The Blade, Fall 2022 : simplebooklet.com

1editor’s leter Thank you for picking up the ﬁrst Blade of the 2022-2023 school year! It was a challenging pro-cess to get this issue published due to the fact that we have a very small sta (just 6 people!), but nev-ertheless, it was a rewarding one. This is only my second year on sta, and, despite the challenges that I have faced, I have loved and will continue to love being an editor. We created this issue in hopes of shining a light on untold and unseen stories in the Woodward com-munity–– stories about people who have made a dif-ference in the community through their hard work, eorts and talents. We explored the idea of service and entrepreneurship by proﬁling student business owners and students who are invested in service. We recognized students and teachers who have spe-cial talents that are integral parts of their identities. We attempted to highlight the students who have overcome challenges present in this community. But most importantly, we tried to create stories that cut deep–– as only a Blade can. editors:Neha Koganti ‘23 (Head Editor)Francesca Henderson ‘23 (Assistant Editor)staf writers:Liza Mobley ‘23Hannah Marte ‘23Sithini Chea ‘24Aidan Gray ‘25guest writer:Serena Lakhani ‘25CONTENTS -Neh Kogant

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6SUCCESS Embarking on an entrepreneurial journey Running a business while being a student may pose as quite a challenging task, but some students have decided to embark on such a journey and create a platform to explore and share their passions with their community. Whether it’s creating and selling beauty products or jewelry, students have found ways to transform their intangible ideas into tangible items– and in the process set up distinct examples of early student success. Alaura Kimes ‘23 is one such student who is the co-owner, along with her mother, of Heavenly Beauty––a beauty supply store catered towards the Black community. As a co-owner of Heavenly Beauty, which was founded in 2019, Kimes manages all the products in the store–from wigs to clothes–and their presentation. She centers her focus on creating a space for other Black people to feel comfortable in a beauty supply store.Kimes started this business along with her mother, who runs the logistical aspects of it, to explore Black beauty and to create products to enhance it.“As a little girl, I was always going into the beauty supply store––it was like a candy store for me,” Kimes said. “I kind of noticed that being in those beauty supply stores wasn’t really catered to my community as Black people. You would see white people owning the stores who didn’t really know a lot about Black beaut y.” One aspect of the business that makes it particularly unique and stand out is the fact that it is a mother-daughter business, which Kimes greatly values. “e dynamic of a mother-daughter business is like no other,” Kimes said. “You can take into account the perspectives of two dierent generations and pour them into your business. My mom was able to explain to me the realities of being a business owner while giving me the freedom to learn the task myself.”Social media has played a signicant role in expanding Heavenly Beauty, since it gains many supporters from a variety of social media platforms. “My mom was on a reality TV show, [Married to Medicine], so she already had a pretty big following, and I had a little bit of a following as well. Starting the Heavenly Beauty instagram page was really inuential “I kind of noticed that being in those beauty supply stores wasn’t re-ally catered to my com-munity as Black people. Yould see white people owning the stores who didn’t really know a lot about Black beauty.”CELEBRATING STUDENT

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357because we get a majority of our people from Instagram, Tik Tok, TV, etc.”In the near future, Kimes’s main goal is to expand the business as much as possible. “is year, we’re actually working on getting a new store closer to the Atlanta area because we’re currently in Conyers,” Kimes said. “In ve years, I see myself in many dierent locations. I denitely want one in Flor-ida [and other] popular places to have a Black-owned beauty supply store.”However, even though this business will always remain a part of her and her ambitions, she hopes to pursue dentistry or dermatology when she grows up and explore her other interests. “I think with dentistry, it’s very heartwarming to see other people happy with the results,” said Kimes. “As for dermatology, I’ve had eczema my whole life, so I feel like there’s kind of more of a sentimental aspect [in that] as well.” Kimes holds her entrepreneurial journey close to her heart and strongly believes in using her skills and knowledge to make a dierence in the community. “Being an entrepreneur to me means utilizing the privileges you have to help other people,” Kimes said. “It means prioritizing your brand and interests in everything that you do.”Kimes has learned several valuable lessons throughout her journey and hopes to keep these with her as she continues to be an entrepreneur. “Being a business owner has taught me how to be more outgoing and condent,” Kimes said. “I am more aware of what I want and how I want things to be executed... It has also shown me how to express my creativity because at the end of the day, creativity and being dierent is what sells.”Rania Noorani ‘26 is another young entrepreneur. Currently, she runs a jewelry business called White Rose Jewelry, creating jewelry pieces in a variety of styles for all ages. Aer experimenting with various other types of businesses, including a bodycare busi-ness, she launched her jewelry business in March 2021 as an eighth-grader. However, Noorani admits that setting up her business required a great deal of pa-tience as it took quite a while to start it. “It took a while because my family wasn’t sure if they wanted to let me do a business, so it took a lot of convincing and a lot of baby steps,” Noorani said. “I could [also] only buy a couple supplies at once, so I had to start really small. But over time, [my business] became bigger, and I was able to buy the supplies with the [money] I’ve earned.” Not only did setting up her business take much eort, but continuing it and making it successful also posed a challenge to her at times. “Sometimes, I’ve felt overwhelmed just because it’s a lot to balance with school,” Noorani said. “I had to learn to tell people [wait a couple days for their orders] be-cause I have to put studies rst and priori-tize that.”Portrait of Rania Noorani ‘26. Photo credit Neha Koganti ‘25.

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8Noorani, however, is excited for her new website that will launch soon, which will feature several of her friends and her older sister’s friends modeling her jewelry, showing that her pieces can be worn by all ages. In addition to her website, she has already begun utilizing several social media platforms to expand her business and gain exposure. “I started out on Instagram, and I would post things on new products, new releases or sales,” Noorani said. “TikTok also helps out because people just enjoy watching restock videos or packaging orders. ey get especially excited when they see their [own] order being packaged.”In the future, Noorani hopes to see her small business transform into a popular store, one that would be fre-quently visited by customers of dierent ages. At the moment, though, she is enjoying where her business is currently at and oers advice for anyone interested in starting an entrepreneurial journey. “It’s a really long process, and you can’t just think you’re going to have a billionaire business overnight,” Noorani said. “It’s a lot of trial and error, and you have to be patient with yourself. Focus on only you and your business and not people who are trying to bring you down.”“Focus on only you and your business and not people who are trying to bring you down.”Noorani feautures her jewelry collection for Valentine’s Day. Photo credit Rania Noorani ‘26Noorani showcases her jewelry collection for Christmas. Photo credit Rania Noorani ‘26.

