Take A Bow

By: STO Lia Graham, Texas High School, Troupe 2526
 
    Goodbyes are never fun. Spring is always bittersweet for the STOs as it comes time to pass the torch onto the 2021 board, but the 2020 STOs have a few farewells. Some faces you will see for another year, but the rest take their place in the STO Hall of Fame. Here’s some words of advice from the 2020 Texas Thespians State Thespian Officers;
 
“The most valuable lesson I have learned is definitely how to advocate. Advocating for Theatre Education has made a lasting impact on my community and helped to inspire the students that feel their voices won’t make an impact. I’m going to miss the people, the STOs, and the adults, but I’m also going to miss working with and for Texas Thespians. This organization truly changes students’ lives and paves paths for them and their future.”

• Campbell Lemons, Chair

Obra D. Tompkins High School, Troupe 7963
 
“I’ve learned that every new opportunity that comes up, take it. The most valuable skill I’ve learned is how to incorporate and compromise the ideas of everyone. I am going to miss all of the STO’s that are graduating because I never knew how close I could become to these people in such a short amount of time. I’m looking forward to making next year’s Thespians even better than this past year! (And this past year was pretty amazing)!”

• Piper Daniell, Middle School Liason

Midway HS, Troupe 4770
 
“The most valuable skill I’ve gained is the ability to make effective, concise, and more aesthetically pleasing presentations, which is something I struggled a lot with before. I’m going to miss teaching about Advocacy and getting to talk for a full 45 minutes about it to people who are so willing to listen.”

• Annie Bailey, Advocacy Co-Chair

Belton HS, Troupe 3491
 
“It is insane how much connecting with other thespians can increase your knowledge of both theatre and leadership as a whole. During COVID I realized how important it is for thespians to be around other thespians. Despite not seeing each other in person all that much, I still feel emotionally attached to every single STO, and I am incredibly thankful for every second I've experienced with this family. Being on a call and seeing everyone's incredible personalities and working with these amazing leaders has been something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

• Jackson Barnes, 

Argyle HS, Troupe 6015
 
“I have effectively learned how to advocate for myself and the arts. You won’t always be the best at something, so it’s more important to operate as a team to fully succeed at your goals. I’m going to miss the relationships I built with the STOs. They are my family, and now I’m sad it’s all ending.”

• Caleb Creech, 

Royse City HS, Troupe 8003
 
“A lot that I did not realize before being an STO is it requires a great deal of organization, taking responsibility, and ownership. The most valuable skill I’ve learned is editing videos in a short period of time. What I'm going to miss the most is the zoom calls, meeting up, connecting, and making videos.”

• Cody Dixon, 

GW Carver Magnet HS, Troupe 6753
 
“One of the most valuable skills I've learned through being an STO is turning things in on time. Working in such a large group with many tasks and goals, by turning things in on time, we are able to complete our tasks and goals more efficiently. Prior to being an STO, I was rather hesitant about communicating in large groups. However, I was able to overcome this and be better at talking in large groups.”

• Victoria Goehring, 

Cypress Ridge HS, Troupe 6641
 
“This year is not what we expected it to be. When we heard that festival would be virtual and that we couldn’t meet for STO camp, we could have easily given up. We all know that would never happen though. Even through a global pandemic, we led, advocated, and reached out. I am so proud of the work all thespians across Texas have accomplished, and I can’t wait to see where this foundation takes them next.”

• Lia Graham, Troupe Liaison 

Texas HS, Troupe 2526
 
“The thing I will miss most is definitely getting to work with my fellow STOs. They are some of the greatest people I have ever met and I am going to miss them so much! I am looking forward to being able to continuously make Texas Thespians better than we found it. I can't wait to work with the 2021 board to continue to make Texas Thespians amazing!

• Brenna Kenney, 

Rouse HS, Troupe 7679
 
“I’m going to miss the people on this board the most and the connections we’ve gotten to make virtually this year across the state. I’m looking forward to taking what I’ve learned and using it to lead this new board to success. I’m looking forward to planning festival and leading a hopefully in person festival as an STO.”

• ​Jackson Layton, 

Ft. Worth Academy of Fine Arts, Troupe 6391
 
“Being an STO has definitely made me appreciate every little thing that goes into setting up things like festival or leadership camps because I never knew how much time and effort it required. I’ve learned to appreciate everyone and everything that people offer and give up so they can help others. I’m very excited for next year because I’ll have more understanding of the expectations of events and processes the STOs undergo.”

• Avery Martin, 

Denison HS, Troupe 6319
 
“I think the most valuable lesson I’ve gained from being an STO is being able to fully appreciate teamwork. I’ve always worked on teams in the past, but it really wasn’t until I served on this board where I truly saw the importance and value of teamwork. I was never afraid to not have help, because everybody was so open, kind, and always willing to lend a helping hand.”

• Bradyn Parmelly, 

Rockwall Heath HS, Troupe 5872
 
“Being an STO helped me improve on my team work skills and helped me learn to lean on people to become a better person and leader. When we were all chosen we didn’t know a pandemic was going to happen, so this taught us to have back up plans and also to adapt to overcome. Although I didn’t get to see them a lot in person, they have truly impacted my life with all their support and love. Each and everyone one of them has made me a better person and leader.”

• Elisa Pedraza-Sanchez, 

Sandra Day O'Connor HS, Troupe 5872 
 
“I’ve learned that not everything is going to go your way like you plan, so you have to embrace the change coming. You have to work hard even on the days you don’t want to continue persevering. I’ve definitely learned to be flexible and how to navigate through technology better, especially with COVID-19 throwing off a majority of our year, I think we all learned to adapt to changes very quickly.”

• Alyssa Suarez, 

William J Brennan HS, Troupe 7693
 
“Because of my time as an STO, I have learned many valuable things, but my experience working with a team to try and get things done is what I will most likely take with me for the rest of my life. Through being an STO I have learned a lot about time management and meeting deadlines.”

• Jarrett Stewart, 

Sunnyvale HS, Troupe 7532 
 
“We as a STO board had to work together even though we only met each other in person twice. My leadership skills are something that have grown. By being a STO, you have to be a leader and also be on the receiving end of leadership. I’ll miss the people. Getting to work with them is what made this experience worth it.”

• Megan Valle, 

Azle HS, Troupe 607
 
“The most valuable lesson I've learned through being a State Thespian Officer is to trust the process.  Things may look messy and disorganized at first, but trust your teammates. If you listen and work through the rough patches, the end product will turn out better than you imagined.”

• Tyler Viator, 

Clear Falls HS, Troupe 7648 
 
With love, 
Your 2020 Texas State Thespian Officers