Howdy-Emily Cashman

Hi! I'm Emily Cashman. I play soccer and tennis for Henry Clay's varsity teams. This year I hope to make all A's in my classes. Over the summer I went to Zion National Park and Lake Powell with three of my middle school teachers and 16 other former middle school classmates. We hiked, mountain biked, climbed through canyons, cliff jumped, and stayed on a houseboat for ten days. It was one of the most fun trips I've ever been on. During the entire trip, I only took about two showers, but it was still really awesome. If I could have any super power, I would either choose flying or reading minds. They would both be really fun abilities to have. I also love to read and am the VP of the Henry Clay Book Club. Right now I'm reading Maze Runner and I like it so far. I have one wall in my room completely filled with pictures, so here's a picture of that. My favorite website is pinterest.com

Howdy- Andrew Collins

My name is Andrew Collins, and I love math and music. I have been involved in music since 4th grade, when I played violin. I didn't particularly enjoy violin, so I switched to playing flute in band in 5th grade. Since switching in 7th grade, I have played alto saxophone and am loving it. As I mentioned, my other passion is math. In sixth grade, I tested into Algebra I (skipping Pre-Algebra) and have had smooth sailing ever since. To date, my favorite type of math is Integral Calculus, which many of you will be learning this year.

My goals for this year academically are to make all A's, make an upper 30s ACT score, and get 4s and 5s on my AP tests. My most meaningful moment this summer was actually much more than a moment. I got a job working with Dr. Rick Bessin at UK in the entomology dept this summer, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Jazz theory is the thing that absolutely geeks me out. Since starting jazz band in the fall of my sophomore year, I have fallen in love with the inner workings of jazz, especially when it comes to improvisation. Besides that, pretty much anything related to instrumental music will get me talking.

https://play.spotify.com/track/5mUwcFTA1LNLn39b8noWJv (One of my favorite jazz songs)






Me playing at our winter concert last year

Howdy-Ben Grossman

Hi i'm Ben, a 16-year old junior at Henry Clay High School. I am a huge band nerd. I play tuba in concert band, trombone in jazz band, and sousaphone in marching band. My academic goal for this year is to pass every class. My personal goal is to not get grounded this year. I didn't really have a most meaningful moment this summer since i stayed in Lexington the whole time and slept.

A superpower i would like to have is teleportation. With this ability i could instantly be anywhere and never have to walk again. I could wake up at 8 and still get to school on time.

Something that really geeks me out is video games. Right now i really enjoy League of Legends. League of Legends is a moba (multiplayer online battle arena) made by Riot Games. You pick a champion and compete against other players either by yourself or on a team.
http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/



   

Howdy - Caleb Combs

Hi, my name is Caleb Combs! I really enjoy playing soccer, basketball, and just having a good time.  My primary academic goal for this year is to manage A's and B's in all of my classes, 4 of which are AP, despite my packed schedule after school.  Soccer and fishing are two of my biggest hobbies.  I play varsity soccer for Henry Clay, as well as play club soccer.  As a result, a vast majority of my free time is dedicated to the sport.  One thing that really gets on my nerves is the hallway traffic at our school, and how obnoxious some people can be.  If I could choose any superpower, I would definitely choose super speed.  I would no doubt be the best soccer player in the world, as nobody would be able to catch me.  I could also wake up only a couple minutes before school starts and still manage to be there on time. Since so much of my time is dedicated to sports, these might as well be the websites that I share!
www.csc-ky.com
www.espn.go.com

Howdy- Anthony Tamasi

To everyone reading this, hi. My name is Anthony Tamasi. I go by Anthony, but some people still call me Tony. I pole vault for the track team here at Henry Clay. My academic goals for the year are to get at least a 30 on the ACT in March, and maintain at least a 3.7 unweighted GPA. Over the summer I didn't do much besides work (I work at Chick-Fil-A) and sleep. Honestly I probably slept more than I did work, but I love sleep so it's okay. 

