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Meet our writers

 

Jillian Barnhill

Hi I’m Jillian I am a sophomore. I guess I like writing. I do cheer and track. I have two older brothers one is 26 and the other is 19 .I have many friends and appreciate them all. I also have a dog named Lucky with anxiety and depression (he kind of got fat over the summer). I used to go to TTA in 7th and 8th grade I realized I didn’t like engineering and the administration over there was not great so I left even though it was kind of fun. Starts cool and all but from a cheerleaders perspective we have ZERO school spirit.

I love music, all types except country. I feel like people who only like one genre of music aren’t open minded at all. I always say I hate stuff and I’m going to make a book of things I hate called “things I hate”. I also have a hatred for kids, I love Babies though because they’re not as annoying, my two nephews were cool until they became toddlers. I love poetry, but I don’t like that Shakespeare stuff it’s boring.

I live with just my mom and dad it sucks low key because they’re never home. I think being the youngest is cool and all until your brothers move out and move on. I hate only children they always end up looking for attention even though they’ve had the attention to their self their whole life. I hate Toledo because I feel like you can’t fulfill any type of dream here. People only know how to kill each other here and it’s just very depressing, ”but you’ll do better in Toledo”.

I want to be a journalist when I graduate college I plan on going to a HBCU like Howard or Tuskegee. I know I sound like a negative person, but I promise I’m not I can sometimes be described as the nicest person you’ll ever meet, it’s probably because I keep my opinion about other people to myself. I don’t understand how you can openly be known as someone who just talks about people. That is a little bit about me I hope you enjoy what I write.

Roan Brooke

Hey. My name is Roanoke, but most people call me Roan. Two years ago I started socially transitioning and decided to change my name. I chose Roanoke because I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Roanoke, the lost colony. Many people have asked me if I named myself after the American Horror Story season. No. No I didn’t. 

Uh I’m a senior and this is my first full year going to Start. I grew up in a very small town in southern California about an hour from the Mexican border. I lived there until 2019, the summer before my freshman year. I spent my first two and a half years going to Toledo Technology Academy. In the middle of my junior year I was struggling a lot at TTA and decided to transfer to Start. 

I have two cats I love with all my heart. One of them is black and his name is Bart. He’s blind in one eye and has been hit by a car more than once. I’m convinced he’s invincible. The other one is Phoebe and she’s orange. She really likes having my dad feed her bacon in the morning. Four years ago she put a slit in my eyebrow and gifted me a nice visit to the ER. Twelve stitches and four years later I have a pretty cool scar in my eyebrow.

I live with my dad and I have a 23 year old sister named Alyssa. She still lives in California with her husband and I miss her a lot.

More about me! I love dying my hair. I hate looking the same for long periods at a time, so I’ve found entertainment in changing my hair in as many ways as possible. My life revolves around music. I love singing and I played guitar and ukulele before I grew out my nails. I love acting and I’ve been in 2.5 plays. I was Mike TeeVee in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Scar in The Lion King, and I got the part of Anne Frank but I didn’t get to perform because of COVID. I have a boyfriend named Sean. We’ve been together for six months and I spend most of my time with him.

So yeah. That’s me I guess.

Kara Browns

Hi my name is Kara and I am currently 17. I live with my mom, step-dad, and brother. My dad passed away when I was six so I don’t have a lot of memories of him. My mom has been both parents most of my life so she and I are really close and I consider her one of my closest friends. In my free time I like to watch movies and shows or spend time with my boyfriend. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 11 months and I see myself being with him forever.

I love to listen to a lot of  music especially Taylor Swift. She can put my feelings into words and music when I don’t understand them myself. I have loved Taylor swift ever since I was younger and I have all her CDs and most of her vinyl. I plan to go into the cosmetology field when I am finished with high school because I have always been interested in hair and makeup and it’s something I’ve always been good at. I am planning to enroll in hair school, but my boyfriend is planning on going into the Air Force so I will probably go with him and do school or get a beauty job wherever we go. 

Kennedy Carter

My name is Kennedy. I am a senior at Start High School.

I lived in Toledo my whole life and have never lived anywhere else

I like to watch shows like Breaking Bad, The 100, and The Walking Dead.

I have nine siblings. One older brother, four younger sisters, and two younger brothers. The other two siblings aren’t even born yet, but they’re supposed to be girls and they are not twins. I only live with one sister and one younger brother. Most of them are from my dad. I don’t live with my older brother because he moved out 2 years ago. I usually babysit them to make money. I also babysit my mom’s friends’ kids for most of the summer and now most weekends but I watch my brother most weekdays.

