Student Central

Senior Spotlight

Lily Davis photo submitted by Lily Davis

Lily Davis

Lily Davis is working hard as a senior at Mount Vernon this year; she is taking classes such as College English and still making time to work and hang out with her friends! Throughout her high school career, she has been involved in several activities such as Squad and basketball.

These activities have never stopped her from succeeding in and outside of school. Davis is currently employed at Hometown Pharmacy. You may see her flashing a friendly smile when stopping by to pick up your prescription!

After graduation, Davis plans to attend Drury University to earn her bachelor's in accounting. She is even contemplating attending law school later to further her career! She says she is “very excited to [attend school] and work” once she graduates. There is no doubt that Davis has a very bright future ahead of her!

Vicki Moore photo submitted By Vicki Moore

Vicki Moore

Vicki Moore is one of many smiling faces you may encounter in the halls of MVHS. She is a bright student who is always in a positive mood. Moore is known for her love of Corgis (she has one of her own, a precious pup named Saydee). She is an extremely active student! She has been in many extracurriculars such as tennis, show choir, and basketball.

Moore plans to attend college to become an English teacher. She says, “I believe that helping shape young minds and being able to give children a safe space is one of the most important jobs a person can do.” After starting her career as an English teacher, Moore plans to be a missionary and going to other countries to help those in need.

It is certainly no secret that Moore has some big plans for her future, but when she isn’t working her tail off, she enjoys singing with her little brother and spending time with her family. She is never seen without a smile on her face and her head held high. Moore is an admirable young woman who has made MVHS proud to call her a Mountaineer!

Aiden Morton (left) and Caley Rogers (right) photo submitted by Aiden Morton

Aiden Morten

Aiden Morten is a very well known senior at MVHS. He is always showing up and showing out at sports games and pep assemblies. There is never a dull moment around Morten. He is active in sports, playing both football and baseball! He was also involved in the band and played percussion!

After he graduates, Morten plans to get a job (most likely in concrete or asphalt). He says he wants to “make a positive impact on the world.” If you know him, you know he is the life of the party! He is always cheering on the players of whatever team or event he is watching. He showed up to cheer on his long-time girlfriend, Caley Rogers, at Mt. Vernon's volleyball senior night. Morten was the loudest by far, cheering her on as she played. He is a carefree, funny, and charismatic young man. Morten will surely succeed in whatever career path he chooses. He is on his way to big success and the class of 2023 will cheer him on the whole way!

MVHS drama department puts on a show

By Gabriel Converse

"If you can go out and be a giant elephant on stage you can pretty much do anything."

- Jaden Wilson

The MVHS drama department is buzzing with excitement for the upcoming winter musical. This winter they will be performing Little Women, the musical. While it may seem like performing in plays and musicals just takes memorizing lines, that is not the case. The actors go through challenges and do things to help themselves be better at their craft. It takes many days of dedication, hard work and discipline to put on an amazing performance. Most are things you don’t even see on stage. Some actors from the show have agreed to participate in an interview to share some of the things that go on behind the scenes, and even share some fun stories.

Director Ms. Brook Olinger (right) demonstrates to Jaden Wilson (left) how to fake a punch. photo by Gabriel Converse

To begin, we have a veteran of the drama team, Jaden Wilson. Wilson has been in several productions such as Seussical (as Horton the elephant) and Lost Girl (as Slightly). He was also in some community productions like All Shook Up (as Dennis) and Once Upon A Mattress (as Prince Dauntless) He plays the character of Theodore Laurence nicknamed Laurie. Laurie is the boy that lives across the street from the March sisters and is looking for a woman to call his own.

Wilson has a deep love for the theater, so of course he wanted to be in this production as well. He said the rehearsals have been enjoyable even though there were a few rough spots. However, he views this as a chance to help expand his range and enjoys playing his role. One highlight for Wilson so far was when he and the director, Ms. Brook Olinger, had to demonstrate how to do a boxing scene, he found it to be a very funny and memorable moment. The way he memorizes is by highlighting his lines and he likes to annotate in his script to better understand his character’s thoughts and feelings. This helps expand his character and his acting choices. He encourages everyone to step out and try performing, as a way to help build their confidence.

Next, we have a newcomer to the stage, Grant Brown. This will be his first high school production and the drama department could not be more excited to welcome him to the team. Brown plays the role of Mr. Brooke who is Laurie’s tutor and will also have his own encounter with love. Brown auditioned for Little Women because he wanted to try something new and has had a really fun time! He said that he has a small case of stage fright but plans to overcome it, to turn the nervousness around and use it to boost his performance! Brown said his method of memorizing is to read his lines in front of a mirror and recite them until he memorizes them. He has enjoyed every step of the rehearsal process and described the cast as "one large group of friends."

Finally, we have Ayden Alexander, who is one of our leading ladies. She has been in Seussical (as the Sour Kangaroo), Once Upon A Mattress (as one of the princesses), and Golly Gee Wiz (as Diana Soprano). She plays the role of Beth March. Beth is the second youngest March sister. She is the sweetest of the bunch, a light for her entire family, and is always there when they need her.

Alexander adores the theater and the dramatic arts and wants to be a part of it for as long as she possibly can. The theater for her is a very open and welcoming place. She described acting as a way of being yourself while pretending to be someone else. Becoming the character and feeling their thoughts and emotions is her way of memorizing and preparing for performances. Alexander encourages everyone to come and see the show. "Come see Little Women, you will have every single emotion in the book!"

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