What really geeks me out is basketball, despite my short stature. I love playing and watching basketball. One of my personal goals is to dunk before winter this year. 

If I could have one superpower, it would be the power to refill things. It may seem lame, but bear with me here. Is your bank account empty? Refill it! Is your refrigerator empty? Refill it with your favorite foods! If you only have money for one water bottle, you can just keep using said water bottle over and over. I think it would be a pretty neat power. 

Above is a picture of me pole vaulting in a meet.

 

My favorite website is espn.go.com 

Howdy–Gabriel Molina

Hey there, my name is Gabriel Molina. I’m a sixteen-year-old junior at Henry Clay. I am wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus who has irrevocably changed my life by His grace. I love to play acoustic guitar and worship Him in my music. My personal goal for this year is simply to love the heck out of people and represent the heart of God as loudly, as clearly, and as directly as possible. My academic goals are to receive all As and Bs (aiming for all As) and to get 4s on the AP test I will be taking.

I can hardly pick a single most meaningful moment of my summer because there were so many, so I might as well tell you a few if not all of them. First was The Verge, which is a trip my student ministry Student Impact takes to myrtle beach. This year it took place near the end of June. God met me in a huge way and gave me completely undeserved leadership opportunities and trained me in the process. He also fully reconciled brokenness of my past and began redeeming my complete trust in Him. The very next week I left again, this time to serve at our kids ministry camp, Edge Camp. I got to co-lead the prayer team as well as lead a cabin of amazing third graders. The highlight was when one of my 3rd graders, Jacob Stakelin, received Jesus! Lastly, and maybe my biggest highlight, was my mission trip to Ensenada, Mexico with a 22-person team from Student Impact. We got to part of a huge work that God is doing there. It was an amazing privilege. If I had a superpower I would probably fly. 

You can probably guess that what geeks me out is Jesus. I’m absolutely crazy about Him and I want to tell the world! I also love being part of Quest Community Church. Something else that geeks me out a little bit is Taylor acoustic guitars. If they weren’t so expensive I would definitely own one.

Here’s a link to my church’s website: http://questcommunity.com

And here’s a link to Taylor guitars: http://www.taylorguitars.com

Here's an invite picture to Quest Community Church!

Howdy-Kate Sommer

My name is Kate Sommer, my full name is Kathleen and I'm named after my Grandmother on my mom's side. Some of my favorite things in the world are music and art. I've been in band since 5th grade and I'm still in it now (I play clarinet). Also despite that people might judge me for it, I really like One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer. I don't really care what people think when I say I like them because I genuinely like their music and they actually brought me and my best friend closer together. We went to see One Direction live last summer and 5 Seconds of Summer opened for them, and next summer we're going to 5 Seconds of Summer again. I'm a really big fan of the show Doctor Who. I also really like watching Sherlock, Grey's Anatomy and Bones.

One of my most memorable moments of this summer was when my Girl Scout Troop went to Savannah, Georgia with a younger troop to visit the home of Juliette Gordon Low (the founder of Girl Scouts). It was a lot of fun, despite the 9 hour car rides, and I got to spend 5 straight days with 2 of my best friends (who the picture below is with). I've been in Girl Scouts since I was in 3rd grade and we're one of the oldest troops left in our region.

To me, friends are the most important thing in my life, because even when I can't talk to people in my family about something I can talk to my friends. I honestly couldn't imagine how different my life would be if I wasn't friends with the people I am.

Other than hanging out with friends, girl scout meetings, and school, most of my life is spent on the internet. A large portion of that time is spent on tumblr. Below is my blog.

