Jesslyn Adams

                  Have you ever blown your nose and had an unexpected visitor appear in the tissue? Jesslyn Adams, 16, had this undesired event happen to her one day. “I was washing my hands when my nose started tickling,” said Adams.

                  As Adams was washing her hands one after, she started feeling a tickling sensation in her nose. After blowing her nose she looked into the tissue, to her surprise, there was spider! “I ran to tell mom, but I tripped and fell into her door,” said Adams, who also has arachnophobia (the fear of spiders).

                  Growing up, Adams lived with her mom and travelled from city to city, sometimes the same city more than once. “I was born in Roanoke, moved to West Virginia, back to Roanoke, then to Raleigh, North Carolina, then to Rocky Mount, back to Roanoke, and now I live in Roanoke County,” said Adams.

By Willis Page

Willis Page

He tried out a few different sports, but basketball was the sport for Willis Page.  “I love basketball.” Willis replied as I asked him how he felt about it.  He goes by the name Will.  Will grew up with his parents Frank and Sheila.  Frank is the senior executive of sales, and vice president of Lake Region Medical.  Sheila is a realtor at Roanoke and Smith Mountain Lake (SML).  He was born and raised in Roanoke Virginia. Will had just turned 17 on August 3^rd, 2015.  Will’s heritage is Caucasian and Native American.  Will was named after his grandfather Willis Page.  He is the oldest sibling out of Frank and Sheila’s kids.  His little brother’s name is Caleb Page.  Caleb is 15 years old.

            Will Page plans on graduating high school, then attending college afterwards.  He would like to go to Virginia Tech University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Coastal Carolina University, or Texas and Corpus Christi A&M University. If he goes to Virginia Tech University, then he would like to get a degree in business and engineering. But if he goes to any of the other colleges listed, then he would like to get a degree in marine biology.  Now, he likes basketball, but he isn’t going to college just for it, He might play basketball while he’s in college, but he isn’t really looking to go to the NBA or anything like that.  Well, he isn’t for now.  Whether he gets a scholarship in basketball or not he’ll be set with or without one.  Will would eventually; in his later future, like to like to settle down on Carmen Island, Florida Keys, or Wilmington, North Carolina.

            Now, Will Page had been playing basketball all his life, “I’ve been playing basketball since before I could remember.” He said.  He’s on the school team, and he plays for fun with his buddies at the recreational center.  He used to play baseball in 7^th grade, then football in 8^th, but he realized basketball was his kind of sport.  Not to mention he has the right height for it.  Will is 6 feet and 3 inches tall.  His worst injury happened while playing basketball.  He was playing in a tournament at the spectrum, and he dove on the floor after the loose ball and he hit another player’s head; who also dove on the floor going after the ball.  But that did not stop Will from wanting to play, I recall him saying “After my concussion, I could not wait to get back out on the floor and play.”  Basketball for Will is his motivation.

Jesslyn Adams

Anthony Luminella

Dropping items is a normal occurrence, but dropping a school laptop over a railing and down a floor brings a whole new meaning to clumsy.  Luminella, 16, and his brother, Brennan who is currently enrolled at Oak Grove Elementary School and his mother who is a banker moved to Roanoke from Abingdon early in his life.  Luminella’s hobbies include reading science fiction book and working with laptops and computers.  As much as he enjoys working with laptops in his freshman year, his laptop met an unfortunate fate.  The stories have circulated throughout the adolescent halls of Hidden Valley, but Luminella tells it as such “I was trying to check blackboard for a test and I had my laptop sitting on the railing.  When I went to turn around to talk to Caleb Smith, I accidentally knocked it off.  I turned back around just in time to watch it explode against the ground floor.” After the spill Luminella reports “The most embarrassing part was the walk of shame carrying all of the parts with all of the teachers and students watching.”

Luminella has had an interest in laptops since he was very young and still remembers getting his first laptop at age 9.  “As soon as the laptop was placed in my hands I felt myself becoming more responsible.” said Luminella.  When asked where his first laptop is today, he replied “In pieces”, ironically his laptop from freshman year seemed to fallen victim to the same outcome.  

