I have another shark shirt. I got it on Christmas or my birthday.

When was your birthday?

February 2

Groundhog Day!

I know! It’s so weird. My brother was born on President’s Day and I was born on Groundhog Day.

Do you like groundhogs?

Not really. I like sharks. It’s one of my favorite animals. I have two favorite animals: sharks and cheetahs. I like Cheetahs because I like running and they like running.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

There is one thing I’m going to be sad about. I’m going to be missing Ms. Schofield all summer break. But, here’s what I’m looking forward to — having fun with all the people at Midway because, guess what? This summer, they are going to have age groups for camp. I’m a Sea Turtle and I’m going to be going with Guppies for swimming. There’s four groups: Guppies, Sea Turtles, Pirates, Water Riders. The Water Rider picture is a picture of someone riding a wave. The Pirates, it just looks like a pirate. Sea Turtles looks like a sea turtle and Guppies is a little fish. My parents told me I was in the Sea Turtle group. Each group has an age group. Guppies are the little tiny ones. Sea Turtles are the next stage, then the Pirates, then the Water Riders. I love Navy camp. It’s so fun! Last time I was there, we didn’t do this grouping thing. This is the first time we’ve done this.

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I’m going to the Chesapeake Bay on July 4, and I’m also going to my cousin’s birthday in Maryland on July 4. We go there every single July 4. We’re there with my friends Bella and Lily. We usually go to the beach and go to the deep end.

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This summer, I am looking forward to going to Maryland to spend time with my uncle and aunt and our cousin. After that we’re going to go to my Nana’s house and visit with her and go to some museums because she lives in Washington, DC, so we get to go to the Spy Museum and the American History Museum.

After that trip we’ll come home, restage and repack. Then we’ll go to North Carolina where my grandma and grandpa live and we’ll visit with them and go to some places like the aquarium there and maybe we might venture as far as the Special Operations Museum.

After that, me, my brother and my pastor and his two sons are going on my dad’s aircraft carrier, the Ike, for the day. They’re going to do an air show and kind of show us around. That will be fun. Then I have some summer camps. I go to Cub Scout camp. I’m not sure what I do after that. I think it’s more calm-down stuff. We have a whole jam-packed summer with this after this after this.

I’m excited about fifth grade. One of things my teacher said we’re going to do it American History, which I’m very interested in, especially the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, World War II, World War I — all those kinds of things. We’ll be the top grade in the school and need to lead by example. But then, a year later, we’re in middle school and back to being the kindergartners of middle school.

Why do you like history so much?

Because I have a long line of family members who have served in the military. I mean, I could have this big, long book. My dad’s relatives were Tuskegee Airmen, worked for Tuskegee Airmen, and one of them got captured by the Russians in World War II and didn’t come back until 1946. Then, on my mom’s side of the family, my grandpa was in the military. His dad served as a captain in World War II. I could write this big, long book about everything.

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In the beginning, I didn’t feel like I belonged until pretty much the end of my sophomore year. I do have certain people in this school who have impacted me and changed my life. One is Dr. Avila, for involving me in so many different things and instilling that he sees something in me. Also, I would say Ms. Pinto because I came in and I love to sing, so I did chorus. She put me in Madrigals my sophomore year. Normally it’s not for students who are so young, but she thought that I was prepared for that and it made me feel, once again, that I did belong. Ever since then I’ve been so busy and involved in any type of club or organization. That’s what led me to be class president and so many other things.

Just by being involved you get to know more people and you get to create so many different friends. We always say you have four years but you take this for a lifetime. What you make of your four years is what you instill in your life and it impacts your future.

I think it’s rewarding to know that with all that you’ve done these past four years, you get to take it on a different step and different path. It’s just nice to know that it leads to a bunch of excitement and I can’t wait for that.

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We’re going to Walt Disney World in August. We’re celebrating my dad’s birthday and my mom’s anniversary. His birthday is in June but we’re going in August because that’s when we won’t be in school. I like shopping there and a lot of the rides. I like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. That’s probably my favorite.

Is there anything else you’re looking forward to this summer?

I do swim team. Last year, I made it to divisionals, so I’m hoping I make it again this year. My favorite and best event is breaststroke, then it would probably be backstroke and freestyle. I am not good in butterfly. I’m very slow at it. I take gymnastics, too. We’re learning to do cartwheels on the beam. I can do one but I need mats under it. Then, on the floor, we’re learning to do back handsprings but I need a lot of help with that. I don’t have it quite yet. We also are doing flips on the trampoline. That’s it for the new things we’re doing.

