On April 17, current eighth graders at Stone Hill Middle School visited Rock Ridge to experience the clubs, sports, and opportunities they will be able to participate in the school they will call home for their next four years.
Senior Ananya Akula explains the Rock Ridge Sings electives to the eighth graders at the Club Expo. Rising freshmen have the opportunity to join the all-female Cantus Avem choir or the all-male Voces Virilis choir.
On April 17, Rock Ridge held its annual Future Phoenix event, where rising ninth graders from Stone Hill Middle School got a sneak peek into activities, academic opportunities, and extracurriculars in high school. A cheering crowd of performers from the theater department welcomed eighth graders as they entered the front doors and were led down a red carpet into the auditorium, where a performance of the song “Fixer Upper” from Rock Ridge Performing Arts’ (RRPA) upcoming musical “Frozen: The Broadway Musical” was waiting for them.
(From left to right) Junior Kaylie Rivers, senior Hayley Sutton, junior Hannah Tyson, and senior Anna Dillah, along with the cast of Rock Ridge Performing Arts’ spring musical, “Frozen,” cheer on the rising freshmen as they walk down the red carpet into the auditorium. For many, this was their first time stepping into Rock Ridge, and the theater department was ready to make their first impression a lasting one with their enthusiasm.
After the performance, the eighth graders dispersed into groups to visit different rotations, at which they learned about school values, explored clubs and sports offered at Rock Ridge, and had the opportunity to ask current high schoolers questions about academics and finding balance in their schedules.
Junior Rishit Choudhari answers a question from an eighth grader about joining the soccer team. At this station, a panel composed of PEER and Student Council Association (SCA) students answered questions about academics, balancing schedules, and social life from curious eighth graders. Student panelists answered questions ranging from what AP courses to take, to how to get involved with SCA or sports teams, and what their first experiences in high school were like. (Melissa Waas)
While the event was exciting for eighth graders, it also served as a great opportunity for sports teams and clubs to awaken interest in rising ninth graders, spread information, and extend the reach of their teams. Senior Nashmia Patel, the Sergeant At Arms of the Technology Student Association Executive Council, tried to approach eighth graders to awaken their interest in TSA. “[The eighth graders] look at our posters and then their eyes are scanning, so I try to talk to them straight up,” Patel said. “[In TSA,] there is technology but there is so much on top of that, and I think they’d rather hear it from someone speaking to them, than peeking around [and being afraid to ask].”
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At the “Meet Your Team” station in the library, assistant principal Jennifer Cavanaugh introduces herself to rising freshmen. Members of the administration and counseling team talked about student support, resources, and school values, to build a safety net and comfort for the soon-to-be high school students. At the end of the session, students had the opportunity to ask the administration team any questions they had about getting involved in high school. Many eighth graders asked questions about joining athletic teams in the fall to athletic director Patrick McNanley. (Melissa Waas)
Throughout the event, Rock Ridge students were committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive community — they eagerly volunteered as leaders for the Q&A student panel and led stands at the club expo, ensuring that the transition to high school felt seamless and exciting to the incoming freshmen. At the end of the event, the students left with a bit more confidence about their first day of high school this August.
(From left to right) Junior Jude Ramahi, junior Aditi Bommineni, senior Kim Trieu, and sophomore Savanna Bettilyon engage in conversation with the eighth graders regarding the Phoenix girls soccer team. At the athletics expo, all sports teams had representative stands displaying trophies and equipment, with eager athletes trying to get eighth graders to sign up for their sport. Sports teams tried to get the eighth graders' attention by coming dressed up in their gear and letting them try out some of their sports equipment. The crew team even got out rowing machines that the rising ninth graders were encouraged to try out.
Ananya Karthik, a senior this year, serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Blaze. Since moving from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2021 and joining The Blaze her sophomore year, Ananya has had the opportunity to express her passion for writing. Her other extracurricular activities include being the president of the National Honor Society and Rho Kappa. Over the summer, Ananya had an internship with the Loudoun Times-Mirror, where she published numerous stories and was able to collaborate with a talented group of people who helped grow her skill in writing. Outside of school, Ananya spends her free time scrolling through social media, reading books, fangirling about Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, and still managing to perfect her college applications. Ananya dreams of pursuing journalism in university and beyond as her future career.
Dayanna is a sophomore in her first year on staff. In her free time, Dayanna watches videos on YouTube and plays video games. She is very open to playing all types of video games, such as Roblox with her friends. Dayanna is hoping to re-join Key Club again this year. Dayanna is also part of a program called Campus, where she gets to know more about College and all the necessary steps for getting into it once she graduates high school.
Melissa Waas, a senior, has been a part of the newspaper staff for three years, and is one of the Managing Editors for the Blaze. She enjoys participating more in the media and video aspect of the Blaze. Even outside of the paper she loves making videos and has favored art and making things visually. Her goals as a journalist this year are to continue contributing to the multimedia department of the Blaze and recruit more students to join. Melissa heavily encourages people to get out of their comfort zone, and try something new in the Blaze, like the multimedia aspects. She really enjoys writing about social issues in our world and finds they can be more challenging than we realize since the facts are not always obvious. She participates in many school extracurriculars: Peer, Wings, and NEHS. Melissa moved from France to the United States in 2020. Her family was looking for an adventure, and chose the U.S. to explore new horizons. She is an extremely creative person, who is always looking for something new to learn.
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