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10MILITARYFaculty members on their time in the militaryThe United States of America prides itself on its identication with the saying “the land of the free and home of the brave.” One of the key guardians of freedom comes from the backbone of America, the military. e United States military consists of six dierent branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Space Force. Within each branch of the military, there are people, but not just normal people; they are individuals who put their life on the line every day so that everyday people like me and you can feel safe in our homes. Woodward Academy has a rich history when it comes to the Military. Going back all the way to 1900, Woodward was once re-ferred to as the Georgia Military Academy, then in 1966, GMA became Woodward Academy. Upper school teacher John Lane is one of the many faculty members who served in e United States Military. Joining any kind of job that involves deadly weapons always raises concern for the people around you, but for Mr. Lane, it was in his blood. “I was born at West Point, and because of that, it was always the joke in my family that I would go to West Point,” Lane said. “I grew up with a father who fought in World War II and Vietnam and a mother who was an Army nurse, so that has always inuenced me. I got to see the reward of a lifetime of service that my father had, so I thought that being in the military was such an interesting career that provides such a broad education.”Mr. Lane was commissioned as an Army ocer aer he graduated from West Point. But although he was a part of the Army, within that, there are jobs of all sorts that soldiers have to do. “I chose the infantry branch, which are the people who run around on their feet,” Lane said. “I picked that because then you are dealing with people. I started out in the 82nd Air-borne Division and then went on a tour in Korea then, I came home and became a part of the Second Battal-ion, the 75th Rangers. I did this all before I went back to the infantry school.” “The death of a soldier is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through.”SERVICE THROUGHJohn Lane

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511Lane’s history with the military goes all the way back to his grandfather, and as a result of that, he was exposed to the military lifestyle from a young age. But for anyone, having the job of protecting a country is a heavy load to carry around on your back. “I met my wife when I came home to get trained for the next level of duties,” Lane said. “When I met her, that is when I be-gan to settle down and decided not to jump out of any more airplanes. I served for twenty-four years, and the military really took care of me the whole tim e.”Experiencing hardships is a challenge for anyone. In the mili-tary, hardships might not appear in the way most people see them; they come in forms of life and death and through the responsibility of protecting the men and women serv-ing around you. “e death of a soldier is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through,” Lane said. “It is very hard when a soldier dies on you, and it does not make it any easier if it results from combat or something like a heart attack. When people die, it aects you, and there is a process we try to go through to make sense of it, but we never really can. I took my responsibility of being in charge of these young men and women as a special charge.”When we grow up, all we have to look back on are our memories. e saying “memories last a lifetime” really embodies the twenty-four years of service Mr. Lane gave to protecting men and women all around the world.“e people in these foreign countries are something I will never forget,” Lane said. “Being able to understand their concerns and learning enough about these people. I was in their country during peace-time, so really making those people a part of decisions allowed us to get a lot of support from the foreign com-munity.” Having a support system for everything we do is crucial for success. Whether it is a paper we need help on or something as intense as the many lives the military holds in their hands. Support can be displayed in many dierent ways. “Life is a learning experience, and the more we practice, the less the impact of mistakes we make aects us,” Lane said. “My dad was terric throughout all of this. He wrote me a letter every week, and it meant a lot. He always told me to let him know if I ever wanted to stop being in the military, and although I never had to do that, it meant a lot knowing that if I ever did, I would be supported.”John Lane walks to present the wreath. Photo credit Malin Tangsujaritpunt ‘23.

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13Inspiration can be thanked for many of the world’s greatest achievements. When it comes to trying new things, it can be scary, but stepping out of your comfort zone only adds to your perspective on the world. Whether your step is moving up a level in a class or, in this case, joining the military, all the experiences we have to shape us into the people we become. Faculty member Stephanie Stephens opens up about her journey in the military. “I decided I was going to join the military in eighth grade,” Stephens said. “It was the sum-mer between seventh and eighth grade, and my dad and I talked about what I wanted to do in life. I told him I was going to be a ight attendant so that I could travel the world, but my dad, a veteran, told me that I could travel and see the world in the military. So, from that point on, I decided I was going to join the military academy.”Being a woman in the military was something that did not exist until 1948, and the rst class at West Point to allow women was in 1976, only ten years before Dean Stephens attended the school. “When I joined the military in 1986, women could not be in combat arms, and we were very limited within what branch we could be in,” Stephens said. “When I got my master’s, I wrote my thesis on why combat exclusion of women violated the equal protection clause of the constitution. My thesis ended up in the department of defense, and it really was a big part of the conversation about opening up combat arms to women.” e day Stephens graduated from West Point was also the day she was commissioned. Within the mili-tary, there are six dierent branches, and from those, you choose one to specialize in. “I was in the Army,” Stephens said. “I started out as a military police ocer because, at the time, women could not go into combat arms. I did this for seven years, and in that time, I was selected to go to law school. ey sent me to UVA, and aer law school, I became an Army lawyer for nineteen years.”Plans are something we all set out to have, but they do not always follow the course as planned. “My initial plan was to be a military police ocer and then go into corrections,” Stephens said. “But, as I was in the Army, I had many soldiers who made a good arrest, and then the defendant would not go to jail because of their lawyer. So that made me decide to be a lawyer so that when my ocers made an arrest, they had a good lawyer to ensure justice is served. I served “When I got my mas-ter’s, I wrote my thesis on why combat exclusion of women violated the equal protection clause of the constitution.” Stephanie Stephens