I started out as teacher at Booker T. Washington in Norfolk and I came to Princess Anne High School as the activities coordinator. I went to Tallwood as an assistant principal and then I came over here 12 years ago as a coordinator, five years as a director. That’s the one thing that this job has taught me, everybody doesn’t go on a straight line to get their education. Everybody’s got a different story and it’s a not always a straight path, but it’s very rewarding to help the students, particularly when you hear what some of these people have gone through and what some of these students have had to overcome.

What are your plans for retirement?

The plan right now is no plan, but we’ll see where life takes it after this. I’ll play a lot of golf. I’m a big golfer. I’ll try to get myself back into shape. Being in administration now for over 20 years, it is 24/7, 12 months a year. There’s never any time to do anything. You’re always going and you’re always on call. So now, no calls.

I like to play basketball outside. I play football and basketball. My cousin helped me try out for soccer and I played baseball last year.

What do you like about playing sports and being active?

I like to keep my energy up so I won’t lose shape. I’m trying to stay in shape.

Other than sports, what are some of your favorite things?

I love going outside. I like the fresh air. I love going outside in the snow, too and riding my bike. I like going to the pool. I like going to the eight-foot part of the pool.

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I liked computers this year. I liked playing on TenMarks on there and learning about different animals on PebbleGo. I learned about giraffes. They live in Africa. They eat leaves. They have long necks and they have a blue and black tongue.

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I’m going to China this summer. I’m excited because it’s going to be my first time going and I’m interested in seeing the new things. I’m going to see the Great Wall and I’m going to see the Forbidden City. That’s all I know that we’re going to see for now. I’m going to see my mom’s parents because they live in China. It’s going to be my first time riding a plane.

Is there anything else we should know about your summer?

I may go to a tennis camp. Tennis is one of my favorite sports. I like it because it’s fun and you get to play with your dad, your mom and other people. I don’t really like playing things by myself but sometimes I’m kind of shy playing with people I don’t know.

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I think it’s been a really fast career. It’s funny, somebody said to me, “How long have you been in Virginia Beach,” and I said, “Only 30 years.” They said “Only? Really?” Thirty years is a long time, but it’s just like time, how it goes; it’s a blink. I think I’ll look more forward to Mondays now because Mondays are the hardest time when you’re going back to work. People always say I’m going to sleep in and really enjoy that, but I think we’ll still probably get up around the same time we usually do. I’m just looking forward to not having a list of things to do. I think eventually I will make lists of things I need to do that I haven’t done in the last 30 years, but I’m just enjoying thinking I can do what I want to for a little while. I’m sure I’ll get bored and I’ll find other things to do. I have a new grandchild, the first grandchild. I do have my mother who is going to come and live with me for a while this summer. I have a dog who is going to enjoy having my company a lot more. I’m just looking forward to those things.

What have you learned?

I think we have higher expectations for kids than we used to have, but I also think we need to remember that they are children. They still need to play some. They still need to laugh some. They still need to have some down time. Children make mistakes, and we have to understand that we were children once and they’re children, too. They’re just in a new world, very different from us. I think we need to play a little more.

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Last summer I went to Ocean Breeze with my friend because we had season passes, and his mom said we could probably do that again this year. I like the wave pool and the water slides. I like the really fast slides.

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When I’m not at school I like to play with my mom and my dad. I really like to do drawing with my mom. I draw good. I have one art kit and then my mom has one because she draws good, too. She has paints in the bottom of hers and I only have markers and crayons and pencils. But I have a lot of art stuff and markers and stuff like that.

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I was hired in 1971. I was the head night custodian at Hermitage for about 19 years and then I changed over to days. I like to make things shine. I always like to make things look good.

What have you been doing since you retired?

I stayed home for half a year. I’m back subbing. I’m at Hermitage, Diamond Springs and Christopher Farms.

What made you want to come back?

Oh, bored to death. I had a lot of energy and I still had a lot of work in me, so I wanted to do something. I painted everything around the house. So I thought, let me get out of here. Now I’m back subbing.

I think we’re going on this humongous trip this summer. I think we’re going to drive down to Florida and take a plane to go visit my grandpa. We’re going to go to California and then we’re going to fly back here.

And at the end of the year, on the last day of the school, the whole school normally has a pool party at my house. A big ol’ pool party. It’s really fun.

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I’ve been in school since I was 6 years old! I graduated from Princess Anne High School and did my student teaching at College Park Elementary. I started out at Kempsville Elementary and Creeds when I first got a job in 1977. It was part-time at Creeds for two days and three days at Kempsville. I have been at Christopher Farms for 20 years.

