Math and reading. No, I’m not describing the things you learn in school, I’m talking about freshman Katie Kelly’s passions. She can also be seen on the track carrying on the Kelly legacy, high jump.  She can jump higher than most people’s heights and always has a smile on her face.

Katie is the second youngest of five children.  Most teachers in the building know the Kelly name due to her three older siblings who have gone through the school, and trust me, you can’t miss them.  I mean they jump high, but they’re even taller.

Katie is following her sister Keira’s footsteps by pursuing high jump. But this comes with unexpected pressure from the track community to be just as good as her sister. “It’s different because Keira did it; people have a standard,” Katie shared.

All though she may seem quiet to most, at home she is the complete opposite.  Katie said,“ In the classroom I’ll be quiet but with my family, no.”

Her brother, junior Robert said, “You don’t want to cross her because she’ll give you a look like she wants to end your existence.”

In my interview with Katie, I found that she is a little different from the rest of us and I’m still deciding whether it’s good or not. First, she doesn’t have Netflix, who doesn’t have Netflix?! Her favorite holiday is not Christmas, it’s 4th of July.  She says it’s her favorite because “you don’t have school for two months after that.”  She may be a good student, but I’m sensing she would rather be at the beach.

Freshman Rachel Frank, Katie’s best friend, can always seen by Katie’s side; you have to look a little lower to see her – 9 inches lower to be exact.

When I asked Rachel what one word she would describe Katie as, she said, “Intimidating, because she’s so smart, tall, and always knows what to do.”

Robert said, “Katie’s fierce, because she never gives up, and she is strong.”

Fierce and intimidating, words that describe a girl who loves math and reading. A girl who is not defined by her last name, not defined by her sibling’s legacies.  She is her own person. She is Katie Kelly.