            When Luminella brought his mangled laptop to Mr. Fundikowski he claimed “Fundi didn’t ask many questions, which was surprising.” After chatting with the eyewitness, Caleb Smith, the story was confirmed.  Smith also added “It was pretty funny except for the people below, who got scared at the fact that a laptop just smashed against the ground.” Looking to the future Luminella wants to attend college; however, he is not sure where.  Regardless of future education his carrier choice is in the internet technology field, where we can only hope that none of those laptops end up in pieces as well.  

By: Grace Landolt

Taylor Cundiff

Taylor Cundiff (16) definitely has a heart for animals. Ever since she was little she has been in love with furry creatures, big and small. Her first animal ever was a Jack Russel Terrier named Buffy and ever since then her love for animals hasn’t changed one bit. She hopes one day animals can be a big part of her future, which she has big plans for. “After high school I would like to go to Virginia Tech to become a large animal vet, or a history teacher as a backup plan” said Cundiff.  She has one cat right now named Baby, but wishes she owned more animals. After college, she plans on having a lot of animals. She loves any kind of animals, but her all-time favorite animals are cows, because they are sweet and lazy. She would really like to get more involved with animals so she signed up at the SPCA to volunteer and she can hardly wait.

She really has a passion for caring for animals and when she sees an animal in need, nothing stops her from caring for them. Taylor said, “One time I found a couple of baby rabbits that had been abandoned by their mom because a dog was messing with them and they were all scratched up so I put the rabbits in a box with towels and got special milk and fed them and helped them get better and when they were old enough we found a place to let them go.” Taylor is totally against animal cruelty and is disgusted when she hears about animals being neglected. She thinks every animal needs to be treated kindly and should be cared for. There is a festival in China where they abuse dogs and she explained how upsetting it is to know animals are neglected and abused everywhere for no reason, she doesn’t think it’s fair.

Taylor works at Buffalo Wild Wings while attending Hidden Valley High School as a junior. She shared her thoughts on school by saying, “I enjoy learning but I don’t like school because of how early I have to wake up. If school started around 9, I would be alright.” Taylor has one older brother whose name is Damian. In her free time she enjoys shopping and spending time with friends. Her dream is to attend Virginia Tech to become a large animal Veterinarian. After college, she wants to go to large farms to take care of their animals. She says her future goals include having a huge house with a lot of land and a small farm. One of her favorite things to do is go to the zoo and feed the animals with the buckets of food. She says, “I could literally spend all day at a zoo.” She is sure her love for animals will never change and she cannot wait to see where this passion takes her in life. 

By Camryn Adams

Regan King

            Life for Regan King, age 16, took a drastic turn when she got a new younger sister one day. Regan’s older sister, Amber, decided that she wasn’t ready to take care of the child she already had and gave her up to her parents to take care of. Regan and her sisters Paige and Gabby had no idea how to deal with this life changing moment. “I think my sister needs to get her life together”, said King.

            Regan, living in Roanoke, VA at the time, had never been through an experience like this and was only beginning to understand how serious the situation was. Regan was working on getting a job and dealing with studies for school when this situation took place so it wasn’t only straining on her parents, but also very stressful for her in many ways. Lily, the new “sister” would have so many questions she would want answered, and Regan would have to share a room. There really wasn’t any chance of getting away from this situation for Regan. It was a difficult situation for everyone. “It makes me angry because Lily feels like she has been abandoned”, King added. Regan would also later add that her sister Amber had had a troublesome relationship with drugs and alcohol, along with guys who wouldn’t be the best role models for her. Her Parents had it rough too, not only getting a new “daughter” to take care of, but having to deal with Amber’s actions.

            The actions of Amber caused widespread family tension and emotions to grow out of control with her family. Regan knew that Amber wanted to come back and rightfully be Lily’s mom, but Regan wasn’t too sure that she had earned the right or trust of the family to do so. “They wish that she would make improvements, so she can come back and be a part of the family”, King said about Amber. Regan feels like that if Amber could get her life in order and calmed down that she could come back and be okay.

By Caleb Smith

Grace Landolt

Grace Landolt, age 7, went on vacation with her mom and dad to New York City during Black Friday to do some shopping. She had been feeling sick before she had even stepped on the plane, but her parents wanted to continue on with the trip. After a rough flight there, she left the airport feeling worse than before. “It was really busy and cold, and gross in New York city, because everyone was down there, and we were walking down the side of the street and I just threw up everywhere.”

