Senior Spotlights: Athletics and Fine Arts

Senior students take on their last year at Walnut Grove High School and set goals for themselves and their teammates to push beyond the standards and exceed expectations.
by Makenzie Bass and Rylee Watson

There are many sports and activities offered here at WGHS. The seniors especially want to win to leave their mark and have a memorable last season. Between the various activities, we are confident there will be a great deal of victorious games and competition this year at The Grove. 

Emadd Howard (12) said that “...winning the first game of the season felt good, we practiced hard all week, and we were hoping for a W [a win].” Felix Menendez (12) added, “It felt great, you know, a lot of things to build upon, but I feel like we are having a good season so far. I feel like our talent has taken us to this point, but we really need to lock in and show some pride and respect and get some respect back from last year since it didn’t go the way the people thought it was, coming off of a winning season.” Felix shares how they are able to balance being a student on top of an athlete, “I really do just go to school, do what I gotta do, I try to apply myself to football, so I do everything with intensity.”

Unanimously, Menendez and Howard both agree that “listening to music on the bus” helps them best prepare for a game. However, Felix had sort of a different approach.  “For pregame I actually listen to classical music. There’s something about classical music that just gives me this feeling of, 'cause most guys come into the game nervous, but I never get nervous before a game, and I give it to classical music.”

Menendez expresses his true inspiration on and off the field, “My biggest support or inspiration out of football is probably ‘Batman’. He is pretty cool and I inspire to be like him.” Howard said that the key to friendships and bonds throughout the team is “communication; all of us hanging out and talking to each other.” Felix thinks it’s all about "just going to practice helps and we also have NG3. It's where we get together and talk, have fun, go to a pool or something. It's just a lot of fun when we get to talk and stuff.” Both strive to achieve their goals on the field and in the classroom.

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Sadie McManus (12) and Makaiko Kafunda (12) are both part of the leadership team in the Marching Band here at WGHS. Sadie is Drumline and Percussion captain and Makaiko is Woodwind captain. They both have been leaders for many years, displaying various acts of kindness and responsibility. Being a leader can mean many different things.

To Makaiko, it means, “Really just let them do what they want to do to be happy and keep the energy to not let them get down in their feelings or something, and keep them focused. Personally, I don’t need to do anything, I just try to make sure everyone in the section is good at what they are doing and are confident in what they are doing, so they’re not  nervous later.” For Sadie, being a leader is more about the fact that “it is important to be emotionally supportive just as much as it is being musically supportive because if you can’t trust your leader as a friend, how do you trust them as a musician?” Both stated that band is, “...more about the people than it is the music.”

​Sadie added, “I couldn’t tell you one piece of music I played last year, but I can tell you about all the people I did it with and the memories we made.” Sadie’s main goal is to “...not get another ‘excellent’ at a competition. If I’m going, I am going to win. I want all superiors this year.”

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Jazmyne Black (12) is a part of many clubs  at WG. To name a few band, chorus, and drama. Miss Black said that her biggest support and inspiration is “Mr. Reidling. He got me into chorus; he re-lit my love for music after it kind of died off in middle school, and he’s just my favorite person in the world.” Jazmyne shares why she chooses to continue being involved with multiple clubs on top of being a student, "The community here at Walnut Grove is just very uplifting of all the fine arts.”

​She also adds, “...the fine arts department is just such a large community of people who aren’t afraid to be themselves because they know they can do what they love and not be judged for it.”

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Track star, Jalen Willis (12), runs the 4 by 1, the 100, and performs in the long jump competition. While being on the track team here at Walnut Grove, Willis expresses why he enjoys being a part of the team so much,  “I enjoy hanging out with my friends and just making memories.” He also comments on how being a senior this year will help him be able to “encourage [teammates] and try to help if they need help with anything they can just ask, and I’d like to help them as much as I can,” Willis explains.

When handling the stress of track competitions, Jalen chooses to “ …pray and then I just pray again... and wait, that's it.”




Senior students have found various ways to stay in tune with school work as well as balancing being an athlete or club member. Communication is a key ingredient when in a group or a part of a team. Each senior promotes building a supportive and superior team as well as driven students in the classrooms here at WGHS.

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