May 1, 2025

Last year, we interviewed four freshmen to learn about their lives and their hopes for the future. Our goal was to repeat this process each year until they graduated. This is the second installment, modeled on the famous British “Up!” film series. Read on to learn how sophomores Sydney Curry, Ashley Bodish, Jonah Rothschild and John Herman have grown and changed over the past year. Check out the 2026 spring issue to see how junior year went! 

BODISH

“The worst part of sophomore year is all the state tests. There are so many, and you can’t miss any school for them.” 

When you chat with Ashley Bodish, it’s clear why she has so many friends. She’s an incredibly outgoing and vibrant young woman. One of the highlights of her sophomore year has been the days she’s been able to skip school for compact field trips. 

“I’d say the best part has been getting to miss school for those trips,” Ashley said. 

She definitely feels the pressure of all the tests this year, however. 

“The worst part of sophomore year is all the state tests,” Ashley said. “There are so many, and you can’t miss any school for them.” 

When asked what surprised her most about sophomore year, Ashley reflected: “Honestly, how fast time goes by. You hear that high school flies by, but when you look back, it really hits you how quickly it all goes.” 

Ashley believes everyone has changed since freshman year. 

“In a way, I think everyone has,” Ashley said. “As you get older, you mature a bit more. When you’re a freshman, you still have that middle school mentality.” 

Ashley has a lot on her plate, especially with her new job: “I have a lot going on this school year, and balancing everything can be tough, but I’m managing.” 

She dreams of traveling wherever she wants in the future. One destination is The Ohio State University, where she hopes to continue her education. She faced an unfortunate setback during midterms when she contracted COVID.

“I had to make up all the tests in one day,” Ashley said. 

Looking ahead, Ashley envisions a successful career for herself. With her outgoing personality, she feels well-equipped for the career she desires.

“I know it sounds cliché, but I want to be successful and make money,” Ashley said. “I’m very outgoing, and I find it easy to talk to people, which is a big part of why I believe I can succeed.”

 SYDNEY CURRY

“You get a little tired sometimes. A little worn out.”

Sydney Curry’s freshman year was pretty chill—not too much action. As for sophomore year, Sydney admitted that it “gets a bit harder.” She is working to balance her school life (more classes, more homework) and her social life. 

“You get a little tired sometimes,” Sydney said. “A little worn out.” 

Last year Sydney didn’t have a favorite freshman memory, but this year most of her favorite moments were with the band. She is still thriving in color guard and loves the people she performs with. 

As Sydney approaches junior year, she hopes to finish earning most of her credits before the final lap so that she can have more time for herself and her friends. 

“I want to have a really fun senior year,” Sydney said. “I want [to] be here half the time. I want to do a lot of things: a whole lot of volunteering and try to enjoy my life a little more.” 

In the future, Sydney hopes that Copley High School students develop more school spirit. She wants students to care for each other because of the problems in society. 

As she completes sophomore year, Sydney has some advice for the freshmen: “You don’t have to be in everything but [join] something. Be there, participate, have fun, don’t be a jerk to kids and don’t let them be a jerk to you.”

JOHN HERMAN

“I had a lot of energy as a freshman. Now I’m just dead inside from working for a year.”

John Herman says that, compared to last year, he is more tired and has a job at Strickland’s. He describes himself as someone who doesn’t like being in the spotlight. 

“I prefer to stay back and let other people do their thing,” John said. “I’ll help them out however I can.”

John also describes himself as a jack-of-all-trades. He’s played almost every sport and has done painting, pottery, theater and building. Interestingly, John observed that  “[He] doesn’t have problems leaving stuff behind even if [he’s] done it for years.”

Last year, John said he was interested in going into the military or woodworking for his career. His ideas have changed a lot since then. He is no longer interested in the military, and when it came to woodworking he said, “I think it was…more like the idea of building things.”

John followed up his interest in creating things by earning acceptance into the masonry compact. 

Sleep deprivation is something most high schoolers experience and John is no exception. Last year, he notably stated, “I gotta get more sleep.” 

It has not gotten better. 

“Last year I would just not sleep because I couldn’t sleep,” John said. “This year I want to sleep but I don’t have time.” 

John says that the best part of his sophomore year is his mythology class. 

“I really like mythology in general,” John said. “If I wasn’t going to do civil engineering or architecture or something like that I would try to teach mythology.” 

Unsurprisingly, John said that his least favorite part of sophomore year was exams, especially since they got messed up from snow days. 

Many high school students start worrying about their future during sophomore year. For John, the most surprising thing about sophomore year was how early everyone started stressing about college. John will be visiting some colleges over the summer, including MIT, The Ohio State University and other schools with strong civil engineering programs. 

Last year, John found that concentration was his biggest challenge in school. It’s different this year, but for a surprising reason. 

“I think I’m too tired to not concentrate on school,” John said. “I had a lot of energy as a freshman. Now I’m just dead inside from working for a year. I’m overworked and underpaid.” 

As for the future? 

“You know, I think my goal in life is to just be calm,” John said. “Just be quiet, live a very quiet, peaceful life.” 

John no longer agrees with his final observation from freshman year (“Even though some people might be a bit odd they are also good people… hopefully”). He has new advice that he hopes will hold up for the future: “Be smart but also be kind. Don’t be too cold or so nice that you get taken advantage of.” 

JONAH ROTHSCHILD

“I usually go with the flow.”

For Jonah Rothschild, sophomore year has been a smooth ride compared to the chaos he was warned about. 

“People described sophomore year as much harder—they described it as having much more work than freshman year,” Jonah said. “But I think it’s about the same actually, not much more.” 

This level-headed approach sums up Jonah: grounded, calm and a go-with-the-flow type of person. 

“I usually go with the flow,” Jonah said. 

Jonah is still mapping out his plans for the future, but his vision includes hopefully playing lacrosse in college while obtaining a degree in civil engineering. 

Jonah does not think that he has mastered anything specific this year, but he is confident in his own abilities. 

“I’m good at some things,” Jonah said. “But I don’t think anyone has ever mastered anything. I believe I am a pretty good lacrosse player.”

Last year, Jonah described himself as enthusiastic, outgoing and funny. This year, he says, “I don’t think I’ve actually changed much. Besides physical changes obviously. I’m not the type of person to change up, you know.” 

One addition Jonah expressed about himself this year was selflessness: his desire to do things for others. 

“I like to think of myself as selfless,” Jonah said. “I like to do things for other people.”

As for his proudest accomplishment this year?

“Not failing my midterms,” Jonah said. “I was very scared about my chemistry and Algebra II midterms, but I persevered and I got some pretty good scores.”

Editor’s Note: Check out next year’s final issue of Drumbeat to find out how junior year went for Ashley, Sydney, Jonah and John. Drumbeat will also interview them in the spring of 2027 to learn about their senior years.