My hobbies are playing games and watching new shows. Right now I’m in the middle of watching Game of Thrones and house the dragon. I like to watch TikTok. I have two dogs both puggles and they are really fat and kinda ugly, but I love them. Thanks for reading my bio.

April Dodd

Hi, my names april. I’m 17, currently living with my parents but soon moving out. I’m a senior and super excited to finish school. I’m not sure if i’m going to college or not but if i do i want to be a dentist, or go for photography. I don’t do much outside of school, besides work. The only time I leave is when I’m with my boyfriend. My current hobby is nails. I’ve been doing them for about two years. I don’t really do other peoples but I enjoy doing my own. I pretty much keep to myself, in and out of school.

Marissa Downing

Hey! My name is Marissa Downing and I am 17 years old. I go to Start High School and I’m a senior. In my free time I watch Netflix and right now I am in the middle of watching Bojack Horseman and Cowboy Bebop! I also liked to play sports, my favorite one being softball. I live with my two siblings and my mom. We also have 4 dogs, but they’re more like horses because they’re so big. I love to hang out with my friends and I get along with a lot of different people. My favorite subject in school right now is English because I enjoy reading and writing. Also I like doing the poem of the day in our class because we are the first class to do it. 

Although I enjoy high school, I can’t wait to go to college. I was going to play softball in college but now that I can’t I am excited to be able to focus on my future career. I want to major in early childhood education and be able to teach the first grade. I don’t have any particular reason for specifically wanting to teach first grade but I think it’s a happy medium between kids’ first year of school and after they’re finally over it; yes I’m talking about 2nd grade. 

Regarding what I want to do when I finally don’t have to have a room right next door next to my sister, I would like to have a nice house. I haven’t planned that far ahead I guess but I imagine my life will be like some weird comedy you would find scouring Netflix because you have nothing to watch, having something to do with trying to live your life to the fullest everyday by going on random adventures because “I feel like it”. 

Anyways, that’s pretty much everything about me. It’s basic and simple but I can’t think of anything else really. Hopefully I’ll be able to write about some of the things I like so I can seem cool ;).

Saniy Hill-Morales

   Hi, my name is Sa’niy, im a 14 year old freshman at Start High School and im here to tell you about me and my life.My full name is Sa’niy Monae Hill, my name was suppose to be Sanoi but my mom spelled my name wrong on my birth certificate so its Sa’niy. My birthday is September 25th and I was born in 2007. I’m a very chill cool person, my favorite food is egg rolls and seafood. My favorite thing to do when im bored is Edit on video start, take walks around my neighborhood, ride VEO scooters I find around my neighborhood, and watch tv. My favorites shows are Outer Banks, On My Block, and Never Have I Ever.

   Growing up I was the only girl. I have 3 brothers, Lamarion,Bashawn, and Baby Tj. If you ask me I was the favorite child until my baby brother was born, Baby Tj on January 12th 2016. It was my older brother Lamarion, Then my other brother Bashawn, then me, then my baby brother so sadly im a middle child.Growing up with all boys is a little hard we fight, argue, and more but we do know how to get along most of the time. I was born and raised in Toledo Ohio on September 25th 2007. I was very very spoiled growing up I got whatever I wanted when I wanted. I always got my way .

  My life now is kinda still the same now. Basically I wake up go to school, go to all my classes, go home, do my homework if needed, watch tv and go to sleep, wake up and do it all over again. On the weekends I do fun stuff most of the time mostly with my favorite cousin and nephew.As a freshman everybody think its hard but its pretty easy. I memorized all my classes in 3 days. I have all A’s and B’s so far. I have Never been late to a class nor skipped a class and I’ve been to school everyday. So far I’ve been liking this high school and I might stay for my Sophomore. Junior, and Senior year.

Megan Holan

     Hai, I’m Megan. I am currently a senior at Start high school. I consider myself an introvert. I thrive on creativity, and I love animals. As most people do, I have dealt with many ups and downs in my life.

     My house is lowkey zoo, we have so many animals. My sister and I have a cat each, as well as a snake and a goldfish. My brother has three crested geckos, one leopard gecko, and one bearded dragon. We also have two huskies but they are family pets.