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5514for 26 years, was deployed overseas in Korea, and then did three years in the Middle East, where I ran three dierent law oces. I had law oces in Kuwait, Qatar and Atlanta at Fort McPherson.”September 11, 2001 was one of the worst days the United States has ever experienced. For military personnel, it was not just the death of thousands of people that aected them; it was the realization that the peace time in the US was now gone. “I was actually on mater-nity leave from the military when 9/11 happened,” Stephens said. “I had a three-week-old baby, and my hus-band and I were stationed at Fort Hood. I remember holding my baby as I watched the second plane hit the building. My husband called me, and I could not stop thinking about how I just brought this child into a world of war.”To put your life on the line every single day you go to work takes real courage and inspiration, and whatever that may be is not the same for all people. “I think what really made me stay in the military for so long was the people,” Stephens said. “More so than any specic experience I remember and cherish, and I am grateful for the people I met who are so commit-ted to sacricing themselves for the good of others. I wish civilians knew that people join the military for all sorts of reasons. It is not necessarily always some big patriotic reason, but people stay in the military because they really believe in it. While the military recruits individuals, we retain families, so it is not just the service member who serves. It is everyone around them.”We all learn lessons every single day. For us, maybe it is the realization that we need to begin studying earlier for a test, or maybe it’s the realization that, much like Dean Stephens, you, too, want to serve your country for the good of others one day. “e biggest lesson the military taught me was to take care of the people around me,” Ste-phens said. “Team-work is something that does not just happen in an ad-verse situation, it is a constant. So, you always take care of your fellow man, and, if you do that, you’re going to come out the right way. Here at Woodward, I try to bring a sense of care and compassion to the students. Sometimes it is tough love, but it always comes from a place of love.” Color guard presents the lags during the Veteran’s Day ceremony. Photo credit Malin Tangsujaritpunt ‘23.

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16LANGUAGE Students help break language barriers Language plays a vital role in communication, work, relationships, learning about the vast amount of cultures around the world and more; thus, it can oen pose a barrier and an obstacle to those not procient in multiple languages. However, many students, including Shreya Surapaneni ‘25 and Julia Bender ‘24, have helped kids overcome the challenges of learning the languages of English and American Sign Language (ASL), respectively. As a language lover, Sura-paneni looked for oppor-tunities to aid people with learning languages and found the perfect one. She began volunteering for En-gin, a nonprot organization that pairs English speak-ers and young Ukranians to improve their English and intercultural skills.rough this work, she could take advantage of academic opportunities by expanding her teaching and communication skills in addition to helping Ukranians experiencing war. “English is becoming a more vital language in our world today, and knowing English can bring job [and educational] opportunities,” Surapaneni said. “[Engin] gives Ukranians the opportunity to be immersed in English because the best way to learn a language is being immersed in it.” Surapaneni has weekly meetings with a buddy she was paired with, in which they have informal speak-ing practice on a plethora of topics, ranging from eating habits to normal etiquette to travel. She enjoys having these conversations with him as she is able to learn more about his culture and develop a personal connection with him whilst he is able to improve his English vocabulary. “My buddy has told me that he learned a lot from me and that he really became more con-dent in speaking En-glish,” said Surapaneni. “Before, I think [teach-ers] didn’t really focus on speaking in schools. ey just focused on reading and writing, so I think speaking with me and being relaxed because I’m just a normal person[he] can talk to, [greatly] improves his ability to speak.”From this experience, Surapaneni realized the impor-tance of understanding the student and being able to relate to them. “I’m studying Spanish and Japanese at Woodward, and I feel that learning those languages gives me a back-ground of the many diculties in a language,” Surap-aneni said. “I [was able] to relate to him, and I think the best way to help a student is to relate with them because then they can understand you.“[Engin] gives Ukranians the opportunity to be immersed in English because the best way to learn a language is being immmersed in it.”SERVICE THROUGH

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517Similar to Surapaneni, Bender has helped young Horizons students learn and develop their procien-cy in ASL. She began learning ASL with her friend and soon realized the importance of teaching this language and making it more normalized; she saw a golden opportunity in the Horizons program to help achieve this. Despite not having experience with counseling kids, she was eager to venture into this program. Bender engaged in various activities with young Horizons kids, such as teaching them the al-phabet, numbers, and signing Disney songs. “I just want kids to be more aware of deaf people and normalize [ASL],” Bender said. “I feel that [as a young kid], they might feel more excluded from everything. If more kids are aware of [this issue], and if they know sign language, then they would be more accepting of other deaf kids.” Bender volunteered for Horizons for several weeks last summer, spending time with kids several hours per day and building bonds with them. “Outside of teaching them sign language, the kids look forward to seeing you every day and you build a pretty big connection with them,” said Bender. “It really makes an impact on their lives because they don’t really have parents that are there for them all the time. If you can be like a big sibling gure to them, it really helps them have someone to look up to that’s not their parents.” Bender hopes to expand her passions in spreading the importance of ASL both here at Woodward and beyond.“Well, I’m starting a program separately with the Boys and Girls Club,” Bender said. “I’m branching o from Horizons and doing it with other kids. In college, I would have to think of a way to incorporate [ASL] into it but I denitely want to be uent in sign lan-guage before I get to college.”Similar to Surapaneni, Bender has had a positive and meaningful experience through her service work. e ASL program at Horizons has not only given much knowledge and experience to the young kids but has also taught Bender many signicant lessons. “I’ve learned a lot better how to be good with kids,” said Bender. “I [also] learned a lot more sign language when I was doing it because I would have to learn more to teach them more stu. It made me feel good doing something for other people who might not have as much as me.” Julia Bender ‘24 celebrates the start of the ASL program at Horizons along with her group mem-bers. Photo credit Julia Bender ‘24.

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22COMMITMENTAthletes who don’t just commit to their athletics but to their communitiesMichael Jordan, LeBron James, Serena Williams. When naming these athletes who have changed their respective games for the better, one may only picture them in their uniform in the middle of the play and nothing else. However, there is so much more than what meets the eye. With Michael Jordan starring in the iconic Space Jam, LeB-ron James starting a foundation for single-parent families, and Serena Williams participating in UNICEF’s Schools for Africa initiative, these athletes have clearly dominated more than just their sport. Learning about the person behind the player is crucial to un-derstanding our communities and learning about how resilience can apply not only to sports but also in life. Woodward Academy’s approach to athletics encourages these same ideals, and two students exceeding these expec-tations are here to share their stories.According to the Collins Dictionary, a well rounded person is that of “expressing approval of them because they have a personality which is fully developed in all aspects,” perfectly encapsulating Spencer Snipe ‘23 and Sara Lewis ‘23 in all their endeavors thus far. Making the most out of what you are given is some-thing that even Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Serena Williams teach today’s youth through not just their athletic accomplishments, but also through all they have done in their communities. Committed to play football at Washington University, Snipe shared his story of recruitment and his aspira-tions outside the classroom. When asked about what made Washington stand out from the rest, Snipe touched on the pros and cons of picking a school.“It’s hard to get oers, but turn-ing down oers is probably the hardest part,” Snipe said. “e academics, team, and a really good ocer training corps program for looking into the Air Force made Washington the best t for me.”Some fail to realize just how meticulous the recruit-ment process is, and sometimes the deciding factor is a singular minute detail. For Lewis, who is committed to play basketball at George Washington University, the community was one of the major deciding factors in her decision.“e sta and team denitely played a huge role in my commitment because I was going to spend a lot “I did not want to be a part of a team where it felt unenjoyable to play.”BEYOND THE

