Myers Park Hoofprint

The Myers Park High School Newspaper

Campus News

Leaders Club

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Are you looking for a new volunteer opportunity? Here is the perfect option for you! YMCA Harris Leaders Club is a volunteer-based organization geared towards leadership and self-development in teens. Leaders Club is a great way to connect, meet new people, and get involved in your community.

Reese Stevenson, a senior at South Mecklenburg High School, is this year’s Leaders Club president. She’s been attending Leaders Club since she was a freshman at South Meck and loves to participate in many other activities around Charlotte. “Leaders is more about self-development than community development but you are developing yourself through lots of volunteering and helping in your community,” said Stevenson. 

Stevenson is President and one of the five members of the executive board of Leaders Club. As President, she communicates with her team members to plan Wednesday evening meetings, talk about upcoming events, and offer volunteer outlets for those who would like to participate. “As president, I kind of do a little bit of everything. On the official paper, it says I’m supposed to oversee all of the various jobs and make sure everything is in order. I like to say that I plan a majority of the meetings. We all plan them together but I got through during the week to make sure they are perfected,” stated Stevenson.

During a meeting, members will start altogether or break up into smaller, more manageable groups called “families.” In that group, members do a “rose, bud, thorn” exercise; rose is something we are happy about, bud is something we are looking forward to, and thorn is something that didn’t go so well in the past week. Families are a place to develop a better relationship with peers but also allow a safe place to talk. 

“In the beginning, we would do icebreaker meetings and get- to know you’s. Usually, we’ll have one or two bulk activities that will take longer. We try to stay away from doing it every week but typically we do a vespers which is like quiet time, introspection, or time of reflection. Then we’ll close out by doing announcements and a prayer circle.” Stevenson explained.

Leaders Club is held every Wednesday night from 7:00 to 8:30 PM and is open for anyone between the ages of 13 and 18. Registering for the club at the beginning of the year costs $75. Once you are a member, you are expected to show up to 75% of the meetings and complete a total of 100 service hours. You receive 1.5 hours of service just by showing up on Wednesday nights.

My favorite place to volunteer is participating in Homework Helpers. Every day after school, elementary school students take part in this program to get work done, do active outdoor games, and have just a little more time with their school buddies. Homework Helpers is available from three o’clock to six o’clock and open to all who would like to join. These hours will then get added to the volunteer log and will count toward the 100 hours of service.

100 hours of service may seem like a lot, but not when it is contributing to a good cause and adds even more fun to your summer! The reason why 100 hours is required is that it allows you to take part in Blue Ridge Leaders School. BRLS was created in 1922 and has successfully kept its structure by guiding teens to be leaders within the YMCA and for the rest of their lives. It’s a great way to continue acts of service throughout the summer months.

As a member of Leaders, Wednesday evenings are the highlight of my day. I get to see friends that I don’t see at school, participate in games that help me out of my comfort zone, and take part in activities that are not only fun but also help my city. Join today!

Black History Month at MP

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February, or Black History Month, commemorates the generations of African Americans who struggled amidst adversity to gain full citizenship into American society. The celebration of Black History Month, though the name wasn’t officially coined until February 1976, dates back to the early 1900s. The month was created to further National Negro History Week, which took place during the second week of February in 1926, according to the Women’s Day website. The events that took place during this week became so popular throughout the nation that the mayors in cities who participated began issuing a proclamation each year that recognized the celebration. 

This is a significant time for Myers Park’s Black Student Union, which aims to reach people by acknowledging Black achievements that may otherwise go unrecognized. The members work to help create academic equity throughout the entire school population by helping connect students with tutors and other academic resources. Additionally, the BSU engages in conversations during their meetings about racial issues at school and work together to try and resolve the problems that arise. They try to plan events that allow African American students at MP to further engage with and demonstrate their interests and talents, such as last year’s step show. To learn more about African American culture, members plan to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. 

When asked what Black History Month meant to this organization, Blake Williams, the social media manager of BSU, said, “Black History Month is a month of celebrating and acknowledging the accomplishments, struggles, and hardships black people have in order to put us in the better position we are in today. During this time, we also remember the numerous significant figures and idols that risked, lost, and gave their lives for the dreams of black people, which was freedom.”

