7 Seniors Who Have Definitely Been There
Looking back over the last four years, seniors recall some of their favorite memories.
Meet: Rachel Hoder
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? I don’t really have one specific memory, but I will always remember all of the “new things”- Circle Drive, football games, and dances.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Why? It was an adjustment, but doable. Time management was definitely more important than before
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? Managing my time and not over-stressing were some of the biggest struggles I had in high school. I think my parents helped me the most reminding me of things I had to do or to take a break from studying.
Did you struggle with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? Not really. I have always had the same core group of friends since I have been little.
Most embarrassing high school memory? My very first football game, my friends and I went to the top of the student section. We stood there for a while but then the bleachers got too full so the seniors “boo”ed us out of the stands and all chanted at us as we moved.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? Mr. Moran. I had him for both English and Intro to Theater. He made an impact on me because he cared so much for his students, wanted to have fun in class, and also wanted us to learn a lot.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? Student Council, volleyball, MAWI, Target Success, and NHS.
What has been a highlight of you last 4 years at Glenbard West? Playing in a State Championship for volleyball in 2015.
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? I think I have changed mentally the most. I have identified my values and morals stronger than I ever have before.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Push yourself to take classes that challenge you, but not classes that are too much for you to handle. Take on a course-load that will push you, but you can manage.
Meet: John McDonnell
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? The first day of school.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Not hard as all. Hadley prepared me pretty well.
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? AP Euro was pretty hard. I was resourceful and talked to my teachers and was able to thrive in the class.
Did you have trouble with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? Freshman and sophomore year there was no solid group, which was hard. Being involved in sports helped a lot because all of my friends played on my team.
Most embarrassing high school memory? I was pretty sweaty a lot, which has always been embarrassing.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? Mr. Keely has always been very approachable and understanding. He’s been a huge encouragement throughout high school.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? Football, tennis, MAWI, NHS, Reality Illinois
What has been the highlight of your last 4 years at Glenbard West? Winning State for football my junior year and meeting my girlfriend, Paige Lane.
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? I became more confident and comfortable with who I am. I’ve also learned to deal with adversity through athletics.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Be outgoing and join a lot of extracurriculars. Also be resourceful and build strong relationships with your teachers.
Meet: Jacob Kelleher
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? Study group sessions with my favorite study group.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Why? In terms of academics, it wasn’t terribly difficult for me to adjust to the rigor of high school. However, in terms of time management and scheduling of extracurriculars, it was very hard for me to adjust.
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? I struggled a lot with accepting myself and believing I was capable of anything. Theatre really helped me overcome that because of all the kind-hearted people who taught me it was okay to be me and that I was capable of anything I wanted to do.
Did you struggle with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? Freshman and sophomore year I didn’t really have any close friends. I was often lonely and bored, but once I began junior year I really began to find friends. I think this happened because I finally found the right people to be friends with.
Most embarrassing high school memory? I messed up on saying the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom on the last day of school. I skipped a huge phrase, lol.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? Mrs. Williams had a really big impact on me. I’ve always wanted to be a high school math teacher and she was a perfect example of that goal. She also has always been so supportive and kind. She’s fantastic.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? Theater, Student Council, Choir, Senior Mentors, Target Success, NHS, and MAWI.
What has been the highlight of your last four years at Glenbard West? Junior year I directed Godspell and then our show was asked to perform at the State Theatre Festival. Working on such a powerful show and then getting the honor of performing at the State Festival was amazing.
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? I’ve become far more outgoing and confident than I was as a freshman. I never believed I could be class president or be in a theatre show or anything like that.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Be yourself and don’t let others bring you down. If you want to try something or do something new, go for it and don’t let others hold you back.
Meet: Jack Carlin
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? My best memory was definitely Circle Drive Dance. It’s one of my favorite traditions at West.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Why? It was kinda hard to adjust to the workload high school gives you weekly. It was very different than middle school and it took some getting used to.
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? Something that I struggled with was always my grades at the beginning of the school years, having to adjust to each year’s new requirements and classes.
Did you struggle with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? Not really, because I always surrounded myself with good people and developed a solid group of friends early on.
