Throughout November 14th through 17th, many people enjoyed getting into the Christmas spirit by shopping at the Mistletoe Market down at the lower school. As the Christmas season comes around, the lower school parents encouraged the Wesleyan community to venture down to the lower school and buy some gifts for teachers and friends at the Mistletoe Market. Keep Reading
The girls’ basketball team is officially on its way to the state championship again. The players have worked extremely hard in the off-season and are hopeful that their hard work will pay off in the season. This year, the team has the most seniors in the history of the program, with eight. Three out of four of these seniors are already committed to continue their basketball careers at the collegiate level. Senior Natalie Armstrong is committed to play at Samford University, senior Mikayla Coombs is committed to play at the University of Connecticut and senior Bailey Edwards is committed to play at Young Harris College.
With the most seniors ever, the team is hoping to end their season with yet another State Champion title. The team is extremely large this year with 17 players, which is even more than last year’s 14 players. The team is made up of four freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and eight seniors.
Senior Mikayla Coombs said, “I am excited about the memories we will make as a team and the big games.” Coombs also said, “My favorite part of the team is the bond we have. We are all extremely close and we are sad that this is our last season together.”
The toughest competition in region six will be Holy Innocents yet again. After losing to Holy Innocents in the state championship last year, the lady wolves will have to play their hardest to beat them and make it to another state championship.
Coach Jan Azar said, “I am most excited for coaching my eight seniors for one more year!”
The seniors have all been playing together for all of high school, and this year will be a bitter-sweet end to their high school careers.
Out with the old, and in with the new; with the closing of a competitive color guard season, a new type of competition emerges. That new type of competition is winter guard. The two similar sports are distinctly different in their ways of presenting the skills of the team. The dropping of temperatures indicates the transition from the color guard to winter guard season for many young female athletes.
“Our shows all came together really well. They all have a story plot and a well thought-out design that people could observe from the stands,” sophomore Madeline Metz said on color guard. Keep Reading
Winter Drumline is back and better than ever. Every member of the team has worked extremely hard to achieve what they have accomplished. It is just the start of a new season for Winter Drumline.
Winter Drumline is a team consisting of eighteen people and led by two coaches, Jeff Foster and Zack Watson. The seniors are Noah Young and Xavier Cooper. The juniors are Grace Halley, Katie Crofton, Russ Foust and Marvin Guillen. The sophomores are Ben Smoke, Hunter Darsey, Alex Watkins and Kyle Orton. The freshman are Julian Fernandes, Eighth graders Kara Marshall and Madison George and Seventh graders Noah Walton, Ryan McConnell, Bennett Bruno, Andrew Metz and Danielle Kelly. They have four captains, bass Captain Noah Walton, quads Captain Alex Watkins, drum and snare Captain Noah Young and pit Captain Grace Halley.
They practice two times a week, Monday in the high school band room and Wednesday in Grace Gym. They are currently practicing for an upcoming show. Their performance, written by their instructor, Zack Watson, is called “Fault.” Sophomore Matthew Plunk says, “Fault is a show that uses original music to tell a story of a human condition through the lens of an earthquake.” The team is competing in the Georgie Indoor Percussion Association circuit in the Scholastic A- marching division, “playing up” by one classification. Their first competition is on Saturday, Feb. 4th at North Gwinnett High School.
Plunk, being a part of Marching Band and Winter Drumline, said, “Winter Drumline is way more challenging in every aspect than marching band. This is a great activity for anyone who enjoys pushing themselves physically and mentally.”
Senior Noah Young said, “Winter Drumline is awesome because it really helps improve your musical skills. Many of the members are not percussionists, but their background in music helps to add chemistry to the ensemble. We have a great group this year.”
Young also said, “There are many challenging things about Winter Drumline. One being that playing mathematical rhythms while also moving around on a floor can be very difficult. Winter Drumline also has lots of expressive movements and it requires members to be able to express feelings through the music we play and the way we move on the gym floor.”
Junior Grace Halley said, “Our season started a few weeks ago, and it’s been a blast so far! Even though I joined to make music and to have fun, I mainly joined because of the people. They’re very dear to my heart and they’re one of the most united and inclusive groups that I know of. They’re my family and I don’t know what I’d do without them. So, they are basically my favorite thing about Winter Drumline.”
Coach of Winter Drumline, Jeff Foster said, “This fun group of kids are always very focused and a great desire for excellence – that’s what it’s all about.” Foster is dedicated to coach this team to be the best that it can be this year.
The holidays are approaching quickly. With fall comes Thanksgiving, which brings Christmas and then winter. These holidays are no doubt the best time of the year. It is a time for giving and receiving, a time for family and friends. But as we approach this season, many people are discontent. Whether it be about the election or the stress of schoolwork with exams approaching fast.
These factors are creating a dark cloud over Wesleyan. Holidays are a time for happiness and love, but these elements are making it hard to focus on the joy of the holidays. So this holiday season, take a step back and truly look at everything God has given you. God has given us so many gifts to be thankful for. We have a beautiful school with teachers who care about us, loving families, accepting friends and of course delicious holiday food. Everyone goes through rough patches in their lives. We always hear that God uses the dark times in our lives for good, but do we really listen when people say that? We go through bad times for a reason, but God uses every single part of our lives for a reason, even if they seem miserable at the time.
Whatever you are going through, look at these holidays as a time to truly be thankful for what God has given you. Looking at the parts of our lives we are thankful for instead of the dark times will inevitably bring joy into our lives. Whatever burden is weighing you down, know that God is here to help us with those burdens. We should not look at these dark times and think that we have to endure them alone. God is here to walk with us through these times.
So this holiday season, focus on the blessings in your life. Do not get weighed down by the sadness in your life. God is here to walk with us through the worst times and we are not on this earth to walk through life alone.
