Senior Issue 2020-2021

Senior Issue Class of 2021
The Tritonian
vol. XXXI Issue iI
notre dame academy
May 2021
Best of Luck,
Class of 2021!

2
And The Academy Award Goes To...
Loudest
Brooklyn Onell
Robert Healy
Most Hair
Changes
Liam Tumblin
Tola Adejumo
Senior
Who Refuses
to Slide
Jenny Ai
Alex Gutowski
Person Who
KnowS Everything
Tara Janas
Connor Seidl
Most Likely to
teach at nda
Libby Rickards
Alex Brabant
Always Late
Maggie Gallagher
Sam Limoni
Most Caring
Abby Micksch
Owen Campbell
Quietest
Sarah Petroll
Thomas Coyle
Complains
the Most
Allie Johnson
Danny Nennig
Jack-
of-All-
Trades
Faith Barrington
Judah Gartzke
Most Likely to Join
the Religious Life
Matthew Schumacher
Katelyn Grzelak
Best Sense of Humor
Garrett Grzesk
Emma Rose Sonnenburg
Most Likely
to Trip
at Graduation
Maria Hanes
Sam Gagnon
Most Likely to Move
to a Foreign Country
Yasmine Samadzadeh Tabrizi
Isaac Johnson
Most Likely
to Never Be Single
Bella McCarron
Michael Scripp
Person You’d Take
Home to Your Parents
Emily Noble
Max McNeil

And The Academy Award Goes To... 3
Biggest Trend
Setter
Heidi Lulloff
Cooper Bukowski
Best Eyes
Lainey Chosa
Alex Gryboski
Most Sarcastic
Georgia Gregoire
Aiden Wolfram
BEST DANCER
Lilly Kaye
Jack Gagnon
Most Changed
Will Drake
Jada Ver Boort
Best
Singer
Sonja Gapinkski
Tommy Zakowski
Best Sneeze
Briana Fitzgerald
JV Steckart
WORST DRIVER
Kyle Barr
Hannah Bressers
Couple Most Likely to Get Married
Emma Sullivan and Aidan Guiou
Most Likely to Succeed
Joseph Re
Ava Van Straten
Best Smile
Rachel Van Hefty
Noah Jaeckels
Most Addicted to
Social Media
Emily Hawley
Tim Turek
Most Likely to be
a Professional
Athlete
Sammy Opichka
Brendan Poshak
Most Unforgettable
Jacob LeMay
Claire Noble
Best Actor
Olivia Berndt
Sam Ruffell
Most Muscular
Charley Apple
Caleb Steffel
Most Flirtatious
George Kress
Ammerae Peebles
M o s t lik e ly to F a ll A s le e p
in C la s s
Henry Parish
Izzy Spaulding
Most Likely to
Have a Reality
Show
Sophie Rotherham
Seth Baeten

4 Can You Believe ...?
“Can you believe I threw up in an Arby’s parking lot
on the way down to Chicago for the service trip?”
-Briana Fitzgerald
“Can you believe I dented the ceiling with my head
freshman year?”
-Alexander Brabant
“Can you believe I wore my hair in a different style
every day freshman year?”
-Anna Zimmerman
“Can you believe I fake-sprained my wrist for a day so
I didn’t have to show up to tennis practice?”
-Tommy Zakowski
“Can you believe that I actually did a sport all four
years of high school?”
-Owen Campbell
“Can you believe I saw Mr. Lagerman vault a lunch
table?”
-Michael Scripp
“Can you believe that I’m actually Artificial Intelligence?”
-Jenny Ai
“Can you believe that I took an 8th hour class on my
own free will?”
-Judah Gartzke
“Can you believe that I willingly dressed up as a
groundhog twice for the Morning Announcements?”
-Joseph Re
“Can you believe I hid my backpack in the bushes during
a football game before the back-to-school dance
sophomore year?”
-Madison Waldrop
“Can you believe I never bought anything from Konop?”
-Anna Smith
“Can you believe I had the same locker two years in a
row?”
-Ava Van Straten
“Can you believe I never wore a white uniform shirt or
blue pants/shorts?
-Bennet Smith
“Can you believe I have never worn a green uniform
shirt?”
-Catherine Goffard
“Can you believe I was never late to school?”
-Alex Gutowski