Most embarrassing high school memory? One time freshman year, I hadn’t mastered my schedule yet, or where my classes were, so I walked into the wrong classroom, and everyone just look at me like I was crazy and then I just walked out.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? Mr. Neiss, my English teacher, has had a strong impact because aside from being a great educator, he also knows how to talk with his students about other subjects other than just school, but like struggles and offers advice.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? I am involved in Soccer, Tennis, Young Life, and Best Buddies for a year or two.
What has been the highlight of your last four years at Glenbard West? The highlight was definitely winning State in football. I loved going down to the game with my friends, and taking part in that part of my high school experience.
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? I’d have to say my hair, it grew a lot higher since freshman year.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Make good choices.
Meet: Emma Erickson
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? Making JV field hockey and entering high school already knowing the team and having a community.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Why? It was definitely a big jump from middle school but I had an easier adjustment because I was going through the same things as everyone else. Study groups were very helpful.
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? I tend to overcommit myself because I want to to do everything. With so many different opportunities in high school, I definitely struggled with managing my time. I’ve gotten better at saying no to commitments that I cannot handle.
Did you struggle with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? My friendships have changed throughout high school, which is tough. For me it helped to combat change with some consistency, like field hockey where I got to spend time with the same friends every year.
Most embarrassing high school memory? Probably the Romeo and Juliet presentation freshman year. I was acting, and I just remember feeling ridiculously uncomfortable performing for ten minutes in front of the class.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? I’ve been in Frau Washburn’s German Class for the past four years. Her positivity, advice, and “Mama Washburn Moments” have been essential.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? I play field hockey and lacrosse. I’m also on Model UN, and I am president of NHS.
What has been the highlight of your last four years at Glenbard West? Playing field hockey was a highlight every year. It was so fun to grow with my team, and play in two state tournaments my junior and senior year.
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? I am a lot more confident in myself as a senior. This is just a part of falling into a rhythm in high school but it’s allowed me to do a lot more than I could as a freshman.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Do your homework: This is pretty cliche, but it’s easy to fall behind with so much to do. You don’t really need to do anything special to do well. Just be organized and positive doing it, so you don’t miss easy points.
Meet: Kevin Tarczon
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? My favorite memory from freshman year was Homecoming because it was my first dance at West and really exciting.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Why? It was very difficult, because I went from not having to do much, in terms of studying and homework, to having to work very hard to study and prepare for my Honors classes.
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? I struggled with managing my time between school work, sports, and activities. I overcame this by becoming more organized and getting myself into a routine.
Did you struggle with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? No, not really. I was fortunate to have a close group of friends throughout high school.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? Mrs. Williams, my PreCalc H and Calc BC teacher, had a strong impact on me because she is a big reason why I like math so much and have decided to pursue a math-based major in college.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? Volleyball, Student Council, NHS, Hundred Dollar Project, Senior Mentor
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? Since freshman year, I have definitely become more open to trying new things and have become more independent.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Get involved in lots of stuff during your freshman year- it is a great way to meet new people and figure out what you are interested in.
Meet: Paige Lane
What is your favorite memory from freshman year? Playing on the Glenbard West Basketball Team.
How hard was it for you to adjust to the rigor of high school? Why? It wasn’t hard except for World History Honors which was actually hard compared to Hadley Junior High School.
What is something that you struggled with in high school? How did you overcome it? Making friends in math class was difficult because I was always with the grade above me. I didn’t overcome that until Junior and Senior year when I was confident enough to speak to them.
Did you struggle with friendships at any point in high school? What made it better? Yes, I think everyone struggles with friendships in high school, you just have to wait it out and it will get better.
Most embarrassing high school memory? I’ve done a lot of embarrassing things throughout the years, probably fell down the stairs a couple of times.
Describe a teacher who had a strong impact on you? Frau Washburn because she was always genuinely cared about me.
What activities are you involved in at Glenbard West? Founder of the Breakfast Club, basketball, tennis, golf, student council, Senior Mentors
What has been the highlight of your last four years at Glenbard West? Meeting Abbey Trippel.
In what way have you changed the most since freshman year? I have become friends with Abbey Trippel which has made me a better person overall.
What is the best advice you can give to freshman? Be efficient and don’t take forever to do your homework because it doesn’t pay off.
Julia Lane is a senior this year at Glenbard West and has been part of the newspaper for three years. She is so excited to be Managing Editor of The Glen...