Keep a look out for all that the Black Student Union has planned for this month! Members are working hard to schedule as many events as possible to celebrate. Another step-show is in the works, with possible recruitments from various African American sororities and fraternities. The Union will also be leading a Black History Month Spirit Week full of activities for the Myers Park student body to enjoy. A sneak peek of a few of the themes includes HBCU day (Historically Black College or University), Blackout day, and Cultural day. Not only is there an opportunity to dress up, but there will also be delicious food! The Union hopes to bring in Cuzzo’s, a local food truck for the Myers Park teachers. Every member of the Myers Park community can take part in the celebration of Black History Month. Students can show their support by donating or directly supporting local black businesses and entrepreneurs. You can also take a trip to The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture in Charlotte to dive into African American history and culture through its various exhibits. 

The MPHS Black Student Union wants its club to be long-lasting, and to do so, they are always looking for dedicated, goal-oriented, organized, and determined individuals to join the club. If anyone is interested, please feel free to reach out to the BSU Instagram @mphs.blackstudentunion to fill out an application and schedule an interview with the BSU executive board. 

 Williams says, “If you are interested in the Black Student Union, please don’t hesitate to join. This is a fun club, and we don’t have too many meetings, so if you have a busy schedule, meetings won’t be too much of a conflicting issue. We really just want our members to have a good time while being in the club and feel as comfortable as possible around other black students!” Stay on the lookout for the Morning Announcements to stay informed for any upcoming BSU events.

Cruising Around with the MP Auto Club

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Heading into the new year, let’s look into the Myers Park High School’s 2022-23 Auto Club to get an inside scoop on their regular meetings and some of the club’s recent accomplishments. The club has been active at Myers Park for over ten years, and its attendance continues to prove vital with students who share similar interests in the automotive industry. Whether it is simply a hobby where one can learn many tasks to last them a lifetime, or a possible kickstart to a career path for a stronger auto future, the club helps motivate young students to be involved in something greater than themselves. 

Separate from other clubs at Myers Park, , many activities made possible by The MP Auto Club are planned monthly for attendees. Along with the extensive activities, there are also weekly meetings held by the club to learn more about fixing and the basic necessities of automobiles. Some responsibilities taught through experience involve oil changes, rotation of tires, pulling nails out of tires, paint fixes, and more. There are constant learning experiences from teachers who bring their automobiles into the shop that need little fixes on their cars free of charge, so it is a win/win situation for both students and educators at Myers Park. Students at MP know the famous green gator driven around by administrators; well, there was a recent fix to one of them made by the club. They keep the park up to date and automobiles all around town in good shape. The club’s supervisor, Ms.Carlevatti, who has been a teacher at MP for many years, has always been beloved by members for her strong, loving attitude toward cars, her mentorship with the students, and her welcoming demeanor. 

From the start of the 2022 school year, the auto club has had many successful movements toward raising money for basic necessities within the club. One of the most recent was the December car show, held in the Myers Park back senior parking lot. People all over Queen City registered their cars to be shown at the show, and the people from all over Charlotte did not disappoint and showed up to show their strong support of the auto club. Just to name a few car brands that showed up, there were cars such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, Mclaren, G-Wagon, and many more. The round-up had a huge turnout of viewers to spectate the amazing cars. During the roundup, an associate working for O’Reilly Auto Parts came to show their support and donated buckets with general car maintenance materials that will definitely be crucial for the club and put to great use. The company had heard about the car show on local radio just the day before. There was said to be over $2,700 raised in profit through registrations of cars, spectator support, and donations. The expensive and beautiful exhibited cars were said to be worth more than half a million dollars when added up to just under 90 cars registered. Members of the Charlotte community, MP students and faculty members, club leaders, and more were all part of the over 200 spectators total during that show. 

After speaking with Junior club member Harris Jones, and Junior social media manager Hadley Smith, both had spectacular things to say about their experience in the club over the past couple of years.

When asked about what they enjoy most about the club, members said “…we are a family, we are the only automotive club in Myers park, and we have a racing team.” and Harris also said “The people, the teacher, Ms.Carlevatti, her daughter, and the atmosphere.” When describing their favorite aspects of the club.

It is always important to find a close community of people you can connect with that has similar interests to yourself.

 I also had the chance to ask members if there are strong relationships that have been formed through the club; to which they said “Yes we have all created a big group of friends, getting along is not hard considering we have the same interests.”

