Their senior year certainly didn’t go as expected, so let’s take a moment to salute seniors who participated in Virginia High School League Activities.

The following seniors responded to the SunDevil Times survey. 

Drama

Jeanessa Loyd

One of my favorite memories of working with this year’s One-Act cast was in one of our first rehearsals together. We all sat in a circle in dim lighting discussing ideas for the original piece we were creating, and what experiences and thoughts we could offer to that discussion. For me, it was a moment where we all first bonded together, where we could remove those boundaries and truly get close with each other emotionally, and start to become like a little family. From then on I knew I could trust these people, and they could trust me, and that really was a great start for us this season.

I’ve gained so many things just from being a part of One-Act: friendship, creativity, strength, and most of all, a family. It’s given me people who I can count on or just call up to say a quick hello; it’s pushed me to think and move outside of my comfort zone- and when I’ve found somewhere new to be comfortable I have to move outside of that; it’s taught me to have endurance and dedication through the tough times and the times where it seems like there’s nothing new to be found, and it’s given me a space where I can be myself and find positivity with others.

I’m continuing to study Performing Arts with a focus on Acting for the Screen at Savannah College of Art and Design, and hoping to participate in theatre productions as well.

Rachael Severts

It’s hard to choose just one, but backstage of The Winter One Acts is something I’ll never forget. I was the student director and was really stressed about the whole thing but, when we got to closing, the cast and crew were just trying to have fun. In the last show, we had a bread emergency over the headsets, the prop table collapsed immediately following bows, an actor had to go home due to a family emergency, and everyone was holding their breath to see if we actually pulled it off. The curtains closed, the actors went to the dressing room, and my crew came over to where I was with the collapsed prop table. Everyone was okay and the show was over so we just started laughing until all three of us were on the floor. We stayed until we had to go get the actors out of the dressing room and we didn’t stop laughing and grinning until we left IHOP around midnight. 

Theatre has taught me to look beyond what’s obvious in front of me. I work in a team, I think outside of the box, and I’ve found a community of my own. I’m going to be studying Technical Design and Production at Shenandoah Conservatory so I will be continuing it in college and as my career!

Rukiya Varner

In the moment when we finish performing and are waiting for the blackout, there is a feeling of community and appreciation that is amplified. The feeling is there from very early on in the process, but it peaks right after each performance because we have trusted and helped and supported each other so much for the time that we share the stage.

I have learned what it feels like to be a part of a cast instead of always doing tech. There is a different kind of connection built between people who share a stage, and I have gotten to experience it from competing in the One Act.

Jalyn White

My greatest memory came when the 2018-2019 VHSL team was named Regional Champs. That feeling was so intense, so magical, so overwhelming- we worked so hard and it finally paid off. At that point, it was about finishing strong and having fun as an ensemble, no matter the outcome. 

Since the roles of Stage Manager (2018-2019 season) and Director (2019-2020) are big leadership roles, I have enhanced so many skills, including switching from the “friend” hat to the “colleague” hat. My problem solving skills have greatly improved since being trusted with the last two One Act plays, I have learned more about discipline, and my communication is even better than before. 

In college I will be majoring in Biology And Theatre! I am very excited about pursuing theatre as a major and expanding my knowledge on this wonderful art form. 

Forensics

Sophie Brotemarkle 

Junior year, I became a state champion for my category of Humorous Duo Interpretation. I was so proud to have achieved this recognition with my partner at the time, Tanner Harbeson. I had been working on that piece for about a year, and I really felt like my hard work had paid off. 

I’ve always been comfortable with public speaking, but now I know I have the skills to be able to communicate effectively with nearly anyone. I have no problem talking to adults or my peers about a topic and approaching it in a professional manner and articulate my thoughts well. As a captain of the team for two years I have gained leadership skills regarding being able to delegate and critique my peers, balancing friendships with the authority of my position. 

The college I plan to attend, East Carolina University, does not have a speech team. That being said, I plan to be on their improv team. 

Caroline Chown

Winning a State Championship my junior year and qualifying for Nationals my senior year are my best memories. Also, any of the days spent after school on Tuesday’s with my team just working on our pieces together and making them as good as they could be. Being Co-Captain for my junior and senior years alongside Sophie Brotemarkle has been one of the greatest joys of my time at Salem. It’s made me a better person and taught me teamwork/leadership skills I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. I plan on joining the Forensics team at James Madison University, where I‘ll be in the fall.

Journalism

Ty Bodner

The best part about journalism is seeing my stories in the newspaper. Journalism has helped me to put my ideas and opinions into words in a way that others can understand me better.

Emily Carey

My best memory was getting my first article in the newspaper. My writing isn’t excellent, but this class has taught me that it’s better than I thought.

Ariana Fletter

One of my favorite parts of newspaper was being in the class with some of my favorite people every other day. This activity taught me how to be a better writer and it also taught me how to come out of my shell and talk to new people.” 

STEM Robotics

Cody LeRoy

My favorite memory is going to competition my sophomore and junior years and just having a good time with my friends while competing. It’s taught me to better work with other people and to not try and take a full workload all myself. I don’t know if they have a Robotics team at ODU, but I am going into school for computer engineering so I will be doing some of the same stuff.

Rachael Severts My greatest memory is after we all competed in my sophomore year and we found out we made it to the semi-finals. Cody and Cade picked up Kenny, putting him on their shoulders and joking around while we waited for our scores. We were all leaning on one another, riding the excited energy until we found out we made it. We ran across the convention center to our senior member (he was competing in a different section of the competition and couldn’t be with us) to tell him what we did. We all clicked as a team and we all were just having fun; it made all the stress worth it. 

I never thought I could do anything like STEM, let alone become a team captain. Technology has never been my strong suit and I was pushing what I was comfortable with in a lot of ways. However, joining and competing with them for what would have been my third year taught me to trust myself and push myself. I push myself more and I have more confidence when I go into new projects because robotics pushed me. I learned it’s okay to not get it right the first time and it’s okay to trust a team to cover what I don’t know. 

I’m pursuing technical theatre so I will be bringing some aspects of robotics with me and will use the skills I’ve learned in the future. However, I don’t know if Shenandoah offers a STEM program I can participate in. If it does though, I will definitely join!