My Tumblr Blog

Howdy- Zachary Whitehouse

Hello, my name is Zachary Whitehouse or Zach or Trap Zach (my rapper name). Some things I love soccer, football,  rap music, or just any kind of music. Things I hate are regular cheetos and loud people. I hate when people make noises while they eat and every thing else in the room is silent. What geeks me out are sports. I love soccer, basketball, football and other sports. I keep up with a ton of stats of all sports. I love reading about, watching, and playing sports. Sports make up about 90% of my free time. I play varsity soccer for Henry Clay and I also play club (travel) soccer. If I could chose a super power it would be shape shifting. This way I could fly, swim, run fast or have super strength or be basically invisible.  I could do basically anything I wanted. If you chose any other super power you are wrong. I also love Kentucky athletics! www.espn.com www.nfl.com

Howdy-Leah Noble

For everyone reading this, you probably already figured out what my name is just by reading the heading above. But for those of you who are less attentive than others, my name is Leah Noble and probably like you, I am 16 years old and am part of the Liberal Arts Academy at Henry Clay. I don't really have any nicknames, but three of my closest friends will sometimes call me Lee if they really want to get my attention (I'm not sure why I respond to it, but it works). You all probably don't know much about me because I spend the least amount of time possible in things related to school. Everything I do, however, revolves almost completely around my life as a Christian. I am very involved in the student ministry of Porter Memorial Baptist Church, which is where and who I spend most of my time with. Here is a picture of some of my friends and me on Easter Sunday this year:

 

This summer contained many meaningful moments for me, but I would have to say the best one was the mission trip I went on with my youth group to Atlanta, GA. We help with a sports and activities camp for kids K-6th grade. It was so cool to work with the kids and know that you were making an impact on their lives.

 

This year my goals are, like most, to maintain a 4.0 GPA and pass all 5 of my AP exams with a 4 or 5. If I had to pick a superpower, I would probably pick the ability to fly (I know, so cliché). I enjoy going up in airplanes and just really love the idea of soaring above miles of land.

 

What geeks me out is music, especially guitar. I began teaching myself to play guitar early this year and have fallen in love with the instrument. I find it so cool and mind blowing to be able to press on a couple of strings and create beautiful sounds that, when put together, become songs. In addition to guitar and on the note of music, I also enjoy just listening to songs and picking out harmonies, which I found myself doing much more often since playing guitar. The fact that I really don't know much at all about music theory also geeks me out in that there is so much that I can't wait to learn.

 

I spend most of my internet time on Instagram if that counts, but I guess you could say my favorite website is where I get the tabs for the songs I play on guitar: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/



Howdy-Noah Welch

Hi, my name is Noah Welch and I love reading books. I read all the time and especially love fantasy and historical fiction. However I loathe Romance and Horror books. My academic goals this year are to achieve a 4.0 and pass my AP exams.  I enjoy playing video games on my PC and particularly like real time strategy games, as well as grand strategy games. I enjoy the Total War Series, as well as games by Paradox Interactive (e.g Crusader Kings 2). I enjoy traveling. I have traveled to at least 20 states, the Caribbean, Canada and several countries in Western Europe. If I had one super power it would be the power to manipulate atoms. This would allow me to have several useful functions like teleporting, walking through walls, and instantly killing/saving people, etc. I enjoy humor of the sarcastic variety and I am also very cynical. I am always willing to share my opinions and am willing to defend them to the last. I love arguing and debating; asking questions has always helped me learn and arguing has furthered that.

I geek out about history. I love learning about history. I like to learn about all kinds of history from the first civilizations to the modern era. In fact I actually enjoy reading history textbooks. I have scored 5 on the AP world history and AP government exams.   I really enjoy learning about wars and my favorite era is the medieval era seconded by the Napoleonic era. I even play video games that are alternative historical simulators.

This is an interesting picture I took of a joust at a modern day Renaissance Fair.( In case you haven’t figured it out yet I really like history.)

I enjoy this picture because it shows combat unfolding with drama, action, and adventure. These are a few of the positive qualities I see in history.

This is the gaming interface/store/storage space I use for my games.  http://store.steampowered.com/

Howdy - Isabel Jenkins

Hey, Isabel here. Pretty much everyone calls me Isabel, seeing as that is my name. A few call me Isa or pronounce Isabel with some weird accent (namely Spanish teachers). But whatever floats your boat. 

