year is because “the
administrators are trying to do things the way they think is best and not
asking the students”. He suggested that deadlines should be more flexible so
that if some of seniors miss the deadline they could still turn in whatever
needs to be turned in.
On the topic of how senior year is already too much to
handle, Spencer discussed the financial problem for the seniors. The question
asked was, were the prices for the yearbooks and senior apparel a little but
too much especially for the students that didn’t have a job? Spencer believes
that the prices for things this year is an issue, but he has different views
about the price. He believes that the things that are optional are okay to be a
little bit expensive, only because they are not required. On the other hand,
for the cap, gown, and sash for graduation, “yes, $37 isn’t a lot but you have to pay the money, otherwise you
can’t walk the stage”. The fact that you have to pay or you can’t walk the
stage is “restricting” some senior to experience what all the other graduating
seniors are experiencing. Not all seniors have money to spend right when it
needs to be spent.
Everyone knows about fundraising, so I wondered what his
opinion was about fundraising. He wants to fundraise but he strongly believes
that the seniors are very “apathetic” and it is hard to get them motivated to
do something. If we could get the seniors motivated the seniors would be more
engaging. “It would create a better environment at SOTA. I think it would
honestly make senior year better,” Spencer said. “People identify themselves as
the class of 2016 but not as School of the Arts class of 2016. It would make a
difference on how people view themselves as part of the class if we had more
trips like Camp Cory.”
Starr
by Samantha
Symes
It was a cloudy, overcast Thursday
afternoon when I sat down with Starr for our Journalism
interview. My initial impression of Starr was one of charm; with sparkles on
her face and a kind smile, any animosity that I had previously had about our
interview dissipated. We sat across from each other in the uncomfortable
computer lab seats and laughed, attempting to get past the initial bout of
awkwardness that randomly paired assignments typically evoke.
“What motivates you to wake up and
come to school everyday?” This was a simple question put in place to “break the
ice”. There seemed to be very little hesitation accompanying Starr’s response.
She appeared to be very confident and sure of her reply. “My drive to go to
college. To be the first one out of my family to go to college.” This instantly
provided a small peek into her family background and her obvious ambition. With
hopes to attend college and major in either musical theatre or veterinarian
studies, Starr seems excited about the next steps in her life. The minimal
amount of trepidation that she feels when imagining her future is nothing out
of the ordinary for a senior in high school. “I feel very prepared, I’m just a
little bit scared.” It was easy to admire her honesty and openness when admitting
her animosity about doing things on her own for the first time. She mentions
staying closer to home for college, but when the possibility of studying abroad
in London comes up, it’s clear from the eagerness in her voice that she is
ready to explore the world.
“What is one piece of advice you
would give to your younger self and why?” The answer to this question didn’t
come as quickly. There was a pause as she seemed to dig deeper for a thoughtful
answer and it became clear that this was important to her. After a few moments,
she presented her answer with confidence. “The people around you shouldn’t
define you. Find your own happiness.” As we continued to talk, Starr explained
that she had been bullied in elementary school and that she had struggled with
staying true to herself. She felt pressured to change who she was to fit the
expectations of those around her. With an unwavering voice Starr spoke about
learning to not seek the approval of others and to simply be herself. It’s
clear that she’s grown into herself and, just from a short interview with her,
I can see that she has become more comfortable in her own skin. The way that
she maintains direct eye contact and answers every question as honestly as she
can reflects her poise and budding confidence.
“What is your favorite word and
why?”
“Sing.” Starr replied after a brief
moment of consideration. “I love singing. Hearing that word makes me want to
sing.” Having seen her performance in Annie
and Mary Poppins, two School of
the Arts December productions that have taken place both this year and last,
I’ve been witness to her outstanding singing. Her vocals match her personality;
light and sweet, but underlined with a brewing confidence and passion. As a
vocal major at School of the Arts, Starr wants to share her love for singing
with others. She utilizes singing to express herself and speak out. This is
clearly the root of who Starr is. Her love for singing is very apparent as she
explains herself. She fell in love with musical theatre during Annie last year, her first ever
production. She loved that she was able to become an entirely new person on
stage. The music department t-shirt that she was wearing only confirmed what
she was telling me.
“What,” I began my final question,
“if anything, will you miss most about high school?” Her close family ties came
into play again as she stated that she would miss her mom’s constant
encouragement and motivation more than anything. “My mom is my number one fan.”