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24of time with them, so I did not want to be a part of a team where it felt unenjoyable to play,” Lewis said. Aer all, most collegiate players spend all their time on campus with teammates and coaches, which Lewis recognizes. However, do not let Lewis’ remarkable abilities on the court fool you; she is also an avid be-liever in education to obtain success. “Everyone’s time playing sports comes to an end, so you need to be able to hold your weight aer that by getting a good education and getting a job which is very important to me,” Lewis said.Lewis emphasized her abilities expand beyond the court and just how important it is to work for a job you love, because it is impossible to play a sport forev-er. Up until now, these two hard-workers have bal-anced work and athletics seamlessly. Now, it is fair to wonder how they are feeling about going to the next level.“At Washington University they have a good balance between sports and academics, so I think it will be a smooth transition from high school to college,” Snipe said.Not too worried about the balance, Lewis expanded on Snipe’s comment about the strong balance between sports and academics that is evident at Woodward. “I feel like Woodward denitely gets you ready for that kind of challenge academically and with athletics, so I am excited, but a little nervous, to be in a new space,” Lewis said.Nerves are only natural, but both Snipe and Lewis only have con-dence in their sports not overtak-ing academics. And as emotions are already running high for these graduating seniors, when asked their opinions on going pro, both students emphasized inevitably missing their sport but having excitement for the next stages in their lives. “Going pro is denitely not my path, I want to have an oce job and not go to practice for a living,” Snipe said. “And that is just me, I love football, but not that much.” “I do not think that is the path I will take, right now I have been thinking about going overseas and playing for a little while but I feel like I have a good education and I am extremely smart,” Lewis said. “I feel like I am good at dierent things that are outside of athletics and can have a really good career in the future.” Snipe and Lewis both have extraordinary grades and abilities to achieve much more in the classroom. Whether it be as a lawyer/consultant for Snipe or a doctor for Lewis, the opportunities are endless in the coming years. Lewis is even thinking about a possi-ble family dynamic when asked about possibly going pro and touched on the struggles female athletes face when it comes to raising children and being a part of a family. “Starting a family is also very challenging as an ath-lete, especially for a mother. It would be hard to stay close with your children and go through pregnancy while playing a sport professionally,” Lewis said. ese Woodward seniors truly have worked hard for all that they have now and deserve the feeling of ac-complishment when it comes to deciding a college for the next four years, and even deciding on a major for future academic pursuits. Finding your passion early can further cement your chance of bettering your community, and that is just what Lewis is planning on doing as a future member of the medical eld. ese two athletes truly do wear many hats. “I am majoring in biochemistry because I really like science and hope to go into the medical eld,” Lewis said. “at’s just what I nd interesting because some ath-letes don’t nd joy in other things besides their sports so optimizing your abilities to other areas is really important.”“Everyone’s time playing a sport comes to an end.”

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26ARTSArt is more than just the acquisition of a skill Art creates and denes character. Here at Woodward and in the city beyond, there are many opportunities to become an artist. ese opportunities help students in the Upper School identify their passions, create connections, manage stress and express themselves.Pilot Bunch ‘25 has been acting since 3rd grade, has been professionally acting since 4th grade and has appeared in multiple movie and TV productions. He rst began acting aer his experience as Scar in a class production of Lion King at school, which allowed him to discover a passion that not only allows him to enjoy himself but also gives him a platform to transform his excess in-tensity into a powerful performance. However, the aspiration of becom-ing a professional actor hasn’t always been easy. He highlighted that audi-tioning for roles can be extremely disappointing. “If I audition for y jobs I may get called back for two, [but] not for the rest,” Bunch said. “It’s hard work you put into it, and the reason for rejection could be the smallest thing. It could be eye color, what your eyebrows look like, how tall you are, etc.”However, Bunch argues that, while there are many obstacles to being an actor, the benets involved make it all worth it. “I don’t have to worry about anything, anyone, any of my problems, life in general, or anything,” Bunch said about his acting experience. “I just have to worry about myself, my partner, and our scene.”Similarly, Ava Duy ‘25 and Kyla Granville ‘25 have both been dancing since young ages. Participating and learning dance during their developing years has made it a major part of their lives and personalities. It has given both of them some of their closest relation-ships and core memories. “It’s given me a work ethic…[and] made me organized and responsible,” Granville said. She emphasized how being a dancer has instilled virtue, skills and an ecient work ethic that leads to success. Duy also fur-ther elaborated on what aspects of dance inspired her to join the ne art/athletic. “e best part is being on stage… the feelings of butteries in your stomach… it really hits me, like I’ve done this, I’m doing this,” Duy said.She noted how these stage experiences gave her an amazing feeling and self-condence. It’s helped in learning skills she may have been unable to develop as soon if she hadn’t made the decision to become a dancer. However, both students clearly explained that there are also parts about being a dancer that they dislike. People don’t always understand the work and dicul-“I don’t have to worry about anything, anyone, any of my problems, life in general, or anything. I just have to worry about myself, my part-ner, and our scene.”LIVING THE

