Hunter Rarick

Name: Hunter Rarick

Parents: Courtney Paul

GPA: 4.0

Class Rank: 1

Co-curricular activities: Band, Marching Band, Drama, Jazz Band (briefly), choir (briefly)

Community activities: Washington Municipal Band and other Silver Cord volunteer work

Future plans and goals: I am aiming to earn a bachelor’s degree in either English or music. My future career plans are still undecided, but I will most likely be doing something within the two mentioned fields.

How will your high school experiences help you in coming years?

I believe my involvement in co-curricular activities, especially marching band, where I held a leadership position, has helped me develop various leadership and time management skills that will be and have been valuable to me in succeeding in and outside of school. Being able to balance school work on top of co-curricular responsibilities has proved to be a challenge, but has forced me to learn important skills. I’m positive that these acquired abilities will assist me on my journey through college where I’m sure that I will be busy as well.

Fondest memory of high school?

My fondest memory of high school would have to be any and every marching band competition. These are competitions where not only do you get to spend the day with your friends who are passionate about the same thing as you, but with strangers who are passionate about the same thing as well. I can’t remember how many times I’ve met and befriended students from other schools at marching band competitions. We truly are a friendly and welcoming community.

Which teachers have had the biggest impact on your education and why?

I have two specific teachers that immediately come to mind: my band teacher, Mr. Hughes, and my history teacher, Mr. Caulk.

I first met Mr. Hughes in the eight grade, which is when I first started high school marching band — the eighth-graders are included just to add some girth to our small-town marching band. Being the puny middle-schooler that I was, I was petrified of what I thought was going to be a long season among the high schoolers. Mr. Hughes had set the standards high during the first rehearsal, at first seeming strict and tough. And he was. But as the season progressed, I began to realize it was because he was passionate about what he did and wanted us to be passionate about it, too. Mr. Hughes brought my passion for music to realization, and was the reason I auditioned to be drum major.

Mr. Caulk had a similar effect on me. On the first day of class, I thought he was going to be a strict teacher who would purposely make it tough for us to pass the class. I came to realize that, while his classes were tough, I didn’t mind it at all because of how passionate he made me about the material. It was easy to tell Mr. Caulk loved his job, judging by the way he taught. He showed me that learning difficult material could be just as fun as listening to music.

Who is your role model and how did they influence you?

My biggest role models would have to be my senior drum majors in marching band, Meghan Newman and Audrey Wubbena. Along with Mr. Hughes, they are the reason I wanted to audition to be a drum major and do just as well as them in school. Working with them and at the same time learning from them are the largest factors that can be credited toward my acquired leadership skills and academic drive.

What is special about your high school?

Something our school has that no other school does is our teachers. I’m not able to count the various unique connections that I was able to form with my teachers, who have all inspired me in different ways. Teachers, I believe, are the driving force behind a student’s motivation to reach their full potential. Not to mention, our mascot is by far cooler than other schools’, sorry! Go Demons!

If you could go back to when you were a freshman, what advice would you give yourself?

The most important piece of advice I would give to freshman me: own yourself. Take control of yourself and do what makes you happy; ignore the people who tell you otherwise. High school is one of the prime times to enjoy life and no one can take that away from you.