Based on the previous posts you can probably guess how old I am, what my educational goals are, and where I go to school, so I won't bother taking up the space. Although honestly that last sentence took up way more space than just saying "I'm 16 and in the Liberal Arts Academy and aim for all A's yay!!!" but whatever.

My interests are ever-changing, but right now I like violin, tree climbing, and badminton. I love doing things outside, which is probably because I spend too much time inside. Speaking of which, one of my recommended time-wasters is http://thewikigame.com/ which sends you on Wikipedia scavenger hunts. I just played “Five Clicks to Jesus,” which drops you on a random page and gives you five clicks to try and reach Jesus. Fun times.

My family doesn’t usually take too many vacations, but we went to Sandestin, Florida this summer. I love the ocean, so I would be content with just staying on the beach – but the highlight of the trip was definitely parasailing. I’ll admit, I was expecting it to be a bit more thrilling, but the view was fantastic. Plus the guide took pretty pictures!

We got the Captain America parasail :)

I have spent way too much time contemplating which superpower I want, but still can't decide. As much as I want a power like time travel or elemental manipulation, it would probably lead to death and destruction and the plot of basically every superpower movie ever. So, I would probably pick a more practical and not-so-violent power. Maybe be able to understand a lot of languages, or pause time for a little bit, or feel refreshed after only a couple hours of sleep a night.

There are many things that "geek" me out, and one of them is acting. When I was younger, I had small roles in a few school plays and church shows but never thought much of it. I came across acting as a sort of random happenstance freshman year, and ended up performing in all 3 plays. I might not like giving speeches or presentations in class, but I love the feeling of being center stage. I also love Marvel movies, but that’s unrelated. Except for the whole "geek"ing part.

I'll stop since this is getting long. Granted, it’s still around 300 words shy of Anne’s post. ;)

Have a well-spent evening, Blue Devils...

Howdy-Amelia Rogers

Hey there! My name is Amelia Rogers and everybody calls me Amelia. I have a few friends-since-birth that can get away with Millie, but they're the only exception. I'm a Christian and that's not just the most important thing in my life- it is my life. I worship at North Lexington Church of Christ and have been going there since the 5th day of my life :). They are my extended family in the best way. I'm also super close to my biological family, especially my little brother. Now he's taller than I am which makes me a little sad and sometimes we look like twins but we have tons of fun together. Here we are on the beach in San Diego, CA.

There are way too many things that Geek me out- Disney, college football, music, the ocean- but the one thing that Geeks me out the most is a good love story. I am a sucker for sappy romance. I spend too much time pinning things to my Wedding board and I am a daily reader of the Southern Weddings blog, which usually leaves me with happy tears. What can I say, I just love love. :)

I am a little obsessive about getting good grades, but I work hard and try to do my best. This school year I hope to maintain a 4.0 and pass all five of my AP exams. 

That's me! :)

Howdy- Emily Chavez

My name is Emily Chavez and I'm a junior in the Liberal Arts Academy at Henry Clay High School. I am very social and out spoken person, and I love nothing more than spending time with my friends. I have a thing for politics, writing, and sports. I swim for Henry Clay High School and previously have swam year-round on a club team for 10 years. Swimming has always been a part of my life and the feeling I get when I race is unlike anything I can put into words. 

My family has moved a lot- I've lived in Indiana, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and now Kentucky. I love each of these places for tons of different reasons, but Florida was my favorite. I hope to one day return to Florida, with my dream school being the University of Florida. I also really like the University of Central Florida and Fordham University in New York.

I really like being involved in politics, and I am the VP of Henry Clay Young Republicans. It's fun to help go door-to-door and phone bank, because you know what you're doing is affecting your community.  

Writing is what geeks me out. I have my own Wordpress blog and I also write for the Smart Girls Group, an empowerment program for women around the world. Writing has become a huge part of who I am. I went to the Summer Journalism Institute at UF this summer where I think I really solidified my goals for what I want to do in college. The picture below I took at UF this summer and I think it represents what an important part of who I am.