The auto club is now planning a similar event to their December car show since they had such a successful turnout and a great time. The date has yet to be determined, but it will be around mid-May. Show your support, and be sure to check out the club’s Instagram page @MP_autoclub to find out more information. 

Women in Literature

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Are you looking for a fun new book to read? Look no further. Best friends Liza Mackey and Mae Sellner have built not only a unique and inclusive book club but also a mini-community within. 

“I feel like it’s such a community. It’s intimate in a sense that we all get to talk about something we enjoy talking about,” said Liza. 

Since their Sophomore year at Myers Park, Liza and Mae have been discussing, planning, and organizing ways to make the Park their own with Women In Literature.

Since the pandemic, when everyone was cooped up at home, Liza and Mae resorted to reading books in their spare time. 

When pitching the idea to Mae, Liza noted, “Mae has always been like my little reading buddy so whenever I read a book that I think she would like, I always give it to her. I didn’t want to do this with someone I didn’t know, I want my best friend to do it with me.”  

As they flew through one book after another, they used inspiration from Reese Witherspoon’s book club to get their club started. Each month, Reese selects a new book that focuses on the empowerment of a female main character. They decided to incorporate the same method into their club. At the end of every month, a meeting is held to discuss the previous book and introduce the next one. In a typical meeting, members will go around and answer discussion questions and participate in fun icebreaker activities. Behind the scenes, both Liza and Mae have dedicated roles for their contribution to the club. 

“Mae does an awesome job at all of the social media stuff. She makes it so aesthetically pleasing and it’s cool to see it all come together.” Liza said. 

Mae enjoys creating all of the graphics for Instagram and sending messages in the Remind. Liza comes up with and researches the discussion questions to include in the slideshow to present on the day of the meeting. 

For the month of October, the book assigned was Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It highlights young, beautiful, talented singer Daisy Jones and her ascent into the music industry when her producer pairs her up with The Six. This novel is filled with unruly details on love, friendship, hardship, and even substance abuse. 

“I have always been very passionate about reading, but that was the first book that Liza suggested to me that really got me into reading. We both love that book, I’d say it’s one of our favorites,” said Mae. “We wanted to go out with a bang and Daisy Jones is easy to get into and even easier to get people excited about.”

Over the past year, the recognition of female authors has grown tremendously. Authors such as Colleen Hoover, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Jodi Picoult have written novels that are not only entertaining but also influential. In today’s society, it’s important that young women, such as the ones in Women in Literature, know their worth and significance in the world. Reading novels about young girls is educational and inspirational. It’s amazing and beneficial to have a safe place like this within the community of Myers Park.

Literature is something that has become very normalized within today’s standards. This club has allowed so many young women to open up and talk about something they love. Liza voices, “It’s very welcoming and peaceful, you know. We’re all just a couple of gals talking about books and I love that.”

 If you are interested in becoming part of their club, visit the Instagram page @womeninliterature_mphs, click on the link in the bio, and join the Remind to receive updates.

Myers Park Language Department

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Did you know that Myers Park offers five different foreign language courses? Students have the opportunity to explore up to six levels of either Spanish, French, Latin, German, or Chinese courses during their four years here. These language courses are taught by the wonderful teachers of the department who dedicate their time in order for students to excel in their discovery of multilingual studies. These teachers ensure that students are engaging in unique activities in class and taking risks as learners. On top of each of these courses offered here at Myers Park, students can engage in their language through clubs or honors societies for each language and through study opportunities offered through these clubs, the school, or other outside organizations.

There are countless benefits to exploring the language offerings at Myers Park, with a few of them highlighted during an interview with language department head Ms. Szell. “A benefit of taking a second or third language is a better understanding of your own languages and nuances in your own language,” says Szell, emphasizing the ways that world languages teach you more skills than you might expect. Szell says culture is what inspired her own studies of the world languages, and that all the teachers in language programs at Myers Park make it a focal point to explore the cultures of the people who speak the language that the students are learning. Cultural opportunities are also offered through the clubs and organizations that support the world language department. In the Spanish club, Szell says they will make sugar skulls to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos. Other clubs like the Chinese Club will visit the Asian Supermarket or explore the culture within the Charlotte community. Through these programs teachers and students learn more about another culture as well as the educational system.