Memories of NDA 5
Marking Memories
Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s “Rhapsody”
by Sofia Algas
Monday morning.
Along the school hallways
Walks zombies,
Every shoe that I see,
Screams so much to me
Says so much about someone
What they like
Who they may be
Like someone at show and tell.
Eight o’clock,
The shoes screech,
The shoes dance,
The shoes exclaim, “Look at all of
them,
The people who make your day
That make your life worthwhile
You see the soles of their shoes
Are worn out and dirty
And you see their face,
Lit up like a fire.”
The memories of the weekend’s
Mischievous plans light up our faces;
Spark us with excitement
A phone lights up when it receives a
notification of
That text that will guide us
To unforgettable nights
Eleven o’clock,
The shoes exclaim,
“Look at the clock while it’s ticking,
The school bell will sing
Time for the next class of eternity”
Singing on the top of our lungs
And those times lasted forever
driving in my mom’s car
Nothing, but innocence
Until a fox swiped our innocence
A fox filled with curiosity
That fox that had guided us to
mistakes.
Half-past one,
The shoes mumbled,
The shoes danced through the
halls.
The shoes muttered,
“Look at who’s around you,
The friends that live within the
memories,
They laugh
They smile
They look back at all of the times
Their smile has withered
Maturity has taken over
Their mind has a DVD
That plays back times of regret and
happiness,
They are growing up
With all the old memories
That replay in their head
Where did the time go
Of endless nights
Growing up together,
Loud music in the background,
Sounds of tears in our hidden
darkness,
Coming home past curfew
And the sounds of laughter.
The shoes exclaimed,
“Three o’clock,
The last day of school.
Memories!
You have the key,
Saying goodbye,
To what we have known.
Say goodbye to the adolescent
days
Pack your bags, you are on your
own now.
High school flashes before your
eyes.
Dear Underclassmen...
My advice to all underclassmen
would simply be to participate
in something and do
what makes you happy. Personally,
sports have been a big
part of my high school days. I
enjoy everything that they have
to offer, but there are plenty
of other activities and clubs
that you can participate in.
Everyone has their differences,
but there are many opportunities
that can provide
new friendships, hobbies, and
aspirations. I know of many
people who never put themselves
out there in high school
and regretted it later. There
is something for everyone,
even if you do not believe it.
You are only in high school
once so utilize the time you
have and take part in the excitement.
Participating in new
and different activities provides
valuable lessons and skills
that will help you later in life.
Along with this, you will learn
organizational skills, improve
self-confidence, and most importantly
learn how to manage
your time. Jumping into all
of it as a freshman was most
definitely stressful, but I am
so glad that I had the opportunity
to learn from it. Without
experiencing the struggles of
time management as I did, my
confidence leading into college
would not be where it is today.
Engaging in new experiences
and putting myself out there
was very difficult for me to do.
I believe that the key to selfconfidence
is to put yourself
in situations that force you to
step outside of your comfort
zone once in a while. Trying
new things also prepares you
for more situations that you
will face while developing the
skills it takes to handle them.
Extracurricular activities can
help you explore your interests
and widen your social circle.
The friendships that I have
made through sports and other
extracurricular activities are unbreakable.
I am so grateful that
I was able to be a part of something
that taught me so much
and brought me so much joy.
- Sammy Opichka

