The varsity volleyball team had a pink-out game during Breast Cancer Awareness month.
University Academy’s 2024-2025 school year is coming to a close, with only four more days before summer break. This year has brought countless memories for students. From field trips to class wars, new bonds were built and new opportunities were opened. It’s hard to believe that the first day of school was already 10 months ago.
Back on the very first day, there were many nervous freshmen who were experiencing their first day of high school, and now they’re about to embark on a new adventure as sophomores. Meanwhile, the seniors are preparing to embrace the next chapters in their lives filled with new experiences and opportunities.
One of the first major events of the year was Homecoming, which took place on Sept. 21. Many students said they enjoyed the dance and it provided an opportunity to talk and interact with other scholars and build connections.
Classes even announced their class chants to represent themselves.
“One of my favorite moments was when we were making our class chant,” Ra’Shawn Doss, a UA freshman, said.
She said it was a moment that felt like “we were all a big family and together.”
Chloe’ Ford, a UA junior, shared that although she didn’t attend Homecoming, she enjoyed being able to set up the decorations and attend the Homecoming football game.
Dayonna Loyd, a UA sophomore, said, “The whole day was really fun. Yes, it did rain hard, but I got to spend that whole day with my friends just doing random stuff.”
Also toward the beginning of the year, there were many fall sports going on, including volleyball, football, boys’ soccer, and boys’ and girls’ cross country. The varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams both finished their seasons with winning records, and the football team achieved its best performance against Northeast High School, taking the win with a score of 60-12.
Then basketball and wrestling took center stage.
Girls’ basketball had a great season, ending with a record of 19-8. Their best win was against Paseo Academy, earning a 76-10 decisive win. The Lady Gryphons made it all the way to the district championship game, which they lost, but they won several tournament championships throughout the regular season
“Winning and having fun with my teammates in and out of school was so fun. Those girls are so bright and never fail to make me smile,” Nevaeh Leeks, a senior basketball player, said.
Ford also has great memories with the girls’ basketball team from her time as a team manager.
“My most memorable moment this year has been basketball season, cheering with my team. It was always a joy to laugh and giggle with them, and I will miss the seniors who are leaving,” Ford said.
During the winter season, wrestling successfully qualified three people for state. Spring sports rounded out the year for the Gryphon athletic department.
Another big moment of this school year was when Coach Aaron Clark, UA’s PE teacher, assigned the freshmen class a two-stepping dance routine toward the beginning of the second semester.
“My favorite memorable moment this year was seeing the freshmen dance, which was both bittersweet and cute,” Courtne’ Speed, a UA senior, said.
Also at the beginning of the second semester, there were an unusual number of snow days, with a total of 10 days out of school due to weather. These days highly impacted the learning for UA scholars, but teachers and students made the best of it.
In April, UA hosted Dribble for a Cure, a students vs. staff basketball competition that raised money and awareness of kidney and liver disease in honor of former UA staff member Coach James Jennings.
As the school year has progressed toward its end, Christian Davis, a UA sophomore, made his mark as he started to sell hoodies he designed.
“Throughout the school year, there have been many memorable moments, but my top moment of this school year would have to be personally making clothes to try to collaborate with UA with a crew-neck/hoodie so that we would have more style in our school,” Davis said.
Some memorable parts of the year have stretched from the beginning to the end, such as class wars. This competition between all grades allows classes to earn bragging rights by collecting points thanks to attendance percentages, grades, fundraiser wins, and more.
With the end of the school year approaching, one final big event was prom. Many students stepped up to the plate to run for prom king and queen, and seniors Aaliyah Lee and Keaton Davis won. The anticipation and excitement for this event created a buzz around school as juniors and seniors talked about who to vote for, planned outfits, organized group pictures and made dinner reservations for the big day.
Prom was a chance for students to gather and celebrate all the hard work, dedication and memories made throughout the year.
Ford said, “I just love when the whole high school can come together and just have fun.”
On May 15, the seniors walked the stage at graduation and are now officially set to take the next step in their lives. Many seniors are going to college on scholarships, which is a huge accomplishment.
At this point, all that’s really left are finals, with the school year coming to a close on Thursday. That’s a wrap on another memorable UA school year.