Highlighting student achievements

by Lucinda Costello-Kumfer | Guest Writer

Working to achieve something great can be very rewarding, especially at a young age. It’s important to acknowledge the accomplishments of students to show the hard work they put in, as well as to motivate and inspire others.

Emily Blackwell, sophomore, recently got accepted to play at Carnegie Hall, one of the most prestigious performance halls.

“I just practiced every single day for the past year,” Blackwell said. “I’ve taken private lessons, and I’ve just gone home and practiced for hours so I could get where I am.”

And those hours paid off for Blackwell.

“I was really in shock,” Blackwell said. “I didn’t think was going to get it, so when I saw that I was accepted it, just, my mind was blown. But I was very, very, happy.”

Shawn Coleman, junior, is in the process of creating a makerspace in the library.

“When I was at BWMS, we had a makerspace,” Coleman said. “If had a project I wanted to do, like make a CD case, it allowed me to do that. So when I came to the high school and saw an empty room there, I talked to Ms. Reed and we started the process. If I would give some advice to someone I would say don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Dani Wasserman, senior, founded InvestNow Clubs, a high school investment club that has now spread to four other schools, three in Missouri and one in Ohio. But it took a lot of time and work before the club grew to the over 110 members it has now.

“For starting any club or any type of initiative in general, think that one of the most important things is really just putting yourself out there and not being afraid of rejection,” Wasserman said.

Beyond extracurriculars, there have also been accomplishments throughout our sports teams. For example, the football team made districts this year for the first time since 2015- eight years ago.

“We got there because of attitudes and effort,” Kai Gover, senior, said. “There were a lot of seniors on the team this year, so we were really motivated to achieve as much as we could.”

Elena Kellogg, senior, finished 20th in state for goals scored in field hockey.

“For me, being in such a supportive environment had a really big impact on my performance,” Kellogg said. “Without support from your teammates and coaches, there’s not much to motivate you, so having that motivation really