Interview conducted by Sidney McDonald, special correspondent to the High Life.

How did you find out that you would be speaking at graduation?
 

Ashira Morris: I received an e-mail from Mrs. Crews.
Steven Keller: Ashira called me while I was at UVA for a scholarship interview. It gave me something to brag about.

What person has had the biggest influence on you?
 

SK: My dad molded me to be what he used to be at my age. Some people fear being like their parents, but for me that’s perfectly OK.
AM: In an unconventional way, my …

By Roberta Fiorito

After nearly five years at Leon, Assistant Principal of Curriculum Billy Epting has accepted the position of principal at Canopy Oaks Elementary School. Also, Assistant Principal of Attendance Geni Everett is retiring at the end of this school year after four years at Leon.
“I will miss the interaction with high school kids,” Epting said. He says he will also deeply miss the “extras” offered at high schools, such as chorus concerts, football games and Mane Event performances, to name a few.
However, Canopy Oaks made an offer that Epting …

By Danielle Faulk

When Juliet Turner graduates on June 3, she will be following in her great-grandfather, grandmother, father and sister’s footsteps. Turner will be the sixth person from her family to graduate from Leon.
This family tradition has made Turner appreciate Leon and its history.
“I like that they embrace the past,” Turner said. “The school has been modernized without changing the sense of history.”
When she leaves, she will miss chorus the most. Music is a family tradition; her sister was also in chorus and her father played in the Marching Redcoats …

By Taylor Seay

Art-loving 18-year-old Kaelie Taylor has her own set of post-graduation plans. Instead of college or a full-time job, she is moving by herself to Seattle, Washington to “house-sit.”
“I had to get out of the South,” Taylor said. “But I’ll come home as often as my mom pays for plane tickets.”
Taylor got the idea from a recent Leon graduate, Ethan Kilpatrick, a friend and member of the organization “The Caretaker Gazette.” This magazine is like a club where new members go online to sign up and pay the $29.95 …

By Logan Reid

Michael Richardson attending the United States Military at West Point. This school is known for having a very extensive admission process, which includes passing the CFA, a physical assessment, and getting an appointment from either a congressman or a senator.
The CFA consists of six events that have to be completed one after the other: a mile run, shuttle run, basketball throw, pushups, sit-ups and pull ups.
For Richardson, leadership was the most important quality in a school.
“There is no other college in the nation that can teach leadership like …

By Danielle Faulk
English has always been a favorite subject for Marty Towey, whether she is studying, applying or teaching it.
In school, Towey’s favorite teachers and classes involved English.
“When I was in college, I always found myself coming back to it,” Towey said.
She has been teaching at Leon for seven years. Towey teaches tenth grade English II. She teaches both general and honors-level classes.
In the past Towey has taught yearbook and reading classes at Bainbridge High School from 1991 to 1996. Then, for a few years, Towey taught logic and semantics at …

By Roberta Fiorito
As 31 Leon students prepared to host their French counterparts on Saturday, April 17, airports across northern Europe were being closed down due to the erupting volcano in Iceland that began to spew ash and silicate on March 20 and then again on April 15.
These two eruptions caused hundreds of flight cancellations throughout Europe, including the French exchange students’ flight, because of the danger the ash posed to plane engines.
However, the students were able to fly out of Paris a week later on April 24.
Madame Clarke had been …

He started running as a freshman and has never stopped.
Sophomore Ben McMahon is a member of the long distance track team and the only sophomore to advance to the regional round.
McMahon runs in the 3200 meter race, which is approximately two miles. His best time in this event came not long ago when he ran that distance in ten minutes and eleven seconds.
A speedy 10:11 is pretty impressive for someone who has had trouble with his shins through the whole season.
“We just do what Leon does best,” McMahon said. “Just …

Logan Reid
 
Coach Michael Braun, Leon’s offensive line coach, is participating in a fundraiser for Jimmy Everett all throughout Tallahassee to lose weight. This program is called “Get Fit Tallahassee,” and sponsors participants to lose weight, donating money for each pound Braun loses to be donated towards Jimmy Everett’s fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS – otherwise known as Lou Gherig’s disease.
Jimmy Everett was the athletic director of Lincoln High School when Braun was coaching football at Lincoln. Braun coached for five years at Lincoln; Everett oversaw him over those …

An interview with Prom royalty, Casey Gray and Alicia Turner
 
What is your favorite memory of high school?

Casey: “I really can’t think of anything…I guess Mr. Johnson’s Anatomy class.”

What sport or club were you most involved in at Leon?

Casey: “Baseball, freshmen and sophomore years.”

What are your plans after high school?

Casey: “College…I’m going to TCC. I want to be a lawyer or a charter fisherman.”

Why do you think you won Prom King?

Casey: “I guess the ballots were rigged…”

How do you hope people remember you after you graduate? What is your legacy?

Casey: “I …