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28ties that occur leading up to a show. Each step must be mastered and precise, which can prove to be exhaust-ing and defeating. “It can be overwhelming and annoying sometimes,” Duy said. “Like, creating dance choreography and memorizing and perfecting the steps is sometimes really frustrating.”While performing and visual arts are obviously excel-lent methods for exhibiting emotions, the visual arts have their place in this conversation, too. Vinnie Yang ‘25 is a Woodward student who has been sketching since Kindergarten. As a child, he was un-able to focus for a period of time. “I wasn’t very good at paying attention, so when I sat in art class for two hours straight, just focusing on my art, [my mom] knew this was my thing,” Yang said. Yang emphasized how art helped him balance his sentiments and recognize his dreams, passions and goals; it also established a focus and peace within him that has helped him in many ways. Yang’s bond with art reects his emotions yet also has a power over him, which could be good and bad. “My art sometimes tends to aect my mood…,” Yang said. “I may not be very satised with some of my pieces, so I tend to get a little down.” Anthony omas, the Upper School Dean of Students, is also able to relate to the artis-tic students due to his own high school band experience. “I played in the band in high school, and I have a huge so spot for the band because I was a trombone player,” omas said.As a trombone player, he realized the importance and eects of the arts and gained a newfound respect and admiration for all artists, ranging from designers to dancers. His musical practice established a foundation of discipline within himself. Although Dean omas did not pursue any form of art aer high school, he still has many connections to the arts even today. “If I’m having a rough day, I’ll just do a coloring sheet for, like, 30 minutes to get back on track,” omas said. “I also like watching my girls dance… it bright-ens my day and brings me back to my foundation.”Jenny Gould, the Woodward Academy Dance Depart-ment Chair, agrees that not only is dance advanta-geous physically, but also mentally. She was in Broad-way for about 20 years and began teaching dance at Woodward soon aer, marking this as her 20th year teaching dance at WA.Gould talks about how being a dancer has many requirements, especially extreme commitment. She speaks about the hard work and diculties that every dancer must confront alone; however she tries to be there to support her dancers whenever they need her. “It’s such an individual study, so you really have to pour yourself into it, and sometimes you get burned out,” Gould said. “I try to give them a sense of comfort and safety… I want to be that teacher for them, the one I never had.”According to “e Mental Health Benets of Art” from Scripps Aliated Medical Group, a health sys-tem that works as a hospital and oers clinical educa-tion, art has been proven to increase dopamine levels, meaning that, overall, it relieves the stress within a person and creates a happier environment for them. In one way or another, art reaches every person. Sometimes it isn’t eective or becomes time consum-ing; however, most of the time, it succeeds in making the world a better place. “It’s like I’m in my own little world,” Bunch said. “ere are no prob-lems, distractions or stress, there’s just bliss and peacefulness and peace of mind. It’s sublime.” “I try to give them a sense of comfort and safety… I want to be that teacher for them, the one I never had.”

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30AVIATORSVoices of pilots in training in our student bodyAs students probably already know, Woodward Academy sits next to HartseldJackson International Airport, the world’s busiest airport. Indeed, it’s so close you can see the departures from the windows of the buildings on campus. However, what students may not know about is the growing community of aviation fanatics at Woodward as well as students who are working towards getting their Private Pilot License. Recently, Mischa Patel ‘23 committed to trying to explore/expand her commitment to aviation by be-ginning her ground training. “It’s a big commitment, and I dedicate my R period to it, so I spend about four hours a week plus weekends for a total of 6 hours per week,” Patel said. While ying seems like a very dierent experience than driving, the ground school training is similar to Driver’s Ed, in Patel’s opinion. “It is very similar; however, there are a few more les-sons, so it’s like Driver’s Ed since it’s a bunch of things you need to read and watch online,” Patel said. Gabe Parker ‘23 has a vested interest in aviation that he has taken to the skies–quite literally; as of right now, he is working towards his Private Pilot License, which would give him the ability to y in clear con-ditions. When asked about the length of his training, he noted that he has already been working on it for several years now.“I started ight training when I was 12, and recently when I was 16, I did my rst solo ight aer 40 and half hours,” Parker said. Jacob Ragan ‘25, whose love for aviation comes from his family’s experience in the eld, has also taken to the skies. STUDENTMischa Patel ‘23 sits at the controls. Photo credit Mischa Paterl.

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32“My uncle ies for Delta and used to fuel aircra mid-air, and ew tanker aircra for the Air Force, and has owned multiple aircra,” Ragan said. Like Parker, he also has moved on to in-the-air training and has done multiple landings and takeos.“My third ight, I did three to four touch-and-goes and ew for a couple of hours,” Ragan said.Aviation is a growing community that has started to develop here on our front doorstep. Students like Mischa Patel, Gabe Parker and Jacob Ragan are all examples of students who are working hard to achieve their dreams of taking to the air. While it may seem insignicant, our proximity to Hartseld-Jackson connects the student body to aviation in a way few other schools can and brings with it fresh perspectives.“I feel dierent [when ying]; all my stress around my schoolwork is le on the ground and I get to focus on the instru-ments and my communications with the tower,” Parker said. “I love how it feels to be in the air and look down on the city of Atlanta. e freedom of being in the air is amazing, I even get to stick my hand out the window and feel it all blow past.”“...it’s like Driv-er’s Ed since it’s a bunch of things you need to read and watch online.”On the let, Mischa Patel ‘23 poses with one of the airplanes she trains in. Photo credit Mayoor Patel. On the right, a plane sits on the runway at dusk. Photo credit Jacob Ragan ‘25.

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34OF TEACHERSTeachers’ lives outside WoodwardTeaching is already a full-time job, so adding another career on top of that would take a great deal of eort and time. However, some teachers here at WA have continued to pursue additional interests beyond the Academy. ey utilize their second careers to keep their world diverse and large and to have more opportunities. Jeanne Ann Ratli, who teaches En-glish, is a former opera singer who, for the rst part of her teaching ca-reer, sang opera and taught English simultaneously. Ratli grew up with a musical background; although her mom was not a trained singer, her mother had a lovely, natural voice. Singing was always an important part of Ratili’s childhood and has continued to be with her to this day.“[Opera] chose me,” Ratli said. “I rst sang when I was 18 months old. I did my rst church solo when I was ve. at was the same year I sang in my rst wedding, and it just went from there. It was always something I just always did.”Ratli is specically a lyric spinco soprano, meaning she has a high voice that is both heavy and loud. She started her rst opera when she was 24. Aer she stopped her small singing gigs, she joined Atlanta Op-era in 1996 as she was inspired by their performance in the Olympics. “I came on right aer they did a lot of singing for the Olympics that were in Atlanta then, and I heard some of it and I thought, ‘Gee, I want to be a part of that,’” Ratli said. “I auditioned and was accepted and sang with them until 2010.”She sang for 13 seasons, but she skipped a few due to her needing knee surgery. How-ever, Ratli permanently had to bring her opera career to an end, unfortunately. “In 2010, I had to stop because I had to start taking care of my mom who had Parkinson’s, and I couldn’t do it all, so that was my last season with Atlanta opera,” Ratli said.Ratli drew inspiration from Montserrat Caballé, a famous 20th-century opera singer, through her persistence and perseverance to sing opera for so many years despite being given the opportunity to explore a new genre. “She had a big voice but a very tender sweet voice, and she was well known for being able to do high C’s on a pianissimo, which is very so,” Ratli said. “It’s really hard to do, and [she had] a gorgeous voice. In her later years, she and Freddie Mercury teamed up of all things. Each person was true to who they were as a singer. You would think that they wouldn’t go together at all, but they did. She wasn’t unwilling to break out ”[Opera] chose me. It was al-ways something I just always did.” BEHIND THE LIVESJeanne Ann Ratlif poses for a picture. Photo credit Sithini Chea ‘24.