     A few of my hobbies are singing, drawing, painting and gaming. I love to draw horror movie characters. I painted ghost face on my bedroom door along with some creepy faces. When I draw it usually is to express my feeling or vent.

     My aesthetic is gothic. I wear a lot of black and a lot of chunky necklaces. I am very spiritual, I have a collection of healing crystals and I sage my room every month to keep the bad out.

     That is a snippet of what I am like, hope you guys enjoyed it.

Stacie Lemle

Hi, I’m Stacie. I’m a sophomore. I’m 15 as of writing this but turn 16 in November. Right now I work at an ice cream shop called Fritzie Freeze but we close October 2nd. I have 2 brothers (Zac and Stephen) and 2 sisters (Cassie and Brandi) and 4 nephews 16-0 (yes one is 8 months older). I live with my mom and dont talk to my “dad”

Okay here’s some fun facts about me. My besties for the resties are identical twins. I’m a super and I mean SUPER picky eater. I’m the youngest sibling by 10 years. I really like interior design and I like cleaning too. Last thing, I’m obsessed with piercings and have 10 right now but have 4 others i wanna get this year.

 

Aliya Kirian

My name is Aliya. I am just a small part of a large family. As the youngest of 5 kids, I have a lot to prove so I play sports and participate in more than a few clubs. These clubs include; Redcross, Drama, Young Women of Excellence, National Honors Society, and I play tennis. When my schedule allows it I hope to join Smarts. 

While I enjoy trying to do better than my siblings, I can’t live my whole life for them, so some things I like doing are just watching TV, eating, and hanging out with my friends. Currently I am watching The Flash.  My favorite meal at the moment is definitely pepper steak with rice… Specifically made by my eldest sister. But if I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life it would be that or POTATOES!! Potatoes in almost any form are all I need in life. In my opinion the best way to have a potato is mashed or as french fries. I could go on and on about potatoes but I won’t. 

Anyways, outside of school/friends, I don’t really have a life except work. I work at a bagel shop that shall not be named. It’s been pretty fun to work at and the people there are mostly great. Even though most of my time is taken up by work and school I do try to read when I can. I like to read mainly fantasy and sci-fi books. Okayy, that’s all I can think of. 

Nyree McSwain

Hi my name is Nyree, I am 16 years old and I am a junior in Start high school. I live with my mom, my step dad, and my eight year old little sister. I work at Burlington and I have been there for three months now. I really like to do art things mainy painting. I like to roller skate, write things, play video games, explose, and I like to travel. I was born in Chicago Illinois and I lived there until I came here when I was eight years old and I have been here ever since. I am a very quiet person when I am inside of school, I only really talk to my friends. Before covid hit I was a really social person but since everyone had to stay inside for months I started to become more to myself. My favorite food is sushi and my favorite thing to drink is apple juice, root beer, and cotton candy faygo (It is really good, trust me.)

I am one of the captains here at the Science Olympiad club and I have also been in the choir here for two years. I have been doing choir since fourth grade (though I do not think I am that great of a singer.) I listen to everything except for country, yes that includes heavy metal and rock. I watch a lot of stuff including anime. The stuff I am currently watching is Grey’s Anatomy, Attack on Titan, Euphoria, Heart Stoppers, Black Butler, Orange is the New Black, and You. I am interested in stuff like witchcraft and horror stuff. My favorite horror movie series is Scream, my favorite is Scream 2. In my freshman year I played the violin in my study hall but I quit because I started to lose motivation.

I mainly hang out with two people, my best friend and my cousin. I have known my best friend since second grade. A lot of people find it weird that we don’t go to the same school since people never saw us apart. She does work with me so work is fun. I want to be a fashion designer or a ceramic teacher for high school students, but I haven’t decided yet. I am an excellent swimmer and I try to swim as much as I can because it is fun. I guess that is enough about me, thanks for reading!

Raven Morgan

My name is Raven. I’m seventeen and will be turning eighteen in December. I live with my parents and my dog Roxi, she’s a pocket bully. I play volleyball, I’ve played since the sixth grade. I have no job because my mom wants me to focus on school and sports. I wish I had one but at the same time I’m happy. Volleyball is my most favorite thing in the world, it’s definitely my safe spot. I have volleyball everyday of the week besides the weekends it’s stressful but i manage. When I’m free I love hanging out with my friends, listening to music, especially Jhene Aiko, and eating snacks while I watch Tiktok. 

