ART:

“Art has taught me how to see from different perspectives and to see value in everyone’s contribution. I also learned to find inspiration in everything. There is such a variety of things you can do or say; it’s something anyone can do, practice and you can get better.”

–Bella Suarez, Maryland Institute College of Art

BAND:

“Being in band has gotten me many friends. I’ve learned a lot. Making music has always been really fun and it’s a stress reliever for me. Some of my favorite memories have been: the spring trips to different places and getting to tour Europe with Music Abroad.”

–Taylor Speed, University of North Carolina (Greensboro)

BASEBALL:

“Baseball has taught me the value of hard work, and that trying to get better every day leads to success. I really like the team atmosphere, we’re all a family. I will miss seeing everyone everyday and playing on the field wearing the Robinson uniform.”

–Kyle Hatterick, James Madison University

CAROUSEL:

“Editing Carousel is so important to me, because I get to show off how artistically talented our student body is. Each submission that we read has a unique story behind it, and I am honored that the students who submit works wish to share those stories with the entire school. I think what I’ll miss most about Carousel, other than the great friends that I made on the staff, is the day we distribute the final copies of the magazine. I love to see everyone’s reactions to the finished product. Carousel has really piqued my interest in the world of publications.”

—Diane Mechner, University of Virginia

CHEERLEADING:

“I have made a lot of new friends and memories. I will miss my friends and the competitions the most; and football games. My favorite memory has probably been senior year; becoming close to the seniors and competing at regional-semis the same night as Homecoming, and having a limo take us to the dance. I love cheer and I’d encourage girls to try out.”

–Courtney Hafner, Virginia Tech

CHORUS:

“What I enjoy most about the choir is the amazing experiences that I’ve had in the program and also the wonderful people I’ve met have made the choir literally feel like a family that I can always have fun with and enjoy. I’m definitely going to miss them most of all. They make all the demanding work it takes to prepare for our performances and trips so worthwhile. Next year it’ll be very different without them, but I’m going to make sure that I keep music in my life.”

—Dan Bonilla, Christopher Newport University

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP:

“RCF has given me a pretty close-knit group of friends, and shown me who is like-minded to me. I have gained leadership experience with the leadership team, and I have had different interactions with teachers, now they are more like friends than teachers. RCF makes a big school seem a lot smaller.”

—Rachel Markovich, James Madison University

CREW:

“I enjoyed being able to have new teammates every year. There is a lot of comradery, and I have met some of my best friends throughout high school, and I am glad I get to see them every day. I also really enjoyed the away regattas.”

–Holden Ackerman, University of Mary Washington

DANCE:

“Dance Team has been my home in high school; it’s been my family for the past four years. I’ll miss all the times that we danced in the rain and the times when our music would stop and our team bonding really came to life on the field. I will definitely never forget all the time I’ve spent with any of them, RVDT for life!”

–Skylar Robins, Christopher Newport University

DECA:

“Robinson DECA is so important to me; it opened me up to my community and provided me with the opportunity to see my own potential. I am going to miss all the advisers and all the friends I have made while I was in DECA. I would say the best memories are the ones where I’m with my partners [Andrew Thompson and Charlie Nguyen] and we are either getting ready to compete or we are competing. I don’t plan on continuing with DECA in college although I do plan on taking the knowledge I learned in DECA with me.”

—Thuy Nguyen, Virginia Tech

DRAMA:

“Drama has kind of been my niche in the great big Robinson community. Theatre has always really appealed to me. I worked on a show early on and found my place and now I have really great friends that I will probably have for a really long time. I will mostly miss the community I’m leaving behind. One of my best memories was when I finished the best show of Wizard of Oz; it was such a proud moment.”

—Allison Poms, James Madison University

FOOTBALL:

“What I loved about football was getting to play receiver for the first time, comradery and being such a cohesive unit. I was such great friends with everybody. When I first moved here, I didn’t really know anyone so football helped me make friends quickly. My advice to underclassmen is to commit yourself as soon as you can, so you have more time and try hard.”

–David Cook, Dickinson College

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:

“Basketball has been so important to me because it’s been everything. I’ve met some of the best people I will ever meet- from being on the team and being a part of something bigger than myself. I will miss Coach Dade and the rest of the team more than they’ll ever know next year. It’s going to be weird having to come back and watch them play and not be playing with them. FBGM always.”

–Megan Green, University of Mary Washington

GIRLS’ SOCCER:

“Soccer has been important because it has connected me to so many people over the years and has been a fun way to exercise and be competitive. I’m definitely going to miss all the girls the most. This year especially the high school team was extremely close to everyone so it’s already been hard not seeing them every day. We all were comfortable around each other and could joke around, having fun but we were still able to get what we needed done at the end of the day.”

—Barbara Platenberg, College of William and Mary

GIRLS’ SWIM AND DIVE:

“My favorite memories from swimming were winning states freshmen and sophomore year. The teams were really good that year, with a lot of great personalities on team. The upperclassmen were very pumped and spirited; they were like a family. I also love when we pair up and do spirit sisters and brothers. You get to know someone well that way.”

–Rachel Canty, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)

GIRLS’ TENNIS:

“Being on the starting line-up since freshmen year has been a big time commitment, and I worked especially hard this year. The team and the coaches are what I’m going to miss the most. One great memory I have was during freshmen year when Robinson won districts for girls tennis, because it was the first time in a really long time.”

