Here’s a conversation with three Ada High School juniors, Alexis Rhodes, Hannah Price and Bri Agner.
What classes are you taking this semester?
Hannah: English, Algebra II, Art III, Anatomy, Government, Spanish III and Crafts.
Alexis: Crafts, Spanish IV, English, Algebra II, Anatomy, Government and Spanish II.
Bri: Varsity Singers, English, French IV, Algebra III, Government, Art III and Anatomy.
Hannah and Bri, you’ve both grown up in Ada. How about you Alexis?
Alexis: I’ve lived in Florida, New York, Ohio and will move to Pennsylvania this summer. My dad is basketball coach at Duquesne in Pittsburgh. I’ve lived here since my freshman year.
Hannah and Bri, can you recall who you sat beside in kindergarten?
Hannah and Bri: No.
Hannah: I was in morning kindergarten. I remember nametags.
Bri: I was in afternoon kindergarten. I remember the color songs. Mrs. Jones was our teacher. We all loved Mrs. Jones.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Alexis: Anything.
Bri: Yeah, anything.
Hannah: Country.
If you could have a nice supper with any celebrity, who might that be?
Bri: Zac Efron, the actor.
Hannah: Jason Aldeon or Luke Bryan, country singers.
Alexia: Beyounce’.
Can you name a movie that you really wish you had your money back after watching?
Alexis: Cloverfield or Moneyball. Cloverfield was about something that took over New York City. The camera jiggled the entire movie.
Hannah: Moneyball. It’s about baseball. We planned to see another movie but it was sold out so we watched Moneyball.
Bri: Ghostrider II or III, whichever is the last one. We planned to see something else but it was sold out so we watch it. I have no clue what it was about.
Are any of you superstitious?
Alexis: If we win a volleyball match we stand in the same starting order.
So, Alexis, you play volleyball. What do you play, Hannah and Bri?
Hannah: Volleyball and basketball.
Bri: Soccer.
Tell me about your best game ever.
Alexis: It was last year in volleyball. In the tournament against Lincolnview I had 17 blocks.
Hannah: I freshman basketball against LCC I scored 18 points.
Bri: Last year against Crestview in soccer – I play defense – I had a lot of blocks.
Tell me about your prom dresses.
Alexis: Mine’s purple – lavender actually. It has jewels on the top and ruffles on the bottom. It sounds ugly but I like it. It’s poufy.
Hannah: Mine’s black, a mermaid dress with jewels and sparkles.
Bri: Mine’s white, flowy with a bunch of different colors and jewels.
And when is prom?
Alexis: April 27. Forty-seven days from today.
Do you have any idea what careers you might choose?
Alexis: I don’t know yet, maybe a counselor or a psychiatrist. I might attend Duquesne in Pittsburgh.
Hannah: I want to be a neo-natal nurse. I want to attend ONU. My dad is on the maintenance staff. My grandfather is an accounting professor.
Bri: Maybe an M.D. in psychiatry. I’m thinking about attending the University of Akron.
What are your thoughts about leaving Ada, or staying in Ada?
Hannah: It sounds like a good idea (to go somewhere else), but I don’t think I could.
Bri: I want new experiences.
Alexis: I’ve always wanted to go away for school. I lived in Athens, Ohio, for 10 years. Next year I’ll be in school in Pittsburgh. I’ve a little scared and nervous about next year.
Tell me about your first-ever tee-peeing experience.
Alexis: I don’t have any.
Hannah and Bri: We were at Kelsey’s birthday party, maybe 11th, 12th or 13th. We walked to Spencer’s house down the block. It was 11 or midnight. We thought it was really cool. We played “ding-dong-ditched him” and ran off. We think he knew who it was. Spencer got Kelsey later.
What do you do in the summer?
Bri: I work in the ONU cafeteria. I’m working there now and in the summer. Also in the summer I am cashier at the pool.
Hannah: I play volleyball in the summer. I’ll be volunteering at Lima Memorial Hospital.
Alexis: I play volleyball and babysit. I babysit for Kylie who is 10. We play Barbie’s and swim.
Speaking of Barbies, how many do you have?
Alexis: Probably 50.
Hannah: A tub full.
Bri: Two tubs full.
(The conversation at this point focused for a few minutes on Barbies.)
We’ll, thanks for talking with me. One last question, what’s your philosophy on life?
All contributed: To live life to the fullest. To live life and don’t worry about the small stuff. To appreciate what you have. Don’t worry about tomorrow.
