Lauren Kennedy

Lauren Kennedy - Class of 2019

I first became attached to volleyball when my uncle Pete was diagnosed with breast cancer. My favorite memory is playing volleyball with him. When he passed away, my family and I did fundraisers and tournaments. When I came into 8th grade, I was on the high school team, and I fell in love with the group of girls. I liked the team aspects better at first, but then that made me fall in love with the sport as a whole. Without volleyball, I wouldn't have met the same group of girls and I probably wouldn't be as outgoing. There is a lot of pressure on me to play in college by my parents, and I’ve had meetings with division one and division three schools, but I don’t know if I want to play. In college, you’re supposed to find who you wanna be. I don’t really want to play in college because I don’t wanna give up everything to play a sport that probably won't get me anywhere. I mean, I’d wanna get somewhere with volleyball, but it’s just a ton of pressure and I need to focus on school. I feel like that’s more important now. I’ve made my parents happy by meeting with coaches, but at the end of the day it’s really my decision, not theirs. I want to go far away for school. I want to start my own company when I’m older and I feel like if I go far away, it will give me new creative ideas. I’d like to be my own boss, and I think that going off on my own and seeing what I want to do would help me find myself. I feel like I’m held back by, I don’t know, this community. It’s so small and you grow up with the same people and don’t really get to try new things. Volleyball has made me a better person because you grow with your team and become a unit and work as one, but at the same time it has lots of drawbacks for my future. The pressure from my parents makes me try even harder, and if I have scouts at the game, then it puts all of the attention on me and I don’t know, it’s kind of scary to think about. I’m only sixteen, and I don't want to think about the rest of my life right now. I want to live in the moment.

Linus Hsu

Linus Hsu - Class of 2018

When I was four years old, my family moved from Hsinchu, Taiwan to Massachusetts. The change wasn’t as drastic as you’d think it would be. I settled into American life pretty well, picking up basic English in a month or so (according to my parents my first full sentence in English came from me yelling at other kids to give me a turn on the slide, preschool elitists smh). I had to start going by the English name I had picked out during daycare, Linus, because apparently Yuan-Ting is too hard to pronounce. And then they had the audacity to judge me when I didn’t say Hermione correctly on my first try. Like boi, you taught us to sound out long words your way, when you sound out Hermione you break it into Her-mi-one like any logical person would do because it’s the most even syllable spread, of course people are going to say it wrong, JK Rowling. Anyway, I chose Linus because I liked the character from Peanuts. He would suck his thumb and carry around a nice blue blanket everywhere, and had all these idioms he would preach at people randomly. Sounds just like me amirite? Plus, it’s not a common name, and people tend to remember it better than Tim. Tim is what my parents were going to name me. Timothy Hsu. Glad I got out of that one. Anyway, after living in the Residence Inn in Danvers for 3 months and finishing up preschool, my family moved to our first real home in America: a little townhouse in Beverly where I did kindergarten and first grade, then hopped over to Andover, where I completed second, third, and fourth grade. In fifth grade, we moved again to Ipswich, and that’s where I’ve been since.

Ben DiBello

Ben DiBello - Class of 2019

On a Sunday over February Break this year, I was bored and cleaning my room to occupy myself when I found my old handheld GPS. I was looking through the GPS to see if anything may have been saved, when I remembered my GPS could locate geocaches*. Using my GPS, I found a geocache only an hour’s walk away. Having not much else to do, I packed a few items in my bag and headed out.

After walking for about an hour, my GPS began leading me down a trail somewhere by the town wharf. After walking down the trail for close to ten minutes, I found a clearing with a big rock with some plaque on it, and the GPS said the geocache was close. After about twenty minutes of searching, I found an opened Tupperware container that wasn’t in the spot indicated by the GPS. There were a few items strewn around the container, including a plastic top and a notebook with names presumably written inside, but the pages were too wet to be able to tell. I put the items back into the container and buried it. Of course, at that moment, my GPS died. I turned around to go back on the trail, but the trail isn’t there. I must have walked a lot farther than I thought when looking for the geocache, so I spent a little more time trying to find the trail. After a few minutes, I gave up and walked in the direction I thought I came from.

After even more walking, I found a group of huge stone buildings in a field. More than anything, I was confused because I knew I must have been near the town wharf but I have never seen these buildings before. I began walking around these buildings to see if I could find anyone, but no one was around. I ended up coming across these two nuns, and I realized I came out at the Sisters of Notre Dame on Jeffrey's Neck Road. To escape any possible embarrassment this may have brought, I tried my best to avoid getting caught while I found the exit. Thankfully, I found the exit without getting caught, but I must have spent over three hours geocaching and getting lost.

*Geocaches are containers of objects that people bury/hide at random locations whose coordinates are then posted online. These geocaches can be filled with anything, but the general rule is that you take one item to leave another, and when you find the geocache, you sign your name in the notebook.