Lucky for Grace, someone came to help. ”This lady was walking by, and she handed my dad a tissue.” The closest store to where she threw up was Macy’s. Unfortunately, it was Black Friday. So, Grace’s mother had to shove through a crowd of angry people to get to the bathroom. After cleaning up, Landolt decided she wanted to see “Santa.” On the way up the escalators, the hem of her jeans got caught in the track, and it began to pull her down. The staff had to shut down the escalator and pull her jeans out. Then, Landolt coated in grease, and stinking of vomit, hopped on Santa’s lap, and got everything she wished for.

“I went this summer to try and redeem my New York experience,” She says. Grace, age 15, lives at home with her Step dad and Mother. She has two step  sisters, Megan  and Molly. She’s lived in Roanoke her entire life. She works as a lifeguard in her free time over the summer, and swims on the high school swim team. Her main focus in life is swimming, and while she doesn’t know which college she wants to go to, she says that it must have a swim team. 

Joseph Preseren

Ever wonder what it’s like to ride a unicycle? Joseph Preseren, 16, born in Frederick Maryland, but now resides in Roanoke Virginia, took on the challenge of learning how to ride a unicycle. ”I saw this little kid at a summer camp that I went to who was like 7 or 8 years old on a unicycle, and I thought that I could probably do the same. So once I got back home I ordered one off of Amazon and started once I got it.”  Preseren stated.

When Preseren first started learning how to ride a unicycle he was only 14 years old. In the beginning he fell off many times, but he slowly started learning the basics, like going in a straight line. Finally, he has gotten so good at riding a unicycle that he can “ride up, down, and around his neighborhood which has a lot of hills” said Preseren. When talking with Preseren you can tell how much pride he takes in his ability to ride a unicycle. “I can ride backwards and I am currently learning how to ride in a circle.” Preseren told me that a unicycle doesn’t have brakes, so if you stop peddling then the wheels stop. If you want to stop and you are going fast, then you just have to jump off. Also, the rate that you are peddling is how fast or slow you are going.

Preseren shared a little bit about himself. He currently attends Hidden Valley High School and lives with his dad Joe Preseren. “I don’t really know if I would like to attend college, but I will go to college if I truly find something I want to do. If I don’t, then I plan to find success elsewhere.” said Preseren. He has a passion for music and making music. Currently he writes lyrics, but he just feels like people are overlooking him and his hidden talent. Preseren has many of friends, but his best friends are Chris Daniel and Alec Dalton. He plays basketball and he also works at Elm Park Estates, which is a senior living and retirement community, where he serves the residents and also busses the tables.

            Whatever Preseren decides to do with his life after high school whether he goes into college or finds success elsewhere, he will definitely have the determination to get the job done. Just like how he had the determination of learning how to ride a unicycle!

By: Leah Newton

Leah Newton

What started as a fun trip with a friend to the historical town of Charleston South Carolina turned out to be much more for the then fourteen year old Leah Newton. “I’m pretty sure a ghost touched me.” said Newton who’s now sixteen and lives with her mother Colleen, her step dad Paul, and her step brother Michael. Leah a typical teenage girl works as a lifeguard and for the most part lives a normal, healthy life. But in one instance that was not the case. Sydney Brenner a good friend of Newton invited her to go to Charleston with her family one summer. It turns out this memorable trip with a friend was remember for an abnormal reason.

The day started out as planned with a car ride to Charleston from Myrtle Beach South Carolina, once there they did what most people would do and looked around the historical sights and bought some souvenirs and shopped a little bit. After a while Sydney’s mother brought the two young teens tickets she had purchased for a haunted Ghost tour. They got tickets to the last tour of the night, and at approximately nine in the evening they entered the decommissioned jail and started their tour. The tour was fairly spooky at the start, but as the night went on it became more and more frightening. Newton mentioned seeing a face and several orbs, though she admits that some of it could have been her mind playing tricks on her due to the setting she was in. However, she is certain she saw at least one face. The tours excitement dulled down a little bit, but once they entered the last room that changed. The group walked in and the tour guide turned off her flashlight which was the only light source nearby at this point. “I couldn’t even see Sydney next to me” said Leah who was standing in the back of the group with her back to the wall of the jail cell. “I was standing up against the wall and I felt something behind me” Newton continued “I felt something breathe on me”. “It was a really small room, there was no windows in it” which leads Leah to believe it couldn’t have been a gentle breeze from an outside source. Leah nervously whispers to her friend “There’s something behind me”, and she continued by saying, “I felt something touch me down my back”, the entity left in a hurry “it was gone before the lady was done talking”. She summed up the experience by saying “It was hot and it was pitch black, it was creepy”.