It is a job I truly have loved or I wouldn’t have stayed with it for so long. I get emotional just thinking about it. I never thought I would do this for 40 years. I did 30, and I kept thinking, ‘Well, I can do this one more year.’ Then, ‘I can do this another year.’ Now 10 years have passed and it is one of the best jobs in the world.”

Most of these children aren’t going to grow up to be artists but I want them to see how art is important in the everyday lives. We talk about that from the moment they get up and they brush their teeth, an artist had some role in designing that toothbrush. We talk about the cars that get them to school and our building. I want them to appreciate the idea of art.

What have you learned in 40 years of teaching?

Each child is different. Each child brings something new every day. You can never really plan a good day. I always say a good day just happens. You can have the best plans but sometimes a fire drill happens in the middle of a clay lesson or kids have their shoes off to draw them and something will happen. Every day is different. Every day is exciting. That’s what has kept me with it. It’s not ho-hum. Every day is a new experience and challenge every day.

What’s next?

My sister is retiring from Bayside High School, so we’re going to take sister trips. We both need knee replacements so we might do that together and then do sister trips. I’m an adjunct for Virginia Wesleyan, so still working with college students and future teachers. I have a daughter who is the music teacher at Landstown Middle and she’s getting married Oct. 7, so the summer and the beginning of the school year will be busy. After that, it will be hard. What we do here, the retirees come back on that first day of school and help show kids where classes are and stand in the hall. Then they go to breakfast. I plan to do that on the first day with the rest of retirees and then go to breakfast.

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I like to do Taekwondo but sometimes we miss some days because I have soccer. I like soccer because I have friends there and my dad was my coach. He would always have some fun things planned. Like one time for soccer practice, if we scored on him, he said he’d buy us some ice cream and Rice Krispies Treats. It was everybody against him. My friend Landon, he just kicked the ball in and then we made it. My friend Trey, he was allergic to milk so we just got popsicles.

I want to do something with animals or be a soccer player when I grow up. I can’t decide what I want to do. I can’t decide because I like animals and I like playing soccer. I want to see if I can actually see wild animals that I don’t get to see, like the peregrine falcon. It’s one of my favorite animals but I’ve never gotten to see one because I’m still a kid.

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This summer I know I’m going to beach a lot. That’s my mom’s favorite thing to do. We usually go to my grandparents’ house in Windham, New Hampshire. Up there, they’ve got sort of like a cottage. For one or two weekends we’ll got to the lake house and the water there is always pretty warm. They’ve got a swing set but that’s more of my sister’s thing because it’s really, really little. There are a lot of caterpillars there, too. You can walk up the stairs and you’ve already seen like 20. There are a lot of caterpillars. They’ve got this little farm stand by their house. It’s two minutes away, so you can just drive down the street. We usually get fresh produce and ice cream there. They have a little area so you can see goats and cows and sheep. They also have a lake called Winnipesaukee right there. That’s where the lake house is.

Is there anything else you’re looking forward to this summer?

Not really because I like school. I like it because you can talk to your friends and the assignments are always fun and your teachers are nice. Being away from school just isn’t my thing. The last day of school, I’ve always burst into tears. That’s how fun I think school is.

My G’Pa rocks because he takes me on walks. We walk at the park with my dog.

What else do you do with your G’Pa?

We watch movies at night. He goes to the movie theatre with me and my uncle.

Do you love your G’Pa?

Yes!

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Graduation came a lot faster than I thought. Everything you do your senior year is a “last.” Last Homecoming football game. Last home game. Last basketball home game. Last playoff game. Everything you do and think of is done. It’s over. And then all of a sudden, with all of these lasts, the big finale comes – today. It’s almost like I wish there wasn’t a “final.” I felt excited all year. I thought, “Nah, I won’t be like that.” But, leaving school on Thursday after our assembly, I’ve put in so many hours since freshmen year. We’re the first class to go through all of the new Kellam because we moved in freshmen year.

If you were speaking to your classmates, what would you say?

I would tell them that they will be successful in many different ways. Success doesn’t mean academically or financially. Success is through one’s perspective. I would tell them that they will be successful.

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Graduation shows that hard work pays off. I’ve been going to Princess Anne for four years now and to graduate shows – like I said – that hard work really does pay off. Princess Anne has the highest graduation rate so I’m just really thankful to be part of the school. My principals they helped me. My classmates, they helped me. My teachers, they also have helped me through the past four years. I’m just very thankful for that, and I’m very excited to graduate today.

Graduation means starting my life finally, pushing toward my dreams and making my mom and my dad proud.

-What message would you like to share with your classmates today?

