Editorial Staff

Have you ever thought about being an aspiring drummer in Louisville? For many years, Sophia has been invested and interested in the arts, playing in the orchestra at Brown for as long as she’s been able to. Sophia practices her instrument regularly and was a part of the orchestra when winning distinguished in several competitions. One thing that makes her special: she doesn’t brag. Even though she’s got every right, she is very humble and empathetic.

Not only that, she played in the River City Drum Corps even longer than the orchestra. RCDC is a cultural arts institute that uplifts youth and allows them to make music while connecting to their roots as African-Americans. I think her time and energy spent as a musician has helped her become more perceptive, and helped her socially as she made friends through RCDC. She explained to me that being in a band requires you to listen and focus on the entire ensemble, while also making sure you are where you need to be. 

She’s very passionate about music and has devoted much time towards it. Rounding out Sophia as a person is a very daunting task, as she has so much going on. Her musical talent mixed with wanting to be in the medical field means she’s always busy! I think Sofia’s time at RCDC and Brown have shaped her into an amazing student, artist and friend.

Bug Bowles is a junior at the J. Graham Brown School. He is both creative and community driven. Bug has been in the Bear Necessities school newspaper for the past 2 years. This year, he is going to be an amazing addition to the Tech Team and the Editorial department. 

After completing high school, Bowles sees himself majoring in theater at either Bellarmine University or the University of Maryland because his idol Jim Henson went there. In his free time, he enjoys making skits and doing improv bits with his friends. He also enjoys other creative outlets like drawing.

Bowles is also a member of the Pep Club. He has been a part of this club since the beginning of his high school career. He says that being in pep club has been a good experience because of the other members. He thinks the pep club feels like a little community, and he enjoys planning important and memorable events for the school. 

All of his creative hobbies are not only a great outlet to be creative, but are also something that will help him with his future career as an actor. 

With how innovative and selfless Bug is, he will make for an awesome person to work with. He is going to produce some amazing pieces in the editorial department. 

Christian Harrison is a sophomore at the J Graham Brown School. Some of his hobbies include gaming, music, and chess.  After talking to him, I have found an ongoing pattern: his interest in fashion. 

Christian hopes to either attend the Amsterdam Fashion Institute or the Berlin School of the Arts. The Amsterdam Fashion Institute provides a wide variety of thought-provoking courses,  ranging from fashion design to business and development. The Berlin School of Arts provides an even broader range of curriculum; there, they provide courses for every form of art, varying from architecture to acting to fashion design. 

Ten years from now, Christian sees himself working at Off-White as a creative director. Off-White has parallel ideals with Christian, as they both value free thinking, creativity, and suspended disbelief.

His favorite book is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. In this book, the author touches on the topic of racism and how that can be an obstacle when trying to create one's individual identity and break limitations. 

Throughout the time I have taken to get to know Christian on a deeper level, it has become apparent that he is a visionary that understands the importance of individuality in this modern society.

A well-rounded student who indulges in many hobbies and interests, 14 year-old Asha Valentine has been a student at the Brown School since 5th grade. She’s now beginning her journey through high school as a freshman. In an interview, she gave some insight into her life, interests, and hopes. During her time at Brown, she has participated in numerous activities inside and outside of school, and while doing so discovered her passion for filmmaking and writing.

She has always enjoyed watching TV shows and movies, but it is the horror genre that stood out to her and led her to this passion. Some of her favorites in the genre include TV shows such as “Killing Eve”, “American Horror Story”, and some others. Although she loves to watch these horror shows, she wouldn’t fancy being in one. She says “If I were in a horror movie, I would probably be a side or supporting character. I don’t think I would be able to kill monsters or be the hero… I tend to panic under pressure.” Asha also mentioned her huge fears of evil spirits and with cults. “They creep me out…cults are weird,” she commented.

In the future, she would like to work in the television field doing either writing or filmmaking. She says she appreciates the work of others in these fields, which is clear to see as she is an avid film enthusiast. She would also love to move to New York when she is older to continue her studies in these subjects.

Aside from her goals for what lies ahead, Asha also has many hobbies outside of school. Last year, she played soccer as the defense position, but didn’t play on the team this year because she wanted to avoid overworking herself. When she can, she likes to play tennis. She also enjoys cooking, as she comes from a “family of cooks,” as she calls it. “I love to cook and just experiment with different things…I cook a lot of different foods.” Asha loves to draw and create art in her free time, as well as listen to music. Her favorite bands and artists consist of, but are not limited to, The Marias, Lana Del Rey, Brent Faiyaz, and Romeo Santos.

In regards to her academics, she is very responsible. Over the summer, she took two online courses: Health (one semester) and Spanish 1 (two semesters). She says that she was able to get the health class done in a matter of hours because of her previous knowledge in the subject and because the course was easy. The questions were multiple choice and accompanied by guiding passages. As for Spanish 1, she said she was short on time to finish and only had a couple weeks, but nonetheless completed the course and is glad she took it. “I’m in Spanish 2 now, so it was worth it!” she remarked. Additionally, she worked on projects for her AP GoPo class, such as reviewing notes on the Constitution and government structure and answering questions on these topics. Not long ago, she applied for a job at Rainbow Blossom and hopes to start working there soon.

But how does Asha balance all these interests and extracurriculars? She says that she is motivated by “being successful for my age and not being stressed.” It seems like balancing her time and knowing her limits is key, which Asha does very well. Undeniably, Asha will continue to strive academically and expand on her ample list of hobbies and interests during her future years at Brown and beyond.