Tyler’s Book Award
This year’s William & Mary Leadership Award was presented to Tyler W. It’s a prestigious honor recognizing students who are visible, dynamic leaders within their school community.
Congratulations, Tyler! Well done.
Student (outside activities)
Lily Receives Another Scholastic Award
Lily E has done it again! One of the art pieces from her senior portfolio, a painting titled “Speculum”, has been recognized with a prestigious award, marking another milestone in her artistic journey. Lily is a talented art student mentored by Patricia Kapral, a former CHS parent.
The Fine Arts Center is the official affiliate of the Scholastic Art Awards, which are renowned for being the most prestigious and longest-running awards initiative for teen artists. This year, the competition drew over 400 entries from students in grades 7-12. These submissions came from a wide geographic area, encompassing 23 counties as well as independent towns and cities throughout Southwest Virginia.
Lily’s exceptional talent has earned her the honor of being chosen as an American Visions Nominee. Along with this recognition, she received a $250 scholarship, which will further support her future artistic endeavors and projects.
Lily’s award-winning piece can also be viewed here at the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley website.
Congratulations, Lily, we are all so proud of you.
Revolution Me Festival in NYC
Jupiter and Ivor traveled to New York City for the Revolution Me Film Festival which took place in the Kumble Theatre at Long Island University in Brooklyn. They had the opportunity to network with American Film Institue (AFI) graduates and members of Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Jupiter took home the award for Best Director for a High School Short!
They also enjoyed exploring the southern half of Manhattan in the Houston, Greenwich Village, and Washington Square neighborhoods. While in Times Square, they picked up some of the half off criterion deals at the Barnes and Noble.
Another highlight of the trip was attending the premier of a new Norwegian film called “Sentimental Value” before it even hit most art house theaters across the US.
Zoe’s Semester at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership ’25
Zoe J sent us an update of what she’s been up to so far during her semester at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, D.C.
October 3rd, 2025:
- Met with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon
- Met with Hillary Clinton’s former speech writer Lissa Muscitine
- Met with the diplomat of the Israeli embassy to talk about the conflict in Gaza
- Went to the Rwandan embassy to talk about country growth after the 1994 Rwandan genocide
- Met with Carl Wilkens who saved hundreds of Rwandans during the genocide
- Met with three congress reps
- Met with immigration policy makers on the right and left
- Started our SVP (Social Venture Project) which is an opportunity for us to do social entrepreneurship in our home towns
- Started our CPD (Collaborative Policy Document) which we will be sharing with policy makers from the house of reps later in the semester
- Also fun things like family feud, karaoke night, murder mystery, national book fest, protest observation, local markets and other fun times in the dorms.
I’m also doing great socially, I have a lot of really close friends here and I honestly am super happy here in DC, but tell everyone I miss them so much!
If you would like to read about Zoe’s full semester’s experience as shared with us after she returned to CHS, please click here.
Lily Earns a Scholastic National Silver Medal
Lily E won a Gold Key at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards national level, and went on to win a Scholastic National Silver Medal for her art piece ” The Last of the Cherry Tomatoes.”
Congratulations to Lily for earning this prestigious award recognizing her outstanding achievement in painting.
Lily is an art student of former CHS parent Patricia Kapral.
Southeast Asian Zines by Odessa
Odessa M spent an entire semester traveling throughout Southeast Asia with her father. Upon her return she treated us to a lesson about wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) in Indonesia, as this first hand experience was one of her personal highlights of the trip.
Odessa interns under Olchar Lindsan, and she is also the editor of our high school zine, Gristle Butter. She has also published a comic-book format travelogue/study of zine culture in Southeast Asia called “Southeast Asian Zines!”, an Informational, Anecdotal Comic Zine about her time abroad through monOcle-Lash Anti-Press.
“This zine-turned-book is a catalog of a high school junior’s (and her much more adjusted father’s) four month trip through the countries, galleries, and zine communities of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, and Nepal. It includes novice mini-comics, a little prose, a short essay, many pictures, zine scans, and a six-page bibliography; reorganized twice. The project aims to further reveal the underground publications of parts of Southeast and South Asia to an English-speaking audience through the, admittedly narrow, context of a journey focused most on basic necessities like eating food, drinking water, and reading books. Hopefully it will help to illuminate the distinctive, yet undeniably connected approach of zine artists across the world.”