6
S e n i o r s ’ L a s t W i l l s
Alex Brabant wills his massive Pokémon card collection
to whoever wishes to be the very best.
Anna Zimmerman wills her role of being confused with
Alora Schneider to Katie Zasuly and her IB English Learner
Portfolio to Coco Guiou.
Tommy Zakowski wills his Chinese skills to Henry Weber.
Alexandra Stover wills all of Sra. Stover’s love to Aubrey
Guyette.
Owen Campbell wills his elite German skills to Jack
Fitzgerald.
Emily Hawley wills her softball skills to Amanda Limoni.
to Chris Mitchell.
Lilly Kaye wills the “Anna Kaye” legacy to her cousin,
Emmy Aitkin and her IB Philosophy workbook to Alora
Schneider.
Bella McCarron wills the permission to date one of her
brothers to Maryssa Jaeckels.
Lainey Chosa wills her infinite Culver’s “give a pint-get-apint”
coupons to Mia Lemkuil.
Allie Johnson wills her good looks to Ryan Darling.
Lily Balison wills her unbelievable golf skills to Emma
Wolf.
Connor Seidl wills his trumpet jazz band folder to Jude
Frigo.
Seth Baeten wills his ability to say controversial things and
not get in trouble to John Sack and his NDA hype jewelry
collection to Ryan Darling.
Bennet Smith wills all of his youth small shirts to Joe
Stumpf.
Michael Scripp wills his movie knowledge to Maddie
Scripp (quiz her).
Ava Van Straten wills the SL Math Party Planning Committee
decorating duties to Mary Popkey.
Meredith James wills her wonderful parking spot in the
parking lot to her brother. Hopefully he can wake up early
enough to get to it.
Catherine Goffard wills the Spanish quote book to Nick
Massabni.
Katie Peters wills her school clothes to her younger sister
Klarissa Peters, her sarcasm at practice to Amanda Limoni,
her sock fashion, Skittles and confidence to Soo-Yin
Brown, her perfect pitching skills to Jaqueline Zacharias
and her sense of humor to Paige Beining.
Judah Gartzke wills the sacred Manteca to Eli Frigo and
his practice jersey to Tate Milton.
Matt Shumacher wills Hail Mary Mondays to Addie
Weiss.
Jack Christensen wills his title of French Club president

The Most Memorable Moments
at NDA are...
7
“Judah dying in my arms as Hamlet while I said ‘Goodnight
sweet Prince’ as Horatio. I also took my Jordans off halfway
through the performance so I didn’t crease them.”--Liam Tumblin
“Winning regionals freshman year on dance team.”-- Anna
Zimmerman
“The comeback the men’s mile relay team made against Bayport
freshman year. It was biblical.”--Alexander Brabant
“When I won Mr. NDA my junior year.”-- Owen Campbell
“Working in the theater department and seeing a final curtain
drop made my heart soar.”--Meredith James
“Anytime in Mr. Morris’s class.”-- Emily Noble
“Junior year when I auditioned for the play and got a lead
role.”- -Olivia Berndt
“The back-to-school dance junior year with Owen Campbell
and Ashley Lemens.” --Katie Peters
“When the tennis team won state.”-- Tommy Zakowski
“My most memorable moment at NDA was when I got cut
from the basketball team.”-- Will Jensen
“Breaking my foot two days before shooting for Theo’s Mr.
NDA video. His act was ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen.”-
-Hannah Weisse
“Being chosen as both drum major and captain of the football
team.” --Judah Gartzke
“My most memorable moment was when I became a JV tennis
legend after I clutched up in the JV tennis tournament.”--
Alex Gryboski
“My most memorable moment was being announced regional
champions with the dance team.” -- Lily Kaye
“My most memorable moment at NDA was when I was an
emcee for the Academy Awards.” -- Lainey Chosa
“My most memorable moment at NDA was when Mrs.
Brown thought I was shadowing Fuzz French freshman year.”
--Joseph Re
“My most memorable moment at NDA was when we won
the State Championship for tennis.” -- J.V. Steckart
“My most memorable moment was when Mrs. Hall said her
first impression of me was “sassy” but in a “good way.” --Kennedi
Turriff
“When Brown’s 7th hour Freshman Honors English class
finally won the brownies.” --Tara Janas
“My most memorable moment at NDA was winning a state
basketball championship.”--Faith Barington
“My most memorable moment at NDA was running at the
Roy Griak Invite.” --Alex Gutowski

