Day in the Life of a Hawk

A Day in the Life of a Hawk
By Siera Millard
Photo by Siera Millard

Novelist Mohsin Hamid stated, “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself.” Oftentimes, we can overlook the similarities between ourselves and those around us, and overstate the differences. We are so focused on our own lives that others’ may fall victim to our narrow sightedness. Because of this, we may judge others when really we are all the same - living our lives the best we can.”

We asked different people about their day to day life to catch a glimpse into the lives of our fellow Hawks. Here are their responses.

Students were asked the following questions: 1) What time do you wake up? Is it a struggle? 2) Do you do homework right when you get home? Or take time to unwind? 3) How do you spend your free time? 4) What is the worst part of your day?

Ella Irwin
“I wake up at four in the morning. Yes it’s a struggle. I take time to unwind before doing my homework. I spend my free time in my room and with friends. The worst part of the day is morning classes at school.”

Meadow Millard
“I wake up at five AM and it is a struggle every single morning. I have recently started doing my homework right when I get home, trying not to be a procrastinator. I spend my free time watching Netflix or hanging out with my friends. The worst part of my day is P.E.”

Sierra Martin
“I wake up at 0530, and sometimes it’s a struggle. I do my homework right when I get home. [I spend my freetime] doing raiders/fitness team for my ROTC program. The worst part of my day is periods three through six.”

Elijah Brower
“I usually wake up around six. It’s not a struggle to wake up, I’m pretty much good to go. I do most of my work throughout the day so i don’t really have to worry about it, but when I do i take time to unwind [first]. My favorite way to spend free time is with friends, family, or exercising. Going to sleep [is the worst part of my day] because most days I just wanna spend even more time with people or do more than i did, and sometimes I have a little trouble falling asleep.”

Andrew Rutter
“I wake up at 5:45 and it is the fight of the ages. I have the intention of doing my homework as soon as I get home, but because of my own shortcomings that’s unfortunately impossible. [I spend my free time] playing games with friends or writing programs. Getting ready in the morning while fighting the urge to collapse [is the worst part of my day].

Madison Matheney
“[I wake up] at 6:20. Yes [it is a struggle] because of my alarm; if my mom wakes me up then it’s not. [I do my homework] late at night or during school, no I don’t take time to unwind...sometimes on the weekend, but usually not. [I spend my free time] watching One Tree Hill, spending time with Logan, or with friends. [The worst part of my day] is stressing over school at night because I’m a procrastinator.”

Logan Prairie
“[I wake up between] 5-630, depends on the day. [I do my homework] either during school or late at night. [I spend my free time] hanging out with my beautiful woman or playing sports or with my friends. [The worst part of my day is] first and second period.”

Emma Ross
“I wake up at 5:45 in the morning. I find it to be troublesome some mornings depending on the circumstances...Once I am up and out of bed, I am typically excited to get my day started and face what the day will bring me. I find it most effective to do my homework immediately after school. I do, however, like to take time to...be active with a light workout. I enjoy treating myself time to watch a film or go antique shopping…[playing my] piano and guitar as well as being with friends or family. The worst part of my day is typically facing the struggles and difficulties with my schoolwork. I am, however, always able to receive help from a friend or a teacher the following day and it keeps me motivated.”

Elijah Perkins
“I wake up at 6:00 in the morning everyday and I rarely struggle getting out of bed. Personally, I do not start my homework right when I get home. I usually get home at 3:15 and take forty-five minutes to make a meal or exercise before starting my homework at four. Very rarely do I have free time, but when I do I enjoy watching new movies or discovering new genres of music. For the past year I honestly do not have any bad part of my day. Life is pretty enjoyable for me right now.”

Teachers were asked the following questions: 1) What time do you wake up? Is it a struggle? 2) Do you do homework right when you get home? Or take time to unwind? 3) How do you spend your free time? 4) What was one memorable day or experience serving our school?

Dr. Doughty
“I wake up at around 4:30 during the week. It is not usually a struggle because I really do love my job and being organized for my day. I love to read and be outdoors. I read lots of different types of books and usually have a LARGE stack next to my bed waiting to be read. I also love hiking, running, and kayaking. I enjoy being outside especially when the sun is shining. The worst part of my day is saying goodbye to my youngest son. He likes for me to wake up and hug him before I leave each day and he always begs me to stay home with him. It makes me sad because being a full time working mom is a struggle, but I know that one day he will understand why I do the job I do. There have been so many amazing moments over the past three years. Being selected as a US News & World Report Silver Ranked School...watching the wrestling team[s]...baseball….Having students walk through the door of our school feeling hopeless and leave in 4 years with a positive attitude and a diploma which is a gateway to a successful future. If I truly had to pick one, it would be my first graduation ceremony as principal in 2017. I was a nervous wreck speaking in front of so many people….When I would start to feel nervous, I would look out at the students and staff and realize what an amazing place Rossview really is. Then, shaking hands with all of the 2017 graduates and knowing that they were going out into the world and that their possibilities were endless made me forget my worries and nervousness and embrace that I am doing the right work.”

Mrs. Meadows
“My alarm goes off at 5am, but I usually snooze until 5:30am. It is a bit of a struggle because I am a night owl and have a hard time getting up in the morning. I rely on my coffee to get me going! I like spending my free time with my family. We like badminton, watching movies, and playing games. The worst part of my day...that is a tough one. I enjoy helping students and teachers. I guess the worst part is knowing with one to one technology, my job is evolving I no longer have classes in the library everyday. Teaches no longer quire print source for their research assignments. So, sometimes I get a little down that the activity level has decreased in the library. I do focu on the individuals that come in and help them in any way that I can. Don’t misunderstand; I do love my job. It is just changing with the times and therefore I am too. My favorite classes were the LIterary Criticism that junior and senior English use to require. I enjoyed that one because student really need assistance and I love seeing them learn new things about research. That was something that I missed being out of the classroom. I think every teach loves to see that ah-ha moment and with that particular assignment, I got to share in those moments. The most memorable...was the Hunger Games Competition. This is my thirteenth year at Rossview so it is a little hard to pinpoint just one thing.”

Mr. Lusk
“I get up between 4:45 and 5:00. It has never been as great a struggle as I initially imagined it might before I became a teacher. During the school year, I don’t have much free time. I spend two to four hours...on school preparations daily...one hour getting exercise. After this, I take time winding down from the school day and spending time with my family. During the summers, besides spending extra time with family...I read voraciously and try to catch up on movies or shows. The worst part of a professional work day is when somethings goes wrong and - after reflection - I feel that my actions/behaviors were at least partly responsible….As this point in my career it’s usually when there is a major conflict with a student - usually about his/her behavior in class - and...I feel as though I could have managed the conflict better….I try to learn from each and every one of these situations. I feel very fortunate that there are very, very few “bad days at the office” for me here at Rossview High….Each and every day brings a lot of gratification, a little bit of stress, and sometimes even drudgery. Moments when current or former students share how I’ve affected them in a positive way are especially gratifying.”

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