All in a Day’s Work

It is a known fact that when the new year rolls around, people all around the nation will be making their resolutions.  Everyone’s got a goal, whether it’s running everyday or eating healthier; people strive to be the best that they can be at the start of a new year. The commonality between many people’s resolutions is the following: people want to achieve greater things. But at SHS, students have been achieving tremendous things all year, especially outside of school. To find out more about these engaging individuals’ extracurricular activities, The Scituation sought to uncover their stories.

Shannon Donahue, a senior at SHS has developed into a prominent figure skater in the SHS community. When asked how long she’d been skating for, Donahue stated, “I’ve been competitively [skating] since I was five, so for thirteen years.”  For Donahue, this sport runs in her family.  Having a mom who coached and a brother who plays hockey, she took up skating at a young age as her second nature.  Her dedication to the sport has allowed her to receive many awards and titles in her career. “In 2015 I got second in what’s called the District Championship…. And my team won in Easterns… And last year I got the Baystate Games Feature Leadership Award, it was like a scholarship,” said Donahue modestly.  From synchronized skating to solo skating, Shannon’s done it all.  One of the most valuable things skating has taught this athlete was “not to take losing badly…I can always do better the next time if I keep working towards it,” and this has translated into an educational and life skill that is visible to all around her.

Caitlin Burke, a Junior at SHS, has been Irish Step dancing for eleven years and has become one of the top dancers in New England. Caitlin attends the Dunleavy Boyle Connally Academy of Irish Dance in Hanover. She recently placed fifteenth in her last competition, one place away from qualifying with her solos for the world championship, which she was, “very excited about.” Although her achievements are exceptional, she thinks the  experiences that she has gained, “are even more valuable.” Burke has travelled all around the world and met people from different countries because of her unique sport. Last summer, Burke was invited to train at the River Dance summer school in Dublin, Ireland, and learned the professional River Dance choreography. Dancing has taught her, “to always push herself,” to do better, and this has translated into her life at SHS to propel her academically and socially. Burke stated how “finding confidence in [herself] both in Irish dancing has helped [her] in everyday life,” and hopes to continue her warpath on the dancing stage for many more years to come.

Our next interviewee was not so much a student in the SHS community but rather a legend. Math teacher and well-known Bruce Springsteen enthusiast Sean McLaughlin has also begun to make a name for himself outside the walls of the school.  This year, Mr. McLaughlin has been fortunate enough to record and release two original songs onto Spotify, South River and Spark of Eternity.  “I started playing the guitar when I was about 20”, McLaughlin said enthusiastically. ”My brother was playing guitar before I was, so that encouraged me.”  He started out playing for his church and the Scituate community, as well as Scituate’s very own TK’s restaurant on occasion. Now, he says he’s working on an album for the spring.  “It’s always been a fun hobby,” fondly stated Mr. McLaughlin.  To our surprise when we asked him about his greatest achievement, he didn’t even mention the praise he’s received from the public. “Just seeing your nieces and nephews playing and your family playing and just having fun singing with people,” McLaughlin said has been his greatest achievement in his musical career.  He hopes to inspire the students at SHS and in his community to fulfill their dreams of music and if anything, he wants his students to experience what makes them happy.

Last but certainly not least is Gabby Brassard, a Senior at SHS. Gabby is not only a friendly face of the Class of 2017, she is an equestrian prodigy. Gabby started horseback riding in first grade after “falling in love” with the activity. She rides seven days a week, dedicating hours after school everyday to preparing for competitions, her season stretching from April to October. The height of the season is in the summer, but when both school and competition season are in session, Gabby stated that, “life gets pretty chaotic between makeup work, homework while riding and going to a personal trainer.” When asked what her experience has been like travelling around the country, she said, “It’s been pretty cool; I have a really good friend in Ohio and I know people from all over.” Gabby said that she’s learned, “dedication, and a lot of responsibility, and especially trust,” between her horse and her. Gabby travels all around New England, New Jersey, and up and down the East Coast. She trains at Peak Performance Equestrian Center in Marshfield, MA, but her horseback riding experience expands to all around the nation. Gabby recently committed to Baylor University to ride on their Division One team, and is “really excited to become a Division One athlete.” In 2012, Gabby won the world championship for her division of eighteen and under. Gabby said that she may not plan on going into the workforce in relation to horses, but will always have her horse by her side. Really, it’s just all in a day’s work!