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36of the opera singer mindset to do something dierent [with him].” Ratli had a plethora of musical rehearsals for months upon months whilst still teaching during the day. Sometimes, the work overwhelmed her so much to the point that she had thoughts about quitting opera.“I was teaching full time the whole time I was doing this,” Ratli said. “I just didn’t know how I was gonna make it. Many times I thought that I just need to quit.”However, Ratli’s love for opera overcame her fears of being unable to handle both jobs. In the end, she found the most pleasure in the feeling of being on stage and just simply singing opera. “e minute I went out on stage, it was all worth it,” Ratli said. “I think the best part is that connection with the audience, and sometimes you would have just this wonderful audience and they were with you all the time. ey laughed at the right places, and they clapped at the right places, and it just really added to our own performance because we felt like we were really in sync with the audience.”She has enjoyed having the luxury of having to be a teacher as well as an opera singer at the same time. “I think I’ve had the best of both worlds,” Ratli said. “I didn’t have the pressure of having to read bad re-views for myself and didn’t have the pressure of having to move around all the time so I’ve had the opportu-nity to enjoy my life. I always say that music has been my avocation and teaching is my vocation.” Ratli is grateful to have two suc-cessful careers that can provide her with dierent perspectives on life. “I feel like I’ve been blessed to have two really good careers and have a perspective that’s not just music,” Ratli said. “For example, [Verdi] loved Shakespeare, and he wrote many operas based on Shakespeare. I was always one of the few people in the company who had the back-ground with Shakespeare, could talk about the actual play and how it relates to the opera.”She incorporates opera into her teaching style by sing-ing the “Happy Birthday” song in an operatic way for each of her students, and she plays musical versions of poems in her class. Additionally, Ratli’s favorite opera is called “e Dialogues of the Carmelites,” composed by French composer Francis Poulenc. “I think it speaks a lot [about] being willing to not compromise your own ideas about something and to accept whatever comes your way,” Ratli said. “I think spiritually that opera speaks to me.”Ratli encourages other teachers to follow their pas-sions and dreams outside of teaching as she believes it is possible to balance the two if you want it enough. “Well, people would ask me all the time, ‘how do you do all this?’” Ratli said. “You have to really want it. I did at the time until my mom’s situation said that I couldn’t do it anymore. I really wanted to teach during the day, and I really wanted to sing at night. at’s what I did. You’d have to be really committed to those things.”Another English teacher who pursued a career outside of Woodward is Lorri Hewett. She is the author of four young adult ction books: “Coming of Age,” “Soulre,” “Lives of Our Own” and “Dancer.” She started story-telling and reading many books from a young age.“I liked telling stories when I was in elementary school and having my teacher read my sto-ries out loud to the class and I loved to read,” Hewett said. “My dad used to take my brothers and me to the li-brary every week. Saturday was always library day. We would go to the library and check out books all the time.”Hewett used writing as an outlet to express herself and understand certain situations around her. “I think being a writer was the way to sort of make sense of the world around me,” Hewett said. “It was a way to express myself and a way to kind of work through things that I was thinking [by] writing them “I feel like I’ve been blessed to have two really good careers and have a perspec-tive that’s not just music.”

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BBK55out. Sometimes even putting situa-tions that I experienced into a char-acter and having them experience it let me see things in my life a little bit more clearly.”In particular, Hewett was inspired by the lack of stories representing people of color when she was younger that wasn’t just about trauma and tragedy. She felt driven to tell stories that rep-resented people of color through lived experiences. “[I was inspired by] really wanting to tell stories of people who looked like me [and] wanting to tell stories about people of color,” Hewett said. “ere’s also just lived experience. When I was young, people didn’t really have the lan-guage to talk about things like microaggressions, talk about di-versity and talk about feeling othered and things like that.”Hewett wrote from dierent perspec-tives whether it was the point of view from boys or girls. She enjoyed seeing people’s dierent ways of thinking. “I was really interested in looking at people from dierent points of view, putting myself in other people’s shoes [and] imagining what their lives were like,” Hewett said. “I really enjoyed that aspect of writing.”Out of all of her novels, she chooses “Dancer” as her favorite because of the dierent relationship dynamics between each of the characters and because she was in ballet when she was younger.“I think that’s the closest to my own heart,” Hewett said. “I also really liked that I was telling an intergenerational story again, that I was telling a sto-ry that was about relationships, not just about teenagers. In my very rst book, the grown-ups were just kind of on the periphery. By the time I got to ‘Dancer,’ this was really about people, relating to people of dierent age groups either with her parents or relationship with this older mentor and this rela-tionship with the nephew.” Hewett believes writing has made her more aware of other people and has brought her out of her own head and thoughts. “I think it’s just made me more of an open-minded person,” Hewett said. “I’m hoping it’s made me more empathetic and more observant not just in my own world, but really looking at the world around me and paying attention and not just being so self-focused all the time.”Hewett admits that writing can also provide insight into yourself and make you realize things you would never understand on your own. “I think writing humbles you in a lot of ways. ere’s so much that you don’t know but that’s okay,” Hewett said. “You also learn how to accept the fact that there’s just so much more to know than you’ll ever know.”“[I was inspired by] really wanting to tell stories of people who looked like me [and] wanting to tell stories about people of color.”37