Szell also touches on the important benefits of world languages for students as they look toward post-graduate educational and career opportunities. Students can “do better on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT” from taking a few years of world language and this experience can also “make you more attractive to those [competitive] colleges.” These points touch on the idea of becoming a more well-rounded student, a skill and asset that is extremely valuable to colleges and employers as students continue to grow after high school. These skills are also highlighted in the workforce as being even partially fluent allows you to “communicate with twice as many people” and make connections in your endeavors that others are unable to.
Not only do the teachers in this department love creating this learning environment, but the students engaging in the opportunities at Myers Park love the program. Hannah McGee, a Myers Park senior in the IB program, has been learning Chinese since she was five years old. McGee says this interest “was initially prompted through watching Ni Hao Kai Lan” and she became fluent at nine years old! McGee goes on to talk about the challenges of learning Chinese with its unique and varied dialects, tones, and characters. However, she says that “although it is challenging, it is very rewarding to recognize how many more opportunities for connection you have created through learning a language.” McGee also spent time as an exchange student in Beijing with the opportunity to further strengthen and study her language skills in an immersive setting. Hannah says that there is more to learning a language than one might initially think and that “it is a means of communication accompanied by rich cultural and emotional implications.” She says she wouldn’t have been able to communicate with her peers on the deepest level without those skills. McGee says that the opportunities available at MP have allowed her to continue this passion for language and she encourages students to participate in these amazing courses so that they may develop similar connections to new cultures and open new doors.

MP Basketball Season

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As the football season comes to a close, the school sports scene only has more excitement to come. The upcoming Myers Park Men’s basketball season will bring thrill and competition this year.With Myers Park’s new number-one ranked student section in Charlotte, according to The Charlotte Observer, the atmosphere will be just as thrilling as the games. With themes, chants, and passionate supporters, our student section will be the leading encouragement for the teams’ success this season. The team currently stands at 29th in the nation, as well as number 1 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, where the title read “‘How good we can be is crazy.’ Myers Park, chasing history, starts No. 1 in The Sweet 16”, MP will undoubtedly be bringing competition to the court.

The 2022-2023 season is said to be the best our school has seen with top performers, including but not limited to, Elijah Strong, Sir Mohammed, Santana Lynch, Sadiq White, Jr, Sam Walters, and Bishop Boswell. The team has 3 top 100 ranked players in the country, and the team as a whole has a total of 5 D1 offers, 1 D2, and 3 D3 offers, along with visits from the top-ranked college basketball teams in the country. However, that is only the start. There is one commit, senior back Elijah Strong, who was SoMECK player of the week last year and plans to play at Wofford College. 

When asked about what he looks forward to most this season, Elijah says, “Just playing and competing with my guys, and just having fun during my senior year.” 

As we spoke about the difference in last year’s season to this year, Elijah exclaims that “We just got better, it’s that simple. We got better and closer as a team and as a program.”

The team’s hard work in the off season will be proven on the court this year. As we spoke more about top competitors and goals of this season, it was clear there is one goal this team hopes to accomplish: making it to states with high hopes of claiming the school’s first state title.

“State championship or bust, and I’m confident in the group we have today, we’re really talented across the board.” Elijah exclaims.

With this talented team, the crowds it draws in is fascinating. The MP fanbase is said to be the best in Charlotte, and it is certain we are prepared to carry on the same energy into the basketball gym. Myers Park’s highlighted article in The Charlotte Observer was nowhere short of exciting for students, faculty, administration, and alumni as its title read “A Myers Park tradition: What makes the Mustangs’ fan base Charlotte area’s best?” In the Observer’s article, they say that “Myers Park High annually draws hundreds of alumni to games and it doesn’t matter if the Mustangs are winning.” The energy exhibited from the stands of any games held at home, or even away, has never failed to show the opposing teams the spirit our school holds. 

When speaking with senior Elijah, he was asked if the MP student section makes a difference in the game’s energy on the court, and to that he says:

“Yea, absolutely, it makes everyones adrenaline go crazy.”

Students and athletes have proven that the energy exhibited is part of something deeper than just a game. 

As the season is kicking off, be sure to check out the team’s Instagram page @myerspark_hoops, where you can find some of their incredible promotion videos and photos of the team and crowd. Tickets to the games can be found on the Hometown Fan app, and every fan matters! Whether the season concludes with the state title as hoped, or wins with an exhilarating crowd, this Myers Park basketball team’s talent will not be something you want to miss seeing.

