Senior Kate McNamara contributes to the school spirit and activities through not only her musical talents but also her ability to be her true self in multiple activities. Kate is a member of the MHS marching band and orchestra, the manager of the MHS boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams, and part of the fall tennis and spring golf teams.
The senior contributes to the MHS music department in many ways. As a member of both the marching band and the orchestra, Kate plays two instruments and has key parts in both programs. In the marching band, she plays the trumpet. She joined during her sophomore year because she loved “watching the marching band perform.” Throughout her years with the program, her love for music and the instrument has grown greatly. On top of this, the senior remarked, “My playing has also gotten better!”
She joined the band with little experience on the instrument, but over time found her way to section leader and first trumpet. Kate explained that the amount of practice needed for trumpet promotes discipline as well as hard work. So it’s even more impressive that she also is a part of the orchestra as a violin player.
She has been playing the violin since fourth grade and has always enjoyed the instrument. Kate also claimed that she enjoyed getting the “best of both worlds” because the marching band and orchestra are very different in some ways, yet still similar in others.
Kate loves everything about music: how it creates an outlet for her to express her emotions and helps her let off some steam. The senior says she could easily sit at a piano for hours and be completely happy. Her love of music also stemmed from her family; her dad plays both the trumpet and piano and is always encouraging her to continue her music.
As head of the MHS boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams, McNamara’s job includes taking videos at each match, writing down the stats for each, and having a clear understanding of the sport. Kate was first approached by a friend during her freshman year and thought of it as something fun to do in the winter months. In the beginning, Kate saw these tasks as overwhelming, but her love for the sport grew, and she enjoyed going to watch the matches.
On the MHS tennis team, Kate enjoys both playing tennis and watching others, specifically when the singles players continue the rally without missing the ball for an extremely long time. Overall, the senior cherished her experience with the sport. She found that the tennis team was a great way to meet new people with whom she would have had no connection if it weren’t for tennis. Many of the other tennis players were also a part of the orchestra, which was a connection that Kate really appreciated. The senior explained how she was mostly going to miss the physical activity that was involved with this program; she loved being able to get exercise every day while still having fun.
As to her favorite memory, Kate mentions Battle of the Classes freshman year. She remarked that the lip-sync and skit portion of this event were the most fun and thought it was funny to learn what they were supposed to do through the actual activity. She also loved this because she had the ability to be “so random and different.”
Kate pointed to Ms. Nalepa, a co-teacher in Kate’s sophomore and junior year science classes, as her role model. The senior called her an “underrated hero” because she cared about each student, even if she didn’t have to. Kate explained how she wants to be as caring as Ms. Nalepa is when she becomes a teacher. In the future, Kate wants to be a music educator in either a middle school or a high school. “I just want to make a difference in a child’s life like others did for me,” she said.
Kate shared some advice to the underclassmen: be true to yourself. The senior said that this is the most important thing, and it doesn’t matter if you feel weird; “it’s okay to be weird.” We wish Kate the best of luck with the rest of her high school career and any future endeavors!
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