Junior Claire Lollar listens on the phone during “Bye Bye Birdie”. Claire plays the role of Kim McAffee in the musical. “I love theater,” Lollar said. “It’s just a different way to express yourself compared to other forms of art. It’s just a fun way to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. The different shows each year have a different dynamic especially figuring out the show, the sets, all the transitions and the costuming. It’s also a different bond. Last year, it was like a family and this year it’s even more of a family. Even though it’s still a lot of people, we all have gotten so close over the past few months.”

Deekshitha Daruvuri strikes a pose in her Indian dress before the Indian Culture Club’s first meeting. Captured that morning, her vibrant attire set the tone for a day of celebration and cultural exploration.“I love wearing traditional clothes; it makes me feel connected to my heritage,” Deekshitha shared.

During school on Halloween, senior Jack Garcia wears a banana costume while working in his study hall. Garcia worked on aerospace engineering and wore this costume as he already had it from last year when the boys swim team had to dress up for the girls swimming sectional meet. “I was inspired to wear it because it is my senior year so no better time than now to wear it,” Garcia said. “I had people wanting to take pictures with me and it just makes people laugh and smile.”

Junior Audrey Johnston plays cello at the dress rehearsal for the school musical “Bye Bye Birdie”. Part of the pit is hired adults to play for the musical. “It’s interesting to play alongside professionals because they play confidently and can offer advice about a piece,” Johnston said.

Makayla Woolfork dresses up at an Among Us character for halloween. “I dressed up as an among us character because I thought that it would be funny and I didn’t want anyone else to be left out,” Woolfork said.

Dressed up for Halloween, senior Bella Tran works on her engineering work. Tran’s outfit was costume made by a family member. “My mom has a cousin in Vietnam who makes Vietnamese dresses, and we asked her to make the vest and jacket for me,” Tran said, “And I just chose the character because he’s from a game that my friends and I really enjoy.”

Sophomore Elliott Fisher annotates as he reads the new material on the Great Depression and Dust Bowl that was given out in his second period American Studies class. “Learning about the history of this country is very important for our education,” Fisher said. “The Great Depression was a devastating time period to our economy, and knowing how it happened will ensure it won’t happen again.”

Junior Hannah Gin plays defense during the team’s scrimmage versus Zionszille. Gin has played basketball since she was in second grade and defense has always been her favorite to play. “Defense is my absolute favorite part of basketball. It is what I’m best at and enjoy doing the most,” Gin said.