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42EXPERIENCESBehind the scenes of studentimmigrants’ lives at WoodwardBeing a student at Woodward is an arduous process on its own, but being a student immigrant can prove to be an even more dicult process. However, some students have found balance in maintaining their identity as student immigrants. By visiting their home country or simply eating their traditional food, they are still able to maintain aspects of their own culture whilst participating in American culture simultaneously. Iya Tangsujaritpunt ‘23 is one such student immigrant from ailand who moved to America last year during her junior year. Her parents are currently living in ailand while she lives with her sister Malin Tangsujaripunt ‘23 and her aunt, who is her guardian. Her dad grew up in San Francisco, and he has always taught her about American culture. In addition, the fact that Iya was in an international school from elementary school to her sophomore year of high school helped her adjust to American society. “My dad’s side is pretty westernized [so] he brought that down to me and Malin, and we weren’t at a ai school,” Tangsujaritpunt said. “We were at an interna-tional school. I know a lot of cultures because of that.”Despite being a student immigrant, adjusting to Woodward has been a fairly easy process. Tangsujarit-punt nds Woodward to be a diverse and welcoming community that makes her feel like she belongs. “Honestly, [my experience] is pretty normal,” Tang-sujaritpunt said. “I feel like everyone’s really welcoming at Woodward and the fact that it’s really diverse helps. I didn’t feel like I stood out. It is blended in but in a good way.” Still, there have been chal-lenges. One challenge that she faces is people mispro-nouncing her last name since it is a long and unique name. Dr. Kirschner and Mr. Ehren-speger are two teachers who are able to pronounce it, and she appreciates their eorts to pronounce her name right.“e only challenge I have honestly is my last name,” Tangsujaripunt said. “Everyone’s like, ‘how do you pronounce your last name?’ e deans can’t even pronounce it. I hope they can pronounce it during graduation or else that would be bad. If you ask Dr. Kirschner or Mr. Ehrenspeger, they can do it.”“I feel like every-one’s welcoming at Woodward and the fact that it’s really diverse helps.”STUDENT IMMIGRANT

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44She also felt challenged by the math curriculum due to her not learning material from some of the prerequi-site math classes students normally take at Woodward during their freshman or sophomore year. “Something that’s hard was probably getting used to classes in a way, not because I was in another coun-try, but because of the curriculum,” Tangsujaritpunt said. “Pre-IB was project-based. [ere are] things in algebra two that I haven’t covered but Dr. K was really nice about it, and he lled me in on things I needed to know.”Tangsujaritpunt balances her ai and American heri-tage by visiting ailand so she can visit family and be immersed in ai culture in addition to speaking the ai language. “I visit my home country every summer now that I’m here, mainly because my dad drags me back,” Tangsu-jaritpunt said. “Making sure I have my ai still there helps a lot, too, because I don’t want to give that up. I feel like I’m too old to forget the language now. Even though I feel like my native tongue is ai. I feel like I think, I dream, [and] I speak English a lot just like ever since then.”She encourages other student immigrants to not be afraid to socialize and talk to other people.“As a student, I’d say put your-self out there,” Tangsujaritpunt said. “Don’t be afraid to talk. e worst thing people could do is judge you and then move on. Regardless, you just have to put yourself out there because no one’s going to like everyone.”Tangsujaritpunt brings up the lack of acknowledgment of ai culture at Woodward. She hopes that they can have Songkran Day, a ai holiday celebrating New Year, o from school. “I feel like they should denitely acknowledge some ai culture in the school. We had Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and Diwali o of school [so] I think, in April, we should have Songkran Day o, too. What annoys me is how people say, ‘Are you from ai-land, or Taiwan?’ It’s a big dierence. [People] should acknowledge ai culture more, or at least know the dierence.”Jules Zirnheld ‘25, a French student immigrant, has been at Woodward since elementary school due to his Dad coming to the United States for a job opportunity at a packing company called Anvil. Since he moved at such a young age, he did not face any diculties with learning English. “When I got to high school, I already knew the basics and could focus on what other students were doing,” Zirnheld said. “Overall, I feel like the integration is pretty good.”Stéphane Allagnon, the former director of interna-tional studies, was a huge help in his experience as a student immigrant. Zirnheld expresses gratitude for his help. “He was French so he answered all our questions about how the system works, how you go to college, and how you’ve got all these classes that you’ve got to take so [he] denitely made a huge impact on my stay here,” Zirnheld said. He noticed that America is im-mersed in dierent and unique cultures while in his small town in Elvis, France, where he lived, there was a lack of diversity in their culture since they were all French. Zirnheld prefers the diversity of dierent cultures over the same culture. “e culture here is very multicul-tural. ere are [people] that have dierent cultures and everything. Where I used to live was in the middle of nowhere in the mountains, so we were all French and we all had the same culture. We all talked about the same things. Coming here and meeting dif-ferent people having dierent experiences is denitely for the better.”“[People] should acknowledge Thai culture more, or at the least know the difference [between Thailand and Taiwan].”

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55e only challenge he has faced is learning the American accent and how to pronounce words. However, his friends have helped him by correcting cer-tain words, and that helps him improve his pronunciation. “My friends teach me, for example, that I’m not supposed to say the t, especially in water, and replace it by a d,” Zirnheld said. “Little by little, that just builds your accent and that helps a lot.”Zirnheld enjoys both aspects of France and the United States and does not have a particular preference for one over the other. France is his home coun-try where he grew up with his family and friends, but the U.S. provides him with many op-portunities that he cannot have back in his hometown. “I prefer France because of course, there’s all my family and my friends,” Zirnheld said. “at’s the country where I grew up [so] I’ve got all those memories, but at the same time in America, there [are] so many opportunities ––a better life in the future or getting a better job.”He appreciates how Woodward has a huge campus with dier-ent and specialized classrooms for each teacher, unlike his school Champagnat in Issen-heim, which was a Christian school.“It was pretty small compared to Woodward,” Zirnheld said. “We had 30 students per class-room, and the classrooms were not decorated, or anything because it’s not a specic teach-er’s classroom; in France, your teacher moves classrooms and you stay in the same class and go through classes.”Haya Saeb ‘23, a Syrian and Arab American student im-migrant, moved to the United States from Syria with her family when she was 10 or 11. Her parents decided to move here for better opportunities in terms of work and education.While Woodward strives to be inclusive and welcoming to-ward student immigrants, there are still situations in which peo-ple are not so welcoming. Saeb discusses how there are always people who will make fun of people for their immigration status. “I think there’s still a lot that could be directed towards student behaviors where peo-ple don’t feel as welcome,” Saeb said. “ere’s always going to be that one person or that one group of people who decide to be rude or mean or xenopho-bic.”She mentions Mr. Allagnon and Ms. Spetseris who have been immensely helpful toward student immigrants. According to Saeb, it’s adults like them that make Woodward a welcoming environment. “Mr. Allagnon was super nice. Ms. Spetseris, who lls his po-sition now, [is also] super nice,” Saeb said. “I feel like the adults 45