Creative Writing Club

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Creative Writing Club is a student organization at Myers Park that gathers to share and improve their writing skills and original work. Through collaboration, instruction, and practice, the members are able to foster their writing abilities and express their emotions and creativity through this outlet. A typical meeting begins with going over a few writing prompts to ignite inspiration, followed by a writing lesson. The club covers a wide variety of topics at each meeting and sometimes the members collaborate to create new characters together. 

The president of the club, Catherine Munroe, says her favorite thing about the Creative Writing Club is “getting to hear everyone’s story and see how excited they get to add to the club’s lesson”. This club is important not only to its members but to the Myers Park community as a whole because “it can be used as a creative outlet for many students as well as a way to meet new writers and learn new tips”, Catherine says. 

One form of writing that the club practices is poetry. When asked why poetry is important, Catherine replied “it’s a way to dump emotions out without there having to be a certain setup or background lore, characters, scenes, etc. It shows the raw human emotions that can be difficult to describe”. The writing club is a great creative outlet for any students at MPHS who may be interested in joining, and showcases the wonderful work that can be produced when creativity and academics are explored jointly. 

The following collection of poems showcases the work of the Myers Park Creative Writing Club. 

The time we had

Was pretty rad

The time we spent

Made me a gent

The way you laughed

Made me smile

Back then for you,

I would run miles.

The day then came,

When I confessed

Ever since then,

I have repressed

Though all my feelings

Are locked away

I still regret

And wish you stayed. 

– Anonymous

The sun was setting on the horizon. A gentle breeze flowed through the valley. They say by the tree. Although you tried to focus on the sunset, you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. They looked so elegant leaning against a tree. Their hair swaying in the wind. “Hey, I love you.” They say. A comfortable silence fills the air. You’ve been waiting for this to happen. “Romantically?” You ask hesitantly. They look at you. “No. I’ve always loved you as a friend, and I always will.” Your heart drops to your stomach. You struggle to hold back the overwhelming wave of tears. You choke on your words as you get out the words. “I love you too…”

– Anonymous 

The sky is grey with rolling black clouds

The cold winds picked up shaking the trees, causing their screams to fall out

The ravens flying overhead, beady eyes dripping their sins onto your soul 

The hitchhiker’s eyes have become soulless, I think he’s dead. 

The houses on my street are creaking, the sounds vibrating the air

The screams are filling the air, glass shattering, wood splitting

The floors creak from heavy steps and objects

Metal clanking around

The screams have gone silent

The red is flowing

The sound of bones cracking and the air from the body escaping causes a sweet gurgling sound

The hitchhiker is now laid out on the ground, skin turned blue

The ravens are gone, moving on to the next town

The trees are finally silent and the wind has died down

The black clouds now cover the small town

– Catherine Munroe

Water runs clear now

Yet you stay fresh in ember

Times gone with the wind

– Dani Lombardi

“Please just laugh with me”

No one’s ever asked me that 

“Please don’t leave again–”

“Of course love, never again”

Lies of warm nights passed 

– Dani Lombardi

Fall Sports Summary

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Myers Park and its student fan base have truly been represented through fall sports this season. Many teams have traveled near and far to compete for regionals and states, including golf, tennis, field hockey, cross country, volleyball, and soccer. 

After an undefeated regular season and Conference and Regional champions, the Women’s tennis team traveled to Burlington, NC, to compete against Green Hope for States. After a tough fight, Myers Park lost 4-5, coming in as State runner-up. Finley Holzman was the recipient of the NCHSAA Sportsmanship Award. The team ended their season with an incredible record of 19-1. 

 Similarly, a crowd cheered on the Women’s field hockey team who played at Ardrey Kell against Cardinal Gibbons, winning the State championship for the third year in a row, 6-0. The Myers Park Field Hockey team is proud to have two commits, Caroline Golden and Penny Valbuena. Caroline Golden has committed to play at UNC, and Penny Valbuena is off to Quinnipiac University. Additionally, players have been awarded to the All-Conference team, the first team consisting of Kate Perrin, Caroline Golden, Penny Valbuena, and Kemp Walters. The second team includes Ava Ewert, Avery Gurley, and Anna Mohanty. Also, a shout-out to Kelsey Melando, the conference coach of the year. 