Newton and Brenner both startled by what had just occurred went back to their hotel room after the tour. They talked continuously about what had just happened and eventually Leah had Sydney look at her back where she believed she was scratched. Leah thought her friend was just playing a simple joke on her when she said there was scratch marks on her back. So Leah wanted to check for herself “I look in the mirror and there’s threes scratch marks down my back”. “Something clawed me” she proclaimed. The ghost tour lived up to the girls expectations so well, that they decided to go back the following year. Leah says “The second time I went on the tour nothing happened... standing in the same spot and everything, and I didn’t feel anything”. When confronted with a question about the paranormal she responds with “it’s actually real, it’s a thing”. “That’s something I would never expect” the young and innocent girl says about her experience. Overall she thought of it as a unique experience that she doesn’t regret.

By Joseph Preseren

Josh Rush

When people go through elementary school most people think of reading, multiplication or recess. But not Joshua I. Rush. He only thinks about every kid’s nightmare. Ripped pants. “And having four siblings hearing about this does not make that any easier” he claims. Of those four siblings there are Andrew, Brodee, Chloe-Ann, and Faith plus Josh’s mother Heather Owenss and step father Chris Owenss in which they all live together.

Josh is a rather active as he explained in his interview. So at recess he would go outside and play football. “I went outside to play football and I when I jumped in the air to catch the football my pants ripped and I uh.. wasn’t exactly wearing underwear” he explained. Yes you heard right he was commando. So as this event quickly spread they rushed him to the office where the found him something from the lost and found until a suitable replacement was acquired. “It was a lot of stress that day for sure” Josh admits.

While he may have been pantless he was not birthless celebrating his birthday at April 5^th 1999. And because he has no job or a significant other he has found his free time is being spent by relaxing and playing football and Decca. Not to mention just because he had one bad time at school doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to go to college with plans to go to UNC. This music loving guy (Likes all but metal) has five dogs and a single cat that he cherishes very much. Just remember folks as Josh will tell you “Denim rips but underwear stretches”   

By Jordan Derosha

Jacob Ferris

One of his many hobbies includes church trips and by doing that he gets to travel, which he also enjoys. Jacob, 16, loves to travel the mountains and experience great memories with his church family. Growing up here in Roanoke, Virginia he found a love for the mountains and exploration. Ferris lives with his mom, three dogs and two cats; he is also an only child.  He wants and plans to go to BYU (Brigham Young University), a private research university in Utah.

With many of his adventures, his favorite was going to Palmyra, New York. In New York, he camped out for two days outside a temple. “My favorite part was cooking out by a camp fire with everyone” said Ferris. In the duration of the two days there, the group mainly bonded; went to a play that was about old folk tales and cooked for his friends. Ferris said about one of his adventures, “It was a great experience to have with friends and [he] would love to experience it again!”

On the last adventure, Jacob talked about his most exciting vacation he had. On this trip, he camped out for a whole month around Roanoke with his church. Ferris wagon pulled his belongings like settlers did in the old days to really get the full feel of a pioneer. “The trek was difficult and really showed me how hard it was for pioneers traveling west.” Said Farris about his journey. Jacob hopes to do it again soon.

                                                                                                By: Amanda Thomas

Ermin Delic

            The outdoors plays a big role in Ermins lifestyle. He is 17 and lives in Roanoke, Virginia with his mom and his dad. He has one older brother. He is currently employed at Kroger and after high school plans to attend Virginia Western Community College. His hobbies are hunting and fishing, his favorite fish to target are bass, catfish, and trout, and he also enjoys hunting whitetail and turkeys. 

            He was 12 years old when he went hunting turkeys. “I set up in a field next to a creek, shortly after that he heard them up on the ridge”, Said Ermin. Then he saw three turkeys walking straight towards him. He shot twice missing both shots making the birds start to leave the area quickly. Then about an hour later a lone turkey came walking toward him. The turkey finally came in range and then he shot. Later that night he had turkey for dinner.