—Monica Ghadiyaram, Virginia Tech

GIRLS’ TRACK:

“Track has been important to me in testing my own endurance and determination, but has also put me in a position to encourage and push others. What I will miss the most is my teammates, no contest. There are always opportunities for more races and competition, but I can’t ever replace the people I’ve spent nearly every afternoon with this year and in years past.”

–Kate Mueller, North Carolina State University

GUITAR:

“I have made a lot of friends, and I have learned a lot about music. There are many memories I won’t forget. We are the smallest and most tightly-knit music organization. We get a lot of work done, but class is still relaxing and fun, something about that class and being in it just makes you feel fulfilled. I wish people knew more about us, we are extremely successful, we even played at a National Conference and are featured on the cover of a magazine!”

–Josh Narang, James Madison University

MEN’S BASKETBALL:

“Basketball made Robinson a lot better for me. I have been playing since I was four, it makes me happier. One of my greatest memories was winning districts for the first time since 1994.”

—Tristian Crenshaw, ASA New York

MEN’S LACROSSE:

“I have been playing lacrosse since third grade and the program at Robinson has been in my family since my older brother so it’s kind of a tradition. I think I will miss the team the most, just like the dumb moments that happen and being forced to stay in shape.”

—Clarke Pietruszcka, University of Virginia

MEN’S SOCCER:

“Soccer has taught me teamwork, time management, setting priorities and most importantly: leadership. I will probably miss the good times I’ve had with all of my teammates both on and off the field the most. My favorite memory occurred during the regional quarter finals against Mt. Vernon. The kicks were even until the 7th player for them to kick stepped up to the spot with me in the goal in front of him. The whistle blew and I made the diving save to help win to get us through to the regional semi final. I ran up to my team on the bench and they all dog piled all over me for a good 2-3 mins and our fans and team went crazy.”

–Joshua Penn, Virginia Tech

MEN’S SWIM AND DIVE:

“Robinson Swim and Dive will always have a special place in my heart. It has shown me great friends, perseverance, and, most of all, the joy of striving as a team. I will miss everything about it, even the silliest details like joking around with the coaches during practice. My list is too long, I will miss the meets, our traditions, and my fellow swimmers. I will never forget the people I have met through the program, both in and out of the pool. I could never be able to choose a favorite memory; I only wish to be in the memories of swimmers I have influenced.”

–Pablo Herrera, Cornell University

MEN’S TENNIS:

“It’s my team and a lot of my friends are there, and you want to do well for your team. Tennis is also something I enjoy doing and it’s fun too. What I’ll miss most is probably the sense of team: the fun we have, the whole experience. We went to states this year, and I had a few moments where I really came through for my team, so that was great. And I’ll miss the people on the team as well. My favorite memory was our regional quaterfinal match against Woodson this year. We were down a set and were able to make a comeback and we went on to win it and move onto states. And we all stormed the court afterwards.”

–Chris Do, College of William and Mary

PARTNER’S CLUB:

“In my Freshman year I just felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere, but then when I found out about Partner’s Club, I just felt great about myself, and I made some awesome friends there. Since my brother has Autism, it was really cool to get to know other children with disabilities, and to see how awesome they are. I’ve had so many great memories of Partner’s club, every year the dances are wonderful, and the meetings are great.”

—Katiana Allem, Northern Virginia Community College

SGA:

“SGA has given me confidence to start to become a leader and make changes I want to see. I have a greater appreciation for people at school, the faculty and staff, and I have learned about myself and the community. My greatest memories are the people that I’ve met, the sponsors, working at the taste of Robinson, and all the antics. The SGA family grows.”

–Emily Keenan, University of Virginia

SOFTBALL:

“Softball has been important to me because I have played since I was 5 years old and it has been a huge part of my life since then. I’m really glad I was able to spend my time playing for Coach G.  I’ll miss all the people I’ve gotten to know, especially Lauren [Stapleton] who has been on the team with me since freshman year, and everyone who is a part of Robinson softball. My favorite memories are from our spring break tournament trips to Myrtle Beach, they were always so much fun and we all got to know each other really well.”

–Clare McGowan, James Madison University

SPEECH AND DEBATE:

“It has been important to me, because I was new this year, and it was great to continue doing something. I will miss a lot of the people, I made a lot of good friends, plus we have a great coach. I will also miss competing almost every weekend. One of my best memories was when we went to states. It was me, a few other girls and our coach. We just had a good time and we weren’t too worried about the competition.”

—Kaitlyn Schiess, Liberty University

VOLLEYBALL:

“Volleyball has been important to me because it taught me how to be a team player and work well with people who are working towards the same goal. It’s also an outlet to be able to go on the court and play a sport that I enjoy with my friends. I’m going to miss all the relationships built with teammates and coaches and the practice environment. The cheer we do before every game always got me pumped up so ill definitely miss getting to do that.”

–Chance Rye, Christopher Newport University

WRESTLING:

“Trying to win the state title has always been in my mind and trying to chase that goal has been important. I would say I will miss all my teammates and going to tournaments and hanging out with them.”

–Santiago Valdez, NASSAU (New York)

YEARBOOK:

“Yearbook has played a huge role in my high school career. I feel like I spend most of my time in the yearbook room. I have met so many wonderful people through yearbook. The staff is made up of some of the greatest kids in the school. I am going to miss them and our adviser Mrs. Hinman so much.Getting the book each spring is really exciting. It’s a terrific feeling to actually hold the book that we have been working on all year.”

—Carly Buckholz, University of Virginia