8
Shout Outs
Lucy Quidzinski gives a
shout out to Sam Lagowski
for always saying hi to
her in the hallway.
Briana Fitzgerald
gives a shout out to Ms.
Mahlock for realizing her
name was not Juliah.
Will Jensen gives a
shout out to Mr. Morris
for always making his
day better and teaching
him all he needs to know
about business.
Anna Zimmerman gives
a shout out to Mr. Geiser
for letting the IB history
class make a meme page
and a shout out to Mr.
Rudar for teaching her the
difference between poisonous
and venomous.
Chloe Forbes gives a
shout out to all the teachers,
especially Mr. Johnson
and Mrs. Brown, “for
helping me grow into
who I am.”
Alex Brabant gives a
shout out to Joe Stumpf
for being the best sophomore
captain he could ask
for.
Heidi Lulloff gives a
shout out to Mrs. Brown
for dropping off brownies
at her house on the way
home during Covid.
Judah Gartzke gives
a shout out to whoever
cancelled IB exams.
Katie Peters gives a
shout out to Mrs. Hall
for not confusing her and
Betsey Conard in class
anymore, a shout out to
Mrs. Gilson for actually
understanding a student’s
life outside of school
and a shout out to Mrs.
Campbell for accepting
her terrible emails.
Owen Campbell gives a
shout out to Mrs. Campbell
for heating up his
lunch every day.
Meredith James gives a
shout out to Mrs. Brown
for helping her realize
how much she loved
poetry
Katelyn Grzelak gives a
shout out to all the teachers
who didn’t call her
Anna.
Jenny Ai gives a shout
out to all of the teachers
for learning how to use
new technology and trying
to make online learning
as good as it could
be and another shout out
to Tracy and all of the
Konop Crew.
Jack Christensen gives a
shout out to Mrs. Brown
for always making extra
brownies.
Danny Nenning gives a
shout out to Mr. Morris
who changed his life with
“the greatest teaching
style.”

Shout Outs 9
Joe Re gives a
shoutoutto Konop for
always having the donuts
he likes in the morning.
Matt Schumacher
gives a shout out to Joe
Stumpf for almost winning
a game of Uno.
Madison Waldrop
gives a shout out to Mr.
Guyette for showing her
advisory a video of his
band’s performance.
Liam Tumblin gives
a shout out to Anthony
Burnette as a cool artist
and person.
Aidan Guiou gives
a shout out to his sister
CoCo for excelling in Mrs.
Brown’s Freshman English
class.
Seth Baeten gives a
shout out to Mr. Morris
for being the best teacher
he’s ever had.
Emma Rose
Sonnenburg gives a shout
out to Mr. Geiser for being
her favorite teacher and
making IB fun.
Tola Adejumo gives
a shout out to Catherine
Sherman for being my
favorite underclassman.
Sophie Rotherham
gives a shout out to Sophia
Richards for having moves
on and off the court.
Julia Augustine gives
a shout out to Frau for
trying to keep this year
as normal as possible and
another shoutout to Nick
Bumgardner for putting
together this Senior Issue.
Melanie Burnell gives
a shoutout to her freshman
sister Audrey who made
varsity in soccer.