I would really like to go into sports writing or broadcasting, and maybe even a public relations job. Sports, especially football, are a big aspect of my life. I am a die hard Denver Bronco fan as well as Florida Gators. My dream job would be to work for either of those programs.

My favorite website is the Smart Girls Group, because I think it's an incredible resource for young girls and I am very blessed to be a part of it.

 

Howdy-Anne Russell

To anyone taking their time to read this, hi! My name is Anne Russell. Occasionally my friends call me Annie and some kiddos I look after call me Annie Boo, but mostly it's just Anne. My personal goals for this school year are to really explore different areas that I could potentially study in college because the more I open up to opportunities, the more real it seems that we are going to college and beginning the rest of our lives in two short years (although I guess "the rest of our lives" starts now, technically speaking). But more specifically, I have been seriously considering going into a career revolving around music, like music composition or music therapy, Spanish, like ESL or becoming a translator, or any kind of work revolving around people, like social work or a counselor/psychologist. Clearly I am passionate about several specific things but I am constantly opened up to new ideas that spark new interest. Academically, I have maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA up to this point and if at all possible, I would like to continue that throughout Junior year and hopefully senior year as well. And yes, I am ridiculously OCD about getting good grades. Also, I would just like to grow academically and really try to absorb lots of information, especially as far as improving important skills. And of course I'd like to pass all 4 AP exams that are ahead of me this year.

 

The most meaningful event of my summer vacation was probably my church's mission trip to Camalu, Mexico, pictured below. It was my first time out of the country, which was really exciting, and it was also a really unique way to bond with the people of my church and a thrilling environment to practice my Spanish speaking skills, as well as people skills in general. We did lots of great work to further God's kingdom and I really hope to return next year. The picture is at a school that we had to paint completely white, sadly, due to a recently passed law. Those are some adorable children who I got to talk to!

 

 

 

 

Picking a favorite superpower has always been so hard for me, but honestly, I would probably pick flying. I've never longed more to relive a dream than when it involved me being able to fly, so turning that into a reality would be pretty dang cool.

 

What really geeks me is music. Not in the sense that I know a lot about music history or composers and all that; in that sense I don't know a whole lot at all. But it geeks me in the sense that if I hear a pretty chord or a perfect harmony, I will literally squeal. I have taken chorus for as long as I can remember, but this year I decided to take guitar and that was one of the best decisions I've made in a while. I absolutely LOVE the instrument and the feeling I get when I play it. I want to get really good and be able to write my own songs. I also took piano lessons for a few years starting in 6th or 7th grade, but I had to take a break for financial purposes. I hope to start back eventually, though, it is a beautiful instrument as well. I also just can't get enough of vocal music, especially harmonizing which has been drilled into my brain by the a capella singing at my church. My mom sings alto, and consequently so do I, so after being surrounded by it all my life, harmonies come naturally to me and that comes very much in handy with having a good ear in regards to piano and guitar.

 

I honestly don't get on internet sites much besides social media, so if youtube counts as a favorite website for all the songs that I look up to sing along to, that's probably it. Embarrassingly enough, here is a link to a video of Catherine and I harmonizing to one of our favorite songs of the time, Common Sense by Deas Vail. (lol at Catherine;)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhq-mdx9aJw

 

If that doesn't count as a favorite website, then here is https://www.stumbleupon.com/ which is an excellent way to waste time.

 

Thanks for reading :)



Howdy- Caroline Totty

My name is Caroline Totty; however, lots of people call me just Carol or Big Carol (made famous by my instagram @bigcarol1). I play soccer and swim for Henry Clay. I am a very social person and enjoy making people laugh and surrounding myself with people who make me laugh. I also enjoy reading and am Vice President of the Henry Clay Book Club. In terms of academic goals this year, I would like to get at least a 3.7 unweighted GPA and I would also like to pass all of my AP exams. If I could have one super power it would be to read minds. I am constantly wondering what other people are thinking and being able to know their exact thoughts would be cool.