            He started fishing at an early age and plans to never stop. He loves fishing for all different types of fish. He targets trout in the late fall, winter, and early spring. He has caught many of trophy trout in his life. During the summer he targets catfish and bass. He like the challenge of fishing and the joy of catching a big fish. He has caught some really nice smallmouth and largemouth bass in his life. He loves to fish and he plans to do it for as long as he can.

            The outdoors has played a big role in the way Ermin has lived his life. It has made him who he is today and he plans to make it a part of him for as long as he can. He sees things differently than others might, you might see a fun rope swing on the river, when he would look at and ask himself where he would put his bait in hopes to catch a big fish.  Hunting and fishing will always be in the back of his mind no matter where he is at or what he is doing.

By Dalton Hughes

           

Amanda Thomas

                  Amanda Lea Thomas, 17, loves to draw and paint. Growing up, Amanda discovered her love towards art in middle school art class where she would doodle and draw all the time. She realized she was actually pretty good at it. In 9^th grade Thomas painted a picture of her dog which turned out really good. This year in school, Amanda is taking both Art 3 and Art 4. She even plans on taking AP Art next year. “Even my mom was an artist, so I guess I have genetically good talents” said Thomas. Whenever she has free time she likes to draw and sketch her ideas.

One evening, one of Thomas’s friends, Hannah Childress, took a picture of a beautiful sunset. Thomas decided to paint it. “The sky was pink and blue with darkish grey clouds and I captured it really well” said Thomas. Thomas loves to paint pictures of scenery and landscapes and this painting she did of the sunset is one of her best that she is proud of.  When she can, she loves to go down to the docks at sunset at Smith Mountain Lake and just paint what she sees. Thomas likes to go hiking with her friends and finding beautiful places to just hang out and drive on the parkway.

                  Thomas has grown up in Roanoke her whole life with her 2 older brothers, 18 and 24, her parents, and her dog Juneau. After high school she plans on going to VCU Arts where she can learn more and perfect her art skills. After graduating she wants to get a job as a Graphic Designer.    

This past summer, Thomas went to the beach with her family. At first she was a little upset that she wasn’t able to bring any friends but it turned out to be a really fun trip and they were able to really bond. Every year for her birthday her parents get her a bouquet of flowers and treat her to a family birthday dinner. “Every year on my birthday my parents give me a bouquet of flowers and we go to dinner and I just love being able to do that” said Thomas.

                 

                   

By Jacob Ferris

Dylan Collins

Dylan Collins was born 17 years ago in Atlanta Georgia and he didn’t know it yet but he had football in his blood. Dylan is currently on the Hidden Valley High School football team he plays as a wide receiver and he truly loves football. Football is not something that comes easy to many people there is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that is put into practice every single day “I eat sleep breath football” said Collins.

     Many people look to professional athletes for someone to look up to. Dylan looks to number eleven on his home town football team, Julio Jones for inspiration. One would look up to Julio because of his great character on and off the field. He contributes his time to a plethora of charity’s and local kids to help further their football skills. On a local level Dylan looks up to football team captain Ryan Mitchell. “Having good grades and playing football is what I’m most proud of” said Collins.

      Through some hardships earlier on Dylan went to seek help from a teacher for advice and the teacher said to stay strong and that things got better “things did get better and I’m glad I stuck with football” said Collins. Football is a great sport and it helps many people either have fun after a long day at school or just relive some stress.

     Dylan’s mom is originally from Atlanta that’s where his love for the falcons came from. His siblings are 5, 8, and 13 they go to Back Creek Elementary and Hidden Valley Middle School

Duy Hinh

            If you wonder ever what it was like to come to the USA from a different country then this paper will really interest you, today we are going to talk about Duy Hinih.

