Editor's note: This year, Drumbeat is running a feature called "If you only knew me." This feature, which ran in the newspaper in its early years, involved selecting a student at random and sharing their story. There will be a different student featured in each issue of Drumbeat this year. The Drumbeat staff hopes that this series of features encourages all readers to remember that every person they meet has a story worth knowing.
Junior Cadence Pritchard
Photo by Naomi Klein
By Naomi Klein
By Naomi Klein
Raindrops pitter-patter on the pavement, forming puddles of sadness where they fall. The gray, cloudy skies create a chilling atmosphere and a heavy wind blows, causing the leaves of trees to whip around violently. It is the epitome of misery, of despair...but rain boots splash through the sadness-puddles in a mesmerizing pattern that’s elegant and lyrical. The clouds part and the sun shines through.
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
This quote by artist and author Vivian Green describes exactly how Copley High School junior Cadence Pritchard lives her life. As a new student to the district, Pritchard has gone through many difficult and life-changing experiences this year. Before moving to Copley, Pritchard lived in Kent, and the year before she lived in Streetsboro. She enjoys going to the movies with her friends (horror movies are her favorite) and dancing.
Dancing is one of the most important hobbies in Pritchard’s life, as she has been taking lessons and performing in competitions for many years. One of her most cherished memories is of winning her first dance trophy. Unfortunately, she had to stop dancing this year, but styles of dance she studied include hip hop, modern, pop and her favorite, lyrical.
Pritchard lives with her aunt, her cousins and their two dogs. She moved in with them after her mother’s passing in March.
“My mom passed away in March, and that changed a lot for me,” Pritchard said. “I lived with my friend then, because my mom was so sick, and then after my mom died, I decided to move out and I ended up moving in with my aunt, my dad’s sister.”
Pritchard looks up to her late mother as a role model, praising her strength through her illness. She was sick for many years, and her untimely death was an extreme turning point in Pritchard’s life.
“I looked up to my mom because she was strong,” Pritchard said. “She was really sick, and she kept fighting for eleven years. I want to be as strong as her.”
Despite her recent experiences, Pritchard does not dwell on the past. She looks toward the future and believes that things will get better. In fact, she plans to study to become a registered nurse in college.
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
This quote encapsulates Pritchard’s philosophyーdancing in the puddles of sadness as the sun comes out to shine on the positive aspects of her life.
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