10 TOP TEN 2021
1
2
3
3
Tara Janas
Northwestern University
Jenny Ai
Marquette University
Ava Van Straten
Yale University
4 5
6
3
Faith Barrington
University of Minnesota-
Twin Cities
Anna Zimmerman
Washington University-
St. Louis
Abby Micksch
University of Wisconsin-
Madison

TOP TEN 2021 11
7
8
8
3
Judah Gartzke
DePaul University
9
9
Lainey Chosa
Carroll University
3
9
Kate Grzelak
Creighton University
10
Isaac Johnson
University of Wisconsin-
Madison
Joe Re
University of Wisconsin-
Madison
Jack Christensen
University of Minnesota-
Twin Cities

12
American University
Aiden Guiou
Arizona State University
Sofia Algas
Benedictine College
Thomas Coyle
Blinn College
Susanna Quinn
Carroll University
Margaret Bolin
Lainey Chosa
Oh The Places We’ll Go...
George Washington
University
Emma Sullivan
Iowa State University
Alexa Vande Corput
Lawrence University
Sarah Petroll
Loyola University of
Chicago
Stephanie Wilke
Marquette University
Jenny Ai
Connor Seidl
Northeast Wisconsin
Technical College
Luke Bennett
Lizbet Cendejas
Alondra del Rio
Maxwell Gatewood
Tre Jadin
Tyler Juneau
Chris Lee
Jospeh Rose
Ruth Schlumpf
Sammy Treml
Noah Weslow
Northland College
Josh Revolinsky
Northwestern University
Tara Janas
School of the Art
Institute of Chicago
Melanie Burnell
Southern Methodist
University
George Kress
Temple University
Tola Adejumo
Texas Christian
University
Catherine Goffard
Colorado School of Film
Frankie Roznowski
Creighton University
Kate Grzelak
Michigan State
University
Bennet Smith
University of Alabama in
Huntsville
Justin Lee
Univeristy of Arizona
Sara Savona
DePaul University
Judah Gartzke
Emily Kulick
Duquesne University
Allison Lamm
Dominican University
Danny Nennig
Edgewood College
Macy Augustine
Fanshawe College
Subin Won
Michigan Technological
University
Alex Gutowski
Claire Noble
Milwaukee School of
Engineering
Noah Ciriacks
Nicolet Area Technical
College
Jack Schnaubelt
Northern Michigan
University
Andrew Burke
Gracie Mongin
Ohio State University
Briana Fitzgerald
Saint Norbert College
Stanley Bailey
Vanessa Cortez-Aguilar
Anthony Farone
Cristina Flores
Chloe Forbes
Garrett Grzesk
Will Jensen
Sam Limoni
Melissa Mercado
Libby Rickards
Alexandra Stover
University of California-
Irvine
Shucheng Fei
University of Iowa
Alex Brabant
University of Kansas
Tressa Martzke
Eddie Noble
Fox Valley
Technical
College
Manuel Delgado Velazquez
Ella Jensen
Ethan Otto
University of Mary
Bridget Stillwell