My other favorite thing to do is probably eat. I love food so much lol. My favorite foods are seafood, chicken alfredo, and greek salads. I’m honestly the least pickiest person ever, I will try anything and everything! Well that’s enough about me, I hope you enjoyed it! 

Maloree Napolski

My name is Maloree and I am 15 years old. I’m a Junior at Start High School. I was born and raised in Toledo and live with my mom, dad, and sister, we also have one dog named Chica.  Recently my sister moved back home and brought her cat so I guess we have a cat now too. In my free time, I like to read. I read a little bit of everything but my least favorite is fantasy. I don’t really listen to music all that often, but I do love Harry Styles and actually got to see him in concert last September.

I love to watch shows on netflix, this is what the majority of my days consist of. My favorite shows of all time would have to be Criminal Minds, which I’m still finishing and I’m rewatching Grey’s Anatomy for probably the fifth time too. I also love watching sports, The Ohio State Buckeyes, The Boston RedSox, and The Toledo Walleye. I think hockey is my favorite to watch, but football is just better. That’s about it, bye.

Jamal Patrick

Hi my name is Jamal Patrick and I’m seventeen years old.I’m a senior at Start High school.I live with my brother Bryant and niece Breauna.I have a job at the Spaghetti Warehouse as a server assistant/busser and I don’t have any pets.In my freetime I read comics,write stories,and go on walks.

My favorite time of music is 90’s hip hop and my favorite artist are Ice Cube, Eazy-E , Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, Tupac, 50 cent, Biggie, and Eminem.To me I think that the best albums from the 90’s are Amerikka’s Most Wanted by Ice Cube, The Chronic by Dr.Dre, Straight outta Compton by N.W.A. The Don killuminati: The seven day theory by Tupac, and Eazy- Duz-it by Eazy-E.

I watch anime sometimes and my favorites are My Hero Academia, Black Clover, Tokyo Revengers, Demon Slayer, Fire Force, Dragon Ball Z, Jujutsu Kaisen, and The Quintessential Quintuples.

My favorite tv shows are Stranger Things and the Spectacular Spider-man.

I love to watch superhero movies and the best ones are Avengers: EndGame and Spider-Man:No way home.

My Plans after Highschool is to become an author.

I have a fear of spiders and heights.

My favorite 90’s movies are Poetic Justice, Boyz in the Hood, Space Jam, The Mask, and Friday.
I’m the youngest out of 3 older brothers.

Amy Piotrowski

Hello! I’m Amy Piotrowski and I am 16 years old. I’m a junior attending Start HIgh School. I’m involved in two clubs: National Honor Society and Young Women of Excellence. I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio and live with my Mom, Kerry, my Dad, Loren, and my dog, Buddy. I also have an older sister named Samantha.

In my free-time, I love to do artsy activities like origami and knitting. I may not be the best at them, but I still think they are fun to do. I also enjoy making vanilla frosting and baking sugar cookies with my Grandma during the holidays, and cooking Lasagna, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and tacos with my Mom.

My favorite TV shows are The Office, Parks and Recreation, New Girl, and The Good Place. My favorite movie series is Star Wars. My family is filled with Star Wars fanatics, so I’ve grown up watching the movies. We like Star Wars so much that during Christmas time when my Grandma puts out her baby in a manger decor, we always put Yoda in the display, near Jesus. It’s an ongoing joke in the family. Out of all the Star Wars movies, my two favorites are Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. When it comes to music, I’m fine with listening to whatever is on the radio, but I also like the band, The Beatles. My favorite Beatles songs are Eleanor Rigby, Come Together, and Yesterday.

Over the summer, I worked at the University of Toledo as a teaching assistant for a program called Math Corps (math camp for 6th – 9th graders), but now am currently unemployed. When I graduate from Start, I want to attend the University of Toledo and major in education, to become a high school math teacher. Once I grow up, I hope to make a positive impact in people’s lives.

Rylee Trader

Hey there, I’m Rylee, and I have lived in Toledo my whole life. I live with my mom and my sister and they both have gone and graduated from start, and im well on my way to continue in what seems as my family legacy. At the moment I have three cats, tigger the oldest, recese, and finally milo that we got in june. I’m in several clubs and after school activities, that include soccer, colorguard, national honors society, drama club, band, broomball, and student body government. I’m very involved and I still find time to do my homework and keep up my grades. The people that I have met and known all have a part on who I am and I’m so grateful.