            Growing up Duy Hinih was the only child of her family in Vietnam, she was born on February 6^th 1999. To this day majority of her family still lives in Vietnam, she lived there all the way up till fourth grade when she moved to the USA. Even though she likes it here in the USA and has better opportunity’s she still likes it over in Vietnam better because of her friends. Duy says “When I and my mom moved her I was kind of a lone because I didn’t know people.” Duy growing up was from the very south part of Vietnam. Duy doesn’t know what her plans for the future is yet but she plans on attending Virginia Western after high school and do some kind of arts program there. One of the most unique things about Duy is how she got her name. When she was growing up in Vietnam her family was poor and she was kind of weak and sick all the time, so her mom said that she wanted to name her to have a boy name so that she would be strong. Later on Duy wanted her name to be changed because it was a boy name and she didn’t like it. One of the best memories growing up was when her mom moved away so that she could work and support her family, once a mouth her mom would come home to see her family and she finally got to see her so that was her best memory. Duy said “I would get the biggest smile on my face when she walked through that door it always made me so happy.” Duy moved here in 2008 during Christmas, she says “It was perfect timing to experience Christmas in the USA.” She still to this day tries to go back to her home country at least once a year if not more. She said one of the hardest things for her to do when she first moved here was learning English. When she was in Vietnam she learned a little bit of English but it wasn’t enough to speak it fully so when she got here she had to learn English real quick and it took her four years to get it down. Her favorite sport is soccer and she plans on playing for the school team next year. She says the biggest difference between the USA and Vietnam is the prices of things, over there it is a lot more expensive than in the USA. Duy says that she plans on staying over here for a very long time at least till she finishes school and then plans on bringing the rest of her family over to the USA.

            In conclusion, Duy is a very interesting girl and has a lot ahead of herself and has a bright future ahead, all in all Duy looks forward for the years to come and what she has ahead of herself

By: Brad Williams

Andy Lax

Andy Lax (17) has gotten his smarts from an early age when he had gotten hit in the head with a PVC pipe at a piñata party. “I remember waking up from my blackout laughing and then seeing blood just turned my laughter into screaming”.

Andy has lived in Roanoke his entire life and has always had a love for the game of soccer. Andy lives with his parents and has 1 sister. Talking about his family it seems to be that the traces of his family are the reasons of why he wants to do in his future for his job. After high school he would like to go to Virginia Western for two years and then transfer to Virginia Tech. In college Andy is focused and determined to get a 4 year degree in Business.

Andy is a huge fan of the cheesy western from Texas Tavern in downtown Roanoke. “The cheesy western will always be my all-time favorite burger in town”. When asking Andy about the best moment of his life all he had to say was, “Nothing big has happened in my life yet, so I would have to say being born”. With soccer ahead in the future Andy would like to accomplish something big with his team this year and also again in his senior year.

Andy is a huge fan of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He has been there a few times and would love to go back. “There are so many beautiful sites to see when you go there, such as museums and just the land,” said Andy. Andy has also been to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where that is the farthest he has ever traveled. He loves the beach and likes going there to spend a week in the beautiful summer sun with his family. Andy told us about a trip he has been on that he wishes he never went. He didn’t remember the name of the city, all he could call it was the ghetto part of Washington D.C. “There were nothing but gangs, it was all just a scary site to see,” Andy said.

                                                                                                -Cason Bennett

Camryn Adams

            Have you ever gotten a scholarship for something you love to do? Camryn Hope Adams (16) was astonished when she did. At the young age of three, Camryn Adams wasn’t very interested in her newfound dancing class. Little did she know, later on it would become a huge part of her life. Her parents, Angie Adams, a worker for the Better Business Bureau, and her father Stephen Adams, the CEO Assistant Manager of a large construction company, would eventually sign her up for dance and enroll her at Ardell Stone School of Dancing. “I was three, I didn’t really like it at first because my mom kind of forced me to do it, and I think that’s what all moms do. But, I’ve been doing it ever since.” She was quoted talking about her lifelong passion.

            Camryn’s dedication for dance ended up paying off later down the road when she received a scholarship in the 8^th grade which paid for a whole year of dance. Along with that, her story was also published in a popular dance magazine as well. However, with success comes hurdles, because Adams ended up with a bad knee injury which kept her out of dance for 6 months. “I tore up my knee in 8^th grade. I was out of dance for like 6 months and I tore my PCL and my calf muscle so that took a long time to heal.” Adams said about her devastating injury. However, even though she was faced with hardship like she was, she overcame it and made a full recovery.

            Amidst her ups and downs with dance her family has been by her side supporting everything she does. Her sisters Lindsey (25) and Megan (30) are two prime examples of a support system.  However, when asked if Adams was going to make a career out of her dancing abilities, she responded with a quick and polite ‘no’. She would much rather go into the field of nursing, something she also has a strong passion for. This is evident because of her work at a local nursing home where she has said she loves to spend time with the patients. “I work at a retirement home as a waitress. I want to go to into nursing and go to Liberty because they have a really good nursing school.” She said about her plans for the future.