What geeks me out the most is sports. I love sports with a passion, especially soccer. To me, there is no better feeling than winning the ball or making the right pass to someone on the field. Soccer is a team sport and whether I do something well or a teammate does something well it is hard to hide my excitement, especially when that thing they do is score. It is a great feeling when you connect as a team and get rewarded for it. However, I also participate in individual sports. I swim for Henry Clay and, although I'm not the best because I don't do it year round, I still enjoy it. I also use to run cross country, and in 2009 was voted Runner of the Year in our area. In the Summer, I also play some tennis and golf, but I'm not very good at those. Pictured below is me playing soccer for HCWSA last year.

This is a link to a picture blog (I guess you could call it that?) of mine that I like to post pictures on in my free time, and I love to look at the pictures on the rest of this website: http://ctotty.vsco.co/1

Howdy-McKenna Elliott

My name is McKenna Elliott, and lots of people call me Kenna or Kenz. I am on the track team here at Henry Clay and I pole vault. I like to be social and I'm talkative, so I apologize in advance if that ever interrupts the flow of class. In my free time, I enjoy running, eating, sleeping and being with my friends. I seriously think I'm asleep more than I'm awake, and when I'm awake, I'm constantly thinking about sleeping. My favorite genre of music is rap, although I'm pretty open to listening to any kind of music by any artist. My favorite artist is either Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, or Drake.

Honestly, school is what geeks me out most. I'm kind of a nerd and care about getting good grades and learning a lot of things. My goal for this class this year is to improve my writing because right now it's slightly poor. My goal this year as a whole is to keep at least a 3.7 unweighted GPA because last semester, I had a 4.0 GPA. I love when a class intrigues me so much that I think about it in my other classes and outside of school and I'm able to make real life connections. The picture below is from when I visited my god family in Buffalo, New York this summer.

Howdy - Julia Wilson

Hey there!
My name's Julia Wilson or, as many people call me, Jules. I'm on the Henry Clay Dance Team. The New Orleans Saints, Taco Bell, Ellie Goulding's music, and Disney are some things that I love. The most meaningful moment of my summer vacation was when the dance team won a bid to UDA Nationals (!!!!!). If I could pick any superpower it would be teleportation because then I could go anywhere in the world and come back within minutes.

What geeks me out is YouTube. Ever since I was little I've loved taking videos of things. I would make "web shows" (which never made it to the web) before I even knew what YouTube was. So last summer I created my own YouTube channel, and it's grown tremendously since then. I love creating and editing videos, and interacting with my YouTube community.

This is a picture of the dance team right after    we won our bid to nationals.

A YouTube channel that I love:http://youtube.com/mirandasings08

Howdy- Will Mathews

My name is Charles Mathews, I go by Will though I play lacrosse and run Cross Country for Henry Clay. I would like to attend a good college, perhaps Sewanee or Furman. In my free time I participate in the before mentioned sports as well as hanging out with friends, watching T.V, and spending time with my dog Dug .If I could have any super power it would be the ability to stop time. I would choose this because then I would have unlimited time to do what I want, I could do things as simple as sleep later in the morning or I could use it to take a day trip to the beach during school without missing anything. My favorite part of summer this year was my family trip to Europe this summer, I was able to see parts of the world and experience different cultures, it was an extremely fun trip. I also enjoyed attending my camp the cathedral domain where I can spend a great time with my friends.

Website: http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball this is the website I play fantasy football on with my friends.

 

This is a photo of me and a few of my friends at camp.

Assignment 1: Howdy

For your first post, introduce yourself!

Share your name, but also a little bit about who you are. Some ideas to consider are:
What are your personal and academic goals for this school year?
What was the most meaningful moment of your summer vacation?
What superpower would you have if you could pick anything?
And so on and so forth.

I want to know what Geeks you out.
To receive full credit, you must insert a picture or video (of something)  AND a hyperlink to your favorite (appropriate) website.

This must be completed by midnight on Sunday, August 25th.
150 word minimum and posted on time.