Publications

Pause

Hallmarks 2019

I know the chapter has ended, yet

I cannot not turn the page.

I just need to sit

in the realization that

it’s over.

I have read the ending.

I know the final score.

I will turn the page,

I just need a moment more.

Judge Me Not

Hallmark 2019

Yes, I giggled when they shut the casket.

So what I never shed a tear.

I’ll even admit I don’t regret remaining silent

during the choir’s mournful moans.

I’m sorry I find it amusing

but he did exactly as he promised.

He swore to dance on their graves.

To mock their judgmental eye.

That man never let me down, not even at his death.

So, it’s no surprise I find humor at the last sight

of he who won the final race,

by finishing in dead last.

It Was Only a Kiss

Hallmarks 2019

It was only a kiss.

Only a kiss.

A kiss...

Kissing with something past the initial level of kissing, yes

Yes.

YES

But it was only a kiss.

Until it wasn’t.

Until is was no longer a movie, but it was me.

Sitting in the seat of my car:
Mascara running down my cheeks,

crying off my glue-one eyelashes,
all because some boy said it was

only a kiss to him.

On that frigid night,

After the party.

In the back of my car.

Drunk of what I thought was love.

Who would have thought love burns as it goes down?

But it was only a kiss.

But it was oh so much more that that to me.

It was never just a kiss.

You were never just a boy.

It’s never just one drink.

One kiss is never enough.

Everything is never enough.

Enough is never enough.

I am never enough.

But it was only a kiss.

Rocking the 615: The Hidden Gem to Spreading Kindness

Logos Newspaper

When you have the Flu, you eat chicken noodle soup. When you break your arm, you get a cast. But what do you do when you’re sick with something that can’t be cured by a remedy such as these? Your medicine becomes a smile and an act of kindness.

This was especially true for Amy Torres, founder of the 615 Rocks Project, when her young niece began needing blood transfusions for an illness without a clear cause. Through the kindness of strangers, her niece began receiving sweet treats and stuffed animals, which always brought a smile to her face, and lifted her spirits in that trying time.

Following her recover, Ms. Torres decided to continue this idea of spreading kindness by creating the 615 Rocks project.

Her goal was simple: bring a smile to someone’s day. With that in mind, she set out on a crisp autumn day in 2016 with nothing but some rocks, paint, and a few words of encouragement. What began as a local initiative to continue small act of loves in the 615 has exploded into a nation-wide frenzy to spread the kindness.

Jacqueline Maxwell, senior, discussed her experience participating in the project. She said, “It was rewarding. It made my day, and hopefully made someone else’s too!”. If you’re looking for an adventure, check out the Zoe’s in Brentwood and see if you can find her rock!

Participating is easy, and requires no sign-ups or skills! All that’s needed is a rock, paint or sharpies, and an idea!

I set out last weekend to create and hide my own rock, despite my complete lack of artistic talent. I found a rock in my backyard just big enough to fit the palm of my hand. I then painted the entire surface sky blue with white, fluffy clouds. On the smoother side, I wrote “We rise by lifting others”. Where did I hide it, you may ask? Look no farther than our very own campus!

When asked what she thought the project brought to a growing Nashville community, another senior added “I think it’s an interesting project, and appreciate that it spreads kindness. It really can do a lot for a person’s day”. This project indeed does just that. Bringing a smile to someone’s day doesn’t require a big act of kindness, it just requires kindness to be present. Something as small as a high-five, word of encouragement, smile, or even a rock can turn someone’s entire day around.

Classic Home Magazine
Athlon Media, Spring Edition 2018

Silence’s Scream Is Softly Spoken
Hallmarks Literary Magazine 
Scholastic Silver Key Award 2018

Silence is a poem

Spoken by many,

Yet understood by few

The words of the poem are read aloud

Through soft, quiet cries

In the dead of night

It’s words are not written in ink

But rather in the blood

which rushes through us

Our heart is the author.

Its furious pounding,

Like hands to a keyboard,

Helps to drown out the chaos

which it unravels around us

The words are read not on paper,

but rather seen on our skin

The scars show the lines of rhyme

And bruises show spots where the ink ran over

The poem of silence demands to be felt, heard, and helped

It is an author's plea for humanity

A child’s only escape

And that’s thing about a poem written in silence

It is spoken and read by many

Yet fully understood by few

Cracked Screens; Misunderstood Scenes
Scholastic Magazine 2018
Hallmark Literary Magazine

Hallmarks Literary Magazine

I was trying to write something,

something that would make you feel this.

This…

pain.

This ache.

This hurt.

That I feel.

I placed my trembling hands on the keys,

and a lump formed in my throat.

