Sarah Bataineh, Staff Writer
Sarah is a senior and a first-year staff writer who has many goals for her last year. She hopes to manage a sports team and join softball in the spring. She joined Newspaper because she has always wanted to write. She likes to hang out with her friends, drive in her free time, and works at Panera Bread. She hopes to have a fun last year and to live it up.
![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)
![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)
![Freshman Connor Bultema carries the ball while defending it from the Bulldog opponent. “[The team] worked together, but we were missing many of our players, so [the game] was challenging,” Bultema said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DSC_0483-900x600.jpg)
![Keynote speaker Kate Kelly gives a speech about her advocacy, her book and her organization called “Ordinary Equality.” She shared how her life has changed from being a committed Mormon to advocating for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and other human rights. "“[It] was so interesting to hear her story, it was really moving,” senior attendee Arria Budram-Dawkins said. “I was kind of tearing up when she was speaking. She's so very powerful, and it's an inspiration to so many people.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/DSC_0750-900x718.jpg)
![Surrounded by her fellow HBCU alumni, Director of Equity and Virginia State University graduate Lottie Spurlock talks to the audience about why attending an HBCU was right for her. “I don’t know if I appreciated it then like I do know, but going through attending [an HBCU], I felt like I was not robbed of any college experience,” Spurlock said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/DSC_4866-2-900x605.jpg)