Zoe Marches in D.C. for Women’s Rights
Zoe J. has developed a strong passion for activism through her participation in rallies organized by the Women’s March in Washington, DC. Her journey began with her first protest in June advocating for abortion rights, where she gained media attention and realized the power of her voice. In November, she attended her second protest focused on women’s rights alongside her family, creating a memorable experience that further fueled her commitment.
Motivated by these experiences, Zoe plans to continue her activism journey, potentially taking on an organizing role at future rallies. She aspires to pursue gender studies and advocacy, actively engaging with organizations, and raising awareness among her peers. Zoe’s dedication to making a meaningful impact on society is inspiring, and we look forward to her future contributions in gender studies and activism.
Eva Rose Is Passionate About Being Onstage
Eva Rose’s passion for theatre started at a very young age because her family was so involved in the theatrical community. She participated in her first production at the age of eight months old as the “Baby Princess” in The Boys of Draken Street and has taken part in all sorts of productions ever since. By the time she was a junior in high school, she had been in over 25 productions!
For years she’s taken advantage of a variety of theater educational opportunities at the June Bug Center for Arts and Education, the Mill Mountain Theatre, the Virginia Children’s Theatre, the Floyd County High School and the New River Stage. She’s also been in productions with all of the aforementioned, as well as HaeBo Productions, Summer Musical Enterprise, and New River Community Theatre Guild.
Her favorite roles she’s played are “Wednesday Addams” in The Addams Family, “Duffy” in Annie, “Mayzie La Bird” in Seussical Jr., and “Helena” in an abridged Midsummer Night’s Dream. She was also featured in the film Wish You Well when she was just six years old, and has won several acting awards through One Act and Forensics competitions. She’s also been part of Mill Mountain Theatre’s Musical Theatre Conservatory for several seasons.
Eva Rose’s favorite place to be is on stage, and she is excited to make her debut with CHS as “Mrs. Webb” in the Fall 2024 Community High School’s production of Our Town while also performing in Annie at Mill Mountain Theatre!
She is thrilled to be able to take the stage in so many different shows and circumstances, and can’t wait to see what comes next for her in the theatrical community. Eva Rose shares that her passion for theater has helped hone her skills in public speaking, connecting with others, and being a more outgoing person overall.
Izi B’s Summer Research Internship at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion
During her summer research internship at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion, Izi B explored potential relationships between delay discounting, food demand, and type 2 diabetes. Delay discounting is a behavioral economic concept that involves the tendency to devalue rewards and gratifications as they are delayed in time, and prior research has indicated its association with obesity. Given this background, Izi hypothesized that there might be a similar relationship between delay discounting and type 2 diabetes.
To test her hypothesis, Izi utilized data from a clinical trial involving 120 participants who had poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. These participants were characterized by having an HbA1c level of 7.7% or higher and a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Contrary to her initial hypothesis, Izi’s findings revealed no significant correlation between the variables she tested. This suggests within her sample that delay discounting and food demand do not appear to be related to type 2 diabetes. These results provide valuable insights and indicate the complexity of factors contributing to type 2 diabetes, beyond delay discounting and food demand alone.
Izi’s research culminated in a poster presentation at the research symposium, where she shared her findings with fellow researchers and attendees. Her work not only contributes to the broader understanding of type 2 diabetes but also highlights the importance of testing and questioning established hypotheses within the scientific community.
Izi shared this personal reflection on her summer experience:
“My summer program was a great experience for me to learn and grow while learning science. I had daily to weekly seminars that included learning about neuroscience, cancer, and decision making. I also enjoyed the opportunity to work one-on-one with my PI. Additionally, I was able to speak with the associate dean of the Virginia Tech School of Medicine about medical school admissions.”
Wayang Kulit by Odessa M.
Odessa M spent a semester traveling throughout Southeast Asia and one of the things she most excitedly awaited, and most enjoyed, was seeing wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) in Indonesia. Through her father the art form has been a lifelong interest, and she loved experiencing it first hand in the country it came from. She also loved having the opportunity to introduce it to the faculty and students of CHS, who very much enjoyed her presentation.
