By Tatum Spurk
High School is a place where decisions are presented daily. Where you want to go to college and what job you want to have are among many decisions highschoolers have to face. This decision can be difficult when you have many different interests and hobbies, like Junior Camryn Halboth.
Halboth’s dilemma is that she is involved in several different activities, and is not sure how to apply her passions in an environment exceeding West. Halboth feels as if her passion for so many things will debiliate her in the long run since she hasn’t had the time to focus solely on one activity.
Currently, Halboth is involved in GEC, UNICEF, Book Club, Spanish Club, West Side Stage, Titan Smart among other activities. Halboth also balances her activities with a job at Taco Bell and advanced classes.
“Everyone has a thing that they know they want to do, but I haven’t found my thing, and i think part of the reason is I have a lot of interests, so I spread myself out,” said Halboth.
Although Halboth is still in search of her “thing”, she is beginning to find a niche in music. Halboth has been musically inclined since she was much younger, and said she has “always loved singing and such.”
In 5th grade, Halboth began playing the French Horn. Halboth always enjoyed playing the French Horn, but recently, a tragic event prompted her to see the instrument in a different way.
Halboth’s uncle passed away from brain cancer during the summer of 2016. He had a fierce passion for playing the French Horn, and even played in the Cleveland symphony. Their shared love of the French Horn, resulted in lots of conversations regarding the instrument. Halboth said he would call her asking, “How is band going?, What are you playing?, What are you doing now?” He even gave her the first French Horn he bought by himself.
One day, Halboth received a phone call from her uncle saying that he could no longer play the instrument. “He was slowly not able to do anything,” said Halboth. “It was so hard to see someone go through something like that, especially when you can connect with someone on that level of music.”
“It really got to me. I didn’t appreciate every time I picked up my instrument that I could play and I could do something different and make something beautiful when he couldn’t even and that’s all he wanted to do.”
Halboth said because of this experience she has became more dedicated to playing the French Horn, and it shows. “Camryn has really taken a new turn in music and her passion for wanting to excel has strengthened over the last several months. It is a joy to see,” said band teacher Clifton Thurmond.
“Music is so much more than black and white on a page,” said Halboth. “They are all written for a reason.”
Chloe Metheny-Morrison, Camryn’s fellow bandmate and good friend, said that another possible reason for her increased passion for the French Horn is the responsibility that comes with being a leader. “Cam and I were both section leaders, which is a lot of responsibilty so that alone takes more dedication…” said Metheny-Morrison. Metheny-Morrison also said that since Camryn is second chair for French Horn, she may practice more.
In addition to a love for music, Halboth has discovered an appreciation of nature and wildlife, and is even considering a job in the science field to learn more about the outdoors. Halboth’s passion for the outdoors really developed from a Grand Teton trip she took with the school last Summer.
“Science is definitely one of my passions even though I’ve never been good at it,” explains Halboth. “It’s like the beauty of the world. Just understanding everything around you.” Halboth said that nature and trees remind her of God.
Halboth went to a few Catholic schools prior to being a Titan, and was introduced to new cultures and ways of thinking. The transition of the lack of uniforms and prayer in school, in addition to a substantially larger grade, was a “really big change” for Halboth.
Despite the initial culture shock, Halboth is glad she is at public school because it “opened up about sexualites and religions” that she had not been exposed to at her previous schools. She is a supporter of the LGBT community, as well as a supporter of various religions and is glad she has the opportunity to learn about those at West.