The varsity football team had its run and finished with a 3-7 record during the regular season. The community celebrated their seniors in a “Highlight the Seniors” Night on October 28th against Olympic. We are proud of the following players for being named to the 2022 SOMECK 4A All-Conference team, Davis Becker, Thomas Wilson, Marc Moss, Donyae Coleman, Solomon Young, Parks Cromwell, Hank Thompson, and Jahari McDonald. Win Byerley, a Harvard commit, was named the 2022 SOMECK 4A Conference Special Teams Player of the Year. The JV football team dominated most of their competition, finishing the regular season with a record of 5-3. Well done, Mustangs!

The women’s volleyball teams were coached by a new face, Kori Hill, the Varsity head coach named conference coach of the year, and Glenda Rice as the assistant. The latest addition to the JV team was Coach Rollins Carter. The Varsity team went 13-10 for their season, sadly ending after losing the first round of the State Championship against South Iredell, 0-3. Both seniors, Catherine Tiddy and Anna Leahy, were named to the 2022 SOMECK 4A All-Conference team. The good news continues, as there are two commits! Anna Leahy is furthering her career at The Air Force Academy, and Milicia Gavric is off to Gaston College. As for JV, they finished their season with a solid record of 16-3. 

The soccer team’s season ended in a tough fight against Weddington, losing 0-1 in the 4th Round of Playoffs. Overall, the team had an impressive season, cheered on by many, with a record of 18-4. Similarly, the JV team finished with a strong record of 10-0-4.

Cross country had a successful “run” this season! Myers Park was represented throughout the season in different meets and invitationals. The Myers Park boys finished 4th in the region, and the girls were regional champions, their first regional championship since 2018! The juniors of MP ruled the podium, as Mary Bonner Dalton won 1st place, and Anne Mason Moore won 7th. Both the boys and girls competed in Kernersville for the State Championship, where Mary Bonner won second place and represented Myers Park well! 

Lastly, the golf team made its way to States as well! After a winning conference, they moved to regionals, where they placed second! Elizabeth Rudisill won All-Tournament First Team at the Pinecrest Invitational. After an undefeated season, the team was state-runner-up, a great way to finish. Elizabeth Rudisill was State Champion individually and set a new state record, and Ellen Pritchard was the recipient of the NCHSAA Sportsmanship Award. Way to go, Mustangs! Get ready to cheer on our athletes and classmates during the winter season!

Bring Back Broadcasting

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The National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) online broadcasting has been awfully quiet this year without the commentating from two of Myers Park’s biggest sports fans. For two years, Brendan O’Neill and Harry Crowther took to the booth of the Gus Purcell Stadium and the gymnasium perch, bringing the online streaming of each home game to life. Now, O’Neill and Crowther have put down the headsets and are freshmen in college furthering their love for sports. Yet, no students have followed their footsteps. 

NFHS broadcasting gained considerable popularity throughout the pandemic, offering a way for far away family members, friends, and the general public to take part in viewing high school sports. More than 7,000 events a week are recorded, making them the leader in live streaming and on-demand high school sports.

O’Neill took the leap that set their dream in motion when he reached out to Coach Poore after reading about the cameras being installed and the use of NFHS network broadcasting. Poore was on board with the broadcasting mission, sending O’Neill off to build the announcing team for the 2020 basketball season, which quickly grew to include football and soccer seasons. 

The duo met through a mutual friend, Watt Canipe. O’Neill and Crowther hit it off and knew they would work well together with Watt alongside them in the booth for the basketball season. “I had just met Harry that year and I was like, ‘Watt, send me Harry’s number,’ because I knew Harry would be fantastic at this,” stated O’Neill.

Crowther grew up a sports fan, watching the Mets with his father and dressing up as Kirk Herbstreit for Halloween. His dream of broadcasting was set aside as he got older, until NFHS brought it back to life. “That kind of interest went dormant for a little while, through middle school and the start of high school, as I had found other interests. But when Brendan reached out that was the spark that reignited that interest, and now obviously that’s what I want to do,” said Crowther.

O’Neill’s passion for sports has been lifelong too, growing up a passionate Duke fan and never failing to recite any sport’s statistics. “I knew I wanted to do something in the sports world, I didn’t know exactly what, but then being able to do this for two years and loving it… it was honestly probably one of the top ten experiences of my high school life,” he explained.

