![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
The First Taste of Senior Traditions
With their final year in full swing, the class of 2022 gathered in the library for their first senior class meeting Thursday morning.
![Seniors Esther McPalmer and Maryam Nabih eat Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwiches in the library during senior breakfast. “[Senior year] is going OK, it’s not bad, and I’m enjoying early release and [taking] less classes,” McPalmer said. McPalmer looks forward to prom and future senior breakfasts during her last year of high school.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Copy-of-DSC_0428-900x630.jpg)
Seniors Esther McPalmer and Maryam Nabih eat Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwiches in the library during senior breakfast. “[Senior year] is going OK, it’s not bad, and I’m enjoying early release and [taking] less classes,” McPalmer said. McPalmer looks forward to prom and future senior breakfasts during her last year of high school.
October 3, 2021
On Sept. 23, the class of 2022 gathered for their first senior breakfast and official senior class meeting.
At 8:30 a.m., seniors filed into the library to enjoy Chick-fil-A sandwiches along with Starbucks frappuccinos, Bai flavored waters, and bottled water provided by parents.
Seniors gathered in groups at tables and booths throughout the library, spending time with their friends and peers before heading into the auditorium for the mandatory senior meeting at 9:15.
Led by career center counselor Mary Barnes, Assistant Principal Dawn Dickerson, head of counseling Kevin Terry, and SCA student officers from the senior class, the senior meeting discussed Homecoming on Oct. 9, an asynchronous day on Oct.13 while the rest of the school takes the PSAT, information explaining how to set up the senior meeting with counselors, and the reveal of the class t-shirt.
Dickerson also described some of the changes to Homecoming this year. These included a senior kickball game that every senior can participate in replacing the usual powderpuff game, and electing a “royal court” instead of homecoming king and queen to make the event more inclusive with the introduction of policy 8040. In addition, to meet COVID-19 safety standards, the homecoming pep rally and the homecoming dance will be held at the football stadium. At the homecoming pep rally, the first Rock Ridge pep rally in over 18 months, the seniors are encouraged to reveal their class of ‘22 t-shirts to the rest of the school.
Seniors can check the class schoology page and their weekly emails from Barnes and Principal John Duellman for more information on upcoming senior events, scheduling their senior meeting with a counselor, submitting transcript requests for college applications, and more.
The next senior breakfast will take place on Dec. 14 in the library.
![On Friday, Dec. 20, the varsity Phoenix wrestling team embarked on a two-day tournament against 32 other high schools spanning from Loudoun County to other states. This year, Rock Ridge High School hosted the highly anticipated tournament and decked out the main gym for the occasion, donning six full-sized wrestling mats with the Phoenix logo and clearing out space for coaches, managers, and administrators alike. Every open seat in the stands was filled with family and friends of the players, making a lively environment for the players.
King of the Rock started at 4:00 p.m. and lasted until 9:00 p.m on Friday. Every player on every team had the opportunity to go up against another player for three rounds, with each of them lasting two minutes. The preparation for this has gone on since the beginning of the season in their practices, and their previous meets have been leading up to this specific tournament. “During practices, I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning [and] making sure my body is [as] healthy as it can be,” junior Julian Serna said. “I’ve been doing [all] the moves and techniques our coaches are telling us to do, [too].”
The second day of King of the Rock started at 9:00 a.m on Dec. 21, and ended at 3:00 p.m. South Carroll High School in Sykesville, Md. took the win for the entire tournament. Martinez and junior Elijah Whitfield both placed in their individual weight classes, bringing in a win for the Phoenix.
✏️ and 📷 by Maya Coleman, Bella Gerardi, and Sophie King](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)