When prompted about maybe missing friends, Starr explained that while there
were a few people that she would miss, she’s “trying to separate”. She’s ready
to go off to college and bring out her more outgoing and social side. As the
interview drew to a close, I was happy to have a deeper understanding of a girl
with whom I’ve shared many classes over the years. It is clear that her
ambition, developing self-motivation, and passion will carry her forward in
whatever future endeavors that she may choose to pursue.
by Shaquasia Constantine
Weston Costello Jr, instrumental major at Rochester, New York’s, School of The Arts rushed into the Ballet dance room after he found out his band lesson was cancelled. We laughed and joked before the interview like always, Weston is quite the jokester but, when it was time to get serious, Weston was very ready.
Weston is the only child of his parents. Growing up he lived a pretty good life but he always knew he wanted more for himself, he wanted his own. He always felt the need to strive for more. Weston showed such passion for wanting to succeed throughout life during our interview. Weston describes education as being “the key to survival”. When I asked Weston, “Who would you attribute to being a major influence in your life?” he cited his late grandmother as being the most influential person that was in his life. As he talked about his grandmother, I could tell that the two once shared a special bond. In fact, his grandmother is the reason for him wanting to enter the medical field as a doctor specializing in either Plastic Surgery, Anesthesiology or the Emergency Department. His grandmother was a registered nurse. Weston goes on to say “She would always teach me new things...The amount of emotions I feel knowing that she isn’t here to watch me walk across the stage or finally become the doctor I want to be is heart breaking.” One could obviously tell that his grandmother was his biggest motivator. This question really changed the tone of the interview to me. In the beginning, Weston was extremely more guarded then compared to when we started speaking about his grandmother. His tone became more less playful and more serious. Weston believes that experiencing losses has shaped him into the man he has become today. Whether that would be losing an ice skating competition, friend, family member, or missing a shot while he’s out hunting, he thinks it's all for a reason. Everything is for a reason. However, Weston has experienced difficult situations that he didn’t know if it would make or break him. Losing friends, his grandmother and other family members along with the stress and pressure of schooling definitely could’ve caused for Weston to break but he didn’t allow that. “We can always make it through” is what Weston would say to anyone going through a rough situation right now. I tried to shift the conversation to a more positive, happy atmosphere by asking “Where do you see yourself in five, ten, twenty years?” In five years,he sees himself entering medical school. In ten years, he hopes to be starting internships and residency school. In twenty years, he hopes to achieve his lifelong goal of being a successful doctor in the U.S. After doing this interview with Weston Costello, I have great faith in him and I am positive that he will go on in life to achieve amazing things in the years to come.
Shaquasia
by Weston Costello
An ordinary day in Rochester, it was just
one of those gloomy ones where everything just seems stressful or sad. Seeing
all the other senior students pass by but one caught my mind, Shaquasia, Shaquasia
Constantine. She seemed so eager and determined to all of the things she takes
part in and all of the things she's accomplished in her life so far. I asked as
she eagerly listened “what is the most important thing to you in your life?” She
paused for a second to think and said “education, my education is really key”
“was their ever a realization period where you thought this or something else
was more relevant?” She continued “ senior year has really broadened my eyes,
I'm growing up and I need to start think more about my future”. She seemed as
if she was going to be a successful women just they way she spoke. She added
all I really want in life is to be successful. Everyone has a story or two from
high school maybe it be a good one or bad one. “What was your high school
experience like?” Thinking to here a cliché answer. “Everything I have gone
through these high school years have really shaped me in to the person I am
today”. She said everything is a lesson to learn and with learning you become
broader and smarter. I continued on to ask the question “ what do you think
would happen if you didn't finish school?” She stated that “ from school I
think the greatest lesson that I've learned was to not be afraid of being
yourself.” She continued on saying how important it is to be true to yourself
and that no matter what you shouldn't let people put you down in life. Life is
a lesson itself, everything in life happens for a reason and you learn from those
reasons and mistakes that you make. Some may think we'll what if college
doesn't work what if I'm not good enough for college another might say, do you
have a backup plan? I asked. In a semi joking matter “ my mother would kill me
if I didn't finish school, having goals and ambitions is one thing I'm going to
make sure happens in my life”. She added “ but if something were to backfire I
would want to try and start my own business to help kids with cancer”. She
seems to have a big heart that even though a rough patch may happen she is
ready to completely give back even when the original plan backfires. I jokingly
asked since you are a teenager how exactly do you fix a phone screen? She
replied giggling “hello you simply take it off and put a new one on”. She seems
as if she is going to grow up a very smart women and she is going to be good at
whatever she becomes and is gonna grow up very successful seeing and listening
how she dedicated herself to all of the things she does.
WHERE IS MINE???
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