Carter Tracy

Carter Tracy - Class of 2019

Open on Maryland, June 25th, 2001, Carter Kevin Tracy is born. Son of John and Jacquil Tracy, the world is now a better place. I had a good life in Maryland; full of friendship. But when I was 4, we moved to Massachusetts for my dad's job. Best decision I ever made. I went to preschool at Small World. I had a lot of friends there and everybody was really nice to me. Then, I went to kindergarten at Doyon. In third grade I met Cole. Him, my brother and I have been best friends ever since. I was always the brightest lightbulb in the department store in Doyon, excelling in intelligence and even more in friendship. I started playing sports, like soccer, football, lacrosse and tennis. I was loving it. I had long flowing hair. Then when I entered middle school, I made even more friends, but I kinda sucked at sports. I cruised through middle school and then high school came around. As a freshman, I played football in the fall and tennis in the spring. Towards the end I was playing the best tennis of my life. Then over the summer, I sat back relaxed and worked out for football. I ended up starting both ways on JV during sophomore year. School's going good so far this year and that’s where we’re leaving off thus far in my life's journey.

Alex Rishi

Alex Rishi - Class of 2019

People always look at me as the funny guy who does funny things in class, or cracks a joke every now and then. But I'm not always like that. From 5th to 7th grade I lost three of my grandparents. It was really tough but I found a way to put on that happy face. Recently, I have been struggling with anxiety and depression. That is why I quit the sports that I once did. I was anxious about them and was worried that I wouldn't be able to focus on school or that I would do poorly in them. It has been tough but I am trying to push through, and I just keep on going.

Zoé Duffield

Zoé Duffield - Class of 2017

I was born in Cambodia, but I don't remember anything. Not my parents, not the orphanage, not the beautiful capital city--nothing. My adoptive parents brought me here when I was five months old, and have raised me as an American ever since. I grew up on American food, listened to American music, and immersed myself into the American way of life in every way possible. I know that things could've turned out differently, and am very grateful that they haven't. Yet I can't help but feel a little sad that my blank memories of Cambodia have kept me from truly identifying with my home country. I'm proud of my ethnic background, but it's hard to make any real connection when I don't recall any of it. As a kid I wanted nothing more than to blend in with all the other blue-eyed children around me, but now when people ask me about my birth place, it hurts to answer “I don't know”. It's not necessarily that I want to find my biological parents, or even any biological family at all, but I do wish to become more acquainted with Cambodia. It has a wild and unique history as well as a population of diverse individuals, and I hope that one day I can go back for a while to catch up a bit with what I've missed.

Peyton Fitzgerald

Peyton Fitzgerald - Class of 2017

For the majority of my life, I rarely felt challenged. I cannot say that I knew what failure was or how to adequately deal with it. I had always been regarded as 'the smart kid, and that was what I found my identity in- perfect grades. High school hit like a boulder. After getting my first-ever B in a class (freshman english- I’m sure people can relate), I didn’t know what to do with myself. It seemed like I had lost my identity. On the bus ride home later that week, I was speaking to one of my friends about how the B in this class meant the end of the world (bit of an exaggeration am I right?). She immediately turned to me and said something along the lines of "The fact that school is supposed to teach, and the grade is second to having learned something isn't right." If I had grown from taking that class, being challenged, and failing just a bit, then I had learned something, and that is something to be excited about. I have taken this advice with me throughout high school. I can say that I have done worse in classes and failed in greater capacities many times since then, but I learned that is not what has to define me- I can learn from everything. Fail or succeed, love what you are doing or hate it, that doesn’t matter. Everything serves as a basis for growth. I have flaws (many of them actually) and so does everyone else, but taking this simple idea to heart makes sure that the lows don’t get too low, and life can be good even when it seems bad. Bring it on college...

Cole Schildkraut

Cole Schildkraut - Class of 2019

I don’t remember my childhood. I moved here when I was 9 and I can’t remember anything before that. That was over half my life that I don’t even remember, which is weird to think about. Though there are a few things that I do remember. I remember waiting when my sister was born and the nurse came over and yelled at us. I woke up and had heartburn. I just remember it was stinging in my throat. But other than that, I don’t remember that day. I remember the potato wedges at the Albertson’s in Santa Fe, because when I was younger my parents used to just put me in the cart and give me those so I would shut up while we’d go shopping. I remember the public pool. We went there like 5 times and it was disgusting. I remember my swing set. I used to sit on it and you know how you twist yourself up? Yeah, I used to unravel and wheeeeeee. And spin. I don’t remember my house much. I don’t remember school. I remember some people but I don’t remember some people. I kept in touch with one girl a while ago but I haven’t talked to her in years. She was one of my best friends but I don’t remember anything about that. Except I remember one day we just sat there on the back porch on the swing looking out over the desert. I remember that: my backyard was just trees and sand. 

That was it.

