Photo credits: Kyle Norton (Westport & Darien); Katie Farro (Fairfield); Pamela Einarsen (Greenwich)
Seven students were selected this year for Moffly Media’s “Teens to Watch” feature. Each year the individual town publications select 10 teens who best represent “a new generation of thinkers, artists, leaders, athletes and changemakers,” according to Moffly.
Westport, Weston & Wilton magazine featured both Lilah McCormick ’19 and Ethan Parker ’19. McCormick, Class of 2019 valedictorian, was recognized for her diversity of life experiences — from studies at The Island School in the Bahamas, to trips to Syria as a UNICEF volunteer, to leading her varsity soccer team, to playing the violin in Carnegie Hall, to training for a half Ironman triathlon this fall. She currently attends Stanford University.
With a passion for politics and theater, Parker’s character was described by editors as “definitively kind, intelligent and somewhat contagious.” Parker is a National Merit scholar who has worked as a Senate Page in Washington, D.C., acted in numerous theater productions at GFA, and was pitch for GFA’s Beachside Express a cappella group. This fall he joined the freshman class at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Patrick Howard ’19 can be seen on the cover of New Canaan, Darien + Rowayton magazine, where he shares his experiences as a pilot, actor (having played the lead in a variety of GFA shows, including Spamalot and Oklahoma!), school leader (as both Student Council president and co-president of the Community Service Club), an inventor, and, of course, a multi-tasker. He started at Dartmouth College this fall.
Fairfield Living magazine selected Quinn Mullineaux ’19, Meg Nesi ’20, and Isabella Whelan ’19 as some of the town’s teens who were “born to lead.”
Mullineaux’s résumé was picked out from the pack for his unconventional skillset: beekeeper, knife-sharpener, and phlebotomist. In addition to leading GFA’s Bee Club and caring for the delicate pollinators since their arrival a few years ago, he has dedicated months of research to learning different factors that influence their behavior. Mullineaux attends UC San Diego.
Though she has many passions, Nesi told Moffly editors that she especially loves studying and speaking Spanish (which has led to a few language immersion opportunities for her), volunteering both through school and on her own in the community, participating in politics (both through Model UN and as an intern with Congressman Jim Himes) and by being a leader on the volleyball court and lacrosse field. Nesi is a currently a senior at GFA.
Currently a freshman at Colby College, Whelan is an experienced hiker who is passionate about global issues (with an in-depth research paper on the Rwandan judicial system under her belt) and the environment. In her interview with Moffly she details a particularly challenging hike up Mt. Yale. “What’s most impressive about Isabella is not just her resilience but also her humbleness and kindness to ward those who face enmity and struggle every day,” according to Moffly editors.
Charles Kolin ’21 was selected among the 10 featured in Greenwich magazine. Kolin has distinguished himself here at GFA and in the greater community for his passionate work to end bullying in schools. As a sophomore last year, he started the (now-annual) Unity Day here at GFA, inviting students, faculty, and staff to share their stories. He’s also a co-founder of GSPN, a streaming service that covers the school’s athletics throughout the year.
A word — or two — from the wise:
Lilah McCormick ’19: “Violin is a really important outlet for creativity and expression for me. I think some people think of music as just learning notes and technique, but like in writing, the goal is to communicate an idea or emotion and that’s a really powerful tool.”
Ethan Parker ’19: “Politics, law, and international relations all interest me so greatly because they truly define the world that we live in. Every aspect of modern society exists within legal and governmental limits and my continual study of these fields feeds my fascination even further.”
Patrick Howard ’19: “My parents taught me about making time for family. There’s something admirable about the ability to work hard all day and then drop everything to spend time with your family. That’s helped me with balancing things. I admire them a lot.”
Quinn B. Mullineaux ’19: “My mom has been a dedicated beekeeper long before I knew how to do it, which certainly inspired me to try it. Pressing issues like global pollinator disappearances encouraged me to take on the new hobby, which quickly became the focus for my research as I discovered the fascinating intricacies of it.”
Meg Nesi ’20: “Not only have [my service trips] given me the opportunity to practice my Spanish with locals, but they have also allowed me to gain an understanding of a culture outside the U.S. I also think that these trips have shown me a lifestyle different than my own fast-paced busy lifestyle.”
Isabella Whelan ’19: “[In Rwanda] I witnessed the incredible forgiveness and reconciliation the country has experienced since the tragic Rwandan genocide of 1994. I really couldn’t comprehend how they had truly forgiven one another. So with that in mind, I decided to pursue a yearlong research paper about the Rwandan genocide in my Global Thesis course.”
Charles Kolin ’21: “If you call it Unity Day instead of anti-bullying, you take the negative energy out of the equation. It’s about coming together for something rather than against something.”
To read more about these talented teens, check your local newsstand!