Dear WMC Students,

Hello you fantastic people! I am a senior this year and lately have been forced to face my past experiences in high school. Looking back, I remember very little. Weird how freshmen year seems like it was so long ago, and it was only three years age. I may not remember many specific events, however I have learned a lot with what Central has brought to my table. My major advice is to not be afraid to spread your horizons and to challenge yourself.

Many people feel comfortable with continuing what they already do, the norm. I am a dancer of fourteen years. Dance and school had always been my main focus. I never wanted to do anything new. However, high school and my peers forced me to try new things I kind of was interested was in but was too busy with my dancing career. Sophomore year, I join Winter Cheerleading; I quickly realized that was just not my niche and it took up my time from my dance schedule. I allowed dance to be my deciding factor for doing new things. When Junior year came, I had to face college stuff. That meant resumes, applications, essays and all that good stuff. Doing my resume made me realize I have done very little extracurricularly besides dance, which had no connection to my school. Theatre was the closest thing to dance, and people had already advised me to join Central Theatre. So I decided to join the musical in the spring of my Junior year and let me tell you, I am so grateful to have finally joined it now that I have stuck with it ever since then. I will go into more detail later, but with this whole back story, I would like to say to try new things, even if you are only a little interested in the sport/activity. You will either realize you do not like it, or you will love it. Either way, you grow as a person and learn more about yourself.

So back to theatre. My very first show was Children of Eden. I was really shy and intimidated to be part of it at first since I am not much of a singer, and I was only really trained in dancing. I was okay at acting as well but it was obvious to everyone that dance was my strong suit. During rehearsals, the discipline I carry from dance made me very focused and all I really did was listen to my directors. Some people tried to talk to me but I was not really sure how to interact with them since it seemed like everyone already knew each other so well. It was not until tech week (the week before the show) that I opened up more and made a new family. That is what theatre does to you. You bond with people and connect with people, mostly emotionally. Theatre has forced me to understand people, be responsible and committed to one thing, and to communicate better. That is a lot of the skills you need to survive in life. Now I am not saying everyone should join Theatre, because quite frankly it is not necessarily for everyone, but I do encourage people that have even the tiniest bit of interest in it to give it a try. Even if theatre is not for you, I am sure any activity will teach you many of the same things.

Now being a part of so many things has also taught me to manage my time. School, dance, and theatre is hard to manage, but I still succeeded in all three of them. Therefore, it is possible to challenge yourself academically and still do extracurricular activities throughout the year. Our school expects hard work in our students, and I know that each and everyone of you embody that. Do not settle for less, rather be the extraordinary student I know you can be. Senior year, however, with personal experience, do not feel the need to challenge yourself more than you already have been the past three years. It is okay to take a little brain break with the classes you take. Colleges will still accept you as long as you do not completely throw away all your years work of effort. Be smart with what you choose to do and know yourself and your abilities.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Terlizzi

p.s. : To my theatre family, always remember be true to the art. Keep the art in your hearts, and it will always be within you. Your passions and love for the art shines through and inspires others. Keep it going. I cannot wait to come back and see how you have filled my shoes. You will leave me speechless when I watch from the audience, I am sure of it. This family will forever have a special place in my heart, and I will value what you all have done for me for the rest of my life.