I would like them to know that we came a very long way. (We were) very loud in the beginning and now we are all calm and we are smart and we are ready and I wish them all the luck in the world.

This is the end of an era, that’s what it feels like. They always say high school goes by so fast and they’re not lying when they say that. I feel like I was just walking in my freshman year the other day. Now here I am getting ready to go to college and it feels so surreal. And, I’m actually in the world now. They have been preparing me for this but I’m still so nervous. It’s so exciting and I’m just really ready.

I broke my leg playing soccer and then I had to have two emergency surgeries.

What are the pros and cons of being on crutches at graduation?

Um, I wouldn’t say there are necessarily pros, but cons, I don’t get to walk as fast and it’s a struggle to keep it up, but I have a nice bedazzled crutch, so at least I have some bling.

My favorite subject in school is math. I think more easily with it and I can make it through with the right answers.

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I just want seniors to know how lucky we are to be graduating at this moment. Why not go out and do your best? No matter what label you had here at Renaissance, it’s not going to take away from your potential or character. I feel like if you can be the best you that you can be, people will love you for that.

I’m not going to say that I‘m this ideal student, but I’m one who cares and I feel like that’s a start. If you at least care about your path, then that leaves room for people to come and help you.

Who has helped you? Whom would you thank?

Well, obviously, Ms. Thomas. She’s wonderful. It’s hard to find somebody who’s that kind and caring nowadays. My case manager as well, Dr. Baker. She’s been there many times that I needed an ear to listen. One of our school psychologists, Dr. Bennett, definitely – 100 percent. I mean, pretty much all of my teachers for putting up with my stuff. There are just a lot of people in this school who are really on your side. The advice I’ve gotten and the things they’ve said to me, they’re almost like seeds being planted and, when the time was right, they grew.

From what I’ve seen and what I’ve been through, I really feel like 20 percent of your life is made up of what happens to you and the other 80 percent is how you choose to react to that 20 percent. People get so worked up over the things they can’t change instead of using that as their reason to push forward. That’s what it was for me. I was like, “This isn’t fair. My life isn’t fair. Why me? Why me?” Then it was like, “Maybe I need to learn this.” I think if you just stay optimistic, you’ll see the better side of things.

I feel like there is a lot of room for self-improvement. I know what I need to improve. Now it’s just about doing it. I just want people to realize that we are lions. We are courageous.

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I’ve learned that STEM requires a lot of hard work, teambuilding and a lot of mental focus and preparation. Once everything gets accomplished, you feel good and you feel a lot of pride in yourself.

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This summer I’m going to be staying with my grandma for two weeks without my mom and dad – without my sister, too. She lives in New Jersey. She’s going to come pick me up. We’re going to leave the next day after she sleeps over one night. She said we’re going to go to the boardwalk. I like to play games with my grandma. We play UNO. I like to play checkers, too. Sometimes we get ice cream and we get to spend time with each other. I get to spend time with my grandpa, too.

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We had to solve a challenge in school and my group made a hall pass so kids don’t go out into the hall and goof around. They have a time limit, and the teachers know where they are and stuff. We used the Raspberry Pi and an LED board, and it displays messages telling them things like they have two minutes left.

What have you learned by participating in the STEM Trifecta?

I’ve learned everything! This is all new to me. This is the first time I’ve ever been into anything with coding or anything like that. It’s been really fun. I think the best part is probably choosing your team. You want people that you like but you have to make sure you get people who are hardworking. The people that I work with, they’re hardworking and they’re fun to hang out with, so it’s just all-out fun because we get work done and have a lot of fun.

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I like math because it’s challenging and math is needed for everything actually, so I like it a lot. You need it for going shopping. You need it to see the prices. You need it for any job; like if you want to be a bioelectric, you need to know math so you can do your research. I want to be a bioelectric researcher. Both my parents are. I like that my mom is researching and finds medicines to see if she can help the mice with it to find out if it’s a good medicine.

Why is that important to you?

It’s important to me because a lot of people have gotten diseases that we don’t know what the cures are. So, I want to help people who don’t have a cure.

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This summer I am going to an island! After we go to Florida, I’m going on a cruise to go on an island. And after my bedtime, my dad is letting me go to the kitchen to eat whatever I want on the cruise. I’m going to have lots of fun in Florida and I bet I don’t get seasick on the cruise. I’ve never been to Florida before but I’m looking forward to going there.

Are you driving to Florida?

I think we’re going on a plane. I’ve never been on a plane before. I don’t want to get airsick either.

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I think it’s important to always be kind. If you’re not kind, people are going to think you’re mean and they’re not going to be your friend. When you’re kind, it makes people feel happy. Everybody should be happy.

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