Oh The Places We’ll Go... 13
University of Minnesota
Lily Balison
Faith Barington
Olivia Berndt
Jack Christensen
Betsy Conard
Georgia Gregoire
Yasmine Samadzadeh
Tim Turek
Riley VandenHouten
Alli Welker
Sarah Wingert
University of NebraskaLincoln
Kaelynn James
University of
New Mexico
Brynn Greil
University of
North Dakota
Jackson Salzwedel
University of St. Thomas
Molly Desotell
Magdalena Helfenberger
Sammy Opichka
Henry Parish
Lucy Quidzinski
Sophie Rotherham
Michael Scripp
J.V. Steckart
Gianna Tyczkowski
University of Tampa
Brooklyn Onell
Ammerae Peebles
University of Utah
Alex Gryboski
University of Wisconsin-
Eau Claire
Maddie Gage
Emily Hawley
Robert Healy
Jacob LeMay
Anna Smith
Kennedi Turriff
Hannah Weisse
Will Zellner
University of Wisconsin-
Green Bay
Claudia Cendejas
Ethan Johnson
Kyra Merriman
Katie Peters
Isaac Quezada
University of Wisconsin-
La Crosse
Cooper Bukowski
Maggie Gallagher
Bella McCarron
Dom Vanden Elzen
Madison Waldrop
University of Wisconsin-
Madison
Charley Apple
Julia Augustian
Hannah Bressers
Emma Cooper
Bryn Danen
Maria Hanes
Noah Jaeckels
Allie Johnson
Isaac Johnson
Taylor LeFever
Heidi Lulloff
Abby Micksch
Joe Re
Alex Schrader
Rachel Van Hefty
Jada VerBoort
Aiden Wolfram
University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee
Owen Campbell
Grace Cisar
Sam Gagnon
Sonja Gapinski
Aira Guevara
Luke Hummel
Jake Huss
Anna Kyles
Sam Ruffell
University of Wisconsin-
Oshkosh
Griffin Klein
University of Wisconsin-
Stevens Point
Renee Porod
Josh Goral
Trent Janowski
Nate Ruggles
U.S Marine Corps
Simon Dvorak
University of
Wisconsin-
Whitewater
Seth Baeten
Jack Gagnon
Nathan Witte
Villanova University
Lilly Kaye
Emily Noble
Viterbo University
Meredith James
Washington
University in St. Louis
Anna Zimmermann
Yale University
Ava Van Straten

14 My Teacher Said...
Mr. Guyette
“If you do things on your own terms, then you win
life.”
“We will jump off that bridge later. Did I say jump? I
meant cross.”
Mrs. Hollenback
“Oh I should probably finish this page before I flip it.”
“Ope, I lost my chalk.”
“I was going to write the pages down, but by the time
I got there, I forgot them.”
“I’m on a crusade.”
Mr. Browne
“That’s the thickest neck I’ve ever seen! You been
working out?”
“Upped my meme game this year. This one is
classified as dank.”
Mr. Morris
“Violetta is dead. Time for Business Management.”
Mrs. Corriveau
“And the electrons just go WOOooOOooOOoo.”
Mr. Konshak
“We do look similar, Seth, like family.”
Mr. Stary
“Don’t worry; you’re much more likely to die from a
school shooting than the covid vaccine.”
Mrs. Stanczak
“I’m calling shenanigans.”
Mr. Gray
“How do you spell bougie?”
“You can never trust a chicken nugget.”
“There’s nothing safe about eating a chicken nugget.”
Mrs. Brown
“If Tara Janas lies, then it’s like God is lying to us.”
“SHEEEEEEEEEEESH!”
Mrs. Flinchum
“I’m a pretty princess.”
Ms. McConnell
“Don’t be idiots!”
“Stop being idiots!”
Frau
“If you get caught swearing, just say you were
practicing new German words.”
Mr. Geiser
“Believe it or not, I’m a 43-year-old man who likes to
take risks.”
“Blame others for your problems; take credit for the
solutions.”
Sra. VW
“Aaron Rodgers had a hot Italian friend named ieron.”
Mrs. Mayer
“Your biological drawing probably shouldn’t be abstract.”
Mrs. Hinch
“Stop talking about my feet.” (after Alex Gryboski
complimented her boots)
Sra. Stover
“Jose...park it.”

