By Rachel Williams
The community of Archbishop Murphy High School is home to many talented people. Sports teams regularly return victorious, the Mock Trial and DECA teams are extremely successful, the performing arts department produces outstanding performances, artists light up the halls with their amazing work, and students are outstanding academically. Some students take their skills one step further by sharing their talents outside of school as well. “Into the Jungle”wants to highlight just a few of the amazingly talented people on the AMHS campus.
Music plays a significant role in the lives of many people, and the students that spend their time and energy making music for the community deserve a big round of applause. Jaeden Garmanian, a 2017-2018 senior at AMHS, is doing just that. This singer/songwriter just released his first acoustic/pop album, “Fly” last year. When asked about how this
came about, jayd said, “I’ve written songs and performed my whole life, but recently decided to take it to a new level and make my music heard.” He now plays at venues around Seattle such as The Triple Door that seats over 300 people. This talented musician is working on recording his second album, “Lost and Found,” which will come out this fall.
Annika Erickson, a sophomore at AMHS, is another talented performer. She is involved in fine arts at school as a member of the concert choir and the spring musical. Annika’s musical history is impressive, having performed in the AMHS musicals, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “All Shook Up” as well as many Kidstage musicals such as “Urinetown,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Oliver!”. She also recently received 2nd place in the Mezzo-Soprano category at Solo and Ensemble State competition. When asked her advice for other high school students who may want to try performing in musicals, Annika says to “always be confident in what you do, and go for the gold always! Never miss an opportunity. If you
want the lead, go for the lead!” If you want to see this outstanding performer in action, you can find her playing prominent roles in the popular musicals, “Les Miserables” and“Chicago” at Kidstage this summer and fall.
Another area where AMHS students excel inside and outside of school, is in academics. For many students, learning is not just something you are forced to do in school. It is a full time journey that will enrich your life by helping you understand the world and your place in it. Sophomore Grace Lefcourt receives high grades in school and was just inducted into National Honor Society, but even more impressive is her motivation to seek additional learning opportunities. Grace was recently accepted into a prestigious pre-college program at William and Mary College in Virginia where she will study Early American History this summer. She wants to major in history in college and possibly work in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian or another such institute.
AMHS is also filled with very talented artists. One student that stands out for her artistic abilities is senior, Mollie Brown. Mollie is an active participant in art classes at school, and she has taken art classes outside of school as well. Her favorite art style is cartoonism. Her work, which has been displayed around school, shows her incredible skill, but she believes that “talent” is not something you are just born with. She says, “If you can draw it’s because you taught yourself to draw or you learned to draw. It’s not just something you’re born knowing or being able to do.” Artists such as Mollie show how to use your creativity to its fullest in order to make the world more beautiful through art.
These are just a few of the many talented students at AMHS. If you know someone who is using his/her gifts to the fullest, give them a shout-out down below in the comments box. And don’t forget to support your fellow students as they share their skills with the world.
Into the Jungle 