![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-1200x800.jpg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
Teachers Get Served as Students Break the Tie in Annual Students vs. Staff Volleyball Game
On Nov. 18, students and staff competed against each other in the seventh annual Students vs. Staff Volleyball Game. Out of two sets, the staff won the first and the students won the last.
The student team surrounds the trophy signed by MVPs from previous years. Pictured left to right: freshman Jaquelyn Malapira, sophomores Lauren Madison and Charisse Rose Caparros, seniors Nihal Sirivolu, Rishi Chawla, Iyush Hoysal, Ali Mohsin, and Ilias Cholakis, sophomore Mihir Peta, seniors Brandon Kilfeather, Arun Karthikeyan, and Aniketh Dasika, and junior Abdullah Lodeen.
December 15, 2022
“Win.” That was science teacher Michael Clear’s only strategy in order for the teachers to take the trophy this year. That objective was futile, though, because the overall score of the game was 31-30 in the student’s favor, breaking the 3-3 tie that’s been looming over their heads since last year.
The students and staff participated in the seventh annual game, which was an important game for all who played — and all who watched — since it would break the tie of three wins for both teams. Spirits were high and the crowd cheered at every turn, making for a lively game. Sophomore Lauren Madison is on the junior varsity volleyball team and played for the first time in the annual game this year. “I think the students did well, compared to the staff who have played volleyball before,” Madison said.
Early in the game, teachers had a strong lead on the students that lasted them throughout the first set, ending in a score of 25-23, but their celebration was premature. The students made a fierce comeback during the second set, taking over the teachers with 8-5, ending the game with a total score of 31-30. Freshman Laura Adams, a student on the freshman volleyball team reflected on the strategies that helped the students win. “Each and every person [had] their different specialties, so I think when we all [came] together we all [used] those to [our] advantage to help us win,” Adams said.
Sophomore Mihir Peta won MVP for his dedication to the students’ team. “It was really a team effort,” Peta said. “Without my team, I couldn’t really get that receive to set, [or the spike], so hats off to my team.”
Despite the students taking the win, the annual game had been a tradition that the teachers looked forward to. “I like being able to work with teachers I don’t get to see all the time [since] a lot of the team is teachers from other departments, so I [like that I can] get together with friends and other adults,” English teacher Shelby Whittington said.
A key factor that played into the students’ win was their communication throughout the game, according to sophomore Charisse Rose Caparros, a player on the student team. “Communication is key in volleyball because if you don’t talk, it’s going to go into chaos,” Caparros said.
![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-600x400.jpg)
![Senior Fatima Qaderi grew into the person she wanted to become when she was younger and continues to work towards growing more confident in using her voice when it matters. “I didnt get treated the way I wanted to be treated, and I realized that it wasnt just them treating me the wrong way, it was me treating me the wrong way,” Qaderi said. “I forced them to like to look at me in a way where Im someone who needs to be respected; they cant just disregard me, they cant just look over me because I have a different opinion, because Im a woman, because Im Afghan, because Im Muslim, or whatever. It just took going through different experiences to figure out how [I wanted to] be heard.” Photo courtesy of Fatima Qaderi.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3870-600x471.jpeg)