Seniors’ Words to Live By 15
Abby Micksch: “If you’re happy doing what you’re doing,
then nobody can tell you you’re not successful.”
--Harry Styles
Tara Janas: “You were given this life because you are
strong enough to live it.”
Jennifer Ai: “I see the sun, and if I don’t see the sun, I
know it’s there. And there’s a whole life in that, in knowing
that the sun is there.”--Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Ava Van Straten: “Be like the birds. Sing after every
storm.”--James Rivett
Judah Gartzke: “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little
bigger, darling.”
Katelyn Grzelak: “Think not, is my eleventh commandment;
and sleep when you can, is my twelfth.”--Stubb in
Moby Dick
Anna Zimmermann: “Don’t mistake what you want for
what you need.”
Joseph Re: “If it’s flipping hamburgers at Mcdonald’s,
be the best hamburger flipper in the world. Whatever it is
you do, you have to master your craft.”--Calvin Cordozar
Broadus, Jr.
Faith Barington: “I am ready to face any challenges
that might be foolish enough to face me.” --Dwight
Schrute (The Office)
Isaac Johnson: “You can only lose what you cling to.”-
-Buddha
Jack Christensen: “Sometimes it’s hard to pick right
from wrong. The best thing we can do is go with our
heart and hope it all goes well.”--Mac Miller
Elaine Chosa: “God placed the best things in life on
the other side of fear.”--Will Smith.
Briana Fitzgerald: “Live life for the moment because
everything else is uncertain.” --Louis Tomlinson
Julia Augustian: “There is no passion to be found in
playing small-- in settling for a life that is less than the
one you are capable of living.”-- Nelson Mandela
Eddie Noble: “Don’t be afraid to take risks in life. Fill
life with many adventures and one day you will be able
to look back and smile.” - Mr. Dan Morris, business
teacher
Mrs. Brown, NDA super senior and English teacher:
“The universe is made of stories, not atoms.”
Mrs. Nelson, NDA super senior and science teacher:
“The universe is made of atoms, not stories.”

16
Remember When...
THOSE
WERE
THE
DAYS

Remember When... 17
Class of ‘21: Your Rhapsody Through NDA
First steps into bright and cologne-filled
hallways
New faces and unknown places
Getting lost in the priory
Underdog victory on the football field
followed
By strobe lights and lost voices from singing
Plumbing clogged by luxury items
Mumbles of Catholic and excellence
Wandering into the next year
Seeing Locust fill up and hearing keys
jangle in the hallways
On retreat everyone cried
Social justice hours
Lagerman’s lunchroom leap
8 a.m. junior year. . . and
Three hours later still in search for something
Rubber Ducky war
Writing on bathroom walls
And writing for scores from 1-36
Doors lock for a year
Causing many students’ tears
Zooming, swiping, Magnus
First semester we’re halfway here
Second semester we come back for the year
Speed-dating, we reflect on past years
Thinking of teachers’ stories from trees to
chickens
Who could’ve imagined we’d end up here
With the flick of the wrist the cord falls to the
other ear.

18
Tritonian Staff Picks
Most Likely
to Go D1 for
Cornhole
Katie Peters
Maddy Waldrop
Joe Re
Who You Would
Want to Be
Stranded on an
Island With
Josh Goral
Most Likely
to Fall Asleep
Before 8 p.m.
Julia Augustian
Biggest Moby
Dick Fan
Renee Porod
Hardest
Worker
Rigoberto Linares Jr.
Ava Van Straten
Principal Patrick Browne has held our school together
through these last two school years upended by Covid-19.
He poses here with a quote from the Beatles
which has inspired him in tough times. Thanks for all
your positivity and guidance, Mr. Browne.
We say good-bye to beloved basketball coach and
English teacher AJ Alexander who is moving to Illinois
in June to pursue new career opportunities. We will
miss you!
Most Likely to
be a Barber
Leonardo Rodriguez
Most
Opinionated
Sarah Rolain
Most Likely
to be a
Greek-Life
President
Eddie Noble
Most
Unforgettable
Experiences
The 3-hour lockdown
junior year
When Mr. NDA became
Academy
Awards
Most Likely
to Work for
Brownies
Tritonian Senior Issue
Staff and Nick B.