      By Matthew Terwilliger

Caleb Smith

Since the beginning of 9^th grade Caleb has known that he has wanted to work with computers. There is a CIT class that he has been attending for 3 years at Burton School of Arts.  Caleb has decided when he graduates from High School he would like to be a systems administrator for a large company. He says this because he feels there is always going to be a need for someone who can work well with computers. “That in the future a lot of jobs now will be done by computers” Said Smith.

Caleb says to reach his goals of becoming a computer technician he will need a college degree in computer science. “I would like to get my Net-plus Certification and my Security-plus Certification” said Smith.  Caleb says he wants go straight to a University out of High School. When he decides what University he would like to go to he will have to be there for four years to get the degree that he needs. In order to get his A-plus Certification he must take two test, so now all he has to do is complete the second part of the test. He plans on getting a job as a computer technician and eventually working his way up to be a systems administrator.

Caleb Smith was born in Roanoke Virginia on September 18th, 1998. He currently does not have a job but is trying to find a job involving computers. Caleb’s free time consist of playing video games and working on computers. “I think it’s a growing field and who knows how it will be in the future” said Smith.  He also is a triplet with a sister named Meaghan and a brother named Cody. Caleb hopes that he will be fortunate in the computer business and is eager to use this knowledge of technology as a career goal.

Brad Williams

As a 16-year-old who loves playing golf, Brad Williams enjoys spending his time on the golf course. When being asked where the farthest place he has traveled, Williams answer “Africa.” Williams traveled to Kenya in Africa every three or two years in the winter with his dad on a mission trip. He has lived in Virginia his whole life that is why he is always happy to travel to a different country. Even though he and his dad only stayed in Kenya for a week he enjoys every moment of it. “Oh I love going there, I always want to go back. The last time I was there, we help build a bridge over the river. We try to help out as much as possible, I mean over there they just so poor, anything you could do right now could help them.” said Williams.  

Everyone has their sad moments in life, for Williams it would have to be when he went to visit the orphans in Africa. “It’s just the look they give you, they’re so helpless and you wish you could help more” said Williams. When he was at the orphanage a little 3-year-old boy came up to him and had asked Williams to pray for him because he was going to die sometime next week. “That mentally was tough for me, it’s like who am I to pray for you?” said Williams.  “Even though it was the hardest 16 hour flight, flying from Scarlett North Carolina to London to Kenya, it was worth it” said Williams. For him it was one of the most beautiful places he had ever visited in his life.

Though Williams is busy with his job as a dish washer, he always finds time to play golf. “Yeah, golf is my main hobby” said Williams. He attends Hidden Valley High School and is a member of the golf team as well. Williams has a family of four, his mom, his dad and his two sisters. He was born on November 22, 1998 and is the youngest of his family. As a kid he was always considered to be athletic. “I have played football, baseball, I have played them all.” Said Williams. Overall, in his spare time, William enjoys playing on the golf course and traveling to Africa. 

By Duy Hinh

Cason Bennett

            Cason Bennett, 17, is all about football. He not only plays on defense, but on offense as well.  As a football player, you need to have good knowledge of the different plays that the team runs.  Bennett, however, has learned all offensive and defensive plays that the Hidden Valley football team runs and knows.  He plays as a corner and as a running back.  When asked what his greatest moment was, Bennett responded, “Going into playoffs in my freshman year and beating Lord Botetourt 21-14.”

            As a football player on game day, players need to stay focused on the game.  When asked what his most nervous moment was, Bennett responded, “Today, because we play against PH.” On Fridays, which are game days, Bennett remains focused and watches film from previous games of his opponent.   Usually, players will focus on either the offensive or defensive side to their opponent, but Bennett has to watch film on both and be mentally prepared for each game.

            Cason Bennett has a twin brother and sister and one older brother on his dad’s side of the family, and one little sister on his mom’s side of the family.  Bennett is from Seattle, Washington and went to G.W. Carver for elementary school.  Bennett is a pretty free spirited guy as well.  When asked what his biggest fear was, he responded, “Someday I would like to jump out of a plane and go skydiving.”   He hopes for more challenges throughout life and football.

 By Andy Lax