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46in Woodward’s community are always super welcoming and super-inclusive which is great. I like focusing on the positive just because Woodward for the most part has been a place for me and a great community in general.” Saeb experienced challenges with the English language as Arabic is written completely opposite, and there are dierent ways of expressions with the language.“[e lan-guage] really is so hard,” Saeb said. “We say things with more inec-tion. ere are not a lot of ller words so it’s you just go straight to the point with your sentences in English.”She additionally faced hard-ships in math specically as they have completely dierent numbers, so she had to learn to reroute her brain to learn new numbers in addition to a new alphabet.“e numbers are so dierent in Arabic and the algebraic solutions are so dierent, that while it may be like the same formulas, you’re doing it in a dierent language,” Saeb said. “I had to change the fundamentals of my learning because it was based on something in a dier-ent language.” Saeb was able to overcome her diculties with the English language by talking with ESL teachers, who are secondary language teachers, and by read-ing oen. Saeb prioritizes her identity as a Syrian and Arab over being American as she is very proud of her heritage and background. “I’ve decided for myself that I’m not going to let go of anything that is part of who I am,” Saeb said. “I consider my faith and my culture a part of who I am.”She em-phasizes the importance of not being afraid to be dierent from other people in terms of culture.“When [people] make fun of the parts of your culture that you love the most, don’t let them take away that part of you,” Saeb said. “Don’t let them make you hate your heritage because your heritage, your culture, and your faith are the most beautiful things about you.”“I’ve decided for myself that I’m not going to let go of anything that is a part of who I am.”

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48ADVERSITY Not all disabilities are visibleFighting unseen battles is arguably one of the hardest tasks a person can do, and it does not have to be this way. As a society, we have grown to be more open and accepting of dierences and uniqueness which is to be seen as a huge triumph. However, we still have so much le to accomplish and improve upon, especially when it comes to understanding those with disabil-ities, whether they be major or minor. In order to take these steps for the better, understanding is key–and not just knowing the name of some-one’s medical condition, but putting yourself in their shoes and feeling their every struggle and triumph in life. Two Woodward students shared their personal experiences dealing with unseen disabilities. Katie Weathersby ‘25 shared her experiences with dyslexia and ADHD since she was 4 years old and just how much these common but burdensome disabilities aect her everyday life. “In high school, I denitely feel like I am at a disad-vantage a lot of the time,” Weathersby said. “I have spent nights crying over wanting to be normal and have the ability to focus and get my stu done.”It is the little things that Weathersby wishes could come naturally to her, inevitably causing sleepless nights and missing work because of this mental block. She recognizes that the start of high school was especially challenging, but things have turned for the better. “I denitely feel more condent and more in con-trol of my productivity now that I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t,” Weathersby said. Finding the tools necessary to achieve what you are capable of is very em-phasized at Woodward, according to Weathersby, as she touches on a par-ticular Woodward teacher that helped her navigate through sessions of trial and error when it comes to work. “My fourth grade teacher Ms. Adolf, who was in Transition, was one of the sweetest ladies ever and helped me so much,” Weathersby said. “As well as the Transition Program at Woodward which is phenomenal, which is why my parents chose Woodward.”ankful for the sta who has helped her overcome these inherent struggles, Weathersby thanks her par-ents for choosing Woodward despite it being far away from her house. Not only is Woodward a community of understanding faculty and sta, but there is also a large community of students like Weathersby with dyslexia and ADHD. “I gured out a bunch of people I did not know share these disabilities with me, so I feel a lot more com-“I have spent nights crying over wanting to be normal.”SOARING THROUGH

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50fortable, helped, and understood by my community,” Weathersby said.Drew Lindelow ‘23 shares a dierent perspective regarding their experiences with POTS, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and mast cell activation syndrome.POTS, otherwise known as postural orthostatic tachy-cardia syndrome, is a “condition that causes a number of symptoms when you transition from lying down to standing up, such as a fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue,” according to Cleveland Clinic. is condition is elaborated on by Lindelow as greatly aecting their life, forcing them to be extremely careful when stand-ing up or even sitting down. “Basically, when I stand up my heart rate jumps really high and my blood pressure drops a lot,” Lindelow said. “My heart is really bad at getting the blood from my legs up to the rest of my body, so it overcompen-sates by beating really fast.” Ehlers-Danlos syndrome aects all of the connective tissue in Lindelow’s body–like tendons, ligaments, collagen and skin–allowing for easily dislocated joints and stretchy skin. “My joints just move a lot more than they are sup-posed to, which is what I have a cane for,” said Linde-low. “While nice for exibility related sports, it also means I get a lot of micro tears in my tendons and ligaments.”Even one of the most normal human functions can be a signicant challenge for Lin-delow. Because of this constant discomfort and multitude of underlying conditions within POTS and EDS, Lindelow has to balance both school and regular doctors appointments. “It’s hard,” Lindelow said. “I joke that basically I have two full-time jobs between school and being disabled. I developed POTS my freshmen year, so that sophomore year was the hard-est because it was much less managed.” In terms of where they are now, teachers are much more understanding of Lindelow’s conditions, but there is still a lot le to be improved. When asked to give a few suggestions on how to improve Woodward’s campus in terms of getting around for Lindelow, accessibility was the main topic of discussion.“I wish there were more handicap accessibility buttons on doors to get into buildings, and more education on unspoken disabilities,” Lindelow said. Although these improvements would not be feasible to do overnight, these adjustments would still be ben-ecial for students like Lindelow who struggle with tasks like getting to class each day, making their time at school as enjoyable as possible. ere is still light at the end of the tunnel. When asked about inuential teachers that went above and beyond to help them through their struggles and adversity, Lindelow noted that Dr. Burbridge and Dr. Mays have earned a special place in their heart. “Dr. Burbridge, who le last year, was phenomenal and very understanding with turning in my work,” said Lindelow. “Dr. Mays is my AP Environmental Science teacher, and she is also phenomenal. Whenev-er I am tired, she oers for me to come in during my R period and take a nap if I need to, and is super under-standing when I am having issues.” anks to outstanding teachers and reliable doctors, both Weathersby and Lindelow have risen above rocky times but still endure struggles that sometimes may not be seen. ese two resilient War Eagles have worked tirelessly, both in and out of school, to keep their health at bay as much as possible, and make good grades and be avid members of our community. ey both embody possibility and perseverance and are actively helping the Woodward family grow to be more accepting, understanding and informed on all conditions. “I joke that basi-cally I have two full-time jobs be-tween school and being disabled.”

The Blade, Fall 2022

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