I moved the mouse around,

and my head began to spin into a dizzying blurr.

I whispered your name at the screen,

and tears slowly slid down my face.

Nothing could more effortlessly describe

what you did to me.

I’m now broken.

Just like my heart,

my mind,

and my computer.

My SEN18R'S Season: A Tribute to the Class of 2018

Social Media

What a year it has been, and I don’t mean this solely for myself.
                      We as a grade, as a school, and as a community have felt the waves of change flood our lives, and faced a multitude of “valleys” in the recent months; the deepest being the loss of the brightest star in our “2018 Galaxy”: Dr. Stephanie Blamer. Though the valleys have been deep, the mountains and their peaks have proved to be higher. From conquering the challenges put infront of us during Winterim and every day in the classroom, to dancing the night away at prom, to making every “last” one to remember.

Through the ups and downs of this year, one thing remains true and strong, and that is the leadership, kindness, and love emitted from our SEN18RS. This class has made an impact on myself, and our school, that is sure to be felt for years to come.

Last night, as I sat first on Souby Lawn, then in the Green Gym of the AWC, I was in awe of these 100 girls sitting across the isle from me. Each one bringing something special to the school that no other girl could, and all coming together to make the class of 2018 what it is.

Once the procession of seniors onto the risers for their Step Singing song commenced, I quickly found myself unable to hold back a steady stream of tears, which I have referred to again and again as “happy tears”. This is because they were not shed out of pain, though my heart does ache at the idea of these 100 wonderful girls leaving, but more out of excitement and thrill at the thought of the impact these 100 girls will make on our world.

If they can leave such a lasting mark on our school at only 18 and 19, just imagine what they will do at college and beyond at 20!

A few girls in particular have shown me what it means to truly be a leader, to be a great friend, and mostly to be a kind person. As much as I wish these sentiments could express the gratitude and appreciation I feel, I know my words will fail me, and never truly accomplish a perfect message of thanks which I desire so badly to convey to the girls I owe so much to.

I believe one of the most bittersweet feelings to have is one where you realize how much you’re going to miss a moment while you’re still living it. I find this message of knowing something’s worth while it’s still present to be best put it in the lines of one of my favorite songs right now. This song plays a double role, and also find itself in Shutterfly’s Top Ten Songs for graduation this year: Good Old Days by Macklemore. The song ends with a line that says, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it goes, till it’s gone. I wish somebody would have told me”. Perhaps this is the hardest part of this weekend for myself personally, because I don’t need anyone to tell me the worth of what I’ve got, and especially how quickly it’s time with me is slipping by.

Typically, I don’t know the value of a moment or a person until they’ve gone; however, this time, I know exactly how much each and every senior means to me.

Last night, as I sat on Souby, and every moment, big or small, that I’ve spent with my best friends this year, I’ve realized how much I’m going to miss them and all of our crazy adventures. And though I know these girls will only be a phone call away, I still don’t want to accept that nothing will be the same, and all things change.

But, like this year, change brings with it valleys and peaks. Having my best friends leave will certainly be a valley, but having the privilege to sit back and watch everything they do in life, and in the world, will be the highest peak I could ever wish for.

So, to my SEN18RS, thank you. Thank you for being kind. Being courageous. And mostly being you.

And to my SEN19RS, let’s make every minute count, every moment memorable, and every “last” enough to last us a lifetime!

What a year it has been, what a year indeed. 

New Places! New Faces! New York! 
Winterim Travel Blog 2018

To begin with the notion that the NYC Gray Group’s first day in the Big Apple was eventful would be an understatement. 14 Harpeth Hall girls along with 2 brave chaperones arrived in New York late Wednesday afternoon ready to conquer the world; however, our arrival was shortly upstaged by the arrival of what The New York Times is calling the “Bomb Cyclone”. You could say we brought the cold with us or that the city wanted to give us a proper welcome, but either way mother nature was never going to let us get away with the simple first day we had anticipated.

Despite the brutal wind gusts and constant downpour of snow, I made my way into Athlon Media to meet my host, Janet Mowat, at 9:00 am Thursday morning. I, along with Helen Rieke and Rachel Brown, staked out on the town for the first time, all on a mission to successfully start our next adventure as interns. As I made my way up to the 8th floor of my building, appropriately named One Grand Central Place, I stopped to reflect on what I was embarking on: the chance to do what I love in an incredible city surrounded by amazing people that are all supporting me... something anyone would be jealous of, am I right? This is the chance of a lifetime, and I was not going to let anything stop me from making the most of every minute.

