Senior Spotlights: The Class of 2023

What’s your name?

Isabella DePreist-Sullivan

What’s a funny memory from any year of high school that you remember?

I think just being on Google Meet with everybody, and in the beginning days of Google Meet when nobody really knew what was going on. I feel like that was really fun.

What advice would you give to your freshman self if you could?

Talk to my teachers more because I really love having teachers I can just go talk to and having that relationship. So I think starting that early is definitely helpful, and also taking fun electives, cause those are really fun, a nice break from class.

If you were a high school character from a movie, tv show, or book, who would you be? 

Oh, that’s hard. Okay, I’m a mix of Molly Ringwald’s character, the wrestler, and Brian [from The Breakfast Club].

What’s an accomplishment that you’re proud of?

I think challenging myself to take hard classes; I’m proud of that.

What clubs/sports/activities are you involved in at HHS?

Orchestra and Student Union.

What’s your name?

My name is Sam Kennedy.

What’s a funny memory from any year of high school that you remember?

When I was in freshman year studio art, one of my friends drew a picture of me as the Joker and proceeded to start a fan page for me on Instagram, with the profile picture being the portrait of me as Joker. It didn’t last very long, I was a little nervous at the time, but it was funny.

What advice would you give to your freshman self if you could?

I would probably say talk to your teachers. I think when I was a freshman I was really intimidated by my teachers, and so sometimes when I was struggling with an assignment I would just try to deal with it, but that often really doesn’t help at all. So, don’t be afraid to go talk to teachers and get to know them.

If you were a high school character from a movie, tv show, or book, who would you be?

Probably Brian from The Breakfast Club.

What’s an accomplishment that you’re proud of?

I’m really proud of my final English paper last year. I put a lot into that, and I feel like it’s one of the best things I’ve written. I really like writing, and it just felt really good to turn cause I was genuinely very proud of it.

What clubs/sports/activities are you involved in at HHS?

I’m an editor for The Buzzer, I’m involved in fledgling radio club,theater, and more.

What’s your name?

My name is Gigi Richer.

What’s a funny memory from any year of high school that you remember?

I think it was this year, for NHS you have to do a bunch of community service hours and one way you could get them was by volunteering during back to school night and it was so much fun. First of all, the parents were so confused and it was really funny. I didn’t realize how little I know about what rooms were which numbers, so I kept directing parents to the wrong rooms. Me and all my friends were on one floor and we kept stealing donuts from the faculty room area, and it was really cool to see all our teachers in their natural habitats and run around the school. We were like little Gremlins, and it was a lot of fun.

What advice would you give to your freshman self if you could?

Don’t be afraid to really get involved in school. As a freshman, I was really hesitant to join clubs and do extracurriculars. I didn’t really feel like I fit in in the school environment, and over the course of high school I’ve gained a lot of confidence and actually started doing some extracurriculars. I realized how rewarding and fun they are, and I just wish I had gotten that experience earlier so I could have really, really gone deep on that. Partly for college applications and partly just because I think I would’ve had a lot more fun in high school if I was really involved at school. 

If you were a high school character from a movie, tv show, or book, who would you be?

I think I would be, in High School Musical, the piano girl. She’s just kind of vibing in the background and she gets more of a character as the movies go on and she ends up being really cool. Kelsi, I think, was her name. 

What’s an accomplishment that you’re proud of?

It didn’t happen at school, but at my temple I got really involved with the youth group and I’m the president this year, so I run all of the youth group. I’m in charge of the board and we plan events and we run programming and it’s a lot of fun. I’m really happy that I got so involved there and that I got to this point. 

What clubs/sports/activities are you involved in at HHS?

I’m just going to rattle off the activity section of my common app: I do chorus, I did the GSA last year, I was involved with the Buzzer my freshman year, and I do theater (I think I’ve done almost every show since my sophomore year).

What’s your name?

Owen Pietraszek

What’s a funny memory from any year of high school that you remember?

Last winter, me and the boys track team did a snowballs run where we ran a mile in the freezing cold in winter in just our short shorts.

What advice would you give to your freshman self if you could?

Don’t stress too much about trying to look cool in front of the upperclassmen and stuff like that.

If you were a high school character from a movie, tv show, or book, who would you be?

Ron Weasley.

What’s an accomplishment that you’re proud of?

My track and cross country career.

What clubs/sports/activities are you involved in at HHS?

Track, cross country, and photo club. 

What’s your name?

Olympia Daia

What’s a funny memory from any year of high school that you remember?

I think always Mr. O’Brien’s class in junior year whenever anyone would be late from the mask break, because it’s kind of funny to watch him yell at people.

What advice would you give to your freshman self if you could?

Try not to compare yourself to other people, especially regarding academics since everyone has their own path.

If you were a high school character from a movie, tv show, or book, who would you be?

Cat Valentine from Victorious because she has red hair and she’s my favorite ever.

What’s an accomplishment that you’re proud of?

I’m really proud of getting into NAHS because art has always been a passion of mine and I’m excited to pursue it in the future.

What clubs/sports/activities are you involved in at HHS?

I’m in GSA, art club, NAHS, French club, and there’s others that I’m forgetting.