Ellie Keveny

Ellie Keveny - Class of 2020

I've always been told that I'm a very focused person and a slight perfectionist. I don't get distracted in class or while doing homework. I can sit down and do something without letting my surroundings faze me. I don't want an A on an assignment, I want an A+. I keep studying even after I know the material, and I always try to exceed expectations. I guess being a perfectionist and focused is a good thing because having these traits helps me feel prepared. I have a very good idea of what I want to do when I'm older, and I continue to work towards my goals. However, being so focused and being a perfectionist can also have its downfalls. Sometimes I get so focused on the future that I forget to live in the moment. Whenever I make a mistake, I become so focused on it that I sometimes cannot move past it. If I look at my grades and have anything less than an A, I become disappointed in myself. Focusing on the future so much and worrying about my grades and mistakes is draining. However, there are advantages to being a focused overachiever. This past summer I used these traits to start my own photography business. Photography has always been an outlet for me, and it is an activity that helps me, and probably many others feel more in the moment. I may not be there now, but I am learning to live in the moment. After all, the present is called the "present" for a reason.

Stephanie Veerman

Stephanie Veerman - Class of 2018

I've always been really enthusiastic and outgoing, but last year I got diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder. All of the things that I used to love to do like singing and acting, especially in front of people, I would panic when I went out to do it. This was really different for me and I went into depression about it because this was always something I wanted. Acting was my escape. In college I wanted to be a theater major and my dream was to eventually be on Broadway. I went to New York this summer to see a Broadway show and I just didn't like it. I was really panicked the whole time and it was really weird for me because I didn't want that for myself anymore. This year it's been really interesting because I've been dealing with how to balance that I'm changing. It's been kind of sad but it's also been really eye-opening because I've always heard that people changed, but I never thought I would change everything, what I want to do in life, and my whole entire personality. I'm still happy and outgoing but I now want to go into the medical field and help people like this. I want to go into phycology and really study why this happens. Everything happens for a reason and I think this happened to because I can help other people with it, too.

Evan Kneedler

Evan Kneedler - Class of 2020

When I was in 4^th grade, I was playing soccer with my friend James. He got injured about halfway through the game and ended up having broken his wrist, but I didn’t know it at the time. I was playing goalie and we were loosing like 0-6 so I didn’t really care, so I pretended to dive into the goal post and hurt my wrist so I could sit out with James. At the end of the game, the coach came up to my mom and told her that he thought I should go to the hospital because he thought that I was really injured. I said that it wasn’t necessary, but my mom’s a nurse so she said that I had to go get 

x-rays. I got x-rays done, and it turned out that I actually had a broken wrist the whole time. I went back like 6 months later to get my cast off and it was still broken so I just live with both broken wrists.

Brian Lucchesi

Brian Lucchesi - Class of 2019

Within the past 3 or 4 months I’ve felt like I’ve been falling to the background of my parents’ attention. With my siblings being 2 ½, they need a lot of attention. I’m 16. I don’t need that much attention nor do I require it. But, going from doing stuff with my parents over the weekend to sitting in the house for the weekend is a complete 180 from what I’m used to having. That’s different; upsetting at times, because then when I ask to go away and do something with friends, my parents are upset since I’m not spending time with them. The conflict has struck between my father and I, and has now given him a reason to be upset with me. The time that I spend there is uninteresting, which makes me want to leave early. It’s a vicious cycle and trade-off, because I love my brother and sister but time there becomes tedious.

Saba Whitmore

Saba Whitmore - Class of 2017

When I was 14, I realized that I was gay. As an awkward 8th grader trying to figure out why I thought girls were attractive, this was the hardest thing to accept. No one ever talks about sexuality and what to do if you're questioning yourself. So I spent the next four years in absolute fear and self-loathing because I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to be the "lesbian" of my grade. In my experience, people always joked about stuff like that. No one ever took it seriously. As a direct result, I spent from 8th grade to the summer before senior year hating myself for it and creating a lot of fear, anxiety, and depression.

I didn't get the courage to tell anyone until my junior year where I spent a solid 2 hours crying over FaceTime to my best friend and swearing her to secrecy until I was ready to tell anyone else. Five more cole people later, and the fear slowly started to fade away. Knowing the people you care about accept you for something you couldn't even accept yourself for, is the best feeling in the world. It was the biggest weight of depression and anxiety lifted off of my shoulders.

Coming out wasn't a matter of having everyone accept me, it was a matter of being ready for that kind of judgment and owning it no matter what was said about me. So here I am senior year, out and proud, and it's one of the best decisions of my life. I don't care what others think of me; therefore, the only opinion of me that matters is mine. And I love me!

Luke Dione

Luke Dione - Class of 2020

I’ve been playing basketball my whole life. When it came time for travel season, I really thought I was going to make the A team because I’ve been practicing so much. When I finally found out what team I was on, I made the B team. I was kind of disappointed but I thought it would be a good experience. So I practiced more and more, and the year after I tried as hard as I could and still made the B team. The third year, I tried out for the third time and I finally made the A team. I was really happy because from the B team I thought I’d learn a lot, but when I finally went on the A team there was just so much more. It had an impact on my life because when I found out I was on the B team, it didn’t make me happy since I’ve been practicing for so long. When I finally made the A team, I was just really happy. I did really good the first year, but I knew I could do better so I wanted to practice even more. Last year, I tried out and made the A team again and I did really well. I didn’t even know I could do that good. I was just really proud of myself.