Graphic by Dina Kats
By Sabrina Ishanyan
Features Editor
Each year, Newton South commemorates two seniors from the graduating class on their hard work, leadership, and dedication to the Newton South community. Senior Cup is a very prestigious award, with the two winners chosen by the staff of six worthy finalists. Denebola had the opportunity to meet with close friends and teachers of the two winners for an insightful look into how they have made a lasting impact on Newton South over the past four years.
Katelyn Hatem, one of the winners, is best known around Newton South for her enthusiasm and involvement in the community, as well as outside of it. Whether it’s on the field for lacrosse and field hockey or volunteering for the elderly, Katelyn can be found bustling around the school, ready to take action.
Her leadership skills are clearly demonstrated through her sports and clubs. She was unanimously voted captain of the lacrosse team in her junior and senior year, captained the field hockey team her senior year, and earned a multitude of leadership and excellence awards along the way, such as Dual Country League All-Star and EMGCLA Leadership Award.
Along with being a science teacher at South, Ms. Estrada is also the head coach of the girls’ lacrosse team and has duly taken notice of Hatem’s attitude towards the sport and her teammates.
“She displays sportsmanship at all times, out hustles and outworks teammates and opponents, never complains, brings a positive attitude filled with energy and love of the sport, and welcomes criticism because she is always looking for ways to improve her skills, lacrosse IQ, and leadership abilities,” Ms. Estrada reflected.
Ms. Estrada also added, “[Hatem] cares deeply about the well-being of others and works tirelessly to ensure that all players feel they are valued and important to the team, whether starters or benchwarmers, other seniors or freshman.”
Senior Samantha Shaevel, Hatem’s lacrosse co-captain, described her commitment and attitude towards helping others, “if she hears about an issue in the world, within seconds her brain is moving with ideas to help this issue. Whether it is leading her field hockey, basketball, lacrosse community, creating a clothes instagram account and donating profits to cover relief, and Black Lives Matter Movements, sharing her love of ASL, tutoring kids, working on South’s senate… the list literally goes on and on and on.”
Not only does Hatem’s excellence come from all the work she has done, but her infectious positivity both characterizes her activism and exhibits her capacity as a great friend.
“There are way too many memories I have with her to share just one, but she is someone that adds so much personality to my friend group,” said Senior Anika Fiore, another close friend of Hatem’s. “She has made my high school experience one that I will never forget.”
From what her friends and teachers have described, it is no surprise that Hatem was chosen as one of the winners for Senior Cup. Her selflessness and drive for change are what make her distinctive and so ready to tackle any challenge in the future.
As a final statement of Hatem’s persona, Shaevel concluded, “I feel like a quote that describes her perfectly is ‘Life not waiting for the storm to pass, it’s learning to dance in the rain’.”