Tritonian Staff 19
Best Wishes Class of 2021!
It never gets old. . . this working on the senior issue of the newspaper
at the busiest time of the year. The seniors who show up to
make something special for their class become our buddies for a
month, eating brownies, counting survey responses, trying to get
people to fill out their surveys, and working to include a lot of
the class members into our memory paper, an issue to keep and
treasure.
Every year their biggest regret is the number of seniors who
don’t return their survey sheets. We had less than 60 do so this
year, and that explains why you see the same respondents in the
wills, the memories, and other pages like Can You Believe I? In
other words, don’t complain if you didn’t turn in your survey!
Special thanks to Ms. Bain for giving us the list of college choices.
Mr. Masarik reads over our pages since he knows a lot of the
“inside jokes” that might offend someone. (Let’s face it, his is a
thankless job most of us would never want.)
Nick Bumgardner, a junior and editor-in-chief of the Online
Tritonian, gave up his study hall for a month to do the computer
work for us. We owe him a very big THANK YOU!
If you see one of these volunteers, let them know you appreciate
their efforts in getting this paper done: Tola Adejumo, Julia
Augustian, Briana Fitzgerald, Lily Kaye, Eddie Noble, Joe Re,
Sophia Rotherham and Madison Waldrop.
Finally, as advisers for who knows how many
years, it’s always “new” to see another class of
seniors exit NDA. We appreciate you. In the
words of Mr. Browne, this has been a “year like no
other,” and, despite the challenges, you’ve made it
a successful year.
We look forward to following your adventures in
the post-high school world.
Congratulations!
Mrs. Thillman & Mrs. Brown
Advisers, NDA Tritonian

20
Senior Farewell
Final Words to the Class of 2021
One day a gardner walks into his backyard and finds his trees, bushes, and flowers all withering away.
The oak tells him it’s dying because it never reached the height of the pine. The pine said it fell because it was
unable to give grapes as the grapevine did. The grapevine shrunk because it couldn’t blossom like a rose. Within
this garden of decay, the man finds a single blossoming small flower. When asked why it didn’t wither like the
rest, the flower replied, “You planted me. It was your wish and decision to put me here and that’s exactly what
you did. If you wanted an oak or pine or grapevine, you would have planted them instead. I cannot be anything
else than what I am. So I try to develop my best qualities.”
Now I know that it may seem overdone or cliche kicking off a farewell message with a pretentiously
moralistic children’s parable, but if I learned anything that wasn’t derived from the pages of a textbook or the
lecture of a teacher, it’s that you have to be yourself. In our younger days when we were ignorantly optimistic
about every beautiful thing the Earth provided for us, we held no concept of being anyone but ourselves. If we
heard good music, we’d dance our heads off without a care in the world. No matter who was watching, it was
just us and the music. And then we grew up. We became older, more vulnerable, and started caring how others
perceived our dance moves or we didn’t dance at all.
Then. . . we stepped through the doors of the domicile that is Notre Dame Academy. The education we
were given both academically and emotionally helped us craft the individuals we have become more and more
every day. Within these walls, we met guardians and mentors who devoted their lives to committing the noble
act of passing on knowledge to our hungry minds. They showed us the path to being a reputable member of
society and graciously helped us back on track whenever we stepped out of line. We will never be able show the
appropriate amount of gratitude they deserve.
When not in the classroom, we found bits and pieces of ourselves we never may have realized were
there through the extracurricular activities and sense of community that Notre Dame provided for us. Through
these clubs, courses, and classes, we learned even more about who we are and what we wanted the next 60 years
of our lives to look like.
And now it has finally come to an end. With a determined sense of direction, our next journey is born.
From this day forward we have the capabilities and potential to become masters of whatever we choose to do.
Be it college, be it the workforce, be it the military, our stories start now. With the unique and distinctive personalities
that we own from finding our true selves, we have the commodity of turning the new leaf.
We are fortunate enough to live in a generation where the possibilities are endless, and the only thing left is to
see how high we choose to jump. This is the time to be the flower. In the endless garden of life, every single
one of us has a calling that we can answer. We can pull ourselves out of any pessimistic shrubbery we’ve found
ourselves in and prove to all the doubters, and most importantly ourselves, that when we put our minds to something,
we deliver. --Sam Ruffell, Class of 2021