O’Neill is now furthering his love of sports at Belmont University in Nashville, majoring in Sports Administration with a minor in Emerging Media. He has been working with the university’s athletic department, helping with broadcasting and video operations. “Doing a lot of camera work right now, just kind of building my way up…. I’m just a freshman so I’m not gonna have the microphone in my hand yet,” he informed. However, the microphone may come into play sooner rather than later, after O’Neill recently secured an internship with the longest running sports radio talk show in Nashville.

Crowther is continuing his education at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, majoring in Media and Journalism while also working the audio desk at The Daily Tarheel, where he produced a game recap for the men’s soccer game along with various interviews. “Just trying to get as many hands-on experiences as possible because Brendan and I both know, in the business we’re trying to get into, it’s really hard. You’ve got to work your way up from the bottom,” Crowther explained.

After their two year legacy, no one has stepped up to the mic to follow in the footsteps of O’Neill and Crowther. 

If you have an interest in sports and/or a sports career, broadcasting is a favorable way to broaden your horizon. Reach out to Coach Poore at [email protected] for more information. 

MPHS Seastangs

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Seastangs on 3! As the Myers Park Swim and Dive team prepares for their upcoming season, Kiley Wilhelm and her teammate Sofia Plaza reflect on their memories with the team. Kiley is a senior swim captain and plans to continue her academic and athletic career at Harvard next fall. Sofia is a junior and has recently verbally committed to continue her academic and athletic career at NC State. Both swimmers contributed to the 2022 NCHSAA 4A State Championship win for the women’s team, an experience they will remember forever. 

Kiley notes, “One of my favorite memories was definitely last year when we won states. I remember packing up my equipment after my final relay and looking up at the scoreboard and seeing we had won. I was so surprised…It was such a surreal experience and it’s definitely something I’ll remember my whole life.”

Similarly, Sofia comments, “One of my favorite memories as a Seastang is being part of a group of girls that was able to win the state meet while also having a blast! Being around these girls and being able to celebrate was so exciting. Also, being able to be a part of the coach’s success and seeing all of their work pay off was incredible!”

Winning the State Championship title was an experience of a lifetime for these women. They are looking forward to potentially re-claiming that title for the second year this upcoming season, as well as the men’s team, who placed as state championship runner-up last year. A member of the 2022 Men’s State Championship team, senior captain and Delaware Swimming commit, Joseph Clark, also reflects on his favorite moments with the team. 

“In previous years, some of my favorite memories come from the relays at meets like conference, regionals, and states. If Myers Park has a relay in the water, every single person on the team is up and cheering. It really gives the family-feel to the team and brings us closer together,” Joseph explains. 

A key aspect to the Seastangs’ success is creating an upbeat, encouraging atmosphere during meets and practices. An environment where each individual swimmer, regardless of their swimming abilities, feels connected to the team is critical. 

“At meets, you can tell how dedicated everyone is by the excitement…No one is worried about themselves, and while yes, everyone wants to do their best…they are just as excited about other performances as their own. The never-ending support is what sets us apart from other teams. No matter who you are, how fast you are, or what event you’re swimming, every single person is going to support you,” Joseph expresses. 

Kiley further elaborates on the close-knit atmosphere by stating, “It’s absolutely amazing. My favorite events are our relays. Everyone is so genuinely excited for each other and just grateful to be swimming for Myers Park…I’m so grateful that I can represent my school and swim not only for myself but for my coaches and teammates.”

As the swim and dive team prepares for the 2022-2023 season, the senior captains and coaches, Ms. Goudes and Ms. Coyne also prioritize embracing this family-like atmosphere. 

“As a team captain, I’m really looking forward to creating a tight-knit community with the swimmers. We’re such a large team that it can be hard to get to know everyone, but we’re trying to change that this year,” senior swim captain, Lena Drummond notes. 

“As a captain this year I am looking forward to making the environment on the pool deck exciting and encouraging. I want everyone on the team to be happy and excited to be there,” Joseph adds. 

Grab a friend and head down to the pool deck this winter to cheer on the Myers Park Swim and Dive team. With both the men’s and women’s teams stacked with talent and energy, this season is bound to be an exciting one. 1…2…3…Go Seastangs!