Once I found my office, I was greeted by, surprisingly, a familiar face at the front desk. It took me less than a second to realize that the young woman who was there to greet me and teach me the ropes was in fact my counselor from the summer camp, Camp Merri-Mac, that I had gone to when I was younger. Mary, or “Kitty” as I knew her, gave me a tour of the office and introduced me to the writers, editors, and design managers that I would be working under for the next few weeks.

With the first introductions under by belt, I settled into my desk to get started on my first task, which was to read through and takes notes on about 15 different magazines that our company writes, designs, and edits. I know that to most this sounds dreadful; however, I was beyond excited to dig in. Once I had seen what our average publication entails, I had three large pieces of paper set on the end of my desk and was told that these were some of the final drafts of the summer edition of our Homes and Gardens magazine, which will be shipped out to printing next Friday. This was followed by the fact that it was my job to do the final editing on the first 3 pages. Although 4 people, all of whom do this for a living, had already proofread these pages, I was thrilled to be doing a job that felt of importance.

As I worked, I stumbled upon what seemed to be a double space after a period, a big no-no in the publishing world. I was afraid to say anything for fear of being wrong, but then I thought back to my mini pep-talk and moment of reflection on the elevator. I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from making the most of every moment, and I was certainly not about to let fear be the factor that puts my journey on pause. This is what Winterim is for. We are here to try, and more importantly we are here to fail, because from our successes we will grow in confidence, and from our failures grow in knowledge. If I was wrong, I simply learned a new formatting style, and if I was right, I had done something useful with my time. Either way, I needed to try. With that in mind, I walked to the desk of my host and asked her to have a look, and to her delight I had found an error that would be fixed immediately.

Although simply finding and an extra space to most seems insignificant, to me it was as big as the city I am in. And perhaps it wasn’t the error in itself, but the actions that I had to take following that error that meant so much. I was able to overcome my fear of being wrong to help my host. For the first time I didn’t let failure stop me from trying. The moment that I realized that I need to trust myself, and more importantly I need to trust that everything will be okay even if I am wrong was a moment I will never forget.

And I have come to learn that this is what Winterim is truly about: realizing what you are capable of, learning from the moments where you try something you aren’t yet ready for, and taking risks without the fear of failure.

Picture Perfect: The Newest, Most Instagrammable Restaurants in Town
Logos Newspaper

From the bustling street corners, to the mountain high cranes, or simply from the seemingly endless lines of traffic, it’s clear to anyone that Nashville is growing. Despite our increase in local gridlock, this rapid expansion brings Nashvillians one thing to look forward to: food.

The number of new restaurants in Nashville is astonishing. Over 90 restaurants have been announced to open in Nashville in 2017 alone. Recently, I went on a search to find a few of the most exciting and “Instagrammable” restaurants in town.

I started my journey at Supreme Kreme on 8th Avenue, because what better way to start a meal than with dessert? Supreme Kreme specializes in rolled ice cream, a Thai food that allows the creator to roll whatever flavor of ice cream they desire into perfect round swirls.

While there, I enjoyed chocolate ice rolls infused with crushed oreos, topped with a decadent chocolate drizzle. They offer a variety of flavors from vanilla to green tea! Although the wait time can reach half an hour or more, it was all worth it. The ice cream was flavorful and exciting, with just the right amount of creative swirl.

My journey then continued to Proper Bagel on Belmont Blvd. where I enjoyed the New Yorker, which is a plain bagel topped with scrambled farm fresh eggs, applewood bacon, white american cheese and ketchup, as well as a side of the micro green salad. I indulged in the fudge brownie with oreo cream cheese frosting, as well as a baked red velvet donut. The customer service was the best out of all of the restaurants I reviewed, and the space featured an open floor plan as well as lots of natural light. If you are looking for something unique to Nashville, make sure to try the cookie dough cream cheese, it’s to die for!

For those of you craving a Double-Double from In and Out, but have no plans to be out west anytime soon, you can now get your fix in Nashville at Hugh Baby's. Located on Charlotte Avenue, Hugh Baby’s is a one-stop shop for made-to-order hamburgers and milkshakes. I ordered the Double Cheeseburger, a classic burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and their tasty comeback sauce. Their fries were a picture of perfection, from their crunchy golden outside shell to the fluffy fresh inside. If sweets are more your style, their chocolate milkshakes are soon to be world famous. Overall, Hugh Baby’s brings that taste of the west we all crave right to Nashville!

If I learned one thing from this trip through these new restaurants, it’s that there can never be a dull moment on the Nashville food scene. From decadent desserts at Supreme Kreme, to New York City-style brunch at Proper Bagel, to the ultimate comfort food at Hugh Baby’s, there is always something new to try and explore!